Yet Even Now, Return to Me

February 22, 2026 · Joel

Series · Joel · Week 1 of 4

Scripture referenced 7 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Revelation 22 invitation to worship: 'Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.'

1 He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
6 He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show to his bondservants the things which must happen soon.”
7 “Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 Now I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me these things.
9 He said to me, “See you don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 He said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.
11 He who acts unjustly, let him act unjustly still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him do righteousness still. He who is holy, let him be holy still.”
12 “Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city.
15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” He who hears, let him say, “Come!” He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, may God add to him the plagues which are written in this book.
19 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, may God take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints. Amen.

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Psalm 23

referenced before the offertory song: 'surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever'

1 Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.

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Matthew 6:9-13

the Lord's Prayer prayed together before children dismissed

9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.

13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

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Hosea 6:6

mentioned as a passage Jesus references: 'desire mercy and not sacrifice'

6 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

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Romans 3:23

quoted mid-sermon: 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God'

23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;

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Joel 1-3

the primary text of the sermon, read and expounded throughout

1:1 Yahweh’s word that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.

1:2 Hear this, you elders, And listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has this ever happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?

1:3 Tell your children about it, and have your children tell their children, and their children, another generation.

1:4 What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten.

1:5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

1:6 For a nation has come up on my land, strong, and without number. His teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he has the fangs of a lioness.

1:7 He has laid my vine waste, and stripped my fig tree. He has stripped its bark, and thrown it away. Its branches are made white.

1:8 Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth!

1:9 The meal offering and the drink offering are cut off from Yahweh’s house. The priests, Yahweh’s ministers, mourn.

1:10 The field is laid waste. The land mourns, for the grain is destroyed, The new wine has dried up, and the oil languishes.

1:11 Be confounded, you farmers! Wail, you vineyard keepers; for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field has perished.

1:12 The vine has dried up, and the fig tree withered; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all of the trees of the field are withered; for joy has withered away from the sons of men.

1:13 Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests! Wail, you ministers of the altar. Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, for the meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from your God’s house.

1:14 Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders, and all the inhabitants of the land, to the house of Yahweh, your God, and cry to Yahweh.

1:15 Alas for the day! For the day of Yahweh is at hand, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

1:16 Isn’t the food cut off before our eyes; joy and gladness from the house of our God?

1:17 The seeds rot under their clods. The granaries are laid desolate. The barns are broken down, for the grain has withered.

1:18 How the animals groan! The herds of livestock are perplexed, because they have no pasture. Yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

1:19 Yahweh, I cry to you, For the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the field.

1:20 Yes, the animals of the field pant to you, for the water brooks have dried up, And the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of Yahweh comes, for it is close at hand:

2:2 A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn spreading on the mountains, a great and strong people; there has never been the like, neither will there be any more after them, even to the years of many generations.

2:3 A fire devours before them, and behind them, a flame burns. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them, a desolate wilderness. Yes, and no one has escaped them.

2:4 Their appearance is as the appearance of horses, and as horsemen, so do they run.

2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

2:6 At their presence the peoples are in anguish. All faces have grown pale.

2:7 They run like mighty men. They climb the wall like warriors. They each march in his line, and they don’t swerve off course.

2:8 Neither does one jostle another; they march everyone in his path, and they burst through the defenses, and don’t break ranks.

2:9 They rush on the city. They run on the wall. They climb up into the houses. They enter in at the windows like thieves.

2:10 The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

2:11 Yahweh thunders his voice before his army; for his forces are very great; for he is strong who obeys his command; for the day of Yahweh is great and very awesome, and who can endure it?

2:12 “Yet even now,” says Yahweh, “turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”

2:13 Tear your heart, and not your garments, and turn to Yahweh, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and relents from sending calamity.

2:14 Who knows? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal offering and a drink offering to Yahweh, your God.

2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sanctify a fast. Call a solemn assembly.

2:16 Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her room.

2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare your people, Yahweh, and don’t give your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

2:18 Then Yahweh was jealous for his land, And had pity on his people.

2:19 Yahweh answered his people, “Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied with them; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

2:20 But I will remove the northern army far away from you, and will drive it into a barren and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its back into the western sea; and its stench will come up, and its bad smell will rise.” Surely he has done great things.

2:21 Land, don’t be afraid. Be glad and rejoice, for Yahweh has done great things.

2:22 Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field; for the pastures of…

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2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

used as the benediction: 'may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace comfort your hearts and establish'

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,

17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

This week Pastor Darren walked through the entire book of Joel, a three-chapter minor prophet he described as the most optimistic of the bunch. He preached it in the first week of Lent, and the timing was intentional. The message centered on what the right response looks like when everything has been stripped away.

