equal opportunity condemnation

20240215

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equal opportunity condemnation

Amos 2:1-16 (JDV)

Amos 2:1 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
Amos 2:2 And I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the fortified buildings of Kerioth. Moab will die with an uproar, with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn bugle.
Amos 2:3 I will cut off the judge from the land and kill all its officials with him. Yahveh has spoken.
Amos 2:4 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the instruction of Yahveh and have not kept his statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray.
Amos 2:5 Therefore, I will send fire against Judah, and it will consume the fortified buildings of Jerusalem.
Amos 2:6 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing Israel for three crimes, even four, because they sell a righteous person for silver and a needy person for a pair of sandals.
Amos 2:7 They trample the heads of the poor on the dust of the ground and obstruct the path of the needy. A man and his father have sexual relations with the same girl, profaning my holy name.
Amos 2:8 They stretch out beside every altar on garments taken as collateral, and in the house of their God they drink wine obtained through fines.
Amos 2:9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite as Israel advanced; his height was like the cedars, and he was as sturdy as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath.
Amos 2:10 And I brought you from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the open country in order to possess the land of the Amorite.
Amos 2:11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as Nazirites. Is this not the case, Israelites? This is Yahveh’s declaration.
Amos 2:12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets, “Do not prophesy.”
Amos 2:13 Notice, I am about to crush you in your place as a wagon crushes when full of grain.
Amos 2:14 Escape will fail the swift, the strong one will not maintain his strength, and the warrior will not save his throat.
Amos 2:15 The archer will not stand his ground, the one who is swift of foot will not escape, and the one riding a horse will not save his throat.
Amos 2:16 Even the most courageous of the warriors will flee naked on that day — this is Yahveh’s declaration.

equal opportunity condemnation

The prophet condemned nations for sins and crimes regardless of who they hurt. He even condemned Israel and Judah. His God offers his free grace to all, but he also threatens condemnation and destruction to all who reject his word.

God will not be mocked. Those who profess faith in the God of the Bible will be first in line to be punished when they willfully disobey him. There is no hiding behind a flag. There is no protection in wearing a cross.

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His coming fire

20240214

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His coming fire

Amos 1:1-15 (JDV)

Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was one of the sheep breeders from Tekoa — what he saw about Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Amos 1:2 He said: Yahveh roars from Zion and makes his voice heard from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel is dried up.
Amos 1:3 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing Damascus for three crimes, even four, because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.
Amos 1:4 That is why I will send fire against Hazael’s palace, and it will consume Ben-hadad’s fortified buildings.
Amos 1:5 I will break down the gates of Damascus. I will cut off the resident from the Valley of Aven, and the one who wields the scepter from Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir. Yahveh has spoken.
Amos 1:6 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing Gaza for three crimes, even four, because they exiled a whole community, handing them over to Edom.
Amos 1:7 That is why I will send fire against the walls of Gaza, and it will consume its fortified buildings.
Amos 1:8 I will cut off the resident from Ashdod, and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon. I will also turn my hand against Ekron, and the remainder of the Philistines will perish. the Lord Yahveh has spoken.
Amos 1:9 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing Tyre for three crimes, even four, because they handed over a whole community of exiles to Edom and broke a treaty of brotherhood.
Amos 1:10 That is why I will send fire against the walls of Tyre, and it will consume its fortified buildings.
Amos 1:11 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing Edom for three crimes, even four, because he pursued his brother with the sword. He stifled his compassion, his anger tore at him continually, and he harbored his rage incessantly.
Amos 1:12 That is why I will send fire against Teman, and it will consume the fortified buildings of Bozrah.
Amos 1:13 This is what Yahveh is saying: I will not stop punishing the Ammonites for three crimes, even four, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.
Amos 1:14 Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it will consume its fortified buildings. There will be shouting on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of the storm.
Amos 1:15 Their king and his princes will go into exile together. Yahveh has spoken.

His coming fire

Amos was an unlikely prophet, but his words would come true. The disaster that awaited the false shepherds of the nations surrounding Israel was described as a fire. So, the Bible also describes the destiny of all who turn against God and his word for their personal gain. God’s judgment will be a fire that consumes the wicked. Ignore the warning if you will; the judgment will happen.

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restore

20240213

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restore

James 5:19-20 (JDV)

James 5:19 My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back,
James 5:20 let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his throat from death and cover a great number of failures.

restore

Those brothers and sisters all around us as we pray and worship are in danger of straying from the truth they profess. Instead of denying that possibility because of our theology, James encourages us to take an active role in their restoration. I believe in God’s sovereignty in salvation, but I also believe in my own responsibility to help sinners turn back to God. To me, this is not a contradiction. I pray as if restoration is a task only God can do. But I also plead with a wayward soul to turn back from the error of his way. The prayer and the pleading are both parts of the ministry of restoration.

