1 00:00:00,390 --> 00:00:02,610 Welcome to From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons. 2 00:00:02,990 --> 00:00:04,650 Each week we bring you a different message 3 00:00:04,650 --> 00:00:06,730 from some of history's greatest speakers in the 4 00:00:06,730 --> 00:00:09,510 Christian faith, and parable sermons from modern preachers 5 00:00:09,510 --> 00:00:09,790 too. 6 00:00:10,430 --> 00:00:12,670 This week we have Vince Chapner with his 7 00:00:12,670 --> 00:00:14,830 message, The Country Preacher Who Came to Town. 8 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,640 O thou seer, go flee thee away into 9 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,300 the land of Judah, and there eat bread, 10 00:00:26,660 --> 00:00:27,980 and prophesy there. 11 00:00:28,700 --> 00:00:32,280 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel, 12 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,700 for it is the king's chapel, and it 13 00:00:35,700 --> 00:00:37,220 is the king's court. 14 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,980 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I 15 00:00:42,980 --> 00:00:45,980 was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's 16 00:00:45,980 --> 00:00:49,920 son, but I was an herdman, and a 17 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,280 gatherer of sycamore fruit. 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,800 And the Lord took me as I followed 19 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,860 the flock, and the Lord said unto me, 20 00:00:59,340 --> 00:01:03,420 Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 21 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:10,040 Our subject this morning is The Country Preacher 22 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:12,620 Who Came to Town. 23 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:20,500 Six miles south of Jerusalem is little Bethlehem. 24 00:01:21,620 --> 00:01:24,520 Little Bethlehem has become famous. 25 00:01:25,380 --> 00:01:26,920 It was the city of David. 26 00:01:28,020 --> 00:01:30,340 It was the city where our Lord was 27 00:01:30,340 --> 00:01:34,480 born, and before long now we'll be singing, 28 00:01:35,020 --> 00:01:39,120 O little town of Bethlehem, how still we 29 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:40,200 see thee lie. 30 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:46,160 It is the little town that Micah, eight 31 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:49,820 hundred years before he was born, said, Thou 32 00:01:49,820 --> 00:01:54,380 be little among the thousands of Judah, yet 33 00:01:54,380 --> 00:01:56,400 out of thee shall he come forth. 34 00:01:56,940 --> 00:02:01,480 The little town that's six miles south of 35 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:02,160 Jerusalem. 36 00:02:03,100 --> 00:02:09,300 Six miles south of Jerusalem is Tekoa. 37 00:02:10,860 --> 00:02:13,400 Somebody says, but I never heard of it. 38 00:02:14,060 --> 00:02:16,640 And little wonder that you haven't heard of 39 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:16,900 it. 40 00:02:17,860 --> 00:02:20,880 Actually it's a wide place in the road. 41 00:02:21,700 --> 00:02:25,520 It's a whistle stop on a branch line. 42 00:02:26,610 --> 00:02:28,880 It's a ghost town today. 43 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,200 Actually it's a country place. 44 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,100 It always was a country place. 45 00:02:35,540 --> 00:02:38,960 It means a camping ground, and it wasn't 46 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,000 much more than that even in its heyday. 47 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,180 It's actually, using the common colloquialism of the 48 00:02:46,180 --> 00:02:48,280 day, it's the jumping off place. 49 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:50,720 And it actually was just that. 50 00:02:51,380 --> 00:02:54,020 I heard a man say years ago that 51 00:02:54,020 --> 00:02:56,020 where he was born that you go as 52 00:02:56,020 --> 00:02:58,060 far as you can in a buggy, then 53 00:02:58,060 --> 00:03:00,020 you get off and walk two miles. 54 00:03:00,700 --> 00:03:01,820 That's Tekoa. 55 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,900 Tekoa is the birthplace of Amos. 56 00:03:06,740 --> 00:03:08,220 That's where he was born. 57 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,200 Amos the prophet was born in Tekoa. 58 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,440 And by the way, that's the only claim 59 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,480 that little town has to greatness. 60 00:03:17,940 --> 00:03:19,980 It's true that one of the mighty men 61 00:03:19,980 --> 00:03:22,880 of David was born there, but that never 62 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,680 gave it to any character or any notoriety 63 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:27,380 at all. 64 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,940 But Amos was born in Tekoa. 65 00:03:32,140 --> 00:03:36,080 And the very interesting thing is that Tekoa 66 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:40,760 is on the edge of the most frightful 67 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,960 wilderness that there is in the world today 68 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:44,380 even. 69 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:50,820 It's that wilderness that extends down to the 70 00:03:50,820 --> 00:03:54,700 Dead Sea, going down and down and down. 71 00:03:55,340 --> 00:03:59,200 Tekoa is on a ridge overlooking that wilderness, 72 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,100 and you can stand there and see all 73 00:04:02,100 --> 00:04:03,500 the way to the Dead Sea. 74 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:06,500 Fact of the matter is, you can turn 75 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:08,520 and look in the other direction on the 76 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,400 other side of the ridge toward Hebron, down 77 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,960 into the Negev, and you've got more wilderness. 78 00:04:15,740 --> 00:04:18,100 Any way you turn, there's wilderness. 79 00:04:18,399 --> 00:04:21,880 But that wilderness down toward the Dead Sea 80 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,360 is the most frightful one of all. 81 00:04:24,820 --> 00:04:28,980 It's a desert wilderness where wild animals howl 82 00:04:28,980 --> 00:04:29,600 at night. 83 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,700 And by day, the only thing that you 84 00:04:32,700 --> 00:04:37,000 can see is the ground spotted where there 85 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,720 is the remains of a camp, of those 86 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,440 that were Bedouins that passed through that land. 87 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,060 They don't stay there. 88 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:47,400 They don't live there. 89 00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:51,640 Just the blackened ground of a nomad, a 90 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,860 vagabond of the desert, passing through, not staying 91 00:04:55,860 --> 00:04:57,060 in that place. 92 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:58,980 It's a desert jungle. 93 00:04:58,980 --> 00:05:04,040 It's Dr. Adam Smith who says, the men 94 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,880 of Tekoa looked out upon a desolate and 95 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:09,260 haggard world. 96 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:11,560 That's the picture. 97 00:05:12,540 --> 00:05:15,200 You couldn't live in a worse place than 98 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,340 Tekoa, my friend. 99 00:05:18,060 --> 00:05:22,960 And this was the hometown of Amos the 100 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:23,400 prophet. 101 00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:27,520 He tells us that he was a herdman. 102 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,060 And the word that's used here for herdman 103 00:05:31,060 --> 00:05:33,680 or shepherd is an unusual word. 104 00:05:34,220 --> 00:05:37,260 It actually has to do with the sheep 105 00:05:37,260 --> 00:05:39,300 that he was herding. 