August 31, 2019 - Suggested Reading Revelation 11 for the September 1st message on Obadiah in our worship service at 10:00AM

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.””

Revelation 11:15 (NIV) 

I realize that I take a risk using a passage like Revelation 11 as a passage to help us shed light on the prophecy of Obadiah, for there are diverse and strong positions taken on the meaning of verses 15 through 19, and we might get lost in the details of the arguments.

Hopefully we can step back and agree that in this verse the King has come to the world, and that the kingdoms of the world are now His kingdom.

One of the ways pastors explain the kingdom as presented in the gospels, is to talk of here and not yet. We mean that the kingdom is here, as in near and open for entry through spiritual union with the King, and as His kingdom becomes the dominant force in my life through personal surrender and commitment, then His kingdom takes on a physical manifestation through my physical presence in the world. We mean the kingdom is not yet, in the sense that the King will come back to earth in power one day, and when He does all aspects of all creation, including all human kingdoms will be subjected to Him.  

What Obadiah and Revelation 15 and many other prophets as well as the gospels declare is that one day the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah.

What a blessed day that will be!

How blessed will the people who are spiritually united with the King be on that day!

But for those who refuse to believe that this day will come- for those who refuse to live their lives in light of the coming kingdom- those who treat the people of the kingdom as if their King won’t come back- look out!

August 30, 2019 - Suggested Reading 1 John 2 for the September 1st message on Obadiah in our worship service at 10:00AM

“Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.”

1 John 2:10 (NIV) 

John is a unique apostle, for his gospel is uniquely written compared to the other three, and his epistle is uniquely written compared to the epistles of Paul and Peter, and of course his book of Revelation is very unique. I don’t mean unique in any wrong sense for I really enjoy the way John writes, but it does take some adapting in the way I read his writings for me to receive the meaning of the text. I have to stop and reread, sometimes 3 times, and even then, I might be unsure of what the meaning is so, so I have to read it over several days. His writing is deep and wide. He tells us in verse 20 through 27 that we have an anointing from the Holy Spirit and therefore we can understand, which suggests to me that I am not alone in my struggle.

I chose this text because of Obadiah’s identification of Edom/Esau as a brother of Judah/Jacob, and his condemnation in verse 10 of Edom’s violence towards his brother.

John doesn’t want us to sin, and he wants us to have true assurance of our salvation, so he writes to us about how we treat our Christian brothers and sisters. He uses our treatment of our brothers and sisters as a way of revealing whether we are truly Christian. He does this in chapter 2:9-11 and chapter 3:11-24 and chapter 4:7-21 which tells us that this is an important aspect of our assurance of salvation.

I doubt very many us (except perhaps teenagers) would admit out loud that we hate another Christian, but we might admit that we don’t love all our brothers and sisters, who worship with us at Parkdale, we might even admit that some of our brothers and sisters really irritate us. John wants us to live in the light, he wants us to experience the full life that Christ has for us and to have full assurance of our salvation, so he tells us to love one another - not just an attitude, but also in action.

Edom/Esau was full of pride and hated his brother Judah/Jacob- he laughed at Judah’s misfortunate, he profited from their demise, and he even raised his hand in violence towards them.

May the Lord of love fill us with the love He has for our brothers and sisters.

August 29, 2019 - Suggested Reading Daniel 5 for the September 1st message on Obadiah in our worship service at 10:00AM

“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.”

Daniel 5:22 (NIV)

The story of the writing on the wall is a terrifying story of the ability of God to humble all who walk in pride. Don’t you think Belshazzar should have learned from his father’s experience with the LORD? Didn’t his father write out his experiences to teach all people that God is able to humble all who walk in pride? I wonder if it is possible to learn the necessity of a life of humility from the experiences of others, or are these lessons only learned through personal experience?

When the writing appeared it was too late for Belshazzar, no opportunity to change or repent as his father had, judgment was upon him. However we use the expression “writing on the wall” to speak of the inability of others to heed clear warning signs - we might say “the writing was on the wall for quite some time, but that poor fellow didn’t see it”.

Pride blinds, pride distorts reality, and pride destroys whomever it possesses.

Will we pay attention to the stories of Nebuchadnezzar and his son Belshazzar? 

Will we take the action of humbling ourselves this day?

The responsibility is ours, for we will not be able to point at anyone else and blame them. If Belshazzar knew all this, then we REALLY know all this.

