Title: Providence of God (Joel 01:1-12)
The name Joel means "Yahweh is God". Judging from this name, it can be inferred that his parents were also men of faith, and seeing that he was also called as a prophet, it can be inferred that he must have been a man of godliness.
2. Sermon Design The theme of the Minor Prophets is "Judgment and Restoration". Most of it consists of the contents of the referee. If you listen to the sermons of the minor prophets that point out sin in a row, there is a fear that you will get bored.
Also, the audience will be able to design a sermon based on the preacher's pattern in their own way by looking at the content of the text. If so, preaching is defined as a failure. Therefore, the preacher needs various ideas. Although the content is similar, an idea of constructing it in various ways is required so as not to get bored.
The subject of this text is "The Locust Plague". And the minor factor is the fact that insects such as grasshoppers, locusts, and locusts are also necessary tools for God. I want to design a sermon that reverses the main and minor elements.
Since the purpose of faith is "salvation", the subject of faith is undoubtedly the heavenly kingdom, but when thinking about how to deal with the many real problems encountered while living on this earth, it may be necessary to emphasize the negative elements from time to time.
3. Analysis of the text Text: Joel 1:1-12 Title: The value of unnecessary beings Central content: Everything in the world has meaning.
Introduction 1) We come into contact with problems from time to time and often in life that we consider unnecessary. And each time they complain and suffer.
2) Today's text tells the story of insects that are useless to humans. We would like to share the grace with you while meditating on the meaning of the text.
I. We encounter problems in life that we consider unnecessary (principle).
A. Vicious murder robbery, criminals are infested.
1. The damage is so severe that the state has to declare war on crime.
2. What is God's intention to save them? (Question).
B. There are many insects that harm humans.
1. Rats, flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and so on. All these things must have been created by God, so why did he create them?
2. Of course, there are insects that benefit people, but there are also many pests.
C. There are diseases that plague our health.
1. In most cases, the cause of the disease is infection by a virus.
2. Who made the virus? D. There are various factors that make us unhappy.
1. Misunderstandings between friends, conflicts due to separation, pain in human relationships, etc.
II. There are several stories of insects in the text (text description).
A. God's calamity has come due to natural disasters (1:1-5).
1. It is said that pods, grasshoppers, locusts, and locusts eat grain.
2. Depending on the insect, there may be differences in the type or part of what they eat, but the fact is that they are all a kind of grasshopper.
3. In fact, it is said that these insects were attacked three times in 1845, 1865, and 1915 in the Middle East and modern history.
B. An economic disaster occurred (5-12).
1. It is said that there will come a day when we will not be able to drink wine (verse 5).
2. Industry was devastated by the invasion of foreign enemies (6-9).
3. He said that even the material to donate to God would disappear due to the continuous natural disasters.
III. Let's realize (apply) that all of this is God's providence for us.
A. Let's understand what the locust plague means.
1. Locust swarms are creatures that do not directly help humans.
2. Of course, the creator of this locust is God, not Satan.
3. God the Creator created all things to be useful to man. Nevertheless, what is the reason that the locusts eat all the grain? This is God's providence to awaken people's folly.
4. In any case, humans must suffer and be attacked by insects called locusts. In doing so, we come to understand the providence of God.
B. Economic disasters are also meant to awaken us.
Economic poverty is directly related to the difficulties of the church. It is God's discipline that the church suffers.
C. It is the fact that the attack of the locusts, the attack of the Yi tribes, and all the other parts of life we encounter in life are all under the control of God. Therefore, all our suffering has meaning. There is no meaningless suffering, because God enlightens the foolishness of mankind through these unnecessary beings and events. So, never get distracted by the unpleasant things you encounter in your life. The Bible exhorts us to "rejoice always." Why is it commanded to "rejoice" because it is not easy to rejoice. But you should rejoice.
Although it was a locust that looked useless and powerless, it corrected the foolishness of humans who wanted to live their own life away from God and made them seek the Almighty God. How precious it is. After all, because of their existence, we can escape the delusion of the curse, and they It is the greatest service for humanity. There is never anything superfluous in all the things we experience in our lives.
(Provide/Judgment)