Have you ever become aware of a problem and put off taking care of it? A couple months ago, I noticed some significant corrosion at the top of our water heater where the cold-water line comes in. I kept thinking I should get this checked out but delayed doing so. I’d look at the problem every week or so but still didn’t do anything about it because I knew it would be a hassle and probably more expensive than I wanted to pay. Finally, after visions of a burst water heater began appearing in my dreams, I called a professional to come and look at it.
When I met him at the door, I prepped him for what he was going to see and asked him not to laugh at me for putting it off so long. He told me he’s seen almost everything and promised he wouldn’t laugh. When we went downstairs, I showed him the issue. He got out his flashlight and took a closer look. I held my breath and he remained stoic. Then, he lost it and started laughing so hard his shoulders were heaving. I guess I should show you what he was laughing at.
After composing himself, he recommended a course of action to resolve the problem. He explained that a slow leak had caused considerable corrosion and weakened the fitting.
Do you have a slow leak in your life? Has sin been causing some corrosion in your soul? Have you been putting off what you know you need to do because you’re afraid it will cost you something?
This summer, we’ve been studying biblical concepts which begin with “RE.” Last weekend, we defined repentance this way: Turning from sin to the Savior, resulting in a change of attitude, affection, and action. Repentance involves both a turning away from sin and a returning to the Savior. While we never know how the Holy Spirit uses a sermon, I sensed many were softened by the Holy Spirit. Several have reached out to say they were saved or have surrendered again to the Lord.
Our topic today is “return.” In one sense, it’s a follow-up to the sermon last weekend. To “return” implies physical movement and means, “to turn, to go back and do again; to turn from evil by turning to the good.” It was also used in the Bible to refer to returning home.
Speaking of returning, let’s return to the prophet Joel, a book we studied in late May. One of the recurring themes in the book is the call to repent in light of the devastation caused by locusts, which were both real and representative of future judgment. Joel is the first prophet to develop the apocalyptic event referred to as the “Day of the Lord.”
The context of our text is the devastation caused by the locusts and the coming destruction triggered by the Day of the Lord. Because of how His people were living, God disciplined them by sending locusts and the promise of future judgment as we saw in Joel 1:15: “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes…let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the Day of the Lord is coming; it is near.”
Now turn to Joel 2:1: “Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness!” Trumpets were blown from towers to announce an attack, much like a modern air raid siren.
Drop down to Joel 2:11: “The LORD utters His voice before His army, for His camp is exceedingly great; He who executes His word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?”
The Day of the Lord will have its ultimate fulfillment during the Great Tribulation, an event you don’t want to be around for. Listen to this description of what the conquering Christ will do according to Revelation 19:15: “From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” The plague of locusts was severe, but the Day of the Lord will be horrific for those who are not saved. Malachi 3:2 says, “But who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?”
I’m thrilled Edgewood will be hosting a prophecy conference called, “Living Now in Light of Forever” on September 16-18. The purpose of biblical prophecy is far more than just knowing the main events of the future, it is to teach us how we should live now in the light of forever. Dr. Ray Pritchard will be preaching that weekend and Dr. Michael Rydelnik will be speaking Friday night and live hosting Moody Radio’s Open Line Saturday morning from our Worship Center. Levi Hazen, Gerad Hall, Jason Crosby, and I will also be speaking. We had some issues with our registration software, but it should be fixed soon.
Here’s our main idea for the message: Because Jesus will return one day, we must return to Him today.
We begin with how we’re to return to the Lord.
1. Be contrite. Turn to Joel 2:12-13a: “‘Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.’”
The word “yet” tells us it’s not too late to return right now. In the midst of looming judgment, we have a window in which to return before catastrophe strikes. The idea is we’re to do so immediately and without delay. 2 Corinthians 6:2: “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Listen to the urgency behind Acts 17:30: “But now, He commands all people everywhere to repent.”
The time to return to the Lord is always now. Even now, when things are falling apart, God longs for us to return to Him. We see a similar appeal in Hosea 6:1: “Come, let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up.”
