WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.179 Good morning. It's good to be with you all here, both in person and on the live stream. 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:13.859 Thank you for joining us this morning. I don't know about you, but when my alarm goes off in 00:00:13.859 --> 00:00:20.519 the morning, I almost always hit snooze. My kids will tell you sometimes I hit snooze too often, 00:00:20.580 --> 00:00:24.400 and they will come in and shake me and say, Daddy, we've got to get up to get to school on time. 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:33.280 So it's a little embarrassing, but it's true. I often want to ignore my alarm and roll over and 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:40.899 go back to sleep. And I know that sometimes in my house, when my fire alarm goes off, 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:49.320 I also similarly don't panic. I think, eh, it's because I'm cooking bacon and it's burning a little. 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:55.100 Or sometimes I just think, yep, the battery's gone bad. I don't actually think there's a fire. 00:00:55.840 --> 00:00:59.579 Eventually, I'll get to pulling it down and turning it off, which is what I usually do. And 00:00:59.579 --> 00:01:03.840 some of you may live in dormitories or apartment buildings, and you know what it's like when 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:08.719 the alarm goes off at three in the morning, and you just think, somebody's cooking in the 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:14.500 kitchenette again, or my neighbor downstairs is smoking pot, and the alarms go off. And that 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:21.560 just happens when you're living in those kind of communal living circumstances, and your tendency 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:31.599 is to ignore them. We ignore our alarms because it's inconvenient to respond to them. It disrupts 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:37.579 our lives. It impinges on what we're doing, our routines in the moment. And often it's because we 00:01:37.579 --> 00:01:43.799 really don't think that the danger is very great. Now, some of you may have lived somewhere on the 00:01:43.799 --> 00:01:51.719 Pacific Rim or in Tornado Alley in the Midwest, and where there are alarms that go off that have a 00:01:51.719 --> 00:01:58.219 much greater cost, don't they? If the tsunami alarm goes off or the tornado alarm goes off, 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:04.859 the danger could be very real and pretty significant. I've never lived in those places, so I don't quite 00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:12.060 know. But clearly, the alarms in those places are not to annoy or to hassle or inconvenience us, 00:02:12.060 --> 00:02:17.500 but they're to warn us of a great danger and to give time to respond to it. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:28.439 This brings us to our passage in the book of Joel today. We're looking at Joel chapter 2. If you have 00:02:28.439 --> 00:02:34.640 a paper Bible and you're trying to find Joel, here's… the Psalms is usually the middle of your Bible, 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:39.180 so you can open up there and then start flipping forward. You go through the major prophets, 00:02:39.180 --> 00:02:45.159 the big ones, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. And then after that are the 12 minor prophets, 00:02:45.319 --> 00:02:51.420 minor not because they're less important, but because they're smaller. And Joel is the second 00:02:51.420 --> 00:02:59.719 one between Hosea and Amos. And it's only about one page in my Bible, you know, four total, but one 00:02:59.719 --> 00:03:04.659 flap. And so, it's easy to miss, but if you have a paper Bible you're looking for that, 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:12.560 that's where you can find it. And we're going to be looking at the first part of chapter 2 this morning, 00:03:13.939 --> 00:03:20.979 Joel chapter 2, verses 1 through 17. And I'm going to read it, and then we're going to pray, 00:03:21.180 --> 00:03:26.379 and then we will continue with our service. So, please read along with me. 00:03:26.379 --> 00:03:34.259 Blow a trumpet in Zion. Sound an alarm on my holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:42.280 tremble. For the day of the Lord is coming. It is near. A day of darkness and gloom. A day of clouds 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:48.680 and thick darkness. Like blackness, there is spread upon the mountains. A great and powerful people. 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:56.599 Their like has never been before, nor will it be ever after them throughout the years of all 00:03:56.599 --> 00:04:04.159 generations. Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like a garden of 00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:12.800 Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. Their appearance 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:18.319 is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:25.300 they leap on the tops of mountains. Like the crackling of a flame of fire, devouring the stubble, 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:33.899 like a powerful army drawn up for battle. Before them peoples are in anguish. All faces grow pale. 00:04:34.219 --> 00:04:41.300 Like warriors they charge. Like soldiers they scale the wall. They march each on his way. They do not 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:47.980 swerve from their paths. They do not jostle one another. Each marches in his path, and they burst 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:54.100 through the weapons and are not halted. They leap upon the city. They run upon the walls. They climb 00:04:54.100 --> 00:05:03.000 up into the houses. They enter through the windows like a thief. The earth quakes before them. The heavens 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:11.700 tremble. The sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:20.379 before his army. For his camp is exceedingly great. He who executes his word is powerful. 00:05:20.379 --> 00:05:27.159 For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome. Who can endure it? 00:05:29.159 --> 00:05:35.919 Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:42.080 and with mourning, and with mourning, and rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord, 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:48.280 your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, 00:05:48.439 --> 00:05:57.080 and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent and leave a blessing 00:05:57.080 --> 00:06:04.560 behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:10.480 consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, consecrate the congregation, 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:16.920 assemble the elders, gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:23.600 and the bride her chamber between the vestibule and the altar. Let the priests and the ministers of 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:31.220 the Lord weep and say, spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, 00:06:31.220 --> 00:06:38.360 a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, where is their God? 00:06:39.580 --> 00:06:40.620 Let's pray together. 