You're listening to Mountain View Church Audio, Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City, Whitehorse, UConn. Here's this week's message. I searched the world, but it couldn't fill me. A man's empty brains and treasures that fade are never enough. And you came along and put me back together. And every desire is now satisfied. Hearing your love, oh, there's nothing.
There's nothing for you, Lord. There's nothing. Nothing is better than you. I'm not afraid to show you my weakness. You've seen them all. You still call me friends. Because the God of the mountain is the God of the valley. There's not a place where mercy and grace will find me again. There's nothing.
There's nothing. Nothing. Nothing is better than. Oh, there's nothing. There's nothing. Better than you, Lord. There's nothing. Nothing is better than into dancing. You get beauty crashes. You turn shame into glory. You're the only one. You turn graves into gardens. You turn bones into armies.
Have you ever been lost in a place and realized the only way forward is to go back? Maybe it was a wrong turn on the road or a dead end or a broken relationship. If that is you, stay with us.
My name is Byron, and I'm the Filipino pastor of Mountain View Church. To connect with us, I would like to invite you to visit our website at mountainview.church. The title of today's message is Return to God. We are now in week four of our series, Return, Restore, Renew, a study in the Old Testament book of Joel. The book of Joel was written during a time of national crisis in Judah, southern kingdom of Israel. The land had been dispensated by a massive locust plague.
one of the worst disasters an agricultural society could face. But Joel makes it clear. This natural disaster is not just random. It's a wake-up call from God. You know, the people of Judah had wandered away from the Lord. And the locust invasion is just a symbol of judgment, foreshadowing something even more serious if they continue with their ways. The day of the Lord. A time of divine reckoning and accountability. But you see,
God wasn't just concerned with the crops of the people. He was concerned with their hearts. Despite the judgment, God's message is one of mercy, not wrath. Like the people of Judah, spiritually, we often try to move forward in our own way. But God's message is clear. The only path to restoration is to return to Him. Hi, my name is Elena, and today I'm reading from Joel 2, verses 12 to 17.
yet even now declares the lord return to me with all your heart with fasting with weeping and with mourning and rend your hearts and know your garments return to the lord your god for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and he relents over disaster who knows whether he will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind them a grain offering and a drink offering for the lord your god Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, consecrate the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride head chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priest, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? This passage...
The book of Joel chapter 2 verse 12 to 17 is the turning point in the book. It shifts from warning to invitation, from judgment to restoration, but only if the people will respond. And God says in Joel chapter 2 verse 12a, Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart. This is God's invitation for them and for us. Today, let's explore three practical choices we can make to return to God. And I call that three S's. The first S, stop pretending. Be honest with God. In verse 12 to 13a, it says, return to me with all your heart. Rend your heart and not your garments. You see, in ancient times, people of Israel tore clothes. They just tore their clothes to show grief, to show that they're sorry. But God said, tear your heart. Don't just look sorry. Be sorry.
God told them to return with all your heart. God doesn't want excuses. He wants honesty. My friend, Jewel's call to rend your heart is about dropping the performance and getting real with God. Is your returning to God influenced by other people and it's not really from your heart? I'll cite an example. Last time when I was in a Christian crusade where the pastor in front asked everyone who will surrender their life to God, who will return back to God.
everyone raised their hands. And you know what? Every eye was on me. Why? Because I did not raise my hand. So I have no choice but to raise my hand. You see, in my heart, I don't even want to surrender. But because other people are looking at me, so I was forced to. But it's not that God doesn't want that. Or during a service, are you crying and repenting because the people around you is crying? Or the worship leader is crying, so you also cry?
but deep inside you, you are not remorseful? Or are you showing to everyone that you are great and blessed, where in fact, deep in your heart, you are not? My friend, stop pretending. God sees your heart. I love the quote by a Dutch Christian writer and public speaker, Corrie ten Boom. He said, the blood of Jesus never cleans an excuse. Like Corrie ten Boom reminds us, forgiveness begins where pretending ends. Now, ask yourself.
Have I been wearing a mask spiritually? Pretending everything is fine while struggling on the inside? Or did I pretend to everyone that I was sorry, where in fact not? My friend, now is the time to come clean before God. Be vulnerable in prayer. No more hiding. Ask God, Lord, what am I covering up that you want to heal? And write down one thing you need to stop pretending about and surrender it to Jesus. Surrender it to God in prayer.
David said in Psalm 51, 17, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. O God, you will not despise. See, that's the first. And the second is the second practical choice we can make to return to God is stop running. Trust God's heart. You see, in verse 13b, Joel said, for he is gracious and compassionate, abounding in love. So God, after warning,
God reminds them who He is. He is the God who sympathizes. He is the God who restores. But then, it's so sad. So many people avoid God because of guilt. But the truth is, God knew the worst about us. And still, He offered His best. A steam killer, a Christian teologian, and apologist said, Our sin is great, but God's love is greater. How about you? Are you afraid to come back to God because of guilt?
Failure or shame? God is not angry with you. He is gracious and compassionate. He is low to anger and full of love. He's not chasing you to punish you. He's waiting to restore you, to forgive you. So this is what you can do. Believe that God loves you. Despite your past, despite your situation right now, run to Him, not away. As Paul said in Romans 2, verse 4, God's kindness leads to repentance.
And the third point, the third practical choice we can make to return back to God is start together, seek God as a community. In verse 15 to 17, Joel said, Joel calls everyone to fast and pray, not just individuals, the whole nation, leaders and followers alike. Joel didn't call individuals to pray in silence. He called the whole nation. And this is the great thing because revival happens in community. As John Wesley, the famous eulogian and evangelist, words challenge us, our walk with God is never just personal. It is shared. Now the question is, are you walking with others or trying to go alone by yourself? You know, my friend, revival begins when we repent and seek God together. And what shall we do? What shall you do?
