The Wake-Up Call
Joel 1:1-7
U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris, Jr.
CP Walker Multicultural Gospel Service
Taegu, Korea
BIG IDEA:
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Joel 1:1-7
OTHER REFERENCES: Isaiah 24 (God’s purpose in Judgments: The destruction of earth); verse 1: See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants. Jeremiah 1:1-45.5 (God’s Judgment on Judah); Chapter 1:14-15: The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord. Acts 2:20-21: The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Hosea 6:1: “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
IV. READ THE PERICOPE: Joel 1:1-7
V. READ THE TEXT: Joel 1:5-6 (…Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.
6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
Now look at your neighbor and say, “neighbor…we will never forget the wake up call.”
VI. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to end their complacency and turn to God before He gives a wake up call.
VII. SERMONIC THEME: “The Wake-Up Call”
*******************TAKE 5 BEATS****************
MOVE 1: Has God ever shaken you up? You know… when you were in the mist of complacency. Perhaps you were having one of those “have it your way moments”. When all of a sudden, out of nowhere, something happens that got your attention? It alarmed you. It shook you. You were shaken. Has God ever shaken you? Has He ever gotten your attention in a profound way?
a. I can attest to the fact that God has unique ways of getting our attention. In fact, He will do it when you least expect it.
b. Turn to someone and say, “Neighbor…God has the ability to get your attention.”
c. He can make you aware of things that you seemingly you just allowed to pass right by. But it sometimes comes when you least expect it “in the midst of complacency”. When everything is flowing smoothly and looks good. You are living in the midst of complacency. Then, all of a sudden, something happens that caught your attention. What do you do?
d. It was September 11th, 2001 and I was about ready to start the Interfaith Healing Service in Winn Army Community Hospital which is located in Fort Stewart Georgia. I stood in one of the Pastor’s assistance office to watch the terrorist attacks on our country. Before this, it seemed like life was good. Loving my job and what the Lord had me to do. Everything was good at home. Contemplating on the Lord having His way in a sermon on this particular day. Awkward enough, the sermon title had something to do with how you handle bad news and it was published 3 months in advanced. So I was shocked at what was happening.
e. Turn to someone and say, “we will never forget, the wake up call”
f. Right when you think that everything is alright. Seemingly, God has a profound way of getting our attention (NOTE: I did say God because nothing happens unless God allows it: The devil has to ask permission before he does anything. If God thinks that we can handle it and grow from it, He will say yes to the trials for us.
**********************TAKE 5 BEATS*****************
MOVE 2: People have awakened that morning to go to work. Not knowing that when they left that morning and gave their wives a kiss and embraced their children that it would be their last. You see my brother and my sisters, we don’t know when death comes.
a. Some times death is just around the corner. The key is to be ready. So whenever it happens, we can give God the glory.
b. I have good news for you. When you die, …the Lord has come for you. For you don’t get another opportunity so you’ve better get it right now.
c. Turn to someone and say, “neighbor…let’s get it right now”
*********************TAKE 5 BEATS******************
MOVE 3: What comes to my mind is that this isn’t the first time a catastrophe has occurred.
a. If you would allow your sanctified imaginations to walk with me for a few moments, we will walk back to Genesis Chapter 6 verse 3.
b. We will see that right before the flood, God allowed Noah to preach the same message for 120 years for folk to stop sinning.
c. Noah preached over and over again that something would happen if they don’t repent. The people didn’t listen because they were busy in their state of complacency. Then the flood came and God shut the door.
d. Turn to your neighbor and say, “God shut the door”
e. Turn to your neighbor and say, “you should never forget the wake up call”
*******************Take 5 Beats *******************
Move 4: When God sends a wake up call America, God sends a wake up call. When God sends a wake up call, it usually either affects us as a nation or as an individual.
a. Turn to your neighbor and say, “God is making some individual wake up calls”
b. Turn to someone else and say, “WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!”
c. Wake up…it’s time to WAKE UP!
d. It’s time to stop slipping and sliding and realize that there’s a God that sits high who wants to reign in your hearts.
e. Turn to someone and say, “WAKE UP!”
f. Whenever you see a wake up call in the Old Testament, it is referring to a nation. When you
see a wake up call in the New Testament, it is referring to an individual. Are you awakened
yet?