What was said

Joel opens by looking back on a locust swarm that had already happened. Pastor Darren described it as a total devastation, vegetation gone, nothing left. What made it striking is that Joel does not blast the people about their sin the way the other minor prophets do. Pastor Darren suggested Joel may have assumed his readers already knew that material from the other prophets, because he quotes from so many of them.

From that past calamity, Joel pivots to something coming. The day of the Lord in the future is described in terms that dwarf the locust plague. The imagery is armies moving like fire, leaving a desolate wilderness behind them where a garden had been. Pastor Darren pointed out that the text asks who can endure it, and then lets that question sit, because the honest answer is that nobody can endure it on their own terms.

The turn in the text comes with two words: "yet even now." God speaks into the calamity and calls the people back to Him. Pastor Darren emphasized that the call is not to tear garments but to rend hearts, not an outward performance but a real return. The reason given in the text is that God is gracious, slow to anger, and relenting of disaster.

Pastor Darren noted that this is a hard truth and a hopeful one at the same time. The proper response to calamity, whether the locusts of Joel's day or whatever strips life bare now, is utter dependence and complete desperation directed toward God. He tied this to the penitential spirit of Lent, which he and Tanya had just observed at an Ash Wednesday service earlier that week.

The passage closes with a call to gather everyone together, priests included, to weep before the Lord and cry out. Pastor Darren read this as Joel saying there are no exceptions, nobody sits this one out. The question the nations are asking, "where is their God?", is answered not by an argument but by the people returning to Him together.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

Joel does not mention the sin of the people directly, yet he calls them to grieve and return to God. What does it say about God that He invites repentance even without listing every offense?
Pastor Darren described the locust devastation as a 'harbinger' of a future day of the Lord. How does looking at past hardship as a warning sign change the way you think about difficulties in your own life?

and 3 more questions in the guide

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Read the full transcript 2,773 words

Find in this transcript

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to welcome to first b on this sunny morning. Would you stand with us, and we'll we'll sing together in song. And, here's an invitation from Revelation 22 to lead us into worship. Let anyone who is thirsty come.

Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. Would you join with us in singing God is God so loved.

And is this thing on? Mic on. Hey. Here we are. Announcements.

Nick's been doing these for about the last month. So we'll see what comes up. Awana is on. Tomorrow night school's on. Awana's on.

Starts at 05:45. So here we are. Announcement, seven dirties for about the last month.

So anyway, I'm the one that wrote this book, this workbook. And actually, I really it was something that I felt the Lord really wanted me to do because it describes the process that the Lord took me through in my own healing, emotional and spiritual, surprisingly enough, because I was a Christian. But wow, what I did not know. Right? So anyway, I was raised in a severely dysfunctional family, and kids learn what they live.

They don't know to discern right and wrong. They just learn what they live. Right? And so then we grow up. I had so many issues that I had not recognized.

So I was about 40, which is a significant age. That middle age is when a lot of us figure out, boy, I got a lot of things wrong with me. And I was about 40 when the Lord showed me the truth about my background and how twisted it was. And so I I got help. That was the beginning of my of my healings, emotionally and spiritually.

So what the Lord showed me one day when I was in prayer was a domino rally. Do you know all do you all know what that is? The dominoes are stood up on end one after another, and you knock the end one down, it all goes. And they're really interesting to watch, but that was a metaphor for me of the generations in my family that had gone down and gone down and gone down. With all the family dysfunction and all the culture.

For my kids' sake, my grandkids' sake, and even for my siblings. I had four kids. Two of them had been wounded by the family cult my family culture because they'd grown up in it. It was in me. And I had two little guys that I didn't want to be two more victims of it.

And so I did. I stood against it. I told the truth. My parents disowned me, which is what dysfunction does. It wants to stay in the dark.

It does not like the light. But you know what? That is okay. I have never regretted that. Because all four of my kids now are strong Christians.

And you might have heard my youngest son mentioned up here, Joel Hill. He's a missionary in Asia. God is so good. He redeems so much. And that is all that is not because of me.

It's in spite of me. Okay? Anyway, that's what this this book is not a memoir. It is not another book about childhood issues necessarily. It starts there because that's where it all starts for us.

Right? But even as adults, we are dealing every single day with family dysfunction and cultural dysfunction. How many of you could say that our culture worldwide is pretty dysfunctional? Isn't that the truth? I think we would all agree on that.

