Urgent Call to Restoration: Embrace God's Promise
Summary
### Detailed Chronological Summary
Welcome, everyone. Today, we delve into Joel chapter 2, a powerful passage that speaks to the urgency of returning to God and the promise of restoration. As we navigate through this chapter, we will uncover three key requirements for restoration: urgency, brokenness, and the God factor.
First, let's talk about the sense of urgency. Restoration requires an immediate response to God's call. Often, we procrastinate, thinking we have all the time in the world to make things right with God. But Joel 2:1-11 emphasizes the urgency of the matter. "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." This is a call to action, a wake-up call for all of us to take God's word seriously and act upon it without delay. We often wait for crises to bring us to our knees, but God is calling us to respond now, not tomorrow.
Next, we move to the second requirement: brokenness. Joel 2:12-13 says, "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." God desires genuine repentance, not just outward displays of sorrow. He wants our hearts to be truly broken over our sin so that He can restore us. This brokenness is not about despair but about opening ourselves up to God's grace and mercy. As Dr. Vance Havner said, "God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength."
Finally, we come to the God factor. Joel 2:25 contains one of the most famous promises in the book: "I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten." This promise is both a mystery and a miracle. Time, once lost, cannot be regained by human means. But God, in His infinite power, can restore what seems irretrievably lost. This restoration is not just about material blessings but about a deeper communion with God and multiplied fruitfulness in our lives. God can take our fruitless, painful, and Christless years and turn them into something beautiful and fruitful.
To illustrate this, let's look at the story of a woman in the Gospels who lived a sinful life but found forgiveness and restoration in Jesus. She poured precious ointment on Jesus' feet, an act of deep love and gratitude. Her years of sin were transformed into a testimony of grace and redemption. Similarly, God can restore our lost years by deepening our relationship with Him and making our future more fruitful than our past.
In conclusion, Joel 2 is a powerful reminder that God is a God of restoration. He calls us to urgency, brokenness, and faith in His ability to restore. No matter how many years the locusts have eaten in your life, God promises to restore them if you return to Him with all your heart. Let's embrace this promise and allow God to work His miracle of restoration in our lives.
### Key Takeaways
1. Urgency in Responding to God: Restoration begins with a sense of urgency. We often procrastinate, thinking we have time to make things right with God. However, Joel 2:1-11 emphasizes the immediate need to respond to God's call. "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." This urgency is a wake-up call to take God's word seriously and act upon it without delay. [49:16]
2. Genuine Brokenness: God desires genuine repentance, not just outward displays of sorrow. Joel 2:12-13 says, "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." True brokenness opens us up to God's grace and mercy. As Dr. Vance Havner said, "God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength." [52:25]
3. The God Factor in Restoration: Joel 2:25 contains a profound promise: "I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten." This promise is a mystery and a miracle. While time lost cannot be regained by human means, God can restore what seems irretrievably lost. This restoration is not just about material blessings but about a deeper communion with God and multiplied fruitfulness in our lives. [59:58]
4. Deepening Communion with God: God can restore lost years by deepening our relationship with Him. The story of the sinful woman who found forgiveness and poured precious ointment on Jesus' feet illustrates this. Her years of sin were transformed into a testimony of grace and redemption. Similarly, God can take our fruitless, painful, and Christless years and turn them into something beautiful and fruitful. [01:11:51]
5. Multiplied Fruitfulness: God can make our future more fruitful than our past. Joel 2:24-26 speaks of abundant harvests following years of destruction. "The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil." This promise encourages us to believe that God can bring long-term gain from short-term loss. As Charles Spurgeon said, "God can do more in a year or in a day than all of us together can do in a lifetime." [01:15:23]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[39:38] - Summer Series Announcement
[44:04] - Urgency in Responding to God
[47:11] - God of Restoration
[49:16] - Urgent Call to Return to God
[51:48] - Warning and Judgment
[52:25] - Genuine Brokenness
