Contend for the Faith

Jude 3-4

Jude, the brother of James and the half-brother of Jesus was going to write a letter to fellow followers of Christ about the blessing of being in Christ, and having fellowship with the Father, but that was not the message the Holy Spirit wanted Jude to pen.  In verse three Jude is telling us to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.  First, lets clear up that the person Jude, as well as the apostle Paul, often referred to followers of Christ as saints, not based on performance but on relationship with Jesus Christ by grace through faith, and Ephesians 2:8-9, makes it clear that it is not by what we did or do for God, but what He has done by shedding His blood to cover our sin. 

Now, you and I may not use the word contend in our daily conversation, but it is something we do almost continually as Christians.  We contend, or struggle with the culture; we all have to deal with sin in our own life and in our society. This contention has not gone unnoticed in the church, for many have “placed a line in the sand” when it comes to a denomination going away from the teaching of Scripture and allowing the world’s ideals to lead them into a form of Godlessness. 

This same thing is what Jude is stating in verse four; “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”  God calls us sheep for good reason, we are easily conned; Jude did not say they showed up at the local church saying I will not be under the authority of man or God, but that they crept, are they snuck into your local church without fanfare, and they look good, they smelled good, and they may be your lawyer, banker, or doctor, or the mayor of your city, but they are deceivers.  They are not going to expose themselves by coming out against the things of God, but they are going to become teachers and may be on the staff of your church, and they are going to promote these kind of thoughts: that man is not sinful, good works to others will change the way God looks at a person.  Buell H. Kazee in his introduction to “Faith is the Victory” wrote: “There are only two philosophies of salvation in the world: salvation by works, and salvation by grace.” He also states, a false teacher will always distort these teachings.  “God alone is holy; second, man is sinful, depraved, and lost; and third, Jesus is the only Savior.”  Kazee’s book on (Faith is the Victory) is a must read for any and all and let me leave you with this last quote from the introduction: “Man, left to himself, will always have a god; and that god will always be like himself.”

The world has so invaded the church that many pastors have found it is not good for attendance to stand on the teaching of Scripture, so they no longer preach against the killing of the unborn, they no longer take a public stance against divorce, or for marriage being as God stated; between a man and a woman, and they do not teach that homosexual behavior is a godless act, in fact, many only teach what they refer to as a positive message.  But it is a message void of God’s warning, and He alone is holy and man is at best depraved and lost without the redeeming act of Jesus Christ.  This is the message of Jude to those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

"Our Common Salvation"

Jude /Verse 3

“Our Common Salvation”

Have you ever given thought to those three words, “Our Common Salvation”?  Those three words jumped off the page this morning, and I’ve read the book of Jude more than once.   But today the Spirit that lives in me asked this question do you understand those three words?   To understand it will require that we look to Scripture, for it is only there that this will be revealed, and the question is; what do we who follow Jesus have in common?  I found four things in common, but there are many, many more, and none have to do with religion, they all have to do with acknowledging a common need, to know the Father, and to enter into fellowship with Him.

1.     The first thing that comes to mind is that we are all in the same boat, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

I do understand that in our enlightened society we have taken the word “sin” from our vocabulary, but God, who does not change has spoken these words: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12)

2.     The need to repent; “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5)

Repenting is also a word that no longer is used in our culture, but Jesus said without repentance you will perish.

3.     The need to acknowledge and agree with what God has spoken about us; “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8 ESV)

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  (Romans 10:9)

In John 3:16, Jesus made sure that we understood this salvation is for all, that the Father so loved you that before creation He set in motion a plan to redeem you from the control of sin.  And that whosoever would accept the blood sacrifice of His Son, my Lord Jesus Christ, would be made right with the Father.

