Please welcome Chris Cheaney. On this episode, Chris takes us through the early verses of Hebrews.

Hebrews opens with a description of the supremacy and deity of Christ. With that foundation, the author delivers a strong reminder to be vigilant and intentional in our spiritual lives to avoid any unintentional drift in our faith.

"With this last stand, Amos reveals God's plan to rebuild & restore Israel. This entire time, Amos has been relating the discipline of a good Father longing for His own to return to Him. Today, Amos's message to Israel reminds us we are called to a different life of sacrifice, service, & sanctification in Christ amidst a dark & decaying world."

"In this fifth & final vision, Amos announces that the Lord has stood in judgment against Israel from within the temple, above the altar. The very place they thought would preserve them was the same place God rose in judgment. As Amos draws near the end of his recorded ministry, he reminds Israel that God has a global perspective, something we must keep in mind as well."

"Jesus said many things about hat our lives would be like is we chose to follow Him. What he never said is that it would be easy. In fact, much of what He said was the exact opposite. Man of us have found ourselves in difficult circumstances and begin to question if something is wrong with this faith we have. The people around us seem to have their lives so put together and their lives are east, but here we are drowning and wondering if we will ever find solid ground again. The storms of life are real, and they are brutal, but when we have a solid foundational understanding of the truth of the Gospel, we can have hope to withstand the barrage of the waves to come."

Garrett Weir takes us through Amos's fourth vision and the judgment that accompanies it. We see the Lord's anger against Israel's sin finally coming to fruition. The Lord had shown Israel grace and patience for so long, but their religious masks were finally too repulsive to not discipline them. In their hearts, Israel hated the Holy days, cheated people, sold their kinsmen into slavery, and worshipped idols. God does not tolerate fake faith.

Amos now stands accused by a false priest. This encounter puts the truth of God's Word in direct contrast with the lies of the enemy; it puts a faithful man on display against darkness. Amos's faithfulness and humility set him apart as a servant of God and set and example for us as light in a dark world.

"Amos begins relating five visions of judgment against Israelf for the actions she has been accused of us to this point. This is the first time we experience the "vision" portion of Amos's ministry and we see how His interactions with the Lord reminds us of Moses (Exodus 32) and point us towards Jesus. These examples show us how we ought to live and interact with a wicked generation today."

"The apostle Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3 that in the last days there will be those who "have the appearnace of godliness....denying its power." Ignoring God's call to return to Him, Israel continues in their own arrogance, pursuing the influence and celebrity of the nations around them instead of the righteousness of God. Faithful to His promise, pride comes before a fall..."

Through a funeral poem, God displays His heartbreak over the specific sins of Israel. He also offers them a simple way back to Him: turn around. Just as He spoke through the prophet many years ago, He is speaking through the Church to the rebellious world today. Central to the entire message of the Bible is the call to return to the Father, that God has made a way back to Himself.

As God continues in His charges against Israel, He shows them one of their greatest errors -- ignoring His voice. This slippery slope that lead to Israel's fall is still a present danger to us today. If we are not intentional in our devotion, obedience, and service we will find ourselves on a downward trajectory that begins with ignoring His voice and leads to forgetting His voice altogether.