Sermon in Rockford 14.11.2010

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Let's join our hearts in opening prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, we have gathered around your holy and unperishing word. As we gather, we ask of you that you would open your words to your spirit, that your holy and eternal will would be made known. Dear Father, guide our wandering minds and thoughts to consider those things which are of faith, to consider those things which pertain to our lives and faith. These we ask, dear Father, in your Son's name, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Amen. The Old Testament text for this Sunday is found in the book of Amos. From the fourth chapter, the last two verses, we hear these words in Jesus' name. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. The Lord, the God of hosts, is his name. Amen.

First, I would like to bring greetings of loving God. He's from Canada. I was there at my sister-in-law's wedding, and many there requested that I bring their greetings back to all of you here.

As we approach the end of the church year, the message of the text set aside for this time period all speak to us about the approaching end. Fitting in this sense that it is the end of the church year, but also it gives us time to consider those things which occur around the end of our lives. It could be the end of our personal lives. It could be the end of our mutual lives at the end of time. These texts all pause to consider these matters.

Amos was a prophet who was called from amongst the people to speak a message of repentance to Israel. He wasn't a prophet that worked for many years in the service of God's kingdom, but was called for a few short years to speak, to reveal the message of God. There were other prophets who were working at the same time as Amos. In fact, if you study a little bit further about these prophets, there were many who were unknown even in scriptures. Scriptures didn't record their names. But they belonged to a group or a guild of prophets. They were quite noticeable. They were dressed in forms which people were able to immediately tell who they were. They were men of God.

In the same way also, this prophet Amos, when he began to do his work, it speaks of him, how when he approached the people, that they knew who he was, that he was speaking on behalf of the Lord. He was a herdsman of that time. And he was called from his daily work to preach a message of repentance to the people of Israel.

This message which he spoke to them, which our text tells us, is a very difficult message to speak of punishment for sin, of God's retribution for those who do not follow him. And if we would have read a few verses before this text, this speaks of those times in history where mankind saw things which were difficult to explain and understand. But yet, it was immediately known as the punishment of God. He said in the previous verse to our text that I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

We recall how Lot was in those cities. And he was there during a very difficult time in his life. He had separated from Abraham and went his own way. And he found himself in a place where there were very few believers in those cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And God revealed a message to him that he needed to leave those cities. For he was going to destroy them. And we can recall those pages of the Bible that tell us that story. And the reasoning or the reasons why God destroyed them. We won't pause to consider that topic very closely tonight. But just we know that when God makes his promises, they are sure. He made those promises to Lot and his family that those who were left in the city would perish under a rain of fire.

I find it interesting to note there have been some historians, anthropologists, that have studied some of those cities in that same area where Sodom and Gomorrah would have been. And when they dug up those cities, they found something really interesting that they had not seen before in other cities. That the city had been burnt out. And somehow in their studies, they were able to discern that they were burnt because the roof of the buildings had burnt.

In the same area. It's interesting to know how history, again and again, or historians again and again can validate these stories which we read from scriptures.

Along with this, it tells of how Abraham, when he was looking towards those cities where his cousin Lot was, saw the plumes of smoke. Dark smoke. And if you can imagine what the land and the area around the Middle East is, we can almost imagine what was burning. We know it today as the land of much oil. Some have surmised that the earth opened up and oil gas erupted and fell as a rain of fire on those that lived near there. But scriptures do tell how Abraham saw this plume of dark smoke coming from those cities.

What we can say is this, that it is a fearsome thought to consider disobeying the voice of God. Especially when we know the words which he has revealed to those in Sodom and Gomorrah, for instance, it was a very direct word that if they did not repent and leave the city, they would die. And it happened.

In the same way also here, Amos wanted to tell those children of Israel that they were not dissimilar to those in Sodom and Gomorrah. There was one difference. They were plucked out as a firebrand plucked out of the burning. Miraculously saved. They were just as sinful as those who fell. But they were pulled out of the fire.

In God's kingdom we have spoken again and again how we are no different than those who do not believe. Except for this, that we have been forgiven our sins. We have been plucked out of the fire by the sheer mercies of God.