Anyway, so I've out I have described step by step Lord the steps that the Lord took me through. And after each section, I have questions that help the reader discover what their experiences have been. Because sometimes we're not even aware. We're not even aware of them because we grew up with it. Right?

So, it's just in us. Help us know discover what our own experiences have been and how they've affected us and most importantly, what Jesus has to say about that. I have the books if you'd like to see one or get one. You can also order em on barnesandnoble.com and I I'd like to have a small group in my home. It's really helpful to go through these things with a small group and that'll be I just live over in East Jackson.

So that that'll be on Tuesdays from 06:30 to eight and if you'd like to come, just call me. My phone number is up there. Yes, it is. Yep. And it's also in the directory.

Thank you very much.

So, just let me know. Alright. Thanks, Grant.

Thank you. Thank you,

Darren. Absolutely. Just let me Alright.

We've got other announcements. How about that? There's lots of stuff going on. We'll figure it all out together. Alright.

We've got other announcements. How about that? There's lot.

You can have a seat for a minute. I'll invite the, ushers to come on forward, and we're gonna enter a time of worship through giving. And Psalm 23, we're gonna sing the song about coming from Psalm 23 where it says, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Would y'all pray with me? Lord God Almighty, thank you for this time of worship through giving. Lord, that we have a time right here where we purposefully think about the gifts that you have given, Lord, and give back a portion so that the gospel may go forward. Lord, would you use this in whatever way you choose, your will done in your way, Lord. We wanna be a part of it.

Thank you for the opportunity. In Jesus' name, we ask you to bless the gift and the giver to do kingdom work on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus name, lord, we ask you blessing. Amen. Kingdom work on earth as it is in heaven.

In Jesus name, lord, we ask you blessing. Amen. Kingdom work on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus name, Lord, we ask

your blessing. The Lord is my shepherd. Kingdom work.

Before the kids go today, would y'all just join with me in the Lord's prayer?

As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Yes. Yes. So last week, Yvonne asked for prayer and we prayed for her right here and I'm asking all of y'all to continue praying for her. She did have her biopsy done and it did come back that she was positive for cancer. And so she is gonna be having treatments coming up soon.

And Russ and Yvonne have been here for years and years. Been a blessing to this church and this community. They've done the walk in school bus for years now. Russ drove a school bus for twenty plus years before starting the walk in school bus. And they're an institution in this town and in this church, and we love you dearly.

And so I'm gonna lead a prayer, but would y'all be praying for me not just right now but on into the future. Lord, for Yvonne and for her body, we ask for healing. And we thank you for early detection. We thank you for all that they have come to this point to get a plan together. So Lord, I ask that you would steady the surgeon's hands and the radiation and chemo that is forecast in front of her would be successful and that you would restore her body to to complete wellness.

In Jesus name, Lord, we ask you and we're thankful. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Yvonne. This week, we're gonna be in the book of Joel.

So Joel, I think is the most optimistic of all of the minor prophets and I have been looking forward to him for some time. Okay? I have mentioned multiple times that they're dark clouds with bright silver lining. Some of them just have a little bit of a silver lining. But Joel has probably the biggest one.

And sometimes I don't know how to interpret for a twenty first century audience something that was five centuries, six centuries, seven centuries before Christ. And so I think we can draw a lot of life application out of Joel, but it's nice that the New Testament speaks on this one. And I, you know, I mentioned last week, Jesus mentions Hosea, how desire mercy and not sacrifice. Right? So we'll get to that.

That where it is. But this is the whole book of Joel. It's three chapters long, and we're gonna go for I attended this week with Tanya. It's one of our favorite services of the year. Ash Wednesday.

Now Baptists don't do Ash Wednesday, but we get to go sit at the Episcopal Church, sometimes the Catholic Church, and go through Ash Wednesday, and it's a great time for us. We get to sit together. Now that doesn't happen often. But the sermon was moving, I think, and the the penitential nature of the whole thing, the time of Lent is just beautiful. And I think Joel really speaks to this, this week, first week of Lent, it speaks to that.

So here we go. It starts off like Joel, Lord, the the Son of Tethuel. So it does not say who was king. Hear this you elders and Joel is saying there has been a very destructive thing that has come to pass. The very destructive thing is a locust swarm and it's happened in recent history.

He's looking back on the day of the Lord is the way he's about to describe it. The day of the Lord in the past is this is a thorough, thorough depletion of all the vegetation. And it's saying, to able we're do that. Wake We're up the laws of the laws of the lioness. It is made For a nation A vine away.

