Pouring Out and Calling Out - Joel 2:28-32 (Sermon)

It is great to be with you. Thank you, Worship Team. This will be a longer message, and I will try to be self-controlled and not go off on tangents. 

CONTEXT 

We are continuing our series with Joel, a minor prophet. The main idea of the entire book is: Return! For the Day of the Lord will bring judgment and restoration. Joel was a prophet from some 2,500 years ago, 6,000 miles away. We believe he wrote to the people of Israel after they returned from Exile. They rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. Locusts came or were arriving, and drought and fire would follow to destroy everything in the land. This was the judgment of God. In Chapter 2, we read that this judgment was because the people were throwing out the Bible to reconstruct something foreign. Either they blended their faith with other religions, which we call syncretism, or they apostatized entirely to adhere to a different religion. However, they left their faith, and God sent a calamity and the prophet Joel to get their attention. He called them to weep, wail, lament, assemble, and fast. Joel modeled this. It is a template of sorts for corporate and personal repentance, but even more so, it is a look into something bigger, something epic, the future final days of history as we know it. In Chapter 2, verse 12, we hear God speak to his people, offering direction and hope, cutting out the prophet Joel, the middleman. We get to verse 18, and God has heard his people’s lament, and he relents. In the place of disaster, he would bring blessings. The land would return to an Eden-like paradise forever. Abundance would overflow. The people would be satisfied. Fear would be banished, and joy would take its place. Humiliation and shame will never again be a reality for God’s people, and God will walk among them as he did in the Garden of Eden. And the blessings won’t stop; in our passage, God offers a spiritual, personal blessing to individuals and the corporate body before the final days. 

SCRIPTURE 

I will have D.C. come up here and read the Scripture for us. If you can, please stand with me in honor of God’s Word.  

TEXT 

            28        “And it shall come to pass afterward, 

      that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; 

                  your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 

      your old men shall dream dreams, 

      and your young men shall see visions. 

            29       Even on the male and female servants 

      in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 

30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:28–32, ESV)

PRAYER

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for pouring out your Spirit on all flesh. You are good. We need you. We call out to you. Save us from ourselves and the consequences of rebellion against you. Be with us now in a palpable way by the power of your Spirit. In Jesus’s precious name, we pray, amen. You may be seated. 

STRUCTURE 

The portion of the Bible we just read has three clear sections. Here they are:  

28–29  GOD WILL POUR OUT HIS SPIRIT 

30–31 GOD WILL PERFORM SIGNS

32 GOD WILL PRESERVE SOME

Let me repeat that for those taking notes. 

MAIN IDEA & INTENDED RESPONSE

The main idea is: 

GOD WILL WORK IN WAYS THAT RESULT IN SALVATION OF SOME BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

Your life and mine are marching to a grand conclusion. Joel takes a look at what that will be like in the future. And these five verses tell us that. 

PERSONAL INQUIRY

Where are you with God? Are you ready for the end? Do you have your life in order? Have you said what you must say to those around you if your life is cut short? Joel looks forward to the end of human history. There will be tribulation, and some people, some individuals, will be able to survive and endure that day; others will not. God is not only talking about physical survival but also spiritual survival. How can people endure the Day of the Lord? Let’s dive back into the text to find out.  

GOD WILL POUR OUT THE SPIRIT ON ALL FLESH 

Look at verses 28 and 29. 

  “And it shall come to pass afterward, 

      that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; 

                  your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 

      your old men shall dream dreams, 

      and your young men shall see visions. 

 Even on the male and female servants 

      in those days I will pour out my Spirit. (Joel 2:28–29, ESV)

Note the word afterward. We pastors talked about this. After what? What just happened? Chapter 1 talks about an invading army of locusts. I believe Joel described some horrible plague that must have occurred around 500 to 400 BC. Still, it also parallels what would continue to happen in Israel’s history as hordes of armies ravaged God’s land. Yet, Joel ultimately points to another time called the Day of the Lord. He predicted the final destruction of God’s enemies and the complete restoration of his children. That has yet to happen as of this year. Joel is peeking into the future and telling us what will come. His description is like looking through a cloudy telescope with stuff on the end. We see something right at the lens, but then, focusing a bit more, we see things beyond it and, past that, more sights. 

ISAIAH

What did God predict? Verse 28 tells us that God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. This wasn’t the first or last time. Some three hundred years before, the prophet Isaiah wrote: 

But now hear, O Jacob my servant, 

      Israel whom I have chosen! 

….