4.     And fourth, that it is all-inclusive; “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:10 ESV)

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 ESV)

You have been invited into a personal relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; all has been supplied for you to accept the invitation, both the grace and the faith that is needed, look and see what Ephesians 2:8-9 said on the subject of our common Salvation.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
What is common about our salvation is that God so loved you and me that He gave, but the gift He gave came at a price no one but God could pay; God stepped out of being worshipped, your Creator Jesus Christ and became our “Common Salvation”. 
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

Perception

Jude

My business life was in sales, and my career path began very early, my first sales job was on my mother, getting her to let Tommy and I play in the farmer’s field that was across from the circle, where we lived on Liberty drive.  My next sales pitch, after Tommy moved, was to convince Mom I needed to go play ball with the kids at the big park down the street.  At about nine years of age I got my first real sales job, that paid real money; I was a door-to-door salesman with fresh hot donuts and I made a nickel for each dozen.

After Jan and I married, I worked at the job from hell in the oil patch, I was blessed to be fired and went to work for a company called 3M.  I had no understanding of who they were or what they did, but I sold copy machines.  After a few years of selling the worst copy machines ever made, I learned this concept, “perception” is not always true, but what matters is what you believe about a person or a thing.  So the question is, when reading the Scriptures what is your “perception”?

In the letter of Jude, the first two verses are a greeting, and in that greeting we see Jude’s perception of himself.  It begins in this manner; “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”  (Jude 1:1-2 ESV)  Jude, a servant; was being a servant something to brag about in the time of Jude’s letter, sometime between 65-80 A.D.?

This is what we know about Jude also called Judas, but not Judas Iscariot, he was a brother to James and therefore another half-brother of Jesus.  Look with me at Matthew 13:53-55, “And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?”  This we know about the brothers of Jesus, at first, they did not believe in Him.  You will find this in John’s gospel chapter 7:5, “For not even his brothers believed in him.”  But after the resurrection they became His followers, found in Acts 1:14, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”  So Jude’s perception of his early unbelief may have made him not feel worthy to sign his letter, a brother of Jesus.  So he signs it as a brother of James, whom is believed to be Jesus’ half-brother, and as a servant of Jesus.

So what was the role of a servant in Jesus’ time?  Luke’s gospel gives us a great understanding in chapter 22:24-27, “A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.  But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

A servant did not sit at his master’s table; the servant’s role was to watch and wait and to anticipate each and every need of his master.  The master did not thank the servant for doing what was expected of him, but did handout punishment to those who were unfaithful.  What wonderful words came out of Jesus’ mouth when He stated; “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15.) 

So what is your perception of your role as a follower of Christ?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Have the Odds Changed?

Amos 9: 11-15

Often, it seems we have the tendencies to pick winners and losers on the knowledge we have on the subject.  Let me ask you a question, what are the odds that a country that is long and narrow in shape, about 290 miles (470 km.) in length, 85 miles (135 km.) in width at its widest point, and is bordered by a very large nation whose goal is to destroy it, has it a chance to survive?   If you went to Vegas and took odds on this, I believe you would not be betting on its survival.   This is where we find the little nation of Israel today, surrounded by nations all over the world who would help in its destruction. 
Israel is located in the Middle East along the eastern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. It lies at the junction of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa.  When we think of Israel our mind should think of Abraham, Isaac, and Moses: also of how God’s people were freed from Egypt and after 40 years of desert time went into the land God chose for them in Canaan.  So Israel is more than land, it is God’s chosen people who spans over 35 centuries of history of the Jewish people.    Many of the Jewish people were forced into exile, but with the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, they were restored after being lost for over a thousand years.
Today, Israel has very few friends in the nations of the world, but they do have many enemies.  Iran, a very large nation, has publicly stated they will destroy Israel and have many friends who will not take a stance publicly but are pouring millions of dollars into the enemies of Israel, and for one reason, to see its destruction.  Now, if you are a friend of Israel, as I am, you may need to see what God said to Amos in chapter nine.

