Pulpit Curriculum: Awaken - From Famine To Feast
June 23rd – June 29th, 2024
Sermon Summary
This sermon is the last in the Awaken series which concludes with a message entitled Awaken - From Famine to Feast. Throughout the book of Joel, we witnessed how God uses calamities to awaken His people to their need for repentance and reliance on Him through the demonstration of His call to mercy, His promises of restoration, and His righteous judgment. Here as the preacher delves into the final verses, we see the culmination of these themes in a grand celebration of God’s faithfulness and provision. The sermon explores how God transforms our seasons of famine into times of feasting, bringing joy and abundance where there was once despair and asserts that this is not just a future promise but a present reality that we can experience as we awaken to God’s work in our lives. It culminates with a call to be awakened to spiritual reality, God’s restoration and God’s justice.
Verse of the Week
Joel 3:20,21
20 “But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. 21 I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged, for the Lord dwells in Zion.”
Going Deeper
Review: Joel 3:17 – 21
1) Identify 3 instances in scripture where God’s restorative power was evident. Discuss in your groups the possible types of emotions the protagonists experienced in these scenarios.
2) Ezekiel 47 tells the story of the move from barrenness to fruitfulness. Highlight how holiness leads to the presence of God in this chapter.
3) What is your understanding of Joel 3:18 in the context of a famine and a feast. Using other instances of similar promises, would you agree that there is always hope for renewal and abundance for God’s people?
4) The preacher highlights that throughout the Bible there have been promises of stability and security as a recurring theme. Cite 2 otherreferences in scripture to cement this assertion.
a. What conclusions can you draw after reading Ephesians 1:13-14 and Hebrews 9:15?
5) In today’s society with such high levels of apathy and unbelief, which scriptures can you suggest as a reminder that God’s justice will prevail and His kingdom will be established in full glory.
Assess Your Life
The following questions are meant to encourage personal reflection and identify areas for spiritual growth in your relationship with God. Ask yourself the questions, respond honestly, write down your responses, and then prayerfully seek God’s conviction and guidance to move forward to repentance and restoration. In your Small Group, or in discussions with your friends and family, be open to sharing your responses with others in a spirit of accountability and transparency.
1) When last have I witnessed or shared with someone the elements of God’s goodness, restoration and justice in my life?
2) Do I consider myself included in these promises in Joel?
3) What has been my posture in the famines and the feasts of my life?
4) With this knowledge of God’s ultimate deliverance, should my posture be different in both types of circumstances.
Application
One key objective of this Pulpit Curriculum is taking God’s truth as exposed in the sermon and helping people apply that truth in practical and intentional ways to plot a course toward obedience and transformation. This section is intended to achieve that objective.
1) How can you say you are willfully seeking the presence of God in your daily walk?
2) Are you aware that holiness is solely from the presence of God and nothing or no one else?
3) What steps are you taking to confess the promises of God over your life daily?
4) List the steps you will take to seek to improve your prayer life?
5) How can you remain in hopeful anticipation of God’s ultimate deliverance?
6) What steps will you take to awaken from spiritual complacency?
7) Discuss in your group the distinction between your physical and spiritual posture as it relates to the seasons of famine and feast in your life.
Which of the above will you be intentional about this week?
I will ask_____ to hold me accountable in this.
Sermon Main Points
If we are going to be awakened from famine to feast we ought to:
Trust in God’s transformative power (Joel 3: 18)
Embrace God’s stability and security (Joel 3: 20-21)
Sermon Reflection
What stood out for me in this sermon?
What can I do to remember this?
5 Day Study Plan
Use the Inductive Bible Study method to study these scriptures this week and remember to share with someone else.
Follow these steps
1. Observe the text.
(What do you see in the text? Look for answers to questions like: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)
2. Interpret the text.
(What did God and the human author of the text want the original people reading this text to understand/do? Why?)
3. Apply the text.
(How do I need to change in my thinking, my affections, my attitudes, and/or my actions?)
Day 1 - Psalm 37:7
Day 2 - Revelations 21:1-3
Day 3 - Psalm 125: 1-2
Day 4 - Isaiah 33:5-6
Day 5 - Psalm 121
For best results, this content should be read and prepared privately and then discussed in your small group or with family / friends. We were not created to do life alone - get connected with a small group and grow together.