Amos 9 - God's Promise Thru Amos

After many warnings of destruction to those who do not listen to God, Amos ends with a promise.

“In that day

'I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins—
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,
so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
    and all the nations that bear my name,^'
declares the Lord, who will do these things.

'The days are coming,' declares the Lord,

'when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
    and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,
    and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.'" (Amos 9:11:14 NIV)

 

God's awesome promises - the Good News of His Kingdom - is for all nations who will bear His name. Shall we then bear His Holy Name - proclaim it to all people - that all might live in His loving grace?

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Amos 8 - Famine

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
People will stagger from sea to sea
    and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it." (Amos 8:11-12 NIV)

Always searching, never finding... So many seekers out there... hungry... thirsty... but, never being satisfied. The word of the LORD is available. But, it is not available in every church, from every pulpit. It is there. But, sometimes it is difficult to find.

Just as in the days of Amaziah the temple is used for worldly proclamations. In chapter 7, we heard Amos declare that the temple was his and that Amos was not to be proclaiming God's word in it. The same applies today. The church, it seems, belong to the people, a worldly people, who want their "ears itched" and pastors who are reluctant to say anything that will not scratch those ears. This causes a lot of thirsty and hungry people to wander, searching for the water that will quench their thirst. Jesus is that living water. The proclamation of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can satisfy the thirsty or hungry soul.

I rarely get a chance to attend worship services other than at Zion or Aura Lutheran. However, when I am away from the pulpit, I attend worship services wherever I am. Some of the messages leave me excited and fully fed with the word and the Word. Others do not. They leave me empty and actually wanting to run out and find some real nourishment. Not long ago, I attended a funeral service for a Christian man. There was no proclamation of life in Jesus Christ! It was a very long eulogy (not a sermon). Only one time was Jesus' name mentioned during the sermon and that was in reference to Jesus approving of the man; not because of Christ's work on the cross but because of the man's life, itself.

The days of famine have come. Not a famine of food or water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Jesus' instruction to those who claim they love him was to feed His sheep. Feed them... Feed your neighbors, your friends, your family, with the Word of God... Share the love of God, who in Christ Jesus, was willing to die that we might live abundant lives in His Kingdom, reconciled to God and one another, beginning even now!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Amos 7 - Microphones and Hearing

"Then Amaziah said to Amos,  'Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.'” (Amos 7:12-13 NIV)

The king Amaziah does not want to hear the word of the LORD. He does not want the people to hear it, either. His desire is that Amos not speak it any longer at Bethel, lest the people turn and hear the word and worship the LORD, rather than him.

A few months ago, I quit using my lapel mic. I just started speaking louder and using the mic on the pulpit more during worship. You see, every few weeks, someone would turn the mic down and I wouldn't find out until after worship that very few had heard anything I said. I would go back into the sound room after worship and turn the volume up, again. A few weeks later, the volume would be down again, but only on the lapel mics. So, I decided not to keep fighting it and just keep my own volume turned up by speaking louder.

In September, after a summer break, our Sunday school resumed helping to lead worship more often. They pray the prayers of the church every Sunday and on the last Sunday of the month they also read lessons, gather the offering, and usually provide an offering of song as well. They do this mostly from the pulpit so that everyone can hear. During the sharing of the peace, one of our members who wears hearing aids let me know that he couldn't hear a thing. I asked him if it was just the children that he couldn't hear, as they do speak much softer than I do. He replied that he couldn't hear me, either. So, I went back to the sound room. Sure enough, someone had turned the volume on the pulpit microphone down to almost nothing. Nothing else was touched, just the volume on the pulpit mic. I am not sure why whoever is doing this, is doing this. This is not the first time the sound has been turned down when our Sunday School was helping to lead. It has happened more often than I can count. A couple of years ago, it was during their Christmas program. Since, I was sitting in the congregation that time, I realized what was wrong and was able to get up during the middle of it and get it fixed.

Yesterday; though, I felt, for a moment, like we had been speaking to a brick wall; after all, there were many at worship, yesterday, who had not heard the word of the LORD during most of the service. They had not heard the scriptures read. They had not heard the sermon. They had not heard the prayers of the church.

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Rom 10:17)

Amaziah's intention was that he be lord of all the people. It was, he professed, his temple and the people would hear and listen to only what he wanted them to hear. I can't help wonder why anyone would want the voice of the LORD, His word not be read, by His littlest children.

May God help us to understand why anyone would persist in closing the mouths of the children. May God help us to pray for such a person and proclaim His grace to them.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Amos 6 - Complacent?

"Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria..." (Amos 6:1 NIV)

We probably all get a little complacent from time to time. Complacency is when we get too satisfied with the way things are and don't care for or want anything to change. But, is that a good thing? Is it good to go through life without making any changes; with ourselves or the things around us?

