 Today we're in Amos chapter 7. We're going to be looking at a portion of Scripture here that I think is very powerful, especially we're going to be looking at a portion that really speaks specifically to my heart, and I'll explain to you a bit of it when we get to that portion, but it's the second part of Amos chapter 7, and I'm going to spend some time speaking to you in a way that you're getting used to, but you'll see what I'm going to say in a moment and see why I'm saying it as I explain it in just a few minutes. Beginning in chapter 7, I'll read verses 1 through 3, give you an introduction and get into our study. Amos chapter 7, beginning at verse 1, reading to verse 3, Thus the Lord God showed me, Behold, he formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop. Indeed, it was the late crop after the king's moans, and so it was when they had finished eating the grass of the land that I said, O Lord God, forgive I pray, O that Jacob may stand for he is small. So the Lord relented concerning this, it shall not be, said the Lord. Now the final chapters, the final three chapters of the book of Amos contain visions of future judgments that God is about to bring on the nation of Israel. Four times Amos specifically says, the Lord God showed me, or he showed me. So that gives us insight into the fact that God is giving to him these visions. Now before this, Amos was prophesying what the Lord said. Now he is speaking of what the Lord has shown. God gives Amos five visions of judgment, locust, fire, a plum line, summer fruit, and door posts. Three of the visions that he gives are found in chapter 7, and the others will be found in chapter 8 as well as chapter 9. Now the first judgment that God will bring is locust swarms that are going to consume the crops. It's interesting to note that the book of Proverbs chapter 30 verse 27 says the locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. And so the Lord is going to bring this plague upon the nation. Locusts were used in the Old Testament as well as the new as instruments of judgment. When you look at the plagues that God brought on the nation of Egypt, for example, when the children of Israel were in Egyptian bondage, the eighth plague that God brings on the nation of Egypt is of locusts. When you look in Exodus in chapter 10 verses 4 through 6, it reads, If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. They shall cover the face of the earth so that no one will be able to see the earth. And they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail. And they shall eat every tree that grows up for you out of the field. They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither your fathers nor your father's fathers have seen since the day that they were on the earth to this day. And so God brings plagues of locusts, and you see it all the way in the book of Exodus, how that he used locusts as a method of bringing judgment. When God was speaking to the nation of Israel and was giving to them the covenantal blessings, as well as the covenantal cursings, he said that if you refuse to obey me, I will bring various forms of judgment upon you, and that included locusts. In Deuteronomy 28 verse 38, he said, You shall carry much seed out of the field, but gather little in for the locust shall consume it. So locusts serve as a tool, a tool for judgment. You'll see that locusts are spoken of as a tool of judgment in the book of Joel. In Joel chapter 1 verse 4, it says, With the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. With the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten. And with the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. So God uses locusts, and that's what we're seeing here in Amos chapter 7, 1 through 3. We're seeing that God will use these locusts as tools for bringing judgment, disclosing his wrath on the people. Interestingly enough, when you get into the New Testament, locusts are also used as a symbol for judgment. I've mentioned this to you before. I'll say it very briefly, but when I first got saved, I was instructed, as all of us in this room have been, to read the Bible. They said, there are four things that you need to do. I still remember going, standing up to receive the Lord, going into the back to be followed up. And the young man who was counseling me said, there are four things you need to remember to do. He said, you need to pray, you need to fellowship, you need to give away your faith. And he said, you need to read the Bible. Those are the four basic things that if you do, you'll stay strong. Praying, fellowshiping, sharing, reading the Bible. And so that's what I began to do. I began to read the Bible. And no, I didn't understand it. As a matter of fact, the very first Bible I ever had was a King James. And I couldn't even read some of the words. I didn't know how to pronounce Ecclesiastes, for example. And it was in King James, obviously, there were a lot of the thyselfs and thou's and shoe thyself. And I didn't have a clue what it was saying. So I went out and I bought what was called the new, the layman's new parallel Bible. And what it was, it was four translations of the Bible. It had the King James and three other translations. And I learned to read the King James Bible by getting this layman's parallel Bible. And so I would read the King James. And from the King James, I would not understand a word. And then I would look to the other translations to learn how to interpret, if you will, this older languages, this language of the King James