Has invaded my land mighty and without number. There's not gonna be anything. Strip lion. From where has the law. The law of No.

In fact, he doesn't. I think this is why it's also hopeful. This is the only minor prophet that I know of that doesn't mention sin. He's not blasting them about their sin. I think that it's written a little later than these other books and he's expecting that you have read the other books.

Okay? He knows that. He quotes from a lot of the other major and minor prophets. Maybe they got it from him. If it was written early, maybe they got it from him.

I think he's quoting from the

end And to it

just get And Maybe the whale you ministered early. Maybe the You minister to the My God. Grain offering and drink offering and and than satan. Makes me sack. Offering.

What Joel is saying, God's portion doesn't even get to come back at it because we don't have anything. We've been stripped absolutely bare down to nothing. And he's saying ministers to wheat because they make their living off the people. The grain offering and the drink offering have been withheld from the house of your God. He said that was to the situation bad.

It's sort of a past day. This has come to pass and there's nothing you can do about it now. Funeral word, and it's something where there's a finality to something that has happened, and it's a deep sense of grief. Woe for the day. For the day of the Lord is near and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

This past thing that has come to pass in the land that you all know about For the day. Is a harbinger of the great and mighty day of the Lord which is a day of the Lord future. Has joy a terrible visitation for the day of the Lord as fire consumed solemn occasion. Land is like the garbage But heap for desolate. If it's like the garden eating in front of them, and then it's a desolate wilderness behind them, nothing at all escapes them.

There's nothing in text that says it's the Assyrians or it's the Babylonians or it's the Egyptians or it's the American. I mean, whatever. No. It's not it's it's not that. But a desolate wilderness behind them and nothing at all escapes them.

Their appearance is like the appearance of horses and like war horses, so they run with a noise as of chariots they leak nothing at all on the tops of the mountains. By the way. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Yep. So who can endure it?

What how are they gonna endure? It's probably a better question. If any of us are going to endure the great and mighty day of the Lord, it has to be on his terms. Let's keep going. Yet even now.

Probably a better question. If any of us are going to the text got you exactly where it wants you. Okay. Let's keep going. Yet even now declares the Lord.

If of us are going to the text got you exactly where it wants you. Okay. And what is the proper response to this calamity? What is the proper response to that which the locusts have eaten? And locusts have eaten is about like a fire.

There's a finality to something that has been devoured or burned with fire. So what's the proper response to all this calamity? Yet even now, return to me, God says capital m, return to me with fire. With all of So what's your the proper response to all this calamity? Yet even now.

And with weeping. Return to me. God feels capital m. When you recognize what you have utter dependence on God, but also of complete desperation. Rend what?

Your hearts and not merely utter. The outward show of renting your garments also of not fleet everything up and he's threatening them with an army. No. No. No.

No. That the Lord does, he is reaching everything up and he's threatening them with an army. No. No. No.

No. Be gracious to everything that the Lord does. And this is a very very hard truth, but it is the truth. Reach out. Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and he is very very hard truth.

He is slow to anger and he's abounding. Reach out. Returns to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and the very best of truth. And he is relenting of And he is abounding.

Reach out. Returns to the Lord your God. Is For some reason, it's not. Call out to him. It's worth a try.

Who knows? Some reason, it's not. Call out to it. Gather the people together. No exceptions.

Come on. Bring them all together. Now, let the priest and let the Lord's ministers weep before the porch and the altar. And let them say, bring them all people, Lord. Now, let the priests Don't make the Lord your ministers grace

with the nations jeering at them.

Wash for those among the people. Say, where is their God?

Make

But I do wanna get to something else. We said the Lord's prayer together a few minutes ago and there's a lot of goodness there. Far as life application from Joel, Come up and we'll sing Made For More.

Alright. Let's sing.

Do have a benediction for you. But also, I wanna say this, I did skip some announcements. There are ladies Bible studies in the morning on Thursday, in the evening on Thursday, and on Wednesday night, this week, over in Vic Driggs, we're doing at the Teton County Fairgrounds, meal music and a message, and it'll be great. Van's gonna be preaching. I'll be doing the music with Lauren and Aaron, and that's a great place.

That's where I go to church. It's wonderful. Y'all come on. Join us. Benediction today is from second Thessalonians.

Whoo. Now, may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father Who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace. Thessalonians. May he comfort your hearts and establish May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our father God God God

Topics

Book Of Joel Day Of The Lord Lament Locust Plague Repentance Returning To God

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