The next two Sundays in Sunday School we will take a break from the doctrine of providence in the Second London Confession chapter five, and we will look at the book of Daniel. This book reminds us that God sovereignly controls human history and that the kingdom of God endures over even the greatest human kingdoms. One of the main messages in Daniel is that despite Israel being in exile, the God of Israel is the sovereign King over all nations and rulers. A second message in Daniel is that God’s people are to live faithfully while in exile, remembering God’s sovereignty and hoping for God’s salvation in his kingdom. Such a message is extremely practical for us today. Richard Belcher, “Daniel is still relevant for us today- not that we would imitate the actions of Daniel in his cultural context but that we would imitate the faithfulness of Daniel in light of our own current exile.”
Then, in the Sunday morning sermon, we will see how Peter lays out how we should live because “the end of all things is at hand.” When we think of the “end times,” we often think of crazy charts and fascinations with the peculiar details and difficult passages of Scripture. But often, the writers of the New Testament speak of the “end times” in extremely practical terms. The end of all things is at hand… so here is how you should live practically day to day as you await the coming of the Lord. Peter exhorts us in light of the end to pray, love, show hospitality, and serve all for the glory of God. This is not exactly the top four on most “doomsday preppers” lists.
Finally, in our evening sermon, I will preach the book of Joel as a whole. Joel is a unique book among the prophets, likely written during the days of Ezra. Joel gives us a picture of both a past Day of the Lord and a future Day of the Lord. The book is a word of judgment to Israel and the nations, but within the book, there is also a great promise of salvation. The Lord will destroy the enemies of God’s people, they will be restored in a land, and God’s presence will forever be with them.
In Christ,
Pastor John