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, 

      and streams on the dry ground; 

                  I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, 

      and my blessing on your descendants. (Isaiah 44:1, 3, ESV, Italics mine)

EZEKIEL 

About a hundred years after that, Ezekiel wrote: 

‘Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:17–20, ESV, Italics mine)

JESUS

Even Jesus predicted that the Spirit of God would come upon his people one day. He taught: 

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” [John, the author, interjected] Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:38–39, ESV, Italics mine)

So, God the Spirit was not yet “given” to God’s people. He was not poured out at the time of John Chapter 7. When would that happen? After Jesus was glorified. When would Jesus be glorified? During Jesus’s last week of life, he gathered his small band of young followers in an upper room and taught about his future glory through his prayer to God, the Father. We read: 

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son’ ” (John 17:1, ESV).

When was this hour? It was not a sixty-minute period, but the time of his death and coming resurrection. Minutes before Jesus taught to these men:

I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. [Who was this help? Let’s keep reading.] But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, [aka Helper, aka Holy Spirit] he will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:7–13, ESV, Italics mine)

That may be confusing. John’s biography can be that way. But if we boil down what Jesus said, he would leave his disciples and ascend to God, the Father. Then, the Holy Spirit would be poured out. And fifty days after Jesus’s death and resurrection, and ten days after he went to heaven, Luke recorded: 

They were all together in one place [the disciples]. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1–4, ESV, Italics mine)

It was incredible. The disciples were speaking languages that they had not studied. They didn’t have Google Translate. These were fishermen, a tax collector, and other sorted men. They didn’t go to language school. But God poured out his Spirit on them, and they went into the streets and began to preach to the visiting people. Observers thought they were drunk. Peter told them they weren’t. (He argued that it was too early for that. The bars must have been closed.) He explained that Joel wrote about it in Chapter 2, verses 28 through 32. 

SPIRIT 

This was the Spirit of God poured out. So, is the Holy Spirit a bunch of tongues? No. You may recall he descended onto Jesus at his baptism like a dove. Is he a dove? No. The Bible tells us that God is Spirit. He is one and three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is in the Heavens and simultaneously right here in Sawyer. He knows all, sees all, and is not bound by time, space, or body. We read in the Bible that the Spirit was at Creation, hovering over the face of the waters. The Spirit was inspiring people throughout the Old Testament. He came upon the elders of Israel traveling to the Promised Land. Once, two men named Eldad and Medad prophesied in the Spirit. Joshua, the second in command, became jealous and tattled about this to Moses. He responded to Joshua:

“Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” (Numbers 11:29b, ESV).

What if God would put his Spirit on them? What if God would pour out his Spirit on all? What if? Oh. He did. That is precisely what he did at Pentecost. 

POURED OUT 

Paul wrote that every true believer has the Spirit of God in them. If you genuinely believe in Jesus, you have the Spirit right now. King David feared God would take the Spirit away. That happened to his predecessor. But that should not be our concern because God won’t do that. The reason I say with confidence is because of verses like 2 Corinthians, Chapter 1, verses 21 and 22, which state: 

“It is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:21–22, ESV).

God’s guarantee is better than any warranty or insurance policy. God is trustworthy and true. He doesn’t change his mind. He is faithful. Paul also wrote: 

In him [Jesus] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him [Jesus], were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13–14, ESV, Italics mine)

The Spirit pouring out on us is great news because God won’t rescind him. He is with you and in you right now. 

ALL FLESH

Well, you might say, “Isn’t God everywhere?” Yes, he is. “And does that mean God is in everyone?” No, not in that way. What did God mean by pouring out his Spirit on all flesh? Hitler, Charles Manson, and whatever other psychopath you pick doesn’t have the Spirit. Let’s look at the context to understand “All.” Look at what God said after that word. He points to the young and old, men and women, and even the servants would experience the Spirit. Consequently, the word “All” refers to all types of people. God breaks the caste and class systems of culture. That is the “All” God was discussing in Joel Chapter 2. Peter, the apostle, understood this radical concept and wrote to the dispersed church in Asia Minor: 

“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV).

Peter was referring to the priesthood of all believers. This royal and priestly nature is not for the elite, pedigreed, educated, white, wealthy male. No, it is for all. Everyone who trusts in Jesus as Lord and Savior is on the same level. We may have different hats in church and family, but we have the same job of worshiping God. We may have various roles as pastors, elders, deacons, members, and visitors, but we all have the same family of faith. We certainly have different experiences, talents, gifts, and resources, but we all have the same royal designation as children of the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are all sinners saved by the same Savior. Paul expressed this radical sameness in Galatians: 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, ESV, Italics mine)

God, Peter, and Paul were not denying biological differences between boys and girls but stating the fact that ontologically, we possess the same worth. This means that if you trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior, all have the Spirit of God poured out on them by grace. God uniquely is in you, but not in someone who does not believe. Yes, all human beings have dignity and worth based on being made in the image of God. But God places himself in his people. It is only by favor that he does this for his people. Why? Why does God call one, not another? It is mercy, not anything we merit. He is the basis of our value. 