00:06:42.940 --> 00:06:49.320 Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you have not left us to grasp and seek after you 00:06:49.320 --> 00:06:54.980 in our own imaginations and thoughts, but Lord, you have revealed yourself, and you have revealed 00:06:54.980 --> 00:07:02.379 yourself clearly in your word. And Lord, thank you that in your revelation, Lord, you teach us, 00:07:02.580 --> 00:07:08.980 Lord, timeless truths about yourself and about us and about our world. Lord, we ask this morning 00:07:08.980 --> 00:07:19.240 that you would give us hearts to receive your word, hearts to understand it, hearts to obey and respond 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:26.620 as you would have us. God, we ask for your help in this, for we are weak and we are easily distracted 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:33.780 and we are by nature willful. Lord, will you help us this morning? I ask for your help 00:07:33.780 --> 00:07:43.340 in speaking clearly that my words would be useful in the hands of your spirit as we sit under your word 00:07:43.339 --> 00:07:47.479 together this morning. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:07:56.279 --> 00:08:04.419 After having described in chapter 1 a locust plague that has come upon the people of God in Israel 00:08:04.419 --> 00:08:10.639 and having called people to respond and lament in chapter 1, here in chapter 2, 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:18.159 the prophet Joel looks from what has happened before. He turns and he looks to what is coming 00:08:18.159 --> 00:08:23.479 and he sounds an alarm, an alarm to warn us of a coming danger 00:08:23.479 --> 00:08:29.699 and a summons for us to return to him in time to know his salvation. 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:36.879 This is the big idea of this passage and it breaks down into two very simple parts. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:44.059 The first 11 verses are the sounding of the alarm and the second from verses 12 to verse 17 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:49.519 are the invitation to return to him. So we're going to look at that in that sequence. 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:57.480 1 through 11, you see this, right? From the very beginning, blow a trumpet in Zion, 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:04.240 sound an alarm on my holy mountain. Something bad is coming. Rouse yourself to respond. 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:11.139 There is a day that is yet coming. You've already seen a locust invasion and the devastation that 00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:16.240 has come upon your land. There is something greater that that is but a foretaste of, 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:24.600 that is forecasting what is to come. He says, what is coming is the day of the Lord. 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:30.860 Now, the day of the Lord is actually a very rich theological idea in the Scriptures, 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:36.139 and it would take a long time to unpack all of it. I'm going to recommend, if those of you who have 00:09:36.139 --> 00:09:43.980 access to computers, the Gospel Coalition is a great website that has a… you can just go to the 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:48.580 search button and type in the day of the Lord, and there's a great article on there that'll give you 00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:56.440 the broader picture of the biblical idea of the day of the Lord. And basically what it says in summary 00:09:56.440 --> 00:10:01.400 is that the day of the Lord has two major ideas. One is that the day of the Lord is a day of judgment, 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:07.620 a day of judgment that may come through nature, that may come through nations, ultimately that will 00:10:07.620 --> 00:10:16.460 come through the return of the Lord, and that in this judgment, God will come, and He will end evil, 00:10:16.460 --> 00:10:25.400 and He will stop those who stand up against the kingdom of God. 00:10:29.240 --> 00:10:36.540 This judgment is coming upon all the world for those who stand opposed to Him, and also upon His own 00:10:36.540 --> 00:10:44.120 people. This judgment will come upon His own people in a refining sense to bring His people back from 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:52.879 their unfaithfulness, to expose their spiritual waywardness, and this is what the day of the 00:10:52.879 --> 00:11:02.039 Lord is and will be. But it is not merely a day of judgment. It is also a day of renewal and hope for 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:09.220 God's people, that as God comes and He judges the world on that day, He will reset the world and make it 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:18.180 right. Evil will be punished. Sin will cease. Goodness will be restored in its perfect form. 00:11:19.100 --> 00:11:26.540 Redemption will come to God's people. Vindication over those who have mocked and scorned and persecuted 00:11:26.540 --> 00:11:36.940 His people. And glory, a restoration to a place of honor in His kingdom. And ultimately, the renewal of 00:11:36.940 --> 00:11:43.460 joyful worship of God. This is the picture that when the day of the Lord comes, the result will be 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:52.540 the reunion and the final consummation of God's kingdom where we will worship Him forever. And it 00:11:52.540 --> 00:12:00.900 will be a wonderful and a glorious thing. Now here in Joel, the prophet is pulling more on the first idea 00:12:00.899 --> 00:12:10.579 than the second. He's saying the day of the Lord is coming in judgment and it is going to be fearsome. 00:12:10.959 --> 00:12:17.740 Look at me with the images and verses 2 through 9 for just a minute. In verse 2, it talks about darkness 00:12:17.740 --> 00:12:25.079 and gloom coming in as if it's never been seen before and will never be seen again. On this day, 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:30.000 it will be like nothing we've ever seen means it will be worse than whatever you have already 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:38.160 experienced. Verse 3 says it comes like a forest fire devouring Eden. This picture of lush abundance 00:12:38.160 --> 00:12:45.980 and provision and goodness. This fire comes through and what is left behind is a desolate wilderness. 