The Trumpet Call Joel 2:1-2; 12-18; 27

Praying for Our Country There are those who believe that we are wasting our time praying for our country They believe that the United States is too far gone to be saved They believe that God has already passed judgment on our nation and that our prayers are in vain

Praying for Our Country There does come a time when a nation passes the point of no return Continued sin without repentance eventually brings the judgment of God But that time is completely in the hands of God There is no way that we can discern what that time is with our own knowledge

Praying for Our Country The most important indicator When God is ready for judgment, He is through with prayer! When God was ready for judgment to come on Judah, He said to Jeremiah, "Do not pray for the well being of this people" (Jeremiah 14:11) Jeremiah 15:1 "even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people” Even world class intercessors like Moses and Samuel would not move the heart of God when God’s time for judgment comes!  

Praying for Our Country God is not through with America, because God is still calling us to prayer! There is still a powerful call to prayer proceeding from the Throne of Heaven Prayer leaders from around the world have heard the call to prayer for the United States Dave Butts – international prayer conference in Indonesia People from 6 different countries came to him and said they are praying for our country before these next elections He has called for 40 days of prayer coming up to the November 6 elections Starts September 28 – next Friday!

Praying for Our Country God is not through with America, because God is still calling us to prayer! There is still a window of opportunity for our nation If we will humble ourselves and pray, God is ready to forgive and heal our land – 2 Chronicles 7:14 Remember: God never calls us to prayer without being prepared to answer those prayers!

Do You Hear the Trumpet? Joel 2:1 1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:

Do You Hear the Trumpet? An Alarm God’s warning is like a fire alarm in the night A wake up call to a real and present crisis in our nation and in the world!!!! When God calls His people to pray, something dreadful is coming! He is saying, “WAKE UP!”

Do You Hear the Trumpet? An Alarm God always foretells of His coming wrath When the people have turned away from God, He lets them know before He acts We are not told what has transpired, what sin committed, what offense taken, but we are told Wrath is the outcome Notice that God’s grace is abounding in His call - abundant grace God is going out before His Wrath in a wake up call

The Day of the Lord Joel mentions it twice - vv. 1, 11 A very special period that God had planned and would direct The Day of the Lord will unexpectedly strike the whole universe This term must be learned and understood by all people! It is the terrifying judgment of God that will bring on all the wicked of the universe — both nations and individuals But we must also remember that the Day of the Lord refers to the great deliverance of God’s people from their enemies and from all the corruption of this world

The Day of the Lord Joel mentions it twice - vv. 1, 11 Joel was proclaiming that the Lord would no longer tolerate rebellion against Him The people had gone too far Therefore, the Day of the Lord — God’s holy wrath — was to fall on them people And the day of danger was very close at hand

The Day of the Lord Joel mentions it twice - vv. 1, 11 Throughout history, the Day of the Lord has fallen on unbelieving nations in order to save God’s people and fulfill His will for the earth At other times, the Day of the Lord has fallen on Israel, both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms

The Day of the Lord Joel mentions it twice - vv. 1, 11 The Lord intervenes in human history Each time He does it foreshadows the final, climactic Day of the Lord that is to come in the last days This is the day when Christ will return to execute judgment and to establish God’s kingdom on earth In that day, the Lord will arouse the Jews to return to the Promised Land and to place their faith in Christ, the promised Messiah

Turn to the Lord Rend Your Heart Right in the middle of this destruction and the realization of a death sentence for many, God says “Turn to Me!” The word means to make an immediate linear motion back to a point from which you departed It means to turn away from the evil things and turn back to God God says that he wants all of our heart He says to “rend your heart” = to tear it to pieces in sorrow over sin He expects to see genuine brokenness over our sin Psalms 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise"

Turn to the Lord Rend Your Heart The Jews are God's special treasure and heritage To Israel, He gave His laws, His covenants, the temple and priesthood, a special land, and the promise that they would bless the whole world From Israel came the written Word of God and the gift of the Savior

Turn to the Lord Rend Your Heart In a very real sense, as a nation we are God’s chosen people, too We based our freedom and our government on the very laws and character of God Our nation was formed and still exists under His direction and protection He has used us to carry His Word all over the world When God’s enemies attack, they attack Israel first, then the USA

Turn to the Lord Rend Your Heart Israel was called to bear witness to the other nations that their God was the only true God and so are we! How could God be glorified if His people were destroyed and the pagans could gleefully ask, "Where is their God?" Psalms 79:10 and 115:2; Micah 7:10 Today we can call out to God and say the same thing! The nation of Israel had to choose between getting right with God or robbing God of His glory, and we as a nation face exactly the same choice

Turn to the Lord The Character of God The main thing that encourages us to repent and return to the Lord is the character of God He is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Joel 2:13) This motivates us to seek His face in prayer Such a gracious God, “Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him” (Joel 2:14)

Turn to the Lord Do not believe the lie that we are “just fine, thank you” We are all in need of repentance Everyday we fail to love Him with all our heart Everyday we fail to honor Him with our lives Everyday we live and move in a culture that ignores God at every turn Everyday our nation worships at the altars of materialism, sports, government, education, recreation, at the expense of the greatest Treasure in the universe

Turn to the Lord Do not believe the lie that we are “just fine, thank you” Until we, God’s people, see that, we will never experience repentance, contrition, and confession We should mourn over sin and weep over how utterly far away from God our nation and even God’s people have grown

Turn to the Lord Individually, as God’s people We must humble ourselves! We must truly examine where we are, not in relationship to others, but to God and His Word We must commit to total obedience to God in our own lives We must confess our sin and our nation’s sin! We must look at every area of our lives — our family, our job, our money, our goals, our priorities, our loves, and our desires— and turn to the Lord!

Who Knows! Too many people have forgotten Who the Lord is They have chosen to go their own way God does not tolerate being forgotten Joel says, “Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity (verse 13)”

Who Knows! God’s heart is to bless and not to curse God’s desire is never our destruction, but our return to Him God’s desire is to pour out Grace upon us, to bathe us in His Mercy, to show us His unbelievable Compassion! “Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing” v. 14 Our Lord is however, also a God of Justice

Prayer for God’s People Daniel’s Confession – Daniel 9:4-15 Addresses the Lord his God – v. 4 As great and awesome Who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments He confesses the sins of his people – vv. 5-6 He contrasts their shame with God's righteousness – vv. 7-9 He reviews their sin, and the fulfillment of God's warnings – vv. 10-14 He summarizes their sin – v. 15 – “They have sinned, and done wickedly!”

Prayer for God’s People Daniel's Petition – Daniel 9:16-19 He asks God to: Turn away His anger and fury – v. 16 Hear his prayer and supplications – v. 17a Cause His face to shine on His sanctuary – v. 17b See their desolation, and the desolation of the place called by His name – v. 18 Hear, forgive, act and not delay! – v. 19 His prayer is based on: God's righteousness, and for His sake – vv. 16-17 God's great mercies for His people called by His name – vv. 18-19

What to Pray As the elections approach - we are concerned for our nation Pray for the Church Pray for those who are voting Pray for the candidates Pray for the media Pray for the impact on the nations Pray for the Spiritual Warfare surrounding the elections Pray for the purposes of God and for His glory

Why Will God Do This? So that His people will praise His name and never again be shamed before the heathen “Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.” - Joel 2:27

Why Will God Do This? I have prayed that God will speak to us today I have prayed that you will hear the sound of the trumpet and that you will wake up and do what He has called us to do Psalm 124:8 - Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth

Why Will God Do This? I have prayed that God will speak to us today Some of you may have given up because you have not seen the breakthrough that you were praying for Never give up on the Lord! Isaiah 62:6-7 6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, 7 And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Why Will God Do This? Christ came to earth To offer mercy and forgiveness of sins to every human being who would place his or her faith in Him But this was only the first coming of Christ God has also promised that Christ will return one day to establish His kingdom on earth

Why Will God Do This? Christ will come again! When Christ returns, He will not come as Savior, but as the Lord God of the universe “King of kings and Lord of lords” In that day, the Trumpet will sound and all the promises and blessings of God’s Holy Word will be fulfilled All who truly trust the Lord will receive the ultimate mercy and restoration They will finally inherit the eternal promises of God—a new heavens and earth