Ultimately, God’s retribution is meant to be redemptive. Notice this appeal comes directly from the “LORD,” which is the name Yahweh, the self-existent, covenant-keeping God. The one who has preexistence is also personally present with us. He has existed in eternity past, and He is present in the present. Revelation 11:17 says, “We give thanks to you, LORD God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.”
We’re to demonstrate five traits when we return to Him.
• With our whole heart. Our return must begin internally as we’re called to engage with our entire heart. Lamentations 3:40: “Let us test and examine our ways and return to the Lord.” We’re to do a personal inventory and come back wholeheartedly, not half-heartedly. Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
• With fasting. The purpose of fasting is to deny the flesh, not just of food, but of all cravings. The idea behind fasting is to starve the junk out, to spiritually detoxify so we can hunger and thirst for righteousness. I appreciated this insight: “The purpose of fasting should be to take your eyes off the things of this world to focus completely on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God, and to ourselves, that we are serious about our relationship with Him.”
• With weeping. When we come face to face with our transgressions, it should lead to tears of repentance according to 2 Corinthians 7:10: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
• With mourning. This is the word for “wailing and lamenting.” The Baouli people of West Africa describe returning to the Lord this way, “When it hurts so much, I want to quit it.”
• With a torn heart. To “rend” means, “to tear or rip apart.” The rending of garments was to represent the broken heart of the mourner and was an expression of uncontrollable grief, terror, or horror. It was common for people to wear sackcloth so the rough fibers would cause chaffing and open sores, to smear ashes on their heads, and to tear their garments as a demonstration of their torn hearts.
While these outward acts initially were a demonstration of an inward reality, they had turned into meaningless rituals for many. According to Psalm 51:17, God wants us to be broken and contrite: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
John Newton, who wrote “Amazing Grace,” often said, “My grand point in preaching is to break the hard heart, and to heal the broken one.” Another pastor put it like this: “The goal of preaching is to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable.” I hope both of those things are happening right now.
Because Jesus will return one day, we must return to Him today.
First, we must be contrite. Secondly, we’re called to believe God’s character.
2. Believe God’s character. Verse 13 answers why we can return: “Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.” The word “your” refers to personal possession, indicating belonging. The phrase “Lord your God” is used to speak of a right relationship with Him. Aren’t you glad God is both powerful and personal?
Let’s go back to the time Moses was up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Because he was gone for a long time, the people became restless and asked Aaron to make some gods to go before them. Aaron caved and made a golden calf. This lit God up, so He told Moses He was going to consume them in righteous wrath. Moses immediately interceded for the people, asking God to turn from His burning anger and relent from the disaster He had planned.
When Moses went down and saw the calf and God’s people dancing before it, his anger burned hot, so he threw the stone tablets on the ground, breaking them into pieces. He burned the calf with fire, ground it to powder, scattered the ashes in water, and made the people drink it. Then He called them to choose to follow the Lord. Because of their spiritual corrosion, many persisted in rebellion and were consumed by a deadly plague.
Before leaving Sinai, Moses longed for a fresh glimpse of God’s glory. Listen to how God responded in Exodus 33:19: “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’” Did you catch that? God’s glory is connected to His goodness.
After making some new tablets of stone, the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with Moses and “proclaimed the name of the Lord.” I’m sure Moses was shaking in his sandals as he prepared himself for a revelation of God’s awesome holiness.
Listen to how God reveals Himself in Exodus 34:6, “The LORD, the LORD [Yahweh! Yahweh!] …” That would have gotten Moses’ attention. Then, the Lord spells out the meaning of His name in words whose sweetness has never been surpassed: “… a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”
I’ve been helped in my understanding of this encounter with the Almighty from the book, Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund.
“When we speak of God’s glory, we are speaking of who God is, what He is like, His distinctive resplendence…our deepest instincts expect Him to be thundering, gavel swinging, judgment relishing…and then Exodus 34 taps us on the shoulder and stops us in our tracks. The bent of God’s heart is mercy…the first two words to describe who He is are ‘merciful’ and ‘gracious.’”
This self-description from God in Exodus 34 is quoted in Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8, and here in Joel 2:13. Listen again to the appeal from the Almighty: “Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.”
Warren Wiersbe writes, “The one thing that encourages us to repent and return to the Lord is the character of God.” We’re urged to return for five reasons, all tied to His compassionate character.
