Bible Cast

William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army. And he got his young man that he was mentoring together one day and told them, it is the nature of a fire to go out. And then he said, you must tend it, and feed it, and carry out the ashes.

Booth was unto something. Just as in the physical world there is that law called entropy, that in a closed system things tend to go to disorganization and decay instead of organization.

The loss of energy, so too, in the spiritual life that things tend toward decay, disorganization. It’s the nature of a fire to go out.

When I first became a Christian I was properly instructed to read my bible, pray, stay in fellowship. I was instructed to fan the fire of God, the fire that God lit in my heart, tend it, carry out the ashes, feed it so it grows.

There is a tendency in the Christian life. That tendency is to let the fire go out.

There’s an old hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, written by Robert Robertson. One of the parts of the song goes “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel. Prone to leave the God I love.

That is the story of the nation of Israel. They were prone to wander, prone to leave the God they loved.

This is the second woe. There are two woes in this chapter, this is not a great word. It’s a somber word, it’s to get your attention. Whoa! Is another way of saying this, look at it like slowing down a horse.

I picture an air raid going off right now. There is an incoming attack. Take cover! Be prepared!

Look at what's happening to you. The Lord is trying to get your attention.

Is God trying to get our attention? I can’t say for sure. But it could be. There have been 307 mass shootings in the US so far in 2018.

The nation's deadliest wildfire in the past century has killed at least 84 people, and more than 560 are still unaccounted for. Despite the inclement weather, more than 800 volunteers searched for remains on Thanksgiving and again Friday, two weeks after flames swept through the Sierra Nevada foothills, authorities said.

Armed guards at our schools, fights, political hostile environment.

Chapter 4 pointed the finger at women who lived in wanton luxury. This chapter points the finger at those notable men who were in charge.

This is the second woe. There are two woes in this chapter, this is not a great word. It’s a somber word, it’s to get your attention. Whoa! Is another way of saying this, look at it like slowing down a horse.

I picture an air raid going off right now. There is an incoming attack. Take cover! Be prepared!

Look at what's happening to you. The Lord is trying to get your attention.

Is God trying to get our attention? I can’t say for sure. But it could be. There have been 307 mass shootings in the US so far in 2018.

The nation's deadliest wildfire in the past century has killed at least 84 people, and more than 560 are still unaccounted for. Despite the inclement weather, more than 800 volunteers searched for remains on Thanksgiving and again Friday, two weeks after flames swept through the Sierra Nevada foothills, authorities said.

Armed guards at our schools, fights, political hostile environment.

Chapter 4 pointed the finger at women who lived in wanton luxury. This chapter points the finger at those notable men who were in charge.

The ancient Romans used to say, “while there’s life, there’s hope!” This saying has a kernel of truth but no guarantee of certainty. The Christian believer has a “living hope” 1 Peter 1:3, because our faith and hope, are in God. This “living hope” is the major theme of Peter’s first letter.

Before we delve into this letter it is important that we get to know the man who wrote it, the people to whom he sent it, and the situation they were in that prompted him to write it.

The ancient Romans used to say, “while there’s life, there’s hope!” This saying has a kernel of truth but no guarantee of certainty. The Christian believer has a “living hope” 1 Peter 1:3, because our faith and hope, are in God. This “living hope” is the major theme of Peter’s first letter.

Before we delve into this letter it is important that we get to know the man who wrote it, the people to whom he sent it, and the situation they were in that prompted him to write it.

Now we have the third message. Now in this chapter and this message, Amos is to become a singing prophet. He’s to sing a lamentation, that is not a happy song. He’s not going to entertain them, he’s going to sing a sad, sad song. This would not have gone over very well in Israel, for you see the people of Israel were singing not a lamentation but a song of celebration! They wanted a catchy, exciting song. It’s not what they’re going to get. God is trying to get their attention.

Now we have the third message. Now in this chapter and this message, Amos is to become a singing prophet. He’s to sing a lamentation, that is not a happy song. He’s not going to entertain them, he’s going to sing a sad, sad song. This would not have gone over very well in Israel, for you see the people of Israel were singing not a lamentation but a song of celebration! They wanted a catchy, exciting song. It’s not what they’re going to get. God is trying to get their attention.

A.W. Tozer once said that scholars can interpret the past, but it takes a prophet to interpret the present. Amos came to the northern kingdom of Israel at a very crucial time.

He came out of obscurity, nobody had really heard of him. He’s not mentioned anywhere else in the bible except for this book. No family background that we know of.

Not someone of wealth, or importance, or influence. All we know is that he was from a small town called Tekoa.

He had an interesting occupation. A sheep breeder of a particular kind of sheep that was kept down from that area of Tekoa. They had sort of a long stringy hair.

He was also a producer or a harvester of the sycamore fig fruit. What most people would think of as untrained, unlearned, unschooled-- perfect guy for God to use.

[1Co 1:27 NKJV] 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

A.W. Tozer once said that scholars can interpret the past, but it takes a prophet to interpret the present. Amos came to the northern kingdom of Israel at a very crucial time.

He came out of obscurity, nobody had really heard of him. He’s not mentioned anywhere else in the bible except for this book. No family background that we know of.

Not someone of wealth, or importance, or influence. All we know is that he was from a small town called Tekoa.

He had an interesting occupation. A sheep breeder of a particular kind of sheep that was kept down from that area of Tekoa. They had sort of a long stringy hair.

He was also a producer or a harvester of the sycamore fig fruit. What most people would think of as untrained, unlearned, unschooled-- perfect guy for God to use.

[1Co 1:27 NKJV] 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

If chapters 1 and 2 are the roar of God in Judgment, chapters 3 - 7 are going to be the reasons God gives judgment. God is going to get more in detail as to why He judges the people. There is going to be a series of five messages and a few of them begin with the phrase, “hear the word.” this is going to be the first three messages.

The second two messages will begin with the phrase “woe to you.” A total of five messages where God will list the reasons for His judgment.