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This is a sermon I preached years ago. But like fashion trends, truth has a way of coming back around.
I have been following Jesus for many years now (36 years to be exact).
And over the years I have heard this text used by several preachers and
teachers. Most of the time it was used in what we call evangelistic
sermons, you know, to try and get non-believers to “give their hearts”
to Jesus. And that application is fine with me; I don’t have a problem
with that at all.
But tonight I want to apply this text to an entirely different group of
people. I want to address, not unbelievers, but those who profess to be
believers in, and followers of, Jesus Christ.
6 “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the LORD. 7 “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; 8 so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the LORD. 9 “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the LORD. 10 “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the LORD. 11 “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the LORD. 12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” (Amos 4:6-12)
The author of this text was the prophet Amos. Amos means “Burden-Bearer.” He was a native of the small town of Tekoa in the Judean hills, about 10 miles south of Jerusalem. He is the first of the so-called “writing prophets” of the eighth century B.C. The other writing prophets included Hosea, who wrote to Israel, and Micah and Isaiah, who wrote to Judah. Amos was a shepherd by profession.
Amos prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah and Jeroboam II of Israel. His ministry was between 760 and 750 B.C. and most scholars agree that his ministry spanned a period of less than two years.
During the time of Amos’s ministry, both Israel and Judah were experiencing great prosperity. Under Jeroboam, Israel had again gained control of the international trade routes—the King’s Highway through Transjordan, and the Way of the Sea through the Jezreel Valley and along the coastal plain. According to 2 Kings 14:25, he restored the borders of Israel from Lebo Hamath (in the north) to the Sea of the Arabah (the Dead Sea in the south). Judah, under Uzziah, had regained Elath (the seaport on the Gulf of Aqaba), and expanded to the southwest at the expense of the Philistines.
Israel and Judah had reached new political and military heights, but spiritually both nations were at an all-time low. Idolatry was rampant; the rich were living in luxury while the poor were ignored and oppressed; there was widespread immorality; and the judicial systems in both nations were corrupt.
The people, as well as the spiritual leaders, interpreted their prosperity as a sign of God’s approval and acceptance of their lifestyles. God commissioned Amos to a very unpopular assignment; notify them that God was displeased with them. His patience was exhausted. They had reached the point where punishment was inevitable, and the nation would be destroyed unless there was an immediate change of heart—a change that would “let justice run down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (5:24).
God speaks through Amos and tells the nation that He requires righteousness and justice in the day-to-day lifestyles of His people. True spirituality is more than observing feast days and holding sacred assemblies; the lifestyle that God accepts demands righteous living. The way a man treats his neighbor is the litmus test revealing the quality of his relationship with God. Jesus said the great and first commandment is to love God. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). This was Amos’ message as well.
This is the message sorely needed in America today as well. We also are living in a prosperous, materialistic society. Because we are prosperous, many deceive themselves into believing that we have God’s blessing on us. The tendency for many is to fall for the lie that as long as we give God a portion of our material goods that He accepts our “fudging” on the moral, ethical and spiritual dynamics of our lives.
An application of Amos’ message to the unbeliever is – prepare, you will meet God, and if you haven’t trusted in Jesus, you aren’t ready!
But there is another application of Amos’ message, not to the unbeliever, but to those who are believers. The message to believers isn’t you need to trust Jesus so that you can get out of going to hell, or so you can get into Heaven. For the true believer, that’s a done deal. For the believer, the issue is this: will you have rewards or loss when Jesus returns?
The message to the Church today is this, God loves you with an everlasting love, but He is a jealous God that will not accept an adulterous wife. Many today presume that the grace of God will cause Him to overlook the little foxes (Song 2:15) that eat away at their spiritual passion and commitment. Be warned! God desires a holy Bride, not a whoring Bride (James 4:4)!
We must be doers, not just hearers of the Word (James 1:22)
The Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle John wrote:
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. (1 John 2:28)
The Holy Spirit, through the pen of the Apostle John tells us that if
abide in Jesus, then we will have confidence when we appear before Him.
But that is not all he says. If we do not abide in Him, then
when we stand before Him we will not have confidence - we will not be
glad - instead we will shrink back in shame!
If we are to stand before Him in a stance of confidence, then we must ask ourselves some hard questions. We do not want to put off finding the answers to these questions until we stand before Him eyeball to eyeball. For if we put it off until that day, we will be evaluated, but will be unable to do anything about it. If we address the issues now, we can change what needs to be changed.
