Return and be Restored {Joel 2}
3:00 PM
It
doesn’t make our repentance less valid because we are scared of God’s
judgment. What is important, is that we
turn back to the Lord with sincerity.
Here in Joel 2, we will see how…
Sincere
repentance is to turn to God, and away from sin.
Sincere repentance is done with ALL your heart, giving everything you
can in surrender to God.
Sincere
repentance is marked by action (with fasting) and emotion
(weeping/mourning). Not every act of
repentance will including fasting and weeping, but if action and emotion are
absent, it isn’t real repentance.
Galatians
5:19-21 gives us a list of fleshly sins like sexual immorality, impurity,
lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness,
wild parties, and others… And James 1:15
reminds us that these desires lead to sinful actions, and when we continue to
do these actions, it leads to death.
So
you say, “that is not something I do.”
But what about how you respond
to circumstances or relationships?
Anxiety, worry, fear, bitterness, depression, pride, resentment and
anger all have their roots in sin (Romans 14:23; 1 John 5:17; James 4:17). Just in case you thought reading your
horoscope was ok, it actually ranks right there with fortune-telling, psychics,
numerology and astrology. These all take the place of trusting God –
and needs to be repented.
So
often when we read books like Joel, we become frightened because we fear God’s
judgment (take a look back – fear is a sin).
Romans 2:4 reminds us that the kindness
of God leads you to repentance and 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us that God is patiently waiting for us to repent. Repentance reminds me of the prodigal son
story. Luke 15:20 tells us that while he
was still a long way off, his father saw him and ran to embrace him and kissed
him.
You
remember how much you enjoyed watching your child sleep? God looks at us with such deep love and
affection too! And God is waiting for
you to come to Him in repentance. All it
takes is humility on our part and faith to believe that a loving Father will
hear our honest plea and cleanse us of our sin.
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