Joel - "The Day Of The Lord" - Frank Brancato 9/10/06

It's good to be here this morning with you and it's an

honor to be your speaker and I hope that what we have to

consider for a little while. In our study, this morning will

be helpful to you in understanding.

Just a little more of one of the Minor Prophets of God that spoke

so long ago. And that is the prophet Joel.

We're going to discuss Joe beginning in chapter 1 and verse

1, though, we will not go verse by verse through the text as a

chapter study. We'll try to narrate the best

way that we know how to get through some of the things that

are given there and outlined there and some lessons that we

can learn. Also going all the way through

to chapter 2 and verse 27, where this entire text could be

considered the day of the Lord, as a text.

Though, this morning I've chosen Joel the second chapter and

we'll read the first 11 verses to suffice for our introductory

remarks this morning, Joel chapter 2, Beginning in verse 1.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in my Holy

Mountain, let all the inhabitants of the land tremble

for the day of the Lord cometh for it is nigh at hand a day of

darkness and gloominess a day of clouds and thick Darkness as the

morning spread upon the mountains, a great people and a

strong there hath. Not been ever.

The like neither shall be anymore after it even to the

years of many. Many generations of fire

devoureth before them and behind them, a flame bernath.

The land is as the Garden of Eden before them and behind

them, a desolate Wilderness, yay and nothing shall Escape them.

The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses and as

Horsemen. So shall they rhyme like the

noise of Chariots on the tops of mountains, shall they leap like

the noise of a flame of fire that Well, worth the stubble as

a strong people set in battle array before their face.

The people shall be much pained. All faces.

Shall Gather. Blackness, they shall run like

Mighty Men. They shall climb the wall like

Men of War, and they shall March everyone on his ways and they

shall not break their ranks. Neither shall one thrust,

another. They shall walk everyone in his

path. And when they fall upon the

sword, they shall not be Added they shall run to and fro in the

city they shall run upon the wall.

They shall climb upon the houses.

They shall enter into the Windows like a thief, the Earth

shall Quake before them the heaven shall tremble.

The sun, and the moon shall be darkened, and the Stars shall

withdraw their shining. And the Lord shall utter his

voice before his army, for his Camp, is very great for.

He is strong, that executed his word for the day of the We're

just great and very terrible, and who can abide it correctly?

Read, reach. The first 11 verses of Joel

Joel 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. But what was he talking about?

And what lessons, can we glean from these words will discuss

that in great detail or just a few moments.

But before we do we have a wonderful privilege and we've

chosen this time in our worship to go before the god of heaven

and prayer. He hears us today and we would

ask all that wood to humble yourself in a manner that you

see. 'If it while our brother directs

our minds at this time like many other of the prophets of God.

We know very little in fact about the man that wrote this

book that's before us today. We know nothing except that he

was as verse 1 of chapter one, would indicate the son of petty.

Well, his name in Hebrew yoel is signifying.

Jehovah is God. Also the date of this book is as

conjectural as the Type of this man himself and it's variously

placed as early as 900 BC. And as late as 400 BC in study

of this though, I believe that the earlier date is probably

when it was written making it s in succession to the Minor

Prophets where Obadiah, that we've already discussed and

taught on was first and for our study, we will place this

writing in about the year 830 BC.

The Point before us today, though, is this that though the

date of its composition, may be uncertain and beyond our ability

to determine for sure. The message of the book is

Immortal and Timeless and it can teach you and I today as it did

when it was spoken so long ago, there are.

But two main divisions in the Book of Joel, It's found there

in Joel about three chapters and we find that 37 versus where the

Prophet Joel is doing the speaking.

When he does he describes most graphically in the first

instance. A plague of locusts accompanied

by drought and closing with the earnest, exhortation to

repentance. Finally, though the latter 36

verses of the Book of Joel is where God speaks and when he

does he announces in solemn language, the final Doom of

Israel's foes and closes with the description of the Glorious

victory of the people of God. And so, to sum it up today, Day.

We find that the first half of the book begins in gloom and

closes in light and the second one begins in judgment and ends

in Victory somebo have broken down the book into three

sections in the first section would be how the Locust plague

and drought called the people to repentance the second section,

which would cover chapter 2 and verse 28 down to chapter 3 and

verse 16, where we find that the day of the Lord Harold.

