CROSSING The THRESHOLD-IV—Amos 1:1-2
Attention:
An air filter for your home’s air handler
The air filter can become so clogged with pollutants that they overwhelm the system’s intent—to provide fresh unpolluted air to the home. As a result, too much stress is put on the systems that draw the air thru the filter. Thus all other systems are strained to the point that they fail. Thus the collateral damage is that the entire system suffers.
Your sin & my sin is continually filling up the filter of God’s patience & longsuffering. When the filter’s limit is reached, the filter must be changed. Something must be done to prevent the collapse of the entire system.
But eventually the source of the problem—the substance which clogs the filter itself—must be dealt with in a decidedly different manner!
A Threshold is a crossover or transition zone or optimal use zone. Where the upper limit or end of effectiveness is reached.
When the threshold is reached, of God’s toleration of sin in the world & particularly amongHis people, His wrath takes over & He approaches them in a very different way.
God used (His servant)Amos to declare God’s new strained relationship with His people.
An amiable/good relationship between God & His people can be so changed that it invites God’s wrath.
What does a failed relationship with God evoke/prompt?
OR--
What results from God’s Crossing His Threshold?
God is Longsuffering—
Rom. 2:4—“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, & longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”
BUT...
God will Reach/Cross His Threshold & we discover that
A failed relationship with God evokes/prompts...
1. PUBLIC REVELATION(:1a)
2. TIMELY/Available OPPORTUNITY(:1b)
3. OUTRAGE(:2a-b)
4—A failed relationship with God evokes/prompts...
MOURNING(:2c-d)
Explanation:(:2c-d)Inescapable/Strength removed
:2—“And he said: “The LORD roars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers.””
The effect of the Lord’s “roaring” is that the very “pastures” upon which the sheep feed, they cry out in a lamentation of grief.
There is a knowledge of God’s movement, even within ‘inanimate’ creation, which anticipates God’s judgment in the presence of an oblivious mankind.
The roaring & utterance of God has initiated a judgment which will remove the ability of the “pastures” to sustain life-giving life.
That it is “the pastures/habitations of the” “shepherds” that “mourn”, speaks to a removal of the “shepherd’s” home(“habitation”), the removal of their livelihood, the removal of their guidance, & thus to the removal of their protection for the sheep.
Ps. 23:1-6—<<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod & Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness & mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”
Ps. 96:1-13—“Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great & greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. Honor & majesty are before Him; Strength & beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory & strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, & come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” Let the heavens rejoice, & let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, & all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, & all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.”
Lk. 19:37-40—“Then, as He[Jesus] was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice & praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:” ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven & glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But He answered & said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Mat. 27:45—“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.”
Even the very “top of Carmel” succumbs to utter failure seeing as it “withers”(upon YaHWeH’s roaring).
The “top” of this mountain(?range?—~24 mi. running SW from Haifa to Jenin—the Jezreel Valley flanks the range’s northeast edge) is representative of life, growth & abundance particularly, as its name describes a ‘garden-like’ environment.
“Carmel’s” apex stands nearly 1800 ft. above that of the surrounding countryside. Currently “Carmel” is rocky but is green with oak, pine, laurel, & olive trees. It’s beauty is seen from afar for roughly 360º & thus provides a constant reminder of God’s blessing & provision.
Surely the “top” would remain unscathed by God’s wrath, however even that “withers” under God’s decision.
God is announcing that He is entering into judgment with the pagan nations surrounding Israel(& Judah) as well as with Israel himself(1:3—2:16).
What follows(1:3ff.) is the decision of God to meet all the immoral manifestations of presumption, abandonment, & dereliction with a finality of judgment....particularly as those things have become accepted, welcomed, approved, & practiced by His people.
*“Pastures/Habitations”—twan(plural)—Noun Fem.—1) Pasture, abode, abode of shepherd, habitation, meadow. Strong—A home; figuratively--A pasture. Used 12X.
“Shepherds”—her raw-aw'—Qal Participle Active—1) To pasture, tend, graze, feed; 2) To associate with, be a friend of(meaning probable)—2a) (Qal)--To associate with. Strong–To tend a flock; i.e. Pasture it; intransitively--To graze(literally or figuratively); generally--To rule; by extension--To associate with(as a friend).
*“Mourn”—lba aw-bal'—Qal Perfect—1) To mourn, lament—1a) (Qal) To mourn, lament—1a1) Of humans, 1a2) Of inanimate objects(fig.), 1a2a) Of gates, 1a2b) Of land. Strong—a primitive root; To bewail.
