So right now we're going to sing all the blessings right now. Woke up this morning, got out of my bed. I look around, this is what I said. All the blessings you've sent my way. I could have been dead in some awesome grave. But the Lord don't care to give back. And say, hey, hoo-wee, hoo-wee. Another blessing. Another blessing. Hoo-wee. Hoo-wee. Another blessing. Another blessing. Hoo-wee. Hoo-wee. ♪ Baby, you're so brave ♪ ♪ And I know he won't let you down ♪ ♪ You'll always do just what he says ♪ ♪ And it's something he's brought me through ♪ ♪ Arms wide open, he'll always welcome you ♪ ♪ I've been in love in so many ways ♪ ♪ Across so many different states ♪ Another blessing. Another blessing. Another blessing. Another blessing. Another blessing. Another blessing. Another blessing. Another blessing. Come on. Thank god. Joel, the first chapter, fourth verse, and then afterwards we'll read a couple more passages. It says, what the locust swarm has left, the great locusts have eaten. What the great locusts have left, the young locusts have eaten. What the young locusts move ahead to Joel two. Pick up passages twenty-five and twenty-six. It says, I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. The great locusts and the young locusts. The other locusts and the locust swarm. My great army that I sent among you. Verse twenty-six says, you will have plenty to eat until you are full and you will who has worked wonders for you, never again will my people be shamed. I want to preach today from the semantic title, From Ruin to Restoration. From ruin to restoration. All of us have lost people, places, or things in our lives. That's just the nature of living. Those things and those people in those places that were important to us. But more specifically, we've lost hope. Our joy, our peace, material possessions, a relationship or two along the way seem to have been lost. I remember a great time of loss when my life was turned upside down. I was broken, crushed, downtrodden. You ever been there? I remember the day, it was the fall of 1986. The year before we moved to Baltimore, we lost our home in a bankruptcy. Credit was shot. Not long afterwards, we lost our car, repossessed. Not long after that, there was some personal crisis within the family. I lost my job too. But through it all, it rained and it poured. But today I can stand to say that God is great. even as I mentioned those things, I can see you in your own spirit saying, me too. Me too. But on the other side of trials and tribulations, God is yet alive and well. In the text today, we see the people of Israel. And they can relate to what it means to lose it all. Joel is one of the shortest books in the Bible, but it packs a lot of punch. God got their attention as he gets our attention and he used the instrument of a locust. A locust, a grasshopper with strong powers of flight that could cause great destruction, could cause an economic disaster for those who were making their living on agriculture. My father was an armchair farmer. And there were some years it wasn't that great. But when they were great, they were great. But this situation is what applied to Israel. When the crops were destroyed, they lost grapes. No wine. The figs were destroyed. Grain destroyed means no bread. loss of the olives, loss of crops that the livestock would eat. So what a tough situation to go through. But God allowed the locusts to destroy and to ruin everything. He was sending them a message. Sometimes we just don't get it. And God has to allow something to happen in our lives to give us a kind of a wake up call. Yeah, I mean, we're good people, but every now and then, we need to pay attention to what God is saying to us. David Jeremiah, great Bible scholar who wrote the introduction to the book of Joel, painted the picture this way. He says, swarms of locusts would descend on an area. They would darken the sky and it would sound like a number of helicopters. They'd come in by night and by day everything would be ruined, devastated. God knows our predicament, first of all. And that's why he's made some arrangements in our lives that there might be fulfillment. What the locust swarmed left another set came in behind this. I think you left something. Let me get this too. Ever had a roller coaster situation like that? It seemed like it's gone from bad to worse. Or maybe there are two people in here right now. And I'll just keep on living. God. The Bible reminds us that in me, we shall have peace. Yeah. In the world, you should have tribulation but be of good cheer. Yeah. If I overcome the world. God knows our predicament. Yeah. He knows about our losses but he's a god who never sleeps nor slumbers. Right. God is always on the clock. You serve that kind of god. In your midday, in your midnight hour, God is yet there. He's always aware of what we're facing and what we're going through. But I couldn't look at this text before there was a transformation that there had to be some repentance. that he's