Will we choose the path today that humbles us even though everything in us longs for the path that fulfills us? 

Will we value others - even one other person-more than ourselves?

August 27, 2019 - Suggested Reading Psalm 56 for the September 1st message on Obadiah in our worship service at 10:00AM

“ When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

Psalm 56:3 (NIV) 

When I experience fear I sing this verse - I learned it as a child at church where we sang the KJV version “When I am afraid I will trust in you”- and this Scripture has been powerful in my life as I struggle with fear. This psalm of David is powerful in many Christian’s lives – how could someone who mourns not be blessed by the truth that God records our misery and collects our tears?

My fears are mainly a matter of imagination, occasional encounters with demons, or matters of physical safety. The fear that has welled up within David is a matter of reality and it stems from the clear and present danger of being executed by the Philistines in Gath. As we read the account of his situation in 1 Samuel 21, we feel like we are in one of those violent action movies, set in the days of roving bands of thugs, perhaps even the Mad Max series minus the technology. It would be hard for most of us to truly identify with David’s situation, but we can all identify with fear.

I heard a wise teacher tell a bunch of pastors once, that there is only one message in the bible and that message is “trust God”.

How do we “trust God”? How do we take that action in our lives?

Well, Psalm 56 seems to give us an outline, for the first 2 verse are a statement of my situation and a plea for God to intervene based on His character not my worthiness.

The next 2 verses are a statement of my intention to trust God and to not be afraid of men.

Verses 5,6, and 7 may give us some trouble for they appear to be opposed to our Lord’s command to turn the other cheek, and pray for your enemies, and yet they are another statement of trust – specifically in God’s ability to punish the wicked.  

Verses 8 and 9 are an acknowledgement of God’s attention and companionship in my misery which brings an assurance of victory to my soul.

In verse 10 and 11 you see David’s spirit turning to praise as he repeats his intention to trust God and to not be afraid of men.

And in a stunning display of faith awakened, the last 2 verses see David move into his anticipation of life after his deliverance.

Trust in God versus fear of man. Which will win in my life today?

August 26, 2019 - Suggested Reading Leviticus 26 for the September 1st message on Obadiah in our worship service at 10:00AM

“I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.”

Leviticus 26:19 (NIV) 

What a sobering chapter to read, as the LORD lays out the history of the Jewish nation long before they experienced it. This is not a recitation of what had already happened, but rather a promise of what God would cause to happen when His people refused to listen to Him and carry out all His commands. As we read the bible, it becomes very clear that His people refused to walk in the way of blessing and would rather walk in their own way, straight into destruction. They were chosen to be a holy nation and instead as Amos 9:8 points out became the sinful nation. Year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation, century after century, God’s people deliberately hardened their hearts and refused to walk in His ways. Instead of walking with their heads held high in the freedom God had provided for them, they fled in shame from their enemies straight into bondage.

We are not to see these people as extraordinarily dull, but rather as examples of all humanity, for the chosen people have their story written down for all of us to look at, not for us to shake our heads at, and wonder how could a people be so foolish for so long – but to learn from their experience.

What should we learn from Leviticus 26? Stubborn pride will be met by God’s might and He will humble us under His mighty hand! Pride that lifts the creature above the Creator, that replaces His perfect ways with our disastrous ways, is an affront to our holy God and the enemy of our soul. The apostle Peter whose pride is on full display in the gospels tells us to humble ourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time.

Pride can be defined as ‘inordinate self-esteem’.

Have you ever thought “who does he think he is?” to yourself about someone whose behaviour or attitude doesn’t match their position? How must we appear to God when we demand our way instead of His Way, when we judge Him, instead of allowing His Word to judge us. Insanity – craziness- death wish are all words that describe a person who allows pride to run amuck in their lives. It is an enemy that must be met and destroyed. To meet it and defeat it we must first identify it in our lives. There is no better way to identify stubborn pride in our lives then to read God’s Word and pay attention to the resistance in our minds and hearts to the careful obedience of God’s commands, confessing our stubborn pride as soon as we identify it, killing it at the root.