What is different than us, though, than those children of Israel at the time of Amos was this. It says, Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Even though they were plucked out of the fire, they did not wish to follow the ordinances of God.

And so then our text begins, Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel. And because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

The basis for all the texts of this time period are this. That we prepare to meet our God. That time may be closer than we can imagine. Personally, it may be further away than we can think. But still the same message is there that we prepare to meet him.

How then do we prepare to meet our God? As God's children, we believe that we are saved by faith. By faith alone, through Christ Jesus. He has paid our sin debt. He has canceled our transgressions. He has wiped them clean.

But yet, as human beings, we nevertheless find how our flesh is constantly battling against the Spirit. The Apostle Paul says in this way that the good that I wish to do, I do not. And the evil I would wish not to do, I find myself doing. That is the struggle which we have by our temporal, our carnal flesh, our earthly body, which is prone to sin. And it fights against the Spirit, which has been poured into our hearts through the grace of God.

Our only task is this, to cling to faith. That is exactly how we prepare to meet God. That we cling to faith.

Again, the Apostle writes in one of his writings that we need to keep faith and good conscience. In so doing, we prepare to meet him.

It is a sure thing that we will meet him. That they will come. As sure as those promises were to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the same promises are sure to us that our day will come.

It is as the song which we just sang spoke about, that the signs are clearly telling that the end of time is near. But yet, at the beginning of the song, wants to comfort us that the door is open now. That death may come without a warning as an arrow makes its flight. We don't know that day. Only God knows.

One of the common phrases of our time is that there's only a couple of things that are sure. It's death and taxes. As humor says it can sound at one point, on the other hand, it is a sure thing. It hasn't been said in vain. Death is sure. We can't escape it.

So it is good that these times are placed onto our church calendar to cause us to consider preparation. How do we prepare for that moment? It's not an easy thing for any of us to prepare for it. It's not easy to keep faith and good conscience. It's always a struggle.

There's not one here, I'm sure, that could raise their hand and say that the journey has been good. It's a time of preparation. And it's a continual preparation.

God does help us, though, through those times, even though many times we question and wonder. Even at its most base question, that will I reach the destination? Will I make it home? It's a familiar thought for those who travel the twilight of their lives.

I remember my grandfather complaining often that he doesn't understand why he's still here. But God prepared him. I recall hearing how when he knew the day was close, his rejoicing already began here in time to meet his maker. It was a time he awaited for.

Yet we can't say, dear brothers and sisters, that we are all awaiting that time. Our flesh is fearful. Death is the final enemy. Even though we have heard and we know and understand by faith that it has been won for us. The victory has been won. We don't need to face the fearful consequences of death. Jesus was victorious over them.

Nevertheless, at times in our lives, those thoughts can make us fearful, make us ponder. We don't need to dwell on them, though. We can pause to consider our preparation for that time.

What is it to be a believer? Is it preparing if we continually wander from one form of entertainment to another? Another we can say that no, that is not preparation. Although at some point we understand how entertainment is part of our lives in some form. But yet, if that is all our lives are, we have lost sight of the goal. We have lost sight of the destination.

I recall a youth camp once when I was quite young. I was maybe in third or fourth grade when youth camps began at Stoney Lake. And one of those teachers at that time tried to show us what it is to prepare. The topic then wasn't preparation or talking about end times, but nevertheless it was the same idea. It was about keeping faith and good conscience and what it means to us.

Our faith can be considered to be a light which emanates from within us. It's the light of the Holy Spirit. But this light, as this teacher was explaining, could be considered like a flashlight that has a glass covering over it. And when we begin to gather the dust of the journey, if we simply wander about from entertainment to entertainment, allowing our flesh to fulfill its lust, the light becomes very dim.

And if you're searching for something with a light that is dim, it's very difficult. I would dare say it this way, that when at exactly that moment when the gospel is preached to us, and that lens is completely clear, that light can show us the destination. It shows us heaven.

You know it as well as I know because we feel the joy of a believer. God allows us to feel those foretakes of heaven. But it doesn't last very long. Because of our own flesh and our own tendencies to follow up the lust of our flesh, that lens becomes filthy again.