English. And for the first 13 years or so, 12 years of my walk with Christ, I read King James. And for the first several years of teaching the Bible, I taught out of the King James. I did so from 1973 when I first began to teach the Bible to 1983 when the new King James version was brought out. In 1983, I moved into the new King James. And I've been using the new King James as well as the NIV. I teach out of the new King James, but I'll cross reference with the NIV. Some of you will notice that sometimes. And sometimes I use the new living translation, which is a paraphrase, but it gives the meaning and all of that. So that's kind of how my early days were. And I still remember I was taught to read the Bible. And so I did that. No, I didn't understand what I was reading. No, I didn't understand a good portion. It wasn't what I didn't understand that was bothering me. It was what I did understand because as I was reading the Word of God, I said, Oh my goodness, I don't do that. Oh my goodness, how am I going to do that? And I remember getting to Revelation chapter nine. And that's where as I was reading Revelation nine, that's where I read about men with women's hair, iron teeth, spoke about locusts and things like that. And that's when I went in and shared with my mom and my dad their need for the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see that even in the New Testament, locusts remain a symbol of judgment. So you see it in the Old Testament. When God brought locusts as a plague upon Egypt, you see it in the Old Testament when God uses locusts in the book of Joel and other places to demonstrate His judgment. And that's what you're seeing here in the book of Amos. God is bringing locusts because locusts are a tool for judgment. And so it says in verse one, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop. So these locust swarms ate up the grass of the land. The grass of the land that was there should have been used to feed cattle. He makes it clear that the king has gotten his due, but the people who were doing the work were left with nothing. That should have served as an awakening for the people. It should have shaken them to the core, but it didn't. And so it says in verse two, So it was when they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, Oh Lord God, forgive I pray, Oh that Jacob may stand for he's small. So the Lord relented concerning this. It shall not be said the Lord. And he says he began to cry, Oh Lord God forgive. One of the things that I'm going to build on this in a little while, but I'll give you just a foretaste of it is a picture of Amos, a prophet who loves the people. And this man who is a prophet who loves the people begins to be touched by the suffering that they're enduring, a suffering that they actually have brought upon themselves briefly. And I don't know if I should begin to touch on this now, but I'll say it this way quickly. Do you ever get frustrated with the world and the way the world is? Ever? I never do. No, do you ever? I do. I do. At the rudeness, at the vulgarity, at the attitude, so much. Oh yeah, I can get frustrated with it. So can you. How do you respond to the frustration? That's a good thing to think about. How do you respond to it? Are you constantly finding yourself angry at these heathens, these pagans, these rude monsters? And I'm talking about your family now. How about those who are outside those four walls? One of the things that we need to remember, I'll touch it briefly, move on, is, you know, Moses misrepresented the Lord when he hit that rock a second time. God had provided water for the children of Israel when they had been wandering in the wilderness and all. And Moses had struck the rock and the rock had opened up and water was provided for people who were thirsty up to the number of over 2 million people. That tells us it was a gushing, tremendous amount of water that was provided for these thirsty people. But they went through a second opportunity for them to be thirsty and the Lord this time said to Moses, speak to the rock. But instead of speaking to the rock, what Moses did is he struck the rock a second time because he misrepresented the Lord as being angry at the people of Israel. Moses was able to look into the Promised Land, but he didn't enter in because he misrepresented God. God was not angry at the people, but Moses was. God help us. The church right now is angry. There are a lot of angry believers, and we have to be careful with that. I'll share a little bit more with you about that in just a moment. The heart of this man was one of a genuine believer. Instead of rejoicing for the judgment that had come upon them, though justified, notice how Amos prays for mercy. The Bible tells us in James chapter 1 verse 20 that the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. In Numbers chapter 14 verse 19, we read, pardon the iniquity of this people I pray, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. You see, Israel deserved judgment, but Amos prayed that God would forgive them. In Habakkuk chapter 3 verse 2, the prophet said, in wrath, in wrath, remember mercy. Now he goes on in verse 2 and he says, oh that Jacob may stand for he's small. Jacob is a way of speaking of the nation of Israel, and that would be speaking of God's covenant with this nation. In the book of Exodus in chapter 6 verse 8, it reads, I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a heritage. I am the Lord. In Jeremiah 14, 20 and 21, we acknowledge, oh Lord, our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers for we have sinned against you. Do not upore us for your name's sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, do not break your covenant with us. And so he's saying forgive, I pray, that Jacob may stand. Jacob being the one whom God was using as a reference or Amos was using as a reference for the covenantal relationship the nation had with God and he is small. So it says in verse 3, the Lord relented concerning this and said it shall not be. God lets up his judgment and shows them undeserved mercy for a season. And so you have the vision of the locus. In verse 4, you have vision of fire. Thus the Lord God showed me. Behold, the Lord God called for conflict by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the territory. Then I said, oh Lord God, cease, I pray, oh that Jacob may stand for he is small. So the Lord relented concerning this. This also shall not be. Said the Lord. So fire, fire is used as a picture of the wrath of God. In Numbers 11 verse 1, it says, the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord. And when he heard them, his anger was aroused, fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the city or the camp. Now there are commentators who are speaking concerning this and when it speaks concerning this fire, they're saying that there was more than likely a drought that had occurred. And this drought is drying up the remaining grass that hadn't been consumed by the locus. And they said it can be a drought that fuels a fire that consumes the remaining vegetation. Now we Californians understand drought and we understand fires. I was reading the 2016 California wildfires are a series of wildfires that burned across the state during 2016. As of August 27th, 4,270 fires burned 183,025 acres. On August 16th, San Bernardino County announced that nearly 85,000 people were evacuated because of the blue-cut fire near Cajón Pass. Authorities arrested a 40-year-old man in connection to the Clayton fire, charged him with 17 counts of arson. So we know that when there are drought conditions, a little spark can ignite a tremendous amount of fire damage. Again, fire is used as a method of judgment. In Luke 1729, it says, on the day that lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. So God is using fire as a way to judge. Well, what does he do? Well, again, verses 5 and 6, he said, Oh, Lord God, cease, I pray. In response to Amos' heartfelt prayer, God relents, gives another season of mercy. This is once again a man who is very compassionate. It's interesting, you know, as almost an aside here. As I was preparing this, I thought, Look at the compassion of this man. This is a man who is pre-cross. He's before Jesus. And yet, he has a merciful heart and he has a love for these people, which is the earmark of a minister. He has a great desire to see God show his mercy and relent from his anger. And he actually is standing in intercession for these people who deserve judgment. I mean, we've been going through all that they've been doing and I'll reiterate that in just a moment, this is a nation that is ripe for judgment, ripe for judgment. And yet, when God brings the locusts, Amos says, please stop. When God allows a fire to come and consume, he says once again, please stop because he reveals the heart of compassion and mercy that a man of God should have. There's an interesting story in the book of Luke in chapter 9, verses 51 through 56. It says, it came to pass when the time had come for him, for Jesus to be received of, that he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem and sent messengers before his face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him. But they didn't receive him because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them just as Elisha did? But he turned and rebuked them and said, you do not know what manner of spirit you are. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. You know, as we're going through the Gospel of Matthew, I've been pointing out various times how that Jesus was teaching his men how to take his message to a world in terrible need of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. We need to remember what spirit we are of once again. And I do not stand up here as somebody who is just, oh, so compassionate. God knows I'm not, and I'd be lying if I said I were. I didn't know that you could have a trial just driving a car. I really didn't. But there's so many times, even today, coming to Bible study. I'm driving, and some guy decides that the number 45 really means 30, or 35. And I could tell you story after story of people who decide to stop and look around to see which way they're supposed to turn while I'm coming up on them at 45, and I think, what's going on? I mean, we've seen them stop on the freeway and back up just because they missed their off-ramp. You know, yeah, you shouldn't have done that. I know it was you. And I do. Marie can tell you this. Marie will tell you this. I can get frustrated. So, no, I don't stand up here as, Mr. I am so perfect, and I have so much compassion. But sometimes the things that you hear coming out of the heart of the teacher are the things that he wants the most for his life. And compassion is one of those things. I remember being in Israel. My dad seated next to me. Pastor Chuck Smith, as we're at the Sermon on the Mount, the site of the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Chuck was seated there. He had his Bible closed in his left hand. I still remember this vividly. As by memory, he