*********************TAKE 5 BEATS******************
MOVE 5: God is saying a word to you today. He’s saying, “I’ve been trying to talk to you today, but you’re not listening. I’ve been trying to get your attention, but you’re won’t hear me. I’ve been calling, but you won’t respond.” Do I need to send you a personal wake up?
a. Turn to someone and say, “No God”
b. You don’t want the Lord to send you a personal wake up. He has a way of sending it like you
won’t believe. He has a way of getting your attention like YOU WON’T LIKE.
c. In Acts Chapter 9 and 26. We find a man by the name of Saul that changed his name to Paul.
We find him, before the name changed, going after Christians and believers thinking he was
doing what God wanted him to do as he dragged them by horses because he believed they
would not follow Jesus.
d. The Bible says, on his road to Damascus, during his complacency. He said, “Yes…I’m going
to get me some more Christians. I have my daily routing down pact. I am going to get some
and I’m going to teach them a lesson.”
e. On the road…turn to someone and say, “Are you on the road?”
************************TAKE 5 *********************
MOVE 6: While he was there, something happened. Something profound happened. Something strange happened. A catastrophe happened to get his attention. It knocked him off of his horse.
a. The Bible says that HE FELL TO THE GROUND. He heard a voice that said, “Saul…Saul
why do you prosecute me?” He said, “wait a minute Lord…I’m didn’t do anything to you. I
just got those folks who said that they are Christians.”
b. DON’T YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU HARM A CHILD OF GOD, YOU’RE
FIGHTING MORE THAN THAT INDIVIDUAL, YOU ARE FIGHTING AGAINST GOD
HIMSELF.
c. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He thought he had lost his mind because he heard a
voice talking to him AND HE FOUND HIMSELF TALKING BACK.
d. In fact, In Chapter 9, Luke tells the story, and in Chapter 26 it’s Paul’s gives his personal
testimony. BUT IN CHAPTER 26, PAUL TELLS US THAT HE WAS KNOCKED OFF OF
THE HORSE. IN ESSENCE, I GOT A WAKE UP CALL.
*****************TAKE 5 BEATS***********************
MOVE 7: Brothers and sisters, God loves us so much that He will send a wake up call to Korea to get our attention. He will allow things to happen that have never happened before to get the saints to pray.
a. Where the saints are calling out His name like they really mean it. HE WILL GET
PREACHERS TO REPENT, DEACONS TO FALL DOWN AT THE ALTER, AND
USHERS TO CALL OUT THE NAME OF THE LORD. YES HE WILL!
b. Turn to your neighbor and say, “YOU WILL NEVER FORGET, THE WAKE UP CALL.”
c. Don’t you know what happened in America? Folks that weren’t talking to one another are suddenly started talking.
D. Organizations that had odds against one another, were suddenly working together. ALL
ETHNICITIES HAD ONE GOD AND ONE FAITH! WE CAN DO IT!
e. What happened before 9-11? Folk were just talking about praying. Yeah…talking about it.
Folks were saying prayer didn’t exist in schools, but after 9-11, we started praying!
f. As a nation, sometimes we get in the mode of complacency. Sometimes, as a nation, we
forget to hear God.
**********************TAKE 5 BEATS*******************
MOVE 8: Sometimes, we like to make decisions that God has nothing to do with. Sometimes, as a people, we forget all about God. Still, the Bible says: “In all thy ways, we should acknowledge Him, and He will direct our path.
a. For don’t you remember, “WHEN WE PRAY, GOD MOVES!”
b. The most profound thing about Genesis Chapter 6 verse 3, …
c. God said that my spirit will not always stride with men.
d. What that means is His mercy is running out …
e. His patience is limited and will one-day come to an end.
F. At that time He will say, “STOP, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” .
g. And He will move His spirit momentarily. My brothers and sisters when GOD MOVES HIS
SPIRIT MOMENTARY, DESASTERS HAPPEN.
h. Turn to your neighbor and say, “WE WILL NEVER FORGET, THE WAKE UP CALL.”
********************TAKE 5 BEATS*********************
Celebration…The Bible says that God changes not. The same God who sent the floods in Genesis 6:3 is the same God who sends us wake up calls in 2003.
WAKE UP! You know the story…Paul got his life right.
When you get a wake up call, you’ve got to live differently.
There’s a conversion that happens.
When you were use to going left … you now go right … when you receive a WAKE-UP Call!
There’s something happens when you get a wake up call.
Your life isn’t the same anymore.
God turns our life around.