106 00:05:39,780 --> 00:05:42,140 Peculiar type of sheep, if you please. 107 00:05:42,620 --> 00:05:45,320 They were sheep that were bred only in 108 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:45,860 the desert. 109 00:05:46,220 --> 00:05:50,260 They're a scrub type, a hardy, rugged type 110 00:05:50,260 --> 00:05:50,740 of sheep. 111 00:05:50,740 --> 00:05:53,040 That's the only kind that could live down 112 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:53,860 in that desert. 113 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,600 But they were noted for their fine wool, 114 00:05:57,020 --> 00:05:59,660 and I'm told that even today you can 115 00:05:59,660 --> 00:06:03,300 see the Bedouins with that same kind of 116 00:06:03,300 --> 00:06:06,560 sheep in that same wilderness today. 117 00:06:07,380 --> 00:06:11,260 This man Amos was a—he was a herdman 118 00:06:11,260 --> 00:06:14,040 down in that frightful desert. 119 00:06:14,620 --> 00:06:17,380 He tells us something else that he did, 120 00:06:17,780 --> 00:06:21,520 because this man didn't make very much. 121 00:06:22,060 --> 00:06:24,960 He was a—well, he tells us he's a 122 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,140 gatherer of sycamore fruit. 123 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:30,620 Actually, the word is he was a pincher 124 00:06:30,620 --> 00:06:31,840 of the sycamores. 125 00:06:32,540 --> 00:06:33,800 And that means this. 126 00:06:33,900 --> 00:06:38,700 These sycamores, they grew at a lower level 127 00:06:38,700 --> 00:06:39,500 than Tekoa. 128 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,560 Actually they are a kind of a fig. 129 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,080 The tree grows tall, very thick foliage. 130 00:06:46,860 --> 00:06:49,540 And this fruit is not the best fruit, 131 00:06:49,660 --> 00:06:52,760 and it doesn't ripen very easy, so you 132 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,580 have to go and pinch it in order 133 00:06:55,580 --> 00:06:56,980 to make it ripen. 134 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,040 That's what this man did. 135 00:06:59,580 --> 00:07:02,580 If I may pay my respects to the 136 00:07:02,580 --> 00:07:06,320 mission to the migrants, Amos was the first 137 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:06,980 migrant. 138 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:09,300 That's what he was. 139 00:07:09,300 --> 00:07:12,380 A fruit picker, if you please, and a 140 00:07:12,380 --> 00:07:13,740 herdman out there. 141 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,900 He was—he was from the country, my friend. 142 00:07:18,140 --> 00:07:23,180 His sheep and his sycamores push him way 143 00:07:23,180 --> 00:07:24,820 out into that desert. 144 00:07:25,500 --> 00:07:29,420 In other words, he really wasn't from town. 145 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,200 He didn't come from the town of Tekoa. 146 00:07:33,340 --> 00:07:35,180 That had been bad enough. 147 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:37,860 He would have been a country boy had 148 00:07:37,860 --> 00:07:40,460 he come from Tekoa, but he came from 149 00:07:40,460 --> 00:07:43,420 way out yonder in that wilderness. 150 00:07:44,220 --> 00:07:47,160 That's the picture that we have before us 151 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:47,440 here. 152 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,040 Amos was really from the country. 153 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:55,620 He's really from the farm, if you please. 154 00:07:56,060 --> 00:07:58,320 He was a country rube. 155 00:07:58,940 --> 00:08:00,240 He was a rustic. 156 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:02,540 He was a yokel. 157 00:08:02,540 --> 00:08:05,860 He's a hayseed, if you please. 158 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:07,940 But don't let that fool you. 159 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:12,720 This man Amos, the prophet, had the greatest 160 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:17,000 world view than any of the prophets had. 161 00:08:17,820 --> 00:08:19,100 He's not a fool. 162 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,860 And just because you don't like the way 163 00:08:22,860 --> 00:08:26,400 he dresses and you don't like where he 164 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:30,780 came from, remember, this man has a message. 165 00:08:32,220 --> 00:08:37,980 And he has the ecumenical message, a worldwide 166 00:08:37,980 --> 00:08:39,720 viewpoint. 167 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,840 My beloved, will you listen to him? 168 00:08:44,580 --> 00:08:47,760 In verse 15 of the seventh chapter he 169 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:51,700 says, And the Lord took me as I 170 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:55,340 followed the flock, and the Lord said unto 171 00:08:55,340 --> 00:09:00,260 me, Go prophesy unto my people Israel. 172 00:09:02,180 --> 00:09:07,840 God's seminary has always been in the solitude 173 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:09,320 of the desert. 174 00:09:10,980 --> 00:09:14,880 That's where God has always trained his man, 175 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:16,760 from the very beginning. 176 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:20,560 If you go back to Abraham, when God 177 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:22,900 at the very beginning called this man out, 178 00:09:23,300 --> 00:09:25,620 he was a city slicker from Ur of 179 00:09:25,620 --> 00:09:26,800 the Chaldees. 180 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,320 But God called him, and we find him 181 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:35,960 right near this wilderness, in another wilderness near 182 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:36,900 Hebron. 183 00:09:38,060 --> 00:09:41,120 That's where that man was alone with God, 184 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,740 and that's where he reared his altar to 185 00:09:43,740 --> 00:09:47,180 God out yonder in a wilderness. 186 00:09:47,940 --> 00:09:50,520 For that's where God trains his man. 187 00:09:50,620 --> 00:09:52,040 It seems to be his method. 188 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:56,520 And then Moses, raised, if you please, in 189 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:01,180 a palace, educated in the greatest university of 190 00:10:01,180 --> 00:10:03,720 the day, and it would compare favorably to 191 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:04,340 USC. 192 00:10:06,100 --> 00:10:09,520 They didn't haze anybody at the University of 193 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:10,120 the Sun. 194 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:16,580 Their students were on a very high level, 195 00:10:17,340 --> 00:10:18,760 and they knew a great deal. 196 00:10:19,500 --> 00:10:22,260 This man Moses was a graduate of the 197 00:10:22,260 --> 00:10:26,180 Temple of the Sun, but God couldn't use 198 00:10:26,180 --> 00:10:26,380 him. 199 00:10:27,020 --> 00:10:29,600 So God sent him out to the backside 200 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:32,440 of the desert of Midian, and for forty 201 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:34,040 years God trained him. 202 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:35,420 That's God's method. 203 00:10:35,420 --> 00:10:39,320 David was a shepherd boy, brought as a 204 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,160 musician into the palace of Saul, but God 205 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,140 can't let him be educated there. 206 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:45,800 God could never use him. 207 00:10:45,860 --> 00:10:48,940 He'd become soft, and he'd wear soft raiment, 208 00:10:49,380 --> 00:10:51,700 for that's what our Lord said they do 209 00:10:51,700 --> 00:10:52,840 in king's houses. 