 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes.  New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.  They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.  I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.”  (Amos 9:13-15)

Now when placing your bet, has the odds changed for you?  God is a promise keeper!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

America's attempt at Reinventing God

Amos 9:1-10

Have we in the United States of America reinvented God to make Him what we want?  I do believe many have, and I’ve even heard such foolishness in Christian circles, that God is no longer the God of the Old Testament who was angry and got even, no He is now a God of love.  So before you think about putting your spin on God and His character, it might be wise to learn what He has said about Himself!

The Scriptures state the following: God is One God –Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He is Sovereign, the Creator, the Judge, the Savior and He is all-powerful, ever – present, all – knowing.  In that He is Holy and loving we see that He is merciful, faithful, unchanging, truthful, righteous, and just.  The Scriptures are very clear that He alone is Infinite, Self-Existent, Self-Sufficient, and Eternal.

My teacher Bill Gillham shared these truths with me; to have a healthy, vital, growing relationship with God, we must have a realistic picture of who He is.  What we believe to be true about God’s character is a foundation for the way we live our Christian life.  No convictions are more important to victorious living than our view of God. 

The desire of my heart is for each of us to have a realistic picture of what God says about Himself, and with that understanding we can now look with great interest at chapter 9 of Amos.  As stated at the first of this document, many have bought into a God who is like themselves, but much nicer.  This is what Amos saw, “I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: “Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people; and those who are left of them I will kill with the sword; not one of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.  “If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.  If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from there I will search them out and take them; and if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.  And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.”  (Amos 9:1-4 ESV)

In the verses that follow the Lord reminds them of who He is and what He has done for them and in verse ten it is clear to whom this is coming: “All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.”  Many of the priest and the leaders were saying, we are God’s people do not listen to this crazy man Amos, but God was the one speaking to Amos, and it happened just like Amos said it would.

If only we who claim to be followers of Christ believed what God has stated in Scripture about His Character, for what you believe about someone’s character affect how you act toward that person.  You and I would be wise to grasp the truth of this Italian proverb – “After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box.”  To update that Bill Gates and the janitor at Microsoft will both stand before God, they both will be equal and in the same box.  God has spoken in the Scriptures that all die and then the judgment, and what you believed and acted on about God will show up at the judgment.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

How dark is it?

Amos 8:9-14

I’m not sure if God is referring to a real happening in verse 9, for what is that to the Creator?  Verse 9, “And on that day,” declares the Lord GOD, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. (Amos 8:9 ESV)  But has not darkness come on we the people of this United States of America, when good is spoken of as evil and evil is spoken of as good.  It matters not the change of words, such as calling adultery an affair or changing the word lie, to spin; God has not changed and no matter what our culture does to change or lessen the meaning of a word, God still calls it sin.  Jesus tells the truth, and the truth can be found in John 3:19, that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. 

Look at this prophecy and give consideration to our Nation, and maybe to your nation, has darkness come on the hearts of your country?  Though the Bible is a best seller or has been, is it not the most non-read of all the books in most homes in America?  And when read, do we do as the Lord has commanded?  I’m fearful that the darkness that has come on our world is because those chosen have not followed the manufacturer’s instructions.  When Children do not have fathers or dads who will teach them Deuteronomy 11:1-6, who will tell them of His greatness, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm, his signs, his deeds, and His love?  Who will tell them? “You shall therefore love the LORD your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.”  (Deuteronomy 11:1)

Verses 11-13, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.  They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it. “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men shall faint for thirst.  Are we not experiencing this darkness in many people who think of themselves as Christian?  Are we not reaping what we have sown? 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Basket of Ripe Fruit

Amos 8:1-8

As I ponder on chapter 8, this thought came into my head, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34 ESV)  Have you ever thought; if only God would let me in on what’s around the corner then life would be so much better.   First, let me state He has given you the big picture and He has given you the grace to handle tomorrow.  It should be stated, God has made it clear in Scripture that dependence brings blessing and independent living will bring curses.  Jesus said, our problem is we choose to sin.  Do you remember the encounter with Nicodemus where Jesus told him; “You must be born again.”   In John 3, Jesus goes on and in verses 19-20 deals with the why; “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20 ESV)