still a God who calls us to repent. Ever thought you got away with something? You almost got me on that one. But the Lord knows. And so we have to, in our quiet times, say, God, I'm sorry. what I've done. Yes. Only we know what we have done. In this sense of judgment, there is a need for repentance. Paul talks about it in many of his texts. Luke writes in Acts 319, repent then and turn to God so that your sins might be wiped out that a time of refreshing may come from the Lord. Amen. Amen. Knowing that the Lord has overcome the world ought to give us hope. Ever felt sometime that nobody knows what you're going through? That nobody can feel you? That's right. God knows what you are facing. Yes. Yes. And and maybe the locust in your life is something else and maybe you've lost everything. Maybe you walked in today busted and disgusted with nothing. You're down knows our predicament and that's why he's made some arrangements verse 26 says you will have plenty to eat until you're full yes you have praised the name of the lord your god but he first promises them that what i'm gonna give everything back going to get it back. Yeah. Amen. Amen. Everything that you've been through. Yeah. I'm going to bring you through it. That that on the other side of loss that he allows them to see that you will have plenty to eat. Yes. Yes. You you have groceries. Yeah. You you have food but you have spiritual need a word sometime to encourage you. Amen. God has made those kind of arrangements in our life. I'm glad about it today cuz we don't know any better. He comes on and said, you know what? I have got you in the palm of my hand. Physical food, spiritual food. Him writes, fill me up, Lord. Fill my cup. I lift you up. Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. but my god shall supply all of your need according to his riches in Christ Jesus. He'll take care all of your needs in the here and now. He's a god who takes care of everything in heaven. Amen. Amen. John fourteen and three, he reminds us that in my father's house, there are many mansions. Yes. Yes. We're Aren't you glad that God handles the arrangements? I've been known to mess up arrangements. But God knows exactly what you need as he restores you to where you were. Blessed be the God a god who is aware of your predicament, a god who will make sure that there's a fulfillment. Yes. You have plenty to eat. You'll be full. Alright. But you will praise the name of the lord your god who has worked wonders for you. Yes. Never again will people be the sense of happiness and satisfaction. Fulfillment is also the completion of something like the fulfillment of a promise. And he never breaks his promise. That's what he did for the people in the text. That's what he does for us. Aren't you glad that God takes care of you? Aren't you glad that he watches out for you? And so we are fulfilled because of that. and when you're fulfilled, you have no problem praising God. Amen. He says, they're going to praise him and they're going to worry about nothing else because there are wonders that I will do. And the latter part of the verse says, and never again will they be ashamed. Some of us are kind of shame faced. We'll praise God in the shower. But once we get outside, we don't want to offend anyone. don't let a folk offend you every day. They lie on you. They cheat on you. They double cross you. Amen. Amen. And so the god that we serve, we know that I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is the power of salvation. To everyone that believes. Put another way, I'm not ashamed do not mind proclaiming for the Lord. Wasn't always that way. I would talk sports before I would talk Jesus. My God, has he hit a home run in your life lately? Has he given you a grand slam in the spirit today that now you can say, let's go Jesus. I want to do it for you today. You know, oftentimes I'll see these restored and maybe you drive one got a new car guy here lately but I mean the old cars that as a hobby persons have gone in they've restored them and before they come on the street they look good maybe a 67 or 57 but when it comes on the street no matter what you're driving you turn because that vehicle has been restored and it looks good. Amen. Amen. But then I tell you that God is in the restoration business. You know I was going there. The apostle Paul reminds us that if any person be in Christ, they are a new creation, a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things become new. Can I call a few restoration witnesses to the stand? Will you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth? So help you God. Come here brother Job. Job would say, I lost everything man. I mean my children, my possessions, my health, but I was enrolled in God's restoration benefit package and he gave me double for my trouble. But everything that I lost had a skin disorder and he was told to go down to the water and dip seven times in the muddy Jordan he came up the brother's skin was like a baby's