August 23, 2019 - Suggested Reading 2 Corinthians 9 for the August 25th message on Amos 9 in our worship service at 10:00 am

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)  

The prophecy of a wonderful harvest given in Amos 9:13 and of money coming from Gentiles into Jerusalem in Haggai 2:7,8, meet together in 2 Corinthians 9. As we read verse 10 we notice the promise of an enlarged harvest of righteousness connected to sowing, which is an echo of the promise in Amos 9 where the plowman overtakes the reaper. This would only happen when the harvest is so large that it is still being harvested as the plowman begins to plant the seed. That is a tremendous harvest, enlarged by God through His grace given to us through His on our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reading and understanding chapters 8 and 9 reveals for us that verse 10 is about Christians giving of their money to other Christians who are in need, and if we believe that this collection was for the churches in Jerusalem (Acts 11:28-30 & 1 Corinthians 16:3) then even more specifically about Gentile Christians giving of their money to Jewish Christians who are in need.

You cannot escape the link between us giving of our money to our brothers and sisters in need and true righteousness. We might want to believe that we can be righteous without deliberately giving our money away, but we would have to ignore a lot of Scripture to believe that. No friend - God requires us to be our brother’s keeper.

Paul tells us that as we give our money (seed) to those in need, then God will supply and increase our money (store of seed).

Be careful of the false prosperity gospel which switches a desire for righteousness with a desire for money. Which do I desire more? Money or righteousness?

Let us seek His kingdom and His righteousness. 

Let us give generously to God's people in need.

August 22, 2019 - Suggested Reading Acts 15 for the August 25th message on Amos 9 in our worship service at 10:00 am

“After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord who does these things.”

Acts 15:16-17 (NIV)  

Our NIV bibles have a text note telling us these 2 verses come from Amos 9:11,12 (see Septuagint) which tells us that James the brother of Jesus quoted these verses from the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT, hence the slight difference in wording. I love it when the apostles quote the OT to make a NT point for it removes any doubt at all about the meaning of that OT passage. Some people will say well that is the apostles understanding of the text as if somehow the OT prophet had a different meaning from the NT apostle. Gooblygook I say! When an OT text is used by the NT apostles, what we have is not a difference of opinion or meaning, rather we have the true meaning of the OT text given by the Holy Spirit in the light of the glorious grace of Christ Jesus in which we live and have our being. We have here in Acts 15 a God given opportunity to understand the prophecy of Amos 9 in the beautiful light of the glorious gospel. What Amos saw was a worldwide expansion of the kingdom of God, in which the rule of David the king extended across all nations. The apostle James understood that the report of the Spirit being given to Gentiles as they confessed faith in Christ Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecy in Amos 9, and because the apostles were able to recognize this as God’s work, they came alongside God in His work, and welcomed the Gentile believers into the community of believers. There is absolutely no way to over emphasize how important the prophecy of Amos 9 was to the formation of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Gentiles being joined to Jews in Christ Jesus was not plan B – it was the plan all along! Who would have thought that God’s plan to restore David’s kingdom was to bring the gospel to depraved pagans like you and me, and give us the faith to believe and the Holy Spirit upon belief? Amos saw it 800 years before it happened. May we have the spirit of Acts 15 towards the people of the West Hill community as we seek to see our Lord’s church established in West Hill. May we not put any boundaries up that were not established by the apostles as we see God put His Spirit into their souls.

August 21, 2019 - Suggested Reading Haggai 2 for the August 25th message on Amos 9 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.”

Haggai 2:6 (NIV)  

If we think chronologically for a moment, we will realize that Amos spoke of shaking first, then Isaiah, then Haggai. 

Haggai’s purpose was encouragement to the people involved in the work of rebuilding the temple and restoring worship in Jerusalem after they returned from captivity in Babylon. The message of verse 4 “be strong and work” and the message of verse 5 “my Spirit remains among you, Do not fear.” , is an encouraging Word for us today, and is an indication that in many ways God’s people who returned from the exile are the ones whose lives and ministry closely parallel ours. We live in a pagan culture, where others hold authority over us. Church will never be a power in our society, yet we are called to “be strong and work”, to believe that “the Spirit is among us” and that “the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (vs 9).

It seems that Haggai’s message to the people of his day was that gold and silver will come from the nations into Jerusalem, as a result of the shaking of the nations by the LORD.

The writer to the Hebrews understood this verse in light of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as he compared the old covenant under Moses to the new covenant under our Lord Jesus Christ in Hebrews 12:25-29, he applied it as a warning to obey our Lord in light of the shaking that was yet
to come.

Let us believe this warning delivered by Haggai and the writer of Hebrews, and worship our God acceptably with reverence and awe.

August 20, 2019 - Suggested Reading Isaiah 24 for the August 25th message on Amos 9 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken.”

