James 2:14-26
Caringbah Baptist Church
Nov 15, 2015
Faith and Works (James 2:14-26) – Video
James 2:14-26
Caringbah Baptist Church
Nov 15, 2015
James 2:14-26
Caringbah Baptist Church
Nov 15, 2015
Amos 4
After reading the last couple of chapters of Amos, maybe you’re thinking that God’s being a little harsh? One warning, followed by total destruction. But that’s not the full picture. In chapter 4, Amos goes on to hint at some of the reasons Israel was being judged (there’s much more detail from chapter 5 onwards, as we’ll see next week), as well as a recounting of all the warnings they’ve had in recent memory.
Amos 4:1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria,you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy
and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
Amos 3
If at some point in your life you’re going to be naming your children, here’s a tip from me: choose a different dominant vowel sound for each of them. ‘Cause when you’re yelling from the other end of the house, that vowel is pretty much all they hear. Unfortunately, my sister (Cassy) and I (Tim) could always tell which one of us was wanted, and had no excuse for ignoring the call. I didn’t learn that lesson, and named both our kids with the same dominant vowel. Now, they can always ignore me and legitimately claim they thought I was calling the other one.
The book of Amos – which we’ve been looking at this week – sees God calling to his people, Israel. But they weren’t responding. Maybe they heard his voice, but convinced themselves he was talking to one of the nations around them. (Think about all those judgement oracles against the surrounding nations we read over the past few days, before God ambushed them with an indictment on their own sin. And Israel and Syria do have the same dominant vowel sound.) Surely it can’t be us – we’re his chosen people! How can he bring judgement on us?
Amos 2
So far in the book of Amos, we’ve seen this prophet from the south (Judah) start out by proclaiming – in the north – that God lives in and speaks from the southern capital of Jerusalem. And what’s more, he implies that when God speaks, it enacts judgement against the northern kingdom (Israel) for her idolatry. Tactful start.
But then, yesterday, we saw him start to win them over by speaking God’s judgement against Israel’s neighbours: Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab. Many of whom had oppressed Israel in the past. And all of whom were guilty of war crimes against humanity. Amos’s hearers are probably enjoying this bit: the arrows are landing on all the nations that surround them.
And then it gets even better.
Amos 1
Yesterday, we began our series in Amos, looking at how this shepherd from the southern kingdom of Judah turned up in the (rival) northern kingdom of Israel, with a tactful message that went something like: “God speaks from my homeland, which is where he lives, not in any of the rival shrines you lot have built. And when he speaks, it’s a message of judgement on your idolatry. (Say, is there a Motel 7 anywhere near here, as I’ll be around for a while doing this whole judgement-oracle thing?)”
Let’s see if his next effort can endear him a little more to his audience. It’s a series of judgement oracles.
Introducing Amos
A new series today, in the book of Amos.
Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.Amos was a shepherd from Tekoa, in the southern kingdom of Judah, in the eighth century BC. And he was commissioned by God to prophesy in the northern kingdom of Israel, calling them back to obedience. Probably not the safest occupation, given the animosity between the two kingdoms. But he doesn’t exactly endear himself to his audience with his opening words:
A quick breather…
No post today, as we’ve finished our series in Revelation and we’ll begin in the Old Testament book of Amos on Monday. So there’s time for a quick breather, to catch up on any readings you’ve missed or to read through the early chapters of Amos to prepare for next week.
Revelation 11 – Part Four
As we come to the final post in our trip (both meanings intended) through Revelation 4-11, we get to the seventh trumpet. Finally. (The sixth was way back in chapter 9.) In the interim, the church has been commissioned with a message, persecuted for preaching it, left for dead, and then raised back to life through the power of Jesus’ own resurrection. Now, all that’s left is the final trumpet.
Revelation 11 – Part Three
At the end of yesterday’s post, we saw that God’s two witnesses (symbolising his church-on-mission) ended up suffering the same fate that Jesus himself did: killed in Jerusalem. Their bodies weren’t even buried, adding to the shame, and their enemies gloated over their destruction. (A bit like the gloating that happens in some quarters these days whenever Christians take a hit.) But… just like that weird story about Elijah and Enoch, and more importantly, just like Jesus… that isn’t the end of the story.
Revelation 11 – Part Two
Yesterday we saw that although our mission to preach the little scroll to the world might get a little dangerous (involving the odd bit of metaphorical trampling-by-Gentiles), God has again measured us – his inner shrine – for protection. For we are to be his witnesses:
Rev 11:3 “And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”This verse does explain the general bad fashion sense of the church, but that’s not the main point. Here, we’re introduced to two witnesses who symbolise the church. But why two?
timmacbride.com 