Gonna let you into my world a little. My approach with each preaching assignment is to ask God for a heart of solemnity, a mind of sobriety, and with the goal to achieve solidarity with the people whom I share my message with. I tell you this because I want you to join with me in the manner of how we should also come into God’s sanctuary to worship Him - with solemnity, sobriety, with the goal of solidarity.
Solemn: The task of standing before a people whom God loves comes with no small responsibility. I pray the Word is handled with accuracy and that all of our hearts would be purified by the Refiner’s Fire.
Sober: A reference to being free from influence of alcohol, also means earnestness or seriousness - because the Word takes priority in our gathering. The Word is Christ. He is the Bread of Life. Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35 NLT). I pray that when we come, we come with a spiritual appetite, to be nourished as we partake the holy feast.
Solidarity: God’s love is the bind that brings us together. I may be standing here but in spirit I am right there among you as we experience God’s presence together in unity. God pours out His Spirit to spend time with us when we spend time in His Word. The beauty in what we do as a Church is we worship, we pray and we serve together.
There’s actually one more important action - listening. Physician and author of 24/6, a book about Sabbath rest, Dr. Matthew Sleeth addresses our over-worked and over-tired culture. Sabbath allows us to bring our longings and desires to our Creator. As a physician, Dr. Sleeth has listened to thousand of hearts. During prenatal exams, he has heard the rapid swish-swishing of babies still in the womb. Often, moms and dads burst into tears when they hear their child’s heart for the first time.
I’ve listened to the chests of three-year-old children as they inhale deeply-and then wonder whether the man in the white coat can hear their thoughts though those tubes attached to his ears. I’ve listened to athletes’ strong, slow hearts. I’ve heard asthmatic hearts pounding away in fear, and the muffled sounds of failing hearts.
I’ve listened to the hearts of saints and of murderers. I’m in the first generation of physicians to ever listen to the heart of one person after it has been transplanted into the body of another. Doctors and nurses listen to patients’ hearts using a stethoscope.
Although this is convenient, it’s not necessary. In fact, the stethoscope wasn’t invented until a generation after our country became a nation. For thousands of years, physicians listened to heart sounds without the aid of a stethoscope. They simply laid their ear on the chest of their patients. Now it is only children who lay their heads on the chest of their parents to listen to beating hearts. Taken from Matthew Sleeth in A. J. Swoboda, Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World, Baker Publishing Group, 2018, Kindle Location 76-83.
“Only children lay their heads on the chest of their parents to listen to beating hearts.”
(Opening Prayer)
I praise God to have journeyed with you over the last few months through a series of minor prophets - Amos, Nahum and today, Joel (Yo-el). Together we have conquered three books from the Bible! It feels amazing to be able to dig in together as we look for treasures one book at a time. Today’s treasure is titled “Glory Days Are Now”.
Big Idea: God desires our wholehearted devotion so that He can make us into wholesome Christians.
Our God is a loving Father who wants nothing more for his children than to love them because they belong to Him; to forgive them because of their nature of sinfulness; and to save them so they may live with Him eternally. To know we are loved is to have confidence in our identity with Christ. The forgiveness of our sins is to free us from the bondage of slavery to evil so that we may live boldly and effectively and purposefully. Our time on earth is a gift from God to enjoy His wonderful Creation. Our Creator hasn’t stopped working for one bit because in us He continues to create a beautiful creature for His glory. No matter what has happened in your life or what you are going through even now, God’s hands are still at work to shape you into the person in accordance to His plan.
In the book of Joel, the people of Israel continues to turn their hearts towards false gods; they’ve lost their zeal for the One true God; and they ruin their own reputation by shaming God’s holy name who stands for justice and righteousness. Men may fail God over and over again yet God remains steadfast with His mercy, kindness and compassion. We may think we are a complete failure, disgrace, incompetent, and unfit - maybe in the public’s eye but not in God’s eyes. Come a little closer to hear what God’s heart says.
Joel 2:12-13
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,? “Return to me with all your heart,? with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart? and not your garments.?Return to the Lord your God,? for he is gracious and compassionate,? slow to anger and abounding in love,? and he relents from sending calamity.
