me to Amos chapter 4. As I was looking at this and studying Amos, the last part of Amos 3 and Amos 4, I said, You know, this kind of resembles the situation that we're in today. of what Amos was dealing with at his time, that we see that the people of our government and society that is in charge has an evil intent to it, that they say one thing and do another. Say that we will take care of you, but we can see that it is in our society that there is some people that is being oppressed and put down. And in the process of doing that, these people that are in charge are bettering themselves and making themselves more luxurious while they are hurting other people. And so I would like for us to look at Amos chapter 4 in particular this morning. Now, at this time, There was a group of people that God had judged Israel and Judah, and particularly here in Amos 4, He's talking to, I think, particular Israel. But before we go to Amos 4, let's go to Amos 3, verse 1. It says, Hear this Word. Now, that is a command that Moses has given the people here that we need to take notice of. It says, Hear this Word. We need to hear the Word of God. Hear this Word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel. against the whole family, which I brought up from the land of Egypt, and saying, You only have I known of all the family of the earth. Therefore, I will punish you for all of your iniquities. Now, he is talking there to the whole family or to Judah and to Israel combined, but in Chapter 4, I think he's dealing basically with Israel, his people. In verse 4, it says the same thing, Hear this word, Ye kind of Bashan that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord God has sworn by His holiness, that lo, the day shall come upon you, that He will take you away with hooks, and your prosperity with fishhooks. And you shall go out at the breeches, every cow which is before her, and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord. Go to Bethel and transgress at Gilgal. Multiply transgressions and bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes after three years. And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offering for this lacketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God. And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and worn of bread in all your palaces, yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. And also I have withholden the rain from you, which there were yet three months to the harvest, and I cast And I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city. One peace was rained upon, and the peace whereof it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have smitten you with blastings and mildews when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increase, the palmworms devour them, yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt. You young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses, and have made distinct of your camps to come up unto your nostrils, yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a firebrand plucked out of the burnings, yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For lo, he that formeth the mountains, createth the winds, declareth unto man what is his thoughts, that make in the morning darkness, treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the LORD, the God of hosts is His name. So we see here a situation in Israel at this time of Amos, and he addressed the Kain of Bashan. The Kain is a cow of Bashan. So things that I read concerning the cows of Bashan was that they were a large and a strong breed of cattle, and they would have a tendency to take advantage of the smaller breeds of cattle. They would take over, and that was the the nature of this breed of cattle. So he is comparing the women, the female, the women of Bashan here, of Israel, as being of this type of nature. That they were taken over, they were in charge, they were telling their husbands to wait on them, to do things for them, and they were depressing or oppressing of the poor. And that was the first, chapter 3 was one of the first things that he mentioned that Israel, Israel s oppression of others despite their position, their privileged position with God. They thought because that they were of God s people, His nation that He had chosen, that they could take advantage and that they could do what they wanted to do. But Amos summons here in chapter 3 and verses 1 and 2 Israel to hear the first reason that God would judge them. And it was because that they had oppressed others in spite of their position or their relationship are saying that they were of God and a part of God and a nation of God, that they would do as they pleased. And we can see that going on in our nation today, that people think that they can do whatever they want to do. But we serve a God that in Daniel chapter 4 and verse 35, Nebuchadnezzar said about God after He turned Him out to pasture for seven years. He says, "...the inhabitants of the earth is refuted as nothing. He has His way in the armies of heaven among the inhabitants of the earth. None can stay His hand or say to Him, What doest Thou? That is the kind of God that we serve. He has His ways, He has His Word, and that is the only way. There are no two ways about it, it is God's way. So they were taken advantage of what they thought with their relationship that they had with God to misuse that to make personal gain and to mistreat other people. We see that he initially was talking to Judah and to Israel, the entire family as he mentioned there in verse 2. But as I have said, I believe in chapter 4 he's focusing on his warning mainly on Israel. with their unique relationship that they have with God. And when we have a unique relationship with God, there is to be a unique discipline and judgment. So the title of my lesson or the message today is Prepare to meet thy God. Amos prophesied during a period of national optimism in Israel. Business is booming and boundaries are That reminds us of the situation that we're in. We are a wilting nation. We have everything that we want. Things seem to be prospering on the surface, seems to be. But as it was in Amos' day, below the surface, behind the scenes, greed and injustice is festering. We can see that in our nation today that how our government and the officials of our government will attack certain people, but they let other people die with the same thing or maybe things that are worse. So they also were in a state of hypocritical religious motions which had replaced true worship. They were not worshiping God in the true manner that God had proposed for them to worship. The priests were saying that there is no need to have unleavened bread or elements because it would be better if if the bread was lighter or if it tastes better or if it was more pleasant. That's what we today as a nation