00:12:45.980 --> 00:12:54.019 I was thinking about this week, I actually googled wildfires and some of the most stark pictures 00:12:54.019 --> 00:13:03.779 were from Australia and the Australian wildfires that happened earlier this year where these lush green 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:15.279 valleys have been replaced with ash and stumps of burned out trees and the empty shells of homes. 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:22.159 Black and white, no more color upon those. 00:13:25.060 --> 00:13:29.000 This is the picture of what it's going to look like when the judgment comes. 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:36.440 And then verses 4 through 9, he says, this judgment is going to come like a relentless army, 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:43.680 like an army that cannot be stopped. He uses odd images like chariots jumping over mountains. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:49.739 How is that possible? Well, he's obviously using this figuratively. And listen, we don't know exactly 00:13:49.739 --> 00:13:54.899 whether he's talking about another locust plague or whether he's talking about an actual army or is 00:13:54.899 --> 00:14:00.019 he talking about using both of those as images that are picturing something even greater than that. 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:08.759 But what we do know is that when this day comes, the judgment will come and it will destroy all the things. 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:11.480 Even the stubble in the fields will be burned. 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:17.600 Even it will come into every nook and cranny of our lives so that even the houses, 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:20.560 it describes the armies coming in through the windows. 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:24.139 There is no place to escape. There is no place to hide. 00:14:24.139 --> 00:14:40.600 And then in verse 10, we finally understand that this isn't just a locust army or a real army of humans. 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:44.139 But it's even greater than that. Look with me in verse 10. 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:48.120 The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:51.059 and the stars withdraw their shining. 00:14:51.059 --> 00:14:57.099 When the day of the Lord comes, it will almost be as if God is undoing His creation 00:14:57.099 --> 00:15:02.339 in judgment against its rebellion against Him. 00:15:06.459 --> 00:15:11.239 And then when we get to verse 11, we recognize that the high point of this passage is that 00:15:11.239 --> 00:15:19.579 when the day of the Lord comes, it is not a random event, nor is it something that simply happens that God allows, 00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:24.100 but that in fact the day of the Lord will be led by God Himself. 00:15:25.300 --> 00:15:29.120 It is He who sovereignly commands the day of judgment. 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:34.780 The language of darkness and gloom and all of the… 00:15:34.780 --> 00:15:37.040 Some of the imagery is reminiscent. 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:41.959 Listen, if you are a Hebrew reader and you read this, you would remember the language from Exodus 00:15:41.959 --> 00:15:47.039 when Moses went up to the mountain to meet with God. 00:15:47.099 --> 00:15:52.179 And as God descended, the theophany of His presence with Moses, 00:15:52.579 --> 00:15:59.299 it was attended with the same darkness, the same gloom, the same holiness descending in, 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:06.339 where they put a boundary around the mountain so that the people wouldn't go up and be destroyed by the holiness of God. 00:16:08.819 --> 00:16:17.159 When God shows up, really, we fall on our faces in the presence of a greater power, 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:19.299 a greater majesty, 00:16:20.299 --> 00:16:24.479 a holiness that our sinful selves cannot endure. 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:27.600 We are unworthy. 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:33.519 And for God to show up, it is a fearsome thing. 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:38.279 And that's why the prophet ends this section with the question, 00:16:39.060 --> 00:16:40.500 who can endure it? 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:44.300 It's a rhetorical question, and the answer is no one. 00:16:44.299 --> 00:16:53.559 No one can stand before God on their own on the day of judgment in righteousness. 00:16:56.959 --> 00:16:58.459 So how do we apply this? 00:16:58.959 --> 00:17:00.719 How do we think about this for ourselves? 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:05.240 The people in Joel's day heard this. 00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:07.879 They had already seen the devastation of a locust plague 00:17:07.879 --> 00:17:12.319 and endured military incursion, maybe not recently. 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:14.579 It's unclear exactly when he wrote this book. 00:17:15.659 --> 00:17:19.019 But they had seen the devastation and felt the fear. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:20.960 And Joel is saying, 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:22.619 have you heard the alarm? 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:24.000 There's something worse coming. 00:17:26.679 --> 00:17:28.700 And I think we need to do the same thing. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:35.480 Look, COVID-19 is a major wake-up call. 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:42.039 Like locusts, it is a natural invasion that devastates and changes our lives. 00:17:42.639 --> 00:17:44.180 Our lifestyles have been altered. 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:49.700 Certainly inconvenienced, but for some altered permanently by this. 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:54.599 And many have their livelihoods threatened by it. 00:17:55.159 --> 00:18:01.539 And of course, most tragically, there are many who are dying here in this country and around the world. 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:04.879 Now, we need to be very careful here. 00:18:05.879 --> 00:18:07.619 Because there are many who might say, 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:12.200 well, this has come because of sin X or sin Y. 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:16.059 God is judging this nation or that nation or doing this or that. 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:19.279 And it's striking because Joel does not do that. 