Bulletins - Rooted Church SWMO

Hallelujah What a Savior
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go (St Margaret)
How Marvelous
Brokenness Aside
- - Joel 2:21–27ESV
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Intro:

This morning we will be looking at the final chapter of the book of Joel, but before we do, let’s recap how we got to this point:

In Joel 1, picture this: a peaceful land called Judah suddenly besieged by swarms of locusts. These insects aren't just any pests; they devour everything in their path, leaving devastation behind. The fields that once waved with golden grain are now barren, and the vineyards are stripped bare. It's a scene of total despair.

As the people of Judah witness this catastrophe, they're urged to wake up and take notice. The prophet Joel cries out to them, calling for mourning and repentance. He paints a vivid picture of the consequences of their disobedience, using the locust plague as a wake-up call from God.

Then comes Joel 2, where the story takes a turn. Joel continues his message, urging the people to turn back to God with all their hearts. It's not just about going through the motions; Joel emphasizes sincere repentance, with fasting, weeping, and heartfelt mourning.

So, the first half of the book describes God disciplining His people, that they might repent and turn to Him.

Then today, beginning in Joel 2:28, the story takes a turn as God begins to more fully reveal the hope that is on the horizon:

28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

God tells His people, His disobedient, unfaithful, idol worshipping, envious, adulterous, hostile people…that He has a plan!

He tells them that a day is coming when He will pour out His Spirit on ALL PEOPLE.

This was an incredible statement to come from Joel’s mouth. Joel is essentially saying I AM NOT SPECIAL! GOD IS!! What I am doing, one day all God’s people will do!

Up to this point, only a select few were chosen by God to receive the gift of His Spirit, so that they could declare His word to His people, and sometimes, this gift was only given to them for a limited time. But through the prophet, God says that there is a better day coming, where this will no longer be the case.

Now, this is a good opportunity to point out a critical link between OT Prophecy, and teaching in the church today. One of my greatest convictions as a Preacher is that NOTHING of power comes from this pulpit this morning, if not through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

In other words, I can stand up here and speak until I am blue in the face, and you can do the same around a table, or in a Sunday school class, or in Lil’ Sprouts, but nothings of substance happens unless the Spirit of God acts, and more often than not, He chooses to act through those whom He has first acted upon.

This is important because all throughout history, great speeches have accomplished incredible things in this world. There are great examples like JFK or Winston Churchill, and we have wicked examples like Hitler and Stalin. In each case History proves that words can do powerful things…but they can’t do spiritual things.

Stone hearts can’t be made flesh by the words of mere man, unless the Spirit of God works through the speaker, and uses those words for God’s purpose of drawing His own to Himself.

And so, as God’s people when we prepare to speak of holy things (which we should all do each day) our primary posture is not that of the intellectual, but the spiritual. Study is of great importance, but only for those who first sit at the feet of Christ, and who are led by His Spirit.

(Saved in a little church in Rock Springs Wyoming)

This is the reality we live in, and that Joel is speaking of. But amongst those people, at that time, these words Joel speaks are astonishing!

I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh

This statement is so incredible that I doubt they even knew what it meant. But we don’t have to wonder, for in Acts 2 the mystery is revealed:

Picture this: it's the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. The disciples of Jesus are gathered together in one place. They're in a room, maybe similar to the upper room where they had the Last Supper, filled with a mix of anticipation, uncertainty, and perhaps a touch of fear.
Suddenly, something extraordinary happens. A sound like a mighty rushing wind fills the room, and tongues of fire appear and rest upon each of them. They're filled with the Holy Spirit, and something changes within them—fear gives way to courage, uncertainty turns into clarity, and anticipation transforms into a sense of purpose.
As they step out of the room, they find themselves in a bustling Jerusalem, where people from different regions and languages have gathered for the festival of Pentecost. The disciples start speaking, but not in their native languages, they are speaking in languages they've never learned. It's a miraculous moment, and the crowd is astounded and bewildered.
Some in the crowd mock them, thinking they're drunk on new wine. That's when Peter steps forward, emboldened by the Holy Spirit, and addresses the crowd.