“Top”—var ro’sh—Noun Masc.—1) Head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning. Strong—from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; The head(as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative(in many applications, of place, time, rank, etc.).
“Carmel”—lmrk kar-mel'—Carmel = “Garden-land”—Noun Proper Locative—1) A mountain on the Mediterranean coast of northern Israel, just below Haifa; 2) A town in the mountains on the west side of the Dead Sea & south of Hebron.?From—lmrk; A planted field(garden, orchard, vineyard or park); by implication, garden produce.?JFB—“the mountain promontory north of Israel, in Asher, abounding in rich pastures, olives, & vines. The name is the symbol of fertility.”
*“Withers”—vby yaw-besh’—Qal Perfect—1) To make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered. Strong—a primitive root; To be ashamed, confused or disappointed; also(as failing)--To dry up(as water) or wither(as herbage).
Argumentation:
Rev. 18:9-20—““The kings of the earth who committed fornication & lived luxuriously with her will weep & lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, “standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ “And the merchants of the earth will weep & mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold & silver, precious stones & pearls, fine linen & purple, silk & scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, & marble; & cinnamon & incense, fragrant oil & frankincense, wine & oil, fine flour & wheat, cattle & sheep, horses & chariots, & bodies & souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, & all the things which are rich & splendid have gone from you, & you shall find them no more at all. “The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping & wailing, & saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, & scarlet, & adorned with gold & precious stones & pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ “Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, & as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance & cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?‘“ “They threw dust on their heads & cried out, weeping & wailing, & saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ “Rejoice over her, O heaven, & you holy apostles & prophets, for God has avenged you on her!””
Isa. 22:12-14—“And in that day[Assyrian or Babylonian destruction] the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping & for mourning, For baldness & for girding with sackcloth. But instead, joy & gladness, Slaying oxen & killing sheep, Eating meat & drinking wine: “Let us eat & drink, for tomorrow we die!” Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts, “Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord GOD of hosts.”
Josh. 2:8-13—“Now before they[2 Israelite spies] lay down, she[Rahab] came up to them on the roof, & said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, & that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, & what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon & Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above & on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, & give me a true token, & spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, & all that they have, & deliver our lives from death.””
Rom. 8:18-22—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans & labors with birth pangs together until now.”
Mat. 7:13-14—““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
Js. 4:4-10—“Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament & mourn & weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning & your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up.”
Jn. 14:1, 27—““Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”.....“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Rev. 1:5-7—“.....To Him who loved us & washed us from our sins in His own blood, & has made us kings & priests to His God & Father, to Him be glory & dominion forever & ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with clouds, & every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Mat. 10:33-34—[Jesus said]—“But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
Heb. 12:1-2—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jer. 25:1-5—“The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah & to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the LORD has come to me; & I have spoken to you, rising early & speaking, but you have not listened. And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early & sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way & his evil doings, & dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you & your fathers forever & ever.”
Lk. 12:15-21—“And He said to them, “Take heed & beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ “So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns & build greater, & there I will store all my crops & my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, & be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, & is not rich toward God.””
Mat. 3:1-2—“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, & saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!””
Mat. 4:17—“From that time Jesus began to preach & to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””
Why will there be mourning? Because God Almighty will be against you! He will make your life(without Him) utterly miserable.
Illustration:
Changing the oil in your car or truck/If you do not change it, your vehicle may gradually leak oil, leaving your engine low on or without oil/The engine will fail leaving you stranded & costing you megabucks!/A failed relationship with God prompts...MOURNING
Oil can also fail due to aging/Thru continual heating, movement, & pressure, the oil begins to break down so that it cannot lubricate the engine as it should/Again...A failed relationship with God prompts...MOURNING
At the very minimum, Sundays(& any time with the family of God) offer an opportunity for you to ‘check your spiritual oil’s freshness & levels’/A failed relationship with God prompts...MOURNING
Watch your investments fail, bottom out, go south/Lose everything...being worth nothing in the blink of an eye!/The nature of your investments becomes very clear/A failed relationship with God prompts...MOURNING
Oh, why didn’t I...
Application:
?You Recognized MOURNING?
?How will you respond to God’s Crossing the Threshold?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Replacing air filters(indirect) vs. directly dealing with the source of the pollution.
Action:
A failed relationship with God evokes/prompts...
4. MOURNING(:2c-d)
1. PUBLIC REVELATION(:1a)
2. TIMELY/Available OPPORTUNITY(:1b)
3. OUTRAGE(:2a-b)
Pt# 4 only! -END SERIES-Presented 09/16/2018pm
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
