WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.500 I don't know about you, but I live in a family full of seekers. We're always seeking something. 00:00:05.060 --> 00:00:08.140 ! Where are my keys? Where are my scissors? Where's my phone gone? 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:12.580 ! And you never know that you've lost something until that crucial moment when you need it. 00:00:13.120 --> 00:00:17.359 So about three or four weeks ago, it's Saturday night, we're just putting Zoe and Joel to bed, 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:19.780 and Mary and I looked at each other and said, 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:21.500 Where's Dylan? 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:28.240 Dylan is a rather scratty-looking toy dog that Joel has had for nearly two years, 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:32.119 which is almost surgically attached to him, and somehow it had disappeared. 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:37.500 So at that point we had to put all our plans on hold, all our dreams of getting the kids in bed and relaxing for the evening, 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:40.820 and mount a major search for Dylan. 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:45.759 So Mary went to the car, we went through the kitchen, we went through the living room, we went through the bedrooms, the bathroom, 00:00:46.140 --> 00:00:47.439 couldn't find Dylan anywhere. 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:55.119 In our desire to seek him, Mary got back in the car, drove back to Cue, to the shop we'd been in several hours earlier, 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:58.919 which mercifully was still open, was the last place we could remember seeing Dylan, 00:00:59.379 --> 00:01:00.759 and she went to seek him there. 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:03.699 Sadly, to no avail. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:08.420 Now we actually found him the next day, but not after a night of great panic and turmoil. 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:12.219 He wasn't lost after all, he was buried behind some cushions at Duke Street. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:13.879 That's incidental. 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:17.459 The point was, in searching for this animal, this toy, 00:01:17.939 --> 00:01:21.319 all our resources, all our energy, all our plans without the window, 00:01:21.400 --> 00:01:23.519 and everything was focused on that search. 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:28.239 Now we live in an age, don't we, where many people are searching for something, 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:30.060 they're searching for life and what it's about. 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:33.560 And for a lot of people that means accumulating money, 00:01:34.420 --> 00:01:38.379 working hard, hoping that the next pay rise, the next bonus, 00:01:38.759 --> 00:01:41.620 will give them enough for satisfaction and happiness. 00:01:42.739 --> 00:01:45.859 Other people opt out of that search, or believe it's fruitless, 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:50.219 and they seek meaning in life in something spiritual. 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:54.439 I remember a few years ago, we were out for dinner with a former colleague of mine 00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:56.099 from my old life and business, 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:58.819 and she introduced us to her new boyfriend, Glenn, 00:01:59.379 --> 00:02:00.700 and it was around New Year. 00:02:01.299 --> 00:02:04.140 And Glenn, when he heard I worked in a church now, was very excited. 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:05.200 He said, oh, that's great. 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:08.639 I've been thinking, I need to work on my spirituality this year. 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:12.620 I was trying to imagine that he perhaps had a program for his physicality, 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:13.900 going to the gym twice a week, 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.319 and then his spirituality, I don't know what he was going to do with that. 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:20.579 But it was obviously a search for some kind of meaning, 00:02:20.739 --> 00:02:22.159 something a little bit more. 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:27.319 A few years ago, Elizabeth Gilbert, who was a journalist in New York City, 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:30.919 left her husband, who she said was a very decent man, 00:02:31.299 --> 00:02:32.959 but just wasn't quite enough. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:36.039 She left her well-paid job and secure career and reputation, 00:02:36.459 --> 00:02:38.400 and went off searching for something. 00:02:39.620 --> 00:02:41.299 Now what she ultimately found was a lot of money, 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:43.799 because she published her memoirs in the book Eat, Pray, Love, 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:46.859 which was then sold as a film, starring Julia Roberts. 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:48.880 And in the film version, at least, 00:02:49.480 --> 00:02:52.260 Julia Roberts, playing the real-life Gilbert, says this, 00:02:52.760 --> 00:02:56.000 I used to have this appetite for life, but now it's gone. 00:02:56.480 --> 00:02:59.180 I just want to go someplace and marvel at something. 00:03:00.620 --> 00:03:03.680 There was this woman with everything material in her life, 00:03:04.160 --> 00:03:06.320 yet seeking something to marvel at. 00:03:07.040 --> 00:03:08.620 Seeking something more in life. 00:03:09.920 --> 00:03:11.300 A lot of people are like that, aren't they? 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:12.440 Seeking something. 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.800 Well, the people of Israel, in Amos' day, 00:03:16.359 --> 00:03:18.960 weren't seeking anything, because they thought they had it all. 00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:20.419 They were prosperous. 