In this series, we’re going to focus on why and how we can trust Scripture to be reliable and trustworthy. We’ll examine what Scripture says about itself, but today, we’re going to begin by looking at the God of Scripture. Our goal in this series is not to get more information but to learn about what Christians through the ages have believed about God and His word!
Joel 3 reads like an earth-shaking, soul-rattling thunderstorm that gives way to great comfort in the coolness of the morning. The vision of God and His judgement shakes our soul more than any thunder has shaken our souls, but in the midst of this terrible judgement, we see a beautiful picture of salvation unlike any other – salvation that springs up a deep wealth of peace and restedness more satisfying than sleeping in on a rainy morning.
In this short series on the book of Joel, we have learnt what it means to lament: what it means to cry out to God in our times of sorrow and pain; what it means to turn from sin in genuine repentance.
Now, we want to consider Joel 2:28-32. Specifically, in these few verses: we want to examine this theme of the “Day of the Lord”. What is this great and awesome day of the Lord? What will happen, on this great and awesome day? From Joel 2: 28-32, we learn of some awesome and wondrous promises of God, a God who promises that He will pour out His spirit on His people, even in the midst of chaos and calamity. How do we understand these wondrous promises, and what do they mean for us? We will attempt to answer these questions, in this study.
How are God’s people to respond to calamity? Joel 2 helps us see that one way is to turn back to Him in repentance. But how do we do so? And why should we do so?
God uses different means to confront us in our lives. I think that it is true that God meets us where we are. In our passage today of Joel, God confronts his people with a word of warning through his prophet Joel. As we read through this passage, it’s a big-time warning, not just a gentle reminder. Joel warns about a day of the Lord, about a day of confrontation that is near.
Two kinds of Prophets form a major portion of the Old Testament – the four Major Prophets (so called because they are long books) and the 12 Minor Prophets (so called because they are short books). Joel is one of the Minor Prophets.
Written after the exile of the Israelites in Babylon, what does this short book hold for us today?
As we come to a new series in Joel, we must recognize that we study God’s Word in tumultuous times. It is therefore fitting for us to start on a new study on the book of Joel which deals with calamity and crisis, allowing us to understand why disaster may happen in the life of God’s people. And in our studies, we pray that we may be comforted and strengthened, as we consider how God’s people should respond in a time of crisis and calamity?
What would you call “glorious”? Some of us would think of creation (e.g. mountains, sunset and sunrise) or architectural wonders (e.g. Sydney Opera House. Others might associate with food or skills, or think of sports teams or the title “GOAT” attributed to sports persons.
But what does is mean in this Psalm? How is God glorious?
In this Psalm, the psalmist cries out to God and focuses on His unchanging nature. How does this attribute of God serve as his encouragement?
We live in a broken world and we often have to choose between imperfect options. Often, many of our options involve some form of loss. So in these situations, what we need most if wisdom to pursue the course of action that would be most honoring to God and to all the stakeholders involved. In God’s grace, He helps us choose Him and choose the things that glorify Him the most.
In each situation, there are two kinds of wisdom at play – firstly, the wisdom of God and secondly, the wisdom that God’s people strive towards. This study of Psalm 104 will focus on the first kind of wisdom. We hope that in such a time as this, God’s revelation of Himself in His Word will be a source of hope and encouragement to all of us as we come to it together.
Psalm 104 is a creation psalm. It shows us the wisdom of God as it is seen throughout creation.
God’s silence is a perturbing matter. In philosophy of religion, it is often cited as evidence that God does not really exist, or at the very least, He does not seem to want to make Himself known. After all, if He really wanted to reveal Himself to us, couldn’t He simply appear to everyone? Or at least speak directly to each individual in an unmistakable act of communication?
As we study Psalm 51, we can rejoice over the sea of God’s mercy. This is a Psalm of confession and repentance by Israel’s great king, and as we read this psalm, we see also the God that he addresses this psalm to.
Psalm 33 highlights the strength and the might of God, or the power of God. Before we go on, let’s take note of the literary structure. Psalm 33 has a chaistic structure, which is a mirrored setup (ABCDCBA) and the goal is to bring the readers to the centre of the structure.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led us to feel new levels of anxiety and fear we didn’t know we could feel. People have been pushed out of the security of knowing what will happen next to not knowing what will happen. Knowing God makes all the difference in a situation like this. If we find ourselves wrestling and poring over Scripture to ask, “is this true?”, that’s how we fight for faith. But if we stare at Netflix and the news and our immediate circumstances and not wrestling with who God is or what He desires then in normal times you won’t be much better. We’re being forced to confront what we really believe. We’ll see God as more mighty and glorious and beautiful than we’ve ever seen Him.
This is the last study in our Lent series, and we will be taking a look at the appearances of Jesus to His disciples following His resurrection.
This is the second study in out Lent series. As we read the passage today, let us keep in mind that this text is written so that we may believe in Christ. It has been written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that we may have life in his name!
In this season of Lent, we will be working through the final chapters of John’s gospel, looking at the events before, during and after Jesus’ death. The first verse of John 19 takes us straight into the events that take place just before Jesus is crucified, as Pilate took Jesus and flogged him (John 19:1).
In this study, we come to the last few verses of the book of Exodus. We can compare this to an epic: one of those long, fantasy stories that stretch for multiple books, like The Lord of the Rings series. Like an epic, the story of Exodus has a scale of the story that eclipses our individual lives, revealing more and more what God is doing in this world.
That’s an important point for us to remember, when we consider the final verses of Exodus. So often, we tend to think that our own lives are the measure by which we see the world. God sees so much more than we do, and in Exodus, He wants to remind us that our lives are not just our own, but we are part of a larger narrative.
As we near the end of our study in Exodus, we come also to the point where the construction of the Tabernacle nears its end.
Through the book of Exodus so far, we’ve seen God rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exo 1-12) and lead them through the wilderness and the Red Sea to the foot of Mt Sinai (Exo 13-19). They were no longer slaves; they were free. Their identity had changed – from slaves to a people belonging to the LORD. But what did that mean? Who were they now, and what would they do with this freedom?
Speaking to Moses on Mt Sinai, God gave the Israelites a pattern for constructing the tabernacle and the priestly garments (Exo 25:9). Eventually, they would bring these with them and settle in the Promised Land. In Exo 39:33-43, they had just finished building the tabernacle and have yet to continue their journey.