So, the question is this, my friend, are you ready to meet God? Really ready? Not are you saved, not are you going to Heaven when you die. Will you stand before Him on that day, eyeball to eyeball, and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” (Matthew 25:21,23)
A group of young people decided one night to attend a local high school football game. One of the young ladies that accompanied the group had not been raised in a household that held much of an interest in sports, and thus knew very little about football.
At the end of the game, the group went out to get something to eat. Naturally, the game was a major topic of discussion as they ate. The young lady that I referred to earlier was abnormally quiet during the discussion.
One of the members of the group asked her how she enjoyed the game. She replied that she didn’t enjoy it all. In fact, she thought it was stupid. As the discussion went on, they discovered that she had never watched football, and thus didn’t under the rules of the game, the purpose any what she had been watching, so she really didn’t enjoy it at all.
Being ready to meet God, being prepared to go to Heaven is much like the young lady in this illustration. She knew very little about football. She didn’t understand the rules of the game. She couldn’t make sense of any of what she was watching transpire on the field. She didn’t appreciate any of what the various players were doing. So the end result was that she did not enjoy the game.
Many believers have trusted Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, as a result, if they were to die before Jesus’ returns, they will go to Heaven. That is not the issue though. Like the young lady in the illustration, the question is, will they enjoy Heaven, or to put it another way, are they ready to go to Heaven? Get it? Going and being ready to go are two different things altogether.
There is an old adage that implies that some are so Heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. I have never met anyone that fit that description. What I have encountered more often is most are so earthly minded that they are no Heavenly good.
Beloved, a barebones fact is that we have to employ self-imposed limitations upon ourselves, while here on earth, if we want to maximize our joy in Heaven.
Here are some examples of being earthly-minded:
• Not accustomed to gathering with the saints other than on Sunday’s down here
• Not accustomed to worshipping the Lord down here
• Not accustomed to spending at least as much time with Jesus as we do with others down here
• Never speaking to others about Jesus down here
• Never fellowshipping with God’s people down here
• If you enjoy reruns of All in the Family more than spending time with God’s family down here
We need a revival among God’s people so that when we get to Heaven we will enjoy it to the fullest!
ARE YOU PREPARED?
Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” (Revelation 22:11)
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
If you watch TV three hours a day and read you Bible only five minutes a day you aren’t prepared to meet God.
If you spend thirty minutes a day in the newspaper and only five minutes in the Bible you are not prepared to meet God.
If you watch “The Secret Storm” and “The Silent Tornado” and “The Doctors and the Nurses” and feed your mind with the filth from hell that comes to us via Hollywood and New York City – if you spend more time gazing at the TV than you do gazing at God, then you are not prepared to meet God.
THE FATE OF OUR NATION DEPENDS ON US
Beloved, we are fighting a spiritual battle. A nation and its people will stand or fall by the standing of God’s people, who are saved, separated, sanctified, dedicated and anointed. We are the salt that preserves!
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. (Matthew 5:13)
Jesus questioned the worth of salt that isn’t salty, or Christians who aren’t Christlike.
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. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
The Democrats and the liberals aren’t the cause of this nations moral decay – it’s the Church’s lack of Christlikeness. I saw a Pogo cartoon once, where Pogo was looking into a mirror. The caption read, “I have seen the enemy – and it is us!”
You know where you stand:
If you can quote baseball and football averages by the yard and can’t quote ten Bible verses, you aren’t prepared to meet God.
If you spend three hours on Sunday afternoons watching the Cowboys and thirty minutes preparing to teach others about Jesus, then you are not prepared to meet God.
If you spend more time in front of the mirror getting your face ready than on your face getting your heart ready for church, then you are not prepared to meet God.
If you know more about Brittney Spears than about Mary of Bethany, then you are not prepared to meet God.
Beloved, we are the only hope for this nation! How salty (Christlike) are you?
ONLY A LIFESTYLE BASED ON THE WORD WILL STAND
I hear people all the time saying that they can’t understand the Bible. The Bible was written to be understood by the poor, uneducated and illiterate of the nations. The Bible can be understood by those who have a heart to understand it.
The same people who say that they can’t understand the Bible have no problem understanding the newspaper! Let’s look at the headlines in this paper.
“Poodle dog lost. Answers to name of Fido. Reward $75.00”
What’s so difficult about that? The Bible reads like the newspaper. Let’s open and see what we find.
Luke 17:11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.
Let’s examine what this is saying.
On the way – that means He was going some where.
To Jerusalem – that’s where He was going.
He - the opposite of she.
He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee – he was between the two towns.
Doesn’t appear to be that difficult to understand the Bible – what thinkest thou?
Beloved, the answer to life, the answer for your life is in the Book!
