Route 66 - The Book of Joel

Introduction: The Need for Spiritual Discernment and Boldness

The sermon begins with a foundational reminder about the nature of the Bible: it is God's book, not man's. To truly understand its message, one needs the Spirit of God dwelling within them.

• The Power and Sufficiency of Scripture: The Bible is a unique book because it is self-interpreting and self-defining.

  • Self-Commentary: Scripture often explains itself. For example, the book of Chronicles provides commentary on events described in earlier books.

  • Self-Defining: When using a consistent translation, the Bible defines its own terms. If you encounter a word you don't understand, its meaning is often revealed within the surrounding context.

  • The Role of the Holy Spirit: The Bible is the only book whose author, the Holy Spirit, comes to live inside the reader upon salvation. This makes the Word "come alive" and grants a new level of understanding.

    • Key Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2 teaches that the things of God are "spiritually discerned."

    • Pastor's Analogy: Forgetting one's glasses makes words on a page blurry and unreadable. Similarly, without the Holy Spirit, the words of the Bible cannot become clear. We must pray for God to open our eyes and enlighten our minds because the Bible is a spiritual book, unlike any other.

• Personal Conviction: The pastor shared a personal story to illustrate how God's Word works.

  • Pastor's Example: He recalled a time when he felt every sermon was about financial giving. He was annoyed, but his wife, sitting next to him, didn't hear the same emphasis. He realized the Holy Spirit was using the messages to personally convict him about his lack of generosity.

  • Application: When God's Word makes us uncomfortable, it's often the Holy Spirit convicting us of an area in our lives that needs to change. Leaving a church to avoid this conviction is like running from God Himself. The goal is not to find a message that doesn't "rub you the wrong way," but to allow the Holy Spirit to transform you.

• The Need for Boldness: Believers must stand boldly for the truth of God's Word. While cultural opinions may shift, the truth of the Bible is unchanging and doesn't depend on belief to be true. It is the believer's role to proclaim it.

The Context of the Prophets

The pastor provided an overview of the Old Testament timeline to situate the book of Joel.

• The Historical Arc: The Old Testament narrative runs from Genesis through the historical books (like 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles) and concludes with Ezra and Nehemiah, where the temple is rebuilt.

• God's Method: Throughout Israel's history, especially in times of trouble and disobedience, God consistently sends a prophet with His message. He chooses to use human beings to deliver His words.

• Locating Joel: The prophet Joel's ministry took place during a difficult period, aligning with the timeframe of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The kingdom was divided, and Joel was sent to deliver God's message specifically to the southern kingdom of Judah.

• The Minor Prophets: The pastor expressed gratitude for the often-overlooked Minor Prophets, such as Joel, Micah, Amos, Hosea, Jonah, Nahum, Obadiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Many, like Jeremiah (the "weeping prophet"), did not see much visible fruit but remained faithful.

The Role and Challenge of a Prophet

Being a messenger for God, like Joel, is not an easy or popular calling. It often means delivering a message that is contrary to the culture.

• The Dual Message: Prophets deliver a two-part message:

  1. Judgment: Warning of the consequences of sin and disobedience.

  2. Hope: A call to repentance, with the promise that God can restore what has been lost. Judgment doesn't have to be the final outcome. If people turn, God will relent.

• The Need for Correction: A healthy spiritual life requires correction. If a church never challenges its congregation with the truth of God's Word, its members are missing out on an essential element for growth.

The Health of the Church: Seating vs. Sending

The pastor challenged the modern definition of a "successful" church.

• Worldly Success: The world measures success by numbers—a packed building and a full offering plate ("seating capacity").

• Biblical Health: A truly healthy church is measured by its "sending capacity." It actively makes disciples and sends them out into their communities to be messengers for God.

  • Division in the Church: While church splits from conflict are awful, healthy things are meant to split and multiply. A strategic split to plant a new church expands God's kingdom.

Being a "Joel" in Today's Culture

A significant reason for the "ridiculous craziness" in our world is the absence of modern-day "Joels"—believers willing to declare, "Thus saith the Lord."

• Cultural Noise vs. The Truth: The pastor used the example of media hype around the Super Bowl halftime show. The media can amplify a minority opinion, making it seem like the majority view. This principle applies to significant cultural issues, where a loud minority is amplified to seem like the majority.

