Wayside Gospel Chapel: Joel

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Pastor's Sermon Notes: The Battle is the Lord's (Joel 3)

Joel 3

The Battle is the Lord's [note 1]

¹ For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, ² I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. ³ And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. ⁴ Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; ⁵ Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: ⁶ The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. ⁷ Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: ⁸ And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it. ⁹ Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: ¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. ¹¹ Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. ¹² Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. ¹³ Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. ¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. ¹⁵ The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. ¹⁶ The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. ¹⁷ So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. ¹⁸ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. ¹⁹ Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. ²⁰ But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. ²¹ For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

Introduction:

The Chapters of Joel's Prophecy and the Prophet's Place in History

The Movement of Joel's Prophecy and the Flow of History

Outline:

I. The Prophetic Pleading of the Lord Against the Oppressors of His People (3:1-8)

1. The Gathering of the Nations - The Divine Intercession (3:1-3)

2. The Verdict of the Lord - The Righteous Recompense - "What Goes Around Comes Around" (3:4-8)

II. The Climactic Confrontation Between the Lord and the Enemies of His People (3:9-15)

1. The Order of a Proclamation - The Total Mobilization - "Trash Talk" to "Bring It" (3:9-11)

2. The Valley of Decision - The Ripe Harvest (3:12-15)

III. The Marvelous Manifestation of the Lord's Power in the Future of His People (3:16-21)

1. The Roar of the Lord - The Shaking Strength (3:16-17)

2. The Day of Fulfillment - The Final Cleansing (3:18-21)

I. The Prophetic Pleading of the Lord Against the Oppressors of His People (3:1-8)

1. The Gathering of the Nations - The Divine Intercession (3:1-3)

cp. vs. 12 - the valley of Jehoshaphat

cp. vs. 14 - the valley of decision

cp. vs. 18 - the valley of Shittim

"bring them down" - cp. vs. 11 - "thither cause thy mighty ones to come down",

and vs. 13 - "come, get you down"

2. The Verdict of the Lord - The Righteous Recompense - "What Goes Around Comes Around" (3:4-8)

⁴ Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head; ⁵ Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things: ⁶ The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border. ⁷ Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head: ⁸ And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

cp. vs. 19 - Egypt and Edom

emphasis on "swiftly and speedily"

emphasis on Lord as possessor

II. The Climactic Confrontation Between the Lord and the Enemies of His People (3:9-15)

1. The Order of a Proclamation - The Total Mobilization - "Trash Talk" [note 2] to "Bring It" (3:9-11)

⁹ Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: ¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. ¹¹ Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

The use of mocking irony and biting satire in God's confrontations of the heathen and their idols is woven throughout Scripture history and is prominent in the prophetic writings. Eg., the plagues in Egypt, Elijah on Carmel, Isaiah, etc.

1) Misapplied quotes in modern choruses:

Example 1 -

"Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"" [note 3]

Example 2 -

"Let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich"

Let the blind say, "I can see"

It's what the Lord has done in me" [note 4]

2) False teaching:

"Later Osteen wrote,

The Bible clearly tells us to speak to our mountains. Maybe your mountain is a sickness; perhaps your mountain is a troubled relationship; maybe your mountain is a floundering business. Whatever your mountain is, you must do more than think about it, more than pray about it; you must speak to that obstacle. The Bible says, “Let the weak say I’m strong. Let the oppressed say I’m free. Let the sick say I’m healed. Let the poor say I’m well off” (124).

He cited Joel 3:10 as the reference for his quotation. There are two problems here. First, only the words “let the weak say I’m strong” appear in the verse. The rest is loosely based on a contemporary Christian song. Second, in the context God is speaking to Israel’s enemies, threatening judgment. He is in effect saying, “Get ready and bring it on! Turn your plows into swords, and gardening tools into spears. Psych yourselves up. Tell yourselves that you’re strong and come on down!”" [note 5]

3) Translations: Some of them get the point across that is true to the context.

