Repentance and Redemption | A Call to Return to God | Amos 3:1-15

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in

practical ways.

Are you gonna seeing Good Morning, Jeff? Nope, nope. Come on,

I'm not doing it ready, I'm not doing it. I'm

not doing it. You did it yesterday? Yeah you did? Yes,

Hey have you missed yesterday's episode? There was a guy.

It's amazing.

This guy wrote in and said, why doesn't Jeff sing

good morning?

So I was given Jeff, I got a little bit. Yeah,

I got a little bit. Yeah, Well, everybody want to

Chris Thing. Welcome to the Bible Guys. My name is Chris,

This is Jeff, and I'm the Bible Guy, and this

is my faithful CampaignOn That's right, that's right. I'm just

happy to be here. Yes, I'm just happy to be here.

Well, Chris, uh so, if you're new to the show,

Chris is our resident movie buff.

I like movies. Yes, well you've seen all the movies.

I've seen all of them.

Multiple times, a lot of movies, all the movies multiple times.

So today we're gonna see if you can determine the

film that I'm suggesting based on only six words.

I'm going to give you a six word description, but.

Don't forget it, says Jeff gets to decide how many

points are awarded.

Yes, do you want to tell me I get the

end or up front? How many of the words? Well,

let's see how quickly you get. It's going to be

a slide scale depending on how scale based on the speed.

So it's six words. Okay. So I'm racing against the public.

You're weight racing against my sliding scale. Yeah. Yeah, it's

purely arbitrary. But Chad always says that he tries.

To for anybody, anybody who beats you on getting these answers,

they get six million points apiece. Okay, that's for you.

Now you're just getting crazy. Well now I'm being generous. Yeah,

well I am.

I am. I am a billionaire when it comes to points. So, man,

you are just out there, buddy.

Okay, six words okay, And here's what I think I'm

going to Instead of reading the six words back to back,

I'm going to read a word, give you a second,

read a second word.

That's what I'm going to do. Wow.

Sounds strange, Yes, okay, okay, all right, sure. First word, children,

children of the corn, second word out smart out smart,

third word mob.

Children out smart mob. Fourth word four four yes, children out.

So it's a it's a it's a it's a it's

a movie about children out smarter mob.

Fifth word pirate, goodies. So you got you got? So

you got it in five words. Okay, that's pretty good.

I was thinking of all the children.

Movies and in my mind, literally one of the first

things I thought.

I was goodies.

Yeah, and so in my mind I was thinking children.

But they don't outside of they don't they're not smart mob.

But that's how they described it. That's so funny.

Here's one ready, Okay, so so let me see you

got it in five words.

So I'm going to give you one hundred thousand points.

Did you you ever see name that tune? Yes, we're there,

I can name it in one note?

Yes, yeah, you ready?

Cloned Clone, Minority Report, No dinosaurs, Jurassic Park.

There you go. Yeah, that was the easy one.

All right, I'm going to give you three hundred thousand

points or four hundred thosand pints on that one. I'm

going to give you a hundred thousand points for every word

I don't have to read.

How about that there. It is so so right. Now

you've got five hundred thousand points. Hey, read the rest

of the Jurassic Parks.

Clone dinosaurs eat some people too, eat some people too.

Okay ready yes, uh, bug Bug's life bite, bug bite

spider Man.

Yeah, there you go. Okay, I'm going to give you

four four hundred thousand. I got bug bite. Bug bite

makes guy fight criminals.

You have got to be kidd I literally hang on,

I'm wrappling in this.

Yeah it feels good. I got the word spider man

from bug bites. There you go, because because I in

my mind, I see the image of the of the.

Going and biting, and there's not too many movies, by

the way, that do that.

That's right, right, that's because that's that's a scene. So

now you are eight hundred and nine. I'm so proud

of me. I'm very proud of me. Okay ready, yes,

bored board board board as they wait, how do you

spell that b O A r D board board game

game releases? There you go?

Yes, so three hundred thousand extra points there, so you're

one two million points?

