Amos 4:4-13 (KJV) Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: 5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. 6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

Please read those last two verses with me,

Amos 4:12-13 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

The writer of the Book of Amos was just a simple Shepherd who loved the Lord. He lived in Tekoa, a place about 12 miles southeast of Jerusalem about 800 years before our Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. Amos spoke of his calling when he gave his testimony, saying:

Amos 7:15 (ESV) …. the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

1 In Our Message Today I Speak First To God’s Church, To God’s Collected Children, To The “Sheep Of His Pasture”. Are You “Prepared To Meet Your God?”. If you are a Child of God you should be ever prepared to meet your God. Each and every Child of God – saved by faith in Christ, born again as Revelation 1:5-6 says:

“Unto Him that LOVED US, and washed US from OUR sins in HIS OWN BLOOD,

and hath made us KINGS AND PRIESTS unto God and His Father ..”

Saved we become part of God’s Family. He is Father, we are His Children. He is Shepherd, we are His Sheep.

Psalm 100:3 (ESV) Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV) Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Ezekiel 34:31 (NASB) “As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord GOD.

John 10:14-16 (KJV)14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

God’s people are His Sheep, whether Israel in the Old Covenant or the Church in the New Covenant. He is our Shepherd. Are you prepared to meet YOUR God?

Are You Obediently Worshiping Him? God’s Israel was suppose to be worshiping God in Jerusalem, in that city of David, and at the Temple that Solomon built. But where were they?

Amos 4:4 (KJV) Come to Bethel, and TRANSGRESS; at Gilgal multiply TRANSGRESSION; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

Israel was bringing their sacrifices every morning. They were tithing (though they were doing it not as God said, but halfheartedly, every three years. They were “bringing sacrifices” to God, but these were mixed with leaven. They were Israel. They were saved.

But they were not going to the Temple as God directed.

Their King Jeroboam set up a place to worship – CONVENIENCE CENTERS if you will. He built two golden calves and gave them to Israel, saying “It is too far to go to the Temple to worship. You can go to BETHEL. You can go to GILGAL. THESE be your gods, O Israel. Worship here.”

So Israel listened to the voice of fallen Man and disobeyed God. They changed their PLACE of worship because it suited them. They disobeyed God by hearing man rather than God, then obeyed outwardly but inwardly drifted from the Lord. They became like the Church of Laodicea in Revelation, and the change was gradual. Jesus told Laodicea:

Revelation 3:15-16   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.   [16]   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

God saved us with passion, and wants us to follow Him without equivocation. Our hearts are to be fully focused on Him. We are to be fervent in the love for Him Who saved us. The love that we have for God cannot just be tepid and passing, but all consuming like a fire. Our God is a consuming fire. We are to be consumed of Him!

Deuteronomy 6:5  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

for did He not love us this way when He died for us on Calvary?

Did He not bear the Nails? Did He not hang naked on yonder Tree? Did He not bear the Shame? Did He not bear the Sin? Did He not give everything for us, even being abandoned by God our Father – Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani – My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me? Was He not laid in an empty Tomb? Did He not rise again, forever to live among us?

Has He not said:

Matthew 18:20   For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Are you prepared to meet your God? Did you tune your own harp before coming to Church this morning or were you, as a dead coal, hoping to rub against a spark that might cause you to burn. Did you wake up and seek His Face in prayer? Did you read His Word before coming here today? Did you pray for your Sunday School and Training Union Teachers, for your Pastor, for the Deacons? Did you give as much diligence to your Heavenly Family as you do to your earthly Job? Did you get enough sleep so that you do not have to yawn through the service? A crying child who will not quit disrupts the Word, but so does a sleepy headed person who stayed up watching a rerun of Gilligan’s Island on television.

God told His people:

Amos 4:6-9 (KJV) And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 7 And also I have with holden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmer worm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

When there is famine among God’s Children it is God Who allows it.