ESV - let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” [note 6]

RSV - let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” [note 7]
HCSB - Let even the weakling say, “I am a warrior.” [note 8]

NRSV - let the weakling say, “I am a warrior.” [note 9]

NLT - Train even your weaklings to be warriors. [note 10]

NASB - Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.” [note 11]

Lamsa - Let the weak say, I am a mighty man. [note 12]

NEB - Let the weakling say, 'I am strong', and let the coward show himself brave. [note 13]

Moffatt - Let your weaklings think them warriors, let your cowards think them heroes! [note 14]

Allen - Let the weakling think himself a fighter. [note 15]

Keil - let the weak one say, A hero am I. [note 16]

4) Cross References: The NASB cross reference (Zech. 12:8) misses the point, unless their intent in citing this passage is by way of contrast -

"In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them."

5) An illustration: "I am the greatest!" [note 17] "Yea, that's right! That's right! We bad!" [note 18] Say what? Talk is cheap!

"The X-wing fighter has sunk, and only the tip of its nose shows above the lake's surface.

LUKE: Oh, no. We'll never get it out now.

Yoda stamps his foot in irritation.

YODA: So certain are you. Always with you it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?

Luke looks uncertainly out at the ship.

LUKE: Master, moving stones around is one thing. This is totally different.

YODA: No! No different! Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned.

LUKE: (focusing, quietly) All right, I'll give it a try.

YODA: No! Try not. Do. Or do not!! There is no try...." [note 19]

6) The True Scriptural Exhortation: Say what? Talk is cheap! Don't just talk about it! Be all that God commands you to be! Just sayin' it's so don't make it so! This is not some kind of "New Age" visualization!

1 Kings 2:2 - I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;

1 Chron. 15:7 - Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

Is. 35:4 - Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Haggai 2:4 - Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:

Zech. 8:9 - Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

1 Cor. 16:13 - Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Eph. 5:10 - Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

2 Tim. 2:1 - Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2. The Valley of Decision - The Ripe Harvest (3:12-15)

¹² Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. ¹³ Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. ¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. ¹⁵ The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

cp. vs. 2 - the valley of Jehoshaphat

Note that there is no battle!

Where's the battle??? There isn't one!!!

When we learn that "the battle is the Lord's", we should understand that it means that there is no battle. It is not just that there is no contest, or that the outcome is sure, but more than that, there is no battle!

III. The Marvelous Manifestation of the Lord's Power in the Future of His People (3:16-21)

1. The Roar of the Lord - The Shaking Strength (3:16-17)

¹⁶ The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. ¹⁷ So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

2. The Day of Fulfillment - The Final Cleansing (3:18-21)

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. ¹⁹ Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. ²⁰ But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. ²¹ For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

cp. vss. 2, 12 - the valley of Jehoshaphat, and vs. 14 - the valley of decision

cp. vs. 4 - Tyre, Zidon, all the coasts of Palestine

Conclusion:

When the battle is the Lord's, there is no battle!!!

[Sermon preached by Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA on Sunday, June 9, 2013.]

Notes:

[1] I Samuel 17:47 - "And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands." (David to Goliath) See also 2 Chr. 20:15 - "...the battle is not yours, but God's."

[2] "Trash-talk is a form of boast or insult commonly heard in competitive situations (such as sports events and multiplayer video games. It is often used to intimidate the opposition, but can also be used in a humorous spirit. Trash-talk is often characterized by use of hyperbole, or figurative language, e.g., "Mikael Johansson can't run! You run like honey on ice!" Puns and other wordplay are commonly used.

Trash-talk was commonly used by the heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, it has become common for boxers, wrestlers, and other sports competitors to use trash-talk." Source: Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trash-talk [accessed 9 JUN 2013]. See also the Free Dictionary at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/trash-talk [accessed 9 JUN 2013].

[3] Don Moen, "Give Thanks".

[4] Hillsong, "Let The Weak Say I Am Strong".

[5] Gregory K. Hollifield, "Does God Want You to Be Rich? A Practical Theologian’s Response to the Gospel of Prosperity", Journal of Ministry and Theology 15:2 (Fall 2011), pg. 32. [This essay was initially presented at the 2007 Spring Ministry Forum: “Understanding and Engaging the Prosperity Gospel,” sponsored by the School of Bible and Theology of Crichton College (Memphis, TN).] He is citing here Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential (New York: Warner Faith, 2004), pg. 124.

[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

[7] The Revised Standard Version. 1971. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[8] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. 2009. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

[9] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. 1989. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

[10] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

[11] New American Standard Bible (1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973). New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[12] George M. Lamsa, The Holy Bible From Ancient Eastern Manuscripts, Containing the Old and New Testaments Translated from the Peshitta, The Authorized Bible of the Church of the East (Nashville: A. J. Holman Co., 1968), pg. 911.