Isaiah 24:19 (NIV)

This is an awesome poem!

As you read it straight through, you are moved along with its Words.

Verse 19 by itself is a parallel structure - the repetition of “the earth” gives it structure and the descriptions “broken up”, “split asunder” and “violently shaken” appear to be a cascading description of destruction.

Amos begins with “the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake” as a way of communicating to the people that his words are God’s Words, for Amos predicted an earthquake in 8:8 and 9:5. Clearly, this was a substantial earthquake and not merely tremors like we hear about in California monthly. This fulfillment of a localized earthquake should cause us to believe the prediction in 9:9 of a shaking among all the nations. The fact that all over the world localized earthquakes happen, should give us warning that a worldwide earthquake is coming and cause us to make peace with our Creator. Isaiah 24 gives even more description of this shaking that is to come, and I wonder do we see God as this big? 

Do we see Him as big enough to pick up the earth and shake the wicked out of it? Do we see Him as big enough to preserve His holy people, and protect them through the shaking? 

Do we believe the truth of Isaiah 24:20, that our rebellion is the cause of this shaking?

May we be those who tremble at His Word now - so that we won’t perish when the real trembling starts.

August 19, 2019 - Suggested Reading 1 Kings 11 for the August 25th message on Amos 9 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.”

1 Kings 11:36 (NIV)

This chapter of 1 Kings 11 lays out the situation by which the tent of David could be described by Amos as “fallen”. Verse 14 thru 22 seem to also explain how Edom could be described as a “remnant” by Amos. The northern kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam 2, to which Amos was sent as a prophet, was prosperous and militarily strong, and yet it was a shadow of what had been David and Solomon’s kingdom. It is clear from 1 Kings 11 that God is the one who broke David’s shelter, as judgment for the sin of Solomon, and yet it is also clear that God acted with restraint in Solomon’s life “for the sake of His servant David”- how much more does God act with restraint in our lives for the sake of His righteous Servant, our Lord Jesus Christ - praise His Name!

You can see the flickering light of promise in this chapter of judgment and darkness, especially in verse 36, and it is that flickering light of promise that Amos blows into flame with his last few verses. God will restore what has been ruined, He will rebuild, He will establish His people in their land according to His promise. 

It is no small thing that Jerusalem is the city in which God choose to put His Name - it is the one place on this entire earth chosen by God to have his manifest Presence dwell with humans. I love to describe our beautiful British Colombia as “God’s country” especially when I meet people who have moved from BC to Ontario - I like to ask them “Why would you leave God’ country to come here?”- a little shudder usually goes through them. 

Yes it is true that the whole earth is God’s possession, and that when our Lord comes back the entire earth will rejoice over His manifest Presence with His people. 

Yet Jerusalem is the special place, the center of His Presence.

Come Lord Jesus Come. 

August 15, 2019 - Suggested Reading Psalm 139 regarding the message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00 am on August 11.

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I 

flee from your presence?”

Psalm 139:7 (NIV) 

It seems to me that Amos turned Psalm 139:7 thru 12 on its head in a powerful way to cause shock among his listeners. Just compare Amos 9:1b thru 4 to Psalm 139:7-12 for a moment;

Amos 9:1b thru 4

Not one will get away, none will escape.

2 Though they dig down to the depths below, from there my hand will take them.

Though they climb up to the heavens above, from there I will bring them down.

3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them.

Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.

4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good.”

Psalm 139:7-12

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Now this conjecture occurred to me for the simple reason that Psalm 139 has been very powerful in my life, and so as I read Amos 9 it reminded me of Psalm 139 and yet the message of Amos 9 affected me in a terrible way rather than the comfort I receive from Psalm 139.

The same attributes of God - His omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence are on display in both passages, yet with two diametrically opposed results.

Those of us who prefer to be the recipient of the blessings of Psalm 139 would do well to start each day with the prayer at the end of this wonderful Psalm.    

August 13, 2019 - Suggested Reading Isaiah 55 regarding yesterday’s message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) 

The plain message of Amos 8:1 thru 9:6 is that God’s judgment is sure!

He has said that He will destroy His people who practice religious activity without living a righteous life and He will destroy us and our loved ones - we won’t be able to hide from Him. Not only will He destroy the hypocrite and their families, but He will also destroy their places of worship. One of His punishments is to send a famine of hearing the Words of the LORD -
oh how quickly we forget this truth.