Can you read the board game releases? Rhinos chaos ensues. Wow,

there you go. Okay, here's the last one. Yeah, Alien.

Just okay, wants okay, a yeah, phone call, Alien.

Just wants a phone call. Okay, So another Dan. You

got one point three million points today, christ I paused,

that's a good day for you. Hey, listen.

I paused because you said Alien, and I was going

to say the movie Alien, Yeah, oh, Alien, and I

was like, wait a minute, he just said said Alien.

So well, good time, Chris, thanks man.

At one point three million points in in one game,

I got to be honest, you are covering some ground lately.

I got to be honest racking them up.

I enjoyed that mostly because of your adjustment.

The adjustment, which was just a word at the time.

That was really fun for me. Yeah, okay, that was

really good. And I'm five for five. Yeah, I know

at one point three million today.

Wow, I gave you a hundred thousand points for everywhere

and we didn't have.

To use Dude, I am reveling in this. Yeah, that's great.

I feel great. You should. It's it's an accomplishment, maybe

one of the pinnacles of your life. Yes, yes, I

call Liz. Do you want to call Liz right now? Salvation?

You believe addition, marriage ministry one point three million points

in one. I should put my kids in there, somewhere, somewhere. Family.

Well, and this is a big deal, so don't don't

rush it.

Kids are there somewhere. You're in the list. Just be

thankful to be on the list. Kids. That's great, all right. Well,

good for you, Chris. So I'm so proud of you.

Thank you know who God wasn't proud of.

Oh wow, So you only said you're so proud of

me because of a transition.

No, No, actually I said, I said I'm proud of me.

No, I said, I'm so proud of you. And then

it dawned to me, there's the transition. Oh I promise you.

I promise this. All right, Okay, So God was not

proud of Israel. No, he was not.

Remember how we pointed out in the previous judgments in

chapter one and chapter two of the Book of Amos,

he's mad at Moab and he mentions it.

In three verses.

He's a judgments coming to Judah. He mentions it in

three verses. But already we're ten verses in on Israel,

and God goes and another thing. You turn the page

and get the chapter three, and God goes, I got

some more for you guys.

He's really not happy with Israel. And he says and

again because they know better. They know better.

That's right, they know better, and they had a false understanding.

I think of their status. They thought they had a

protected status with God. I'm one of God's faith that

is called entitlement. Yes, and so God, I think, is

more upset with them because they are so entitled to

they think entitled to God's blessings. Hey, by the way,

he said, if you know all the benefits that were

coming from me, you should have behaved better.

Hey, I have an absolutely random thought. That's interruptive.

Okay, go ahead.

Remember I told you that Tory bought me a coffee

mug with dad jokes every day. Yes, I had coffee

this morning and I scanned it. What is orange and

sounds like a parrot. I don't know a carrot.

SOUPID. It's so bad, so bad. Okay, I don't even

know how to transition out of that one. Let's pretend

I didn't happen back into the Bible, JESF.

You know what you can't pretend didn't happen is all

the sins Israel committed against them.

There it is there, you got it. There they are Okay.

So we're in Amos three, and God continues to go

through Amos. He says, listen to this message that the

Lord has spoken against you, oh people of Israel and Judah,

against the entire fan Only I rescued from Egypt. From

among all the families on the earth, I have been

intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish

you for all your sins. Can two people walk together

without agreeing on the direction? Does a lion ever roar

in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a

young lion growl in its den without first catching his prey?

Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that

has no bait? Does a trap spring shut when there's

no nothing to catch? When the rams horn blows a warning,

shouldn't the people be alarmed? Does disaster come to a

city unless the Lord has planned it?

Is the Pope Catholic? No, I'm sorry, Nope, that's nothing.

Wowy to Yes, That's all God's doing is He's giving you.

He's giving you a bunch of same thing.

Indeed, the sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals

his plans to his servants, the prophets. The lion has roared,

so who isn't frightened? The Sovereign Lord has spoken, So

who can refuse to proclaim his message. Announce this to

the leaders of Felictia and to the great ones of Egypt.

Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria, and

witness the chaos and oppression in Israel. God says, Hey, Philistines,

watch this. Yeah, that's what he says. All right, my

people have forgotten how to do right, says the Lord.

Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by the theft

and violence. Therefore, says the Sovereign Lord, an enemy is coming.

He will surround them and shatter their defenses, and then

he will plunder all their fortresses. This is what the

Lord says. A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep

from a lion's mouth will recover only two legs and

a piece of an ear. So it will be for

the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds, and for

the people of Damascus reclining on couches.

Now, listen to this and announce it through all.

Israel, says the Lord. The God of the Lord, God

of Heaven's armies. On the very day I punish Israel

for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel.

The horns of the altar will be cut off and

fall to the ground. And I will destroy the beautiful

homes of the wealthy, their winter mansions and their summer

houses too, all their palaces filled with ivory.

Says the Lord. Oh yeah, man, Yeah, that's yeah, that's

more than ten verses.

That's a few more. Well, he's not done. He's gonna

keep going. We got chapter four to go. We've got

chapter five to go. Well, chapter four, he's still mad.

Chapter five he's gonna ask them to repent.

But yeah, is this amazing.

Yeah, So he's like, hey, I'm not done. And he

tells the people in Felictia to gather around and watch

just literally, hey, gather on the hills of Samaria and

just watch. Grab some popcorn.

Sit down.

It's gonna be a show. That's what he's telling them.

That's literally what he says. Well, he doesn't say grab popcorn,

but he says take you. He says, take your seats

now on the hills around Sameria and witness the chaos

and oppression in Israel.

Yeah, that's what he tells the Philistines. Yeah, buckle up,

it's coming and it's going to be a show. Yep. Right.

By the way, Amos Chapter three, verse three, see where

it says can two people walk together without greeing on

the direction?

Huh?

And the King James version it says can two walk

together less they be agreed. My pastor who did my wedding,

he used that verse in my wedding.

Oh wow.

Yeah. And by the way, whenever I'm reminded that that's

where that verse came from. In that context, it's very

disturbing in my wedding, judgment's coming. No, I mean it

is the correct context. He's using an example of a

couple walking together, and he's basically saying, hey, everybody knows

that a couple who doesn't walk together, they can't do

it unless they are in agreement. Right, So the example

still holds, But in this context it's pretty pretty frightening. Right,

it's pretty disturbing. But I'll never forget the message in

my wedding. As I'm staying there and I'm listening to

the pastor getting ready to you know, we're ready to

say our vows. And he said, Christ and liz Amus

Chapter three, verse three says that two cannot walk together

unless they be agreed. He said, some people say that

love is two vowels O, N E and two consonants uh,

ellen v and two fools you and me.

That's what he said.

And I was like, that has to be the cheesiest

introductions of the word.

Love I've ever heard in my life.

Okay, and that's terrible, but anyway, I remember it. So

got to say this one thing.

I do remember everything. I remember everything he said. I

remember all of it. But anyway, so God takes the.

Time to warn the guilty people of Israel and uh

and and he says, here comes this uh this uh,

this punishment that's coming, and we already know that it's

going to be thirty years from now. And so God

gives them a chance to repent. And what's so interesting

is is that what we learn is that they don't repent. Right,

So is it is it because do you think, I mean,

is there a street here that leads us to conclude

that they just don't believe God? Or is it that

they maybe perhaps are thinking, well, that's my son's problem,

not my problem.

Well, well, you see it kind of God's judgment on Israel.

And then now Judah is walking away from God too,

So there's that. But God's judgments on Israel are kind

of progressive.

Right.

It starts off it's the pecking around the edges from

the Philistines, right, it's the raiders coming in and causing trouble,

but eventually the Israelites get victory. Here at this point,

Israel is pretty prosperous. They're pretty dominant economy, a pretty

strong kingdom. Even though they have been following God. They've

got a lot of confidence. But they have not been

obliterated by invading forces in one hundred and something years, right,

think of all the kings hundreds of years, and so

I think that they've just gotten yeah, yeah, yeah, you know,

crazy prophet going around and the judgment is coming, and

sure judgment has been coming for a long time, but

it hasn't come yet. And that when judgment doesn't come,

that I think they're just dismissing the prophets going.