210 00:10:53,020 --> 00:10:54,060 But not this man. 211 00:10:55,180 --> 00:10:57,400 God sends him back out yonder to the 212 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,360 caves and the deserts in order that he 213 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,200 might train a king, in order that he 214 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:04,340 might be used. 215 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,060 Elijah walks into the court of Ahab and 216 00:11:08,060 --> 00:11:11,640 Jezebel and says, "'Except by my word there 217 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:15,020 won't be rain now.'" But God says, "'I 218 00:11:15,020 --> 00:11:16,240 want you to get out of here. 219 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:18,740 This is no place for my man. 220 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,880 I need to train you.' And God sent 221 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,280 him down to the brook Kirith, and that 222 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,620 was in the desert, if you please, my 223 00:11:26,620 --> 00:11:26,980 beloved. 224 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,540 God's method has been to train His men 225 00:11:29,540 --> 00:11:30,160 like that. 226 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:32,720 And John the Baptist was out in the 227 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:35,820 desert until his appearing to the nation. 228 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,460 And John the apostle was put on the 229 00:11:39,460 --> 00:11:42,080 Isle of Patmos so God could give him 230 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:43,620 the book of Revelation. 231 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:45,480 It's God's method. 232 00:11:46,540 --> 00:11:51,140 God called Amos to preach, and God gave 233 00:11:51,140 --> 00:11:54,460 him a message out on the desert, and 234 00:11:54,460 --> 00:11:57,520 then God sent him to Bethel to preach. 235 00:11:58,340 --> 00:12:06,060 And when he arrived, everybody smiled, because actually, 236 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,600 friends, Amos is from the country. 237 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,540 I think he had on his first pair 238 00:12:12,540 --> 00:12:18,680 of high-button yellow shoes, and every opportunity 239 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:20,580 he got he'd take them off because they 240 00:12:20,580 --> 00:12:20,960 hurt. 241 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,700 And he was wearing his first necktie, and 242 00:12:24,700 --> 00:12:28,180 he was always loosening it, because he'd never 243 00:12:28,180 --> 00:12:29,900 worn a necktie before. 244 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,440 But when you go up to Bethel, you 245 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:35,340 have to have a necktie, you know. 246 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:40,540 And so this man, he arrived, and everybody 247 00:12:40,540 --> 00:12:42,020 is embarrassed. 248 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,840 The pulpit committee especially was embarrassed. 249 00:12:46,940 --> 00:12:49,020 They had heard he was a great preacher. 250 00:12:49,740 --> 00:12:52,620 But they didn't know he was the country. 251 00:12:56,110 --> 00:12:59,690 Everybody was embarrassed except Amos, and he wasn't 252 00:12:59,690 --> 00:13:00,170 embarrassed. 253 00:13:02,750 --> 00:13:05,990 He came up to give God's message, and 254 00:13:05,990 --> 00:13:07,470 he's going to give God's message. 255 00:13:08,490 --> 00:13:10,870 You see, Bethel was the capital of the 256 00:13:10,870 --> 00:13:11,950 northern kingdom. 257 00:13:12,790 --> 00:13:15,490 That's where Jeroboam had put one of the 258 00:13:15,490 --> 00:13:16,550 golden calves. 259 00:13:17,430 --> 00:13:19,850 That's where false religion was. 260 00:13:19,850 --> 00:13:22,710 And it was the center of culture, it's 261 00:13:22,710 --> 00:13:23,150 true. 262 00:13:24,190 --> 00:13:26,970 It was the center of the cults, that's 263 00:13:26,970 --> 00:13:27,350 true. 264 00:13:29,190 --> 00:13:30,690 Bethel was sophisticated. 265 00:13:32,390 --> 00:13:34,110 They were blasé. 266 00:13:35,570 --> 00:13:37,190 They were uptown. 267 00:13:38,510 --> 00:13:42,810 They were really citified in Bethel. 268 00:13:43,770 --> 00:13:48,590 And so this man, Amos, arrives in town, 269 00:13:50,250 --> 00:13:54,390 and Bethel is the intellectual center. 270 00:13:55,510 --> 00:13:58,510 What Bethel did was the thing to do. 271 00:14:02,850 --> 00:14:06,350 What styles that they wore in Bethel were 272 00:14:06,350 --> 00:14:07,090 imitated. 273 00:14:08,290 --> 00:14:10,930 This is the center as influence. 274 00:14:15,340 --> 00:14:18,940 And the suit of Amos was not cut. 275 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:21,740 According to the pattern of Bethel. 276 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,920 And by the way, his sermons weren't cut 277 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,100 according to the pattern of Bethel either. 278 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:30,840 Because we're going to see that this man 279 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,140 had a slight difficulty when he arrived. 280 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:37,220 I think he was quite a sight when 281 00:14:37,220 --> 00:14:38,480 he arrived in town. 282 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:43,680 This man now has, he's left the backwoods 283 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:45,500 and he's come to the boulevards. 284 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:50,880 He's left the desert of Pekoa, and he's 285 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,620 come now to the drawing rooms of Bethel. 286 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:55,200 He's out of place. 287 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,660 He knew all about raising long-haired sheep, 288 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:03,680 but he didn't know much about these well 289 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:08,060 -groomed, sleek sheep that he had to speak 290 00:15:08,060 --> 00:15:09,300 to in Bethel. 291 00:15:12,850 --> 00:15:18,030 He had come into the city of culture, 292 00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:20,250 Bethel. 293 00:15:20,670 --> 00:15:24,530 He had left the country of agriculture. 294 00:15:26,030 --> 00:15:29,890 The country preacher has come to town. 295 00:15:31,710 --> 00:15:34,550 Now most everyone came to hear him at 296 00:15:34,550 --> 00:15:37,650 first, because word got around, they said, if 297 00:15:37,650 --> 00:15:40,410 you really want to be entertained, you go 298 00:15:40,410 --> 00:15:41,390 hear him. 299 00:15:43,170 --> 00:15:45,290 You ought to see the suit he's wearing. 300 00:15:47,450 --> 00:15:49,610 Where did he get that necktie? 301 00:15:52,470 --> 00:15:56,230 Did you ever see anybody's country as Amos? 302 00:15:58,140 --> 00:16:00,580 They came for amusement, but they all left 303 00:16:00,580 --> 00:16:02,880 angry, at least most of them did. 304 00:16:04,020 --> 00:16:06,920 He was a sensational preacher. 305 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,140 Now I know today that the great many 306 00:16:10,140 --> 00:16:15,360 preachers say, I do not like sensational subjects 307 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,100 and I do not like sensational preaching. 308 00:16:18,500 --> 00:16:20,760 The reason they don't, they can't do it. 309 00:16:23,470 --> 00:16:25,910 Amos could, and he's sensational. 310 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,160 Amos came and he preached the word of 311 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:32,680 God. 312 00:16:33,860 --> 00:16:35,480 People were moved. 313 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:40,920 A few turned to God, and the city 314 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:41,740 was stirred. 315 00:16:43,460 --> 00:16:45,000 Bethel was stirred. 316 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:48,820 You know what happened, don't you? 317 00:16:49,640 --> 00:16:51,160 Always happens. 318 00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:54,060 It happened then, it happens today. 319 00:16:56,460 --> 00:16:59,480 Organized religion tried to silence him. 320 00:17:01,650 --> 00:17:05,650 They tried to run him out of town. 321 00:17:05,650 --> 00:17:09,680 They said, we don't want to hear him. 322 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:14,079 And the denominational leaders, they called a meeting, 323 00:17:16,859 --> 00:17:19,720 and they said, we've got to remove him. 324 00:17:20,660 --> 00:17:22,780 We'll withdraw our support from him. 325 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:25,880 Have you talked to him about that he's 326 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,140 going to lose his pension if he doesn't 327 00:17:28,140 --> 00:17:29,920 stop this type of preaching? 