Isaiah 55 rejoices in the power of God’s Word - but what happens when God cuts people off from His Word? Without His Word we shrivel and die.

We have seen this in our land and will continue to see this- churches who are about religious activity without a righteous life end up without the Word. They have the books in their pews, and the Words on their walls but they don’t hear the Word. It isn’t opened, it isn’t read, it isn’t explained, it is not applied to the heart, and the churches wither and then die, although trust funds keep the doors open the Spirit has vacated, the lampstand has been removed.

In the first 2 years of my high school experience in Belleville in the 1980’s Scripture was read over the PA. Then it stopped - no longer read in the schools in our cities. No big deal - its only school - yeah its only school but it is also the judgment of God, the beginning of our destruction,
as a community.

This is where our world view is so upside down to God’s truth - we think being silent is a sign of non-judgment but when God is silent, we are under judgment. We think that when someone puts their finger on something in our lives that they are being judgmental. But when God puts His finger on something in our lives, He is being merciful and gracious.

O Father forgive us we pray- speak to us again - we are listening!

O Father forgive our loved ones we pray - speak to them again-bring them to a place where they will listen.

August 10, 2019 - Suggested Reading 1 Timothy 6 for the August 11th message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV) 

Amos 6 starts with a Woe to those who are complacent, so I thought it would be good for us to compare complacent to contentment, for these two words seem similar and yet contentment is good while complacency is bad.

If we do a dictionary search we find that Complacent “is showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements” and Contentment “is a state of happiness and satisfaction”. The difference between complacent and contentment seems to be in the smugness that is associated with happiness and satisfaction. If we then look up smugness we find excessively pleased or satisfied – and so we can deduct from the definitions of these words that happiness and satisfaction is ok as long as it isn’t excessive. I feel a little bit bad about wasting your time with human reasoning for this process hasn’t taken us very far.

But if we look at 1 Timothy 6 we realize that godliness is the difference between complacency and contentment. Godliness is the difference between the blessings and the woes in Luke 6 as well. Godliness starts with a desire to be more like God, it is a hunger and a thirst for righteousness that leads us to Him. This hunger and thirst for God can be quenched by wealth. Our affluence brings temporary relief to our need for God and we can become complacent and fall away.

Satisfaction and happiness without godliness is complacency and WOE to us when we become complacent.

The way forward for each of us who live in affluence is to pursue godliness above all else, we need to refuse to be satisfied with our affluence and seek satisfaction from the only true Source. 

As I write these words, I think- how do I actually do this? How do I seek God when my life is full of good things? 

Well that thought is the beginning of making it happen. 

Let's make it happen in our lives!

August 9, 2019 - Suggested Reading Luke 6 for the August 11th message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.”

Luke 6:21 (NIV)

Will we receive what the Lord has to say about our affluence relative to our faith?

Yesterday we read Proverbs 10 and I wonder does this verse contradict Proverbs 10:22?

Our position should always be that Scripture never contradicts, rather the lack of our understanding and the reality of tension in Scripture truth is the issue.

If we take Proverbs 10:22 as far as we can, we will become believers in the false prosperity gospel. If we take the position that Christians must remain poor, we will fall into the error of asceticism. But if we hold that wealth is one of the ways God blesses us and at the same time hold that wealth has the ability to bring destruction in our lives - well then we have the line of truth held in tension between those two truths. The question is whether or not we are able to keep our trust in God and our righteousness in how we handle the riches He brings us. Our Lord told the disciples that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God,  and that warning all by itself explains the decline in Christian faith in Canada in the last 60 years.

To pretend that we are not rich is disingenuous – for though it is true usually that there are people who are richer than us, Canadians are still in a general sense by any normal measure living in the lap of luxury compared to the vast majority of the people present to hear our Lord speak, and also compared to the vast majority of people in the world today.

Far better for us to heed this warning - to read verses 20 thru 26 as 2 ways to live, or as a checklist to guard our soul. May we not allow the temporary things of this world to replace the need we have in our soul for our Lord. May we always be concerned about our soul when our bank account goes up, and our belly grows, and our laughter fills our homes, and especially when everyone says only wonderful things about us.

August 8, 2019 - Suggested Reading Proverbs 10 for the August 11th message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”

Proverbs 10:4 (NIV) 

Our culture today rejects this proverb for it assigns cause to those who are poor and those who are wealthy. Our culture wants us to believe that poverty and wealth are accidental occurrences in the lottery of life, however our Lord wants us to know the truth.