[13] Note c: "and let . . . brave: prob. rdg.; Heb. O Lord bring down thy warriors." The Old Testament, in The New English Bible With The Apocrypha (Oxford: Oxford University Press, and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970), pg. 1109.

[14] James Moffatt, A New Translation Of The Bible Containing The Old and New Testaments (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1935), pg. 994.

[15] Leslie C. Allen, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah , in The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, gen. ed. R. K. Harrison (Toronto: Hodder and Stoughton, 1976), pg. 106. "All available manpower is needed in this total war against God. Even the physically weak and psychologically unsuited are not to be exempted.⁴³ The last and least reserves would have to be drawn upon." Op. cit., pg. 115. Note 43. "Contrast Deut. 20:8; Judg. 7:3."

[16] Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets, trans. James Martin, Vol. X (2 vols. in 1) in Biblical Commentary on The Old Testament, by C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, 25 vols. in 10 reprint ed. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1982 reprint), I:225. "Even the weak one is to rouse himself up to be a hero, "as is generally the case when a whole nation is seized with warlike enthusiasm" (Hitzig)."

[17] Me, as a teenager, imitating Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali). Clay said this while being interviewed by Howard Cosell after defeating Sonny Liston for the first time (25 February 1964) as quoted by Dave Kindred in Sound and Fury : Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006), pg. 58.

[18]Gene Wilder as "Skip Donahue" and Richard Pryor as "Harry Monroe" in Stir Crazy (Columbia Pictures, 1980).

[19] The Empire Strikes Back (Lucasfilm, 1980) screenplay, Star Wars, first trilogy, second part (aka Episode V). The setting for this scene is the swamps of Dagobah.

Pastor's Sermon Notes: It Shall Come to Pass (Joel 2:28-32)

Joel 2:28-32

It Shall Come to Pass:

Dreams Dreamt, the Day Darkened and Divine Deliverance

(Spirit, Smoke and Salvation)

²⁸ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: ²⁹ And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. ³⁰ And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. ³¹ The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. ³² And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Introduction:

This is the third of four planned sermons on the prophecy of Joel. In the Hebrew Scriptures the last five verses of chapter two in the English Bibles are chapter three, and chapter three in the English Bibles are chapter four in the Hebrew Scriptures. That is how we are going to approach the book. In other words, we will consider chapter 1, followed by chapter 2:1-27, then chapter 2:28-32 (chapter 3 in the Heb.), and finally chapter 3 (chapter 4 in the Heb.).

Background material for the book of Joel may be found in 2 Kings 11-2 and 2 Chr. 24.

Joel prophesied during the reign of Joash, king of Judah, c. 820 B.C.

If you are ever going to use a Bible dictionary, a Bible encyclopedia, or a Bible handbook it will be in order to understand the Old Testament better. For example, in Joel we will encounter locusts, Zion (2:1, 15; 3:16-17, 21), Mount Zion (2:32), Israel (2:27; 3:2, 16), Jerusalem (2:32; 3:1, 6, 16-17, 20), the Garden of Eden (2:3), Judah (3:1, 6, 8, 18-20), the Valley of Jeshoshaphat (3:2, 12), Tyre (3:4), Sidon (3:4), Philistia (3:4), Greeks (3:6), Sabeans (3:8), the Valley of Acacias (3:18), Egypt (3:19), and Edom (3:19). Encountering these entities from the ancient world should drive us to our resources to learn as much about them as we possibly can in order to understand this little book of Joel from 29 centuries ago.

Joel 2:28-32 divides itself poetically into the following outline.

Outline:

I. God's Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His People (2:28-29)

- The Showers of God's Spirit

II. God's Display of Cosmic Wonders before His Day (2:30-31)

- The Significance of God's Wonders

III. God's Assurance of Sovereign Deliverance for His Called (2:32)

- The Security of God's People

I. God's Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His People (2:28-29)

- The Showers of God's Spirit

²⁸ And it shall come to pass afterward,

that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh;

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

your young men shall see visions:

²⁹ And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids

in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Title: "It Shall Come To Pass" - the eschatological bread in this Scriptural sandwich - 2:28 and 32

This is a prophecy. It speaks of the future. The tenses of the verbs are in the future. From Joel's perspective and the point of view of Israel in the 9th century B. C. this was referring to something that God would do in the future in fulfillment of this prophecy spoken by the prophet Joel.