amen. But can I call a key witness to the story? Come here David. David is a star witness. Yes he had some missteps and troubles but one thing could count on is that he knew soul. No matter what happens, that it's good to know that your soul has been restored. It's good to know that your soul has been anchored in the Lord. Am I making sense today? I mean, I'm talking about that's deep stuff that no matter how the winds of life may blow, that I've been anchored. No matter what situations I run into, I've been anchored. No matter what it looks like on the outside, I've been anchored. No matter what folk may be saying about you, I've been anchored. I mean, your soul has been anchored. Well, my God, you become restored. Calvary was a part of that restoration process. Jesus was crucified, buried in a borrowed tomb, but three days later, he got up. That's what the Bible tells me. Restored, and in that moment, we became regained. Oh, can I tell you today that you'll get everything back from ruin to restoration? Well, my God, you'll get back your joy. Yet the joy of the Lord is your strength. But some of us have lost our joy. My God, you've allowed the world to rob you of your joy. But this joy that I have, the world. And the world didn't take it away. And some of y'all know you're gonna get your peace back. Your peace that passes all understanding. Your peace that allows you to chill in the midst of tough situations. You're gonna get it back. Anybody want their peace back? and every now and then know that you'll get your praise back see some of us have lost our praise we forgot what it means to give God the glory and to give God the praise but can I tell you the devil may have snatched it but you ought to say wait a minute I come back to get my praise And when I'm here, I may as well get my shout back to you. And so I shout to the Lord today, because everything that you may have lost, God says you will get it back. Anybody got it back today? Anybody know what it means to be restored? Yes, I know what it means to be a new creature in Christ. I'm not looking at the out with you, but I'm looking at the in with you because God works on the inside. Amen. And then folks will see it on the outside. As I close, all I can say is oh, oh, what he's done for me. what he's done for me. Well he put my feet on the mowery clay. That's what he's done for me. What does that mean brethren? That means I was stuck in some places and stuck in some situations until he pulled me out. How many folk want the Lord in their lives today? for restoration. And every now and then you've got to be in a position to just snatch back what the devil has stolen. Don't be nice and say, wait a minute, that's mine. And once you know that everything that God has, you can give it back. Don't worry about the loss. Forgetting those things which are behind and crashing forth to those things which are before. of the high calling in Christ Jesus. things in life. I say, Lord, I thank you. I thank you. I thank you today because you didn't have to do it, but you did. Well, I'm trying to move on, but I want to start to think about what he brought me here. Is there anybody in the house today who's got a testimony that you got the rest of the story? For the God that you serve, he will, oh yes he will, he will, oh yes he will, he will, oh yes he will, he'll restore it. From ruin to restoration. Before and after. That's the word. for what you do. He's done it. Be bold about it. There's another slide that Tim I was driving on yesterday. I saw this woman at the intersection over by the mall. Didn't say a word. Repent. Jesus is near. There's another one. She said also in that same sign, don't die without knowing Jesus. I almost got out my car. Because I realized that there's someone who's standing as a witness. He restores you. It's not just for you. But as other folk might know, it was the Lord that did it. How have you seen me 10 years ago? Are you the same person? But when God comes in your life, Father we come in the name of Jesus. How we thank you. And on the other side of ruin there's restoration. and in between there's repentance. So even now, God, we say that we are sorry for those things that we have done, those missteps. We're so glad today that we've run back to you. So I pray even now, if there's one in this place who just wants to know Jesus, what does that look like? Bible says that once you are of age, we understand video games, we understand other stuff, but sometimes it seems like, oh, the word is so hard to understand. Jesus died for us. And he rose again with all power in his hands. Father, if there's one today who wants to confess you, wants to make a new start today, May you work in that heart today. May you save their soul today. In Jesus name, amen. God bless you. May you come today and be a part of this fellowship. The doors of the church are open today for you as well. It's a serious time we're living in. We got to be anchored in God today. Amen. You may take your seats.