Even Now
“Even Now”
Reading Joel 1:1-5; 12-16, 2: 28-29
Text: Therefore also now saith the lord: Turn ye even unto me with all your heart…” Chap 2:12 the first part.
(NIV) says “Even now” declares the lord return to me with all your heart…
I want to use for a subject this morning “even now”
Introduction: In our reading today we find ourselves in the book of Joel. Joel is one of the Old Testament Minor Prophets. Minor not so much because of importance, but in terms of what the lord inspired him to write. God didn’t inspire him to write a lot, in fact the whole book is only three chapters long, but in that three chapters he speaks to the immediate judgment of God’s people and the impending penalty when God’s people go astray and are rebellious towards him.
Now I’ve got tell you that Joel was not a popular man. He was not a popular preacher if you will. You see he was adamant about him being commissioned by God to deliver the bad news to the people. How many know that people don’t want to hear bad news. Folk don’t come to church on Sunday to hear bad news. They come to hear good news sermons. They come so that the choir can sing them happy and the preacher can preach them into heaven. But they don’t come to hear about the wrath and the judgment of God almighty.
But the prophet of God, the man of God, really doesn’t have a choice in the matter. He has to do what God has called and commissioned him to do. So Joel was not a popular man.
After much study by theologians and scholars many have come to the conclusion that Joel’s prophecy cannot be dated. The only thing we know is that Joel was the son of Penthuel and that his message was a word from God. But again he didn’t date his prophecy like some did such as during the time that king so and so reined. But we do know that he describes the effects of a severe locust plague that has swept over the land, destroying the agricultural produce on which both man and beast so heavily depend on for survival. This disaster that was caused by god as bad as it was nothing compared to what was to come. The destruction that God is going to bring “on the day of the lord.”
Joel says children of Israel take a look at where we are. Look at the state that we find ourselves. Look at us. He says have you ever seen anything like this in your lives or even in your fathers lives. Everything is destroyed. You need to look around and tell your children and they need to tell their children just how bad it is. And then he use four terms for locust to describe the devastation.
He says in vs. 4 “that which the palmerworm hath left the locust hat eaten; and that which the locust hath left, the cankerworm hath eaten, and that which the cankerworm hath left, the caterpillar hath eaten.”
Joel uses four different species of locust to describe the devastated state of the children of God.
The palmerworm in Hebrew (gazam) means gnawer or biter
The locust (arbeh) means many
Cankerworm (yeleq) means licker
Caterpillar (chasil) means devourer
He says God has allowed us to be bitten by many locusts. He has allowed us to be licked by sin and ultimately devoured, because of our rebellion towards him.
Saints I need to make a theological leap from Joel to you and I. When I look at the devastated state that we are in today as a people. When I look at how illicit sex, aids, and disease has bitten our community. How drugs and alcohol have licked away at our will and hope. How violence and homicide has devoured us as a people. Making the black male an endangered species. I’m convinced as a man of God that it’s because we’ve strayed from God as a people. We’ve become rebellious. You see the same God that brought us out of bondage. The same God that allowed us to get through segregation. Kept us when they burned crosses on our lawns, sprayed us with water hoses and unleashed dogs on us. That allowed us to get education and job. Allowed us to own homes and start our own businesses. The same God that kept us together as a people. We have strayed away from him and gone our separate ways. We’ve become a I got mine your get yours. If fact sometime I’ll even take yours depending on how I feel.
We took prayer out of schools and replaced it with guns. We don’t pray at home with our children. Don’t train them up in the fear and admonition of the lord. Don’t enforce godly standards and wonder why are children won’t study, won’t work, some are taking drugs and others are killing one another.
Joel says to the Israelites and to you and me in vs. 5 Wake up!! Ye drunkards. Vs. 8 He says “lament like a virgin who lost her husband”, vs. 11 he says” be ashamed ye husbands”, and vs. 13 he says” lament ye preaches”.
In other words—you winos wake up, young women wake up, and old men wake up, preacher wake up. Take a look at where God has brought you from and look at where you are now. And it’s because you have strayed away from God as a people. And then he goes on in chap 2 to describe how what they have been through and are going through is nothing compared to what going to come. In the destruction that God is going to bring in the day of the lord. And then in chap 2 vs. 12 and our lesson text he says” “Even now” declares the lord return to me with all your heart… and rend your heart, not your garments, and turn unto the lord your God. Somebody say even now!!!