“For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;” - Acts2:15-17

At Christ’s resurrection, the kingdom of God began to be established on this earth, and in Acts 2, we see this work unfolding as God begins to establish the church. Not merely a nation, but a collective of people, bought by the blood of Christ, filled with His Spirit.

And through Christ, by the power of the Spirit, every child of God would now take part in the work of the kingdom.

your sons and your daughters will prophesy

Women had next to no rights before Christ. You see, up until that day, the world defined value by strength. So whoever can win the fight, whoever the better arm wrestler is, that’s who has value (or if you weren’t good at arm wrestling, you could substitute a mighty army).

But in Christ, this is no longer the case. The Spirit knows no distinction, He dwells in the sister and brother alike. In the church, every member has a voice, and brings value, because the Spirit dwells in every child of God.

Young men shall see visions and Old men shall dream dreams

On the day of Pentecost there were 120 followers of Jesus in the Upper Room, and they were of all ages and backgrounds. Old men and young men alike were overcome by the abiding presences of Christ. They could see with new eyes!

The next verse, Acts 2:18 says:

Even on the servants, man and woman!

Not only would God’s presence not be confined to men, or the young or old, but it would transcend the wealth and status of the world.

The master and his servant were equally blessed in Christ, equal in their worth and value before God, and in the access granted through Jesus.

In Acts 10:45 we see that barrier breaking power of the Spirit keeps going:

“And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.”

The religious jews can’t believe what they are seeing. God is pouring His spirit out even amongst the gentiles. Jesus is building His church not with a certain nationality, not with the religious, but with those who have no claim to glory but Christ!

In these verses, God reveals His great mercy, He will do a mighty work amongst His people.

However, as great as His mercy is for His children, Chapter 3 tells us that:

God’s Just Wrath is Coming (1-8)
Starting in 3:1, the text says:

“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

Now, here is where prophetic literature get’s tricky. We know that 2:28 is referring to the day of Pentecost, and 3:1 says “in those days, and at that time.”

So what’s about to be described is referring not only to the day and time when Joel is speaking, but also to a future day and time.

Here is what I mean. The Locust plague in Joel 1, was referring to a real and literal plague, but was also, using the symbolism of the plague, foreshadowing events yet to come.

So in this text we’re about to read, he is speaking of the present moment, but also to a time period that began at Pentecost, and that we know as “The Last Days.”

When we think of the “last days” we tend to think specifically of the literal few days before Christ returns again, but in scripture, that time period is right now. The last days are an era that began at Pentecost.

In David Guzik’s commentary he writes:

“Since that time, the church has not been rushing towards a distant edge that represents the consummation of all things. Instead, on Pentecost the church came to the edge – and has run parallel to the brink for some 2,000 years.”

So, when God says He will “restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem” there is a duel meaning. On one hand, this was fulfilled when God brought His people back from the Babylonian exile (the story of Ezra and Nehemiah). However in a future sense, this will take place fully when God returns to take His rightful seat as King of all the earth.

Romans 11:26–27 says:

“And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.””

Through the prophet, God continues to speak of the last days in which we now life, starting in 3:2 He says:

2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,

This term “Valley of Jehoshaphat” is a fascinating one, in part because there is no place in Israel that bears this name, and as far as we can tell, there never has been.

However, this term Jehoshaphat means “The Lord Judges”

And so, it seems this name is symbolic of God’s ultimate judgement of the nations that oppose Him. Not just one or two nations as was those who opposed Israel at that time, but all, this text speaks of everyone who opposes the right and just rule of King Jesus.

Thus, it seems to me, and many others, that in this text Joel is describing the events of Revelation 16:12–16

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”

Those who walk in the Spirit value mankind. To walk as one in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells, is to love your neighbor more than yourself…no matter what kind of neighbor you have.

