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Book: Joel
 Print ( PC Only )
Joel 2:12-14 Who Knoweth
I. The coming desolation of the land is described in chapter one.
A. The land is to be wasted and withered.
B. This is just the foreshadowing of the future day of the Lord
and the battle of Armageddon.
II. God's call for repentance, the only hope for the future.
A. Turn unto God with all your heart.
1. A couple Sundays ago we spoke on the problem of a
divided heart.
a. So many of you have a heart for God, that is
indicated by the fact that you are here today.
b. But the problem is that you also have a heart
for the world, and during the remainder of the
week, there will be little thought or place in
your life for God.
c. You have one foot in the row boat and one foot
on the dock, Part of your trust in Jesus, and
the rest in your wall street stock.
2. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet and
declared that "You shall seek Me, and shall find me in
the day that you seek Me with all of your heart."
3. In the Law the people were commanded to serve the Lord
with all of their heart and soul.
4. The problem with so many people is that they have made
a place for God in their heart, but it is not the
first place. God comes somewhere down in the list in
their priorities.
5. The call here is to turn to God with all your heart,
a half hearted repentance will not do.
a. Well God I am sort of sorry for what I did,
and I sort of want you to help me.
b. James tells us that it is the effectual,
fervent prayer of a righteous man that truly
avails.
c. The conditions in our nation are extremely
desperate, but the people of God are not yet
desperate in prayer.
d. Satan has us so busy trying to just get by,
and our minds operate by T.V. That the ship is
taking on water and going down fast, and we do
not even know it.
e. Jesus warned that the cares of this life, the
deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for
other things would choke out fruitfulness from
our lives.
B. God called on the people for fasting, and weeping and mourning.
1. The purpose of fasting is to deny the flesh, not just
of food, but of all the cravings of the flesh.
a. Through Isaiah, God complained that the people
on the days that they fasted sought pleasure.
b. Our flesh craves pleasure, we desire to be
entertained.
c. If you should announce to God that you are
going to fast on Wednesday and not eat any
food, yet you spent the whole day watching
movies on T.V. The denial of food from your
body, might have beneficial effects as far as
losing a little weight is concerned, but you
can be sure that no spiritual value will come
from it.
2. To resort to God in the time of trouble is very wise.
With many people prayer is the last resort, they have
tried everything else and nothing has worked, now they
will try God. That's fine, if you want to prolong your
grief and sorrow, try all your ideas, and schemes
before going to God.
a. Many car dealers advertise, try us first, I
have heard others say come to us last, after
you have shopped every where else come to us
and we will beat their deals.
b. Some people have learned to go to God first,
others it is always last, after everything
else has failed.
3. Fasting, weeping and mourning represents a real
desperation before God. God will surely respond to
such seeking.
C. Rend your hearts and not your garments.
1. They had an interesting cultural practice in those
days, and that was to show their grief by ripping
their clothes. They would hear of the death of a loved
one, and they would wail and tear their clothes.
2. God is saying that He wants a broken heart more than
torn clothes.
3. With many people it is all an outward show, a lot of
weeping and wailing and outward demonstration, but
there is no real change in their heart.
D. Turn to the Lord your God.
III. The reason to turn to God.
A. For He is gracious and merciful.
1. If your children are in great need, and they come tear
fully to you for help, if it is in your capacity to
help them you surely will.
2. How much more is our heavenly Father willing to help
His children who come to him with broken penitent
hearts.
3. God is gracious, this is a part of His character that
is declared and manifested throughout scriptures.
a. The Bible tells us that He delights to give
good gifts to His children.
b. He receives pleasure doing special things for
His children.
c. How often I am blessed and surprised by the
grace of God.
d. The story is being told by a couple who I
believe are in the Rolling Hills Covenant
church in the Palos Verdes estates of a little
kitten.
4. Don't you know that the Lord took great delight in
that. I can hear the angels chuckling over that one.
B. He is also merciful. He will not punish you as you deserve. He
will be merciful to you.
C. He is slow to anger. Very patient, and longsuffering. He gives
every opportunity to repent.
1. Don't mistake His patience for blindness or ignorance.
He sees, and He knows.
2. Don't mistake it for approval. God can never approve
of sin.
D. God is of great kindness.
1. I see the kindness of God manifested in Jesus as he
alleviated the suffering and sorrows of the people who
were plagued by disease, sickness and infirmities.
a. To the lame man at the pool He said, "Would
you like to walk?"
b. To the widow of Nain following the funeral
procession as she wails because her only son
is to be buried, He stops the procession and
commands the son back to life and presents him
to his mother.
c. Oh the great kindness of God.
E. It repents Him of the evil. By this is meant, He does not want
to bring evil judgment upon the world.
1. God said that He had no pleasure in the death of the
wicked.
2. Many times we have pleasure in the death of the
wicked. When a vicious killer is executed, who
tortured his victims, we say he deserved it, he had it
coming, and we delight that the world is rid of such a
person.
3. His reluctance to bring judgment does not mean that He
will not bring judgment, He indeed will judge the
world and sinners. If you do not repent of your sin,
you cannot escape the judgment of God.
V. "Who knoweth if He will return and repent."
A. The nation has been slated for judgment. Maybe it is not to
late. Maybe judgment can be averted.
1. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, lets seek the Lord
with all our hearts.
2. Lets fast and pray.
3. Let us turn from the world to God.
4. Who knows, maybe we can yet be spared, for God is
gracious and merciful.
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