328 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:34,200 We don't preach this way in Bethel. 329 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,360 You can't preach like that. 330 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:44,990 Even some of the fundamental leaders, evangelicals as 331 00:17:44,990 --> 00:17:49,930 they happily call themselves, they were jealous and 332 00:17:49,930 --> 00:17:51,470 they began to criticize. 333 00:17:53,230 --> 00:17:56,010 They tried to undermine his ministry. 334 00:17:56,170 --> 00:17:59,010 They circulated false reports about him. 335 00:17:59,870 --> 00:18:02,110 But in spite of it all, God blessed 336 00:18:02,110 --> 00:18:02,430 him. 337 00:18:02,430 --> 00:18:05,830 And this man wouldn't compromise. 338 00:18:06,870 --> 00:18:08,950 He wouldn't shut his eyes to evil. 339 00:18:10,890 --> 00:18:12,950 I want us to see briefly his message 340 00:18:12,950 --> 00:18:14,550 in a moment, and I don't have time 341 00:18:14,550 --> 00:18:16,250 today to deal with his message. 342 00:18:16,850 --> 00:18:18,890 Mr. O will do that on Thursday night, 343 00:18:19,010 --> 00:18:21,110 but his message is sensational. 344 00:18:22,130 --> 00:18:25,430 They finally called a mass meeting of all 345 00:18:25,430 --> 00:18:26,870 the false religions. 346 00:18:29,790 --> 00:18:34,070 And their motto was, Away with Amos! 347 00:18:34,570 --> 00:18:35,470 That was their motto. 348 00:18:37,010 --> 00:18:40,410 And placards were carried, Go home, Amos! 349 00:18:41,430 --> 00:18:43,090 We don't want you here anymore. 350 00:18:45,350 --> 00:18:48,750 And so they decided they'd appoint someone to 351 00:18:48,750 --> 00:18:51,110 go and talk to him. 352 00:18:51,110 --> 00:18:57,890 They appointed Amaziah, the false priest, the hired 353 00:18:57,890 --> 00:18:59,490 hand of idolatry. 354 00:19:00,670 --> 00:19:03,210 They appointed him to go and wait upon 355 00:19:03,210 --> 00:19:03,750 Amos. 356 00:19:04,750 --> 00:19:07,030 I think he's one of the biggest rascals 357 00:19:07,030 --> 00:19:09,230 you'll find on the page of Scripture or 358 00:19:09,230 --> 00:19:12,310 off of Scripture, is Amaziah. 359 00:19:13,090 --> 00:19:14,150 He's clever. 360 00:19:14,890 --> 00:19:18,830 You see, he's an ecclesiastical politician. 361 00:19:21,170 --> 00:19:23,530 And so he moved very cleverly. 362 00:19:23,670 --> 00:19:26,370 These boys always move cleverly. 363 00:19:27,470 --> 00:19:28,870 I know them, my beloved. 364 00:19:29,010 --> 00:19:31,110 I've been moving among them for one quarter 365 00:19:31,110 --> 00:19:31,930 of a century. 366 00:19:34,700 --> 00:19:36,600 And this is what they did. 367 00:19:37,260 --> 00:19:38,880 Very clever they are. 368 00:19:39,980 --> 00:19:42,900 This man Amos is a strong preacher. 369 00:19:43,140 --> 00:19:44,620 He doesn't mince words. 370 00:19:45,140 --> 00:19:47,000 He doesn't pull his punches. 371 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,560 He speaks what God has him to say, 372 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:51,520 and he says it. 373 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:54,580 And he had said some strong things. 374 00:19:54,660 --> 00:19:57,760 Now this is what he said, And the 375 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,720 high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And 376 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:03,520 the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. 377 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,600 And I will rise against the house of 378 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:08,220 Jeroboam with the sword. 379 00:20:09,020 --> 00:20:15,520 Now watch this rascal, this religious leader, Amaziah. 380 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,260 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to 381 00:20:20,260 --> 00:20:25,560 Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired 382 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:29,100 against thee in the midst of the house 383 00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:31,900 of Israel, the lands not able to bear 384 00:20:31,900 --> 00:20:33,100 all his words. 385 00:20:34,260 --> 00:20:35,820 Now listen to what he said. 386 00:20:35,820 --> 00:20:41,880 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die with 387 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:42,420 the sword. 388 00:20:43,140 --> 00:20:49,800 I ask you, is that what Amos had 389 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:50,220 said? 390 00:20:51,180 --> 00:20:53,560 No, he hadn't said that. 391 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,280 What he said was, God said, I will 392 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,760 rise against the house of Jeroboam with the 393 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:03,120 sword. 394 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:06,840 And if you follow the record, this man 395 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:07,960 happened to be accurate. 396 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:11,100 It's too bad Jeroboam II here didn't believe 397 00:21:11,100 --> 00:21:14,720 him, because his grandson is slain with the 398 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:16,420 sword, and that ends the line. 399 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:23,180 But he did not say that Jeroboam would 400 00:21:23,180 --> 00:21:24,640 perish with the sword. 401 00:21:25,060 --> 00:21:31,180 You see, these ecclesiastical politicians, they twist the 402 00:21:31,180 --> 00:21:31,680 truth. 403 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:36,320 He had said something about the sword, and 404 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:39,120 he had said something about Jeroboam, but he 405 00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:42,640 had not said that Jeroboam would perish with 406 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:43,140 the sword. 407 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:46,840 And this kind of lying, my friend, is 408 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:48,540 the worst kind of lying. 409 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,720 You see what Amaziah is doing, he's getting 410 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:57,020 the authorities on his side before he moves 411 00:21:57,020 --> 00:21:58,120 in on the prophet. 412 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:05,060 And candidly, I'm of the opinion—I may be 413 00:22:05,060 --> 00:22:07,340 wrong here, now this I can't prove. 414 00:22:07,420 --> 00:22:09,700 Up to this point I'm on scriptural grounds, 415 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:12,360 but from here, from the next few moments, 416 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,200 this is merely my surmising. 417 00:22:14,660 --> 00:22:16,960 I do not think he went alone. 418 00:22:17,260 --> 00:22:19,520 These men do not move alone. 419 00:22:20,180 --> 00:22:21,480 They move by committees. 420 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,040 And I think that he took a committee 421 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:25,620 with him. 422 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,080 And I can tell you who was on 423 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:29,600 the committee. 424 00:22:31,460 --> 00:22:33,320 I've got inside information. 425 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:39,540 There was a committee of three, with Brother 426 00:22:39,540 --> 00:22:44,780 Amaziah being the chairman, and Dr. Sounding Brass 427 00:22:44,780 --> 00:22:46,060 was on the committee. 428 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:48,780 He was president of the School of the 429 00:22:48,780 --> 00:22:50,700 Prophets, false prophets. 430 00:22:51,260 --> 00:22:54,480 He was pompous and proud, and he was 431 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:58,860 an ecclesiastical politician to his fingertips. 