By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and thirdly and finally

going all the way down and covering the period from that

point forward to the last verse of the Book of Joel, The

Glorious future of Judah and Jerusalem and what that

represents to us today. Mr. Robinson in his book, on the

Twelve, Minor Prophets said this.

There is, but one great thought, which constitutes the prophets

entire message and therefore one might rightfully label it.

The Parable of locusts. And what that teaches us today

there are three basic interpretations about these

locusts. For example, what was Joel

referring to were these literal locusts?

And when he describes the destruction, was that a picture

or a type of something else? Or was he speaking something

that was literal historical and actual?

Well, let me just tell you. The three basic interpretations

of the Locust are these. Number one, there is the Oracle

and that's just a fancy word for figurative.

Like this was an allegory of something else, an allegorical

interpretation of this would interpret the Locust as a symbol

of the Hostile. Armies of world powers that are

to attack Israel in successive. Invasions the second?

Interpretation is the apocalyptic one.

And that theory is that Joe uses the Locust as an apocalyptic

device to give us an accurate description.

One of the last days when host of unearthly Warriors shall come

in battle array, as evidenced in Revelation 9 and thirdly saying

all that will focus on the one that I believe beyond a shadow

of a doubt is the proper interpretation that is the

actual or historical interpretation and in so doing

we understand that Joel pictures Locus that were real.

He sees them swarming upon the people of God and he sees them

swarming upon Vegetation and devouring it in the land.

So without a doubt, I believe in will teach it as such that it

was actual literal and historical.

And now we begin, as we begin chapter 1 and verse one, and

I'll just narrate some of these things to you.

The book begins with the word of the Lord, coming to Joel and

said, here you elders and all the inhabitants of the land.

He's going to picture something like this.

He said, there's nothing. Being in your lifetime that has

ever been like, what we are going to describe in the next

few verses of scripture, there's nothing in your lifetime that

you have ever seen. That's as devastating as what he

is going to picture and what's happening to the people of God

and their land. He says, it's not only something

that's not happened in your lifetime but it's so

devastating. It has not even happened in the

lifetime of your ancestors. Your And so on, it's going to be

such a horrible thing that you're going to pass down.

All the evidences of things that have happened to your children

and those children. It's going to be.

So devastating, they'll tell their children and their

children yet another generation. Besides, we'll talk about this.

Horrible thing, they're scourge of locusts.

Notice the description that Joe uses, and I'm going to borrow

another translation in verse 4 and discussed with you from the

new King James version. I think it might be, you may

know what a Palmer worm and a cankerworm is maybe you do and I

just don't, but I did. So I looked up another

translation and this makes a little more sense to me in verse

4. This is what it says, what the

chewing Locust have left. The swarming Locust has eaten,

what the swarming Locust left? The crawling Locust has eaten.

And what the crawling Locust left, the consuming Locust has

eaten But what's he talking about?

You know, when we discuss the stages of development of a

locust, now we can understand and here they are a crawling

Locust. They were the hatchlings and the

hatchlings consumed the tender ground vegetation, then they

would grow. And then you would have the next

stage, which was the consuming Locust and the consuming locusts

were The Hoppers and they completed the tender vegetation

or the destruction of those things.

Thirdly, there's the chewing Locust, and they were the winged

Hoppers, and they attacked the branches.

And finally, the full grown Locust, they were the swarming

Locust. They were the mature ones.

And they stripped even the bark of the trees and made them,

white, and Joe Begins by naming the luxuries of life.

And then he proceeds to the essentials of life that all is

going to be affected. He says, the words like this.

He says, to all you drunk. He says, Wake out of your stupor

because the source of your drink has now been cut off.

I think it's rather interesting. What Joe does here he's

picturing. First of all the luxuries you

know there are luxuries in our life that we enjoy and we might

lose luxuries in our life that we may miss them.

We may really want them. We made crave them, we may even

long for them and be very sorrowful when we don't have

them any longer. But it's even worse when the

essentials or the Necessities that we have in this life are

taken away and Joe is picturing something very, very significant

that we need not to hurry past. He's picturing both are

destroyed, the luxuries are destroyed and the essentials are

also destroyed. Now let's go back to the phrase

as he speaking to the drunkards you know the Bible speaks of new

one. And there is new wine and there

is sweet, wine. Interestingly, there's a

difference. The new wine and we'll just go

forward in time. If this was written in about 800

30 BC. Let's go forward in time to a d

33 and this is the last time will reference the book of Acts

until next time when we talk about this prophet of Pentecost.

