Amos 4:6-11 (7/17/24)

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Amos 4:6-11 (7/17/24)

Peace Through Pain

July 17, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Amos 4:6–11

* A popular mantra in today's Christian world is that God is always pursuing us.

* While there's an element of truth to that, the reality is that God has already pursued us by sending Jesus.

* He's done His part; now, we respond to that pursuit by surrendering to Him.

* He's not running after us begging us to follow Him.

* EX: Christ’s example of the prodigal son.

* Lost sheep - foolishness

* Lost coin - carelessness

* Lost son - rebellion

* God wants us to come to Him.

* So what does that look like?

* What does He do to get us to come back to Him if we’ve left Him?

* He brings pain into our lives (we bring it on ourselves).

* vs 6 - “I gave you empty stomachs, a lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me, declares the Lord.”

* God brought His people pain so they would turn to Him.

* His pursuit looks a lot like pain.

* If you have wandered from the path God has for you, expect pain to meet you.

* It's God's way of saying, "Come back to Me!"

* vs 7 -11- drought, gardens and vineyards destroyed from blight and mildew, locusts devoured fig trees, plagues of Egypt, endless war and battles, people killing each other, etc.

* God also uses pain in our lives when we are on the right path.

* Acts 9:16 - “…I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

* Strength comes through strain.

* Peace comes through pain.

* EX: endorphines release after pain (childbirth).

* When we experience pain it should increase our pursuit.

* This is why Proverbs says, "A man's spirit sustains him in sickness."

* When you love Jesus and you get sick then you pursue Him even more for your healing.

Psalms 139:14 (7/24/24)

July 24, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Psalm 139:14

* f you want to see change in your life, you have to change your thinking. * Romans 12:2 - “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” * One way to renew your mind is by writing Declarations and Commitments. * You declare who you are and commit to what you will do. * This becomes a statement of truth - WRITE it, READ it, REPEAT it! * Writing, Reading, and Repeating trains your subconscious mind what to think. * In time, you’ll begin to act in alignment with your subconscious mind. * David shows us what it looks like: * vs 14 - “I will praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” * He makes a commitment (I will) on the foundation of a declaration (I am). * He commits to what he will do on the foundation of declaring who he is. * If you want complete transformation, you need to DECLARE who you are and COMMIT to what you will do. * Declaration is about IDENTITY. * Commitment is about ACTION. * Declaration gets you thinking right. * Commitment converts your thinking into action. * Declaration says “I AM” * Commitment says “I WILL DO” * I AM - name of God - whatever follows it has POWER! * EX: Marriage: * DECLARATION - I am thankful that God gave Tori to me. Her strengths and weaknesses compliment who I am. * COMMITMENT - I will pursue Tori and respond to her like I did before we were married. I will be fueled by gratitude.

Amos 7:10-17 (7/24/24)

July 24, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Amos 7:10–17

* For centuries, Christianity has been seen as a threat. * Why? Because we claim Christ as king. * If you threaten Satan’s kingdom, he’ll come after you with everything he’s got. * Case in point - Amos, the prophet, spoke truth to Israel and reprimanded them for their sin. * And the priest rose up against him! * The priests and prophets were now in an epic battle. * Warren Wiersbe compares these two offices: * The Priest was institutional / The Prophet was radical. * The priest seeks to conserve the past, while the prophet wants to preserve the future. * This is why the prophet was seen as a threat to the “present.” * Look at the heated exchange between these two: * vs 10 - “Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.” * The priest had influence with the king. * He was “in good” with the leader of the nation. * So he didn’t want anything threatening this. * EX: preachers with Hitler. * vs 11 - “For this is what Amos is saying: “ ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’ “ * Amos preached this warning, like all good preachers should. * vs 12-13 - “Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” * Amaziah didn’t want Amos messing things up! * He wanted him to preach a message of peace and love! * vs 14-15 - “Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” * Amos - “Yo, I’m just a workplace guy that God gave a message to. So I’m gonna keep preaching it, sucker!” * Amos wasn’t a butt-kissing “professional minister.” * He was a workplace dude who loved the Lord and wanted to see Israel serve God. * vs 16-17 - “Now then, hear the word of the Lord. You say, “ ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’ “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: “ ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’” * Amos went gangster on Amaziah! * Today, we need to let the prophets speak! * And we’re seeing God raising up workplace prophets to do just that!

Amos 6:6 (7/17/24)

July 17, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Amos 6:6

* There’s a popular teaching about knowing God’s will for your life by asking yourself, “What breaks my heart?” * This is a great question to ask, but it’s not the ONLY question! * Here in Amos, we see God calling out the Israelites for another question they should’ve been asking. * What doesn’t break your heart that should? * vs 4-6 - “You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.” * They were living in the lap of luxury - inhabiting houses they didn't build and eating food they didn't plant. * In time, their hearts turned away from God to the blessings He gave. * They began to care more for their own comfort than for God's reputation. * As a result, "they were a stench in God's nostrils." (Amos 5) * And God destroyed them. * When we enjoy God’s blessings more than God’s boundaries we’re no different than these Israelites. * If we do not grieve over wickedness in culture, it blunts our feelings. * Zephaniah 3:18 - “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts…” * This is a promise from God to those who stand strong for Him. * Question - “What doesn’t break my heart that should?”