2 Timothy 2:2-4

Amos was fed up. While most of the prophets interspersed redemption and restoration in their prophecies against Israel and Judah, Amos devoted only the final five verses of his prophecy for such consolation. Prior to that, God’s word through Amos was directed against the privileged people of Israel, a people who had no love for their neighbor, who took advantage of others, and who only looked out for their own concerns.

I think it was Tim McGraw who had the song “ Live Like You Are Dying.” About a man dying of termial disease who had the change to prepare for death and do the things he always wanted to do. Sky diving, rocky mountain climbling, ride a bull, love deeper, and so on. Do you think about death? Man’s greatest fear is death. Do you consider where you will be five years from now? five hundred years from now? Nobody wants to talk about death. Everyone wants to be happy and successful. Some are only happy when they are having fun. They don’t want to be serious about anything. They don’t want to think about death. Peter thought about death all the time. It made Him very happy to think about death. We are going to find out why

Homecoming is about going home. We go back to the place where it all began. We go home. I love holidays when we can gather at our homes and enjoy fellowship with each other. We are only visiting we haven’t come to stay. They say you can’t go home again, meaning you can’t recapture that feeling you had when you were a child. You can’t have it all. But I say we can have it all and we are going home one day and we are going to be arrayed with rewards, we are going to stay.

Same sex marriage, Abortions, Antifa, Socialism, Open Borders, Globalism, Planned Parenthood, Racism, Black lives matter, Hate speech, Police protests, Marxism, Anti-Semistism, Anti- Israel, Replacement Theology, violence, hatred, intolerance, Democratic Socialism, Climate change, and more are all examples of the absence of God in our society. Israel tried this once.

You’ve heard it said that we are just one generation away from being a Godless nation. I’m talking about the God of creation, the God of the Bible. That is true. And it doesn’t take everyone being godless just the majority. In 1990 85% of the Americans claimed to be Christians. Last year it was down to 75%. But those who believe the Bible is the literal word of God (what I call a real Christian) is down to 24% of Americans. Only 12% of those ages 18-29 believe the Bible is the literal word of God. In 1984 40% believed that. So the unbelievers are the majority and have been for a long time and the next generation is getting worse.

: It seems hopeless for Israel on many occasions but God intervened and delivered them from certain defeat. When we seem to have lost all hope, all seems lost God will deliver us. We as followers of Biblical values and Jesus Christ have many enemies in this world. Satan hates us. The world hates us. Leftists hate us. Islam hates us. Evolutionists hate us. Globalists hate us. Socialists hate us. Abortionists hate us. Homosexuals hate us. Mormons hate us. JW’s hate us. Maybe you have enemies? Family members that hate you. Maybe you have co-workers that hate you of no fault of your own.

Jesus warned us that people would hate us. Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. But Jesus did not leave us without hope and power! John 16:33 ……In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Our deliverer will come for us when our back is against the wall but until then what do we do?

To keep from stumbling you turn on the light and follow the light. To keep from stumbling you watch your step. You take your time. You check your path and your surroundings. So, it is in in our life of faith. We keep our eyes on Jesus. We follow Him no matter what. If we are walking through high water we keep our eyes on the one who has already been through it and follow His path. We are in dangerous waters of life. We must not watch the water but watch the one who has already made it through.

Do you know that you know that you know that you are saved? You can know, you ought to know and you should know if you have everlasting life. If you come to the end of life and are not sure. Then you need to be sure. Most of the people on the earth today do not know for sure if they died today that they would go to heaven. John the Baptist is giving His sermon about Jesus in response to his disciples questions about Jesus ministry in John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

We have all kinds of needs. People were asked what is the greatest need that humans have. The need for food and shelter is our basic need physically was number one. But also the need for love, acceptance and happiness was number two. We need satisfaction. We need a purpose for being. We need to know where we came from and where we are going. Those came next in the list. We have a lot of needs. But no one mentioned our greatest need. And God can fulfill that in one moment. In fact he has already provided for this greatest of our needs.

In the Christian faith we cannot ever let works and grace be confused. We cannot allow the works of the law to ever have anything to do with our salvation. Jesus kept the law so that we don’t have to. Our salvation past, present and future is by the grace of God through Jesus Christ alone. Peter and Paul got into a little raw over Peters actions in eating with Jews and gentiles.