432 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:01,200 He couldn't preach, but he was teaching other 433 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:02,660 young men how to preach. 434 00:23:03,700 --> 00:23:06,700 Then there was Reverend Tinkling Semble. 435 00:23:08,900 --> 00:23:13,080 He was pastor of the wealthiest, most influential 436 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:15,340 church in Bethel. 437 00:23:16,020 --> 00:23:18,200 He was the yes-man of the rich. 438 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,120 He couldn't preach either, but he was a 439 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:22,120 great little mixer. 440 00:23:24,020 --> 00:23:26,580 Oh, he was great at shaking hands and 441 00:23:26,580 --> 00:23:28,180 patting on the back and going to the 442 00:23:28,180 --> 00:23:29,460 knife and fork clubs. 443 00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:30,960 He belonged to all of them. 444 00:23:38,060 --> 00:23:41,780 And if the company was just right, he 445 00:23:41,780 --> 00:23:43,540 didn't mind taking a cocktail. 446 00:23:46,050 --> 00:23:49,210 You see, he's pleasing everybody. 447 00:23:50,530 --> 00:23:57,730 Here's the committee—Amaziah, the priest of a calf, 448 00:23:59,050 --> 00:24:02,570 Dr. Sounding Brass, and Reverend Tinkling Semble. 449 00:24:03,510 --> 00:24:06,150 This is the committee that waited on Amos. 450 00:24:07,390 --> 00:24:09,930 Oh, my friend, what a scene. 451 00:24:11,490 --> 00:24:13,010 Here is our prophet. 452 00:24:13,790 --> 00:24:15,670 He's God's man. 453 00:24:16,670 --> 00:24:18,330 He was striking. 454 00:24:20,270 --> 00:24:22,450 He didn't have the latest haircut. 455 00:24:25,330 --> 00:24:27,050 He didn't have the latest suit. 456 00:24:28,310 --> 00:24:29,290 He's country. 457 00:24:30,850 --> 00:24:32,230 There he is. 458 00:24:33,430 --> 00:24:36,690 He is accustomed to the desert, but he's 459 00:24:36,690 --> 00:24:39,510 not accustomed, if you please, to the drawing 460 00:24:39,510 --> 00:24:41,310 room and committee meetings. 461 00:24:41,970 --> 00:24:44,910 And he's just a little crude, I must 462 00:24:44,910 --> 00:24:45,650 confess. 463 00:24:48,230 --> 00:24:49,700 Here come the committee. 464 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:51,980 They waited on Amos. 465 00:24:53,840 --> 00:25:03,420 Amaziah is polished, cultured, educated, scholarly, with biting 466 00:25:03,420 --> 00:25:07,540 sarcasm and with a rapier of redditude. 467 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:16,600 And he assumes a condescending attitude, and he 468 00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:20,120 has a superior manner about him as he 469 00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:21,400 comes to this prophet. 470 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:23,280 Now, will you listen to what he said? 471 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:28,160 Oh, thou seer! 472 00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:33,500 Oh, that's just filled with sarcasm. 473 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:39,600 The word for seer means really—you don't really 474 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,340 call yourself a preacher, do you? 475 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,260 Oh, thou seer! 476 00:25:49,330 --> 00:25:51,770 Who told you that you're a preacher? 477 00:25:52,810 --> 00:25:54,250 Where is your degree? 478 00:25:54,970 --> 00:25:57,070 Where did you go to school? 479 00:25:57,850 --> 00:25:59,730 Who ordained you? 480 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,880 Where were you pastor last, and why did 481 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:07,560 you leave? 482 00:26:14,780 --> 00:26:16,700 Oh, thou seer! 483 00:26:19,010 --> 00:26:22,850 He says now, go, leave thee away. 484 00:26:23,830 --> 00:26:27,090 You know, these ecclesiastical politicians, they are very 485 00:26:27,090 --> 00:26:28,510 polite on the surface. 486 00:26:29,090 --> 00:26:31,710 Oh, but they can be ugly underneath. 487 00:26:32,930 --> 00:26:34,790 Go, leave thee away. 488 00:26:35,430 --> 00:26:36,890 Get out of town. 489 00:26:37,250 --> 00:26:37,930 Get lost. 490 00:26:39,860 --> 00:26:41,140 We don't want you here any more. 491 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,800 And then he makes the nastiest insinuation that 492 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:50,000 any man can make. 493 00:26:51,310 --> 00:26:56,120 Will you listen to him here, and there 494 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:57,240 eat bread? 495 00:26:59,610 --> 00:27:01,910 After all, you're doing this for the money. 496 00:27:02,970 --> 00:27:05,390 And if you'll go back to your own 497 00:27:05,390 --> 00:27:08,350 hometown, you probably will be able to get 498 00:27:08,350 --> 00:27:09,570 good offerings there. 499 00:27:09,570 --> 00:27:11,190 Why don't you leave here? 500 00:27:12,610 --> 00:27:15,550 Isn't that an awful thing to say to 501 00:27:15,550 --> 00:27:16,130 this man? 502 00:27:17,910 --> 00:27:21,190 And then here is his crowning insult. 503 00:27:22,510 --> 00:27:25,750 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel, 504 00:27:26,170 --> 00:27:29,010 for it's the king's chapel and it's the 505 00:27:29,010 --> 00:27:30,230 king's court. 506 00:27:32,860 --> 00:27:35,960 Oh, how satirical he is at this juncture. 507 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:43,260 He said, do you realize, Amos, you're no 508 00:27:43,260 --> 00:27:47,500 preacher, do you realize that you are preaching 509 00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:53,160 here at the First Bacterian Church, and that 510 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:56,300 this is the most important and prominent church 511 00:27:56,300 --> 00:27:58,740 in the denomination, or in this area? 512 00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:06,100 Did you know that the king attends Cherubim's 513 00:28:06,100 --> 00:28:07,560 pews right out there? 514 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:13,400 And your messages have been disturbing him. 515 00:28:14,100 --> 00:28:16,340 He likes to come and nap, and he 516 00:28:16,340 --> 00:28:18,380 hasn't been able to sleep with you preaching. 517 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,260 And some of the people don't like you. 518 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,620 You don't flatter them enough. 519 00:28:28,380 --> 00:28:31,260 You don't mix well, Amos. 520 00:28:32,140 --> 00:28:35,300 And then, Amos, you're not as dignified as 521 00:28:35,300 --> 00:28:36,120 you should be. 522 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:39,840 We've noticed that you pound the pulpit. 523 00:28:40,380 --> 00:28:42,200 That's very crude in Bethel. 524 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,060 We never get excited about religion here. 525 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,360 We do not like these emotional outbursts that 526 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:53,060 you have. 527 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,280 By the way, Amos, did you ever take 528 00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:58,060 homiletics? 529 00:28:58,900 --> 00:29:01,520 Your messages do not seem to be organized, 530 00:29:01,900 --> 00:29:04,320 and you need a course in public speaking 531 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,940 where you can speak with a deep voice 532 00:29:07,940 --> 00:29:10,900 in a very dignified manner. 533 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,000 You can say nothing as if it's something. 534 00:29:19,860 --> 00:29:26,520 Amos, you're not welcome here anymore. 535 00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:31,660 Now Amos answered him, will you listen to 536 00:29:31,660 --> 00:29:32,460 this prophet? 537 00:29:34,060 --> 00:29:39,180 Then answered Amos and said to Amaziah, listen 538 00:29:39,180 --> 00:29:40,060 to this. 539 00:29:41,930 --> 00:29:45,850 I was no prophet, neither was I a 540 00:29:45,850 --> 00:29:46,950 prophet's son. 541 00:29:46,950 --> 00:29:50,590 But I was a herdman and a gatherer 542 00:29:50,590 --> 00:29:51,870 of sycamore fruit. 543 00:29:53,110 --> 00:29:56,610 And the Lord took me as I followed 544 00:29:56,610 --> 00:29:58,930 the flock, and the Lord said to me, 545 00:29:59,390 --> 00:30:01,970 go prophesy unto my people Israel. 