James 1:9-11 (NASB)

9 Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10 but the rich person is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out.

Theme: Believers, whether rich or poor, should find their true satisfaction in Jesus Christ above all else.

1) The poor Christian’s boast (1:9)

2) The rich Christian’s boast (1:10-11)

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James 1:5-8 (NASB)

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Theme: Christians should seek spiritual maturity by asking God for wisdom and praying with a believing heart.

Some “How-tos” of gaining wisdom and making petitions to God

1) Acknowledge your need for wisdom (1:5)

2) Ask God for wisdom (1:5)

3) Ask God in faith, for everything (1:6-8)

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James 1:2-4 (NASB)

2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Theme: We as Christians can take joy in our trials because we know that God is using them to grow us to spiritual maturity.

Three Encouragements to help us deal with life’s trials:

1) Put on the Right Attitude in our Trials (1:2)

2) Have Accurate Knowledge about our Trials (1:3)

3) Understand the Intended Outcome of our Trials (1:4)

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Colossians 3:23-24 (NASB)

23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NASB)

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Colossians 3:17 (NASB)

17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

1) The Christian’s Pattern

2) The Christian’s Prescription

3) The Christian’s Priority

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James 1:1 (NASB)

1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

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Theme: Remember the responsibilities & privileges of Church Membership!

Four Biblical Bases for Local Church Membership:

1) The Example of the Early Church

2) The Exercise of Church Discipline

3) The Existence of Church Gov’t

4) The Exhortation of the One-Another Commands

FBC “I Will” Statements:

· I will always be willing to both give and receive admonition and instruction with meekness and in love, and humbly submit to the practice of church discipline.

· I will be subject to spiritually gifted elders and their biblical teachings for the edification of Christ’s church.

· I will commit to praying for the ministry here in this church, for my brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the lost who need the Savior.

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Theme: Remember the responsibilities & privileges of Church Membership!

1) I will take seriously my relationship to others in the body of Christ, striving to maintain unity, and doing all I can to stimulate others to love and good deeds for the glory of God.

2) I will consistently serve and contribute, as a good steward of God’s blessings, such time, talent, and money, in the measure that God prospers me, so that our ministry of spreading the Gospel locally & worldwide may continue.

3) I will teach biblical truth to my family and acquaintances, as God gives me opportunity, with a desire to see them come to trust in Jesus Christ and be saved.

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2 Kings 13 (NASB)

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu became king over Israel at Samaria, and he reigned for seventeen years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; he did not turn from them. 3 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He continually handed them over to Hazael king of Aram, and to Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael. 4 Then Jehoahaz appeased the Lord, and the Lord listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them.

5 And the Lord gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans; and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as previously. 6 Nevertheless they did not abandon the sins of the house of Jeroboam, into which he misled Israel; rather, they walked in them; and the Asherah also remained standing in Samaria. 7 For he left to Jehoahaz no more of the army than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, because the king of Aram had eliminated them and made them like the dust at threshing. 8 Now as for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9 And Jehoahaz lay down with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria; and his son Joash became king in his place.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned for sixteen years. 11 He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not turn away from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, into which he misled Israel; rather, he walked in them. 12 Now as for the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash lay down with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne; and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

14 When Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Lay your hand on the bow.” And he laid his hand on it, then Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, and the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have put an end to them.”

18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God became angry at him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you put an end to it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.”

20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the marauding bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.

22 Now Hazael king of Aram had oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and He was unwilling to eliminate them or cast them away from His presence until now.

24 When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz again took from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken in war from the hand of his father Jehoahaz. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Theme: Finishing Well

Funeral #1 – Jehoahaz (13:1-9)

Funeral #2 – Joash [Jehoash] (13:10-13)

Funeral #3 – Elisha (13:14-20a)

Funeral #4 & Resurrection – Anonymous Man (13:20b-21)

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Amos 9 (NASB)

9 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said,

“Strike the pillar capitals so that the thresholds will shake,
And break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will put to death the rest of them with the sword;
They will not have a fugitive who will flee,
Nor a survivor who will escape.

2
Though they dig into Sheol,
From there My hand will take them;
And though they ascend to heaven,
From there I will bring them down.