[54:17] - Jesus Came to Save
[56:07] - Renovation of the Heart
[59:58] - The God Factor in Restoration
[01:03:02] - Promises of Abundance
[01:11:51] - Deepening Communion with God
[01:15:23] - Multiplied Fruitfulness
[01:22:38] - Prayer and Response
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Joel 2:1-13
2. Joel 2:25-26
3. Psalm 51:17
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Joel 2:1-11 emphasize about the urgency of responding to God's call? ([49:16])
2. According to Joel 2:12-13, what kind of repentance does God desire from His people? ([52:25])
3. What promise does God make in Joel 2:25, and why is it considered a mystery and a miracle? ([59:58])
4. How does Psalm 51:17 describe the kind of sacrifice that pleases God?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is a sense of urgency important in our relationship with God, according to the sermon? ([49:16])
2. How does genuine brokenness open us up to God's grace and mercy, as discussed in Joel 2:12-13? ([52:25])
3. What does the promise of restoring the years that the locusts have eaten mean for us today? ([59:58])
4. How can deepening our communion with God restore lost years, as illustrated by the story of the sinful woman in the Gospels? ([01:11:51])
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life. Is there an area where you have been procrastinating in responding to God's call? What steps can you take this week to address this urgency? ([49:16])
2. Think about a time when you experienced genuine brokenness. How did that experience open you up to God's grace and mercy? How can you cultivate a heart of genuine repentance today? ([52:25])
3. Have you ever felt that certain years of your life were wasted or fruitless? How can you trust God to restore those years and bring fruitfulness out of them? ([59:58])
4. In what ways can you deepen your communion with God this week? Consider setting aside specific times for prayer, Bible reading, or worship. ([01:11:51])
5. Identify one area of your life where you need God's restoration. How can you actively seek His restoration and believe in His promise to restore the years the locusts have eaten? ([59:58])
6. How can you share the message of God's restoration with someone who is going through a difficult time? Think of a specific person and plan a way to encourage them this week. ([01:21:33])
7. Reflect on the concept of multiplied fruitfulness. What short-term losses have you experienced that you can now see as opportunities for long-term gain through God's restoration? ([01:15:23])
Devotional
Day 1: Urgency in Responding to God
Restoration begins with a sense of urgency. We often procrastinate, thinking we have time to make things right with God. However, Joel 2:1-11 emphasizes the immediate need to respond to God's call. "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." This urgency is a wake-up call to take God's word seriously and act upon it without delay. [49:16]
Isaiah 55:6-7 (ESV): "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you have been delaying obedience to God? How can you take immediate action today to respond to His call?
Day 2: Genuine Brokenness
God desires genuine repentance, not just outward displays of sorrow. Joel 2:12-13 says, "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." True brokenness opens us up to God's grace and mercy. As Dr. Vance Havner said, "God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength." [52:25]
Psalm 51:17 (ESV): "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt truly broken before God. How did that experience open you up to His grace and mercy? How can you cultivate a heart of genuine repentance today?
Day 3: The God Factor in Restoration
Joel 2:25 contains a profound promise: "I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten." This promise is a mystery and a miracle. While time lost cannot be regained by human means, God can restore what seems irretrievably lost. This restoration is not just about material blessings but about a deeper communion with God and multiplied fruitfulness in our lives. [59:58]
Isaiah 61:7 (ESV): "Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy."
Reflection: Think of a period in your life that feels wasted or lost. How can you invite God into that space to bring restoration and deeper communion with Him?
Day 4: Deepening Communion with God
God can restore lost years by deepening our relationship with Him. The story of the sinful woman who found forgiveness and poured precious ointment on Jesus' feet illustrates this. Her years of sin were transformed into a testimony of grace and redemption. Similarly, God can take our fruitless, painful, and Christless years and turn them into something beautiful and fruitful. [01:11:51]
Luke 7:47-48 (ESV): "Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Reflection: Reflect on your relationship with God. What steps can you take today to deepen your communion with Him and allow Him to transform your past into a testimony of His grace?
