Restoration is Here--Joel 2

Sermon - Joel - God will restore:

What would you say is the most destructive insect?

Locusts are the world's most destructive migratory pest. They can travel up to 90 miles per day and eat the same amount of food as 35,000 people.

they have a significant impact on the environment,

Food and one’s health.

If you have studied American history

1862 Homestead Act.

The act gave adult citizens or intended citizens the opportunity to claim 160 acres of surveyed government land, with the goal of developing the American West and stimulating economic growth.

Many packed their families and belongings and moved onto their 160 acres

however locust Plague of 1874, occurred swarm of Rocky Mountain Locust covered 198,000 square miles of the Great Plains— millions of insects. many of These farmers gave up their dreams of farming and returned to their homes in the East because the locust had laid their eggs and they thought the following year the plague would be worse. However that winter they were destroyed and the plague ended. Many who left forfeited

their 160 acres.

Lets look at the book of Joel.

Most of you are familiar with the scripture

I will restore to you the years that the locust have eaten”

but before I examine this scripture in context I’ld like to give some background info.

Joel was a prophet the Old Testament -prophesied to their current time as well as the future generation. He ministered during this time of history that Israel is a divided. Remember, 10 of the Jewish tribes lived in the north - Israel. 2 tribes lived in the South -Judah. Joel's prophetic ministry was directed to the kingdom of Judah

the book of joel was written 150 years before the Babylonians invasded them.

Joel warns God’s people about a coming day of judgment and encourages them that God is a God of mercy who will responds to to those who repent and turn back to Him and will bring about their restoration.

Chapter 1 He talks about a swarm of locusts that seeed to have occurred in their immediate past‌.

‌‌

Joel 1: 1-4

Remember, God people were at one point blessed. They lived in a fruitful land, flowing with milk and honey. Now, it’s awfully desolated The locusts had wasted the field.

The locusts are mentioned in their 4 different stages:

eWhat the cutting locust left,

fthe swarming locust has eaten.

What the swarming locust left,

gthe hopping locust has eaten,

and what the hopping locust left,

hthe destroying locust has eaten.

This affected every socio economic class as well as the animals:

drunk‌s, farmers, the priests, the bridegroom

animals cattle moan and the Sheep suffer

‌

there's no pasture to graze

the water brooks have dried up

On account of the severity of this plague. His people are stripped of their joy and go into mourning

But as you study Joel the people are suffering because God’s people turned to idolatry

rebellion against God.

So he calls on them to repent

chapter 1:14---

14 zConsecrate a fast;

zcall a solemn assembly.

Gather athe elders

and aall the inhabitants of the land

to the house of the Lord your God,

and cry out to the Lord.

unfortunately while this is devastating in chapter 2 it become even more dire. He prophesies about the Assyrian army as well as the Babylonian

‌

Empire that are going to come and bring even worse destruction. This destruction--great loss is because of the sin but he says in

‌

chapter 2 :12

‌

chapter 2:12 says now therefore says the Lord turned to me with all your heart (Ill come back to this at the end)

‌If you turn to me, I will

verse:

25 my main text “ i will restore to you

the years that the swarming locust has

eaten

the crawling locust the consuming locust

and the chewing locust

(a Verse that so many of us know)

As I was praying--Tell my people I will restore to you what you have lost.

Today the title of my message is:

Restoration is Coming to You:

How many of you feel like you can somewhat identify with this passage. You have lost things of value? Maybe you are in pain, mourning? Maybe you are in a place where you are surrounded by enemies.. You have experienced or are experiencing great loss either personally or those you love and care for are experiencing some leve of pain, or loss.

The truth is that we all encounter loss at some point or another. Sometimes :

because it’s not necessarily that we rebelled against God, but because we live in a sinful world and the effects of the fall inevitable affects us.

Lack of wisdom-- own foolishness,

Sometimes we make poor decisions Or others close to us have - that caue us to suffer loss.

Sometimes our biggest losses occur because we have chosen to not follow God and instead we “followed the lust of our flesh” “We follow satan who works in those whose hearts are not obedient to Christ”.

the enemy comes in and brings devastation

John 10:10 Describes Satan as a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy”. Like the locusts, he wreks havoc in our lives. As when we give into his devices we have found ourselves at a loss.

Whatever the reasons are, I felt the Lord wants us to know that He wants us believe Him for restoration.

Some of us have deep regrets for the lost years spent in the wrong

places, doing wrong things years that may have cost us lost marriages, lost friendships,

And we live in regret and constant condemnation for the past failures/mistakes. God wants to restore you today.

