Scripture Passage
Worship Video
Worship Audio
Sermon Script
You see today a bright picture of life.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame. (Joel 2:26)
A good picture!
But actually, when Joel preached this hopeful message, people went through a tough time.
There was a natural disaster. Locusts consumed everything, all their crops. They left them devastated. They were at the verge of being starved to death.
In ancient times, just having food could not be taken for granted. They could easily be starved to death.
During this very difficult time, Joel prophesied that they will eat in plenty and be satisfied.
While reading this, I was reminded of our Covid time. We couldn’t find toilet paper anywhere. If somebody gave you the toilet paper, it was a wonderful gift.
We didn’t know what was ahead of us. That was what people in Joel’s time felt. Their future was quite precarious.
But the prophet prophesied the message of bright future, hope and dreams of abundance. He saw God would bring a new future for them.
That’s what prophets do. When everybody says that they can’t, prophets say you can. When everybody says they are doomed, prophets say that a new hope is dawning on you.
My friends, when life is hard and difficult, give your ears to God. You will be able to hear prophetic voices for you.
The prophet Joel saw this vision.
Then afterward
I (God) will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,
in those days I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28, 29)
This is a very interesting insight Joel had.
No one was able to see what Joel saw. At that time, they believed that the Spirit came down only on special people like prophets, judges, kings, and so on.
But Joel saw the Holy Spirit coming down ON ALL FLESH. Old people, young people, the male and female slaves.
That was unthinkable. But Joel saw that. He saw what would come 400 years later.
This passage was the first passage Jesus’ disciple used to preach his sermon. That disciple was Peter.
The early Christians experienced the Holy Spirit coming down to all people, and people didn’t know what they were experiencing.
They understood each other even though they all came from different parts of the world. And other people thought they were drunk.
But Peter stood up and said this was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy.
In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17, 18)
That was how the church began. The church began on Joel’s prophecy.
That was what Jesus said just before he left this world.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come down on people. The Holy Spirit is the power. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
God has bestowed the power to the church.
It is not the power to conquer. Not money power. It is not an institutional power. It is the power to witness the gospel.
After receiving this power, all the disciples started witnessing the good news. They all became God’s witnesses.
That is the power of the church. We are all witnesses of God’s good news.
When times are dark, we do not fall into despair. We become witnesses of hope.
When injustice prevails in this world, we do not give in. We become witnesses of justice.
When the truth is ignored, we do not compromise with the untruth. We become witnesses of God’s message.
Churches all over the world are going through a hard time. The Presbyterian church in Canada is also diminishing. There are only two people studying at Knox for M.Div that is a master degree you need to be a minister.
So, to deal with this declining trend, the General Assembly chose 10 people from across the country and gave them all the power to make decisions. These 10 people with two consultants will make big decisions that affect the future of this denomination.
They asked me to be one of 10 people. I was honoured but at the same time very burdened.
We Christians are living a very difficult time. Not only churches are ignored, but God is also ignored. Truths have been disregarded.
God is silent but that does not mean he is not working.
God was working when the church was strong. But God was also working when the church was small, struggling, and persecuted like the early church.
God is calling people who have faith. God will pour out his Spirit upon them. God will give them the message. God is preparing witnesses of his good news.
God will renew the world. God will again pour out his abundance on people. God will restore his justice.
I hope that St. Timothy be God’s vehicle to bring changes in this world. God has been good for 29 years. God has done wonderful things.
We never know what God will do. God’s work is always mysterious.
The first Christian church was weak. They lived in fear behind the locked door.
But God, by sending the Holy Spirit, opened that door and sent them to Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Then through their witnesses, the church swept through Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and all over the world.
God will do another miracle by sending his Spirit upon us.
Don’t be tempted to use the worldly power but depend the power of the Spirit. God is searching for people who have faith.
Let us be God’s witnesses. You will be blessed and others will be blessed through you.
There is nothing you need to do. Have faith in God. And wait.
God will pour out his Spirit upon you. Then you will receive the power.
With the power, you can do so much.
Leave a Reply