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GOOD NEWS Letters & SERIES Teachings>
RESTORATION-by Pastor Abraham Bascon
August 31, 2009
RESTORATION - By Pastor Abraham Bascon
If you have not read the Old Testament Book of JOEL, you need to read it. JOEL is a short book with only three chapters. Approximately 2900 years ago the Prophet Joel prophecied and spoke to the people of God (Judah). God addresses His people by way of the Prophet Joel. God points out to His people three things:
1. Their complacency,
2. God's Judgement
3. God's blessing.
JOEL 1:1-4, As you read through Joel, you can see that these people had grown complacent. They had been experiencing prosperity and not difficulties. Their crops were fruitful, their productivity was very good etc.. They experienced great times. And, we all know that times of prosperity are wonderful! That's what we all want! Prosperity is a blessing of the Lord.
However, if you are not careful, this great feeling of comfort can go south! You start thinking you must be doing things right! After all, you are able to achieve all of your goals. Be reminded, that complacency produces idolatry, selfcenteredness. You become your own god! Before you know it, who needs God? This is what was happening. The people began to take God for granted. And, they became complacent. If God sees your complacency, He will chatise you, because He loves you!
God warns the people by way of the Prophet Joel: "If you don't repent of your ways, judgement will come upon you!" And, God describes the judgement. Very severe judgement! JOEL 1:1, God says: "Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land!" Notice that no one is excluded! God is saying: "Pay attention! Listen! Tell your kids about what has happened! Has anything ever happened like this before?"
We may ask:"What kind of things?" As we read through JOEL 1:1-12, We find that joy has withered away!(v.12) We find that the locust has eaten everything.(JOEL 1:1-4) And, God asks them: "Has anything like this ever happened to you or your fathers?(v.2) God tells them: "Tell your children about it!"(v.3) The word "it" is in reference to the times of desolation and destruction! God speaks to a people who are experiencing prosperity and complacency. God's judgement is going to come upon them in order to save them! The land will be devastated by swarming locust and they will destroy the land, their prosperity and their complacency!
Question: What is the first thing that we tend to do when we are in trouble? Answer: We get on our knees and pray! We ask God: "What have I done wrong?"
Chastisement will come because God loves them.
God tells them that the devastation is going to be terrible!
We sing the song, "Blow the Trumpet in Zion." Question: But, do we really know just what we are singing? Answer: God is saying: Blow the trumpet, sound the alarm, warn the people that My great army is coming to devour them! Wake up the people in Zion!!
The sin of complacency has caused this chastisement to come! Wake up you drunkards! The wine has been removed from your mouth! The vats are empty! The fruit trees will be wiped out! Prosperity is going to dry up!
Question: So, what do "WE" do, when the locusts come? Answer: We probably say: "Get thee behind me Satan!" Well,read the book carefully! Who is this army? Whose voice do we hear?
Answer: It's not Satan's, it's God's voice! God can use the evil nation to bring chastisement to His people! Sometimes, we experience hard times during our prosperity and we do not recognize that it is chastisement from God! And, we don't realize that we must fall on our knees and repent! The land, houses, towns and the people will be destroyed by this northern army! God begins this warning in JOEL 1:2 when He says: "Hear this you ELDERS! And ALL of you that are enjoying prosperity and complacency!" Question: Has anything like this ever happened before?" Answer: No! They never experienced this! God warns them that these things will take place "if" they continue on that path of destruction! Instead of receiving prosperity as a blessing of the Lord, they left God and made their own selves to be god!
Another point that God makes is: What to do to prevent God's Judgement. In JOEL 2:12-14 God tells them: "Now, therefore," says the LORD, Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mouning." (Remember: Mat 6:21-For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.) Turn with fasting, weeping and mourning! Return to the LORD, for He is gracious and merciful... Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a BLESSING behind Him!"(v.14) To avoid chastisement, turn to the LORD with fasting and weeping! Consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly, gather everyone! Call unto God to spare them! Not only an individual thing, but it becomes a corporate thing as well! A whole universal thing! Now, God calls for a corporate fasting and prayer! Let the ministers pray saying: Spare your people O' LORD! The RESULT of all the fasting, weeping and praying, is found in verses 18-27 of JOEL Chapter 1. God will no longer make His people a reproach among the nations. He will remove the northern army far from them. He will RESTORE to them the years that the swarming, crawling, comsuming and chewing locust had eaten!
God will ALWAYS respond to a REPENTIVE heart! And He will bring RESTORATION from complacency! In verse 21, God says: "Don't fear, Be glad and rejoice!" And, God will bring RESTORATION to you also! Do you feel as though you have been chewed up as well? God will RESTORE to you ALL that has been lost! We must all be careful, not to become complacent. We can't let ourselves become disinterested and slack in the things of God! Never let yourself to become self-centered! For complacency and self-centeredness equals God's chastisement!!
The Word of God applies to US just as it did to the people of Judah! (Hebrews 13:8-Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever!") What the LORD did for His people then, He can still do today!
We too, can become spiritually complacent! And, if it takes the fasting, weeping and prayers of the whole congregation to call for the LORD'S forgiveness, then, so be it!
Be reminded that prior to the "Outpouring of the Holy Spirit," only kings and prohets of God received the outpouring of God's Spirit; and, only when God used them for a particular mission.
In 1967, a handful of Theology professors and students came together to seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. And God gave it to them, and over 100 million Catholics received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit! Many of us were part of the Charismatic Renewal. We were spiritually prosperous during those years! We were filled with the Holy Spirit, prophecied, received prophecies, we were able to discern spirits etc... We were on fire for the LORD! We wanted to tell EVERYONE about Jesus! What happened to that "spiritual prosperity" that we all experienced then? Where did it go? It is now 2009, where did it go? Our spiritual lives have experienced a period of desolation! Somehow the "spiritual prosperity" has dried up! Folks have lost their enthusiasm for the things of God! Could it be "spiritual complacency?" We continue to go to church. We continue to tithe. But remember, not everyone who goes to church or tithes goes to heaven! We need to repent, fast, weep and pray. And, if we return to the LORD with all of our heart, God will bring RESTORATION! Some folks are still doing some things; but, where are the Prayer Meetings? Where are the great miracles and the evangelizers? Christians need to repent and seek the LORD'S forgiveness, so that God will bring us RESTORATION! So that there will again be REVIVAL in the Body of Christ! In JOEL 2:23-26 - Our God has given us the former and the latter rain in the first month! He says that we shall be overflowing with the new wine and oil! He will bring RESTORATION to us! We shall be fully satisfied and will never be put to shame! We must live our lives for the LORD! Search you heart. Seek forgiveness for our complacency, and give our total selves to the LORD! If you are a young person, Praise God, you have much time to serve him! Even if you are an older person, give the LORD the remainder of your days here on this earth to serve Him! Live your life for His Glory!
God bless you! ---- Pastor Abraham
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