Notice the time words:

o "afterward" (2:28),

o "in those days" (2:29), and

o "before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come" (2:31)

Notice the point of this part of Joel's prophecy found in the following phrases:

upon all flesh	I will pour out my spirit
your sons and your daughters	shall prophesy
your old men	shall dream dreams
your young men	shall see visions
upon the servants and upon the handmaids	will I pour out my spirit

Peter refers to this in the first sermon following the birth of the Church by the baptism of the Spirit on the first Pentecost following the ascension of Jesus Christ:

Acts 2:14-21 - ¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: ¹⁵ For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; ¹⁷ And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: ¹⁸ And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: ¹⁹ And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: ²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: ²¹ And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 2:33-36 - ³³ Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. ³⁴ For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, ³⁵ Until I make thy foes thy footstool. ³⁶ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

II. God's Display of Cosmic Wonders before His Day (2:30-31)

- The Significance of God's Wonders

³⁰ And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,

blood,

and fire,

and pillars of smoke.

³¹ The sun shall be turned into darkness,

and the moon into blood,

before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

It shall come to pass! It has not come to pass, but is shall! It shall most certainly come to pass prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth in all His power and glory in that great and terrible day when He is revelealed from heaven. It shall come to pass!

Rev. 6:12-14 - And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; ¹³ And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. ¹⁴ And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Rev. 8:4-8 - ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. ⁵ And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. ⁶ And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.⁷ The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. ⁸ And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

Rev. 8:12 - And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

Rev. 9:1-2 - ¹ And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. ² And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

Rev. 9:17-18 - ¹⁷ And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. ¹⁸ By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

Rev. 10:1 - And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

Rev. 11:3-6 - ³ And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. ⁴ These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. ⁵ And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. ⁶ These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

Rev. 12:1 - And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Rev. 13:13 - And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Rev. 14:10-11 - ¹⁰ The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Rev. 14:18-20 - ¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. ¹⁹ And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰ And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Rev. 16:3-7 - ³ And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. ⁴ And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. ⁵ And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. ⁶ For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. ⁷ And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

Rev. 16:8-11 - ⁸ And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. ⁹ And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. ¹⁰ And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, ¹¹ And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Rev. 18:8-10, 17b-18 - ⁸ Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. ⁹ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, ¹⁰ Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.... And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, ¹⁸ And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Rev. 19:3 - And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

Rev. 20:9 - And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

It shall come to pass! It has not yet come to pass, but is shall! It shall most certainly come to pass before the return of the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth in all of His power and glory in that great and terrible day when He is revealed from heaven. It shall come to pass!

III. God's Assurance of Sovereign Deliverance for His Called (2:32)

- The Security of God's People

³² And it shall come to pass,

that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:

for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance,

as the LORD hath said,

and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Obadiah 17 - But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.

Rom. 10:9-13 - ⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. ¹² For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. ¹³ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Conclusion:

God's Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His People - The Showers of God's Spirit

God's Display of Cosmic Wonders before His Day - The Significance of God's Wonders

God's Assurance of Sovereign Deliverance for His Called - The Security of God's People

Pastor's Sermon Notes: He is There and He is not Silent! (Joel 2:1-27)

Joel 2:1-27

He is There and He is Not Silent!

¹ Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; ² A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. ³ A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. ⁴ The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. ⁵ Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. ⁶ Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. ⁷ They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: ⁸ Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. ⁹ They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. ¹⁰ The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: ¹¹ And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? ¹² Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: ¹³ And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. ¹⁴ Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? ¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: ¹⁶ Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. ¹⁷ Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? ¹⁸ Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. ¹⁹ Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: ²⁰ But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. ²¹ Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. ²² Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. ²³ Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. ²⁴ And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. ²⁵ And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. ²⁶ And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. ²⁷ And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

Introduction:

This is the second of four planned sermons on the prophecy of Joel. In the Hebrew Scriptures the last five verses of chapter two in the English Bibles are chapter three, and chapter three in the English Bibles are chapter four in the Hebrew Scriptures. That is how we are going to approach the book. In other words, we will consider chapter 1, followed by chapter 2:1-27, then chapter 2:28-32 (chapter 3 in the Heb.), and finally chapter 3 (chapter 4 in the Heb.).