But let me just say this, you remember, when the Holy Spirit

had came to the apostles and they were preaching what Jesus

said, they would preach where they would preach repentance.

Audience and remission of sins. They were in Jerusalem and they

were preaching that very first gospel.

Sermon you remember what they said when they were speaking and

those that were listening were Hearing in their own native

tongue or language. Somebody said these men are full

of new wine. But the response was these men

are not drunken as you suppose for it is, but the third hour of

the day, it's 9:00 in the morning.

Oh and how absurd it is to say that these men are drunk by

partaking of new while. And finally, what was said, is

this not only are they not drunk as you suppose not only is it

absurd to assume so at 9 a.m., but what they're speaking, is

the words of the Prophet Joel. Now we'll go back in time now to

where we are. There's something else that was

cut off, too. And that is the sweet wine.

The sweet wine is the tender juice of the grape.

That's an essential that is something that is necessary,

that is something that we all enjoy.

And so, after Joel passes from the plight of the wine drinkers,

he now calls upon the priest to mourn and lament because the

offerings of worship were cut off.

You know, there's a great need here and there's a great

picture. Of how they needed to be ever so

sorrowful. And the priest should lead the

charge in being remorseful and mourning and lamenting and

repentance. By the way, is going to be

described very, very specifically and very

graphically on how they must do it.

But you know, what, not only is he saying that the good things

that you enjoy in this life, to the flesh, not only the

essentials, but there's something even greater you need

to mourn. All the people needs to be

sorrowful. Oil.

Because now even the items that you can take in worship to God,

have been destroyed and there's nothing to bring before him.

He tells them to grieve like a virgin in sackcloth who has lost

her husband in battle that she was betrothed to from her youth.

You know. I can't really picture this.

We don't have but Robles and so on today but picture this You

have a young lady and there's a young man and she's been

betrothed to that man. All the way back in time since

she was a little tiny, little girl.

And so that would be the man that she would spend the rest of

her life with Joel is picturing it like this.

Can you imagine how it would be, if that young man that you've

been betrothed to that husband of yours goes out into battle

and loses his life can You imagine the morning of that

young lady. Oh, how awful that would be, you

know, I can't fathom that we have some that do understand

that, what it's like to lose your spouse when you're young,

how awful that is. We can't picture anything that

is worse than that. You know, when we look at that,

we look at our families. I think that'd be the worst

thing. The worst thought of all and

thinking about something like that is that you would be

leaving them and they would be alone, they'd be alone in this.

World without you and how awful that would be.

Oh, that's the picture Joel is using here.

He said you repent in sackcloth, you mourn in sackcloth you mourn

in such a way that you are so sorrowful and you do it like a

young lady that lost her, betrothed, husband in battle,

and now she's all alone, the grief of the people is great,

because the Invaders affect their very worship, especially

the great anguish of the Reese, the fields are now left bare.

There is no grain Vineyards are stripped, and therefore, there's

no new wine, the olive trees are barked and therefore, there's no

olive oil, which is essential as food for all the husbandman,

along with the vinedressers are called upon to join the priest

in mourning, for all share alike in this desolation, and with

grain and all manner of fruit, that's cut off.

The joy of fullness has now vanished and hopelessness

overwhelms, all strata of society, but you know, this

graphic very graphic description of the invasion of these locusts

and the devastation of their land is followed by a call to

repentance and fasting before the Lord and rightfully.

So who was to lead the charge who was to set this example on

true repentance and so on. And Saying it was the priests.

It was the Ministers of God, the server's of God, and they were

to gird themselves. Get this.

Now, they were to gird themself with sackcloth and lie all night

before the altar, they were to lament and mourn.

The nation's condition. Notice this though, If you

didn't know which sack cloth is sack cloth, was a course, Harry

material very uncomfortable to the skin but it was it was worn

next to the skin as symbolic of the misery of the soul of an

individual. So when they were in misery,

they would wrap them self in sackcloth, and that's what he's

saying. He says, you people of God, you

servers, of God, you priest. Now you Ministers of God, you do

First and you wrap yourself in sackcloth and lay before the

altar all night and you mourn because of how the people of

God. Have been all this expression of

humility before God was accompanied also with the solemn

fast, they were to call our sacred assembly.