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:21.180 Joel is actually… 00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:24.240 In lots of places in the prophets, they do. 00:18:24.380 --> 00:18:25.080 They specify. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:27.740 This judgment has come because of their idolatry. 00:18:27.840 --> 00:18:29.340 Because they're worshiping other gods. 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:31.440 Or because they have not trusted me. 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:35.279 And they've trusted in human alliances to protect themselves. 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:36.279 Or they have… 00:18:37.279 --> 00:18:42.820 This judgment has come because of their injustice against the poor and the marginalized and the needy among them. 00:18:42.819 --> 00:18:46.200 And the prophets are very free to do that. 00:18:46.299 --> 00:18:47.319 But Joel doesn't. 00:18:47.740 --> 00:18:50.539 And we need to be careful not to do it either. 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:55.939 But rather than a specific thing that he's challenging us for, 00:18:55.939 --> 00:19:00.200 he is allowing us to ask ourselves the question, 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:05.659 where are we? 00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:10.419 Are we hearing this as a wake-up call? 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:16.200 That there will be a day of judgment. 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.079 And are we ready for it? 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:21.399 Have you heard the warning? 00:19:21.659 --> 00:19:23.359 Or are you asleep in the light? 00:19:23.899 --> 00:19:26.220 Are you comfortable in your cozy world? 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:31.919 Have you allowed your Christianity to become marginalized? 00:19:32.919 --> 00:19:36.039 Or are you listening to the Lord and following Him? 00:19:37.179 --> 00:19:41.379 Are you cavalierly assuming that this present tragedy 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:43.000 isn't affecting you very much? 00:19:43.080 --> 00:19:44.320 And so you'll be fine. 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:46.220 And you don't need to listen to the warning. 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:51.120 Are you arrogantly pursuing your preferred life, 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:52.680 no matter what the effect is? 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:56.180 The Lord has sounded His trumpet call. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:58.280 The day of the Lord is coming. 00:20:00.220 --> 00:20:01.080 Are you ready? 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:04.660 But of course, what does it mean to be ready? 00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:08.180 The first trumpet sound is this warning, 00:20:08.300 --> 00:20:10.060 but the second one is a summons. 00:20:10.540 --> 00:20:12.160 We see this in verse 15. 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:14.100 Blow the trumpet in Zion. 00:20:14.560 --> 00:20:15.680 Consecrate a fast. 00:20:15.860 --> 00:20:17.320 Call a solemn assembly. 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:22.100 The Lord is not simply saying, 00:20:22.259 --> 00:20:23.980 there's something bad coming. 00:20:24.100 --> 00:20:24.800 Be ready for it. 00:20:24.800 --> 00:20:26.060 But He's also giving us a way. 00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:27.759 How do we respond to that? 00:20:28.040 --> 00:20:29.720 The response is an invitation. 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:31.759 Laced with hope. 00:20:32.500 --> 00:20:34.779 Return to me. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.660 The hope is that as we return to the Lord, 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:41.920 the day of the Lord will not be judgment, 00:20:42.299 --> 00:20:44.259 but salvation for us. 00:20:45.059 --> 00:20:47.100 What does this returning look like? 00:20:47.440 --> 00:20:50.059 Well, first of all, it is a returning to whom? 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:51.799 This is an important question. 00:20:52.380 --> 00:20:54.019 And you see in verses 12 and 13, 00:20:54.140 --> 00:20:56.360 return to me, the Lord your God. 00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:58.160 Look with me in verse 13. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:00.540 Return to the Lord your God, 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:02.240 for He is gracious and merciful, 00:21:02.800 --> 00:21:05.779 slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:08.880 and He relents over disaster. 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:12.279 Who is this God that we're returning to? 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:14.620 First of all, we see that it is returned to the Lord. 00:21:14.800 --> 00:21:17.160 And in your Bible, it may have little capitals, 00:21:18.060 --> 00:21:20.860 L-O-R-D in this funny little capital thing. 00:21:21.120 --> 00:21:21.940 Do you know what that means? 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.240 It's the special name that God revealed Himself 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:25.759 to Moses in Exodus 3. 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:28.180 I am the covenant-keeping God. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:30.440 I am the faithful God of Israel 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:32.900 who has come and delivered you from Egypt 00:21:32.900 --> 00:21:35.119 and now brought you into this promised land 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:37.879 as a foretaste of my creation of a people 00:21:37.879 --> 00:21:39.839 from every tribe and tongue and nation. 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:41.980 I am a covenant-keeping God. 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:47.019 And not only am I a covenant-keeping God, 00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:50.019 but then He goes on and describes Himself as the Lord, 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:55.099 slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 00:21:55.640 --> 00:21:57.559 And again, if you were a Hebrew reader, 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:00.059 this would resonate for this is the name 00:22:00.059 --> 00:22:01.779 that God revealed Himself to. 00:22:01.980 --> 00:22:05.180 This is the chant that was sounded out 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:09.240 when God revealed Himself on Mount Sinai to Moses. 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:10.680 Do you remember the story? 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:12.700 After Moses went up, got the Ten Commandments, 00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:14.640 came back down, the people had failed. 