WHAT A FRIEND (COVENANT PARTNER) WE HAVE IN JESUS
Read Joel 3
and then back to Joel 2
We are inextricably linked to Israel.
Israel is really a barometer of end-times
There is no question we are in end-times.
Joel 2 speaks of great rejoicing and great restoration and great victory for His people.
Joel 3 gets into the judgment of nations
in the valley of Jehoshaphat.
(the place where praising and trust won the battle for Jews)
Jehoshaphat means Yahweh is Judge
He is the Judge and judgment may be good or bad
For nations it depends on how they treated Israel
For individuals it depends on what we did with Jesus
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
Choose this day whom you will serve. (Joshua 24:15)
Joel 3:21 For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted, For the Lord dwells in Zion. (He’s not given up on them.)
The end-times are a such a time of great victory and restoration and forgiveness and also a great time of peril and judgment and difficulty.
Israel’s rebellion and disobedience caused them to step off the road, making room for the Christians to be entered into the covenant blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If we are in Christ we are in.
And now, by us entering fully into His presence, covenant, Lordship, we are given a heart to bless Israel and help usher them into their original destiny.
Isaiah 62:6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Psalm 98
Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things: His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory.
The Lord has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
Sing to the Lord with the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
With trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity.
We need to always look beyond where we are.
Not ignore where we are but look beyond – Scripture gives us vision of what is to come, what’s available to us now, what has been and what will be.
We take Scripture personally – to minister to our present needs.
We also rightly divide the Word of God – we discern who is being written to, what is present, past, and future, and how to receive it for doctrine, reproof, instruction, and correction.
Judgment and Restoration are going on at the same time.
Victory and Persecution are present now.
We receive in some aspect what Israel receives because we are connected by Blood Covenant.
We must be ever mindful of God’s wondrous work in the world, the church, and Israel.
Psalm 5:12 With favor He surrounds us with a shield.
Protection, Covenant
2 Corinthians 1:20 All the promises of God in Him are yes and in Him amen to the glory of God through us.
Notice they are yes and amen in Him and for (purpose) the glory of God through us.
We are to pray all those promises for Israel – which means we need to pray they come to HIM.
One of those promises is that all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26,27)
Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have drivien you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.
God has such great plans – we need to learn to tune in.
Psalm 19:1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line (sound) has gone out through all the earth.
We need perspective that God sees and knows all and as we tap into Him we learn how to pray and do what we are called to do – big picture and small details.
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength (rock), in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn (strength) of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Our salvation, our protection, our provision is there for us – if we call – if we’re in Him.
8 places in Gospels he talks about him who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Lots of people are not listening. We need to purposely hear.
Simeon knew in his spirit that he would see the Christ before He died – he heard the voice of the Lord in his spirit – he had spiritual ears – tuned into the voice of God. He may not have known it would be a baby – he may have thought there would be a boy or a man.
But he KNEW and he was praying and he was ready to perceive – however the Christ came.
What things are formulating in your spirit – what do you sense even though you can’t quite put your finger on it. If it’s a dread type sensation, take it to the Lord – maybe you need to take authority over it, pray protection from it. If it’s a sense of something to come, ask for discernment of how to pray over it, perhaps pray it in – realize that the sense we have is something we need to usher in through prayer.
Netanyahu at opening of U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem
Gave history of Jews in Jerusalem
“We are in Jerusalem and we are here to stay.”
He made reference to Zechariah 8:1-3
Again the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
‘I am zealous for Zion with great zeal; With great fervor I am zealous for her.’
Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
Jeremiah 31; 35-36 Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The Lord of Host is His name): If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the Lord, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the Lord: If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the Lord.
God’s covenant with Israel will never end.
From Summer 2018 magazine The Torch
Israeli Innovation
1950s invents modern solar water heater
1960s develops drip irrigation method
1970s first electronic milk meter
1980s first antivirus computer software
1990s instant messaging technology
2000s USB flash drive stick
2010s robotic exoskeleton for paraplegics
Highest ratio of college degrees and startup companies per capita
Only Middle Eastern country where Christian population is increasing
Extended international humanitarian aid to over 140 countries since 1950s
Deuteronomy 33:27-29 The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, ‘Destroy!’ Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places.”