Day 5: Multiplied Fruitfulness
God can make our future more fruitful than our past. Joel 2:24-26 speaks of abundant harvests following years of destruction. "The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil." This promise encourages us to believe that God can bring long-term gain from short-term loss. As Charles Spurgeon said, "God can do more in a year or in a day than all of us together can do in a lifetime." [01:15:23]
Amos 9:13 (ESV): "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it."
Reflection: Consider an area of your life where you have experienced loss or setback. How can you trust God to bring about multiplied fruitfulness in that area? What practical steps can you take to align with His promise of restoration?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "It doesn't matter how your life looks. It doesn't matter how prosperous you feel in the experience of your life right now. If you don't take the word of God to heart, your life isn't right. And so God is calling his people to listen. This is an urgent thing. Hear my voice, hear my word, and respond and take it to heart. And we need to take it to heart as well, right?" [51:48]
2. "You know the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3, 16, right? For God so loved the world, he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Do you know what the next verse says? John 3, 17? It says, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jesus says, listen, I've not come to beat you up and condemn you. I've come to save you." [54:17]
3. "Friends, Pastor Kyle taught us last week, we don't want to live on autopilot. We don't want to settle down to a normal life. We want to do something that matters. We want to do something about what's happening in our world today. So let me make a suggestion, can I? Turn off the news channels. Turn off the gloom and doom forecasters. And choose, listen, to get outside of your houses and into our communities and lead lost people to Jesus where true heart transformation can happen. Because that's how the world changes." [46:34]
4. "Tomorrow, Lord, because tonight I've got things I wanna do. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. But the Bible says, listen, today is the day of salvation. Right now, today. Now is the time. And so rather than wait till tomorrow, God tells the people of Judah, here in Joel chapter, two, there's an urgent matter that you need to hear about. Something you need to give your attention to right now, not tomorrow, today." [49:16]
### Quotes for Members
1. "And here's the second thing. God is basically saying, I'm warning you. And God in love does this. Doesn't he always warns us before he sends his judgment? And he's warning his people through this plague of locusts that a worse infestation is gonna come. The Babylonian army is gonna come upon Judah unless they repent. So the first thing that we see is God is calling his people to a sense of urgency. That is what restoration requires." [51:48]
2. "And we read in chapter two, in verse 18, finally, after all that, that the Lord, it says, became jealous for his land, and he had pity, compassion, and mercy on his people. God says, behold, I am sending you grain that you haven't had for four years, wine and oil, and you will be satisfied. Yes, finally, this great promise, right? From verse 19 onward, you see that God is promising to do good to his people." [01:03:02]
3. "I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten. Let me say that one more time. I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten. We're gonna gaze today into an amazing promise but also an amazing mystery of God. It's the God factor in all this. I describe it as a mystery because restoring years is obviously impossible, right? It cannot be done. You lose money. There are different ways in which money can be restored. Property can be restored. You can restore an old car. You can restore a painting. You can restore an old house. Relationships can be restored in that great forgiveness, reconciliation, that's wonderful. But one thing that can never be restored is time." [59:58]
4. "And we need to ask, what does it mean for us? And you know why we can do that? Why we can take an old story in the Old Testament and do something like that? Because the Bible says the word of God is living and active. And if it's living and active, that doesn't mean it's stagnant and an old story. It means it's still moving and working in your life today. The word of God is able to meet you where you are. The word of God, no matter what you've done, no matter what your past looks like, is able to speak something into your life today." [01:04:20]
5. "You ask anyone who became a Christian later in life, and they will tell you they wished they had become a Christian sooner. I guarantee you. It's a story that's been repeated thousands of times. Picture a person, let's just say his name's John. I'm going to take John, and John made kind of a half-hearted commitment to Christ, but it never really ran that deep. He had a faith in Jesus, but his faith in Jesus was kind of one little slice of the big pie of his life. And John's pursuing all these other things. And then one day, God gets a hold of John. And John is spiritually awakened, finally." [01:08:13]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained only on this specific sermon. Do you have any questions about it?