or a people that looks after what is easy, what is pleasure, what suits us instead of what God requires. Also, they were creating a false and a growing callousness to God's disciplined hand. You know, we today in general don't fear God as a society. Now, we as God's people fear God, but in general our nation, and I believe the people that are in charge of our nation today do not fear God. So we see here in this situation that God had sent famines, drought as we read there, and Stacey alluded to some things that You know, as they said here that the Lord smote them with blasting, verse 9, and with mildew. And your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased. The palm of worms devoured them, yet you have not turned to Me. You know, we can do everything we can do, as Stacy said. and do everything that is right as far as humanly speaking. But if God does not give the increase, it will not be an increase. Even though everything looks good on the surface, then it may not produce. Now I know we're kind of in a drought here in our area right now. My garden is looking pretty good right now. but it needs water. So even though it is looking good now, if we don t get some water, it may not produce. So that s left up to God. So that was the same situation here that God was bringing upon them the judgments of Egypt, the plagues of Egypt, but they still would not return unto Him. There was famines, drought, plagues, death, destruction. The people was mentioned that he said that they would be overtaken by other nations, and we see that the Assyrians overtook them, and there it is said that it is read that they would see people being led by a hook in the jaw or in the nose tied to a rope being led to captivity. And so, and it says here that many of, and a lot of the people was killed. And he says, I bring the stench of, in verse 10, I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt. And you young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses, and have made distinct of your camps to come up unto your nostrils, and you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. And I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a firebrand plucked out of the burnings, yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God. Now sometimes we as ministers make the mistake of saying when God tells us to prepare to meet Him that it is that we make preparation of salvation. And of course, it is important that we do need to meet God in salvation. But here in this particular instance, I believe that He is telling His people to prepare to meet their God in chastisement or in judgment because of their sins. And they are going away from Him, and they are misusing Him, misrepresenting the worship of God. And in verse 4, Amos here is sarcastically telling the people here, Come to Bethel and transgress at Gilgal. Multiply transgressions and bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes after three years. and offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offering for this like you, O ye children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts." He is telling them here, you know Bethel was a place that Abraham, when he come back from Egypt, that he set up a memorial, or stones, and he named that place Bethel, which means the house of God. So these people were misusing their sacrifices. They weren't doing it right. They weren't worshiping God in the way that God had planned for them to. And Moses here, sarcastically, is telling them, saying, Come to Bethel and offer your sacrifices, and it was to their damnation. They were just building up judgment and transgressions upon them that God would bring upon them judgment. So Amos was a herdsman, and he also turned farmer. As a prophet, he lashed out. at sin, unleashingly trying to visualize the nearness of God's judgment and mobilize a nation to repentance. The nation was like a basket of rotten fruit, ripe for judgment because of its hypocrisies and its spiritual indifference. I can see our nation in that situation today, that we are a nation that is ripe for judgment. And as Amos here was trying to prepare these people to get them to return unto God, that he was trying to visualize the nearness of the judgment of God. And I think that we are at that point today. And so, we as a people of God, that's the reason we need to be sure that we are worshiping God in the right manner and in the right way, because there is coming a judgment day. Now, I know that we as the elect people, if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father. that is making intercessions for us. And when we ask for forgiveness and we repent of our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. But these people here were not turning unto Him. So therefore, when the people did not listen to the prophets and to the preachers, Then God said, it's enough. Prepare to meet your God. So that means that when God's wrath has filled up the cup of indignation, He's going to say that's enough. That's enough preaching. That's enough teaching. I'm going to come and deal with you personally. So, we need to prepare for that. Now, I know that we as the elect of God that Jesus Christ died on the cross for and was justified by His blood, our sins was paid for. But, we as a people of God. The Scripture says that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ one day, the behemoth seat of Jesus Christ. And as Brother Herb says, that we say the judgment seat, or he says he'd rather say instead of being a judgment of the saints of God, there's a manifestation of the things of God, of the people of God, of what they have done, a manifestation of how we have served God, or how that we have not served Him in the way that we should. So we see these people were obstinate, they were hard, and we see today all of these things that happen here. He says, I have given you cleanness of teeth, and want of bread, yet you do not return." They were in a famine. They didn't have food. They didn't have food. But he said, yet you have not turned to me. I have brought drought, but you have not returned. I have smitten you with blastings and with mildew. I have sent pestilence. And you young men have been slain by the enemies with a sword, and the stink has come up unto your nostrils, yet you have not turned to Me. Some have been overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah, and those remaining as the firebrands that have been plucked out of the fire, yet you have not turned unto me. Therefore, prepare to meet thy God. Prepare. What does the word prepare mean? Prepare means to be firm, to be stable, to be ready to make arrangements. It means that we need to be prepared to meet God as we would meet an enemy because he is coming in judgment. So we need to prepare in the sight of that. So God is going to judge the deeds of his people. Now, we will not be judged into condemnation, but we will be disciplined and we will be chastised by Almighty God. So we need to prepare to meet our God. Because our God is a God, is a living God. As we sung today that He is not a dead God. He is a living God. He has risen. And He is the God of the living, not the God of the dead. So Mark 12, 27 says, He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Ye therefore do greatly error. Now the Sadducees at this time did not believe in the resurrection. You know, they was always trying to trick the Lord in certain things. And so, I have five things here that we need to do to prepare to meet our God. Confession and forsaking of sin. In Matthew chapter 7, verses 21-23, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have we not cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." So the people that say that I've done this or that, but he said, though that doeth the will of my Father in heaven. In John chapter 8, John chapter 8. Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives, verse 1. And early in the morning he came again unto the temple. And all the people came unto him, and he sat down and taught them. And the scribes and the Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. And when they had set her in the mist. He said unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commands us that such should be stoned. But what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground as though He heard them not. So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let Him first cast a stone at her. And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the elder, even unto the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. And when Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where art thou accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee. Go, and sin no more. So, to prepare to meet our God, that we are, when we sin, that when we are forgiven, that we go and we sin no more. Now, that don't mean that we won't make mistakes and do things that God is not pleased with, but deliberately going out and doing sin and against the things of God that we are not to do. We need to pray. In 2 Chronicles 7, verse 14, 2 Chronicles 7-14. If my people that are called by my name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face, then will I hear from heaven and will heal their land. is very important in the life of the child of God. Communication with God will keep us on the right track. So, confessing and forsaking sin, praying, that 2 Chronicles 7, 14 is, if my people would humble themselves. The Lord favors and looks upon the humility of an individual. We are to seek. That means that we are to be diligently seeking to serve and to find out how that we can serve God in an acceptable way. We are to study while we prepare to meet our God. 2 Timothy 2 and 15. Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. So the Scripture says that we need to study, we need to shed abroad the Word of God in our hearts that we might not sin against Him. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter 15, Proverbs 15 and 33. Being humble or humility. verse 33 of chapter 15 of Proverbs. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility. Before we can expect to meet God in an acceptable way, we're going to have to humble ourselves. In Proverbs 22 and verse 4, By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the fraud, and he that doeth keepeth so shall be far from thee. Isaiah chapter 57 and verse 15. For thus saith the High and the Lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in a high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and a humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite one." So God likes the contract and the homo spirit. Showing, as we prepare to meet our God, we need to be showing charity or love toward one another, to everybody in general and especially to the household of God. Matthew 22. verse 34 through 40. But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him and saying, Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? And Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and the great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. We are to love one another, to love God first with all our heart, soul, and mind, and strength. And then the second commandment is that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. So, prepare to meet thy God. 1 Corinthians 6, 19 and 20, it says, What know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which is God. prepare to meet your God. So it does make a difference how that we live and conduct ourselves in order that we would meet our God in an acceptable way. 1 Thessalonians 1 and 9 says, themselves show of us what manner of entering in that we had unto you, and have that you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Hebrews 10.31 says, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. Luke 12.5 says, I will forewarn you whom you shall fear. Fear him which, after he hath killed you, hath power to cast into hell. Yet I say unto you, fear him." So, in Proverbs 16 and 6, it says, by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. So I think that's one thing that is lacking today in our society and probably in the realm of the elect of God that I believe that we would live a lot different and our lifestyle would be a lot different if we really truly feared God in a reverential fear as knowing who He really is. and what He really is. And Romans 14 and 12 says, So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. So, who should prepare? the saved should prepare. 2 Corinthians 5 and 10 says, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Now what all that entails, I do not know. But I know that that will not be a judgment of condemnation at the behemoth seat of Jesus Christ. It will be a judgment of manifestation of how that we have lived for the Lord as His elect people. The preacher should prepare. Turn with me to 1 Peter chapter 5, 1 Peter chapter 5, 1 through 4, The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is among you. That's the way we prepare to meet our God as preachers, is we better feed the flock among you. That the oversight thereof, not by constraint but willingly, not for filth and lucre but of a ready mind, neither as being Lord over God's heritage, but being an example to the flock. And when the chief shepherds shall appear, we shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. If we do these things, if we prepare to meet our God, then if we are ready and have done what has been required of God, then when He appears, we shall receive a crown of glory that will not fade away. And then verse six says, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all of your cares upon him, for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, stable, strengthened, and settled you. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Turn with me to Luke chapter 14. Luke 14 and verse 11. For whosoever exalteth themselves shall be abased. and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. In preparing to meet God, we need to meet Him in humility. Romans 12, verses 1 and 2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And verse 2 says that, Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that ye may know what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So in preparing to meet our God, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. which is acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that we are to have the mind of Christ, that we will think and that we will act as Christ. 2 Corinthians 5.17 Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, or a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. So if we be in Christ, we are a new creation, or a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new. So therefore, the sanctification, if you want to call it that, or the putting off of the old man, or the putting off of the old man, and putting on of the new man, is a lifetime process. that we will have to contend with as long as we are in this body, contend with this sinful body. But in the meantime, we are to live a life in accordance to the Word of God that would be pleasing unto Him. So, when should one prepare? Ecclesiastes 12 and 1 says, while he is young, remember now the Creator at the days of thy youth. While the evil days come, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. We should serve God in our youth. why we are vibrant, why we feel good, why we can do what we need to do for the Lord. Because when the evil days come, I think this is talking about when we grow old and we're in a state as I am in my senior years, not many more years left. that we begin to be hard of hearing. We don't see as good. We can't get around as good. We can't do things that we used to do and want to do. So we're limited. in the days of evil or in the end times as we grow older. So we should be zealous in Ecclesiastes 12.1 to remember the Creator in the days of our youth. Prepare to meet your God. While we have time, while He has time, Proverbs 27 and 1, Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Turn with me to Luke chapter 12. You know, we are not promised of tomorrow. James said, someone was saying there in James, that tomorrow I'm going to go into town and I'm going to buy and sell and get gain. But James says that you need to say, if it's God's will, that you will go in and you will buy and sell and get gain. Because we don't know what the will of God is for us tomorrow. All we have is today. This is in Luke chapter 12. I'll begin reading with verse 16. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plenty. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruit? And he said, This will I do. I will pull down my barns, will build greater, and there will I bestow all of my fruit and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much good laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. That is a foolish man speaking. But what's the difference? Verse 20 says, But God, You know, we plan, we make plans, but sometimes God changes our plans. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Whom shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God. You know, God owns everything. He just lets us use it for a while. because it says that we are not to really worry about what we're going to put on tomorrow or what we're going to eat tomorrow. You know, the Scripture says, Lord, give us this day our daily bread. It may be that we may not need any physical bread tomorrow. It may be that we may not be here tomorrow. We don't know. So, we need to lay up treasures and prepare to meet our God and be rich toward God. Because in Amos chapter 4, listen to verse 13, after he had admonished them in verse 12, Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. For lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the winds, 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." That is who we are dealing with. That's who Israel was dealing with, was the Lord God of heaven, that is in control of all things. And they were sinning. misusing the worship of God, and encouraging a callousness toward religion and the things of God. And God says, I've done all of these things to you, but you have not returned unto Me. So now, prepare to meet Me in judgment because of your sins. So, it's a serious thing to fall into the hands of a living God. Today, we're living in a society that is growing callous more every day to the things of God. The governor of Louisiana this week signed in a law that the Ten Commandments would be placed in every classroom. He is getting a lot of opposition, a lot of criticism. There was also a pastor I don't know where this was. But they were parents that had adopted children. But I don't know who it was or what it was, but somebody brought charges against him. that he and his wife was no longer qualified to adopt children because of their religious stand. What is it going to take? for this nation to come to its knees and to recognize and to turn from our wicked ways. If my people that are called by a name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will heal their land. God said to these people, I have done all of these things, but you have not returned. I think this nation is ripe for judgment. I believe that we are already under judgment. I'm going to get a little political here, I don't know whether that's appropriate or not, but this coming election is going to be very important, I believe. And I'm going to say that if the same administrations stay in power another four years, that we could be like these people here, that we will be led as an invasion of another country, as it were, with hooks in our jaw and our nose, and that is led from a country of freedom into a country of disaster. So we, as God's people, need to seriously prepare to meet our God, that we see God's face, that we pray, that we turn from our wicked ways. Then He will hear and heal our land. Heavenly Father, as we approach Your throne, We come thanking You, Lord, that You are God, and besides You there is none other. Heavenly Father, help us as Your elect people to desire and have the ability by Your Holy Spirit to turn, to confess our sins, and to forsake our sins, and to turn to You. so that you won't have to bring judgment. Scripture tells us if we judge ourselves, then we won't have to be judged. So help us that we might on our own turn and repent to avoid national judgment or world judgment. We ask these things in the name of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for His sake we ask. Amen.