Prophetic summons have been served!! | 2021 – Year of the Lord’s Favour | Aug 22, 2021

Good Morning Church!

Welcome back to the house of our living God. We are gathered together because He wanted us to. May His peace and mercies be upon all of us!

Today’s topic, which we will be learning is, “Prophetic Summons have been Served!”

Today we will be learning from the book of Joel. In this book, Judah was suffering. This book also tells us that God makes His Spirit available for everyone of us.

Prophets like Joel shows the cosmic dimensions of life and chaotic situations.

In the face of the opposition, what shall the righteous do? Be assured that God is always at work.

Now when we talk about the current situation, science can tell you “How!” but not “How?” However, the word of God, i e. the Bible can tell you “Why?”

The greatest tragedy during the book of Joel’s locust invasion isn’t the loss of bread, but when they broke the fellowship with the Church. A similar situation that we all are facing today.

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

In present times, we have similar situation. Joel talks about something very important, “Holy Fast”.

Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.

The sorrow of the people is turned into repentance and humiliation before God. With all the marks of sorrow and shame, sin must be confessed and bewailed. A day is to be appointed for this purpose; a day in which people must be kept from their common employments, that they may more closely attend God’s services; and there is to be abstaining from meat and drink. Every one had added to the national guilt, all shared in the national calamity, therefore every one must join in repentance. When joy and gladness are cut off from God’s house, when serious godliness decays, and love waxes cold, then it is time to cry unto the Lord. The prophet describes how grievous the calamity. See even the inferior creatures suffering for our transgression. And what better are they than beasts, who never cry to God but for corn and wine, and complain of the want of the delights of sense? Yet their crying to God in those cases, shames the stupidity of those who cry not to God in any case. Whatever may become of the nations and churches that persist in ungodliness, believers will find the comfort of acceptance with God, when the wicked shall be burned up with his indignation.

Chapter 2 in the book of Joel begins with a trumpet.

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand—

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

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.

In First verse of Joel’s first chapter is talking about blowing trumpet and at the same time verse 12 is talking about returning to God. Wherein verse 13 is suggesting rendering the heart.

The priests were to alarm the people with the near approach of the Divine judgments. It is the work of ministers to warn of the fatal consequences of sin, and to reveal the wrath from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The striking description which follows, shows what would attend the devastation of locusts, but may also describe the effects from the ravaging of the land by the Chaldeans. If the alarm of temporal judgments is given to offending nations, how much more should sinners be warned to seek deliverance from the wrath to come! Our business therefore on earth must especially be, to secure an interest in our Lord Jesus Christ; and we should seek to be weaned from objects which will soon be torn from all who now make idols of them. There must be outward expressions of sorrow and shame, fasting, weeping, and mourning; tears for trouble must be turned into tears for the sin that caused it. But rending the garments would be vain, except their hearts were rent by abasement and self-abhorrence; by sorrow for their sins, and separation from them. There is no question but that if we truly repent of our sins, God will forgive them; but whether he will remove affliction is not promised, yet the probability of it should encourage us to repent.

What are your priorities? Are the things of this world have become your priorities? Or God is your priority? The word of God tells us, irrespective of us being busy in our life, come back to God and there will be rejoicing.

Do not be worried during in situation, because God is in control. We hope you are encouraged with today’s word. We will see you again God willing, on next Sunday. God bless!