We all need change. When I was young, I use to hear this quite often: "When you quit learning, you die." Everyone of us needs to keep learning and growing. St. Paul wrote: "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Cor 13:11-12 NIV)

We cannot remain babies forever; not, in this world and not in the Kingdom of God. One day, we will all know the truth fully. That day has not yet come. But, it does not mean that we should be complacent and not strive to seek the truth or seek His face.

You think you know Jesus? How well do you know Him? Have you become complacent with a Sunday morning (or less) relationship?

 "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." (Eph 1:17-21)  Amen!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Amos 4 - Prepare To Meet Your God

More warnings... this morning...

"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria,
    you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy
    and say to your husbands, 'Bring us some drinks!'
The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
    'The time will surely come
when you will be taken away with hooks,
    the last of you with fishhooks.
You will each go straight out
    through breaches in the wall,
    and you will be cast out toward Harmon,'
    declares the Lord." (Amos 4:1-3 NIV)

And.. the warnings go on. The people bring their offerings and brag about them. Yet, they do not worship the LORD. They spend their time doing as they please; that is to please themselves. They put themselves before God and before their neighbors. No matter what God does to try to wake them up to reality, they do not listen. They do not turn to the LORD. So, in turn, they are told, "Prepare to meet your God." (Amos 4:12)

Advent is a little over a week away. Are we prepared to meet our God. I know that in our minds we have this picture of a God who simply ignores all of our sins. Does he? Does he not see those who pay no heed to His name? Does He overlook those who oppress the poor and crush the needy? Does He overlook the sins of those who spend their hours in drunken stupor? Does He overlook the sins of those who will not repent and live in fellowship with Him and one another?

For, those who believe desire to walk in His Way. Those who believe that Jesus died to save them, will indeed love as He first loved us. It is not an option for the believer because the Spirit of the Living God abides in you and through you and all around you.

Whether you like it or not; whether you seek His face or not, one day we will all meet our God. Are you prepared to meet your God and live eternally in His presence; in His love?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Amos 3 - Straight to the Point

"It's not snowing!" That's one of the replies that I get from my husband, every now and then, as he responds to some of my queries about a plan for the day. This answer does not make sense and rather irritates me. I would much rather my questions are answered in a direct response; one that is understandable to me.

Today we read that God reveals His plan to us.
"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
    without revealing his plan    to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7 NIV)

However, we read some pretty strange questions from the LORD in this third chapter of Amos. They are the kind of questions that make me a little frustrated and wishing that whomever was speaking like this would just get straight to the point.

"Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
Does a lion roar in the thicket
    when it has no prey?
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
When a trumpet sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it?⁽" (Amos 3:3-6)
It takes a while for the prophet, Amos, to get around to it; but, the point is that God has spoken against all of His people and there is going to be a consequence for the sins of His children.

Thanks be to God for Jesus the Christ, who, on the cross, bore our sin and the consequences of our sin for us. That is not confusing. That is straight to the point. Jesus died for us. Jesus died that we might live reconciled to God our Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Amos 2 - Prophets and Prophecy a Gift; Listen!

"'I brought you up out of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness
    to give you the land of the Amorites.
I also raised up prophets from among your children
    and Nazirites from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?'
declares the Lord.
'But you made the Nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.'" (Amos 2:10-12 NIV)

God has saved His people time and time again; yet, they (we) continue to do what we ought not do. We will not listen. We will not listen to those whom He sends to warn us or lead us in the way that He would have us go. Like little children, we go wandering off in our own directions, not taking any direction from our Father; not listening to the word of admonishment or advice that He would give us.

Just as in the days of Amos, the words of the prophet today go mostly unheeded. Sometimes, we attempt to justify our lack of hearing by denying that God would send a prophet in these latter days. However, St. Paul wrote:

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues." (1 Cor 12:7-10 NIV)

These gifts, including prophecy, are gifts from God for the common good. Shall we suppose that God the Father is now not desiring our common good, our common growth in the Body of Christ? I think not! By the power of the Holy Spirit, all of God's children receive gifts for the growth and edification of the Body of Christ, which is the Church.

May God open our ears that we might hear not just the mighty deeds that He has done for us; but, that we might hear and understand the Way in which He would have us go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Amos 1 - Three Sins and Four

Amos, the shepherd was not a timid man. He warned people vehemently of the coming disaster. He prophesied about the same time as Hosea and Isaiah did. If those two were disliked, Amos was most hated. You will hear very little good news from Amos. He just declares what is going to happen and it's not good. For three sins and for four sins... there will be consequences. He's not talking about different sins. He's talking about the fact that after one sins once; rather than repent, they continue sinning.

How often do we sin and not only not repent; but, make excuses for ourselves as though the sin was not a sin; rather it was something good? I'm thinking probably all too often. Just as no one wanted to hear Amos in his day, no one would probably listen to him today, either. We just don't want to be reminded that we could possibly do anything wrong

Turn to the LORD for He is God and there is only one God.

God's Peace - Pr. J