Spiritual Battles

Spiritual Battles

Part of Back to Basics—Book of Joel

May 4, 2025

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Joel 3:1-11 (New International Version)
3:1 “In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
3 They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine to drink.

4 “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.

7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.

9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.

Bring down your warriors, Lord!

I. A battle against dehumanizing people (vv. 1-3)
• Through the cross, resurrection, and Pentecost God wants to take people

restoration into a new

.
• Each ethnicity uniquely

the image of God and helps us

him better.
• God’s inheritance is a family of people from every

,

, and

. (Acts 1:8, Rev. 7:9-10)
• God will punish and exact justice for the sins of ethnic

,

, and

. (Mal. 3:5, Dt. 23:15-16, Prov. 6:26, 1Tim. 1:9-10)
• Dehumanizing violence in sexuality and racism begins with a root of

that foster

and

. (Prov. 18:21, Jas. 3:8-12)
II. A battle for treasures and temples (vv. 4-8)
• Reaping and Sowing is both the

and

of heaven and earth.
• Conditionality in prayer for

or angered action due to

reveal to God the source of our worship.
• We rob God by withholding the best of our

,

,

, and

from circulation of Kingdom activity. (Mt. 6:33, Mt. 25:14-30, Mal. 3:8-10, Mt. 10:32)
• Orthodox Bible study will be

and

with focus on the

.
• “Home” is the place we long to

for rest and belonging or to

from chaos and harm. (Jn. 14:1-3, Rev. 21:1-4)
III. A Last Battle (vv. 9-11)
• God’s people are to

themselves for spiritual battles in a spiritual war. (Eph. 6:12-20)
• Mistaking a

or the

for the war is costly in a spiritual war.
• Husbands and fathers will be

more strictly as the

of their home. (Eph. 5:25-27, 6:4)
• Jesus will return to earth and reign for

and enforce complete

. (Rev. 20:4-6, Mic. 4:1-5)
• Following the Millennial Reign of Christ the

will occur and the nations will side with

. (Rev. 20:7-15)

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TAKE OFF
If you could be any fictional character in a battle, who would you choose and why?
TEXT
1. What thoughts or feelings did you have during this week’s sermon?
2. What reasons does God give for putting the people on trial in verses 1-3? How do we see the same type of injustices in the world today? What can we do/what have you done to combat these behaviors/practices in your life?
3. How does God say he will repay people who are “paying” him back (v. 4)? What are some reasons why people want to get even with God? How does the language used in verses four and seven make you feel?
4. What are examples of “treasures” that we can purposely take from God (v. 5)? How does culture and our lifestyles affect how we use the treasures given to us by God? What is one thing in your life that you need to prioritize less so you can focus more on God?
TAKE AWAY
God commands the people to “prepare for war” in verses 9-11. What is one spiritual area in which you are “weak” that you need to battle for before the end comes?