This kind of love, stands in stark contrast to the way of Babylon, which Joel describes in verse 3 as those who:

have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

Recently, my version of “watching tv” has increasingly become, “watching YouTube.” Whether SportsCenter, the News, or my favorite Podcast, I like to simply watch the clips that I find interesting. The problem with this, is the “algorithm.” Recently I was following news updates on an unpleasant story that took place regarding a kidnapping. Now, YouTube has decided that instead of seeing Chief’s and Royal’s updates, I want to know about every hideous crime that gets committed anywhere in the world! It’s terrible…I have started searching for Bluey clips just to try to tone the algorithm down.

As I see these constant stories, I am reminded at how wicked humanity is. Babylon has no regard for human beings. Human trafficking is on the rise, humans are murdered for political gain, children are sacrificed in the name of social agendas, even in schools, and abortion proponents have become vile in supporting the slaughter of the unborn, at virtually any age.

This is what Joel is describing. Momentary sexual vices have become of greater value than a young boy, and drunkeness a higher priority than the young girl.

The world grows more and more wicked, and Joel, and Revelation 16, tell us that God will not stand for this, and though we must endure for the moment, within “the last days” God will go to war, and verses 9-16 tell us:

He will win (9-16)

Knowing that God is describing the final battle of good and evil. Hear these words of our God:

9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Consecrate for war;
stir up the “mighty men” (haha).
Let all the men of war draw near;
let them come up.

10 Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

11 Hasten and come,
all you surrounding nations,
and gather yourselves there.
Bring down your warriors, O Lord.

12 Let the nations stir themselves up
and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the surrounding nations.

13 Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow,
for their evil is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.

Let’s unpack some of these remarkable phrases:

In verse 14, Joel describes his vision of the final battle where in the valley of God’s judgment, “Multitudes and Multitudes” stand in opposition to God. They have been so deceived, by their own wickedness, and by the enemy who rules Babylon, that they truly see themselves as mighty warriors, believing they can stand toe to toe with their maker, and the God who has been merciful for so long, now calls them out on the carpet.

It’s high noon, and it’s time for them to meet their maker.

In the famous Johnny Cash song titled: God’s Gonna Cut You Down, he sings of this moment, saying:

… Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down

… You can run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down

Through a vision given by God, Joel is seeing this scene play out in real time, and it’s not pretty.

The Lord tells the wicked of the world to come, bring all you have, go ahead, declare yourselves “mighty” and see what happens.

God has not overlooked the evils of the world. He has not looked past the abuse done to others, He has overlooked the millions of slaughtered unborn, He has not ignored the mocking of His name nor the hatred of His church throughout the world.

In His mercy, He has allowed time for repentance, but not on this day, this is day for judgement.

Some preachers and teachers have, with good intentions, called this the “valley of decision” as they call others to make a decision to follow Christ. Make no mistake, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is NOT a Valley of Decision, it’s a valley of judgment, the time of decision has passed and the fate of the Church and Babylon could not be more different.

Verse 10 says:

10 Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

This verse is awesome! For in it we see the fullness of God.

In this context, God is mocking Babylon. He’s essentially saying “ya’ll better bring all you got!” Those tools you hold in your hands, you better turn them into weapons because your gonna need them when I thrown down.

This is a declaration of war, the fate of every man apart from Christ.

Yet, for those who will accept His offer of mercy, through Christ, He will reverse this declaration.
Consider the words of Micah 4:3, which describe the people who follow Christ on the Day of the Lord:

“He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore;”

If you’re an enemy of God, then you need to know the Day of the Lord is coming, and you better get in your shed and turn that rake into a spear!

But, if you’re a child of God. Then you need to know, it’s ok, the Day of the Lord IS coming, and you can put down you pear, see if you can turn it into a rake. (gun craft projects pintrest)

This is what Christ has done. Verse 16 says:

16 The Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth quake.

But the Lord is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.