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extraordinary things

20240212

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extraordinary things

James 5:13-18 (JDV)

James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the congregation, and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
James 5:17 Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months, it did not rain on the land.
James 5:18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.

extraordinary things

Any kind of suffering can be a cause of joy if it leads the sufferer and his congregation to a more consistent prayer life. God does not always use this means, but he can. My prayer for a fellow believer who is suffering is an opportunity for my own growth and spiritual enrichment. It is also an opportunity to operate in reciprocal spiritual gifts. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate that we ordinary human beings can do extraordinary things by connecting to our extraordinary God in prayer.

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A Spirit-controlled tongue

20240211

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A Spirit-controlled tongue

James 5:12 (JDV)

James 5:12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.

A Spirit-controlled tongue

The same tongue that could get a person in trouble by criticizing and complaining can also get a person in trouble by swearing rashly. James encourages his readers to allow God’s Holy Spirit to tame their tongues — something that no human can do. A Spirit-controlled tongue needs no extra help from an oath. His yes means yes. Her no means no.

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blessed endurance

20240210

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blessed endurance

James 5:9-11 (JDV)

James 5:9 Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!
James 5:10 Take as an example, brothers and sisters, the suffering and patience of the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name.
James 5:11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome that the Lord brought about — the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

blessed endurance

We will be tempted to criticize and complain about those closest to us and the devil loves it when we do that. The judge stands at the door, so we need to learn to be patient with one another. Endure the uncomfortable to avoid the unbearable.

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perspective on the prospective

20240209

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perspective on the prospective

James 5:1-8 (JDV)

James 5:1 Come on, you rich ones, weep howling over the miseries that are coming on you!
James 5:2 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes are moth-eaten.
James 5:3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and their rust will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days.
James 5:4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies.
James 5:5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughtering.
James 5:6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous, who does not resist you.
James 5:7 Be patient then, brothers and sisters until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
James 5:8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

James writes to readers who have been welcoming the rich as prospective members of their churches with open arms while shunning and turning away the poor. In today’s passage, he tells his readers that the destiny of these rich people is condemnation by the Lord at his second coming. To prefer the rich is to side with those who will be destroyed.

Patience in this context is to open your hearts to all, without looking at what we might benefit from our hospitality. It is to proclaim the gospel to all, without stopping to ask whether this person might be able to support us or not.

Knowing what will happen at the Lord’s coming helps us to see people with the proper perspective.

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appear, disappear

20240208

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appear, disappear

James 4:13-17 (JDV)

James 4:13 Come on, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”
James 4:14 Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring – what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then disappears.
James 4:15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wants it, we will live and do this or that.”
James 4:16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All boasting like that is bad.
James 4:17 That is why to know the good and yet not do it is a failure.

appear, disappear

Last night (as I write this) Penny and I took a walk right after a rainstorm. There was still light enough to see the steam boiling up from the road and blanketing it. By the time we had finished the first half-mile, there was no steam anymore. It had appeared quickly and then disappeared. It was a short-lived phenomenon.

James tells his readers that since their lives are like that, then they should spend them in humility. They can make guesses about tomorrow, but they don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We have a Lord, and his desire and plan is what matters. We are his.

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let him judge

20240207

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let him judge

James 4:11-12 (JDV)

James 4:11 Don’t disparage one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who disparages or criticizes a fellow believer disparages the law and criticizes the law. If you criticize the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to criticize your neighbor?

let him judge

Why does James say that disparaging others is disparaging the law? Often we Christians use the term law as a bad thing: legalism and hypocrisy. But to James, law and gospel are the same thing: the message of salvation through Christ. Jesus is both the lawgiver (savior) and judge (destroyer of those who resist the gospel).

What does this have to do with my attitude toward other believers? To disparage another believer is to criticize someone for whom Christ died. It is to deny that deliverance has taken place. It is to reject someone whom Jesus has chosen. We must let Christ be the judge.

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sometimes righteousness

20240206

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sometimes righteousness

James 4:7-10 (JDV)

James 4:7 That is why you should submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

sometimes righteousness

Since God does not want frenemies, we need to take sides. We need to stop submitting to God sometimes and the devil other times. We need to stop being comfortable with a sometimes righteousness. We need to resist the devil at all times and submit to God at all times. Our hands and hearts are dirty with sin, and we must cleanse them.

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