went through chapter five, six, and seven in the Gospel of Matthew, almost word for word, as he gave the Sermon on the Mount. And I have to tell you, I was just so blown away that he remembered all I had just taught him. No, I'm an amazing student of mine, Chuck Smith. My dad and I were there, and I'll never forget how Pastor Chuck said this. He said, you know, sometimes people will ask, why does Chuck Smith speak so much about grace? And he said, it's because Chuck Smith needs grace so much. And I believe that with all of my heart. You know, compassion is something that the Lord gives to you as you seek him for it. Jesus was moved with compassion. And sometimes I can be so frustrated with the world, the way it is, and with people, the way they are, and the church, the way it can be, that I begin to lose the mercy and compassion that God has given to me. And so we want compassion. We want to have compassion. And that's why when these men are, they're upset. They're upset for Jesus' sake. They're saying, they're not welcoming you in. You want us to call fire down from heaven and consume them, make them into, we used to call them crispy critters. You want us to just crisp them? You don't know what spirit you are of. I didn't come to destroy men's lives. I came to save them. And that's really the attitude we believe is, especially in these days, need to have that sense of compassion. God help us to do the things that are right, to speak the truth in love, but to resist the temptation to be always angry at those who just don't know any better. Even as Jesus on that cross prayed, Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. Maybe we need to learn that same kind of lesson. Moving into verse seven. Thus he showed me, behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plum line, with a plum line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, Amos, what do you see? I said a plum line. And the Lord said, behold, I am setting a plum line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not pass by them anymore. The high places of Isaac shall be desolate. The places of Israel shall be laid to waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam. A plum line, a measuring tool used to determine if something is straight, up and down. And God is going to measure the people according to his absolute standards. That's what it means when he's speaking using this measuring device. It says in verse eight, what do you see? Amos said, I see a plum line. When you see a plum line in Scripture, very often it's an indication that God is about to judge. You'll see it in Zechariah, for example, chapter two, verses one and two, where it says, I raised my eyes and look behold a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, where are you going? And he said to me to measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length. He said, when God begins to measure either in length or in weight, you can be sure that the people have not measured up to God's requirements and judgment is the thing that he has in mind. I want you to notice something. Amos doesn't intercede for him this time because it's proper for them to be judged. Jeremiah seven, eight through ten says, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, murder falsely, burn incense to Baal, walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, we are delivered to do these abominations. He said in Jeremiah seven, sixteen therefore, Jeremiah do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to me, I will not hear you. And so he said, you're doing all of these things, you are ripe for judgment, I will bring judgment. Jeremiah do not pray for him. Amos doesn't pray. Amos doesn't say God show mercy because he knows that they are ripe for judgment. He's going to bring judgment. Now I want you to notice something here. He said in verse nine, he said, the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. Now notice, I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam. Now keep that in mind because notice what happens in verse ten. 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 shall surely be led away captive from their own land. We'll start in this place here. I want to develop something with you, and then I'm going to share some things that I believe the Lord is placed on my heart that are applicable to us in these days. As we look at this though in verse nine, when it speaks of high places of Isaac and how they're going to be made desolate sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. These high places that are being spoken of are pagan altars. These are pagan altars that are going to be destroyed. And the prophecy is Jeroboam's line will be cut off. That's what it's saying. Jeroboam's line will be cut off. So you see in 2 Kings 15 8 through 10, in the 38th year of Azariah, king of Zechariah, son of Jeroboam, became king of Israel in Samaria. He reigned six months. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord as his predecessors had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nabat, which he had caused Israel to commit. Shalom's son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him, and succeeded him as king. And so this is a prophecy that his lineage would be cut off. So this is a quote. Because notice again he says in verse 11, thus Amos has said, Jeroboam shall die by the sword. Israel shall surely be led away captive from their own land. Amos had not said Jeroboam would be killed, but he had said that Israel would become captive. He had already said that. Now as this is taking place verse 12, Amaziah said to Amos, go you seer, flee to the land of Judah, there eat bread, and there prophesy. But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and it is the royal residence. Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet. I was a herdsman and a tenderer of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed 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, do not spout against the house of Isaac, therefore thus says the Lord. Your wife shall be a harlot in the city. Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword. Your land shall be divided by survey line. You shall die in a defiled land. Israel shall be led away captive from his own land. I want to spend some time looking at this with you and try and make it applicable in some ways that we might in these days understand. First, I want you to notice as it's very common, when someone wants to undermine someone else they will twist that person's words. That's what took place here. Amaz had not said what he's being accused of saying. He had not said that. But when people want to undermine they will twist somebody's words. That happens all the time. That happens in ministry all the time. That happens in the Old Testament. That happens in the New Testament. Remember with me for example when Jesus was standing before Pontius Pilate and was being accused how it says in Matthew 26 verse 61 that two false witnesses came forward and said this fellow said I am able to destroy the temple of God and build it in three days. That was a lie. Jesus never said that he would destroy the temple of God. Jesus said destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up and then John tells us he spoke of the temple of his body. So he never made that statement. They misinterpreted it and misquoted him and that is very, very typical. That's what happens today. You see Amos hadn't said Jeroboam would be killed. He said Israel would be taken captive. Sometimes when people are speaking and misquoting there's a purpose. In this particular example Amaziah is the priest of Bethel a pagan altar that was built to undermine the temple in Jerusalem. And he was saying that Amos's words were treasonous and would undermine Jeroboam's reign. And he's saying this. He's saying this country cannot bear this kind of message. Division's going to occur. Everybody's going to end up suffering and that's the point he's making. And he's saying that Jeroboam he's prophesying that you would be killed. But that's not what he had said. And that's why in verses 12 and 13 he says go you seer, flee the land of Judah there eat bread there prophesy be a hireling. When he says go to Judah he's saying leave the north and go south. He's saying there eat bread, there prophesy there he's saying be a hireling. One of the things that we can see that we have to avoid today in the church and you can see it is that there are those today who are speaking in the name of the Lord who are what Jesus himself would refer to as a hireling a preacher for hire. Paul when speaking concerning this said we are not as some peddling the word of God. And when he was speaking to the Corinthians and second Corinthians and made that statement what he was saying is this he was saying we don't take the gospel of God and alter it change it for our own benefit we don't take God's word and transform that message into something else so that we may profit. We don't use the word of God for our own personal advantage at all. But he was being, Paul was being accused of that he was being accused of being a person who took the word of God changed it to make it something that people wanted to hear so that they would support him and that is called a hireling and Jesus was speaking concerning hirelings and he said that a hireling sees the wolf come and he promptly flees because he doesn't own the sheep. He is a hireling and he contrasts a hireling with himself and says but I'm the good shepherd and a good shepherd lays his life down for the sheep. Why? Because the shepherd has care and love and concern for those sheep. There's a difference between a hireling and a shepherd and with this amaziah this priest of the pagan altar of Bethel is doing is he saying to Amos get out of here leave town go some place that wants to hear that message stop speaking in the way that you're doing you're disuniting this nation you're speaking against it in such a way that it's causing us to be upset and that's why he goes to Jeroboam and he says we cannot as a nation take this kind of message it's going to divide us and that's why he goes and he speaks to Amos in the way that he does and says get out of here you're not fit you're not fit to do this he says you're not fit to do this kind of thing at all I want to show you something here he says in verse 12 go you seer flee to the land of Judah there eat bread there prophesy but never again prophesy at Bethel notice for it is the king sanctuary and it is the royal residence you're not fit to speak in the king's chapel you are not fit to speak in his palace you are not polished and you are not likable your message is not encouraging you are not sophisticated cultured educated entertaining relevant and you are most certainly not encouraging you're not saying the thing that people need to hear or want to hear right now and thus why don't you get out of here why don't you shut up why don't you go someplace that wants to hear your message because we don't Isaiah 39 and 10 says this is a rebellious people lying