SIGNS SPIRIT

So, here is a question, “Does God pouring out his Spirit in our hearts make us God?” Some cults would teach that. That is not what the Bible says. What does the Spirit poured out mean, practically? The verse describes three things that would flow out of those who have the Spirit. Do you recall what they are? [PAUSE] [Prophesy, dreams, and visions.] Correct.

PROPHECY

In the Old Testament, prophecy was often predictive. It can be a divine warning or blessing. It can be the very Word of God. For example, the apostle Peter wrote, 

“No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21, ESV).

So, the prophecy in Scripture is from the Spirit. 

DREAMS 

When talking about dreams, the Bible offers many examples: 

• Abraham had a dream about his descendants being enslaved in Egypt, 

• Jacob had a dream where he was wrestling with God, 

• Joseph had dreams about his family bowing to him, 

• Two cellmates in prison had dreams about their future,

• Pharaoh had a dream that Joseph interpreted,

• Daniel interpreted a dream of the non-believing king Nebuchadnezzar, 

• Jesus’s dad, Joseph, had a dream with an angel,

• And Pilate’s wife had a dream about Jesus. 

VISIONS 

Visions are like dreams, but people have them when awake. 

• Isaiah had visions 

• Ezekiel had visions 

• Daniel had several visions. 

• Stephen had a vision of Jesus, and heaven opened when people were stoning him to death. 

• Peter had a vision where God told him to eat unclean food. The vision symbolized God had obliterated the barrier separating his people from Gentiles. 

• Cornelius had a vision about Peter.

• Ananias had a vision about Paul.

• The apostle John had a vision. It was the last book of the Bible, Revelation.

MISSIONARY 

I believe people still occasionally have prophetic words, dreams, and visions. I can’t recall the crazy examples I have read in missionary biographies, but in my travels and time, I know this: God is at work. He can do what he wants, when and how he wants. Joel 2 tells us that God planned to provide not only his people with physical restoration but spiritual restoration as well. Using the Bible to interpret the Bible, we know that part of God fulfilled this prophecy in Acts Chapter 2. 

SPIRIT TODAY 

Since God fulfilled Joel 2:28 through 32, is he done pouring out his Spirit? No. His Spirit is still being poured out. How do we see the Spirit poured out today? I don’t believe we are only limited to three expressions in Joel. Rarely do I hear of visions, dreams, and prophecies. If I do, I tend to be skeptical. Twice, I have had experiences where people felt like they had a prophetic word about the future for me and were wrong. Also, the Bible is clear that the canon of Scripture, the ability to speak or write the Bible, is closed. God prohibits adding to it. That being said. I mentioned that God moves in various ways. How do we experience the Holy Spirit poured out at Sawyer Highlands? Paul talks about spiritual gifts in Corinthians, with words of wisdom and knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, tongues, mercy, teaching, and administration. Good Christians debate if the miraculous gifts on his list continue. But that list is not exhaustive. For example, in the Old Testament, two craftsmen helped build God’s Tabernacle by the power of the Spirit. God’s Spirit moves in powerful and subtle ways. If you have a Bible, turn to Galatians, Chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. What does it say? 

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, ESV).

Friends, that means that when we see self-control in a brother or sister like I did the other day, we can think, “That probably is the Spirit.” If we come up with a response that seems like God brought a verse to mind that fits perfectly, that can be Spirit. If we feel convicted of sin, that is the Spirit’s job. He is in our midst. God poured out his Spirit, and we are the beneficiaries.  

GOD MOVING ON THE REST 

And he is not done. He will perform signs. Look at Chapter 2, verses 30 and 31. 

“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes” (Joel 2:30–31, ESV).

Here, the adverb “Before” puts a time stamp on God’s wonders. Before what? The great and awesome day of the LORD. When are we talking? We have read about it in Joel Chapter 2, verse 11.

The LORD utters his voice before his army, 

                   for his camp is exceedingly great; 

    he who executes his word is powerful. 

