Based on Amos 4 (New King James Version)
“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring wine, let us drink!’ The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: ‘Behold, the days shall come upon you when He will take you away with fishhooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. You will go out through broken walls, each one straight ahead of her, and you will be cast into Harmon,’ says the Lord. ‘Come to Bethel and transgress, at Gilgal multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days. Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; for this you love, you children of Israel!’ Says the Lord God. ‘Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places; yet you have not returned to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘I also withheld rain from you, when there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered. So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied; yet you have not returned to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees, the locust devoured them; yet you have not returned to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; your young men I killed with a sword, along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; yet you have not returned to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; yet you have not returned to Me,’ says the Lord. ‘Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!’ For behold, He who forms mountains, and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth—the Lord God of hosts is His name.’”
Today’s passage provides ample warning to those who consider themselves believers, but do not follow or look for God as they should. So today’s message is for those who profess to know God and have been exposed to the Truth of the God for the salvation of their souls. It appears that many folks don’t realize that there is an accountability for the Truth. According to the Bible, once a person has been exposed to the Truth, there is a responsibility for it. In other words, if you know what is right, and you choose not to do it or follow it, then you are bringing upon yourself the consequences that those actions entail. I make an emphasis on the word “Truth” because people are fixated on the idea that their opinion is truth. And as I have shared in the past, opinion has no bearing on reality, unless it is based on Truth. So folks can brainwash themselves, and listen to lying preachers all they want; the Truth is unchangeable. The Word of God is ultimate Truth, and it will never contradict itself. Many preachers selectively choose and use passages to teach what they want to teach, and to ultimately tell people what they want to hear; not necessarily sharing the Truth of God.
One major doctrinal problem that has infiltrated the universal church today is the concept of “eternal security”, in the sense that God is not concerned about what you do after you are saved; and that you can carry on with life without worrying about your actions because God loves you and will forgive everything. The problem with that concept is that God does care about what you do after coming to Christ. We are eternally secure in Christ, if we follow God faithfully, and do those things that please Him. But if people choose to practice sin (not just commit sin: something done unintentionally, or something that does not turn into a lifestyle or habit), then God has a deep problem with that. For it is written (in the NEW TESTAMENT): “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said; Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31. He also teaches (in the NEW TESTAMENT): “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21.
Some folks may say, “Well, John, then I’m ok because I really don’t do those things.” And that’s great if that’s the case. Praise God! But here is one other thing that ensnares many folks, and in a very subtle way: the love of money (idolatry). Money within itself is not bad. But here is the problem: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:9-10. Here is the test: How many of you might say that they just need a little bit more to be OK? I think if folks are honest, most people might say that this is the case. The problem with that is that there is a lack of contentment. Wanting always “a little more” is the sign. There are some that may say, “I have debt and that’s why I need the money”. Well, think about how you got there. What was the ultimate reason for getting there? Some young people get into debt because of higher learning expenses, which is perfectly fine. But what was the goal for having the career? Was the goal ultimately to get something that would allow them to make a lot of money? If the idealism or the passion was not the driving force, then the love of money drove the sacrifice. How do you know? Are you truly happy with what you are doing; not just happy because of the money you are making to buy things and do things you always wanted to do? Want to test it out? Think about doing the work for free. Could you still be happy doing it without getting paid? Idolatry wears many different faces.
The truth is that we will all give an account for what we do, especially believers. So the question is, “Are you willing to meet God now and turn from whatever it is you are doing or living like so that He can bring eternal healing to your life, or are you going to keep doing what you are doing and meet God in the near future before a throne of judgment, finding out “the hard way” that God will judge His people?” Lord bless! John