Chapter 8 begins in this manner; “This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit.  “What do you see, Amos?” he asked.  “A basket of ripe fruit,” I answered. Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”  (Amos 8:1-2)  Do you remember the priest Amaziah telling Amos to go peddle his prophecy somewhere other than Israel?  And Amos’ reply is in my words; look mister priest I was neither a prophet or a son of a prophet, I was a shepherd and I took care of some sycamore-fig trees, but God said, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”  It is my opinion that shepherding was a piece of cake, compared to telling a nation God has compared you to a basket of ripe fruit and your life of ignoring God’s statutes and commandments are over, now you are going to reap what you have sown.

Very often in Scripture the Lord is commanding His people to make sure they look to the needs of the poor, now we have changed that title to the “under resourced” and to widows and orphans.   As you read the book of Amos, those are the ones who are being cheated or taken advantage of.  Picking up the account in verse four; “Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?”— Skimping on the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.  The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.”

I have stated and will again, we in the USA are living in such times.  We take great pleasure in stating; in the USA most everyone has a car or two, shelter, computers, cell phones and the difference between rich and poor is only in quantity and quality.  To some degree it is true, but an evil thing has been taking place of late in the USA and it is our leaders, not God, telling the (under resourced) they should have more without working for it.  And greed has no social class, it is common to the very rich and to the poorest of poor, it also has no skin color, so many are being taken captive by the promises of taking what they did not earn.  Is God showing someone in the United States of America, a basket of ripe fruit?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Confrontation

Amos 7:10-17

It is not healthy to enjoy confrontation, in fact, many in our society will quit jobs, marriages, and even churches or just about anything to keep conflict out of their lives.  But we also understand from the Scriptures that God does arrange confrontation, he did it with Nathan when he was told by God to get in the face of King David and confront his sin of taking Uriah’s wife and then having Uriah killed.  And what about Daniel and his three friends who would not bow to king Belshazzar’s demands?  When the person that confronts us is a person of authority, such as was the case with Amos, when the priest, and more than likely the high priest, sent this note to king Jeroboam: “Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, “‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’” (Amos 7:10-11 ESV)  That kind of a message may get a person in trouble, as it will today, and it will surely cause confrontation. 

The following is the exchange between the priest and Amos: “And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now therefore hear the word of the LORD.  “You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’  Therefore thus says the LORD:

“‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

(Amos 7:12-17 ESV)  We have all heard the saying, do not pick a fight with an older man, because he has too much to lose, so do not pick a fight with a prophet of God.

Do you recall the confrontation of Peter and the apostles with the high priest telling them not to speak any longer in the name or authority of Jesus Christ.  And this was their reply: “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”(Acts 5:29-32)   I must report that did not go well with the religious leaders, and they wanted to kill them, but God.  Yes, but God had plans for these men, yet most of them would die by the hands of religious zealots, but in God’s plan and purpose. 

So what application should we take from Amos 7:10-17?  Is it to love God more than self, to fear God more than you fear man?  I believe the Scripture is clear that we should not be confrontational but to always over look when we are wronged.  With that said it is my personal belief that God is the same today as He has always been, the Creator, He is all knowing, and He has authority over the affairs of men.  And for that reason, my house will stand against all that say God’s word is not relative to our culture.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Our Hearts need a Plumb Line

Amos 7:1-9

There is no doubt that God is still speaking, for He speaks to me in many ways, so that is not the question, no, the question is am I able to hear Him?  If I’ve heard and not listened, or been fearful of what you or others would say or think, am I leaving my family and my community open to harm?  Maybe and maybe not, now that was not what you were expecting me to say, was it?  As we look at God speaking to His prophet Amos, you may be in agreement with my last statement, but a wise person listens and acts on what God is speaking into their heart.

