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Amos – Shepherd Prophet of Judgment (4 of 5)

Focus Text: Amos 7.10-17

Godly men have always been the subject of ridicule and persecution; Amos was certainly not an exception. Consider the following paragraph from the life of Amos, the Shepherd Prophet of Israel.

“Then 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…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Amos 4.1-5

One of the important but often misunderstood facets of biblical inspiration is that God used the personalities and vocabulary of His prophets in delivering His word. By paying attention to the approach and language a prophet takes to a particular situation, one can gain insight into the prophet’s personality and character. By reading these clues, one does not have to be a super detective to learn that a couple of Amos’ strong points were his candor and his passion. We will note some passages…  ( Click for more )

Amos – Shepherd Prophet of Judgment (2 of 5)

Focus Text: Amos 3.1-8

Amos has a powerful and memorable way of putting things; his hearers/readers can not help but pay attention; they can’t help but be impressed by his words. Some of the reasons are evident in the paragraph that follows.

“Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying: ‘You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.’…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Amos 1.1,7.14-15

“The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.” (Amos 1.1). There had been other prophets from among the ranks of the shepherds and there would be others. However, had been more blunt or to the point than Amos. His speech was picturesque and drew upon his upbringing and his occupation.

God’s call…  ( Click for more )

Jeremiah – Words from the Heart (4 of 4)

Focus Text: Jeremiah 26

Courage and perseverance go hand in hand and Jeremiah was well acquainted with both virtues; notice the following example.

“So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. Now it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, ‘You will surely die! Why have you prophesied in the…  ( Click for more )

Jeremiah – Words from the Heart (3 of 4)

Focus Text: Jeremiah 36

One who knows the prophets cannot think about Jeremiah without thinking about his courage. From the world’s perspective, Jeremiah was a failure. He was frequently isolated, alone, lonely, and incessantly persecuted during his ministry. Yet, in spite of all the hardships that Jeremiah endured, he never quit! His desire to please God was greater than his desire for personal comforts and popularity. Even after years and years of teaching and preaching, Jerusalem and Judah were not greatly…  ( Click for more )

Jeremiah – Words from the Heart (2 of 4)

Focus Text: Lamentations 3.48-51

Writing about Jeremiah without mentioning compassion would be like writing about our solar system without mentioning the sun; compassion is at the very center of Jeremiah’s writings, feelings, and personality. We will explore a couple of texts which illustrate this fact.

“My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption, Till the LORD from heaven Looks down and sees. My eyes bring suffering…  ( Click for more )

Jeremiah – Words from the Heart (1 of 4)

Focus Text: Jeremiah 1.4-10

Jeremiah is frequently referred to as the weeping prophet and this with good cause. In the book of Lamentations he wrote, “The elders of the daughter of Zion Sit on the ground and keep silence; They throw dust on their heads And gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem Bow their heads to the ground. My eyes fail with tears, My heart is troubled; My bile is poured on the ground Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, Because the children and the infants…  ( Click for more )

Lighter than Vanity

Focus Text: Psalm 62.8-9

Ever seen a greased pig contest at a fair - Boys and girls together in a circular area chasing a small but deliberately greased pig? It is chaos! Every one chasing an animal that has a mind of its own only to be disappointed when they lay a hand on the poor pig who wriggles away and escapes yet another time to a more distant and deserted area of the ring. Practically speaking, if the pig doesn’t tire, no one would catch the animal. Life can be like that greased pig! Let me explain.

The psalmist wrote, “Trust…  ( Click for more )

Joel – Prophet of the Day of the Lord (4 of 4)

Focus Text: Joel 2.28-32

Joel’s amazing view of Pentecost (see the focus text) was one which could only have had its origin in heaven! No Jew would have willingly spoken of the day the Gentiles would be redeemed, nor would Jewish readers generally appreciated hearing such a message. From that perspective, it is an amazing thing that the message was ever delivered and also that it survived the cultural environment in which it was delivered and preserved. The Jews certainly did not relish the idea of preserving a book…  ( Click for more )

Joel – Prophet of the Day of the Lord (3 of 4)

Focus Text: Joel 2.28-32

Joel was not a prophet who sought to be politically correct; we have already established that from our overview of a few of his works and motives. However, neither was he a prophet only of doom and gloom. In fact, the latter part of the second chapter of Joel contains one of the brightest and most exciting prophecies in all 66 books of God’s word! Today’s message will focus on the hope that Joel had and the hope that he imparted to others through his prophetic office.