That is what it means here brothers and sisters to prepare ourselves to meet God. That we continually wipe the dust and dirt off that lens. That we can find our way along the narrow way which leads to heaven. That we can see the pathway. In that way we prepare to meet God.

Our text continues and says for lo he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind and declares unto man what is his thought that maketh the morning darkness and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. The Lord the God of hosts is his name.

The first verse of our text tells us to prepare to meet God. The second verse of our text tells us who God is. We can't see him with our temporal eyes. In fact if we saw him with our temporal eyes we would not be able to withstand it.

We can recall those moments in Old Testament scriptures where it says that Moses was only able to see him in a burning bush or through bright light but never able to see him face to face. But God does give us those pictures of who he is.

And so Amos wished to reveal to the children of Israel who God was. And he paints a picture of what we can only say is God. That is what the term God means almighty, all powerful creator.

It says, lo, he that formeth the mountains. So first the prophet here wishes to take a temporal picture and say that if you see how these big mountains are, God formed them. God's works are marvelous in our eyes. We see them around us everywhere we look.

And if we pause to think about things which perhaps we think that we created this. Sure, we can say our hands built this building, but after all is said and done, God made us, and he created us in his image.

And as we stand even at those places, those wonders of the world, the grand canyons and the high mountains and wide oceans, God created them. Our minds somehow cannot fathom that.

Amos here then continues and says that and created the wind. As a child, I remember pausing to think about the wind, and I still marvel at it, even after many science classes in high school and understanding some of the details about pressure differences in the air. God creates the wind. Air. We can't see air. God creates the air that we cannot see to move.

But further than that, the prophet continues, he says, and declareth unto man what is his thought. God declares unto us his will. As mighty of a God he is, as he who creates the visible and the invisible, he has thought of us, his smaller creation, and he reveals to us his will. He declares it to us, he tells us.

The ministry gospel tells us what that will is in a few short words, doesn't it? That whosoever believeth on Jesus Christ should not perish, but have everlasting life. Isn't that the will of God? Isn't that the declaration that he has made to us?

What is his thought? That none should perish.

It says, and he that maketh the morning darkness, darkness. Some of these thoughts in the King James Bible are difficult to understand. I didn't have a chance to look at other translations, but it's an interesting thought. He makes the morning darkness. I've always thought about morning as a time of light beginning. In the morning, the sun rises. God created all.

And it says, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. We see his hand everywhere. Everywhere we look, we can simply say that it was caused or created by God.

Amos ends this text by declaring that the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name.

And so we prepare to meet this God, who is the creator of all things, who created you, created me. He created us and gave us a declaration of his thoughts, that we would remain following him, remain being obedient to him.

And that if we are obedient to him and his will, at the end of the journey, a golden crown awaits. That's what it means to meet our God, when the end of the journey comes. It won't be a time to fear, a time of rejoicing.

When this almighty God sees us through his son, not only sees us through his son as acceptable to him, but sees us as co-inheritors who are just as valuable in his sight as his son. He paid the ultimate price. He paid his life. He paid our sin debt.

So these texts of this time wish to encourage us to continue battling in faith, to continue putting sin away, to continue to keep faith and good conscience.

As we spoke about that message of the flashlight and how our faith shines forth towards the destination, it's not always so sure that we realize even how the destination has become clouded, that doubts have filled the heart.

Perhaps tonight there is a believer here traveling with heavy heart, perhaps finding that sin has attached, the enemy has won victories. Put sin away, keep faith and good conscience, and remove those things which would stop you from reaching heaven.

To remove those barriers, to give you a vision of heaven, to give you strength to even continue for another day.

Dear brother, dear sister, tonight, lift up your heart to believe. Believe all of your sins and doubts, failures forgiven, in Jesus' name and blood. Be of good cheer. Continue to follow the will of the heavenly Father. Continue to follow the narrow way which leads to heaven.

Sure doubts come, but yet we have been promised that the Lord Jesus has marked the way, has marked it all the way to heaven's home. He's marked it with his blood. If we follow those blood drops, they will lead home.

May you have a blessed journey home. I find myself being very weary on the way. Can I hear the gospel for my own sense? I want to believe together with you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Let's join in benediction. The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace. In the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. Amen.