Going to Heaven simply means changing locations. And changing locations is not going to make you love the Bible any more than you do now. If you don’t know the Book, you are not going to suddenly know the Book up there. If you don’t go to class down here, you’ll have to go to class up there!
You have to prepare to meet God, for when you stand before God, it is God you get!
If you spend one hour at McDonalds after the service and ten minutes in prayer before the service, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you spend 30 minutes a day on the phone talking to friends and five minutes talking to the Friend that sticks closer than a brother, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you spend an hour a day (or more) on the computer and can’t spend at least one hour with Jesus in prayer (Mark 14:37), then you are not ready to meet God.
If you can stay up until 2:00 am fellowshipping with flesh and blood but never spend the night hours seeking God’s face, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you holler yourself hoarse over a football game but never raise your hands or your voice to shout Hosanna to the King, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you sit in the rain at a ball game but won’t drive through it to go to church, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you laugh your sides sore at comedians who have no fear of God and jest about things that would have made your godly Grandmother blush and never delight yourself in the God who has rivers of delight (Ps. 36:8), then you are not prepared to meet God.
NEEDED: A RENEWED EMPHASIS ON SEPERATION
Our problem is that we are becoming too much like the world. God has delivered us out of Egypt and now needs to get Egypt out of us.
When the Children of Israel were on their way to the promised land God spoke to Moses:
the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments (Exodus 19:10)
When Israel faced the crossing of the Jordan River, God spoke through Joshua:
Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5)
Afterwards when Israel had lost the battle at Ai and were coming for round two, God spoke and said:
Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” (Joshua 7:13)
After Judah had gone into apostasy God spoke to them through Hezekiah:
and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. (2 Chronicles 29:5)
After Israel had wandered away from the Lord and into sin, God raised up Josiah and said:
And slaughter the Passover lamb, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the LORD by Moses.” (2 Chronicles 35:6)
God has never saved His people apart from His people sanctifying themselves and separating themselves – from the world and unto the Lord.
We need to prepare
Years ago I heard Dr. Charles Weigle, an old preacher, who in his nineties said, that he spend all of his time praising the Lord in preparation for when he stood before Jesus to start his eternal ministry – praising the Lord. Get it?
What we do down here is designed to prepare us for what we will do up there. This life is but an internship, a training program, if you will.
When King David comes running by at 50 mph shouting, “Glory to God! Praise the Lord!”. I don’t want to ask, “What’s he doing?” – I want to join him! I don’t want to have to change my habits when I stand before the Lord then, I want to stand before the Lord and change my habits now! How about you?
We need to return to our first love
Churches that were built on compassion are now concerned with raising a budget and paying the rent – God help us!
If you can drive by a rest home and never weep, then you are not prepared to meet God.
If you can look at the condition of the youth in our nation and do nothing, then you are not prepared to meet God.
If you call yourself a Christian and never take a stand against sin and compromise on your job, then you are not prepared to meet God.
If profanity still crosses your lips instead of praise to God, then you are not ready to meet God.
If your ears would rather delight in worldly music than in Heaven’s music, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you are afraid to act and dress like a child of God, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you hold grudges against your Christian brothers and sisters – regardless of what they have done to you, or how often they have done it, then you are not ready to meet God.
If you pay your grocery bill and your rent, and your car payment but don’t give extravagantly to God and to His people, then you are not ready to meet God.
Let me ask you a question; how much of your schedule and things in your schedule would have to change if Jesus were to return tomorrow or if you woke up in Heaven tomorrow?
What would you do if the Lord asked you to open your Bible to the book of Hezekiah, or to Jude chapter 2?
What if you had to quote ten Bible verses or die in ten minutes? Most Christians would have to start singing “Nearer My God to Thee”, and you know it is so!
OLD TIME RELIGION
I realize that I’m a little old fashioned when it comes to serving God. Many Christians mock me because I cry out for a return to Apostolic Christianity. But I can’t help but think about the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Like a great man of God, Billy Godwin, once said, “If you want different results you must do something different in the same circumstances.”
What we have been doing hasn’t worked, and isn’t working now. Maybe it’s time that you and I stopped, bowed our heads, cried out to God, and then stepped out and became doers of the Word and not forgetful hearers only. Maybe, just maybe, we should prepare to meet God.
I’m a little old-fashioned I know,
When it comes to religion and God.
Many think I am painfully slow, since
I walk where my fathers have trod.
But I believe in repentance from sin,
And that Jesus within my heart must dwell.
I believe that if Heaven we win,
We must flee from the terrors of Hell.
I’m a little old-fashioned I know,
But God’s peace has a home in my soul.
And I’m telling wherever I go
That Jesus is saving and keeping me whole.
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