• He is gracious. This word means, “the bestowal of unmerited favor by a superior on a needy inferior.” It’s used only of God. The idea here is God is always gracious. I like what Elisabeth Elliot once said, “No sin is great enough to drain dry the ocean of God’s grace.”
• He is merciful. Mercy means not getting what we deserve. This word is also translated as compassionate forgiveness. The Hebrew is derived from a root word, referring to the womb, indicating the strong feelings a mother has for a child. Ortlund writes, “It means His mercy is not calculating and cautious, like ours. It is unrestrained, flood-like, sweeping, magnanimous.”
• He is slow to anger. This is a Hebrew idiom literally translated as “long of nostrils.” The idea is God has a “long fuse,” so people have ample opportunity to repent and return. Psalm 78:38: “Yet He, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; He restrained His anger often and did not stir up all His wrath.” One commentator said it well, “God is always more willing to bless than to blast, to pardon than to punish, to win by love than to wound by lashing.”
• He abounds in steadfast love. The word “abound” refers to “great intensity and abundance.” We’re called to return to God because He has an overflowing amount of love for His people. The phrase, “steadfast love” speaks of God’s loyal covenant love and refers to His unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy. To get this truth into our heads and hearts, we find the refrain, “for his steadfast love endures forever” 26 times in Psalm 136. God’s steadfast love is not only abounding, but also infinite and inexhaustible as we see in Lamentations 3:22: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.”
• He relents over disaster. The word “relent” means, “to take pity.” This goes back to the situation with the golden calf in Exodus 32:14: “And the LORD relented from the disaster that He had spoken of bringing on His people.”
Let’s consider another quote from Ortlund:
“The Christian life, from one angle, is the long journey of letting our natural assumptions about who God is, over many decades, fall away, being slowly replaced with God’s own insistence on who He is. This is hard work. It takes a lot of sermons and a lot of suffering to believe that God’s deepest heart is ‘merciful and gracious, slow to anger.’”
Because Jesus will return one day, we must return to Him today.
2 Peter 3:9-10 brings the truths of God’s character and our need to be contrite together. Here we see His patience and His power, His mercy and His judgment. God is slow to be angry, but His patience is on the clock because the Day of the Lord is coming soon: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
Like two beams of the cross, we’ve considered two truths which must be held together:
1. Because of God’s coming retribution, we must be contrite and return to Him. Matthew 24:44: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Because Jesus will return one day, we must return to Him today.
2. Because God is relational, we must believe His character and return to Him. Romans 2:4: “Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
We’re called to be contrite and to believe God’s character. The Cross is the place where justice and mercy meet. Listen to Psalm 85:10 in the KJV: “Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”
It’s been a minute since I became an expert on water heaters. I never knew water heaters have something called a “sacrificial anode rod” in them. This rod is designed to sacrifice itself. The idea is the contaminants attack the “sacrificial anode” instead of eating away at the water heater itself.
Isn’t it interesting it’s called a “sacrificial” anode rod? In a similar, but much deeper way, Jesus has absorbed the corrosive qualities of our repugnant rebellion when the sins of the entire world were placed upon Him as our sacrificial substitute on the cross.
Returning to the Lord
Communion is a time for us to return to Him as we remember His life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the quickly coming Day of the Lord. We practice open communion at Edgewood, meaning you don’t need to be a member to participate but you do need to be a born-again believer. The Bible tells us to take time to examine ourselves before taking the bread and the cup. Let’s do that now.
We’re returning to having our leaders distribute the elements by passing them down each row [those who are serving can come up now]. When the tray comes to you, simply lift a cup straight out. You’ll notice there are two cups stacked together. Simply pull them out and give a little twist and hold one in each hand until everyone is served so we can partake together. BTW, all the bread is gluten free, and we use grape juice instead of wine. There are some pre-packaged elements in the middle of the tray if you prefer those, though they are not gluten-free.
Distribution of Elements
Before we take the bread, listen to these words from 1 Corinthians 11:23-24: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, He broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”
Before we drink from the cup, consider these words from 1 Corinthians 11:25-26: “In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