00:22:14.740 --> 00:22:16.500 They went off and worshiped a golden calf. 00:22:16.819 --> 00:22:18.240 God was ready to wipe them out. 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:20.579 Moses pleaded and said, 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:21.880 Relent, Lord. 00:22:22.299 --> 00:22:23.640 And the Lord did relent. 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:25.460 Moses said, 00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:27.559 God, I can't do this alone. 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:29.019 I need to know that You're with me. 00:22:29.079 --> 00:22:30.359 I need to see Your face. 00:22:32.299 --> 00:22:32.880 God said, 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:34.799 No, you can't see my face and live. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:37.859 But I will hide you in the cleft of a rock. 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:41.480 And I will pass by and you will see the backside of my glory. 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:42.940 Basically is what He says. 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:44.680 And as this happens, 00:22:44.740 --> 00:22:46.619 as the glory of the Lord passes by, 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:50.419 there is this chant, this resounding, 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:51.879 The Lord, the Lord, 00:22:52.099 --> 00:22:57.059 slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. 00:22:57.940 --> 00:22:59.779 This is the special name of the Lord. 00:22:59.859 --> 00:23:00.799 And once you have that, 00:23:01.159 --> 00:23:02.079 memorize that verse 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:04.720 and then start to read your Old Testament over and over again, 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:05.460 you will see it. 00:23:05.639 --> 00:23:06.699 It's like a refrain. 00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:07.759 It's like a title. 00:23:07.919 --> 00:23:10.099 It's a descriptor over and over again 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:11.679 of what the God of the Bible, 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.000 who the God of the Bible is. 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:15.759 That He is gracious. 00:23:16.419 --> 00:23:20.220 And that He is one who invites us to return to Him. 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:27.399 One who will not forsake His people. 00:23:28.899 --> 00:23:30.659 So that's who we're returning to. 00:23:30.659 --> 00:23:31.980 How do we return? 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:34.379 There's all sorts of things that Joel tells us here. 00:23:34.500 --> 00:23:36.500 We're to return in repentance. 00:23:36.899 --> 00:23:39.299 That is, with fasting and weeping and mourning. 00:23:39.899 --> 00:23:42.399 Fasting meaning laying aside good gifts 00:23:42.399 --> 00:23:44.079 that God has given us for a season 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:47.960 so that we might want the giver more than the gifts 00:23:47.960 --> 00:23:50.500 so that our hunger for God would be greater 00:23:50.500 --> 00:23:52.359 than the hunger for the pleasures 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:54.139 and the blessings that He gives us. 00:23:54.659 --> 00:23:57.960 Weeping because we acknowledge our ongoing sinfulness 00:23:57.960 --> 00:23:59.779 in the way that our hearts are wayward. 00:23:59.779 --> 00:24:03.720 We're mourning because we have grieved the God who has saved us. 00:24:05.259 --> 00:24:10.319 We return in repentance because we need to be consistently repenting. 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:14.259 If we say we have no sin, we lie and the truth is not in us. 00:24:14.259 --> 00:24:17.419 But if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just 00:24:17.419 --> 00:24:21.439 to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:25.160 So we're meant to return in repentance. 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:28.680 We're meant to return with all of our heart, you see, in verse 12. 00:24:29.059 --> 00:24:30.779 This is why in verse 13 it says, 00:24:31.140 --> 00:24:32.720 rend your heart and not your garments. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:36.480 Repentance and turning to the Lord is not a formal action. 00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:39.880 Maybe coming to church would be a great step in it, 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:43.140 but God doesn't care if you're in the pew 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:46.380 or if you're on a live stream and your heart is far from Him. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:50.240 Rending your garments is what you do 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:53.940 when you recognize how terrible your grief is. 00:24:54.539 --> 00:24:56.120 It's an outward sign. 00:24:56.500 --> 00:24:57.100 And God says, 00:24:57.099 --> 00:25:00.980 I want the inward reality more than the outward sign. 00:25:02.919 --> 00:25:05.619 Not only is it in repentance and with all of our heart, 00:25:05.679 --> 00:25:06.599 but it's with humility. 00:25:06.779 --> 00:25:07.439 Verse 14, 00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:09.679 perhaps He will return. 00:25:09.799 --> 00:25:11.019 I don't think Joel is saying, 00:25:11.159 --> 00:25:13.519 oh, I don't know, we'll roll the dice and see what happens. 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:15.539 Joel is saying, 00:25:15.959 --> 00:25:19.319 we have no standing to demand that God would receive us. 00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:22.639 We have no standing before Him to say, 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:27.140 we deserve to be welcomed back. 00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:30.340 But because of His character, 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:34.200 because He is a gracious and loving God 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:35.400 who is merciful, 00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:39.180 we have great hope that He will receive us. 00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:43.820 Verse 15 and 16 talks about the urgency of this. 00:25:43.820 --> 00:25:45.320 This is for all people. 00:25:45.480 --> 00:25:46.480 No one is exempt. 