Intro:
Joel 2:1-11
The
day of the Lord's judgment has come upon the people (Joel 2:1). This
is supposed to be a time for God's children to see Him disciplining
those who are against God and His will. What happens when those
against God turn out to be His own chosen people? Welcome to the book
of Joel...
Repentance:
Joel 2:12-17
God's
judgment reveals itself through the imagery of a locust plague (Joel
1:4-10) and an army (Joel 2:2). God offers a time to repent even
after His judgment has been pronounced (Joel 2:12-13). This only
further illustrates God's grace and compassion. Even if the
destruction is coming, there always remains a need to repent. God has
shown us from examples in the Old Testament that He will restore
things (on His time & not our time).
Restoration:
Joel 2:18-27
If
the Lord's people will repent, then all the negative will be reversed
(you can be positive of this fact). The most spectacular thanksgiving
feast will pale in comparison of what the Lord can do if they only
returned to Him. If this was true for them, then why should we assume
it would be any different for us?
Resting
of the Spirit: Joel 2:28-32 (Acts 2:16-21), Acts 2:33-41
The
pouring out of the Spirit of the Lord was extremely significant
during this time. The Spirit had come upon many individuals, but He
rarely ever fell on a group (most certainly not an outpouring like
Joel speaks of). Many years later, the Apostle Paul quoted Joel to
explain what was happening on the day of Pentecost immediately
following Christ's ascension into heaven. The outpouring of the Holy
Spirit sparked the birth of the church.
Conclusion:
Peter
preached the gospel message to those present at Pentecost. He taught
them that their response should be very similar to the message Joel
preached. They needed to repent and be baptized.
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