• The Call to Speak: As Christians, our primary job is to preach God's Word, regardless of cultural pressures. We must stay where the Bible stays, speaking the truth of Scripture into our world.

Panorama of the Book of Joel

The book of Joel provides a panoramic view of God's judgment and blessings, structured in three powerful chapters.

• Main Theme: The book is known for a historical plague of locusts (Joel 1), which serves as a picture of God's judgment upon a sinful people.

• The Message: Joel uses this past event to warn of a far greater judgment to come, emphasizing that there are consequences for going against God.

  • Chapter 1: Details a historical "Day of the Lord," the locust plague.

  • Chapters 2 & 3: Describe a prophetic, future "Day of the Lord" yet to come.

• God Reveals Himself Through Creation: God uses creation and everyday circumstances to reveal Himself (Romans 1). Jesus and prophets like Joel used object lessons from everyday life to teach profound spiritual truths.

• The Importance of Community: The pastor used the shared cultural experience of the COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate the biblical principle of community. The isolation during the pandemic led to mental health struggles, demonstrating our innate need for connection. This parallels the biblical command to "not forsake the assembling of yourselves together." Watching church online is not a substitute for being physically present with the body of Christ.

Major Themes in Joel

1. The Day of the Lord

This is the central theme of the book, a recurring concept throughout Scripture that refers to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

• Key Verse: Joel 1:15 - "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."

• First Coming (The Gospel): Jesus came as the Lamb of God, the sacrificial offering for our sins. This is the current "church age," an age of grace.

• Second Coming (Judgment): Jesus will return as the Lion, the King who rules and brings judgment. This is "The Day of the Lord," a day to be feared by those who have not repented. On that day, it will be too late for those who have not made Him Lord.

• A Call to Make Jesus Lord Now: We have the free will today to willingly make Jesus the Lord of our lives. However, a day is coming when His Lordship will be undeniable and judgment will be executed.

  • Pastor's Example: The pastor shared how his truck breaking down reminded him that he had put too much trust in a material object that is temporary and will ultimately fail. Because the Day of the Lord will bring about the destruction of the current earth, we must ask if what we are investing our lives in will "burn."

• A Deeper Look at the Day of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 5:

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3: "...the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child..."

    • Knowing the Seasons: While no one knows the exact day or hour, Christians should be able to discern the "times and the seasons" leading up to the end.

    • "Thief in the Night": This phrase signifies that Christ's second coming will be unexpected for the world.

  • The Most Important Day: The pastor argued that the Day of the Lord is the most important day on God's calendar. It marks the final victory in the cosmic battle for the throne, when Jesus Christ will rightfully and finally take His throne as King of all.

• Biblical References: Zechariah 12 & 14; Joel 2:1-2; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5; 2 Thessalonians; 2 Peter 3:8.

Who God Tells Me I Am: Children of Light

The pastor contrasts the experience of the world with that of believers, drawing from 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." Because we belong to God, this day will not surprise us.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8: "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober...putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." This is a call to be spiritually awake, alert, and self-controlled.

Who God Is and How He Responds: A God of Salvation, Not Wrath (For Believers)

God's plan for believers is different from His plan for the world.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:9: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."

• The pastor teaches that the Church will not go through the tribulation period. The wrath believers deserved was taken by Jesus on the cross. The Church will be taken out in the Rapture before the seven-year tribulation begins.

• While unbelievers face the Great White Throne Judgment, believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ not to be condemned, but as saved sons of God to give an account for their lives.

How I Am To Live My Life: Share the Gospel and Respect the Lord

• Sharing the Gospel: We must present the full message.

  1. The Good News: Tell people that Jesus Christ loves them, died for them, and rose again, offering the hope of salvation.

  2. The Warning: If they reject this offer, they must be warned that a day of judgment is coming. If they reject the judgment Christ took on their behalf, they are on their own.

• Two Key Principles from Joel's Message:

  1. God always judges sin.

  2. God always offers a way out.

• The Lordship of Christ: The pastor cautions against treating Jesus as just a comforting friend. He is the Lord of all creation and deserves respect.

  • Pastor's Example: He recounted a story from the 1990s where a Brazilian president arrogantly claimed Jesus Christ couldn't win an election against him and was found dead the next day. This serves as a stark reminder to give the Lord the respect He deserves.

