God's Great Effort

Session Titles

God’s Great Desire - Hosea 6:6 - that His people would acknowledge Him; that they would know Him as He reveals Himself and live according to what they know Him to be

God’s Great Consistency - Joel 2:12-14 - God always acts in the world and in the lives of His people according to His nature, He never misrepresents Who He is by anything He does.

God's Great Effort - Amos 4:1-12 - How far will God do to bring rebellious people back into relationship with Him?

God’s Great Effort

Amos prophesies against the nations of the world that surrounded Israel

Each nation is named

Their particular sin is identified

God’s particular judgment is declared.

Amos prophecies against Israel

He identifies their sin:

Exploited the poor

Indulged in the most vile sexual sin

Engaged in profuse idolatry

Gorged in unprincipled debauchery

God reminds them of the historical relationship they have had with Him

God destroyed the Amorite

God delivered them from Egypt

God gave them prophets and holy men

God pronounces judgment

God urges Israel to repent

God details His effort to convince Israel to turn back to Him

God sent famine . . . yet they did not return

God sent draught . . . yet they did not return

God sent devastation . . . yet they did not return

God sent disease . . . yet they did not return

God sent disaster . . . yet they did not return

All this God did to get Israel’s attention and turn them, in their brokenness and need, back to Himself.

Amos 4:12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

Repentance is the only right response to God’s great effort

2 Tim 2:25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

Repentance is an internal work of God’s grace whereby He reveals discord between us and Him and enables us to participate in a change of heart, where our heart is realigned with His.

2 Cor 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Intellectual darkness and spiritual blindness are always tools the evil one uses to ensnare us in our sin

Repentance is the turning back to God in faith that results from the Spirit of God presenting us with the light and truth of God in Jesus Christ.

Though repentance is the grace of God at work in us, their is always a component of participation for us in this work of God.

Repentance is both a gift and a requirement. It is both something we are given by God and something required of us by God.

It is one thing to realize you are headed down the wrong highway and you need to turn around. It is another thing to pull off the road, stop the car, turn on the blinker, check for oncoming vehicles, turn the wheel, release the brake, step on the gas, make the U turn, and head back in the right direction.

The wisdom and power of repentance belong to God, but the practice of repentance belongs to us!

There may be some pretty difficult events happening in your life right now. Before you dismiss them as “just bad luck,” perhaps you should ask whether they are great efforts on God’s part to bring you back to Himself, to give you the gift of repentance.

The events of our lives and the repentance to which God calls us are gifts of mercy designed to deliver us to a life of grace and faith such as only God provides.

The only question that remains is this: What's the hold up? What is keeping you from turning back to God with new passion and devotion? What prevents you from repenting, turning around and surrendering whatever area of your life God is calling for?

Until next time, there’s something to think about.