546 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:07,420 Friends, that's not the answer of a fanatic, 547 00:30:07,540 --> 00:30:07,880 is it? 548 00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:09,540 It's a soft answer. 549 00:30:10,860 --> 00:30:12,300 It's not harsh. 550 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:16,400 You may think he's crude because the way 551 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,080 he dresses, but he's not crude. 552 00:30:19,380 --> 00:30:20,780 Look, read his answer. 553 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,740 I tell you, after all of these years, 554 00:30:25,060 --> 00:30:29,660 over 2,500 years, he stands in better 555 00:30:29,660 --> 00:30:31,120 light than Amaziah. 556 00:30:38,050 --> 00:30:40,690 It's a lovely answer he gives, and it's 557 00:30:40,690 --> 00:30:42,070 such a wonderful answer. 558 00:30:42,070 --> 00:30:46,530 I have only one criticism to make of 559 00:30:46,530 --> 00:30:49,670 Amos, and I trust you'll forgive me for 560 00:30:49,670 --> 00:30:50,950 even making this one. 561 00:30:51,390 --> 00:30:52,850 You know what his trouble is? 562 00:30:52,950 --> 00:30:54,430 He's too naive. 563 00:30:56,310 --> 00:30:57,630 He's too simple. 564 00:30:58,930 --> 00:31:00,450 He's artless. 565 00:31:01,310 --> 00:31:02,330 He's frank. 566 00:31:02,650 --> 00:31:05,230 He's just a babe in the woods in 567 00:31:05,230 --> 00:31:11,640 Bethel, down yonder in the desert jungle of 568 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:12,300 Tekoa. 569 00:31:12,300 --> 00:31:14,560 He knew his way around. 570 00:31:15,700 --> 00:31:18,020 He could go through that desert at night 571 00:31:18,020 --> 00:31:19,320 watching the stars. 572 00:31:19,700 --> 00:31:21,460 Read his prophecy, and you'll find out he 573 00:31:21,460 --> 00:31:23,020 knew all about those stars. 574 00:31:24,140 --> 00:31:27,880 He knew how to guide himself through the 575 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:28,320 darkness. 576 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,160 He knew when he heard the roar of 577 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,480 a lion, for he tells us about it. 578 00:31:34,620 --> 00:31:37,560 And he could hear the awful scream of 579 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,780 some helpless animal, and then the lion would 580 00:31:40,780 --> 00:31:41,180 roar. 581 00:31:41,180 --> 00:31:44,080 He knew that some little helpless animal had 582 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:46,240 fallen into the clutches of the lion. 583 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:50,380 And this man knew how to avoid that, 584 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:51,560 and he went around. 585 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:56,400 He knew when he heard a certain movement 586 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,120 in the brush and a hiss that it 587 00:31:59,120 --> 00:31:59,940 was a serpent. 588 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:04,140 May I say to you that he was 589 00:32:04,140 --> 00:32:07,260 at home in the jungle filled with wild 590 00:32:07,260 --> 00:32:12,420 animals, but in the asphalt jungle of Bethel, 591 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:14,260 he was helpless. 592 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:19,540 In the fundamental jungle, he didn't know what 593 00:32:19,540 --> 00:32:23,980 to do, because he thought everybody was like 594 00:32:23,980 --> 00:32:28,760 he was—honest and sincere and said exactly what 595 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:29,420 they thought. 596 00:32:31,390 --> 00:32:34,690 He didn't know that people put up a 597 00:32:34,690 --> 00:32:35,030 front. 598 00:32:35,910 --> 00:32:38,230 He didn't know that they talked to your 599 00:32:38,230 --> 00:32:38,830 back. 600 00:32:38,830 --> 00:32:42,710 He didn't say, isn't he naïve. 601 00:32:43,130 --> 00:32:46,830 He wouldn't last in Los Angeles six months. 602 00:32:47,390 --> 00:32:49,710 You've got to be smarter than that to 603 00:32:49,710 --> 00:32:50,770 live in Los Angeles. 604 00:32:54,500 --> 00:32:56,000 You have to lead him about. 605 00:32:57,180 --> 00:33:00,480 In fundamental circles, a minister said to me 606 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,200 the other day, he says, McGee, there are 607 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:06,300 certain groups of Christians that you're not safe 608 00:33:06,300 --> 00:33:08,280 to be in that group. 609 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:13,670 That's true, and it's awful. 610 00:33:15,030 --> 00:33:19,650 If somebody will just lead Amos around, and 611 00:33:19,650 --> 00:33:23,310 Amos says, the roar of a lion. 612 00:33:24,790 --> 00:33:26,090 Roar of a lion? 613 00:33:26,230 --> 00:33:28,190 I don't hear the roar of a lion. 614 00:33:29,470 --> 00:33:32,470 I know lions, yes, but that's a lion 615 00:33:32,470 --> 00:33:33,470 up here in Bethel. 616 00:33:33,470 --> 00:33:41,550 Now, that's Mr. Gutrocks, and he didn't like 617 00:33:41,550 --> 00:33:43,630 that message you gave, because you really got 618 00:33:43,630 --> 00:33:44,450 after him. 619 00:33:45,070 --> 00:33:48,110 The shoe fitted him, and he didn't like 620 00:33:48,110 --> 00:33:48,410 it. 621 00:33:49,310 --> 00:33:50,850 And he's a lion. 622 00:33:51,350 --> 00:33:52,250 He has influence. 623 00:33:52,670 --> 00:33:53,730 He'll eat you up. 624 00:33:56,140 --> 00:33:58,260 Amos says, you don't mean to tell me 625 00:33:58,260 --> 00:34:02,840 that a Christian brother—why, I'm giving God's message. 626 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:04,640 He wouldn't eat me up, would he? 627 00:34:06,340 --> 00:34:09,159 Oh, Amos, don't be so naive. 628 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:14,520 He'll crush you if he gets the chance. 629 00:34:15,780 --> 00:34:17,219 Be careful, Amos. 630 00:34:17,739 --> 00:34:19,000 Don't step there. 631 00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,120 You almost stepped on a serpent. 632 00:34:22,199 --> 00:34:23,179 A serpent? 633 00:34:24,260 --> 00:34:26,260 He says, I don't see a serpent. 634 00:34:26,380 --> 00:34:28,739 All I see is Mrs. Joe Doakes. 635 00:34:31,190 --> 00:34:32,690 You don't mean to tell me. 636 00:34:33,199 --> 00:34:36,639 Yes, she's a serpent. 637 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:42,760 In this asphalt jungle, the poison of ass 638 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:44,600 are under her lips. 639 00:34:45,500 --> 00:34:48,880 And with her tongue, she's used deceit. 640 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:53,600 And she has bitten many people and poisoned 641 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:54,719 many people. 642 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:56,600 Be careful, Amos. 643 00:34:57,850 --> 00:35:00,460 You don't mean to tell me. 644 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:04,400 I didn't know Christians act like that. 645 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:06,600 Isn't he simple? 646 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:10,260 He doesn't know his way around, this fellow 647 00:35:10,260 --> 00:35:10,740 Amos. 648 00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:12,180 Doesn't at all. 649 00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:16,580 But will you listen to his credentials? 650 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:21,300 The Lord took me as I followed the 651 00:35:21,300 --> 00:35:21,940 flock. 652 00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:27,860 And the Lord said unto me, go prophesy 653 00:35:27,860 --> 00:35:29,280 unto my people. 654 00:35:30,180 --> 00:35:31,860 Listen to him, will you? 655 00:35:33,180 --> 00:35:36,260 Amos said, I never claimed to be a 656 00:35:36,260 --> 00:35:36,680 preacher. 657 00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:40,640 I'd really never went to any of the 658 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:41,920 schools of the prophets. 659 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:45,600 And homiletics—by the way, what is homiletics? 660 00:35:46,340 --> 00:35:47,860 I never heard of it. 661 00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:51,680 All I know was, I was down yonder 662 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:53,300 in that wilderness of Tekoa. 