They were to gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the

land, into the house of the Lord, their God, and they were

to cry out unto the Lord. You know, this awful Calamity

had come upon the people, as a warning of the day of the Lord,

that was to come. And we need to be careful about

this phrase, the day of the Lord, it is true that the day of

the Lord signifies or represents things in the future sometimes.

But in other times, it represents things that happened

in there very lifetimes and others would come in a near

future. But the day of the Lord here is

not picturing the Judgment Day. This is Picture of something

that was to come at the end of time that has never come our way

which you and I are waiting that day and incidentally we're going

to find out that because of their repenting that the Lord

lamented and the day of the Lord passed them by.

In other words, the day of the Lord means the Judgment of the

Lord and when the Judgment of the Lord was passed by these

individuals, they were able to have that wonderful relationship

with the great God Of Heaven wants.

Again but let me just say this though, the day of the Lord, the

judgement day is not going to pass.

That is going to be a day. That's going to be there and you

and I can do nothing to at to have God removes the day of the

Lord, The Judgement Day, all we can do is be prepared but that

day is coming. And Jesus Christ, the righteous

judge is going to reward those that have done that, which we

have been told to do and those that have lived, contrary to the

word of God, those folks that were not Christians, and living

accordant in accordance with the word of God.

They'll be lost and that will be the Judgment of God upon them.

But in this case, this day is a day of judgment upon the people

of God. And as bad as This calamity is

that he's already Described in chapter 1, it would only

represent partial destruction compared to what was coming and

the prophet Cries Out fervently, to God.

And here are his words and I'll read them exactly.

He says, oh Lord to thee. Will I cry out for the fire hath

devoured, the pastures and the Wilderness and the flame hath

burned, all the trees of the field.

The beasts of the field cry. Also want to be for the rivers

of waters are dried up and the fire hath devoured, the pastures

of the Wilderness and notice this.

Now as we begin chapter 2, we find that the first warning and

summons to look to God is followed by a more urgent

warning and call to repentance because the day of the Lord is

at hand and they were to blow the trumpets, you know.

Interestingly about blowing. Owing the trumpets blowing of

the trumpet was used in Israel. To call the people to the door

of the tent of meeting. It was used to start them on

their Journey. It was used to sound an alarm in

their way and it was used to call them.

Do a holy Convocation at the time of their festivals in

Numbers, chapter 10 and verses 1 through 10.

Numbers 10 · chapter mention

But here, the trumpet, he's used to sound an alarm and the

sounding of the alarm from Zion or by the way, God told him

mountain is what it says here in the King James version, God's,

holy mountain. And Zion is the same thing more

on that in just a moment. But the sounding of the trumpet

was one of an alarm to call the people of God to Zion.

And it would be a place where they would go and go toward the

Fortress of the Lord, because that's the only place that

safety is found. Remember a couple of months ago,

remember the prophet Obadiah? You know, I called that the

Judgment of Edom that little sermon Obadiah had the shortest

of all the Minor Prophets and his writings was one chapter

long and he spoke of the destruction of the edomites,

those people of Edom, and the edomites were the descendants of

Esau. And you remember as we discussed

that, Esau and his brother Jacob were At odds one with the other

even in the womb of their mother.

Rebecca, they were at odds, one with the other.

We also know of a day when Esau came and saw his brother who had

sod pottage or in other words, he boiled some stuff in a pot,

and here he comes. And he says, give me some of

that red potty. It's that same red pottage I'm

dying here. And we under we know what

happened. Esau sold, his Birthright to

Jacob for a little bit of that pottage.

But he didn't care because he thought he was going to die

anyway but he didn't animosity continued in their life.

That was the day that jokah. Jacob stole the blessing that

was Esau's blessing though, they were at odds with one another

and one day down the stream of time after that they patched and

mended their fences. But their descendants did not.

And the Book of Obadiah is speaking of the Judgment that's

to come upon those of Edom. That it's a horrible thing.

When your brother is in animosity in his life and yet

you stand on the other side, that's what Obadiah said.

You stood, on the other side in The Exodus, they refused passage

of their brother Israel. And they rejoiced in the

Calamity of the other. Although there was going to be

judgment to come some have called, by the way, the book of

Obadiah as the tale of two mounts.

And here's really the point. I said all that to say this

Mount seir or Mount Esau was where destruction was going to

come and the day of the Lord. And that's the first one that I

understand less. I'm incorrect on that.

