Lessons From Joel
Joel 1:5 (12/8/16)
December 8, 2016 • Benham Brothers
* Joel was talking to people who had fallen asleep because of drunkenness. * Ezekiel 16:49 - the guilt of Sodom was that they were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned. * Pride leads to Indulgence leads to Apathy - this is where the Israelites were. * They were living in the lap of luxury and not concerned about the advancement of God’s kingdom. * God wanted them to wake up, but when they did they were supposed to do one thing first: * CRY! * God wanted the condition of their nation to break their heart. * We should ask ourselves, “What doesn’t break my heart that should?” * Vs 11 - “Despair……because the harvest of the field is destroyed.” * People are our harvest, and they are destroyed by a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). * We need to hurt for those who are being lied to that they can keep a sinful lifestyle and have Jesus too. * We need to hurt for those who are being led away to slaughter (unborn).
Joel 1:13-14 (12/10/15)
December 10, 2015 • Benham Brothers
• Joel 1:4 - Joel took the current event of the day and told his nation what God was saying through it. • The locust plague got worse and worse until everything was destroyed. • vs 13-14 - Joel gives us the answer, and it goes back to God's instructions to Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:14). • Vs 12-17 - an in-depth view of what should be done when national calamity happens. • Why would God listen? • 1) Because He loves us - we have to remember His character: • vs 13 - He's gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and aboudnging in love. • 2) Because we're "His." • The way we feel for our kids is nothing compared to what He feels for us.
Joel 3:10 (12/11/14)
December 11, 2014 • Benham Brothers
God chose the marketplace as the training ground for His Son. Judges 31 - Shamgar used his oxgoad to bring about deliverance for Israel. Amos 1:1 - He was a farmer who was slow of speech (Jewish tradition has it). The people who were out working their fields - it was time to use the tools of their trade as weapons for their deliverance. He was telling these seemingly insignificant people to rise up and use their means of sustaining themselves as a means for deliverance! As we're in the marketplace we're developing skill sets God will use to expand His kingdom on the earth. The skill sets we learn in the marketplace can be used: 1) As tools to expand God's kingdom. 2) As weapons to fight for and defend God's kingdom. God has placed you in the marketplace for a reason. We need to see ourselves as His ministers developing the tools of the trade of ministry.