children children who will not hear the law of the lord who say to the seer do not see to the prophets do not prophesy to us right things speak to us smooth things prophesy deceits Amos if we were to use the language that we use today you're not cool you're not polished and you're not worth listening to why don't you go south go to Judah go where your message will resonate leave us alone we're doing fine we don't need to hear your disturbing message of judgment we don't need to hear about holiness as I've heard your message these are the things you're saying you're saying that we are guilty of compromise that we mix idolatry with the worship of God you've said that we're not just that we abuse the poor and that God even hates our worship services you have said that God hates our songs he hates our music he hates our indifference to his word that God hates our luxurious living our sexual immorality and our drunkenness that God hates our banqueting and our lack of compassion and we don't want to hear this anymore so go some place that wants to hear it listen you are a simple farmer and a gardener you have no place in sophisticated society so why don't you go and speak to the bumpkins the ones who want to hear that the ones who don't have intellectual prowess the ones who are not sharp dressers the ones who are farmers and the ones who are tenders of fruit trees why don't you go and speak to them because you're just a simple farmer there's no place for you in a sophisticated society you know they said that kind of thing about Jesus Matthew 13 verse 54 it says when he had come to his own country he taught them in their synagogue so that they were astonished and said where did this man get this wisdom in these mighty works in John 7 15 the Jews marveled saying how does this man know letters having never studied how did he get so well versed in Scripture how did he become so eloquent and so marvelous in his speech how did he gain the ability to speak and to form such miracles because we know where Jesus is from he's from Nazareth and that isn't a town that is known for sophistication whatsoever it isn't known for its spiritual depth it certainly isn't known for its being a city that is set apart with holiness in mind it's just a small village up in the north where did this man come from who gave him his authority who taught him these things and that's what's being said all the way back it's so famous it gives you the right to speak in this way it seems to me that this kind of sentiment continues to exist to this day leave us alone we don't want to hear anything that disturbs our sense of comfort and peace go speak to somebody who wants to listen and don't come back here one of my favorite teachers is a man by the name of A.W. Tozer many of you probably have heard of him and perhaps some of you have read his devotionals or his books he lived he was born in 1897 and he died in 1963 he was 66 years old and the man died he wrote some 45 books he pastored in various places taught in various places and and ministered for 33 years as a pastor and Tozer wrote a book it's called well it's actually a compilation of things of Tozer it's a book called the voice of a prophet and I want to read some of the quotes from this book that I've spoken to my heart A.W. Tozer said this what is being touted today to run the church is marketing presentation of the message and performance these three things have overshadowed the message he asks how we come to the point where the church where the most important thing is the messenger and not the message Tozer writes the church has become willing victim to marketing strategies she has filled pulpits with pastors who make the message sensational emotional or entertaining Tozer said the messenger is more important than the message the message depends upon celebrities to carry it into the culture for the church to have the message needed celebrities could it be that the Holy Spirit is not as necessary today how entertaining was it for Stephen the first martyr to die in the presence of his enemies how entertaining was it for the martyrs of the church to march to their martyrdom who was applauding all of this who was being entertained by the sufferings and sacrifices of the saints of the church you see under today's requirements because he says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10 verse 10 that it was said of him that his letters are weighty and powerful but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible so the apostle Paul back then and even today may not have been asked to speak at churches because he was kind of a puny looking guy and he wasn't polished in the way that he spoke I want you to think about that for a moment he was puny you know the only description we have of the apostle Paul is just anecdotal it's not something that his eyewitness so much as was passed on and they say that he was a small man a frail man that he had a problem with his back where it was bowed that he had beady eyes that were infected he had a long nose and he was just very homely whether that's true or not that's the description you get in history of the apostle Paul but when you read 2nd Corinthians there are so many accusations I enumerated some 21 different accusations that he actually asked to deal with as he wrote 2nd Corinthians because there are so many things that were said about him and one of those things that was being said is that he writes a powerful letter but when you hear him speak he's boring and when you look at him he's unimpressive