Joel 1
Notes
Transcript
Main Point: Where have you neglected to give God the glory? What in your life has God given you but you made it into an idol
Main Point: Where have you neglected to give God the glory? What in your life has God given you but you made it into an idol
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome to GSM, introduce yourself as always, introduce the new series in Joel
Background
Background
This is a book of the Bible many people forget about but it is an awesome text with a lot of good history about God and His people that we can learn from.
we’ll be in verses 2-15, but I’m going to jump around a little. What has happened is that Israel has become a spoiled child. This nation is beginning to do well money-wise and there’s not a ton of conflicts or wars going on, the nation has been split into two different kingdoms, but they refuse to give God any of the glory for their well-being. They’ve turned towards other gods and they’re adopting other nations’ beliefs and they’ve had a long line of evil kings who refuse to serve God.
In the previous book Hosea, God tells Israel that it is He who has blessed them, rather than any other god, and has shown them favor and that is why they have been doing so well, but because they have turned from Him and refused to repent, He’s going to discipline them.
In this book, God disciplines them by sending a plague of locusts “Exodus style” to destroy their crops. He gave it to them, why shouldn’t He take it from them if they abusing it and worshipping other gods for it.
Illustration/touch point: It’s like if I were to spend my own money and buy Evan his favorite candy bar, but he refuses to thank me and instead he thanks his imaginary friend. I’m gonna be like I’m sorry what?! Why do you have an imaginary friend and why do you think he did anything for you?
Let’s jump into the text and pray
*Read and Pray*
Verses 2-3, 5-6, 10-15
When studying the OT, it can be challenging to make a connection with the text because it seems like different times. It’s a different culture, different times, some people even think God is different in the OT as He is in the NT or even today, but I’m here to tell you that that is not the case, and the Israelites are not so different from you or myself, middle school ministry.
Let’s look at the Israelites and their shortcomings and take notes
transition: My first point for you guys is:
Have You Wandered to Other Things?
Have You Wandered to Other Things?
Have you guys ever gotten lost before at the store with your parents?
I used to get lost in public places all the time. I think I have abandonment issues because of it (that’s ok, I’m going to counseling)
But I used to wander around to things all the time and I would lose sight of my parents, and I would cry and stuff. It was terrible, but often times it was because I wandered away on my own
There was one time when I was like 3 I was at Disney World with my parents, and I got up from my stroller and walked over to a Disney squirrel, and Disney squirrels are no joke dude, they’re gangster. They’re little furry thugs. But I walked over to a Disney squirrel to pet him and he bit me. He bit me so hard and just scampered away like the little punk he was. And of course I’m crying and my parents like does he have Disney Rabies? I did not have Disney Rabies. I do foam at the mouth but that’s a different problem
Like little 3 year old Logan, so naive and curious, Israel wandered from the Lord and found themselves pursuing evil. Not a Disney thug squirrel. They turned from God who blessed them so much and delivered them from enemy after enemy yet sought their own pleasure and worshipped other gods.
The whole point of this book of the Bible as well as many other prophetic books in scripture is to lead those that have strayed from the Lord
How Have You Used Your Talents to Give Back to the Lord?
How Have You Used Your Talents to Give Back to the Lord?
Israel deserved punishment
Illustration
Transition to conclusion with connection to the Day of the Lord
Do you all know what “rebellion” is?
Not THE Rebellion like in Star Wars, but what rebellion is in general
Answer: Rebellion is defying or resisting authority, so in the context of the Bible, rebellion against God, is denying Him or denying His instructions for us to live in a way that honors or respects Him or others
(Connection between Israel and modern kids:)
There’s lots of ways to rebel against God, but let’s look at how the Israelites were doing it
The Israelites were rebelling by saying, “God, we don’t want to serve you, we would rather serve these other gods because these other nations are serving them too. These other gods seem better because they have specific jobs. There’s a god in this faith that controls the crops, so we’re gonna worship that god too to have good crop yields.”
But God gave them a specific law in Exodus that says, “you shall have no other gods before me.” Remember that in the Ten Commandments?
So God, being the loving Heavenly Father that He is decides He’s going to punish His people, the Israelites, to teach them to turn back to Him.
Rebellion isn’t just a thought, it’s an action just as obedience isn’t just a cool sounding idea, it’s something you live