663 00:35:54,820 --> 00:35:57,120 I'd been walking with God. 664 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,700 And one day he called me and he 665 00:36:01,700 --> 00:36:03,180 gave me a message. 666 00:36:03,720 --> 00:36:07,000 And his message was like a burning fire 667 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:08,160 in my bones. 668 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:11,640 And he said, go to Bethlehem delivery. 669 00:36:14,170 --> 00:36:15,070 That's what I've done. 670 00:36:16,090 --> 00:36:17,610 You're not angry, are you? 671 00:36:19,450 --> 00:36:22,470 You really wanted to hear God's Word, didn't 672 00:36:22,470 --> 00:36:22,750 you? 673 00:36:23,770 --> 00:36:28,170 You preachers that have come, you're not against 674 00:36:28,170 --> 00:36:29,530 God's Word, are you? 675 00:36:29,910 --> 00:36:34,790 Oh, Amos, how can you be so naive? 676 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,180 They don't want the Word of God in 677 00:36:40,180 --> 00:36:40,740 Bethel. 678 00:36:41,860 --> 00:36:44,880 And they don't want the message you're giving. 679 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:49,180 Briefly, I can't deal with this. 680 00:36:49,860 --> 00:36:51,720 But let me just say this in closing. 681 00:36:52,020 --> 00:36:57,000 The message he gave, he preached against sins. 682 00:36:58,460 --> 00:37:02,600 I asked Brother Rodeheaver, when I was with 683 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:05,700 him at Wynona Lake on one occasion, because 684 00:37:05,700 --> 00:37:08,860 we like to know, we preachers, how other 685 00:37:08,860 --> 00:37:09,980 men are used to God. 686 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,460 I said, you were with Billy Sunday a 687 00:37:12,460 --> 00:37:13,520 long time. 688 00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:17,020 What was the secret of that man's ministry? 689 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:18,080 I'd like to know. 690 00:37:18,540 --> 00:37:20,700 And I never shall forget, we were sitting 691 00:37:20,700 --> 00:37:21,380 at the table. 692 00:37:22,220 --> 00:37:24,420 Rodeheaver put down his knife and his fork, 693 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:26,540 for he was carving the roast. 694 00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:28,460 So he put down his knife and fork, 695 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,480 and he reached over in his very lovely, 696 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:32,920 winsome manner. 697 00:37:33,340 --> 00:37:34,640 He tapped me on the arm. 698 00:37:34,720 --> 00:37:38,580 He says, Billy Sunday preached against sins. 699 00:37:42,620 --> 00:37:45,100 And he says, the trouble today is preachers 700 00:37:45,100 --> 00:37:47,180 don't preach against sins. 701 00:37:48,620 --> 00:37:49,840 I haven't forgotten that. 702 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:53,480 And Amos knew this before Billy Sunday did. 703 00:37:53,820 --> 00:37:56,140 He preached against sins. 704 00:37:56,260 --> 00:37:58,800 He was no mealy-mouthed preacher. 705 00:37:59,740 --> 00:38:02,560 He did not give out messages of saccharine 706 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:06,680 sweetness, artificial light, and synthetic bread. 707 00:38:07,220 --> 00:38:08,740 He gave the real article. 708 00:38:09,820 --> 00:38:11,960 God to him was a God of love, 709 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,100 but he was not soft and sentimental and 710 00:38:15,100 --> 00:38:15,540 shallow. 711 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,080 He was a God that punished sin. 712 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,880 He never dealt with any vague generalities. 713 00:38:23,100 --> 00:38:27,540 I heard this said of a preacher not 714 00:38:27,540 --> 00:38:28,060 long ago. 715 00:38:28,240 --> 00:38:31,640 It says that he preaches like this, very 716 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:35,900 indefinite, you must repent as it were, believe 717 00:38:35,900 --> 00:38:38,340 in a measure, or be lost to some 718 00:38:38,340 --> 00:38:38,840 extent. 719 00:38:42,470 --> 00:38:46,330 Oh, how indefinite preaching can be, my beloved. 720 00:38:46,330 --> 00:38:48,890 This man Amos went right to the point. 721 00:38:49,290 --> 00:38:51,310 And there are three areas in which he 722 00:38:51,310 --> 00:38:51,870 spoke. 723 00:38:52,370 --> 00:38:54,270 I mention them and pass on. 724 00:38:55,490 --> 00:38:59,170 Out of these three situations in his land, 725 00:38:59,510 --> 00:39:00,510 he brought a message. 726 00:39:01,730 --> 00:39:03,410 It was a day of prosperity. 727 00:39:04,550 --> 00:39:06,490 It was a day in which he could 728 00:39:06,490 --> 00:39:09,550 say, woe unto you that are at ease 729 00:39:09,550 --> 00:39:10,370 in Zion. 730 00:39:10,370 --> 00:39:14,010 And then he could move in from there, 731 00:39:14,590 --> 00:39:17,890 because in the days of Jeroboam II, great 732 00:39:17,890 --> 00:39:20,310 prosperity had come to that land, and the 733 00:39:20,310 --> 00:39:22,190 people were living in luxury. 734 00:39:22,890 --> 00:39:25,510 You find as you turn here to verse 735 00:39:25,510 --> 00:39:28,450 4 of chapter 6, that lie upon beds 736 00:39:28,450 --> 00:39:32,150 of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches 737 00:39:32,150 --> 00:39:34,790 and eat the lambs out of the flock 738 00:39:34,790 --> 00:39:36,590 and the calves out of the midst of 739 00:39:36,590 --> 00:39:37,190 the stall. 740 00:39:37,460 --> 00:39:39,910 They had filet mignon one night, and the 741 00:39:39,910 --> 00:39:42,950 next night they had lamb chops, and everything 742 00:39:42,950 --> 00:39:44,330 was foam rubber. 743 00:39:46,100 --> 00:39:47,770 It was a great day. 744 00:39:48,850 --> 00:39:50,770 And it was a day of prosperity. 745 00:39:51,830 --> 00:39:54,550 And he says that chant to the sound 746 00:39:54,550 --> 00:39:57,410 of the vial—that's an interesting word in the 747 00:39:57,410 --> 00:39:58,610 Hebrew that he uses. 748 00:39:59,210 --> 00:40:01,370 It actually means it was the rock and 749 00:40:01,370 --> 00:40:02,610 roll of the day. 750 00:40:02,610 --> 00:40:06,690 And you invent to themselves instruments of music. 751 00:40:06,990 --> 00:40:09,770 You come up with the saxophone and the 752 00:40:09,770 --> 00:40:13,810 guitar, and you've got all kinds of things 753 00:40:13,810 --> 00:40:16,410 that will take you away from God. 754 00:40:16,770 --> 00:40:19,230 And then the third thing, that drink wine 755 00:40:19,230 --> 00:40:19,970 in bowls. 756 00:40:20,230 --> 00:40:22,850 You're not satisfied with a little glass, you 757 00:40:22,850 --> 00:40:24,430 drink it in bowls. 758 00:40:24,630 --> 00:40:26,010 A day of drunkenness. 759 00:40:26,370 --> 00:40:28,570 May I say that the message of Amos 760 00:40:28,570 --> 00:40:29,970 is a modern message. 761 00:40:29,970 --> 00:40:33,870 These are the things that are destroying America 762 00:40:33,870 --> 00:40:34,570 today. 763 00:40:35,450 --> 00:40:38,450 Prosperity that's brought luxury and plenty. 764 00:40:39,130 --> 00:40:42,250 And our music today gives us away. 765 00:40:43,790 --> 00:40:46,730 And we are becoming a nation of drunkards. 766 00:40:47,710 --> 00:40:49,450 No one is crying out. 767 00:40:51,510 --> 00:40:53,910 Then it was a day of false peace. 768 00:40:55,490 --> 00:40:57,150 This man Amos came in. 769 00:40:57,150 --> 00:40:59,270 It was a day in which they said 770 00:40:59,270 --> 00:41:03,430 yonder in the north was hanging Assyria like 771 00:41:03,430 --> 00:41:06,530 the sword of Damocles, ready to pounce, and 772 00:41:06,530 --> 00:41:10,190 in the next half century was to destroy 773 00:41:10,190 --> 00:41:11,170 this little kingdom. 774 00:41:11,550 --> 00:41:13,370 They tried to ignore it, and they kept 775 00:41:13,370 --> 00:41:16,410 talking about peace, and they started a United 776 00:41:16,410 --> 00:41:20,430 Nations, and they invited Mr. Khrushchev down from 777 00:41:20,430 --> 00:41:21,090 Assyria. 778 00:41:21,090 --> 00:41:23,570 And he came down, and they went and 779 00:41:23,570 --> 00:41:24,390 begged him. 780 00:41:24,890 --> 00:41:28,290 A great many have attempted to interpret the 781 00:41:28,290 --> 00:41:29,870 visit of Mr. Khrushchev. 782 00:41:30,650 --> 00:41:32,490 I guess it's all right if I try 783 00:41:32,490 --> 00:41:33,350 to for a moment. 784 00:41:33,530 --> 00:41:37,230 I tell you, I think that it was 785 00:41:37,230 --> 00:41:41,250 America saying to him, please, Mr. Khrushchev, let 786 00:41:41,250 --> 00:41:42,050 us alone. 