Be Vigilant Warned by God – Part 2

Peers and Graham lots the worst invasion alternating from the nonhuman standpoint is unbelief.

The nation has no fear of God and faith in God actually has replace that with something of a defiant, welcome to living in the light with Bible teacher and Graham lots her message today begins with a brief summary from Joel chapter 1 bringing us up to date and the last of this two-part series titled, be vigilant, was first presented in 2018, but still very relevant today. John talks about social disaster.

He says in verse five.

Back in Joel chapter 1 verse five wake up you drunkards and we and of course drunkards alcohol abuse alcohol related accidents are the leading cause of death of young people in United States. We spend more on alcohol than we do on cancer. The number one drug problem in America it's risen 49% since the year 2001 in eight Americans is an alcoholic one in four adults under the age of 30 are alcoholics, 20% of college students are alcoholic 88,000 people last year that from alcohol related causes. And that's not counting the rapes and the wife abuse and stabbings know they can stop social disaster opioids drug overdose is the leading cause of death under age of 50. Listen to this 47,000 died from drug overdoses in 2014 and 2016, 64,000 died from drug overdoses between 26 and 36 million people are addicted to thousand 15, there were an average of 91 opioid deaths per day. No wonder the president has declared a national emergency.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15 to 24-year-old I just heard on the news last night about hurt right that it's up 40% over last year. Active shooters this is stunning from 2000 to 2006 there were six per year 2014 to 2015 there were 20 per year. The first 275 days of this year there were 273 mass shootings. That's almost One-A-Day. We had 59 children Las Vegas 500 wounded Sutherland Springs 26 killed 20 wounded and social disasters.

Hollywood melting down NFL collapsing you know it's a disaster. Isn't everywhere you look, it's a disaster. Financial disaster verse five wine is snatched from their lips in Joel's day one wasn't a luxury. It was a necessity. It was a dietary staple, something insane just like that the things we need can be snatched away taken from us and I can't do numbers but as of September 1. Our national debt was almost $21 trillion at $62,000 for every person living in the United States $169,000 for every taxpayer.

That's a disaster. Anybody who does a budget knows that you can't do that national disaster. He says in verses six and seven, the nation has invaded. He was referring to the locus of a single locus. As an example of a nation that was invading his nation and I'll look at Europe and the largest migration in human history is taking place as the people from the Middle East are fleeing the slaughter in their moving into Europe and Europe if they're not careful they going to become a Muslim empire within peers there being invaded and ugly were being invaded also and I'm all for immigration illegal immigration and up appreciate very much the people come from other countries. All did you know at some point in time, but I believe were being invaded that. That's a cover for people coming in who want to take us down so you can call it immigration open borders. It's an invasion and it's a national disaster. He was speaking of the locus coming in so wasn't just people coming in because locus are people so there was a nonhuman army that was invading and I thought what nonhuman armies are invading America and I've been stunned at the rise of immorality, pornography makes over $100 billion a year more than Apple, Google, Yahoo, eBay, Microsoft, Amazon, that's a disaster. Generational hatred and prejudice the racial divide that became very obvious in Charlottesville between back lives matter and the white supremacists and then what was seething underneath just bowled over. Until now, it's just like poison all over our nation. Anti-Semitism is soaring on college campuses. There was a 45% increase in anti-Semitic activity or incidents from 2015 to 2016. Listen to this. There was 86% increase from 2016 to 2070 Edison ugly cancer that summoned our nation and the worst invasion of all to me from a nonhuman standpoint is unbelief. The rise of secularism and humanism and atheism and agnosticism and just the nation that has no fear of God and faith in God and actually has replace that with something of a defiance of God of the living God. So what disaster are you aware of this and a nonhuman form in the new spiritual disaster in verse nine says the grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off the sacrifices ceased because the people had nothing to sacrifice the locus it eaten everything and when the locus date everything the animals got off there was nothing to sacrifice. And so they felt cut off from God. They felt abandoned by God. They could go to the temple of worship.