Churches today are losing members and attendance because they have turned from the Word of God. They have become ENTERTAINMENT HOUSES rather than places where God is cherished. God stops the rain of Grace when His people will not hear. God brings tragedy so that we – like Sheep – will stop and return to the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.

Beloved Church, start your day in prayer. Seek Christ’s Face in the pages of His Book. As you go through your day speak to Your Shepherd frequently. The heart prepared to meet God will see God. The mind focused with singleness or purpose will walk with the Great I AM.

Amos 4:11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD.

God does not want to overthrow you. He wants to cherish you. He wants you to get in the boat with Him. Noah in the boat was safe, whereas those outside the boat were perishing with the world. The Apostles in the boat with Jesus saw Him ….

Mark 4:39 (KJV)…. rebuke[d] the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Illustrate The best place to be is IN THE BOAT with Jesus. Be prepared daily to meet your God. You prepare for the TEMPORAL, make your first preparation for the ETERNAL. We prepare for vacations, prepare for trips, prepare to go and see grandchildren and great grandchildren. Some have prepared for their funerals, buying insurance and burial insurance so that their loved ones will not unduly suffer at their departure. I know when we go on trips Sherry will prepare a month in advance. She takes everything with us. She packs the suitcases, packs sodas and water, packs snack foods. I used to mark a map (though now I use a GPS). I check the spare tire and make sure it has air in it, check the oil, the radiator, the transmission fluid. We pack a mattress so we can stop at a halfway point. I make sure I have my phone and my portable office (because I work on sermons for you, dear Church, even while on vacation). We go prepared to meet our grandchildren.

Are you prepared to meet your God?

2 I Speak Next To The Lost Among Us. Are You Prepared To Meet Your God? God said that He is the One Who ….

Amos 4:13 … maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

Illustrate Some who do not believe say “I don’t believe in God”. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe in God or not. Your belief or unbelief does not make nor dismantle God. God is. You can say

“I don’t believe in gravity”

but if you step off a cliff gravity will make a believer out of you. You can say

“I don’t believe in the First Law of Thermodynamics” (look it up)

but if you step in front of a moving 18 wheeler you will become a believer! God is. God is everywhere. The Psalmist said:

“Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to Heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there” (Psalm 139:7,8)

God spoke through the Prophet saying:

Jeremiah 23:24 “Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see him?” declares the LORD.”

It is God Who made us. It is God Who gave us life. The Scripture says:

Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 “Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”

God made us. When we die, our bodies return to the dust, and our souls return to God Who gave it. Are you prepared to meet your God? The Lord Jesus said:

Luke 12:15-21 (KJV) …. Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Did you notice that God called the unprepared rich man “Thou Fool”. The Bible tells us that the word “Fool” is used for an Atheist, a person who “hath said in his heart ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1). The rich man lived his life as if there were no God. He was prepared to prosper on earth, but not prepared to meet his God.

There are many who profess to know there is a God, to profess to know Christ as Lord and Savior, and yet by their lives they live as if they are Atheists. They “have said in their hearts ‘There is no God’”. Yet there is a God, and this Creator God made you to walk and talk with Him.

Illustrate There is an old story of a King who had a “Court Jester”. The Jester made him laugh, so much so that one day the King handed him a golden staff. He told his Jester “Take this, and keep it till you find a bigger fool than yourself.” A few years later the king became sick and was soon to die. His courtiers were called; his family and his servants also stood round his bedside. Someone called for the Jester, thinking that he would raise the King’s spirit before he died. When the Jester saw his King the King said “I am about to leave you. I am going on a very long journey, and I shall not return again to this place. Goodbye, dear Jester”. The Jester looked with sadness at his King and said, “Your Majesty, may I ask a question? When you have journeyed abroad visiting your people, staying with your nobles, or paying diplomatic visits to other courts, your heralds and servants have always gone before you, making preparations for you. May I ask what preparations your Majesty has made for this long journey that he is about to take?” The King replied “Alas! I have made no preparations.” With that the Jester handed the King his golden staff. “Dear friend, take this staff with you – for now I have found a bigger fool than myself.”