Our Father is calling the children to Himself
Jesus told a story of a young lad who thought his life would be better off on his own. Packed his bags, stuffed his cash, and didn’t even look back. Didn’t even remember to thank his old dad. Let’s just say life is easily wasted when your bags are filled with vanity, your wallet with greed, and your ego with pride. The young lad went from prestige to poverty. Tried to save himself from sinking deeper only to end up stinking badly. That’s when he thought of his dad. They say that “pride will always be the longest distance between two people.”
Is something getting in the way for you to make things right with another person? Friend, sister, brother, parent? God?
Someone also said that “the first test of a truly great man is in his humility.” The lad covered with swine manure took the first step towards becoming a man. He practiced his speech until he finally decided to return home to his father. The speech goes like this, “??, I have sinned against God and I have sinned against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your slaves.” ? ? ? ? , ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? (Cóng jin yihòu, wo bùpèi cheng wèi ni de érzi - from now on, I am not worthy to be your son).
The southern kingdom of Judah was completely wiped out (understatement) by a plague of locusts. Joel left us with an image of destruction and devastation. “What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten” (Joel 1:4). I love how Eugene Peterson describes the scene: “It has ruined my vineyards, stripped my orchards, and clear-cut the country. The landscape’s a moonscape.” (v7)
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to me” - just as you are, here and now. The “now” is not marked with a timeline. If it is, we would have missed that mark some two thousand years ago and our study would been pointless. Aren’t you glad our God is the ruler of time and is not restricted by it? The “now” is an occasion that is without conditions. An occasion is a favorable opportunity while condition is a requirement which is contingent to an obligation. Faith is all you need. And faith is a gift that is given with the invitation.
And while the young lad was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. And let’s just say life will never be the same again when we are man or woman enough to confess our sins and return to the Lord.
?12 Return to me with all your heart,
13 Rend your heart (Jewish custom to tear) and not your garments. A: i) Not for public display - personal and sincere, ii) Not to express dismay - i.e. punching, breaking things, iii) Not to dwell on the past. God is after your heart. He doesn’t want you to be holy more than He wants to make you holy. He wants to give you a new life.
B: i) Bring your baggage, ii) Surrender your burden, iii) Receive your new birth
?Return to the Lord your God, - repeated invitation reinforces God’s desire.
(“Your” is in the 2nd person plural form. God is speaking to all y’all.)
for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Some excuses for not having accepted God’s invitation:
It’s too late. The amount of my sins are too great.
I’m too old. Like tea leaves left in a pot, too thick and bitter to be any good.
I’m afraid. Too weak to live up to the standards.
Maybe one day.
Feeling too ashamed or embarrassed, unworthy, unvalued, unredeemable. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s the enemy’s strategy to deceive us from truth. There’s one more excuse that often escape our conscience: “I don’t need to” - being in church all your life can create that delusion.
Even though “now” may not refer to a point in time, but it does apply to our time in life. Sadly, many have missed the occasion of that favorable opportunity.
This world is full of opportunities, but it will only take you the favor of God to get one. When God gives you the opportunity to see another day, it is not because of your achievement or effort, but you have been given the opportunity to make wrong right. (Douglas Mensah).
Our Father has blessed the family to worship Him
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent? and leave behind a blessing —?grain offerings and drink offerings? for the Lord your God.
-> “Who knows?” Joel writes, “He may turn and relent.” We cannot know how God thinks and we cannot know what He will do or won’t do. There is no one greater than God and He does what He pleases. Everything God has done before, is doing now, and will do in the future is by His own authority and prerogative.
The late R.C. Sproul during a panel Q&A session was asked the following question - “Since God is slow to anger and patient then why when man first sin was His wrath and punishment so severe and long-lasting? Dr. Sproul visibly stunned repeated what he heard - “That God’s punishment for Adam was so severe?” (Pause)
“This creature,” he began to explain, “from the dirt defied the everlasting holy God. After that God had said the day that you shall eat of it you will surely die. And instead of dying that day, he lived another day and was clothed in his nakedness by pure grace and had the consequences of a curse applied for quite some time but the worse curse would come to the one who seduced him whose head would be crushed by the seed of the woman. And the punishment was too severe?” Dr. Sproul became increasingly annoyed and raised his voice - “What’s wrong with you people? I’m serious. I mean this is what’s wrong with the Christian church today. We don’t know who God is and we don’t know who we are. The question is why wasn’t it infinitely more severe. If we have any understanding of our sin, and any understanding of who God is. That’s the question, isn’t it?”
