The Day of the Lord

Joel 

When I was in high school, I had a teacher named Mr. Buckly who was infamous for giving pop quizzes. At the start of the year, he warned us that these quizzes would come without notice to keep us accountable for reading the assigned material. The questions were never difficult if you had done the reading. But if you weren’t prepared, you were almost guaranteed to fail.

Mr. Buckly was firm but fair. Some students appreciated his style; others dreaded his class. To head off complaints, he had a large poster at the front of the room that simply read: “No Whining!” As you can imagine, not everyone appreciated his exacting standards. But over time even his critics came to realize he was preparing us well.

The Day of the Lord, as described in Joel 3, is not unlike one of Mr. Buckly’s pop quizzes. It will come suddenly. It will expose who is prepared and who is not. And it will be both firm and fair. For this will be the day when God judges the nations with righteousness and vindicates His people. Some will rejoice. Others will be filled with dread. But no one will be able to claim innocence.

Joel’s prophecy isn’t meant to frighten us into despair but rather to prepare His people for that great and terrible day by calling us to take God seriously, to trust His promises, and to live in light of His justice. And what we will see is that if we would be prepared for that soon and coming day we must trust in the salvation of Christ alone.To come prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and to meditate upon Joel 3:1-21, Psalm 18, Isaiah 13:6-11, Matthew 24:29-25:46, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, and Westminster Confession of Faith 33.

As we gather to worship our loving Father this Lord’s Day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “Holy, Holy, Holy.” the Acclamation of Praise “In Christ Alone” and the Hymn of Response “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him! 

Sermon Information

Text: Joel 3:1-21 

Title: The Day of the Lord 

Outline: 

1. The Day of the Lord is Personal
2. The Day of the Lord is Just
3. The Day of the Lord is Inescapable
4. The Day of the Lord is Sudden
5. The Day of the Lord is Cataclysmic
6. The Day of the Lord is Salvific
7. The Day of the Lord is Renewing

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