Blow The Trumpet In Zion
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Joel 2:12-28
12. "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and
mourning."
13 Rend your heart and not your garments. 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.
Today many are mourning the loss of seven astronauts in America. Some may be tearing their clothes
in grief. But God wants us to be tearing at our hearts in spiritual mourning. How many mourn over the
millions of souls that enter into hell each day? How many mourn over the sinfulness of the nation? How
many are coming to God with weeping and mourning?
What if we did?
14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing--grain offerings and drink
offerings for the LORD your God.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those
nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
In the military, they blow trumpets to wake you up, and they blow them to call you to battle.
Sound the alarm. It is time for battle. Pray and fast. Gather the saints for battle.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep … Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD
…
When have you wept for the nation? When will you? Do you know what will happen when you do?
18. Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.
19 The LORD will reply to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
Do you want God to bless your land? Do you want your nation to prosper and go forward?
These things come as a result of spiritual revival. Lean years in the nations economy result from lean
years of spirituality.
Last summer, a work crew moved in next door and began to dig under our foundations. Soon we started
seeing cracks in our walls. Last week, I was looking at the cracks and God spoke. He said, “Do you
know what is happening to the church? Sin and worldliness is eating away at the foundations, and you’
re getting cracks in your testimony.”
Does anybody understand what I am saying? If so, we must do something about it. This is one of those
times where, “Nice sermon, pastor”, is not the right response. It’s time to wake up. Sound the alarm!
Blow the trumpet?
If we begin to wage war in prayer, what will happen? God says:
20 "I will drive the northern army far from you, …
He will drive out the enemy.
21 Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things.
22 Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their
fruit; the fig-tree and the vine yield their riches.
23 Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in
righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing-floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- …
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
God will bless this nation if we will seriously pray and honor him.
2Ch 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their
land.
AND THEN:
28. "And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your
old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Now here is the key.
He will pour out His Spirit!
It is spiritual revival we need.
The old men will dream dreams.
The young men will see visions.
Well, they are dreaming dreams and seeing visions, but of what? Dreams of a comfortable retirement in
a rich and prosperous foreign land. Visions of a job and a house and a car in another place.
I am sick to death of worldly desires in the church. You can’t tell the difference between the church and
the world anymore. What has happened to us? What are we dreaming of?
Mothers and fathers, what are your dreams for your children? Are they your dreams or God’s dreams?
Be careful! Our dreams can get in the way of God’s dreams.
What dreams do you dream for Albania?
Some of our leaders are dreaming for Tirana to be a beautiful city with tall buildings, paved streets with
street lights, a nice river flowing through with green grass along its shores. And, God bless them, they
are seeing their vision materialize.
But what is your vision? Mine is to see people coming to Jesus by the thousands. It is to see churches
overflowing with people hungry for God. It is to see righteousness rule the nation. It is to see saints
calling out to God on behalf of the nation – and God answering with unprecedented revival.
I will tell you this. Whatever your vision is, that is what you will get. It is a spiritual and a natural law.
You will attain what you aim at - and only what you aim at. Set your eyes on a goal and work hard
enough toward it and you will see it come to pass.
But, is your goal worth attaining? So what if the nation begins to prosper but all of its citizens go to
hell? What good did it do? I am not interested in a more comfortable journey to destruction. I am
interested in a journey to glory, regardless of the road that gets me there.
Do you know what really grieves my spirit? The people in hell have a greater burden for the lost than
the people in the church!
Lu 16:22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich
man also died and was buried. (NIV)
Lu 16:23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his
side.
Lu 16:24 So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
Lu 16:25 "But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things,
while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. (NIV)
Lu 16:27 "He answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, (NIV)
Lu 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of
torment.' (NIV)
It is time to blow the trumpet. It is time to sound the warning. It is time for revival.
12. "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and
mourning."
13 Rend your heart and not your garments. 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.
Today many are mourning the loss of seven astronauts in America. Some may be tearing their clothes
in grief. But God wants us to be tearing at our hearts in spiritual mourning. How many mourn over the
millions of souls that enter into hell each day? How many mourn over the sinfulness of the nation? How
many are coming to God with weeping and mourning?
What if we did?
14 Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing--grain offerings and drink
offerings for the LORD your God.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those
nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.
In the military, they blow trumpets to wake you up, and they blow them to call you to battle.
Sound the alarm. It is time for battle. Pray and fast. Gather the saints for battle.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep … Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD
…
When have you wept for the nation? When will you? Do you know what will happen when you do?
18. Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.
19 The LORD will reply to them: "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.
Do you want God to bless your land? Do you want your nation to prosper and go forward?
These things come as a result of spiritual revival. Lean years in the nations economy result from lean
years of spirituality.
Last summer, a work crew moved in next door and began to dig under our foundations. Soon we started
seeing cracks in our walls. Last week, I was looking at the cracks and God spoke. He said, “Do you
know what is happening to the church? Sin and worldliness is eating away at the foundations, and you’
re getting cracks in your testimony.”
Does anybody understand what I am saying? If so, we must do something about it. This is one of those
times where, “Nice sermon, pastor”, is not the right response. It’s time to wake up. Sound the alarm!
Blow the trumpet?
If we begin to wage war in prayer, what will happen? God says:
20 "I will drive the northern army far from you, …
He will drive out the enemy.
21 Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things.
22 Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their
fruit; the fig-tree and the vine yield their riches.
23 Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in
righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing-floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- …
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.
God will bless this nation if we will seriously pray and honor him.
2Ch 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their
land.
AND THEN:
28. "And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your
old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Now here is the key.
He will pour out His Spirit!
It is spiritual revival we need.
The old men will dream dreams.
The young men will see visions.
Well, they are dreaming dreams and seeing visions, but of what? Dreams of a comfortable retirement in
a rich and prosperous foreign land. Visions of a job and a house and a car in another place.
I am sick to death of worldly desires in the church. You can’t tell the difference between the church and
the world anymore. What has happened to us? What are we dreaming of?
Mothers and fathers, what are your dreams for your children? Are they your dreams or God’s dreams?
Be careful! Our dreams can get in the way of God’s dreams.
What dreams do you dream for Albania?
Some of our leaders are dreaming for Tirana to be a beautiful city with tall buildings, paved streets with
street lights, a nice river flowing through with green grass along its shores. And, God bless them, they
are seeing their vision materialize.
But what is your vision? Mine is to see people coming to Jesus by the thousands. It is to see churches
overflowing with people hungry for God. It is to see righteousness rule the nation. It is to see saints
calling out to God on behalf of the nation – and God answering with unprecedented revival.
I will tell you this. Whatever your vision is, that is what you will get. It is a spiritual and a natural law.
You will attain what you aim at - and only what you aim at. Set your eyes on a goal and work hard
enough toward it and you will see it come to pass.
But, is your goal worth attaining? So what if the nation begins to prosper but all of its citizens go to
hell? What good did it do? I am not interested in a more comfortable journey to destruction. I am
interested in a journey to glory, regardless of the road that gets me there.
Do you know what really grieves my spirit? The people in hell have a greater burden for the lost than
the people in the church!
Lu 16:22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich
man also died and was buried. (NIV)
Lu 16:23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his
side.
Lu 16:24 So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
Lu 16:25 "But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things,
while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. (NIV)
Lu 16:27 "He answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, (NIV)
Lu 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of
torment.' (NIV)
It is time to blow the trumpet. It is time to sound the warning. It is time for revival.