If God relents from sending calamity, it is because “He is faithful and keeps his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deut. 7:9). Not only that, v14 - God is the one who leaves us a blessing of offerings so we can present to the Lord! To be honest, at first when I read this verse I was like “what??” Then I realize that everything we have at church comes from God, everything we do in church is grace from God, and everything we bring to church are provisions of God. God, out of His goodness has given us all these material, financial, and spiritual blessings so that we can offer back to Him!
-> V14 talks about grain and drink offerings. The purpose of grain offering was to worship God and acknowledge His provision. Drink offering is pure wine poured out into the altar fire for each sacrificed animal (Num. 15:4-5). Drink offering speaks of the joy of God in the accomplishment of Christ’s work. The Apostle Paul describes his joy at being able to serve. He felt his life was being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service that comes from faith (Phil. 2:17). Our ability to fellowship, worship, tithe, and serve God is a gift from God Himself who bestows upon us blessings upon blessings to be presentable to God.
Joel is the messenger. His name ?????? has double meaning - Yahweh + Elohim = Yahweh is God. His father’s name is Pethuel. We know nothing about the man but we are given some hints of the person. ????????? means “simple man of God”.
There’s beauty in simplicity. The quality of being modest, steady and inexpertly is to be admired and respected. This simple father knows his strength is in the Lord. He trusts the work of his God. He celebrates the blessing of the family God has given him and he and Mrs. Pethuel raised their boy as an offering to God.
True blessing is not by inward accumulation but by outward administration. God honored the legacy of this family by recording Pethuel’s name in the Bible.
Families serving together is the most joyous blessing and greatest offering to God!
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, (who is going to usher them in?)? declare a holy fast, (prayer warriors, hospitality ministry)? call a sacred assembly. (Shepherds to lead the flock)
16 Gather the people, (who is going to organize? Good planners. Capable engineers.) ? consecrate the assembly; (who is leading praise? Choir, musicians.)? bring together the elders, (who will train leaders and care for seniors?)? gather the children, (who will lead children’s ministry? VBS?)? those nursing at the breast. (who will teach children’s SS, nursery?)? Let the bridegroom leave his room? and the bride her chamber. (who is discipling our young adults? Raise future.)
Clearly, we need leaders. Leaders are not born but made. But God is the One who give them gifts. “The worse thing than not bringing your family to church is to bring them to church and discourage them from serving.” Fellow Pethuel’s, let’s raise up more Joel’s.
My first point was - Our Father is calling his children to himself. Second - Our Father has blessed us to worship Him. Third -
Our Father will revive the Church for His glory
17 Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,? weep between the portico and the altar.? Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.? Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,? a byword among the nations.? Why should they say among the peoples,? ‘Where is their God?’”
-> Let the priests pray on behalf of God’s people to ask for God’s mercy upon them and make them a powerful nation. Psalms 126:4 “Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again. (The Passion Translation)
We return to God with all our hearts. With thanksgiving we offer up ourselves as a blessing of Jesus Christ. We will become a church where the lost will find our great God when they see His glory in us. But we must continue the good work that God has begun in all of us.
Story book “The Dog Poop Initiative”.
Leaders are not born but made. Both types, the good ones and bad ones. Godly leaders are raised with lots of prayer, patience, and pruning. They follow the examples of other leaders and while trials are plentiful, support comes from those who are willing to suffer together, persevere together, and celebrate together.
The seeds you have worked so hard to sow will also require you to work harder to nurture. One of the most critical stage of growth happens as each seed emerges as a tiny sprout. Before there’s any fruit, it must first receive the right care and love to become a healthy tree.
Joel 2:28-32 / Acts 2:17-21 (Day of Pentecost, Peter, ~3000 saved)
28 “And afterward (Joel) / In the last days, God says (Acts)
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
32 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
Everyone has a part. Everyone has a role. From young to the old. Glory days are now! God desires our wholehearted devotion so he can make us into wholesome Christians.
And with that, I won’t end with prayer. But I’ll hand all of you back to each other to continue praying for one another and for this church to Whom it belongs.