Start a prayer circle. Start with your family or small group. Repent together. Pray together. Worship together. You lead by example. Be the first to pray. Be the first to fast. And be the first to confess in community. God said in 2 Chronicles 7.14, If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
What a beautiful words from God, one encouraging words. God isn't calling you to fix yourself before returning. He says in his word, Yet even now, return to me with all your heart. He wants your heart, not your perfection. If you need to come back to God or surrender for the first time, say this prayer for me, with me. Say this prayer with me. Lord Jesus, I return to you. I've strayed.
But I believe you love me. Forgive my sins. Be my Savior and Lord. I give you my heart in your precious name. Amen. My friend, if you see that prayer with all your heart and praise God, you are now a member of God's family. And I welcome you. And as I recap, in order to return to God, we have three practical choices. Number one, stop pretending. Be honest with God. And number two, stop running.
Trust His love and mercy. And number three, start together. Seek God with others. And as today, we'll celebrate one of Jesus' ordinances, the communion. No matter where we are, we come together in Christ. And let's take this time to prepare our hearts and reflect on His sacrifice. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you today, humbled and honest.
We confess that at times we have drifted away through pride, destruction, sin, and spiritual apathy. Yet in your mercy, you still call us, every now return to me. And so we return, not with perfect performance, but with surrendered hearts. Not with outward rituals, but with inward repentance. You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. And we thank you for that.
Now, as we prepare to take the bread and the cup, we remember the greatest expression of your mercy, the cross. Thank you, Jesus, for giving your body and shedding your blood for us. You made the way for us to come back home. Amen. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 23.
He broke it and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Let's eat, remembering his body broken for us. In the same way, also he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he come. Let's drink, remembering his blood shed for us. Lord,
Thank you for calling us back. Thank you for restoring what was broken and for forgiving what we have confessed. Let this not be just a moment but a turning point. Help us to walk in humility, trust your mercy daily and seek you, not just alone, but together as a church, as a community. May revival begin in us and may we never forget it's not too late to return because your arms are always open. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Thank you for watching and listening with us here at Mountain View Church. If you want to learn more, just go to our website mountainview.church.connect or you can subscribe to our YouTube channels and podcast as you continue your faith journey with us. Following shortly is our weekly updates. Please stay tuned. Hi, Mountain View. My name is Haley. I'm the ministry leader for the Young Adults Ministry and we have an event happening today. So the Young Adults Ministry is open to anyone ages 18 to 35. Even if this is your first Sunday in church, if you don't have plans this afternoon, we would love to hang out with you. So what we're going to do is we're going to meet at the Shock Lake Days area at 2 p.m. today.
If you need a ride or want a carpool, you can email me or come find me at church. My email is haley at mountainview.church. I'll make sure I'm checking it. And yeah, we can arrange something. Make sure you get there. So if today's nice, I'm filming this a few days in advance. So I'm not sure of the weather. If it's nice, bring a paddleboard, a floaty, whatever you want. We'll have some wine games. We'll have some snacks there. If the weather's not amazing, unless it's downpouring and storming, we're probably still going to hang out. So just bring a sweater. We'll have some games. Spend some time in community. And I hope to see you there.
Hello, Mountain View family. I wanted to let you know that a couple from our church has requested a child dedication for Sunday, August 10th. With this in mind, we wanted to check if any other parents were also interested. If you'd like to dedicate your child or children on that day, August 10th, we'd love to include you. You can either email me directly at jeremy at mountainview.church or sign up at the welcome desk after today's gathering. Together, we're going to celebrate the blessing of children and commit to raising them to know and follow Jesus. Next up, I want to highlight that our students head out for the Fusion Alaska Youth Conference on Tuesday, July 29th.
That means that today is the last day to financially sponsor this trip. You can donate online by visiting mountainview.church slash give, or there are donation envelopes under the seats in front of you if you're gathering in-house. Just make sure you enter Fusion Trip in the notes field. Even more important, please set a reminder in your phone to pray for this trip every day this coming week. First, pray for our students that they would grow in their faith, deepen their friendships, and experience God in a life-changing way. Second, pray for our amazing chaperones, Derek, Ben, Chad, and Kaylee.
that God would give them energy, patience, and wisdom as they lead our group. If you're attending one of our physical gatherings, please don't be shy to pull aside one of the students, encourage them, maybe pray for them, or let them know that you're going to be praying for them all this next week. Thank you so much for supporting our students. You're making a lasting impact in their lives. If you have children, I encourage you to bring your children to our Basecamp children's program, either 9.30 or 11 a.m. every Sunday. Or you can download the lessons online at mountainview.church slash Basecamp.
We have also a program for your teenagers, the Mountain View Youth Group, every Sunday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. For more info, visit mountainview.church.youth. And if you have Filipino friends and relatives, Inaanyanyahan ko po kayo na dumalo nating gawain every Sunday po, 3 p.m. for our Tagalog worship service. And for our discussion and prayer focus, please gather around with your family and friends and ask, what is one area?
in my life where God is calling me to return to Him? And what would it look like to respond with my whole heart? Then pray that God will help you return to Him, not just with words, but with a surrendered heart. Ask Him to break anything in you that resists His mercy and restore what's been broken. And last but not the least, please join us next week for our next message, Restoration Promise. Thank you and God bless.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City of Whitehorse UConn.