Continuing the series “Awaken”, today’s sermon transitioned to the second half of the book of Joel which focuses on God’s restoration. In this half, God answers the people’s prayers, reverses the economic devastation from the locust invasion and offers assurance of a future day of judgment when Yahweh will punish the nations and renew Israel.
We are invited to
1) Awaken to God’s Compassion and Provision
2) Awaken to God’s Promise of Restoration and
3) Awaken to the Outpouring of the Spirit.
We are called to awaken to this reality – to recognize and embrace the full extent of God’s redemptive work in our lives.
The Day of the Lord is Near - Be Prepared
May 26, 2024 • Derek A. Ward • Joel 2:1–17
Today’s sermon calls for an urgent response to God’s warnings. It emphasizes the seriousness of sin, the power of divine judgment, and the necessity of genuine, heartfelt repentance.
Drawing from the warning given to the people of Judah by the prophet Joel, three key principles are advanced for the believer today: 1) Respond to spiritual warnings 2) Focus on inner transformation 3) Value the impact of communal repentance.
By embracing and acting on these principles, we can prepare ourselves spiritually for the Day of the Lord, fostering a church that seeks God earnestly and lives according to His will.
Awaken to Repentance
May 19, 2024 • Derek A. Ward • Joel 1
Today’s sermon opened a new series from the prophetic narrative of Joel, one of the Minor Prophets, on the theme “Awaken”. The book of Joel is a prophetic text that addresses a crisis in Judah—an invasion of locusts that devastates the land. The locust plague serves as a metaphor for a deeper spiritual crisis. Joel calls the people to repentance and emphasizes the importance of communal and intergenerational response to God’s judgments.
The sermon challenges us to be attentive to God’s Word – so that we are changed by it and pass it on; recognize the signs of spiritual desolation – given that such dryness affects our relationship with God and others, hindering our worship and service; and cultivate a heart of repentance – as a daily practice of turning toward God, and not only in response to crises.