00:25:46.660 --> 00:25:48.000 The old, the young, 00:25:48.420 --> 00:25:51.259 the nursing mothers and the nursing babies, 00:25:51.259 --> 00:25:53.640 even the brides and the bridegrooms, 00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:57.559 cancel your honeymoon and get to the temple, 00:25:58.819 --> 00:25:59.660 is the idea. 00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:02.259 Come to this solemn assembly, 00:26:02.259 --> 00:26:03.920 which is a special time, 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:07.379 not part of the regular patterns of worship, 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:09.180 a special time set aside 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:11.220 for the people of God to return 00:26:11.220 --> 00:26:14.379 and to renew their relationship with God. 00:26:16.619 --> 00:26:17.579 And finally, 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:18.700 in repentance, 00:26:19.059 --> 00:26:20.019 with all of our heart, 00:26:20.019 --> 00:26:20.740 with humility, 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:21.500 with urgency, 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:22.900 and in hope. 00:26:23.480 --> 00:26:24.680 Hope of restoration. 00:26:25.639 --> 00:26:26.599 Verse 15, 00:26:28.259 --> 00:26:28.619 no, 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:30.139 verse 14 talks about 00:26:30.139 --> 00:26:32.019 who knows whether He will relent 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:34.099 and leave a blessing behind Him, 00:26:34.119 --> 00:26:35.859 a grain offering and a drink offering 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:37.099 for the Lord your God. 00:26:37.859 --> 00:26:39.200 Pastor Nick pointed out last week 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:41.420 that the part of the effect of the locust plague 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:43.599 is that when you wipe out all the grain 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:45.440 and wipe out all the vineyards, 00:26:45.639 --> 00:26:48.879 there's no wine to bring as a drink offering. 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:50.680 There's no grain to bring 00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:52.740 as a grain offering to the Lord. 00:26:53.360 --> 00:26:55.020 And so their worship of the Lord 00:26:55.020 --> 00:26:57.940 was disrupted by this tragedy. 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:02.440 But the hope is that as we turn to Him, 00:27:02.820 --> 00:27:03.980 He will restore. 00:27:05.100 --> 00:27:07.500 He will restore our lives. 00:27:07.800 --> 00:27:08.940 And most importantly, 00:27:09.020 --> 00:27:11.500 He will restore our worship of Him. 00:27:11.500 --> 00:27:18.460 And this leads us to the last verse 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:19.119 in this section, 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:20.319 verse 17. 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:25.500 We're returning to a merciful God. 00:27:25.579 --> 00:27:27.299 We're returning in all of these ways. 00:27:27.400 --> 00:27:28.680 What are we returning for? 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:32.500 We're returning so that we might worship God. 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:35.779 And it's not just for His own people. 00:27:35.779 --> 00:27:38.519 Clearly, for those of us in the church, 00:27:39.639 --> 00:27:42.099 the wake-up call and the warning of what is to come 00:27:42.099 --> 00:27:43.579 is meant to return us 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:45.440 who have been a part of His church, 00:27:45.539 --> 00:27:47.619 who have heard the message of the gospel. 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:49.819 But it is more than that 00:27:49.819 --> 00:27:51.680 because God's desire has always been 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:53.160 for Him to display His glory 00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:54.639 to the ends of the earth 00:27:54.639 --> 00:27:56.379 so that all people would know 00:27:56.379 --> 00:27:58.480 His greatness and His mercy 00:27:58.480 --> 00:27:59.940 and His love and His justice. 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:03.580 So verse 17 says, 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:06.160 God, would you do this 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:08.000 so that your people 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:10.259 in being restored and drawn to you 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:12.460 would be a witness to the world 00:28:12.460 --> 00:28:13.820 and that nations, 00:28:14.059 --> 00:28:16.100 the nations who have stood against you, 00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:17.559 the nations that have rejected you, 00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:19.240 the nations that have not known you 00:28:19.240 --> 00:28:21.080 would turn to you 00:28:21.080 --> 00:28:23.960 and see that you are a great God 00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:25.200 above all gods. 00:28:29.940 --> 00:28:33.880 The summons to return to the Lord 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:38.519 is to return to all of this sweetness 00:28:38.519 --> 00:28:41.740 of knowing that we are gods 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:44.740 and that we will be with Him forever. 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:49.279 It is the joy of knowing 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:51.100 that we will be a part of His kingdom. 00:28:53.019 --> 00:28:54.299 How do we respond? 00:28:55.620 --> 00:28:57.420 How do we respond to this 00:28:57.420 --> 00:28:59.860 coming day of the Lord 00:28:59.860 --> 00:29:00.900 and this invitation? 00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:04.940 For those of you 00:29:04.940 --> 00:29:07.539 who are believers in Christ, 00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:08.360 for those of you 00:29:08.360 --> 00:29:11.080 who have placed your faith 00:29:11.080 --> 00:29:11.759 would say, 00:29:11.900 --> 00:29:12.580 I am a Christian. 00:29:13.460 --> 00:29:15.360 We must ask ourselves the questions, 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:17.580 what do we need to turn from? 00:29:18.600 --> 00:29:20.600 Where do we need to return to the Lord? 00:29:20.680 --> 00:29:22.120 Are we wholeheartedly pursuing 00:29:22.120 --> 00:29:24.759 a life fully for God? 00:29:24.759 --> 00:29:28.900 Are we tolerating sin or compromise 00:29:28.900 --> 00:29:32.379 knowingly and willfully in our lives? 00:29:32.539 --> 00:29:35.099 Are we complacent with lukewarmness 00:29:35.099 --> 00:29:36.940 in our hearts? 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:40.720 Do we live in name for Christ 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:42.359 but in fact for ourselves? 00:29:43.619 --> 00:29:45.539 Do we invest our time, 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:47.039 our money, 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:48.920 our love, 00:29:49.700 --> 00:29:50.579 our talents 00:29:50.579 --> 00:29:52.259 for God 00:29:52.259 --> 00:29:54.939 or for our own 00:29:54.939 --> 00:29:55.559 pleasure, 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:56.539 advancement, 00:29:57.539 --> 00:29:58.599 success, 00:29:59.299 --> 00:29:59.919 or pleasure? 