Presence Lord today is a day where we step back
from our everyday life The normal things that
grab our attention that steal our focus The things
that we focus so much on that truly don't matter
in the grand scheme of things The Lord God as
we do so let us remember that it is not in a
way that will ever be justifying to you The Lord
God as we do so that would be to cling to you
because you first clung to us We thank you for
your cross and we thank you for your grace, the
only source of life and hope for any of us in
Jesus Christ. Amen. Howdy. Do you remember that
children's song? I may never march in the infantry,
ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery. I may
never fly or the enemy, but I'm in the Lord's
army. Yes, sir. I knew at least one or two of
you would know the yes, sir. You know, we sing
it as children. It felt simple and heroic. You
know, we imagined ourselves as part of something
strong and brave. fighting evil for Jesus and
marching forward in victory. But even then, if
you stop to think about it, the question started
to appear. What does it actually mean to be in
the Lord's army? How do you march for Jesus?
What does it mean to fight for Him? Because when
we look at the life of Jesus Himself, we never
see Him riding into battle. We never see Him
commanding troops. We never see Him defeating
enemies with force. If anything, it's a complete
opposite. So what is it that we're supposed to
realize when we consider the army of the Lord?
But then we hear the trumpet in Joel, a loud
alarm sounding from Zion, darkness covering the
mountains, an army advancing, powerful, unstoppable,
terrifying, fire before them, wilderness behind
them. The earth quakes the Sun and the moon grow
dark the day of the Lord has come and At first
we might still imagine ourselves inside that
army on God's side marching forward with him
But the deeper question arises still Who is this
army coming for and? The answer is unsettling
Because the next words are not a call to battle
They are a call to repentance. Yet even now declares
the Lord, return to me with all your heart. And
suddenly, the picture changes. We are not the
soldiers bringing judgment. We are the sinners
who must return. The trumpet is not calling us
to fight others. It is calling us to face ourselves.
And that is where the repentance begins. But
repentance is often misunderstood. We think repentance
is a way to fix things, a way to prove that we
are serious, a way to make ourselves worthy of
God again. If we feel sorry enough, if we pray
hard enough, if we fast sincerely enough, maybe
then God will accept us. But Jesus shows us something
very different. He warns about giving, praying,
and fasting in order to be seen. Because even
repentance can become a performance. Even sorrow
can become a way of drawing attention to ourselves.
There is no pretending about the anger, the temper,
the struggles that we each have. There is no
acting like we are holier because of what we
have sacrificed. There is no demonstration that
we're good enough after enough contrition of
heart. And then right in the middle of those
teachings, Jesus gives the Lord's prayer. Wondered
what was between verses 6 and 16. It's not a
ladder to climb up to God though, but the words
of children speaking, to their father your kingdom
come give us this day our daily bread forgive
us our trespasses lead us not into temptation
every line is about relationship not achievement
dependence not worthiness mercy received not
righteousness earned which means repentance does
not make us worthy Dependence, not worthiness,
because repentance does not make us worthy. It
does not undo our sin. It does not repair our
standing before God. So, what's the point? Why
repent at all? Because repentance brings us home.
Repentance gathers us before the only place where
compassion and grace are certain, the only place
where forgiveness is real, the only place where
life is given instead of taken, because to repent
is not to prove ourselves, it is to come back
to the Father. And that is the safest place in
the universe to be. Because the truth is, if
any of us were trying to qualify for the Lord's
army, We would be disqualified before we ever
stepped onto the field, our feet turning inward,
our strength failing, our eyes crossed. As we
realize our anger rises, our hearts wander, our
mind no longer focuses on the things of God.
How often do we ignore God's commands? We judge
others, even our prayers and our fasting? The
very things that are meant to turn us toward
God, they so easily become ways of turning attention
back to ourselves. Nothing we build in this world
can save us. No strength we display, no goodness
that we perform, no devotion that we advertise.
All of it fades. And if the Lord's army comes
in judgment, we know exactly where we would stand.
Not among the victors, but among those who deserve
the wrath. But this is where the gospel speaks.
Because the God whose judgment we deserve is
the very God who calls us to return. The one
whose army we could never survive is the one
who has compassion on his people. He forgives.
He restores. He calls sinners His children. And
more than that, He even uses weak and stumbling
people like us in His Kingdom. Not because we're
strong, and not because we've earned it, not
because repentance made us worthy, but because
He is gracious. Because His mercy is greater
than our sin. Because His compassion is stronger
than His judgment. Because His Son has taken
our place and given us His life. So repentance,
it's simply telling the truth. Telling the truth
about our sin. Telling the truth about our weakness.
Telling the truth that our only hope is the mercy
of God. And when everything else falls away,
One thing remains. The Father who receives sinners,
the Son who forgives them, the Spirit of grace
that holds them forever. One God. So yes, we
are with the Lord, but not as heroes, not as
conquerors, not as an army. We are in His kingdom
as the forgiven, as the rescued. as the children
brought home. So the safest place we will ever
stand, it's not with the weapons ready on the
battlefield, but in repentance before a gracious
Father. Because there, and only there, is mercy
strong enough to save us, and that grace is enough.
Thanks be to God.