Background material for the book of Joel may be found in 2 Kings 11-2 and 2 Chr. 24.

Joel prophesied during the reign of Joash, king of Judah, c. 820 B.C.

Outline:

I. Sound an alarm: Who can survive the Day of the Lord? (2:1-11)

II. Tear Your Heart and Turn to God: Where is your God? (2:12-17)

III. Be Glad and Rejoice in the Lord: He Will Answer! (2:18-27)

I. Sound an alarm: Who can survive the Day of the Lord? (2:1-11)

Blow the trumpet! Sound an alarm!

Again we hear of the Day of the Lord! The Lord will have His Day, and it will not be a pretty picture! It does not bode well for His enemies or for those who are disobedient to His Word!

Here the Day of the Lord is described as a dark and gloomy Day, and as a terrible Day.

Here also is part of the proof that this is not what many imagine it to be. In these verses is strong evidence that this is not referring to a fulfillment in the future in some human military force.

They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war

The rhetorical question is asked, "Who can abide it?" At least one modern translation gets the idea correct in the word "abide" here by rendering it "survive". The unexpressed answer is thus, "No one can survive the Day of the Lord!"

II. Tear Your Heart and Turn to God: Where is your God? (2:12-17)

¹² Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: ¹³ And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. ¹⁴ Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? ¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: ¹⁶ Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. ¹⁷ Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

What is required here? A change of heart, yea, a new heart!

Ps. 34:18 - The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Ps. 51:17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Is. 57:15 - For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Is. 66:2 - For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

This is impossible! What is required here? Circumcision of the heart! And so it is commanded in the Law of God given through Moses:

Dt. 10:16 - Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

Jer. 4:4 - Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Jer. 9:26 - Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

Ezek. 11:19-20 - ¹⁹ And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: ²⁰ That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Dt. 30:6 - And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

Ezek. 36:26-27 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Rom. 2:25-29 - ²⁵ For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? ²⁷ And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: ²⁹ But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Col. 2:10-12 - ¹⁰ And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: ¹¹ In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: ¹² Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Why is this required? What is the point? What will be the result?

Where is God?

Why would anyone question where our God is?

Where was God when...?

If there is a God, then why doesn't He...?

If there is a God, they why didn't He...?

III. Be Glad and Rejoice in the Lord: He Will Answer! (2:18-27)

¹⁸ Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. ¹⁹ Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: ²⁰ But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things. ²¹ Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things. ²² Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. ²³ Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. ²⁴ And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. ²⁵ And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. ²⁶ And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. ²⁷ And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

The Lord will be jealous for his land. He will pity His people. The Lord will answer His people. He will speak to them. He tells them what He is going to do for them:

Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen: ²⁰ But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

This is the good news! It is so good that it seems like it is impossible!

This seems impossible, but nothing is impossible for the Lord.

It is such good news that the land and the animals are commanded not to be afraid:

²¹ Fear not, O land....²² Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field

The land is also commanded to "be glad and rejoice", and not the land only, but also the children of Zion:

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God

In every case the reason is given, both negatively not to be afraid, and positively to be glad and to rejoice:

for the LORD will do great things. ²² Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. ²³ Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. ²⁴ And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. ²⁵ And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. ²⁶ And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you:

Is not the most amazing aspect of this what is found in verse 25?

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

The restoration of the lost years, the restoring of that which was lost, is an amazing provision of God's grace. This supernatural restorative power of God must be comprehended by faith. When this is done it provides tremendous hope in the midst of the darkest days and greatest difficulties.

Conclusion:

Sound an alarm: Who can survive the Day of the Lord?

Tear Your Heart and Turn to God: Where is your God?

Be Glad and Rejoice in the Lord: He Will Answer!

[Sermon preached by Pastor John T. "Jack" Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA on Sunday, May 12, 2013.]

Verse of the Day

Monday, July 1, 2013

Pastor's Sermon Notes: The Battle is the Lord's (Joel 3)

Pastor's Sermon Notes: It Shall Come to Pass (Joel 2:28-32)

Pastor's Sermon Notes: He is There and He is not Silent! (Joel 2:1-27)