Chapter seven begins with God showing Amos, in a vision, the judgment to come on Israel.  The first judgment was locust coming to destroy the crops just as they were beginning to sprout.  Not only did Amos listen to what God had said, Amos stood in the gap for a people who wished for only one thing, that this farmer/prophet would go bother some other people.  This was Amos’ talk with the Lord; “O Lord GOD, please forgive!  How can Jacob stand? He is so small!”  The LORD relented concerning this:

“It shall not be,” said the LORD. (Amos 7:2-3 ESV) 

In the next vision, God showed Amos a fire that was consuming the whole of Israel, listen to Amos talk with the Lord; “Then I said, “O Lord GOD, please cease!  How can Jacob stand?  He is so small!”  The LORD relented concerning this: “This also shall not be,” said the Lord GOD. (Amos 7:5-6 ESV)  There were real issues in the land of Israel, the people were taking advantage of the poor, and they were self-absorbed with what they could buy, or build and were full of pride, an arrogant people.  Jesus had an encounter with some Pharisees and scribes and they wanted to know why his disciples broke the tradition of the elders.  This is what Matthew recorded: “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9 ESV)

Now, the rest of the story, God had one more vision for Amos, “This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” (Amos 7:7-9 ESV)

Why do we need a plumb line?   Only with some type of plumb line can a wall be built and without a plumb line a life will become distorted.  What you believe about the person will become unclear, for a person without a moral compass will be deformed.   God is not like us, He does not look at the surface but the heart and the heart needs a plumb line, called the Spirit of God, to guide it in the will and ways of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Has God Spoken?

Amos 6:1-14

Has God spoken and if He has spoken why would anyone not believe what He has said?  As I read the sixth chapter of Amos, these thoughts came to mind; we are as a nation and a people much like the people that Amos is addressing.  After reading this chapter numerous times, and asking the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to truth, I read Gene A. Getz footnotes from the Life Essentials study Bible on page 1195 and note #9 titled Material Prosperity.  “During the time Amos prophesied, the children of Israel were experiencing economic prosperity and military success.  The leaders particularly paraded their wealth and position.  They built large houses, gorged themselves on the best meat, and drank bowlfuls of the best wines.  They concluded that they were successful, powerful, and secure from the attacks of their enemies.  They evidently believed that God approved of the way they were living and was blessing them accordingly.”  The question must be asked, what nation comes into your mind?  In sales we often used the phrase, “The old is forever new” or as my dad would say, “We learn nothing from history, because if we did, would we repeat it?”

My prayer is that you will read Amos and especially chapter six, it begins in this manner; “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!”

(Amos 6:1 ESV)  Am I all wet, or could we easily put the USA in the place of Zion, and Washington D.C. in the place of Samaria, and the American people in the place of Israel?

In verse two the prophet reminds them of other nations who were also mighty at one time and very prosperous and were destroyed or have been brought to a place of no influence as a power broker in world affairs.  Do names come into your mind of great nations who no longer exist or have no voice in the big picture of today?  Mighty nations like Rome, Egypt, Greece, and much later, France and the British Empire.   Do you recall a Germany that tried to conquer the world, or a Soviet Union, the mighty U.S.S.R. that is no longer, and they all had one thing in common, they believed they were able to do as they pleased.  Now that is as dangerous for a nation as it is for you and me.

Verse three deals with the leaders and the people ignoring the warning of the prophet, and the coming judgment.  And verse four and five refers to their prosperity and the attitudes of their hearts.  But in verse 8, “The Lord GOD has sworn by himself, declares the LORD, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.” (Amos 6:8 ESV)  I often forget that God hates pride, and these people were, as are we, prideful, arrogant, putting their faith in citadels, walls and towers, and they falsely believed their city was impregnable.  

Verses 9-11, deals with the destruction of the things they trusted in and in human life.  When God speaks to a people or to a nation, wise people repent and seek to be agents of change, much like Nineveh.  Do you recall in Matthew 12:38-42, where the scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign, and this was his answer: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

(Matthew 12:39-41 ESV)

As someone once told me, “A word to the wise is sufficient” so let the wise listen to these words from Gene A. Getz: “There is a lesson here for all people – nationally and personally, believers and unbelievers.  Material prosperity and success and power are not conclusive evidence of God’s approval of the way we live.”  Actually, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Woe to You!