787 00:41:43,010 --> 00:41:44,690 We are nice people. 788 00:41:44,850 --> 00:41:45,970 We won't hurt you. 789 00:41:46,250 --> 00:41:48,310 We shut our eyes when you murdered them 790 00:41:48,310 --> 00:41:49,930 by the hundreds in Hungary. 791 00:41:49,930 --> 00:41:52,270 We have shut our eyes to all of 792 00:41:52,270 --> 00:41:52,990 your sins. 793 00:41:53,490 --> 00:41:54,950 Just let us alone. 794 00:41:55,090 --> 00:41:58,490 We want to have peace and plenty and 795 00:41:58,490 --> 00:41:59,950 go on in our sin. 796 00:42:02,210 --> 00:42:04,370 Amos said, you can't do that. 797 00:42:04,650 --> 00:42:06,430 And the reason that you can't do that, 798 00:42:06,510 --> 00:42:09,750 he says, how can two walk together except 799 00:42:09,750 --> 00:42:10,830 they be agreed? 800 00:42:12,190 --> 00:42:13,310 You've got to agree. 801 00:42:13,910 --> 00:42:15,130 And he says, how are you going to 802 00:42:15,130 --> 00:42:16,310 walk with God? 803 00:42:16,790 --> 00:42:19,630 And he says, behold, the eyes of the 804 00:42:19,630 --> 00:42:23,470 Lord, God are upon the sinful kingdom, and 805 00:42:23,470 --> 00:42:25,730 I will destroy it from off the face 806 00:42:25,730 --> 00:42:26,370 of the earth. 807 00:42:27,170 --> 00:42:29,650 His message is not a popular message. 808 00:42:29,870 --> 00:42:33,050 It's a message that God intends to punish 809 00:42:33,050 --> 00:42:33,630 sin. 810 00:42:34,450 --> 00:42:36,970 And just because they happened to be living 811 00:42:36,970 --> 00:42:40,810 in plenty and talking peace and were being 812 00:42:40,810 --> 00:42:44,490 religious on the surface didn't mean that God 813 00:42:44,490 --> 00:42:47,050 was not going to judge sin he intended 814 00:42:47,050 --> 00:42:49,370 to—he intended to move in upon. 815 00:42:49,790 --> 00:42:52,050 But this man had a worldview, and I 816 00:42:52,050 --> 00:42:53,910 conclude with this verse. 817 00:42:54,390 --> 00:42:55,990 Chapter 9, verse 11. 818 00:42:56,050 --> 00:42:58,950 In that day will I raise up the 819 00:42:58,950 --> 00:43:02,870 tabernacle of David that's fallen down, close up 820 00:43:02,870 --> 00:43:05,470 the breaches thereof, and I'll raise up his 821 00:43:05,470 --> 00:43:05,930 ruins. 822 00:43:06,490 --> 00:43:09,270 I'll build it as the days of old. 823 00:43:10,150 --> 00:43:12,090 May I say to you that this man 824 00:43:12,090 --> 00:43:15,310 looked down into the future, and he saw 825 00:43:15,310 --> 00:43:19,210 that God, by mercy and by grace and 826 00:43:19,210 --> 00:43:23,250 by redemption, was going to yet redeem his 827 00:43:23,250 --> 00:43:23,810 people. 828 00:43:24,590 --> 00:43:27,950 He saw something that James, at that great 829 00:43:27,950 --> 00:43:31,410 council of Jerusalem, when James wanted to quote 830 00:43:31,410 --> 00:43:33,550 a scripture, he did not go to Isaiah. 831 00:43:34,030 --> 00:43:35,950 He didn't go to David, and he didn't 832 00:43:35,950 --> 00:43:36,670 go to Moses. 833 00:43:36,670 --> 00:43:40,030 He went to this man Amos and said, 834 00:43:40,850 --> 00:43:43,750 God has said that he will return and 835 00:43:43,750 --> 00:43:45,790 build the tabernacle of David. 836 00:43:46,610 --> 00:43:49,070 But that which Amos did not see, James 837 00:43:49,070 --> 00:43:51,670 says, now we see that out of the 838 00:43:51,670 --> 00:43:54,850 Gentiles he's going to call a people to 839 00:43:54,850 --> 00:43:55,550 his name. 840 00:43:56,050 --> 00:43:58,050 And just as he's dealt with us a 841 00:43:58,050 --> 00:44:00,970 nation in mercy, he's going to deal with 842 00:44:00,970 --> 00:44:03,630 all peoples in mercy if they'll have it. 843 00:44:06,610 --> 00:44:10,430 And he can be merciful because our Lord, 844 00:44:10,610 --> 00:44:13,330 when he came to Zion, was not at 845 00:44:13,330 --> 00:44:13,930 ease. 846 00:44:14,430 --> 00:44:17,430 He said, there my father worketh, hitherto and 847 00:44:17,430 --> 00:44:17,950 I work. 848 00:44:18,330 --> 00:44:20,890 It was there that he wept over Jerusalem. 849 00:44:21,450 --> 00:44:23,590 It's there where they beat him. 850 00:44:23,970 --> 00:44:25,930 It's there where they led him out of 851 00:44:25,930 --> 00:44:26,390 the city. 852 00:44:26,590 --> 00:44:28,950 It's there where they crucified him. 853 00:44:29,670 --> 00:44:33,090 He was not at ease in Zion, and 854 00:44:33,090 --> 00:44:36,350 he wasn't at ease so that this morning 855 00:44:36,350 --> 00:44:41,090 God might be merciful and bring rest to 856 00:44:41,090 --> 00:44:41,430 you. 857 00:44:42,050 --> 00:44:43,250 He died there. 858 00:44:43,350 --> 00:44:46,370 He was not at ease because God is 859 00:44:46,370 --> 00:44:49,150 not willing that any should perish. 860 00:44:50,450 --> 00:44:54,970 But they will perish if they'll not have 861 00:44:54,970 --> 00:44:55,590 his mercy. 862 00:44:56,550 --> 00:44:59,170 That's the simple message of Amos. 863 00:44:59,790 --> 00:45:02,290 God will punish sin. 864 00:45:02,890 --> 00:45:03,950 He hasn't changed. 865 00:45:04,910 --> 00:45:07,450 He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. 866 00:45:08,230 --> 00:45:13,610 But he says, come now and let us 867 00:45:13,610 --> 00:45:16,350 reason together, saith the Lord. 868 00:45:17,250 --> 00:45:21,190 Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall 869 00:45:21,190 --> 00:45:22,510 be white as snow. 870 00:45:23,030 --> 00:45:26,590 Though they be red like crimson, they shall 871 00:45:26,590 --> 00:45:27,710 be as wool. 872 00:45:29,150 --> 00:45:34,660 My friend, don't laugh at the country preacher. 873 00:45:38,310 --> 00:45:42,290 He's got a message from God. 874 00:45:45,330 --> 00:45:49,210 And a lot of the sophisticates in that 875 00:45:49,210 --> 00:45:52,150 day were wrong. 876 00:45:53,110 --> 00:45:57,470 The intellectuals were wrong. 877 00:45:59,230 --> 00:46:01,410 They can be wrong today. 878 00:46:02,530 --> 00:46:08,790 God still says, come now, let us reason 879 00:46:08,790 --> 00:46:09,530 together. 880 00:46:11,580 --> 00:46:14,960 Come unto me, all ye that labor in 881 00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:16,480 a heavy laden. 882 00:46:17,580 --> 00:46:20,760 I'll rest you, rest of redemption. 883 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:26,920 But be not deceived, God is not soft. 884 00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:29,780 God is not sentimental. 885 00:46:31,060 --> 00:46:38,530 God will still punish sin, but he'll forgive 886 00:46:38,530 --> 00:46:39,710 the sinner. 887 00:46:40,470 --> 00:46:41,150 Shall we pray? 888 00:46:43,510 --> 00:46:46,470 With our eyes closed, heads bowed in prayer 889 00:46:46,470 --> 00:46:53,250 in this closing moment today, are you here 890 00:46:53,250 --> 00:46:58,950 today to hear the message of this country 891 00:46:58,950 --> 00:47:03,390 preacher from Toccoa long, long ago? 892 00:47:05,720 --> 00:47:07,300 But it's a modern message. 893 00:47:07,950 --> 00:47:12,280 A message for the streets of Los Angeles, 894 00:47:12,620 --> 00:47:17,060 for the campuses of our universities, for our 895 00:47:17,060 --> 00:47:22,340 places of business, our aircraft plants, for the 896 00:47:22,340 --> 00:47:24,420 missile range. 897 00:47:25,420 --> 00:47:28,100 This is a message for today. 898 00:47:28,100 --> 00:47:34,600 Today, God will destroy the nation and the 899 00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:37,660 individual that goes on in sin. 900 00:47:38,640 --> 00:47:43,640 But God will save, by his mercy, those 901 00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:45,200 that will turn unto him. 902 00:47:46,460 --> 00:47:50,660 Are you here today, friend, and you've never 903 00:47:50,660 --> 00:47:53,100 yet availed yourself of this mercy? 904 00:47:54,240 --> 00:47:57,460 You've never turned to this wonderful God. 905 00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:04,860 Doesn't it make sense today to you to 906 00:48:04,860 --> 00:48:07,200 turn to him while you can? 907 00:48:08,760 --> 00:48:10,640 You've been listening to the From the Pulpit 908 00:48:10,640 --> 00:48:11,960 and Classic Sermon series. 909 00:48:12,380 --> 00:48:14,620 This week, you heard Vance Hafner with his 910 00:48:14,620 --> 00:48:16,720 message, The Country Preacher Who Came to Town. 911 00:48:17,320 --> 00:48:18,900 Tune in next week to hear William McDonald 912 00:48:18,900 --> 00:48:22,080 speak about seven corrective lenses for spiritual eyesight 913 00:48:22,080 --> 00:48:24,400 on From the Pulpit and Classic Sermon.