Now we need to be careful here - for Proverbs does not deal in universal truths, but in general truths. That is to say that not all people in poverty are there because of laziness, nor are all people who are wealthy there because of diligence, but the general truth our God wants us to ruminate on is that our work habits have an effect on our financial state.

Now another caution for us - I have been careful to tell my children over the years of what a blessing it is to live in a land like Canada where diligent work will bring reward, and that what I hear of some other places around the world, people work themselves to death and still are unable to reap any reward. Could it be that this general truth of diligent work bringing wealth is applicable only where the gospel of Christ has had influence in the laws and structure of society? Verse 22 tells us it is “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” and our rules of commerce and freedoms come from traditions based on the gospel and verses like this.

No matter how we take tiptoe around the truths in vs 4 and 22, no one can deny the truth contained in verse 15 where wealth is called a fortified city for the rich. I know of no one who would deny this as a truth. It is easily observable in every part of the world that wealth protects those who have it! Sadly, it is also observable in every part of the world including Canada that poverty ruins those who are poor. So, if the truth in verse 15 is universally true - perhaps we should pay more attention to the truth in verse 4, and practice diligence. For if diligent hands in Canada produce wealth, and wealth protects our loved ones- then let us be diligent, and thank God for His blessing as He brings us wealth.

August 7, 2019 - Suggested Reading Psalm 47 for the August 11th message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.”

Psalm 47:4 (NIV)

The imperative of this little psalm is directed to the nations.

The nations are to clap their hands, and shout to God with joy because the LORD Most High is awesome! It ends with a wonderful vision of the peoples of the earth becoming the people of God, which marks this psalm as a gospel psalm. This psalm includes the declaration of the ascension and the reign of our Lord over all the peoples of the earth - what a wonderful picture of worldwide worship, a picture of true unity among all the peoples of the world as they gather to worship the great King. Why would the people of the world acknowledge God as their King? Why should we gentiles recognize God as King over us? Well, verse 3 and 4 remind us of what God did for the descendants of Jacob, for God subdued Egypt, then subdued the nations that opposed them in their journey and then subdued the nations who lived in the land God had decided to give the descendants of Jacob. He is the King over all nations, and He is greater than all other gods. The land that God gave them because He loved them is the source of pride for Jacob. We are to take pride in what God has done for us, not in what we have done for Him! Just think of the love that God has directed towards you, drawing you to Himself, forgiving all your sins, calling you His child bringing you into the amazing family of God, and walking with you in this life. What God has done for you is the reason those around us turn to Him and bless His Name. A personal testimony is a powerful witness!

Sing praises to our God!

August 6, 2019 - Suggested Reading 2 Kings 21 for the August 11th message on Amos 6 thru 8 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.”

2 Kings 21:13 (NIV) 

Amos 7:1-9 records 3 visions of impending judgment, and due to the intercession of Amos the LORD relented in carrying out the first 2 visions, but did not relent in bringing the last vision to reality, nor did Amos intercede. Scholars dispute the translation of the Hebrew Word that is translated plumb and plumb line, with some suggesting that it does not mean plumb line at all but a wall of tin. Anyone who has used a plumb line knows that its function depends upon heavy metal to hold the line true and can easily understand why a Hebrew word for metal used in the context of building a wall could be translated plumb line by English translators. The Hebrew Word translated plumb line in 2 Kings 21 is a different Hebrew Word that means weight, which once again is necessary for a plumb line to work.

It matters not which way you translate it, for 2 Kings 21 gives us the meaning of Amos 7 - the application of the plumb line by God is the wiping out of the family line (house) of leaders (first Jeroboam(Amos 7:9) and then Ahab (2 Kings 9:9) and then Manasseh) who did not reflect the righteousness and justice of God. The principle revealed is that God measures the rulers of His people against His own righteousness and justice, and without repentance on their part there will come a Day when He spares them no longer. This principle applies to parents, and pastors and teachers - all who lead His people, all of us who are part of building His kingdom. There is no doubt in my mind that the plumb line that we are measured with is our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the only way for us to pass the test is for us to do all that we do in His strength and His power through the grace He provides. It is only the work that Christ does through me that lasts. May we ask Him to work through us today.

August 3, 2019 - Suggested Reading Jude for the August 4th message on Amos 5 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

Jude vs 4 (NIV) 

Were you encouraged or discouraged, when you read this one-chapter letter?