would he get on Christian TV today probably not would he be asked to speak at passers conferences today and thrill audiences probably not would he be a very popular man today based on his teaching well they'd say well you know I can read some of the things he says but just looking at him really disturbs me what has happened guys what has happened to the church what has happened to us the body of Christ in the United States where we select churches based on the popularity of the celebrity behind the pulpit and not on the truths that come from the mouth of that man teaching God's word to us so we can live with Jesus Christ what happened what happened are we so lonely for heroes that were willing to listen to anything that said as long as it's said in a Christian way that's what's going on that's where my heart is my heart my heart is sad for the church it's sad because listen I don't know how to say this other than in an honest way I was saved in a revival I didn't come to faith in Chuck Smith I came to faith in Jesus Christ and Jesus transformed my life I didn't get enamored with with Chuck Smith's words I got enamored with the word of God and I didn't get caught up with the energy of the pulpit I got caught up with the energy of the spirit of God who transforms lives and that's what provoked me to go out and do the things I did from the age of 20 to this day right now which is to try to be faithful to the Lord in presenting the truth of God unmixed with error so that we would know the truth that sets us free but we're living in a time and I don't want to go into naming names right I just don't want to do that because that's not my point but I can tell you this I Marie and I Marie will tell you this that I'll turn on sometimes the TV and I'll say I'm going to listen for a couple of minutes how long do I listen two or three minutes and I'll say I got to turn this off this guy here has a cute of skinny jeans but he's saying nothing they're going to have to get the jaws of life to remove those pants from that boy he's cool and he's got the swirl but the guy's not saying anything forgive me that sounds mean but it's true listen to what's being said how much scripture is rightly divided I can tell you this and I'll say it this way and I don't know how else to say it I came out of a background religiously where I was taught the traditions of men and not the word of God I said God if it's in your word I want to believe it if it's not then I won't and that's how I began nobody ever told me you need to listen to Calvary Chapel doctor nobody ever taught me that I just wanted to know God's word and the best way to know God's word is to read it to spend time in it to divide it and meditate on it and put it into practice and I learned that and began learning that as a young man you see and because of that the messenger was not what I was attracted to I was saved as a 20 year old man and the first person who was influencing me in a pastoral way was a man named Lonnie Frisbee Lonnie Frisbee was an evangelist teacher in Calvary Costa Mesa in the very early days and he was a very very charismatic guy but I did not accept Lonnie Frisbee into my life as my savior I appreciated the things that Lonnie was saying because it pointed me to the one who was my savior see so I didn't become a Calvary Chapel pastor because it was cool and popular what we have today is people are denominationalizing Calvary Chapel as a ministry and they're thinking well if it's a Calvary here or a Calvary there they're all the same because it's a denomination no it's not Calvary Chapel has never been a denomination we are non-denominational what we are are a fellowship of men who love one another but when people today you people your age group many of you not you in particular but some in this room take this Calvary I'll go to that Calvary they're all the same and that's not true we're different we have certain distinctives that make us what we are but the central distinctive ought to be the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and to not be concerned about men's judgment on what we teach as long as it's solid with the Word of God that's the bottom line and that's what I got saved in and that's the passion of my heart to this day it has been that way in 1973 teach the Word be instant in season and out of season preach the Word convict, reprove, exhort with all long suffering and teaching for the time will come when they will no longer endure healthy teaching but will he put to themselves teachers having itching ears will be turned aside from the truth and turned into fables do the work of evangelists fulfill your ministry God called us to be faithful to His Word but people today I am telling you and you know this some of you may not choose the church they go to based on the entertainment based on the amount of people based on the band based on the popularity of the preacher based on everything except whether the Word of God is rightly divided and they're deceived tozer said if the message is presented in a certain way it's okay regardless if some point is missing these things are accepted because those listening are not reading the Word and because they're not feeding on the Word they're not discerning believers are to exercise discernment discernment that is rooted in the power of the Spirit and the teachings of Scripture in Romans chapter 16 verses 17 and 18 Paul said it like this he said I urge you brethren note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned avoid them for