For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; 

who can endure it? (Joel 2:11, ESV)

Israel was going to see a future day of judgment that would be terrible. We spent weeks preaching about that ominous reality. God called his people to lament and repent before it was too late. God is merciful, compassionate, and abounding in steadfast love. And in verse 18, God promised to restore what he took. In verse 28, he promised to pour his Spirit on all flesh. And in verses 30 and 31, he will send darkness, blood, fire, and smoke before the last days. These wonders seem right out of an apocalyptic horror film and not “wonderful” in a good sense. Joel asked his audience, “Who can endure it?” Verse 32 is the answer. Those who call on the Lord; those whom the Lord calls can endure it. They will be saved. Those individuals will be saved. God will preserve some.  

32 GOD WILL SAVE THOSE WHO CALL TO HIM

Jump to Joel Chapter 2, verse 32:

 

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:32, ESV) 

Joel called out to God in Chapter 1. He was saved. And Joel looks forward to a day when everyone who calls on God will find salvation. Paul quoted this passage in Romans 10. He wrote to the church: 

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9–13, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, friends and visitors, have you called on the Lord? Have you confessed in your heart that God raised him from the dead? Are you saved from God’s coming judgment? Everyone in this world is walking on death row. We are born with a spiritual death sentence that God gave Adam, Eve, and all descendants. Matthew 1:21 tells us that Jesus came for the express purpose of saving his people from their sins. You can be saved from your sins through faith in Jesus. He died to make you right. You can be right with God by trusting in Jesus’s death and paying what was necessary to get to heaven, the Promised Land. Jesus is your hope and help in this life and the one to come. Romans 6:23 states, 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, ESV).

TERRIFYING 

The hard part is that not everyone will call, and subsequently, not everyone will find salvation. They will call on something, but not the Lord. People look to:

• Religion,

• Relationships, 

• Knowledge,

• Security,

• Control,

• Money,

• Pleasure, 

• Notoriety,

• Legacy, 

• Good works, 

• Health, 

And the list goes on. The Bible tells us there is no other name under heaven given to us who can save us (Acts 4:12). We need to call on the Lord to save us. I began asking you, "Where are you at with God?" Reflect on your spiritual state. Are there areas where you need to return to God? Have you called out to God for salvation? You can right now out loud, under your breath, or in your heart. You are not too old or too far gone. You are not too young. We can be eyeballs in debt to God, but Jesus can pay for it all. He erases shame forever for those who trust in him. He washes the guilt away as far as the east is from the west. Call him while you have breath, life, and mental ability. Ask him in your heart and mind to save you. And if you do, the Spirit will instantly pour into your heart. He will guarantee beyond a shadow of a doubt what he promised in the Bible.   

UNBELIEF 

You might think, “I am too horrible.” Don’t add to your sin the sin of pride. God can forgive all your sins. He is able. Repent of unbelief. He calls us to himself. Will you call out to him? Will you who are uncertain call out to God? Don’t wait. You don’t know how much time you have. If you do call out today for salvation, tell someone. You become part of the family of God. Don’t keep this fantastic news to yourself. 

PARADOX

As we conclude, There is so much to say about this passage. Note the leading actor. God. He is pouring out his Spirit, working wonders, and calling people who call to him. Also note the paradoxical nature of verse 32. We read that people who call out to God are saved, and then it is those whom God calls he saves. That is what Scripture seems to teach again and again. We are responsible for our choices, and God is sovereign over all. Our passage reinforces this seemingly contradictory reality. But it is not a contradiction. God doesn’t contradict himself. It is what we call a paradox or a mystery.  

POUR OUT 

For those who indeed called out to God for salvation in the past, don’t keep it to yourself. The Spirit was poured out to flow out, not to become stagnant. God is in our midst. He has you here for a reason. Let us not keep him to ourselves. I will remind you of our Mycircle training. Let us pray daily for those who have not called out to him for salvation. I have found myself forgetting to do this, then pausing and praying for my friends. The other part is to reach people in our circles weekly with God’s love. What would it look like to have the Holy Spirit pour out of you this week? Think about that for a minute. We have talked a lot about his work. What might it look like? This week, I spoke with some friends about the value of justice, loving kindness, humility, and mercy. God loves those values. His Spirit invites us to embrace those values. We can get all worked up about whether or not the government is spending its money justly. But what is God calling you to do today? Think about that. What is one practical step you can take this week to be more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit? You can control yourself. What is he calling you to do? How is the Spirit prompting you to be an ambassador this week? Let’s pause to think about that. 

PRAYER

Let’s pray.

*All Rights Reserved. Use by Permission.