They couldn't offer their sacrifices and they felt separated from God and after tremendous disaster. One of the first things we hear. Where was God where is God in all this.

It's a spiritual disaster we feel abandoned by God. Where is God. He could've stopped that he didn't. He must not carry must not be there to see what happens. And so it affects us spiritually and that's a disaster.

You and I know that there times and we can feel abandoned by God you ever felt abandoned felt cut off. Isolated I have but I know according to Hebrews 13 God is said I will never leave you never forsake you know what it's like to find a loved one who was with us and suddenly was not in the know that God right there at that moment can carry you through and bring blessing from but when something like that happens, you can feel God where are you.

It's a spiritual disaster and then an emotional disaster. It says in verse 12. The joy of the people is withered away. After a while it wears on your spirit doesn't and people in Puerto Rico. We had our just give me Jesus revival in San Juan several years ago and sub been in touch with our revival chair and trying to help her and just can't imagine living where there is no water there is no electricity.

There is no cell phone service once in a while and we were able through Samaritan's purse to get her church a generator and get water and food so that she can feed about 200 people that she feels responsible for this an emotional disaster. When these disasters happen one afternoon. In fact, all these things happening at the same time from every level. Everything don't you feel and oppression. You feel like it agitation in your spirit, there's a heaviness, the joy is withered away and agricultural disaster. In verses 10 to 12. The fields are ruining the ground is dried up. The grain is destroyed, to spare, you farmers all seen pictures of sunbaked feels crops underwater orchards frozen vineyards charge and it's a disaster. So these warnings are coming in every area and you can think of other areas relationally or politically. You know disasters politically. I'm in my goodness. And just you think of it what's going on and we just can't put our head in the sand.

We can't pretend that this is just in a cycle you know is just this is just something that happens and were going to go this way than it was swing back that way, and of all even out, God is speaking to us in his disaster. After the last of the warnings are credible and Joel is saying something very politically incorrect to say God is behind these disasters. You believe God think that government in the church.

I'm telling you that God is allowed it and the hurricanes and other things are happening and God is allowing that he's trying to get our attention worn as you're on the wrong track you're going in the wrong direction.

You need to turn around before it's too late and Joel was taking the natural event ceased on his world and taking his current events and he was praying God's will, and nobody's is all my goodness, this locus bike is not just an invasion of locus. God is warning us of an invasion become he's warning us of the Babylonians or a series that he was warning about, but he was warning serious judgment is coming on our nation because of rebellion against God and our defiance and idolatry. So like you and I need to stop pretending that were just in some sort of a cycle.

This is not a cycle. This is the final hour.

God is warning us earthquake, wind and fire trying to get our attention. So the warnings are credible, their comprehensive warnings are compelling because God is merciful. Yes he is in God is loving yes he is and God is faithful yes he is.

He's compassionate but God is also holy God is just and cannot tell you that's how I know severe judgments coming on America. God does not tolerate sin we must take his patients for toleration, and we think because it hasn't come yet is not going to come and that the God of Scripture is not the same God today that he doesn't deal with people like you. Did you know in the bottle. Yes, he does ends. God said in Genesis 6 the know. He says my spirit will not always strive with man and God spirit strives with man to restrain evil so life can go on but there comes a point that God is I'm not going to restrain evil anymore and he just\and that's it come in like a flood. That's where we are right now it's a Romans one judgment in Romans one to remember when Paul warned that when people stand. If they don't repent of their sin that God will just remove his hand and back away and then they refuse to repent and they become more defiant and rebellious and God says all right and he just backs away further and then they continue in their sin refused to repent they rebelled against God, they defy him and God backs away further until McCann. He just turns them over to themselves and distraction file and I believe that's where we are right now but I believe it's going to lead to something severe, something unprecedented, something like Joel is trying to warn us about so to me the warnings compel us to get on our knees and cry out to God to a prayer hearing a prayer answering a miracle working covenant keeping God because God doesn't want and need to come under judgment. He wants all to come to repentance. He doesn't want to bring judgment on America. I can tell you that takes no pleasure in it at all. So were compelled to cry out. Look at chapter 2 of Joel verse 12 he says even now even now in the Romans one judgment he's backing away and all these disasters are happening and we got the shootings and got the alcoholism got the hurricanes about the forest fires were got the political mess even now. He says returned to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning ready, not your garments returned to the Lord your God, he is gracious and compassionate, slow language, abounding in love and he relents it means he will change his if we turn to him in repentance and cry out to him, he will roll that he will be relieved not to bring judgment on us. Who knows, he may turn and have pity and leave behind the blessing so you and I it's time to cry out is time to return to the Lord is time to rend our hearts. You know what the differences between rending our hearts and rending of garments like if you come to this weekend you feel so compelled when you go home you going to read your Bible every day and you're going to pray, and you going to start listening to what God has to say and you go home and you do that for couple of days and then your schedule crowds and people, you have company got Thanksgiving and then you don't do it you procrastinate and then a month from now, you're not reading your Bible everyday you're not praying. He lost a sense of urgency. That's because you rent your garments.

You say that you going to go right home and you going to share the gospel with your neighbor with that unsaved family member and you go home and you're all prepared in the family members on a trip. The neighbors not they are and you don't seem to bump into them and then when you do the other things you're talking about and you put it often put it often never really get around to sharing the gospel that's rending your garments not your heart when you rent your heart to make a deep decision and you do you follow through the repent of sin that made you turn away from your sin, your own turn back to it. You don't dabble in it. Don't toy with it. You turn away from it.

We rend our hearts is a lot of rending of garments in the church today giving lip service. You know, basically pointing her finger at somebody else.

God's looking at you and may and so Joel says we need to cry out with humility going back to chapter 1 verse 13 put on sackcloth spiritual sack offset call for just what it sounds like dirty old rags and it was just giving an outward evidence of inward desperation God if you don't get us out of this mess were not going to get out if you don't spare us if you don't delay or stop the disaster were toast God.

If you don't help us. We won't be helps and we just cry out to God, we have no one else to turn to all who listen to me, the answer is not followed. The answer is not the economy. But if we are facing the judgment of God. The only answer is repentance of sin is not going to be a political solution is not to be legislation is going to be God's people rending their hearts and getting right with God standing in the gap for our nation and we cry out with humility. We cry out with sincerity says declare a holy fast in verse 14. Fasting to me is going without anything and everything to make time to get along with God you can go without, which is the traditional way of fasting. You can go without email, you go about telephoning go about television, you go that business go that office go without your housework.

You go that whatever it takes to make time to get along with God. Read his word. Listen for him to speak and pray to him and stand in the gap for our nation cry out to him with humility and sincerity and urgency in verse 15, the day of the Lord is near urgency in Joel's message the day of the Lord is a day of accountability is a day when his patience runs out the day when he says you cross the line.

He's drawn a redline and he said you've stepped over the great and terrible day of the Lord is when Jesus comes back in the sky unfolds in the white horse arrives his rider is a faithful and true and is followed by the armies of heaven is at that very moment when the kingdoms of the earth are gathered together, again they come to make war against each other, but they look up and they see the land they know who he is and they turn all their guns may go to make war against the Lamb, he speaks a word they all drop dead. That's the great and terrible day of the Lord. Okay, but until that day. There are if I can call it lesser days of the Lord days of accountability days of judgment when the Assyrians invaded Israel because Israel had rebelled against God and gone into idolatry had warned her again and again and God send in the Assyrians and took Israel off into captivity, never to come back and that was the day of the Lord in the southern kingdom of Judah then did the same thing. They rebelled against God, they went into idolatry did all sorts of terrible things and so God sending the Babylonian and took them off into captivity and that was the day of the Lord in 70 A.D. when the Romans came down and destroyed Jerusalem and pretty much wipe Israel off the map that was a day of the Lord okay so when Joel says the day of the Lord is near.

I'm not sure what he was looking at an invasion from Assyrian invasion were babbling something that was taking place, but he knew that judgment was at the door.

I believe God is telling you and me today.

The day of the Lord is near, and it could be the rapture of the church because you know that that's going to be judgment on America when all of a sudden the trumpet blows and that loud shout goes forth, and the dead in Christ rise first, and those were still alive no-brainer going to be caught up in here to be with Jesus and our loved ones forever and ever and all of a sudden were out of fear and doubt on first in America.

America will collapse at that point so that will be judgment. Maybe that's what were talking about. I hope so, but I don't know so and I have this little sneaky feeling that God may allow something severe to happen before that time come as a way of purging the church making the product ready and a lot of my friends believe that's this year's harvest, and that when disaster strikes people will turn to God and to listen to our messaging going to have a great revival in this final hour. I don't know if that's right or not, but we can sure pray for and we can sure work for it. So we cry out with humility and sincerity and urgency coming and it says in verse 16.

This is been done before.

Nothing that I've said is been in secret. Everything God is done is open, you can see it in the news.

You can read in the newspaper, watch it online and he's doing this before our very it's plain. It's obvious is not hard to figure out this is rocket science and he says were compelled to cry out to cry out to God.

Verse 19 he says to you, oh Lord, I call and I want us just to think about that that were crying out to God is the God of Moses to member and the children of Israel were down in Egypt and there was a Pharaoh that rose up didn't know Joseph and so Pharaoh put all of the Israelites into slavery for 70 years, the oppressed, the men in their oppression. They cried out to God to save us and God sent the Moses to deliver them, and Moses led them out of Egypt and they got to the Red Sea and here comes Barrows changed his mind and her melons on one side in the desert on the other side of the Red Sea in front of him.

Here comes the Army coming to take them back to Egypt and the people cry out to God and the Red Sea parts in the cross on drug, God hears the cries of his people, and in the wilderness again and again they cried out God deliver them until Joshua takes them across the Jordan.

They go into the promised land to take what God has promised them and Jericho is straddling their path so they march around every day for seven days 1/7 a 7×7 times a blow the trumpets and they shout. They cried out in the walls come down in the enemy stronghold is defeated because God hears the cries of his people. When we come to Gideon, who was in Israel when the Midianites was running.

In fact, I read the passage this afternoon is said that they look like grasshoppers. There were so many and said their camels were so many if you could count the sands of the sea you could count the camels. It was just, you know, stretched out as far as the eyes could see Andy's God told Gideon you take 300 men just seem so ridiculous that not but anyway put torches the jar to stand up on the mountainside and at midnight. You just break the jars and you shall hold and they did. They cried out to God and the Midianites were terrified. They turned on each other. They fled Israel had a victory that day because God the cries Elijah crying element, and the fire fell anyone up and he prayed.

He said God was still in the drought.

He prayed, he prayed, he prayed and prayed and then the rains came because God hears the cries of his people. Jonah 1 of the more miserable prophets in the belly of the fish at the bottom of the ocean. I can't think of a worse place to be cried out to God and God delivered him because God hears the cries of his people, even those that don't deserve it and draw dear put our Lord Jesus. In this list hanging on the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and then in the end it's finished into your hands I commit my spirit. And he bowed his head and the dad in three days later his father raise him from the dead. Because God hears the cries of his people, and God will hear our cries, but we have to cry we have to cry out to him.

So that's my challenge to you.

We cry out to a God who hears the cries of his people. He is merciful and forgiving. He's compassionate, he's loving. He's a God of creation, the got a compassionate God of redemption is a God who will deliver us his very name Jesus means Savior. He's the rescuer, but we need to cry out to him in Psalm 3417 says the righteous cry out in the Lord hears them he delivers them from all their troubles during this final IRB vigilance heed the warnings cry out to God. If not, people who are called by my name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from our wicked ways, then will hear from heaven, will hear their cry.

I forgive others in will heal their land.

America is getting to the place was going to take a miracle only God will be able to heal and he says he will if you and Scott's people turn the this has been living in the light please take advantage of all the free resources that and Graham lots.board to help and encourage you in your walk with God and in your study of his word. Join us here each week for living in the light