Obadiah was the first prophet to use the phrase, the day of the

Lord and the day of the Lord was to come on, those edomites or

descendants of Esau and where were those That we're going to

be saved me, they were going to be at Mount Zion.

So one would have to leave Mount seir or mountie saw to get to

Mount Zion because in Mount Zion, that's the only place that

man was safe. That's exactly what's pictured

here. You know, we know of Zion today

is the church, that's the place where people find rest away from

the Judgment of God, that's the only place where safety.

T is found is in Zion and so the trumpet was to be sounded in

Zion and to draw the people of God to that place the day of the

Lord is now described in Vivid and subvert somber terms.

It's a day of darkness and it's a day of gloominess.

It's a day of clouds and thick Darkness says, and then in a

vivid language, he describes the army of locusts.

Now, listen to this, they look like the horse with elongated

heads and their forward, March, the noise of their coming moving

and knowing is described as the rumbling of serious.

Have you ever seen a movie where you have chariots?

We don't know, but chariots very much today unless you have one I

don't know that you do or I certainly don't but if you've

ever seen a movie when they were an army was coming into battle

and the sound of the Chariots with those hard, we I was

against that hard ground and beating against the Rocks.

When there was a whole slew of them as they were moving along.

You can hear the sound of the Chariots from afar off.

That's what they heard. That's the sound.

Of the northern Army, which is the locus.

Notice. Some more about that, you know,

the sinking hearts that they must have felt the anguish

expressions and the blood drain faces expressed.

Something of the terror that took hold of the people as they

stood, helplessly as they would behold the ruin of their land.

But nothing would deter the onward March of the invasion.

Invaders as an army, they march on, they climb the walls, they

invade the courts, and they invade the houses of the people

notice. They break not their ranks, they

do not interfere with each other, each would fulfill its

Mission. And the prophet.

Joel sees this horde of locusts as the army of God, directed by

him, carrying out his Divine judgment.

And as Joe said and who can abide it, it's further a picture

of God's righteous indignation. Also against a people who

apparently had turned to ungodliness.

And wickedness in their life. Oh surely, we can learn a

lesson. Can't we can't we today, we're

talking about something that was written in 830 BC, but can't

you? And I living in the times that

we live in, can't we? Look at this picture that the

Bible describes and learn something from that.

God means business, he really does.

And let me just say this to In times past, God would interfere

and destroy those that would not serve him or turn their back on

him. But don't think ever that

because God does not stop us in our day from doing that which he

absolutely opposed. Don't think that will avoid the

day of the Lord or the Judgment of God.

God means business, but there's some wonderful things to that.

We're going to learn it. Just a moment, stay with me.

It's a picture of God's righteous indignation here

against the people who turned to ungodliness and wickedness.

And in this more Vivid description description of

judgment. It's followed by a more urgent

call to repent. This is beautiful to me, you

know, we've just painted a very Bleak picture.

Haven't we? We've pictured some pretty

negative things. We have pictured.

Butter and total Destruction, we have pictured, the Necessities

are taken away and the luxuries in the pleasures are taken away.

We have pictured, something now that is so horrible that the

people of God can no longer worship because there's nothing

to bring to the Lord. And in the picture that Joe

describes of this destruction, you know what's great about

this? It's not too late.

That is a picture of God, ladies and gentlemen for all time it is

not too late. I don't know about you.

But I can't fathom living my life without an opportunity to

start over when I make a mistake.

What if it was that if you made a mistake and you all make them

in? So do I make them all the time?

What if if it was that one mistake, it was too late.

But it's not like that. If Will repent, if we will

mourn, if Will cast aside, those things that were enticements to

make us sin, it is never too late.

It will only be too late when God decides to bring it into

this old world. Or it's too late when you draw

your very last breath. Now, it's too late, but as long

as this Earth is still standing as long as the great God Of

Heaven is in his heaven, and Jesus is reigning over his

kingdom of the church, and you still have life and breath in

you, it is never too late to change.

That's great. If the people in this text will

turn to God with all our heart of genuine penitents, if they

would come with unfeigned, fasting, and with weeping and

mourning, and notice, if they would Rend the heart and not the

garments, God would be merciful interesting about this.

You know, we've talked about Jesus spoke of these things.

How many times have we spoke of the heart?

How you have to make changes in your life first, in the heart.

And when your heart changes, then everything else changes in

succession? First your heart, then your

actions or your way of life and then your relationship with God.