Amos 5:18-27

Have you ever had someone say, be careful what you ask for you might just get it?  It seems that many in Israel who desired “the day of the Lord” and Amos asked the question why, “Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD!  Why would you have the day of the LORD?  It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.  Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20 ESV)   

A warning needs to be injected in this paper, that the word of God is as stated in Hebrew 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning, the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  It was the voice of Amos, but it was God who was speaking to the people words they did not understand, and words they were not willing to except.

Picking up the account in verse 21, and listen it is not Amos that hated and despised feasts and burnt offerings, for they were not made to him, but to God.  “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.  Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.  Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.  But let justice roll down like waters, righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.  (Amos 5:21-24 ESV)

What is our take away from these verses; be careful what you believe about God, and always search the Scriptures with a heart open to this truth: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Wrong Conclusion

Amos 5:8-15

How easy it is to be led to a wrong conclusion, and you and I have bought into more scams than we will admit, yes, rip-offs by dishonest schemes, and the root cause is not being stupid, but being greedy, or lazy and not looking into the matter or not getting counsel.   The elderly of our society are often the prey of evil people because they put trust in people with titles or people in places of authority; like lawyers, doctors, money managers, and government employees, even those elected by the people.

Could that be the reason why God refers to us as sheep?  Sheep are dumb and are easily led and often will go off alone and encounter danger.  My neighbor, Jim raises sheep and at this time has many baby lambs on the ground.  I ask if I could come take pictures of the lambs, and this was Jim’s reply; we do not get near them for three to four days because they will follow a chicken or a person and then the mother will not let them nurse and we end up bottle-feeding them. 

Gene A. Getz in the Life Essentials study Bible, had these comments about the people that Amos was speaking to: “When the children of Israel turned away from God, they did not abandon the practices instituted at Mount Sinai.  However, their burnt offerings, grain offerings, and fellowship offerings and other rituals became sacrilegious and meaningless.  They were using these God-ordained symbols to worship false gods.  This is syncretism – incorporating idolatrous activities into biblical worship.” (Page 1194 #8)

Folks, these idolatrous activities did not happen over night, it was designed and orchestrated by the one Jesus calls the thief in John 10:10, the one who controls the deceptive channel that my friend Bill calls channel One.  I find it of great interest how close we are as a Nation and a people to the days of Amos.  Listen to what Amos is saying about them and ask yourself, could that be said about our Nation?  “They hate the one who convicts the guilty at the city gate and despise the one who speaks with integrity.  Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards
you have planted.  For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable.  They oppress the righteous, take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice at the gates.  Therefore, the wise person will keep silent at such a time, for the days are evil. (Amos 5:10-13)

The message to the righteous in Amos’ day is also the message for Christians today.  And this is the message: “Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.  Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate.  Perhaps the Lord, the God of Hosts, will be gracious
to the remnant of Joseph.”  (Amos 5:14-15)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Collision Course

Amos 5:1-6

The fifth chapter of Amos has been given a title in my Bible of “Seek the Lord and Live” and that implies some and maybe many will not seek the Lord and will not experience the blessing that one who does seek Him will receive.   We live in a culture that can best be summarized in the song “I did it my way,” and it has been this way most of my life.  You can bet the farm, doing it your way will be on a collision course with “Seek the Lord and live,” and then the question much be asked, what does it profit a person if they achieve great success and acclaim in this world, but have missed out on knowing God and receiving His free gift of eternal life; is that worth eternal damnation?   Jesus asks the question in both the gospel of Matthew and Mark, this is the question: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? (Matthew 16:26 ESV)

Amos 5:3, “For thus says the Lord GOD: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” (Amos 5:3 ESV)  And you may ask why, why would God do this to a people who He has chosen from all the peoples of the world?  Could it be after many warnings, and many prophets coming to them with “Thus says the Lord God” and they said by their actions, “I will do it my way” and only judgment would return them to acknowledge that God’s plan for life on planet earth is best. 