Saints of God if we want to turn this thing around, and it appears that we all do, then I’ve got news for you. Its not the Bush administration. It’s not the Hope Commission. It’s not the mayor. Neither Jim Baker nor Vance Funk can do it. It’s not Beau Biden or the preaching Johnson brothers. The Christina school district can’t do it. It’s not the pastors. If we are going to turn this thing around its going to be God’s people getting back to doing things gods way.
Joel says in vs. 13-18 “rend your hearts unto me-not your garments. Blow the trumpet in Zion. Call all the people together. Sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, and gather the children. Get the priest and the ministers and have them to pray that the lord would spare the people.” Then will the lord pity his people and restore back to them all that they lost. Saints of god Joel says to his people and to you and I. Even Now god will restore.
Points
And when the lord restores first of all there will be (1) provisional restoration. Chap 2 vs24 says “and the floors shall be full of wheat and the fats shall over flow with wine and oil.”
God says all of that stuff that I allowed to happen. All of that stuff that I caused to happen. In your life and in your communities. All of the poverty, all of the provisions that I took away. I will restore. That job you lost-that house you lost-that car that was repossessed. I will restore .Cause you came back to me with your heart.
There will also be a physical restoration: vs. 25 say “and I will restore unto you the years”. All the years that you’ve lost. All the years that you’ve lost being bitten, being overcome by many, and being licked by disease, drugs, and addictions. All those nights you spent crying agonizing and worrying. All that time the locust, the cankerworms, and the palmerworms have devoured. I will give it all back to you. I will redeem the time. Give back the years. It will be like it never happened.
So then a (1) provisional restoration, (2) a physical restoration, and then finally a (3) spiritual restoration.
Vs. 28-29 says “ and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and the hand made in those days will I pour out my spirit”.
Saints of God when we turn back to doing business God’s way. He says then there will be a spiritual restoration. He’s going to pour out his spirit on all flesh, all his people—even our children. You know I’m glad about that. Folk will be teaching and preaching the word. All over the place. Even the employees will be full of the spirit.
As I close this morning I need you to know that the lord knows that some of us have lost some stuff. Some of us have been victims of the locust. We’ve been bitten, overcome, and devoured. Because the truth s we’ve strayed away from God. We’ve left our first love. And because of it:
We’ve lost some joy
We’ve lost some peace
We’ve lost some happiness
We’ve lost some relationships
We’ve lost some resources
We’ve lost some reasons to press on
But I’m here this morning to tell you that you can reclaim that which you’ve lost even now. Cause Jesus Christ is the chairman of the lost and found department. If you’ve lost some stuff—turn your heart to Jesus. Turn your heart, not your garments. Not your clothes. Not your new suit or you summer outfit. God don’t care about that. But your heart. Turn your heart unto him in humble submission and repentance. And he will restore what that which the locusts have eaten. That which the devil has stolen from you.
So I’m claiming provisional restoration. I’m claiming resources. I’m claiming financial freedom. I’m claiming god’s blessings so that I can be a blessing to someone else.
I’m claiming a physical restoration: I’m claiming good health and strength. Cause I can’t be used by God if I’m all messed up physically. I’m claiming good blood pressure, low cholesterol and a 36 inch waistline. I’m claiming no pain in my knee and my back is back on track. I’m claiming a youthful vitality so that I can run and not be weary.
But I’m also claiming a spiritual restoration. I’m claiming the zest and the zeal for the preaching and teaching of God’s word. I’m going to teach if it ain’t nobody here but me. I’m going to preach with power, conviction and authority whether folk want to hear it or not. Whether they say amen or not. Whether they sit on gods word or not. Cause the lords been mighty good to me.
St John God is going to restore us back to a great church. We are a good church now, but he going to restore us back to a great church. Like we used to be in the past. When St John was the place to be, because of the word that was preached and the work that was accomplished.
He’s going to restore our reputation, replenish our pews, and revive our spirits because we’ve rendered our hearts unto him. “Even now” and I’m glad about it, I’m glad to be a part of it, glad to be in the number. Say yeah.. Say amen!!!