GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
Thursday
January 3, 2019
Pastor Rick Bettez
The locust in Joel 1:4 were an omen of what was on the horizon for the Southern Kingdom of Israel. God’s cycles of discipline had been initiated by the willful, neglect toward His word.
Joe 1:10 The field is ruined,
The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, the new wine dries up, fresh oil fails.
Joel 1:10-12 we are looking at economic depression. “The field is wasted – or ruined”
Shadad- completely devastated, violently ruined, ravaged and left for dead.
Joel 1:12 b-“rejoicing dries up
from the sons of men.”
No Bible doctrine among the remnant, no interest in doctrine, this leads to a series of things which actually had set the stage for the cycles of discipline.
The negative aspect of why Bel’s suffer under cosmic attacks fall under 3 principles, and all are self-induced.
1.Reaping what we sow
2.Neglecting Bible Doctrine
3.Living in sin (lifestyle)
The positive aspect of why Bel’s suffer under cosmic attacks fall under 2 principles that are outside of their personal volition.
1.Testing for growth
2.Becoming an active witness in the Angelic Conflict.
Key word in looking at this study is the word - suffer. Because we live in a system that is infiltrated and manipulated by demonic forces so there will always be some discomfort or obstacles for the positive Bel to face.
2Co 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
2Co 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Jer 12:2 You have planted them, they have also taken root; They grow, they have even produced fruit. You are near to their lips but far from their mind.
Jer 12:7 “I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned My inheritance; I have given the beloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
Jer 11:11 Therefore thus says the LORD, “Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them.
Jer 11:13 “For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
Until Bels realize that peeling away from the word of God will eventually lead to filling that void with another form of worship or false god they will continue in this type of self-induced misery followed by divine discipline.
Pro 26:11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Gal 5:17 for the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Rom 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Joh 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
1Joh 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Verses 13-14 — divine discipline declared under the fourth cycle. “Gird yourselves” means put on sackcloth, get ready for some discipline. Ashes and sackcloth in ancient times were symbols of deep mourning.
In verse 14 rebound is commanded —
“Sanctify (set apart) a fast.” There is no merit in going without food spiritually, this is speaking to a time to remove all other thoughts & details, focusing on recovery from an evil lifestyle.
“proclaim a solemn assembly” — is for the purpose of worship and for the purpose of offering prayer on behalf of the country. There are times when an apostasy is so great that it takes a positive group (remnant/pivot) to not only protect the land but realign it back into the PPOG.
God deals with man in grace and there is no merit attached to fasting or weeping & wearing a sackcloth, these are merely the accoutrements which accompany the spiritual activities.
This would be a call for the Unbel’s in the country to come to the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, as well as a time for the Bel’s to rebound & recover. This was a call across the land to recognize the one true God and forsake all false idols.
The Hebrew verb- za`aq (cry) means to make a public display or gathering of people to proclaim and cry out loudly. Calling out as a group for aid or forgiveness.
Psa 32:3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
Pro 28:13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
The lesson we can learn from this historic disaster in Judah (Joel 1) is that a lifestyle opposed to the PPOG not only brings personal misery but after a period of time it will bring suffering that touches family, friends, your wealth as well as health (physical & mental).
Once a Bel or a nation has strayed far enough from God to ignite divine discipline it is not a simple rebound technique that puts everything back in order. For the Bel it is a focused, spiritual journey back. For a nation the majority often, have resisted BD and they remain in that mindset.
Pro 14:9 Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is good will. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
and a stranger does not share its joy.
Pro 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Pro 14:14 The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied with his.