And we understand that often they tried to con God, by outward acts, religious acts, but their hearts were far from God.  Listen to the voice of God:   For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” Seek the LORD and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth! (Amos 5:4-7 ESV)

People are people and flesh is flesh, as we have said often, Channel One is the deceptive channel that seems to resemble our own voice, and Channel Two is the Spirit of God, and is often not listened to because of sin in our life, or the busyness of life and the noise we have grown accustomed to.  But we like the people of Amos days also have those places where we, or someone else has met with God, and we have placed markers at those places in our minds and hearts that we need to go back to that place to experience God.

That is what God is telling them not to do, “do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.”  You may be asking what was Bethel to them, and the answer is found in Genesis 28:12-19, where Jacob had his vision of the stairway to heaven.   And Gilgal was the embarkation point for crossing the Jordan River and the invasion of Canaan, and Joshua set up a memorial there (Joshua 4:19-20).  And Beersheba is closely associated with the sojourns of Abraham (Genesis 21:14) (footnotes from page 1499 in the HCSB Study Bible) All of the areas had shrines, all three were pilgrimages, to observe what God had done, but God was telling them to quit going back to what He had done, and follow Him into what He is doing.

We should never forget that the deceptive channel is telling us to go back to some place and find God, it may be the little church where you grew up or the one with the great orator and teacher that stood on the massive lot with the large oak trees and the big white pillars, and yet God is saying “Thus says the Lord” follow me where I’ve planted you.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What can the Church learn from Amos 4:12?

Amos 4:12

In 2012, Jan and I spent a few days in Prague with our friends Joe and Barb, and we were told by the tour guide that 60 % of the people of Prague do not believe in God, in fact, they do not believe there is a God.  What a contrast to the people of Amos’ day, if you had taken a survey of the Jewish people, and the question was: Is there a God?  I would be surprised if you did not get 99.8% of the Jewish people saying yes and His name is Yahweh, but the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 14:1, that some who he refers to as fools will say, “There is no God.” 

What can you and I and the Church, learn from these religious people who believed there was a God, but totally ignored His commandments and statues?  And now, let’s move from Prague, to your country, your area, your town, your church, your family, and finally to the person you see each morning in the mirror.  You believe He is God; do you obey His commandments?  Maybe, we identify more closely with the Jewish people of Amos’ day than we believe.  One of the most humble, kind, and meek men I’ve known is T.W. Hunt, a man of prayer, a mighty man in the kingdom of God, and yet, he has told me on many occasions, Bob, “I’m a wicked man.”  Now I must confess that each time he said that to me it troubled me; for if T.W. is wicked, then what am I?

It was a great day when I ran across this quote, “There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.”  Blaise Pascal

Amos leaves no doubt that the Jewish people were a religious people who were so consumed by self, they were living independent of God’s authority and yet if you ask, they would fall under “the sinners who think they are righteous.”  That is why God sent His prophet Amos, but they were only irritated by his words, so it came to this statement in verse 12.  “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

The question must be ask of us, for we are not a people of Psalm 14:1, who believe there is no God, no we are Christians, we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and have put our hope in the redeeming blood that has covered our sin.  And yet, we, like these religious Jews have put self on the throne of our life, and many, to our shame, are living as if Jesus does not tell the truth.  Many who are religious would answer the question if ask, is there a God, and what is His name: they would answer; God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

But that answer will buy you no more in judgment than it did the Jews of Amos’ day, for it is obedience that is God’s requirement to be a follower of Christ, it is death to self, and it’s demands.  I’m learning that only being willing to be willing to the authority of the Spirit of God will overcome the desires of my flesh.  For many today, this may be your day of God saying,  “Therefore thus I will do to you, Your name; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Your name or mine!”  Emphasis added

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice