Are we still able to hear a warning before it is too late? The sermon sets disasters that strike out of a clear sky alongside those the warning signals had been announcing for years, and turns to the prophet Joel, who sounds the trumpet over the coming day of the Lord (Joel 2). The announcement is terrifying, and yet it proves to be a warning given so that we still have time to return to a God who is gracious and merciful. Listen about the God who does not want your torn garments, but your torn heart.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- How does the prophet Joel describe the day of the Lord in Joel 2:1-11, and what might have frightened his first hearers most about God Himself leading the destroying army?
- In Joel 2:12-13 the tone suddenly shifts: "Even now". What do these verses reveal about God's character, and why does the call to return come right after the picture of destruction?
- The sermon opened with the story of a school buried by a coal tip that local authorities had warned about for three years. Why is it so easy for us to ignore warnings, including the ones God gives us?
- God says: "Rend your hearts and not your garments". How does outward, surface change differ from real repentance, and what do you make of the Sunday school girl's answer that we are sorry so deeply that we no longer want to sin?
- The speaker pointed out that God does not tell His people to fight the army outside but to look within. What do you discover in your own heart when tension rises in the country and emotions spill over on social media?
- What specific area of your life is God calling you to re-evaluate this week, and how can you, like a patient lying in a hospital bed, look up and seek rescue from Him?