2. God's Judgment Through Nature/Natural Disaster

Joel uses a devastating locust plague as a tangible example of judgment and a picture of God's army.

• Joel 1:4 describes the total devastation: "That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten."

• Joel 1:6 describes the locusts as a powerful "nation" with "the teeth of a lion."

• Joel 2:11 refers to the locusts as God's army, which obeys His command without question. In contrast, humans have free will and often choose not to obey.

• This plague is a warning of a future, far more terrible day of judgment. As Joel 2:11 states: "...for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?"

• Preaching on judgment is not meant to condemn but to offer a path to hope and rescue.

3. Repentance Brings Restoration

• What is Repentance? It is a 180-degree turn: a change of mind that leads to a change of direction, moving away from our own path and toward God. It is not simply feeling bad or doing "penance"; it is an active turn, humbling ourselves to admit we were wrong.

• God's Promise of Restoration: Just as the prophecy in Joel promised that God would pour out His Spirit after the people repented, God promises to restore our lives with His blessings when we turn back to Him. When we repent, God "repents" or changes His course of action toward us.

• The Danger of False Doctrine: The pastor warned against unbiblical teachings like the doctrine of purgatory, which leads people to a false sense of security. The goal is to teach the truth of the Bible and rescue people from such doctrines.

4. God's Spirit Poured Out on Mankind

This prophecy in Joel 2:28-32 is one of the most significant in the book, quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2.

• Scripture: Joel 2:28-32 prophesies that God will pour out His spirit on all flesh, with signs and wonders preceding "the great and the terrible day of the Lord."

• Partial Fulfillment in Acts 2: Peter quotes Joel, but the prophecy was only partially fulfilled. The Spirit was poured out on the disciples, but the sun was not darkened, nor were there wonders of blood and fire. The Spirit was not poured on "all flesh."

• Misunderstanding Pentecost: The "tongues" spoken in Acts 2 were actual, known human languages—a supernatural sign gift for the Jewish people (1 Corinthians 14:22). This is different from the modern practice of an "unknown tongue." A danger exists when churches elevate a spiritual gift above the God who gives it.

• A Postponement in God's Plan: The full fulfillment of Joel's prophecy was intended to lead into the Tribulation. However, Israel's continued rejection of their Messiah, culminating in the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, led to a "time out." In Acts 7, Stephen sees Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father, as if ready to return. Because of Israel's rejection, God put His primary plan for the nation on hold and turned to the Gentiles, opening the parenthetical Church Age in which we now live. The full events of Joel's prophecy are yet to be fulfilled and will occur during the Tribulation.

5. God's Protection and Blessing

Though predominantly about judgment, the book concludes with a message of God's ultimate protection and blessing for His people.

Pictures of Jesus in the Book of Joel

1. The Lord Your God: In Joel 2:23, the people are told to "rejoice in the Lord your God." Jesus is the Lord God, the one in whom we find our joy.

2. The Hope of His People: Joel 3:16 says, "...but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." For those who belong to Him, Jesus is our hope, and His coming is a great day.

3. The Commander of Nature: The locust plague was not random. 2 Chronicles 7:13 says God can "command the locusts," and Psalm 105:34 says, "He spake, and the locusts came." This same authority is seen when Jesus calms the storm (Mark 4) and curses the fig tree (Matthew 21). He is the Commander of all creation.

Conclusion: Our Response to the Day of the Lord

• For the Unsaved: An invitation is extended to acknowledge your sin and receive the gift of salvation that Jesus offers. This is based on Romans 10:9-10, confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection. You can attend church your entire life but not be saved if you have never personally done this.

• For the Christian: The Christian life is one of ongoing repentance and restoration. We are urged to remember that "The Day of the Lord" is still coming, which should motivate us to live for God's purpose.

• A Final Picture: Throughout the Old Testament, God used locusts as an instrument of judgment. But when the New Testament begins, John the Baptist—the prophet preparing the way for Christ’s first coming—walks out of the wilderness eating locusts. This signals a change: the Lamb of God has arrived.

• For the believer, the coming Day of the Lord is not something to fear. It is a beautiful day to look forward to when Jesus Christ will rule and reign.