Ring Of Fire Series

Redeeming the Years by Michael Blankenship

Joel 2:18-2:27

Dr. Michael Blankenship: Pastor

Joel 2:18-27 “Ring of Fire”

Twelve minor prophets are in the Old Testament. We call them minor prophets because they follow some of the major works like Daniel, Ezekiel, ect. Many of the prophets list a king and something of their heritage. Joel be comparison says, “This is my father’s name’. scholars debate the exact writing of Joel. Some posit that Joel maybe pre-exilic, a possible contemporary of Isaiah. Isiaiah writes that an army of a foreign king stands at the gate. Other scholars would posit that Joel is written post exilic because there is not a mention of a king. Joel is one of the most quoted books in the New Testament.

• Peter’s Pentecost sermon Joel is quoted

• Romans 10 “ All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”

• Joel has two parts

• First; The coming judgment

• Secondly: What God will do to redeem a nation

• A locust can eat its weight each day. A swarm can weigh as much as 50,000 tons.

• Our world is spiritually connected.

In most lives there are periods, which, as far as productive labor, happiness in our hearts, or worth to the kingdom of God are lost years. Joel cries out against these lost years in the life of his nation. He calls them, the years that the locust have eaten. Joel’s message was called forth by a coming national calamity. Locust had stripped the land bear, nothing green was left untouched, all of the crops were destroyed. Famine, poverty, and misery quickly set up housekeeping amidst the chaos that ensued. Such a time called for some sure word from the Lord, and Joel would be God’s spokesman during this day. Joel is often referred to as the prophet of consolation. I wonder why we allow our lives to trickle through our hands until the fading twilight hours appear, then suddenly as if awakened from some deep slumber we try and make up for lost time. God says it very plainly through Joel, those days are gone. It ‘s kind of like that old Bobby Vinton song, that says, “those were the days my friend, I thought they would never end….” God does promise to make each day sweeter, and every week better if we will repent of our sins and turn to Him.

1. The Cause of Lost Years

a. Fear and indecision:

B. Complacency

c. Self-centeredness.

d. a lack of discernment between what is important, and what can wait.

E. Spiritual immaturity.

F. Worst of all, years are lost because of sin.

2. There is a cost to the Lost years

a. Cost in the life of the lost person.

Because of the indecison, some will loose their imortal souls and spend eternity in a sinners hell.

B, Because of self centeredness: some will miss the joy of large horizons and their world shrinks until it finally hems them in.

C. Because of spiritual immaturity some will stay on the playground rather than the battle ground for Jesus Christ.

III. The cure for Lost Years.

a. Recast your life around a new center: Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour