Key Truth: We are called to return to the Lord in sincere repentance so as to hallow God’s name in our restoration in Christ for the life of the world.  

Introduction:

What most affects the condition and feeling of your heart?

The Call to Return to the Lord in Sincere Repentance:

Joel 2:12-14

“Repentance is called a turning or returning to God….This turning is not a token gesture or an act of empty ritual; it must be whole hearted, i.e. with the full weight of moral conviction. Outward manifestations there will be—fasting, weeping, mourning (defection from God is akin to death). But they must be symbols of a broken heart, a will fully yielded to God’s demands….”

David Allan Hubbard, Joel & Amos: An Introduction & Commentary

How do you respond when your heart fails to respond to the use of the means of grace in external repentance?
Who moves first in the process of restoration?

The Call to Hallow God’s Name in Our Restoration for the Life of the World:

Joel 2:15-17

“…as in the example given by the prophet, the principal concern in prayer must always be the perpetual glory of God rather than the temporal prosperity of the people.”

O. Palmer Robertson, Prophet of the Coming Day of the Lord: The Message of Joel

What are you more concerned with, what others think of you or what they think of God?
How is this affecting your missional engagement in your spheres of influence?

Application: 

Joel 2:12-17 teaches us that we are called to:
- return to the Lord in sincere repentance
- hallow God’s name in our restoration in Christ for the life of the world

Communion

Benediction:

Revelation 21:3-4