“And…  ( Click for more )

Joel – Prophet of the Day of the Lord (2 of 4)

Focus Text: Joel 1.1-5

"The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, you elders, And give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, Or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, Let your children tell their children, And their children another generation. What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust…  ( Click for more )

Joel – Prophet of the Day of the Lord (1 of 4)

Focus Text: Joel

There is great debate over the time period in which the book of Joel was written and the exact conditions that prevailed, conditions which compelled him to write with such vivid picture words and phrases. But, there can be little debate over the fact that Joel was absolutely focused on the coming day of the Lord. In his little three chapter book, he used this phrase at least once in each chapter. This repetition was doubtless due to the fact that Joel knew for certain the terror that would befall the…  ( Click for more )

John the Immerser – The Harbinger of Messiah (5 of 5)

Focus Text: Mark 6.16-20

“But when Herod heard, he said, ‘This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!’ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. For John had said to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing…  ( Click for more )

John the Immerser – The Harbinger of Messiah (4 of 5)

Focus Text: Matthew 3.13-17

"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God…  ( Click for more )

John the Immerser – The Harbinger of Messiah (3 of 5)

Focus Text: Matthew 11.7-14

“As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare…  ( Click for more )

John the Immerser – The Harbinger of Messiah (2 of 5)

Focus Text: Luke 1.67-76

“But when he [John] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Luke 1.67-76

“Now his [John’s] father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: ‘Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His…  ( Click for more )

Jonah – The Reluctant but Penitent Prophet (4 of 4)

Focus Text: Jonah 3-4

At long last Jonah was finally on task. “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, ‘Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do…  ( Click for more )

Focus Text: Jonah 3.1-3

I don’t know when the first poet said, “Once burned, Lesson learned; Twice burned, Lesson spurned.” Although I have no reason to believe that Jonah ever heard this poem, I have every reason to believe that Jonah knew what the poet was talking about! The first time God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah ran the other way. However, Jonah learned a life-changing lesson in the belly of a great fish. Because of that experience, the second go-round was entirely different. The Bible…  ( Click for more )

Jonah – The Reluctant but Penitent Prophet (2 of 4)

Focus Text: Jonah 1.1-3

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” (Jonah 1.1-3).

Jonah might well have written a chapter in…  ( Click for more )

Jonah – The Reluctant but Penitent Prophet (1 of 4)

Focus Text: 2 Kings 14:25

“He (Jerobaom II) restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher.” (2 Kings 14.25).

Other than in the book of Jonah, this is the only time the Old Testament writers mentioned this unique prophet from the region of Galilee. However, as a point of history, Jonah was one of the…  ( Click for more )

Contradiction or Context

Scripture Reading: Acts 11.1-18

Contradiction is such a harsh word. It has no wiggle room in it. It speaks of something amiss. The word contradiction is used in the NKJV Bible one time and that in Hebrews 7.7. The word that is translated contradiction in this passage is used a total of 4 times and it translates the Greek word antilogia. It takes little imagination to see that word is made up of two words, the first being anti and the second word very much akin to logos or logic. Literally the word means to speak against or to oppose by words.

Over…  ( Click for more )

Micaiah – The Non-Politically Correct Prophet (2 of 2)

Focus Text: 1 Kings 22:28

Micaiah had been adequately “coached” as to what to say before Ahab and yet he refused the counsel saying, “As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak.” (1 Kings 22.14). Now the acid test came!

“Then he [Micaiah] came to the king [Ahab]; and the king said to him, ‘Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?’ And he answered him, ‘Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it…  ( Click for more )