Joe tells them R in the heart. Don't, just rip the clothes as

an outward. Sign of repentance, you rem the

heart, you change your heart. And when you do that, it's not

too late. God is always demanded a true

and and contrite heart, he always demands that when we

repent we must rent the heart. Hear the words of the psalmist.

David please in Psalms 51 and 17.

The sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and a

contrite. Heart o God thou Wilt, not

despise God will not despise a broken and contrite heart?

Well, this changes. Change of heart, should be

demonstrated now though by an assembly of the people and a

fervent call upon God. And once again, they were to

blow the trumpet. Not like, they blew it in

Chapter 2 and verse 1, which was a, which was something else as a

alarm, but this was different, blow.

The trumpet in, Zion sanctify, a fast and all the solemn assembly

notice. They were to assemble with the

people. Listen.

We have come together today. As the people of God as

Christians in an undivided assembly.

We know, that's right, according to New Testament teaching.

I just want to see the picture of what Joel says passed on from

the word of the Lord of how they were to assemble when they would

repent and REM the heart. Now, it was time to come into a

solemn assembly and to do so, and worship God and fall down

before him. And notice, they were

demonstrating how their repentant heart had been

changed. What were they to do now?

Okay, now, but you repented now that you've changed called a

solemn assembly, blow the it from Zion and you bring all the

people to that one assembly in that one place.

I just think it's rather interesting and I'll just pass

this on to you. Let's notice who all was going

to be in that one undivided assembly.

It would be the old men. It would be the young children

and even the babes at the breast that looks like to me.

That's old folks, X Young Folks, and that's babies too, and they

were to come together in that undivided.

I'm doing. Thought that was interesting.

I'm not saying that's binding today, I'm just saying that's a

picture of what they were told to do to come into the solemn

assembly, and when they would they'd be led by the priests,

they would be led by the Ministers of God.

And they would say, spare your people, O Lord, and get this and

give not by Heritage to reproach that.

The nation should rule over them.

Let me just explain this phrase really quickly before we move

on. In other words, what they were

Going to say, when they would come together in this solemn

assembly, they would say the words that I just read another

words unless the people would repent at the present locusts

judgment. There would follow a more

serious judgment, which would be Invasion by Heathen Nations.

And the Heathen nations would then rule over the people of

God. So they were to cry this out to

God and say, listen, And and cry out to God because if they

didn't repent and they would continue in that because of the

destruction that God cast down on them.

Heathen nations are going to come against him.

Heathen nations are now going to rule and Reign Over the people

of God and look at what they're going to say.

They're going to say, where's their God now.

Oh, where is thy? God, we, as a heathen Nation are

stronger than their God. How horrible that would be.

And so another thing too is they would say that God is unable to

help his own people. That's what they were to say.

When they came together in that solemn assembly, it is implied.

That the people responded to God, in a favorable fashion,

calling them to repentance and calling upon him.

And God had pity get this now, God had pity and divine

compassion upon his people. This would be demonstrated in

two ways. First of all, God would send

food that they so sorely needed. And once more, they would have

that hunger satisfied. And secondly, he would remove

the reproach that's brought on them among the nation's by

driving out the locusts from their midst.

But here he speaks speaks of the Locust as the northern Army that

they would be driven out in the barren and desolate land with

his face toward the Eastern Sea, and his back toward the Western

sea. And his stench will come up, and

his foul odor will rise. God is going to destroy the

northern Army, which are these locusts that we've already

discussed Homer, Haley wrote this.

I thought this was interesting, I'll pass it along, but in his

book on the Twelve Minor Prophets, You wrote this, the

prophet here, pictures, complete, and total Destruction

of the Invaders. The putrefying insects in such

immense quantities, would cause a terrible stench to fill the

air. Oh truly judgment.

Brings, its dire consequences and leaves its reminders.

Thought that was interesting but finally, the last section now,

which will take us down to verse 27, of chapter 2, where we find

that material fullness gladness rejoicing and freedom from the

Locust Scourge, would all follow.

What It would all follow after the people repented and turned

back to God and God gave them. A wonderful outpouring of

material, plenty, and in their continued, fullness and

faithfulness to him. They would never be put to

shame. God.

Further lays the principle that he is in the very midst of them

that he will not leave them and that he cares for them.