Closing

In closing our study of this prophecy today, I want to emphasize that while I'm sharing my understanding of prophecy, there's room for diverse interpretations among believers. What unites us is Christ's sacrifice, not the specifics of His return.
I identify as a historic pre-millennialist, believing in a literal thousand-year reign of Christ described in Revelation 20. I see the present as the church age, and I believe things will continue to get worse eventually leading to a period of Great Tribulation before Christ returns and establishes His millennial kingdom on earth.

So I believe He will return “pre” His millennial reign, and when He returns, the bodies of believers who have died will be raised from the dead and will be reunited with their spirits. These believers will receive their glorified resurrection bodies, and we will reign alongside Christ for a thousand years. During this time, Christ will literally be the King of the earth and all well be peaceful and glorious as earth is prepared for the eternal kingdom.

During this time, Satan will be bound and will have no power or influence over the earth

During the millennium, I believe that Israel will experience the blessings of God that were promised to Abraham and David regarding the land and throne. And that we as New Testament believers have been brought into this promise as we have been made part of the people of God through Christ.

So, I say all that to say, that one of the reasons I hold to this view, is because of texts like Joel 3:17-21, which I believe to be describing Christ’s reign in detail.

Whatever view you hold, bask in the glory revealed in God’s:

Closing: Promise to Restore (17-21)

17 “So you shall know that I am the LORD your God,
who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy,
and strangers shall never again pass through it.

18 “And in that day
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the streambeds of Judah
shall flow with water;
and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD
and water the Valley of Shittim.

19 “Egypt shall become a desolation
and Edom a desolate wilderness,
for the violence done to the people of Judah,
because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah shall be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem to all generations.

21 I will avenge their blood,
blood I have not avenged,
for the LORD dwells in Zion.”

This final verse is a heavy one and is translated several different ways:

“I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged” (ESV).
“Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned, I will pardon. The Lord dwells in Zion!” (NIV)
In this case, I actually believe the term “bloodguilt” is most applicable.

The term “Bloodguilt” refers to being guilty of bloodshed or murder. The NKJV translates it “guilty of bloodshed.”

The idea is this: God’s enemies have committed violence against His people. Treating them as if they were worthy of death, and this reality will only get worse.

God promises that one day, He will avenge His people. Not only those who have died at the hands of wicked men, but also all of those who have been wounded by the enemies of sin and death.

When God dwells in Zion, He will provide complete and final justice.

Isaiah 35:4 says, “Your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you” (see also Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 79:10; and Isaiah 63:4).

Joel ends with God’s declaration that He will avenge His people and dwell with them forever.

Friend, this morning, if you are in Christ. I hope you might find rest in knowing that God loves you and that He will avenge you.

Bloodguilt was once on your hands, but Christ’s pierced hands have made yours clean and the Lion of Zion is now your refuge. On the day of the Lord, you will not need a weapon, the peace you heart longs for will finally be here, once and for all.

If you are not in Christ today, if He is not your Lord and Savior. Then His blood is on your hands, and thus so is the blood of all who have died for His name.

You are on the wrong team, and one day, it will be to late to call upon Him.

Joel 2:32 says:

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”

God has not returned yet, because He loves you, and by the power of the Spirit, He beckons you today to lay down your weapon.

I am planting, others will water, but only God can give life. However, the God who gives life has put you here today, to receive this word, and I ask you in the name of Jesus to repent and fall into the arms of Christ this day.

Lay down your pride and your shame, and accept the cup of mercy He purchased for you.

Let us Pray.

Communion:
Invitation - Salvation and Prayer
- - Jude 1–7ESV
Your Will Be Done
- - Colossians 3:17ESV

Joel 2:21–27ESV

Intro:

God’s Just Wrath is Coming (1-8)

He will win (9-16)

Closing

Closing: Promise to Restore (17-21)

Communion:

Jude 1–7ESV

Colossians 3:17ESV