Others of us, who have sort to serve God have not been immune from losses- Jesus guarantees that “In this world you will have trouble…:

Maybe you have spent time and money investing into a business only to have a partner a client take advantnage of you.

Lost family inheritance— things that we supossed to passsd on to you—

Gambling, divorce,

Maybe you spent time building relationships--marriage, dating only to see them crumble--people walk away

they made promises they never kept

sometimes you feel like oh i've lost out on so much

You lament because you spent countless years and energy pursuing things or people that ended in pain and loss. now you feel like its too late and you feel like you have no strength to go on to to start over.

But despite the swarm of locusts that have brought devastation, God wants us to know that He sees and He wants to rescue us and restore us.

Lost Joy: because of sin:

David’s adultery

Psalm 51: Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Joel 2:25 25 his promis is: I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has

Why would God want to restore things to us?

Because it’s His nature!

Joel 2:18: Then the LORD became zealous for his land; he had compassion on his people.he

When we get a revelation of God’s nature, we don’t struggle with a word like this--that He wants to restore things that were lost to us. all that the enemy has stolen from us.

Moses had a marvellous revelation of the Lord. God descended in a cloud, and made known His nature-- He declares that He is gracious, merciful

Slow to anger and of great loving kindness,

--He is “abundant in goodness and truth.” This is what has been revealed through our Lord Jesus Christ. His utter love for us. The enemy came to destroy us but “FOr God so loved the world (the ones who sinned against Him, disparage His name..) that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but ….”

His love demands restoration-

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost" is a verse from the Bible, Luke 19:10. The verse is considered a key verse in Luke's gospel and is said to shape everything Jesus did.

The word "save" in this verse means to restore and make whole. Some say that the verse is about Jesus' purpose for coming to Earth and that it shaped everything he did. He wants to restore us back to Himself--what man lost in the garden of Eden--fellowship with GOd---perfect peace, joy - God wants to give that back to us.

We given access

to the throne of grace, access to God,access to our father.

Christ’s death restores:

and he broke the power of the curse

inner restortaion of peace joy contentment that relationship with Christ brings does not exclude restoration of outward things, like lost relationship lost health lost finances. He really cares about it all.

Some believers live as though the curse is still on them they live as though that the restoration will never happen. or that they deserve to be in lack because I deserve it. Or we contine to live in a curse that has been passed down from generation--cure of addictions, of perpetual cycles of poverty…..

That's the agenda of the enemy to steal, to kill and destroy.

But I have come.

I have come that you would have life

in abundance to the full

till it overflows.

This is the restoration of life God's going to give us.

Joel : Then the Lord will be zealous for his land, and pity his

people. And the Lord will answer and say to his people, 'Behold, I will send you grain (word)and new wine (joy) and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among

the nations.' " God says, "I will bring you into a right relationship.

"I will bring back to you guys---I know you've been ravaged. I know it looks like your life is over, but I'll bring you back hope. I'll bring you back my presence into your life.

You don't have to be estranged from me any longer." And then he also said, "I will deliver you from your enemies."

Verse 20, he says, "But I will remove far from you your enemies.

Today God wants to restore not just things to us but some of us need to be restore to God.

---lost your identity as sons and daughters of God. Not slaves-which causes you to feel inferior.

You're a king and a prince, a son or daughter of God.

You're the head and not the tail. You're above only and not beneath.

nothing changes the fact that you are the head and not the tail above only

and not beneath.

You're more than a conqueror. Don't listen to the lies of the devil.

He's a liar, Comes to steal, to kill, destroy

with lies.

Jesus comes to give it all back.

Satan will try to keep us from being restored:

self pity:

2. unforgiveness

you sometimes we blame a person when I blame a person for what's

happened to me in my life--- that ex

Pattern/Formula for Restoration:

Joel 2:12:

“return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

(Don’t give him part of your heart--All)

13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

The fourteenth verse expresses the hope of the repenting people. The Lord will return and leave a blessing behind.

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; chapter 2 Joel 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation

We only mention that trumpets, the sound of the trumpet, etc., are often connected with the Theophany, the appearing of the Lord.

16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders;

All classes are called together, the old men as well as the children and even the suckling.

let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations.

As we do these things the Lord will bring restoration to us:

Deuteronomy 30

then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you

5 He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.

8 You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today.

9 Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors,

10 if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

He says, I will make it all up to you — all those years of being wasted, harassed by the devil. You can't repay Me for a single wasted hour. Walk before Me in righteousness, and turn from your sins — and I will make up all the losses, whether they were yours, your family's, or Mine!"

As a result of this not only will He restore but Joel 2: 28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.