Joel 2:28-32

-Do you know about Buccees? Buccees is like this Sams Club version of gas stations, they have like 10,000 gas pumps and an equal amount of toilets in the rest room, all kinds of things to eat, and gifts galore, anything you want for your home while you are on your way to vacation, but you know what else is at Buccees? Like half a million people, getting in and out of Buccees is a nightmare. So whenever we are traveling and I know that there is a Buccees coming up, I am hoping with everything within me that my children do not see the 5,000 signs on the road. I try to avoid Buccees at all costs, perhaps you have places or topics you try to avoid - I feel like the subject of the Holy Spirit is one that has been avoided by many throughout the years

-It is interesting in Christian circles you have three different groups in regards to views/thinking about the Holy Spirit:

-There are those who overemphasize the Holy Spirit, they draw conclusions that are not Biblical, such as one must speak in tongues to be saved and this is given by the Spirit

-Then you have others who try to ignore teachings on the Holy Spirit, and they do so out of fear of appearance of being zealous for things of the Spirit

-Then there are those who approach the Holy Spirit Biblically, who look at what God’s Word reveals to us about the Spirit

-There are misconceptions about the Spirit, some have said that the Spirit starts at Pentecost and this is not true, we believe in the Trinity God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit thus just as the Father has always existed, just as the Son has always existed so has the Spirit

-We can see all the way back at creation that the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters

-Judges 3:10 - the spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel

-pouring out of the spirit, pouring out of the rain

-Is there a difference in the pouring out of the Spirit that will happen afterwards to when the Spirit came upon a person in the Old Testament, yes there is a difference. So what does it mean that the spirit will pour out?

-It’s interesting that word used for pour out can mean to flow, heap up, or shed blood - and we have the concept of being baptized by the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:5

5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

-Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2 - day of Pentecost

What will happen will the Holy Spirit is poured out? Why is this important?

The Spirit will Mark Those Who are God’s People

-afterwards = not a very specific timeline, we aren’t even sure on chronological events of Joel

-the implication is that the gift of the Spirit would come after the nation had recovered from agricultural and military disasters

-Exactly when is not as important as knowing that this is distinct from what has already been stated by Joel, that the pouring out of the Spirit is at a later time

-Several times the Holy Spirit is expressed as being poured out

-Isaiah proclaimed that a day would come when God would pour out His Spirit to mark His people

Isaiah 44:3 ESV

3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

—Ezekiel - proclaimed that in time to come that God would by His Spirit enable people to obey God

Romans 5:5 ESV

5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

-We see with these references as in Joel that the pouring of the Spirit is an identification of God’s people

-Joel proclaimed that the coming age would be a time marked by the presence of the Spirit

-Paul taught that when a person is born again they receive the Holy Spirit, he wrote in Eph 1:13 that they are sealed with the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:16 ESV

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

God has been pleased to make the bodies of His people to be the temples of the Holy Spirit. At this very moment, in every one of you who have put your trust in the Lord Jesus, Deity resides!

Our Position And Our Purpose, Volume 57, Sermon #3245 - 2 Corinthians 7:1

Charles Spurgeon

-What are we to make of your sons and daughters shall prophesy and old men dream dreams?

-Perhaps Joel had Numbers 11:29 in mind

Numbers 11:29 ESV

29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

-We find the pouring of the Spirit with other unnatural behavior

1 Samuel 10:6 ESV

6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

-the dreams, prophesying, and visions were to serve as clarity to the authentication of the Spirit

-Clearly the spirit did pour out, and there are many passages that we could focus on, but let us look to the one that is very clear, the day of pentecost, Holy Spirit poured out, speaking in tongues, everyone heard in their own language - but the biggest take away is the 3,000 souls that were born again

-The Holy Spirit is the mark of child of God

The Spirit will Draw Jew and Gentile Alike

-pour out my spirit on all flesh, particularly all of God’s people will receive the Spirit, this is not the idea that every human being with receive the Holy Spirit

-This takes away huge social barriers that particularly existed in that day:

-gender, age, and economic status

-At this time society did not regard women but men, they did not respect the opinion of the young but the old, the landowners ruled society not the slaves

-Jesus in His earthly ministry revealed the importance of crossing barriers, and how all people are drawn John 4 - woman at the well

-We also see Paul confronting Peter in Galatians 2

Galatians 3:28 ESV

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

-There is debate whether or not the intention in this text was for all Israel or all humanity, either way Scripture points to the inclusion of all humanity

The Spirit will Perform Signs and Wonders

-Now it seems the association with the Spirit is that of judgement, previously we have looked at salvation and restoration, why now these images of judgement

-Well it is important to remember that Joel is describing the day of the Lord and with the day of the Lord comes both salvation and judgement, it is the arrival of God to deal with people

-Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32 in the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, however some of the things did not happen on the day of pentecost

-some have suggested that it is spiritual application and not to be taken in a literal sense

-that the darkening is associated with the sky at the death of Christ

-Regardless, what Peter proclaimed and what happened was what Joel had prophesied, signs and wonders did happen, the Spirit did pour out

-Now does God still do these signs and wonders? Perhaps you wonder about speaking in tongues? This is debated today, I personally believe that this gift is only needed when you have individuals of different languages gathered together, which was the case in Acts 2, perhaps the gift of tongues is still used amongst missionaries proclaiming the gospel to a group of different languages, God still does signs and wonders but we must be careful - many proclaim signs and wonders to make a profit - we must remember anytime God did a sign and wonder it was so people could understand that He is God and so they could know the gospel

-What are the implications for us in this text?

-Praise God that He poured out His Spirit - that because we are born again, we have been draw to God by His Spirit, His Spirit resides in us, brings conviction in our lives, encourages us, reminds us of His Word, and strengthens us

-Perhaps today His Spirit is drawing you to salvation, I plead with you to respond in faith