He is telling them that the Who sends judgments is also the one

that removes the offenders. He's also the one that bestows

the blessings on his people. And you know, I'll tell you

something. We've talked about this and you

all know this. You can't live your life.

You can't get through things in your life.

Without God if a person is trying to live you might think

well there's a lot of people live without God.

Yeah they do. They live their life.

But the fullness of Hope of the life of the Christian, you will

not have the feeling of hope that the Christian the child of

God has every single day that he lives.

You can't have that without God. These people didn't have it back

until they rented the heart and came all the way back to him in

the form or fashion, that God had instructed.

But God is ever waiting. He's ever caring, he will not

leave his people. You know what else we learned by

this? We learn that God sometimes I'll

change his mind. That he will alter his

judgments. If we repent number that little

Hebrew preacher, he went to the people of Nineveh and he walked

the streets and preached that little tiny sermon yet forty

days and Nineveh shall be destroyed.

What happened? Do they get destroyed?

No, they repented and God spared them.

Oh, God is merciful. If we repent, God is merciful

and kind and nurturing and caring.

After we serve him as we should. You know, there's one more thing

about this. You remember when we talked

about, We preached on Samson, you remember that little frames

and he King James version says, and he Wist not, or basically,

he knew not, but the Lord was departed from him.

Remember, what happened? Finally, Delilah got to him.

And finally, as she said, as they called for the Lords of the

Philistines, come now, come immediately bring me the money,

because he's now told me his whole heart, told him about his

hair, the Bible says, she enticed him to sleep on her

knees. She called a man in The racer

and shaved off the Seven Locks of his head.

And when he did, and when that man did that, she finally said

the Philistines be upon the Sampson like she had done on

other times. He rose up and he said this, I

will shake myself and it will be as it was all the other times

before, but he knew not. That the Lord was departed from

him. When does the Lord?

Depart he only departs when we depart, when we leave him, he

leaves us. But if you will, never leave

him. It doesn't matter what you will

go through, whatever Calamity in your life.

The great God Of Heaven is there for you as your Refuge if you

don't leave him, Oh, this is a universal picture of God.

In conclusion, I'm through, let me just tell you a couple things

in conclusion. That we learn from this section

of the Prophet. Joel.

Number one, we learned that calamities caused us to draw

nigh to God. And that's true.

Didn't matter where the Calamity comes from, where the hard time

comes from. It causes man, to come to God,

somebody said, not too long ago about about this idea from the

pulpit. I remember who it was, but said

something along the lines of sometimes, when things are going

great, we forget about God. We don't think about God, things

are just going along, too. Well, but it's Times Like These,

when you're desperate that, you turn to God calamities in life,

whoever brought them on us, I don't know.

Cause us to turn toward God number two.

Number two, we learn from what we've studied today.

The nature of true repentance, it must be with the whole heart.

It must be Inward and not just outward.

Thirdly, we learned the nature of God.

Oh, how wonderful that is as the picture of God is described to

us. He's gracious, he's merciful,

he's slow to anger and he is of great.

Kindness number four we learned that God rillettes from doing

harm when we repent it as we've just noticed.

And finally we learn that, God means business.

He's going to have it his way folks, and if we want the

blessings of God, we must turn to him and serve him as he is

outlined in his word next time in two weeks, Lord willing,

we'll pick up in verse 28 of chapter 2.

We're going to talk about why he's called the prophet of

Pentecost will learn about when God's spirit would be poured

out. Among all flesh will find also

that God's judging the nation's is described.

Also, what did, what did he mean by that?

And finally, this is the best part of all.

Finally, how God will bless his people.

That's all I have this morning. Maybe you're here and the sound

of my voice and you're not a Christian.

If you've never obeyed the gospel, and taking the steps of

obedience, the steps are very simple.

The Bible says Paul says, so then Faith cometh by hearing and

hearing by the word of God, one must hear the word of God.

It is the word of God that induces us or causes us to to

obey him. Then we find that Jesus said he

that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

He that believeth not shall be damned Jesus also said in Luke

13 and 3 and it also verse 5, I tell you nay but except ye

repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Then It says also, if you confess me before men, I'll

confess you also before my Father which is in heaven.

When you take these steps, you are a fit candidate to go down

into the Waters of baptism and rise to walk in newness of Life

contacting the blood of Jesus. And having your sins washed

away, that's what you have to do.

In order to have your sins washed away, become a Christian,

and that's what you got to do, to go to heaven.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

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