You've been saying that for a long time.

You and your brothers and all the other prophets say

say the same thing. I think they just felt like

God likes us, where God's chosen people, we are, we're special.

Well, God said, I've chosen.

You to get intimate with and you alone, right right, right,

So it's pretty clear that they are God's chosen.

People, right.

And I think that they just have a lot of

comfort in that that there's there's no we can do

whatever we want to do because we're we're protected by God.

I think Americans feel that way sometimes, that we're just

for some reason, you know, this manifest destiny concept sometimes

that that we're kind of immune, that God likes us special,

and that we you know, look at our wealth, look

at our and and so even Christians, a lot of

times they spend their lives living like the world in

a nation that's clearly blessed by God, and and and

then surprise when the world comes crashing down around them,

when they're life falls apart, when judgment finally comes. And

I think that's the same thing that they just kind

of fell asleep in it. But I do love this

verse seven says, Indeed, the sovereign Lord never does anything

until he reveals his plans to his servants to prophets. Right,

even in God's anger. He's so merciful to go, hey,

I'm still going to send somebody warn you, somebody wake up.

And you know we already talked about this is going

to be twenty two years down the road, thirty two

years down the road, something like that before the judgment

actually comes. But God is so good to his people

and so good to you and me that he continually

sends warnings. And so God says, hey, this isn't a secret.

I'm not mulling this over in my warm room upstairs,

and it's going to come on you as a surprise.

I'm warning you in advance. And warnings about sin and

judgment apply to people today just as they did to Israel.

Because we've been warned about our sin, we have no

excuse when punishment comes. Do not take lightly the warnings

in God's word about judgment. His warnings are a way

of showing mercy to you.

I like the note and the life application study BIB.

On verse number ten, it says the people of Israel

no longer knew how to do what was right. The

more they sin, the harder it was to remember what

God wanted.

The same is true for us.

The longer we wait to deal with sin the greater

the whole it has on us. Finally we forget what

it means to do what is right? Are you on

the vergion of forgetting? I like the I like the

ending question there.

You know.

I had this devotional book, Devotions for Kids, and I

must have went through it, it seems it seems like,

you know, thirty times with my oldest daughter, you know,

and it was.

Just our favorite thing to read.

But you know why it was so so good because

there was a section at the end that was my

daughter's favorite that said how about you? And it was

it was literally this this exact ending. Are you on

the verge of forgetting right?

That's what it did.

And so there was like this little devotion and sometimes

it was like a fabricated story that it included a

Bible verse and a lesson and then it would say

how about you?

Are you feeling this way? Do you think this way?

Do you respond this way?

And we would literally just tuck her in every night

and read these devotions And I love it because, by

the way, side note, I believe that the word of

God is for application, right, and by the way, that's

what God's word says, right, you know. One of my

favorite verses, and it's so convicting is Luke chapter six,

verse forty six. Do you know that one? I'll put

you on the spot. It's so obscure. It's so obscure.

I don't know.

Jesus said, and why do you call me lord lord?

And do not do the things that I say?

Right?

And there was there was a sign at Baptist Bible

College where I went to school, where there was a

there was a road sign that said six forty six.

And I don't know what it was.

There was some kind of road sign, but every time

I passed it going home back to the college, I'd

look at.

It and I go, Luke six forty six, And I

would always anyway, but tell me, Lord Lord, don't do

what I tell you. Yeah, well, I mean the Word

of God is for application.

So one of the reasons why I referenced my pastor

earlier and I said, I remembered everything he said, is

because I was fascinated with the idea that he would

take something that seemed a little complex on the surface

and perhaps a little hard to understand, and he would

break it down to help me understand what the word

what the word meant, and then he would literally change

it into application. He'd say, well, this is what this means.