Are you prepared to meet your God?

He made you in His image and after His likeness (Genesis 1:26).

You are fearfully and wonderfully made to be one with God (Psalm 139:14).

You were designed to be the Sheep of His Pasture, Lovingly cared for.

Some say “I have prepared by the life I am living”. It is certain that those who belong to God will live with a generous and loving nature. When Jesus spoke of Heaven and Hell He said that those who were certainly destined to Hell were those who lived hateful and selfish lives. He said:

Matthew 25:41-46 (KJV) Then shall {God} say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Those who are “righteous” act “right” and are “on the right hand of God”. The “leftious” do not go to Heaven but to Hell. You might say “you just made up a word” and yes, I did – but many of you make up a God. The God of Heaven is RIGHTeous, and his people are RIGHTeous.

How does one become RIGHTeous?

We admit we are LEFTious and seek God’s righteousness by faith.

Romans 3:20-28 (KJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

When you acknowledge yourself a sinner and commit your ways unto Christ – receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior – then God IMPUTES His righteousness to you. God covers your sin in the Blood of His Son.

Hebrews 9:12-14 … not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

God saves His Sheep so His Sheep can follow Him.

Illustrate A preacher was preaching about Judgment Day. He roared: “There will be wars, and famines and earthquakes! The sun shall be darkened, and the stars will fall from the sky! On that day will you be ready? On that day, what will you want?” A little boy sitting next to his mother thought about that question. Tugging on his mother’s sleeve he whispered, “On Judgment Day I want the teachers to call off school!”. A Judgment Day is coming for everyone – are you prepared to meet your God? If you are prepared then your works will be judged in righteousness for crowns or loss (see Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10). If you are NOT prepared then you will stand before a Jesus Who does not know you and be judged at a Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-14).

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.

Jesus Christ gave Himself for you! When I was in the military we often did “War Games” at an event called “Red Flag” at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. One time while checking in I overheard a man fussing because he could not get a room at one of the local hotels. He asked me “How did YOU get a room?” I said “because I called ahead and made a reservation”. You need to call ahead and make a reservation for Heaven. Do so today by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Whosoever calleth on the Name of the Lord shall be saved.

Oh that you would be saved!

Closing Illustration On December 26, 2004, the world watched in horror as the story of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia unfolded. An earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a huge tidal wave as high as 100 feet tall that came crashing on shore across the region. The tsunami did damage as far as the east coast of Africa, 5000 miles away. Over a quarter million people died in the rampaging waters and devastation that followed. Entire island populations and coastal villages were wiped out – every man, woman, and child in some cases. According to the Associated Press, there was one notable exception to the loss of life. The Morgan sea gypsies are a small tribe of fishermen who spend much of the year on their boats fishing between India, Indonesia and Thailand. Each December, between fishing seasons, they live in small thatch huts on the beaches of Thailand. Last December, they were living directly in the path of certain disaster. Yet every single member of the tribe survived, while most of their neighbors disappeared in the rampaging waters. Why? The tribal chief explains, “For generations our fathers warned us that if the waters ever receded fast, they would quickly reappear in the same quantity in which they disappeared.” On December 26 when the sea suddenly drained away, many of their neighbors ran to the beach with baskets to pick up stranded fish. Not the Morgan sea gypsies. The chief ordered his tribe to run in the opposite direction, to the mountains and safety. When the tsunami hit, the entire tribe was spared.

I and every believer in Christ are Gypsies – Pilgrims on a journey to our Eternal Home. We have been given a message of warning and of promised blessing. Whosoever believes in the Son shall not perish but have everlasting life. Judgment is coming. Are you prepared to meet your God?

I pray that you are. May God touch your hearts with His Word.