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Even Now: Wake Up!
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Last May a study was released by the Barna Research Group about what the number one populous religious sect is in American life today. Their research showed that populous religious sect in America is known as “Casual Christianity.” They defined that “Casual Christianity” as having faith in moderation. That’s way people live.
And if they live their lives feeling religious, but yet not prioritizing their faith, my friends, if that really does indicate the face of American religious and spiritual life, which I believe it does, then it’s time for us to wake up.
This attitude and shallow belief system was illustrated through another study done with 3000 teenagers. These 3000 teenagers were asked about the crucial questions of life and beliefs, faith and beliefs, and when they were asked to respond they responded with a shrug with their body language and a “whatever” with their words. You see the only thing teenagers do is become what they’ve already seen around them. And not only is it prophetic on our generation, but on their generation, and it will be prophetic on generations to come because not only do they reflect the past, they also forecast the future in our culture.
My friend I want to tell you it is time for us to wake up. In the Old Testament there is a book called Joel. It only has 3 chapters. While there is no book in all of the scripture that is more undetermined about when its authorship occurred, most scholars would believe that somewhere around the 5th or 6th century the book of Joel was prophesied and recorded.
In this book of Joel that was written some 2500 years ago, while that 2500 years or so separates us from them, the problems are pretty well the same. The same attitudes prevailed today, or prevail today prevailed even then. You see their problem was the same problem we have; they had a casual approach to God, and they also treated the things of God with too casual of a nature.
And what was happening was that judgment was beginning to happen. Judgment was not only going to happen one day, but already was beginning to happen. Therefore Joel’s call is return to the Lord. When he talked about this day of the Lord that is referred to in the book of Joel, it is talking about not only the judgment that is taking place now, but there’s coming a judgment in the future that is fierce and powerful, and devastating. And while his message began with judgment, and his message forecasted judgment, his message ended with restoration and hope if the people of God would return to Him and be what He desires for them to be.
Even Now is the title of our series of messages from the book of Joel that we will do over the next several weeks together. These words are discovered in Joel chapter 2, verse 12 and 13, and I would like for you to look at them with me please, and let me read them briefly. He says, “Even now this is the Lord’s declaration: Turn to me with all your heart with fasting and weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He does,” what? “He relents from sending disaster.”
In our first message from the book of Joel, while we read that, those two verses with a deep sense of urgency and desperation, which leads me to ask you, “How urgent is the hour?” How desperate is the moment? While the first message will come from Joel chapter 1, verse 1 through 14, we are going to build the text around the very reality of what the scripture is saying. “Even now: Wake Up!”
You see now is the time. Today is the day for us to wake up. There is an urgency that is calling us to wake up. Maybe you would ask the question: why is there such an urgency? Why is there a need? It is very simple. Are you listening? Wake Up: Judgment Is Here. Not only is judgment coming, but judgment is here. Point number one in the message:
1. Wake Up: Judgment Is Here. Let’s read together verse 1 through 5 of Joel’s first chapter in the book. He says these words, “The word of the Lord that came to Joel, son of Pethuel,” this is his message. Listen to it. “Hear this you elders, listen all you inhabitants of the land: has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors? Tell your children about it, and let your children tell their children, and their children the next generation. What the devouring locusts has left, the swarming locusts have eaten; what the swarming locusts has left, the young locusts has eaten, and what the young locusts has left, the destroying locusts has eaten. Wake up you drunkards and weep. Wail you wine drinkers because of the sweet wine for it has been taken from your mouth.”
While Joel forecast an impending judgment that will be called the day of the Lord, and it will happen my friend, in this first part he is not talking about the judgment then. He’s talking about the judgment now. Judgment is here now. He talks about something we’re quite unfamiliar with in the American life, and that is a plague of locusts.
Let’s talk about that plague of locusts. What’s it like? The plague of locusts would indicate that the judgment had occurred. When a plague of locusts would hit a land, it would cause devastation in every way, and would cause staggering economic loss. Vegetation is defoliated, and fruitfulness is delayed. Figs were a mainstay of their economy in Israel, and the destruction of the why, the vine, and they fig tree shows the economic loss and devastation.
Interestingly, since Israel is depicted in scripture as a vine and as a fig tree, judgment had come upon God’s land, and judgment had come upon God’s people. Yet, God says, “One day I will restore.” And just like a plague of locusts would cause major loss and devastation, this illustrates also something beyond that, and it’s talking about invading armies that would cause devastation upon God’s land and upon God’s people. God is permitting judgment to occur. And He uses it as a call to His people to return to Him in repentance.
Now Joel here says the judgment was so devastating in verse number 3 he tells you that he wants you to sit down and tell your children about it. And then to tell their children about it, and for them to tell their children about it. Let me illustrate. It would be like, for example, if a mighty judgment had occurred in America in 1940 and 1950’s. It would be like my parents sitting my brother, sister, and myself down when we were young children and mentioning it all the way through our adolescence. Back in 1940’s and 50’s there was a mighty judgment upon America, and the judgment was terrible. But then God’s people came back to God. We all returned to God! And God lifted the judgment. Therefore, Ronnie, you’ve got to live for me, or the Lord all of your days! You cannot stray because if you stray, judgment will come again.
And then when my boys got to that same time, Jeana and I would sit them down and we would tell them what our parents told us. And then Josh and Nick would sit their children down one day when their children are old enough to understand and comprehend, rather than fight with each other periodically, and they would tell them, “You must live pure. You must live Godly. You must be what God wants you to be because if you don’t, judgment’s going to come!” That’s what he was talking about doing.
Judgment is here. He said in verse 5 to wake up! That’s a command to those that are listening to Joel. He said, “It’s God’s calling that even though judgment is happening now, or even though judgment is happening now, and the judgment is bad, if we don’t watch ourselves, there’s a coming judgment that is also going to be even worse than where we are today.”
He said, “Therefore, turn to God! You’ve got to wake up! You’ve got to realize you need. You’ve got to repent of your sin, and you must turn back to God!” Now wake up can be referred to those that are asleep, or to those that are in what we would call a drunken stupor in their sinfulness. And while the abundance of sweet wine used to touch their lips, it’s not touching it now because judgment is here, prosperity is no more.
There are 3 marks of the judgment that he talks about in Joel 1. And I want to give you these marks today. And I want you to think about something when I give them to you. I want you to wake up. I want you to think with me, and I want you to dialogue with me in your spirit to my spirit today. Think about America when you hear these words. Think about yourself when you hear these words. And think about the church when you hear these words.
What are the 3 marks that God is now judging? First of all, He says:
(1) You have lost your provision. You’ve lost your protection, excuse me, not provision, your protection. You’ve lost your protection and that’s found in the 6th through the 9th verses of Joel, chapter number 1. Look at those verses with me if you would. “For a nation has invaded my land, and without number. Its teeth are the teeth of a lion and has the fangs of a lioness. It has devastated my grapevine and splintered my fig tree. It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away. Its branches have turned white. Grieve like a young woman dressed in sackcloth, mourning for the husband of her youth. Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests who are ministers of the Lord mourn.”
You see what had happened here is that nations and ideologies, and philosophies that are anti-God had invaded the land. Things that proclaimed things other than what the Word proclaims had invaded the land. And he tells us in the 6th and the 7th verse your protection is gone. Your protection is gone. He said the condition is so severe it should move you to weep like a young woman, a young woman who has lost her fiancé to death. That’s a lot of weeping, and a lot of hurt, and a lot of pain.
He says in verse 9 that the devastation has been so severe that there’s nothing to offer to God anymore. In other words there’s no way to worship the Lord. Interesting in the scripture you might just note this in your mind, without the offering there is no worship. The offering of our lives, the offering of who we are, the offering of all God has given us. Worship is always connected to an offering. And the priests, and the leaders mourned because they knew the displeasure that God had toward His people because they had nothing more to offer Him, because judgment was here.
Question: Could the prevailing anti-God philosophies and ideologies of the late 1900’s have opened the door to the protection being lost in our own nation that was exhibited on 9/11, and even since then in so many ways upon our families? The families in America today are messed up, screwed up, absolutely dysfunctional! In our communities, and in our cities, could it be that the protection is lost? The devourer is consuming, running rampant throughout this nation, and upon our lives, and our families because we’ve lost the protection?
Listen now, when God’s people are casual towards God, and the things of God, we will lose our protection. He withdraws His protection from us when we are not what we need to be for Him. But He told them:
(2) You lost your provision. You’ve lost your provision. He talks about this in verse 10 through 12. “The fields are destroyed. The land grieves, indeed the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the olive oil fails. Be ashamed you farmers, wail you vinedressers over the wheat and the barley because the harvest of the field is perished. The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered, the pomegranate, the date palm, and the apple, all the trees in the orchard, they withered. Indeed, human joy has dried up.”
Economic woes and economic challenges come many times because of the judgment of God. I didn’t say all the time, I said many times. You see, we must understand and remember that everything comes from God. I mean do you believe that? That He owns absolutely everything and everything you have in your life He has given to you? When someone loses provision, it is a grievous experience. Not only because your needs are not met, but your wants that you’re accustomed to, trying to take care of along the way, are gone. But more than any of that, sadly to say, there is little to nothing to offer to God in the way you used to offer to God.
Question: Do you believe that the challenge in the American economy, and the woes upon the American economy today have anything to do with the judgment of God being upon America? Do you believe that? I realize some of you would not believe that, but I believe that. I’ve said it for years that God is always serious about getting our attention when we don’t come to Him the way we need to come to Him. And I’ve said it for year that there’s one way that will sooner or later catch the minds and the hearts of the American people, and that is when things are not they way they used to be regarding money, because money is the God of America.
Why is this judgment here? Oh there are a lot of reasons. I submit to you today one of the major reasons is because God’s people have robbed Him of the first-tenth of the offerings that we’re to offer to God. You say, “Oh you would say that.” No, you read the Bible. Read the Bible. Just read the Bible. Open the Bible. See what the Bible says. The Bible says when you don’t do what you need to be doing in that area, He will send the devourer, and the devourer will come and take away. But if you will what? He will keep the devourer away when you honor the Lord the way you need to honor the Lord.
Why is the judgment here? And why is the provision low? I’ll tell you why, because of a strategy and a philosophy in the American life that sees eat, drink, and be merry! We’ll one day have a payday however, and as R.G. Lee said years ago, “There will always be a payday someday.” Could the payday be now?
Why is it? I’ll tell you why because Americans are living above our means, we are increasing credit at an all time high, and debt is way over the top. Sooner or later, all that comes around to bite you.
Why is judgment here? I’ll tell you why because business relationships are not built on Christian biblical principles, and Christian integrity. And today dysfunction happens in so many ways in the culture via business relationships. We are living in a sad, tragic day.
On Wednesday, January 6, the lead article in USA Today stated the following in the first sentence, quote, “A new decade finds Americans in uncomfortable and yet familiar position…. running scared.” And that’s exactly what America’s doing today. Running scared. Ladies and gentlemen we don’t need to be running scared, we are people of faith! We are people of the Book! We are to be grounded on the solid rock of the Word of God! We don’t need to be running scared; we need to be running to God! That’s where we need to be running.
In our 21-day journey with the Lord that we’re on as a church, and we’re in day 7 today, one of the things we are praying and fasting about at whatever level people are on it with us, before the Lord is our own region here in Northwest Arkansas. In fact, let me tell you one more time what one of these things we’re before the Lord about. For Northwest Arkansas to return to God, and once again experience the blessings of God that result in restored relationships. Oh how we need to see relationships restored. A vibrant economy, plentiful jobs, and the needs of people being met.
Everywhere I go, most people I talk to talk about how Northwest Arkansas’ going through a struggle, things are not like they used to be, things are adjusting, there’s a new normal, what are we going to do? How are we going to survive it? All those things in reality are true, but you know what needs to be the truest reality among those of us who are people of faith? We need to return to God! One of the reasons it’s lifted is that we’re not closer to God! We’re further away from God as a region than we’ve ever been!
I came here 23 years ago, and some change, and we were a lot more biblical, and a lot more spiritual 23 years ago as a region than we are today. You can say well that’s your fault since you got here. No. I’ve been trying to fight against it. But I’m telling you the number one need in Northwest Arkansas is to return to God!
The Bible also says:
(3) You have lost your joy. You have lost your joy. He says in the last of verse 12, he says these words, quote, “Indeed human joy has dried up.” Why has joy dried up and withered in the hearts of the people of God? I’ll tell you why, because God is judging America.
When you lose your joy, you lose pretty well everything. Joy is the result of a harmonious relationship with God and with others, but mainly with God, which should result in the other. But joy doesn’t come with material assets, material stuff existing in your life, that’s not joy. They may bring you pleasure and happiness, but I’m talking about inward, true, authentic joy.
You see it is time for us to wake up, and we need to wake up from our spiritual sleep, our drunken egotism, we are intoxicated with ourselves, and we need to return to God! Judgment is occurring now, and we must come back to God. Therefore now we must wake up, and take action!
2. Wake Up: Take Action.
Verse 13 and 14, he says, “Dress in sackcloth and lament, you priests. Wail you ministers of the alter. Come and spend the night in sackcloth you ministers of my God because grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Announce a sacred assembly, a sacred fast, proclaim an assembly, gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God and cry our to the Lord.”
There’s an interesting part of this in verse 13 and 14 as I looked into Eugene Peterson’s paraphrased edition of the Bible called The Message, and I want you to notice on the screens the way he paraphrased those two verses. “And also you priests put on your robes and join the outcry. You, who lead people in worship, lead them in lament; spend the night in gunnysacks, you servants of my God. Nothing’s going on in the place of worship, no offerings, no prayers, nothing! Declare a holy fast. Call a special meeting. Get the leaders together, round up everyone in the country, get them into God’s sanctuary for serious prayer to God.”
My friends this is exactly what we are going to do here tonight as both campuses join us here at the Pinnacle Hills church at 6 o’clock pm. We are so serious about this that we’re going to care for your children 5th grade and down, providing for them a loving, caring and nourishing environment. But the rest of us will participate and fulfill what this scripture says about calling forth a Solemn Assembly. A sacred gathering of the people of God, because now is the time for us to take action.
So what are the actions in those two verses that he calls us to take? Action number one:
(1) Repent. Repent. You don’t hear that word a lot in American life and in American culture, but I’m telling you we need to repent. This repentance was symbolized through sackcloth, and the people would wear sackcloth, which is a garment of coarse material worn as a sign of mourning or anguish, but it was also marked by fasting.
You know everybody has a little quirk or two in their life, and I’ve got several. But one of mine is I don’t like anything coarse, rough material on me. I can’t stand it if it’s a shirt. It drives me crazy. I just won’t wear it. And I don’t like thick clothes either. I just want you to know that. But you know the whole deal is that, is that, that makes me conscience of my what? Of my misery. Well the sackcloth we’re told to wore, to wear because it would symbolize what their souls ought to be like before God over their sin! Misery. Pain. Lament! Cry! Weep! Be restored to God.
He said for all the spiritual leaders and all the followers of God to come and repent because God’s blessings are being withheld from the people, and from His house. Therefore, he said we need to repent and we need to return to God.
And then he said a second action is to:
(2) Fast. In the purest sense of the word fasting is abstinence from food with a spiritual goal in mind. Yet it can also be abstaining from something that we depend on, or something that is normally a part of our lives and we put it aside for a period of time so we can more adequately focus on, and concentrate on our walk with God.
Now we are in a 21-day period of fasting at whatever level many of our people may be. If you’ve not registered or been engaged with us, today’s day 7, we’ve got 14 more to go. We’d love for you to go with us! On the steps today are registration forms that you’re going with us. We want you to come during the public invitation today and take one of those forms and just sign it right there at the alter, tear off the part you need to leave, leave it there, take back the rest, and begin to join us on the journey at whatever level. If nothing else, just a prayer journey! Just for 14 days you concentrate on 8 things; 5 we’ve given you, 3 you make up in your own mind, as you believe God want you to do it, and you join with us.
(3) Gather. He says gather all the people of God to the house of God for this sacred gathering, just like we’re going to have tonight! Gather them individually, and gather them together, and bring them in because we need to go before God together, we need to return to God together, we need to let God speak to us together, and we need to get our act together so that God will do what God wants to do! That’s what the appeal is.
And he gives us a prescription in how to do it. Let me ask you today, is your spiritual life, and the life of your church, and the life of your family, or the life of your nation important for you enough to gather with us at 6 o’clock pm tonight? For this sacred and this holy gathering? I mean will we make the cut? Will you even wrestle with it in your mind whether or not you’re going or you’re not going? Will you please at least wrestle with it? Make me feel better by nodding your head yeah I’ll wrestle with it.
Whether you’re here or not, but you know what I want to advise you today, and I want to encourage you today, if we’re going to see what God wants us to do in our lives, and we’re going to be what God wants us to be, this is not Ronnie negotiating with God about how I’m going to cut a deal with him. No! He has laid it out! Repent! Fast! Gather! And then:
(4) Pray. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to pray. Cry out to God with your all before God in His sanctuary! Cry out together with the people of God! Cry out to God and let Him know your heart! Because now is the time, today is the day, it is an urgent moment! These are desperate times! And if you don’t, if you don’t register desperation in your spiritual meter, you need to get your act together! If you don’t sense that the day is urgent in our nation, my goodness you could sit around and go to Starbucks and talk about how bad it is here, and bad it is there. That’s fine. You do it until you’re blue in the face, and nothing’s going to change! The only way it’s ever going to change is when the people of God get before the holy God of heaven and deal with our stuff! And when we get our stuff together then maybe God will place His protection back upon the land, His provision back upon the land, and our joy will return to where it ought to be.
You know to me, America’s like a car that is veered off on the road. It’s heading for a cliff that will lead to ultimate destruction. That’s what America’s like to me. And the church is the driver of that car, and we’ve gone asleep at the wheel, and we are living in an ego, myopic, intoxicated way. A stupor is where we are.
It’s time to wake up. Not later. Not tomorrow. But today. The ultimate hope for America is not going to be found in political change. When are we going to get that in our brains for a minute? Or economic stability. What’s that? Nor even in providing healthcare for everyone! That’s not our ultimate hope! Our ultimate hope my friends today is for us to return to God! That’s our ultimate hope! That’s our only option! And are we going to let the car go off the cliff and our families, and our lives, and, and, and our nation, and not do something about it? Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! The time is now! Wake up! We must wake up for our own sakes, for the sakes of our families, for the sake of our nation, and a world that is devastated with lostness, and needs the gospel more than they need anything else in their lives.
- SKU:
- 2Z202L
- MP3:
- http://www.ronniefloyd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2Z202L-Wake-Up.mp3
- Vimeo:
- http://vimeo.com/8763020