3
And though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will track them down and take them from there;
And though they hide themselves from My sight on the bottom of the sea,
I will command the serpent from there, and it will bite them.

4
And though they go into captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword and it will kill them,
And I will set My eyes against them for harm and not for good.”

5
The Lord God of armies,
The One who touches the land so that it quakes,
And all those who live in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;

6
The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth,
The Lord is His name.

7
“Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me,
You sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?

8
Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will eliminate it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will not totally eliminate the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord.

9
“For behold, I am commanding,
And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a pebble will fall to the ground.

10
All the sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘The catastrophe will not overtake or confront us.’
The Restoration of Israel

11
“On that day I will raise up the fallen shelter of David,
And wall up its gaps;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the days of old;

12
So that they may possess the remnant of Edom
And all the nations who are called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.

13
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the plowman will overtake the reaper,
And the one who treads grapes will overtake him who sows the seed;
When the mountains will drip grape juice,
And all the hills will come apart.

14
I will also restore the fortunes of My people Israel,
And they will rebuild the desolated cities and live in them;
They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.

15
I will also plant them on their land,
And they will not be uprooted again from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.

Theme: Behold & Believe the Almighty God, Who will make good on His promises to punish and to bless.

1) Behold God’s Dreadful Power – The Passing of a kingdom (9:1-10)

2) Believe God’s Faithful Promises – The Coming of The Kingdom (9:11-15)

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Theme: No one can serve 2 masters.

Intro – Serving Self & Money (6:4-6, 12; also 8:4-6)

Amos 6:4-6 (NASB)

4 Those who lie on beds of ivory,
And lounge around on their couches,
And eat lambs from the flock,
And calves from the midst of the fattened cattle,
5 Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
And like David have composed songs for themselves,
6 Who drink wine from sacred bowls
While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils—
Yet they have not grieved over the collapse of Joseph.

Amos 6:12 (NASB)

12 Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one plow them with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into poison,
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.

Amos 8:4-6 (NASB)

4 Hear this, you who trample the needy, to put an end to the humble of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain;
And the Sabbath, so that we may open the wheat market,
To make the ephah smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to cheat with dishonest scales,
6 So as to buy the helpless for money,
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

God’s Attributes in Judgment:

1. Mercy (7:1-3)

Amos 7:1-3 (NASB)

1 This is what the Lord God showed me, and behold, He was forming a swarm of locusts when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing. 2 And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, “Lord God, please pardon! How can Jacob stand? For he is small.”
3 The Lord relented of this. “It shall not be,” said the Lord.

2. Patience (7:4-6)

Amos 7:4-6 (NASB)

4 So the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farmland. 5 Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob stand? For he is small.”
6 The Lord relented of this. “This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.

3. Righteousness (7:7-17)

Amos 7:7-17 (NASB)

7 So He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold I am about to put a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer.

9 The high places of Isaac will become deserted, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins.Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there! 13 But do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.”

14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you prophesy against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die upon unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”

4. Justice (8:1-14)

Amos 8 (NASB)

8 This is what the Lord God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 And He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer. 3 The songs of the palace will turn to wailing on that day,” declares the Lord God. “The corpses will be many; in every place they will throw them out. Hush!”

4 Hear this, you who trample the needy, to put an end to the humble of the land,
5 saying, “When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain; And the Sabbath, so that we may open the wheat market, To make the ephah smaller and the shekel bigger, and to cheat with dishonest scales,

6 So as to buy the helpless for money, And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob, “Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds. 8 Because of this will the land not quake, and everyone who lives in it mourn? Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile, and it will be tossed about and subside like the Nile of Egypt.

9 And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord God,
“That I will make the sun go down at noon, And make the earth dark in broad daylight.

10 Then I will turn your festivals into mourning,
And all your songs into songs of mourning;
And I will put sackcloth around everyone’s waist,
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the Lord.

12 People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will roam about to seek the word of the Lord,
But they will not find it.

13 On that day the beautiful virgins
And the young men will faint from thirst.

14 As for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria,
And say, ‘As your god lives, Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and not rise again.”

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