Sabbath: A Holy and Just God
Read for This Week’s Study: Joel 1, 2:28-29, Acts 2:1-21, Joel 2:31-32, Rom. 10:13,Matt. 10:28-31.
Memory Text: “The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11, NIV).
Key Thought: God can use crises to make His people sensitive to both their dependence on Him and their need for spiritual renewal and reformation.
On the massive locust plague and severe drought that were devastating the southern kingdom of Judah, the prophet Joel—a contemporary of Amos and Hosea—sees a sign of a “great and dreadful” day of judgment (Joel 2:31). Confronted with a crisis of such intensity and proportion, he calls all people in Judah to renounce sin and return to God. He describes the locusts as the Lord’s army and sees in their coming God’s punishment upon unfaithful Israel.
Joel prophesies that God’s future judgments will make the locust plague pale by comparison. But that same judgment will bring unparalleled blessings to those who are faithful to the Lord and who obey His teachings; that is, no matter how severe, judgment can lead to salvation and redemption for those whose hearts are open to the leading of the Lord.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 20.
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Nowdays, modern people in the world are so busy with their own business this lead then to forget the presence of their life due to this i think God can use crises so as to make people remember the presence of God and make them sensitive need for spiritual renewal and reformation in their life and to live the holly life.
Yes it's true. Whatever means, may it be crisis or trials...the Lord will use it in order for His hard headed people to return to Him.
While God is pleading for our repentance, He tries every possible way to call our attention to avoid the terrible final destruction that awaits satan and his followers. Unfortunately, this pleading will not go on forever. Out of love, God goes the extra mile to use even crises to awaken His children while the doors of mercy are still open. Sad to say not all will heed His plea. Not even in crisis. The time will finally come when the four winds of strife are let loose and man seeks refuge, but the doors will be closed. Mercy, this is the time to return to His open arms and be saved from destruction. How else can it be said? Keep praying for as many to be saved as possible. This wicked world will not continue forever... it is going to be destroyed and replaced.
We indeed need to be jolted out of our slumber. God does this in-order that we may be brought back to the fold reconciled with himself.
The illustration about the TREES in the above verses takes my mind to statistics.
1. Talk about school drop-outs.
2. Alcohol abusers.
3. Drug abusers.
4. And many other toxic substances.
Young people of our age are deeply involved in self distructive activities. And are also highly affected.
It doesn't seem that we have clean vessels. (talk about the out pouring of the Holy Spirit)
5. Talking about revival and reformatiom, where those who have recieved the gift of the latter rain will be disturbing everything and call for persecution. And that's real crises.
We only hope for the remnant.
We must begin to live right with our God as a church.This is a lesson that is coming to the church as corporate body- which of cousre is made up of individuals.
God has been dealing with Isreal as a nation ( as a whole ) This should be a wake up call for the church. Let us beging to live up t what we learn from the Bible and Inspiration to avoid being eaten by locusts.
We must avoid to driven into the wilderness for us to come to our realisation. What was written, is for our adminition. We have a work of greater magnitude as a church. We can never fight sins of Babylon and Assyria when we are busy entertaining them within the church.
But, we must bear in mind that, whatever the case is, God's programe has to be finished. The church at some point it will be purified.
How we live as members in the church is a matter of our choice. The world is almost ready for harvest!
Judgement will be a thing of great joy to some people while to some people, a thing of sorrow. It is left for us to decide now that we still have time. God is trying to pull His people back becouse He loves us an He wants us to recognise Him as a present Help in time of need an in these times were we have serious crisis, He expects us to cling to Him!
This lesson came to show us that God is still acting the father role of correcting His children to walk in the right paths to uphold His commands and live unto His standards. We are called to be the light of the world yet often we find safety in blending in with the wicked ways of the world and God is still pleading for us to make things right while the probation of Grace is open,yet the time cometh where He will sit down has a judge and where will our names be found let's listen to Gods voice before we perish.
It is true trials and hardships teach us to depend on GOD because whilst we are blinded by the cares of this world we are in comfort zones and can not realize our need for God.
this is the message that has come at the right time when people both within and outside the church are busy gathering wealth for themselves and depriving GOD of his time due to selfish tendencies that have befallen the world. The message is simple and clear.....lay your treasure in heaven where there is permanent security.