So you know, are you going to go home and

think about these three things? Or what is God asking

you to do? And and I was just so fascinated

that I was like, wow, that is amazing because I

had gone to church my whole life off and on,

not very much actually, but through the span of my

young life, we sort of popped in and I went

through different dominations. I would pop in, and to be honest,

most of the time I didn't really understand anything. It

was either in another language, or it was irrelevance, or

there was no application, it was just information, or it

was just they talked to Christianese to such a degree

to where I felt left out, and I just felt

like I didn't underst like I couldn't play catch up

because I had no knowledge.

But he was the.

First one that that actually made every Bible verse understandable

and applicable, which is why you know, as my side

note thought is is that you know I just just

written by this question here. Hey, listen, if you come

to Heritage Church, hopefully one thing that you'll be able

to say is hopefully is that you'll walk away completely

understanding the meaning of God, of what God was trying

to say that day, hopefully, and you'll be challenged with

the thought of how that applies directly to your life.

Because God's word is relevant, God's word is applicable, and

God's word is should be responded to every time that

we are confronted with it.

I think churches are full of people who sit and listen,

and Jesus is always saying, he that has an ear

to hear, let him hear right. Really, here Jesus said,

a wise person, here's what I says. What I say

and does it. A foolish person, here's what I say

and doesn't do it. They both are sitting in the

same room. They're both hearing the same thing. The difference

between wise and fool the wise one and the foolish one,

is whether or not they actually apply it right. And

I think that our churches, even in a highly practical

church like our church, I think that our churches are

full of thousands of people who sit and listen on

a Sunday morning, and they don't apply it Monday through Saturday.

It's just a Sunday thing. It's a religious thing. I

go through my religious stuff, check that religious box. Maybe

we're gonna take communion this week. You do some baptisms

this week, and hear some Bible verses this week. Gonna

hear a song or two this week. That's nice, Just

do the religious thing, no real intent to apply. They

hear God's words and they hear them as suggestions.

That's a nice. Oh, that's a good idea.

You know what, in the real world, to be nice,

if I could always walk with integrity, But in my business,

you just can't. There's no way we could pay the

bills if we were doing the right thing right in

the real world. You know, marriage doesn't work out the

way that God says to do marriage, and the real

world raising kids isn't the same as what the Bible

says whatever, right, And they kind of make this separation

between what God says and how they think real life goes.

And this is remember as we read through the Book

of Judges over and over and over in the Book

of Judges said and the people did that which was

right in their own.

Eyes, and then judgment come right Sunday.

Yeah, And you know, Solomon Warrens, don't lean on your

own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge him and

he'll direct your past. This is what God's holding is

really accountable to your faith. Isn't just a religious exercise

to go through on the weekend and then you go

live real life the rest of the week. That says,

this is real life. I expect you to do it.

Live this way, do the right thing. By the way,

you'll be more prosperous, you'll have a better life.

Absolutely.

But the other side of it is I won't have

to bring judgment instead. Hey, they're going to get wiped out.

God's not playing around on this, so he's being gracious

and merciful, letting them know in advance. But judgment is coming.

And I would say, if you're one of those people

that just sit in the seats and go through a

religious ceremony but you're not actually applying God's word, just

understand for all of us, every human being, judgment is coming.

So the question is what's going to happen on judgment day.

Jesus said He's going to reward us for doing good things. Right,

That's what I want is I want the good rewards.

I don't want the consequences of the fact that I

rejected everything that God said was right and true and good.

Right, right, And so tomorrow, if you tune in and

join us, hopefully you will, you'll understand that there is

a call to repentance where Amos is going to give

to them the word of the Lord. And really it's

a strong invitation to come back to God.

Yeah, that's in two days. What Yeah, yeah, tomorrow, he's

oh go, we still have to go through Israel's failure

to listen. He's still going. Yeah, there's still he's calling

them out, man.

Israel's failure to learn. So we still have to go

through bad to get through the good. It's coming, okay,

all right, Well, hey, hopefully we will see you then

on the Bible guys.

H