So maybe you’ve heard it said, ‘read your bible’ so you tried and failed. Our hope as leaders is that all of us will pick up God’s word and come to understand the true nature of God. After all, the bible is God’s Word curated over centuries detailing His nature, His will, the meaning of life and humanity’s historical interactions with Him. The Bible details the hidden keys to the Kingdom. Hence, the reason we are reviewing a new book each week.
This week we move ahead jumping over the more popular books of Daniel and Hosea into the Book of Joel. As we end our week-long celebration of our independence from foreign government tyranny through armed revolution, the short book of Joel offers us an inspirational message of the independence that will come from another revolution that will happen when God passes judgment on the world. A time when those who believe and those who don’t will be separated. A time when those who are cultural Christians - those who only wear Christianity as an outer garment, will also be judged for their beliefs. It reminds me of a wonderful story from our nation's not so distant past.
In One of the Baptist Churches In South Carolina, there was a newly appointed preacher, who though very uneducated, understood the gospel. Most pastors would recoil at his preaching method. For his first sermon he simply flipped the bible open and started preaching the words his finger landed on, Paul’s words to the Galatians that in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. In the 1950's in the South where churches were racially segregated the application was obvious, at least to the preacher. There shouldn’t be black churches and white churches, there should just be churches filled with Christians.
The deacons didn’t like this message and demanded the new preacher preach something different! So The preacher did do something different – he fired the deacons and kept on preaching his message of racial unity. Many people left the church. His already small congregation became even smaller, dwindling to just four people. But then it started to grow, bit by bit, until it included people of all races. One congregation member was a professor in English Literature at the University of Southern Carolina who would drive 70 miles to listen to this uneducated preacher. His reason? “Because that man preaches the gospel.” Source: You Can Make a Difference
The call to follow Christ is a call to the road less traveled. It's never a call to cultural status quo. The status quo in our world is one in which God is slowly undermined and whose influence is eventually eliminated until man, under the whisper of the evil One, hears a similar question to the one offered EVE in the garden of eden: Did God really create all mankind and say (they) are very good?
Joel reminds us that the key to being independent of such tyranny begins when we become a Christ follower who repents. Take a look at verse 2:12-13.
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
To encourage us, the prophet also pens some wonderful promises for those who are willing, to render their heart to the Lord by repenting of any thought, attitude or action that is contrary to God's will and His perfect character of love. It includes the breaking of any of his commandments (1John 3:4, Romans 7:12 - 13, James 2:10 - 11, etc.), whether in "the letter" (their narrow interpretation based on what is written) or in their spiritual intent.
Take a look at verse 19:
The Lord replied[a] to them: “I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
And verse 26
You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
And if having all your physical needs met, listen to verses 28-30
And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
And if that’s not enough for you, listen to the promise of verse 32
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;
Joel is prophesying the greatest freedom we as humans could ever enjoy - a seat in the presence of God right now and for eternity.
As the apostle Paul to the Romans in chapter 14:10 writes:
You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Don’t make the mistake of being weighed down by thinking judgment will disqualify you from a life beyond this one. We will all be judged but we all will not be condemned.
For those who live in the shadow of Christ’s actions for us, judgment brings renewal, re-creation and restoration.It’s the ultimate do over.
I remember a time in my life as a young man when I used to love playing a video game called “Pac Man.” Unlike today when you can get the game on your phone with unlimited lives, I had to go to an arcade and a roll quarters. You see, I never could beat the game and after you lost your three lives, you had to start the game over. Three bad moves and you had to start over. Run out of quarters and you are done. Fortunately, the reset with God doesn’t even cost a quarter. The game is set to unlimited plays or tries. Each try helps you learn the best way to succeed.
In the same way a quarter gave me a new try at pac man life, God’s judgment after rendering my heart and life to him, brings restoration through:
re-creation - made new. We are given a new life to live using the new knowledge of His presence, power and love. It doesn’t mean we will be rendered perfect. We can and do still make poor decisions when ignoring His presence, power and love. It does mean we now have a guide established within us that is connected to the ultimate power of all time.
God’s judgment after rendering my life to him, brings:
Renewal - We resume an activity or state after an interruption. The interruption comes when we realize how far we have moved from our purpose. It allows God to give up His duty to punish us and instead, begin a life long process of refining us. Sometimes we assume He has not or isn’t renewing us because we still have thoughts, attitudes and actions contrary to His. However this is that evil whisper that was in the Garden. God renews the most grievous parts of our thoughts and actions that get in the way of our usefulness to His will. He allows the old ways to exist as a reminder, we are not made godly and renewed for His purposes, not our thoughts of how this world should operate.
God’s judgment after rendering my life to him, brings:
Reestablishment - The old mistakes and failures are forgiven and washed away. God chooses to refine, replace and reestablish the areas in our life that will bring others closer to inspect His work in our lives.
A restoration is the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition. When we render our hearts we are returning to our creator, the relationship, and the original intent for our life.
Mary and Martha thought it was too late to save their brother Lazarus because he’d been dead four days. But Lazarus was raised by the power of God. John 11:1-44
The mother thought her son was gone as they carried him through the street of Nain. But Jesus touched the funeral bier and Jesus raised him by the power of God from the dead. Luke 11:11-17
Then there was Jairus' 12 year old daughter. He raised her from the dead by the power of God as well. He simply grabbed her hand and shared the simple words: "My child, get up.” Luke 8:49-56
If you have committed your life to Jesus, repented of your sins, it's never too late for God to restore.
"We will all be judged but we all will not be condemned."
Judgment brings re-creation, renewal and reestablishment so the restoration of the world and everything within it can come to fruition. It’s the ultimate reset because the game of life doesn’t require anything other than your rendering of your heart. No quarters needed.
Creative: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/Joel/
References: Quest Bible Overviews 1322, NIV compact bible commentary (Sailhammer) p416-417, bible gateway (niv), blue letter bible commentaries,
Video of Sermon live: @church4therestofus (facebook)
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