It is amazing to me that every time I finish this letter I am encouraged!

The fact that people throughout the ages within the community of believers have been seeking to pervert the grace of God into a license for immorality tells me that the situation we face in our Quinte area churches is as old as the church of Christ. Jude tells us that their condemnation was written long ago, and as we read Amos and the rest of the Old Testament, we realize that the situation we face is older than the church of Christ – for it is as old as humans themselves. Jude gives us some examples from the Old Testament, going all the way back to Enoch – who walked with God and was taken by God to be with Him.

What are we then to do about this situation? Build our own faith up, help others with their faith, saving some from their errors and being merciful and fearful with others.

Nowhere do we see instructions in this letter to smite these ones who have snuck into our community - we are to leave the smiting to God.

But it is the keeping aspect of this letter that fills my heart with encouragement.

Verse tells us we are called, loved and kept, verse 24 tells us that He is able to keep us from stumbling, and verse 21 tells us to keep ourselves in God’s love as you wait.

There is no better way to keep myself in God’s love than by meditating on His ability to keep me, and His great love for me.

I have this song by the Gettys on my playlist - because it brings the encouragement of Jude to my mind and my heart.

When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast;

When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast.

I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path;

For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast.

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast;

For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.

Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast;

Precious in his holy sight, He will hold me fast.

He'll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last;

Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast.

For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast;

Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast.

Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast

‘Till our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!

August 2, 2019 - Suggested Reading Romans 3 for the August 4th message on Amos 5 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.”

Romans 3:11 (NIV) 

Paul wrote his great discourse in Romans 1 and 2  to prove to all of us that there is no one able to stand before God based on their own works. The first work listed is from the first 3 verses of Psalm 14 and 53 and concerns the seeking of God. 

Now the clear imperative out of Amos 5 is that the Israelites should seek God, and not continue to think that religious rituals performed in superstition are all that God requires. God requires that we seek Him, and of course He alone knows whether we truly seek Him or not.

To seek God is to seek His face, to seek His will, and His kingdom in our lives. According to Amos 5 when we truly seek God, we will seek good, hate evil while loving good, and maintain justice in our courts. This follows logically - for when we are in a right relationship with a righteous and just God, then righteousness and justice will be the driving forces in our lives, and be evident to all around us.

If we really understood our need for God Himself, and not just His hand to help us accomplish our will, we would seek Him rather than hiding from Him like Adam and Eve hid.

Our Lord shines like a bright light in this matter of seeking God. He is the only one who sought God’s face, the only one in right relationship with God, the only one who revealed the righteousness and justice of God.

It seems like the rest of us spend our time pretending to seek God.

May God forgive us.

None of us seek Him - what a dreadful thought to meditate on.

But in Christ (the only One who truly seeks) those who seek God find God - now there is a thought to meditate on!

August 1, 2019 - Suggested Reading Matthew 23 for the August 4th message on Amos 5 in our worship service at 10:00AM

“Look, your house is left to you desolate.”

Matthew 23:38 (NIV) 

We have this flighty notion - perhaps received from our Sunday School teachers - that Jesus is kind and never said a harsh Word to anyone. Matthew 23, on the other hand, is full of harsh Words, for our Lord delivers seven woes and then calls them snakes and vipers. And do you notice that in 6 of the woes He calls them hypocrites? Now our Lord speaks truth, not lies, and He speaks truth in love, not in malice, so we should cut our Sunday School teachers some slack for they are dealing with kids full of malice. If we want to receive this truth from our Lord we would do well to get our definition of a hypocrite from this passage. The world loves to call us hypocrites when we don’t support the latest fantasy they espouse - and it really is the pot calling the kettle black. But our Lord is serious and He is no hypocrite nor are we to be, and so when He calls them hypocrites and then describes the actions that go with the label, He is providing for us a simple way to self examine. If you are wondering why bother - why take the time and energy to examine my life for hypocrisy? Friend consider the cost of hypocrisy - their house will be left desolate. Our families and our communities pay the price. Our Lord wept for Jerusalem, for they will reap what their leaders sowed. Weep for our families for they will reap what their parents sowed. Amos and the other minor prophets are all dealing with hypocrisy in the people of God and their message is that your family and your community will be destroyed if you don’t turn from hypocrisy and seek God in truth. Religious activity without a righteous life is hypocrisy and is an affront to our righteous God, bringing His punishment. The terrible truth is that by living this lie before God we are condemning our children.