00:30:01.799 --> 00:30:03.079 Do we treasure 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:04.319 worshiping God 00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:05.720 above all things? 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:09.119 These are the questions 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:09.679 that we 00:30:09.679 --> 00:30:11.099 as God's people 00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:11.899 need to ask. 00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:13.559 But maybe some of you 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:14.439 are here this morning 00:30:14.439 --> 00:30:17.480 and you're asking yourselves, 00:30:17.480 --> 00:30:21.299 I don't know this God yet. 00:30:22.839 --> 00:30:24.259 There is a call here 00:30:24.259 --> 00:30:25.160 and an invitation. 00:30:26.039 --> 00:30:26.440 Turn. 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:28.680 Turn before it's too late 00:30:28.680 --> 00:30:30.940 because the day of the Lord 00:30:30.940 --> 00:30:33.339 will be a fearsome thing 00:30:33.339 --> 00:30:35.460 for those who are outside of Christ. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:37.240 And that doesn't make those of us 00:30:37.240 --> 00:30:38.579 who are inside of Christ better. 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.200 It simply means that we have seen our need 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:43.440 and run to Christ for salvation 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:44.839 because in Christ 00:30:44.839 --> 00:30:46.259 is everything that we need 00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:47.059 to be prepared 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:48.259 for that day. 00:30:49.759 --> 00:30:50.619 Because you see, 00:30:51.099 --> 00:30:51.939 Jesus came 00:30:51.939 --> 00:30:52.539 and He left 00:30:52.539 --> 00:30:53.859 the glories of heaven 00:30:53.859 --> 00:30:54.459 to come 00:30:54.459 --> 00:30:55.659 and walk with us 00:30:55.659 --> 00:30:56.959 on this earth. 00:30:58.220 --> 00:30:59.939 And on the day of His death, 00:31:00.339 --> 00:31:00.959 the darkness 00:31:00.959 --> 00:31:02.079 and the gloom 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:03.500 descended on the world 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:05.139 according to the Scriptures. 00:31:06.399 --> 00:31:07.859 For three hours, 00:31:08.039 --> 00:31:09.459 the world turned dark 00:31:09.459 --> 00:31:11.299 as Jesus hung on the cross 00:31:11.299 --> 00:31:13.199 bearing our sin. 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:15.080 and the judgment 00:31:15.080 --> 00:31:16.259 and the wrath 00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:17.319 and the relentlessness 00:31:17.319 --> 00:31:18.580 and the devastation 00:31:18.580 --> 00:31:19.779 and all of the pictures 00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:20.759 of the day of the Lord 00:31:20.759 --> 00:31:22.200 were rained down 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:23.360 on the Son of God 00:31:23.360 --> 00:31:24.559 as He hung on the cross 00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:27.259 for us 00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:29.860 in our place. 00:31:32.180 --> 00:31:33.680 So that when we, 00:31:33.920 --> 00:31:34.740 by faith, 00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:37.960 wholly trust in Him 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:39.279 and run to Him 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:40.440 to be our refuge, 00:31:40.740 --> 00:31:42.259 He becomes our covering. 00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:45.900 And the threat 00:31:45.900 --> 00:31:46.779 of that wrath 00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:47.920 falling upon us 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:48.879 is taken away 00:31:48.879 --> 00:31:50.059 because we know 00:31:50.059 --> 00:31:51.859 it has already been taken 00:31:51.859 --> 00:31:53.379 by Jesus. 00:31:57.099 --> 00:31:58.619 So the invitation is, 00:31:58.740 --> 00:31:59.339 will you turn? 00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:00.940 Will you turn 00:32:00.940 --> 00:32:01.960 from your own 00:32:01.960 --> 00:32:05.059 self-salvation projects? 00:32:05.859 --> 00:32:07.400 My life will be saved 00:32:07.400 --> 00:32:08.700 because I am successful 00:32:08.700 --> 00:32:09.599 in these things. 00:32:09.599 --> 00:32:11.139 Will you turn 00:32:11.139 --> 00:32:11.839 from trusting 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:12.619 in yourself, 00:32:12.879 --> 00:32:14.059 your own goodness, 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:15.079 your own righteousness? 00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:17.419 Will you turn 00:32:17.419 --> 00:32:18.039 to Jesus 00:32:18.039 --> 00:32:20.419 who is the only hope 00:32:20.419 --> 00:32:21.799 and place your faith 00:32:21.799 --> 00:32:22.219 in Him? 00:32:25.219 --> 00:32:26.439 This is the invitation 00:32:26.439 --> 00:32:27.199 for us 00:32:27.199 --> 00:32:28.299 today. 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:30.719 Let's pray. 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:33.500 Lord, we thank you 00:32:33.500 --> 00:32:34.360 for this time. 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:35.779 We thank you 00:32:35.779 --> 00:32:36.519 for this word. 00:32:38.420 --> 00:32:39.380 Lord, we thank you 00:32:39.380 --> 00:32:41.039 for the hope, 00:32:42.200 --> 00:32:42.779 Lord, that though 00:32:42.779 --> 00:32:43.980 our sin is great 00:32:43.980 --> 00:32:44.700 and deserving 00:32:44.700 --> 00:32:45.339 of judgment, 00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:47.680 Lord, your salvation 00:32:47.680 --> 00:32:48.380 is greater 00:32:48.380 --> 00:32:50.700 and your mercy 00:32:50.700 --> 00:32:51.440 is more. 00:32:53.380 --> 00:32:54.460 Lord, that in Jesus 00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:55.759 we can find a place 00:32:55.759 --> 00:32:57.259 of safety 00:32:57.259 --> 00:32:58.440 and refuge 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:02.279 even in the day 00:33:02.279 --> 00:33:03.299 that is to come. 00:33:05.099 --> 00:33:05.839 Lord, I pray 00:33:05.839 --> 00:33:06.400 for your work 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:07.039 in our hearts 00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:07.900 as we continue 00:33:07.900 --> 00:33:09.379 in our service. 