those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple you see we have the responsibility and exercising caution in Jeremiah 29 verse 8 it reads thus says the Lord of Host the God of Israel do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed you see the Bible is the Word of God when the Bible speaks God speaks let us receive nothing believe nothing and follow nothing is not in the Bible nor can be proven by the Bible and so when he is being spoken to here he is saying Amaziah is saying to him why don't you go someplace where people want to hear what you have to say one of the beauties of going through the Bible book by book chapter by chapter verse by verse is that you get the whole counsel of God some people like to kind of camp out on something if I were to camp out on one thing and you may or may not know this it may not matter to you either but let me say it if I were to camp out on one thing and teach the one thing that my heart is moved the most by it would be God's grace in his love that would be it that would be the only message you'd ever hear and I think you need to hear that every time we open the Bible and my prayer for many many years has been God I want to walk in your grace I want to give your grace and I want to be compassionate like Jesus but as I go through the whole counsel of God there are blessings and there are buffettines there are times when the Lord says commendable things and there are times when God says the whole counsel comes in I'll be honest with you I'll say it a little bit further and go on like this for me Amos has been a tough book it's a tough read because I love the grace of God and as I go through it and I hear judgment after judgment after judgment you know Lord but the whole counsel is that God's grace when rejected results if there's anything that the church today needs to remember is that God is a holy God and his word is true we need to understand that and I really believe that God wants us to realize that notice where he says this he goes don't prophesy at Bethel so Amos answered and said to Amaziah I was no prophet nor was I a son of a prophet I was a herdsman tender of sycamore fruit the Lord took me as I followed the flock 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 do not spout against the house of Isaac therefore thus says the Lord your wife shall be a harlot in the city your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword your land shall be divided by survey line you shall die in a defiled land Israel shall surely be led away captive from his own land so I was called a prophet is uniquely called by God he never volunteers for the job but his prophetic role in ministry for today's church is an utter necessity he's saying I haven't gone to the school of the prophets I don't have a lineage a heritage of prophets I was working as a herdsman and a farmer but I was called by God and I've obeyed him you see even king David was once a shepherd but he was called and Amos was also called and what was true then remains true to this day the call to proclaim the message of God is a divine call it is not the result of man's call and the important task of the messenger is to remain true to the Lord message I've had people ask me none of you have but I'll say it in case some of you have ever wondered where did you get your degree and the answer is I have a degree in life I had somebody got real mad at me one time one time but this one time and he wrote me a letter and he was rebuking me and he was angry at me and he signed his letter with his name I'll never forget Master of Arts Doctor of Divinity Doctor of Theology so he had those letters his name and then MA and PhD and this and that and I wrote him back I responded to him point by point and I answered his questions rebuked him for his for the way he was approaching the subject and signed it David Rosales HSG High School Graduate I don't think I don't believe that God is impressed with the letters behind our name I just don't I believe that God is looking for someone whose heart is completely his that's what he says the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth looking for the man whose heart is completely his that he might show himself strong on his behalf that's what God is looking for and that's what Amos is saying no I didn't go to your schools of theology I certainly didn't attend the school of the prophets I was a farmer and a herdsman that's what I am me I can say I was a guy who barely graduated from high school with a D minus average I read cartoon books, you know comic books most of the time didn't start reading again until I was in my 20s no there's nothing to commend men like me to you other than the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the love of the word of God that's what God calls us to have and God spoke through a donkey when he spoke to Balaam and God still speaks through a donkey's to this day he does God has a way of speaking his word and he gets this message out and he says listen you think I'm nothing and you're everything you've got the palace and you teach at the chapel you think you're big let me tell you what's going to happen to you your wife will be forced into harlotry when the country is invaded you will be helpless to do anything to set her free your children will die your land will be taken you will go to Assyria as a captive and like Ezekiel would say in Ezekiel 33 33 when this comes to pass and surely it will come then they will know that a prophet has been among them God's word is true that God be true Ezekiel 33 33