00:33:11.279 --> 00:33:12.259 Lord, show us 00:33:12.259 --> 00:33:12.839 where we need 00:33:12.839 --> 00:33:13.819 to turn away 00:33:13.819 --> 00:33:14.720 from other things 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:16.359 and turn toward you. 00:33:18.200 --> 00:33:19.039 We pray this 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:19.759 in Jesus' name. 00:33:20.619 --> 00:33:20.879 Amen. 00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:26.020 So, as we end 00:33:26.020 --> 00:33:26.980 our service this morning 00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:28.000 we're going to celebrate 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:29.300 the Lord's Supper. 00:33:30.080 --> 00:33:30.820 Those of you 00:33:30.820 --> 00:33:31.620 who are at home, 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:33.420 if you have not gathered, 00:33:33.560 --> 00:33:34.340 this would be a time 00:33:34.340 --> 00:33:36.240 to go and gather elements 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:37.460 to do this. 00:33:38.840 --> 00:33:39.920 As we do this, 00:33:40.060 --> 00:33:41.820 we come to the very place 00:33:41.820 --> 00:33:42.680 where we celebrate 00:33:42.680 --> 00:33:43.540 this thing, 00:33:44.020 --> 00:33:45.420 this thing that we 00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:46.540 have just talked about, 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:47.520 that what God 00:33:47.520 --> 00:33:48.280 has done for us 00:33:48.280 --> 00:33:48.880 in Jesus, 00:33:49.760 --> 00:33:50.860 His death on the cross 00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:51.740 for our sins, 00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:52.500 His resurrection 00:33:52.500 --> 00:33:53.259 from the dead 00:33:53.259 --> 00:33:54.679 for our eternal life. 00:33:55.740 --> 00:33:56.419 The cross 00:33:56.419 --> 00:33:57.240 is a place 00:33:57.240 --> 00:33:58.279 where justice 00:33:58.279 --> 00:33:59.279 and mercy meet 00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:00.059 and it is what 00:34:00.059 --> 00:34:00.740 we celebrate 00:34:00.740 --> 00:34:01.799 as we come 00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:02.419 to a table 00:34:02.419 --> 00:34:03.179 to celebrate 00:34:03.179 --> 00:34:04.240 the Lord's Supper 00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:04.779 together. 00:34:06.519 --> 00:34:07.339 As we come 00:34:07.339 --> 00:34:07.939 to this table, 00:34:08.039 --> 00:34:08.559 we're going to sing 00:34:08.559 --> 00:34:09.259 a great hymn, 00:34:09.400 --> 00:34:10.659 It Is Well With My Soul. 00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:13.000 And we're singing 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:13.420 this hymn 00:34:13.420 --> 00:34:14.400 because the story 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:15.000 of it fits 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:15.739 with the story 00:34:15.739 --> 00:34:16.299 of Joel 00:34:16.299 --> 00:34:18.019 and the pattern 00:34:18.019 --> 00:34:18.299 of it. 00:34:18.339 --> 00:34:19.279 The man who wrote it 00:34:19.279 --> 00:34:20.679 suffered great calamities 00:34:20.679 --> 00:34:21.899 of the Chicago fire 00:34:21.899 --> 00:34:22.679 of 1871, 00:34:23.819 --> 00:34:24.419 a destruction 00:34:24.419 --> 00:34:25.859 of all of his fortunes 00:34:25.859 --> 00:34:27.039 and then the loss 00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:28.079 of all of his children 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:30.079 and a tragic sinking 00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:31.480 of a transatlantic boat. 00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:34.399 And as he followed 00:34:34.399 --> 00:34:36.079 his cross 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:37.339 to meet his wife 00:34:37.339 --> 00:34:37.899 in Europe, 00:34:38.319 --> 00:34:39.759 he wrote this song. 00:34:40.899 --> 00:34:41.819 It is a song 00:34:41.819 --> 00:34:42.579 that recognizes 00:34:42.579 --> 00:34:43.919 the grief and loss 00:34:43.919 --> 00:34:45.119 of devastation 00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:45.879 and calamities. 00:34:45.880 --> 00:34:47.099 It is a song 00:34:47.099 --> 00:34:47.860 that calls us 00:34:47.860 --> 00:34:48.800 to the cross 00:34:48.800 --> 00:34:50.579 recognizing that 00:34:50.579 --> 00:34:52.680 the present moments 00:34:52.680 --> 00:34:53.280 of sorrow 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:54.500 that we experience 00:34:54.500 --> 00:34:57.220 are foretaste 00:34:57.220 --> 00:34:58.680 of a greater sorrow 00:34:58.680 --> 00:34:59.579 that we would have 00:34:59.579 --> 00:35:00.640 outside of Christ 00:35:00.640 --> 00:35:01.920 but that because 00:35:01.920 --> 00:35:02.519 of Christ 00:35:02.519 --> 00:35:04.039 we can have hope. 00:35:06.640 --> 00:35:07.740 And then at the end, 00:35:07.840 --> 00:35:08.340 and I want you 00:35:08.340 --> 00:35:09.099 to listen carefully 00:35:09.099 --> 00:35:09.860 when we sing this 00:35:09.860 --> 00:35:10.380 at the end, 00:35:10.380 --> 00:35:13.619 Lord haste the day 00:35:13.619 --> 00:35:14.480 when my face 00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:15.220 shall be sight, 00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:16.700 the clouds be rolled 00:35:16.700 --> 00:35:17.860 back as a scroll. 00:35:19.500 --> 00:35:20.400 The trump 00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:21.320 shall resound 00:35:21.320 --> 00:35:21.940 and the Lord 00:35:21.940 --> 00:35:22.760 shall descend. 00:35:23.099 --> 00:35:23.840 And I always thought, 00:35:23.940 --> 00:35:24.980 man, this is the high point, 00:35:25.059 --> 00:35:25.720 this is great. 00:35:26.119 --> 00:35:27.000 But then he says, 00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:28.340 even so, 00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:29.559 it is well 00:35:29.559 --> 00:35:31.000 with my soul. 00:35:32.599 --> 00:35:33.660 Even so, 00:35:34.019 --> 00:35:35.240 because that day 00:35:35.240 --> 00:35:35.920 when the trump 00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:36.420 resounds 00:35:36.420 --> 00:35:36.920 and the Lord 00:35:36.920 --> 00:35:37.579 descends 00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:39.599 is both a fearsome 00:35:39.599 --> 00:35:41.259 and a glorious moment. 00:35:44.380 --> 00:35:45.179 But as we come 00:35:45.179 --> 00:35:45.719 to the table, 00:35:45.860 --> 00:35:46.380 we remember 00:35:46.380 --> 00:35:48.059 how we can see 00:35:48.059 --> 00:35:48.599 it as both 00:35:48.599 --> 00:35:50.000 because the fearsome 00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:50.659 part has been 00:35:50.659 --> 00:35:51.440 taken on Jesus 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:52.079 for us 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:53.239 so that the glory 00:35:53.239 --> 00:35:54.159 can be ours. 00:35:55.179 --> 00:35:55.860 So we're going 00:35:55.860 --> 00:35:56.219 to sing 00:35:56.219 --> 00:35:56.900 in preparation 00:35:56.900 --> 00:35:58.860 to celebrate 00:35:58.860 --> 00:35:59.539 the Lord's Supper 00:35:59.539 --> 00:36:00.319 and then we'll 00:36:00.319 --> 00:36:01.960 observe together.