00:03:21.020 --> 00:03:24.180 They lived in a time of relative peace and security. 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:25.359 They extended their borders. 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:26.819 They were feeling safe. 00:03:27.319 --> 00:03:30.020 And they were, after all, God's chosen people. 00:03:30.579 --> 00:03:32.240 He told them back in Exodus 19, 00:03:32.539 --> 00:03:34.879 that you'll be my chosen people, 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:37.560 my treasured possession out of all the nations of the earth. 00:03:37.560 --> 00:03:39.379 So they thought they had everything. 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:44.000 But God confronts them through the prophet Amos. 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:47.180 Because a bit like us putting the kids to bed, 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:48.620 we suddenly realise we had something, 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:50.319 we didn't have something we thought we had. 00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:54.159 Well, it turns out Israel didn't have something they thought they had. 00:03:54.900 --> 00:03:56.719 And that something was God. 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.140 Let's pick up the story in verse 3. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.120 Amos is warning them of the judgement to come. 00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:04.840 We'll cover verses 1 and 2 a bit later on. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:06.180 But here it is in verse 3. 00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:07.500 Look what's going to happen to these people. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.319 Remember, this is God's people he's speaking to. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:13.439 He's speaking to the church, effectively. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:15.500 For thus says the Lord God, 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:18.379 the city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left. 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:21.780 That which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel. 00:04:22.439 --> 00:04:25.180 The point is, Israel, you may feel secure, 00:04:25.259 --> 00:04:26.759 but you're about to be destroyed. 00:04:28.220 --> 00:04:30.500 You're about to be destroyed in my judgement. 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:33.139 So what are you going to do about it? 00:04:33.819 --> 00:04:35.460 As we read on in the following verses, 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:38.180 we'll see two things are commanded of them. 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:39.299 Two actions commanded. 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:41.979 And there's a third one that they're to do as an implication. 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:44.819 The first command comes in verse 4. 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:48.060 Thus says the Lord God to the house of Israel, 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:50.839 seek me and live. 00:04:51.819 --> 00:04:54.699 If you want life, it's not found in other things. 00:04:54.779 --> 00:04:55.719 It's found in me. 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:57.319 Seek me and live. 00:04:58.139 --> 00:04:59.959 Don't seek the abundance of wealth. 00:05:00.099 --> 00:05:02.919 Don't seek your own spiritual religious experiences. 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:04.680 Seek me and live. 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:08.300 See, what they had been seeking was just religious experience. 00:05:08.780 --> 00:05:09.819 Like my friend Glenn. 00:05:10.580 --> 00:05:11.699 Like Elizabeth Gilbert. 00:05:12.140 --> 00:05:13.939 Wanting something spiritual and religious. 00:05:14.900 --> 00:05:15.860 Well, they were doing the same. 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:17.300 So hear what the Lord says. 00:05:17.640 --> 00:05:18.460 Seek me and live. 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:19.759 But do not seek Bethel. 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:22.739 Do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba. 00:05:23.799 --> 00:05:27.039 Now, Bethel was a city in Israel, in Samaria. 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:31.039 Where about 200 years earlier, King Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:34.959 had built a shrine, put two golden casts there and said, 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.839 Israel, these are your gods who brought you out of Egypt. 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:39.000 Worship them. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:42.439 And so Bethel was the religion of their imagination. 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:44.439 It wasn't God's revelation. 00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:45.939 It wasn't what God had commanded. 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:47.500 It's what they imagined. 00:05:48.060 --> 00:05:49.839 It was their own spirituality, if you like. 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:51.439 Gilgal. 00:05:51.579 --> 00:05:52.680 They're not entering to Gilgal. 00:05:53.899 --> 00:05:56.220 Gilgal was, we don't know much about it, 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:58.139 but in the book of Judges, in chapter 3, 00:05:58.220 --> 00:06:00.860 we read that maybe 400 or 500 years earlier, 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:02.560 there'd been idols in Gilgal. 00:06:03.259 --> 00:06:05.480 For a long time, it'd been a place of worship. 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:08.060 Presumably, originally for the Canaanites in the land. 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:12.100 So in going there, they were seeking religious tradition, 00:06:12.280 --> 00:06:15.160 religious pluralism, doing what the nations around them did, 00:06:15.579 --> 00:06:16.759 instead of seeking the Lord. 00:06:18.300 --> 00:06:20.139 And of course, others were seeking pilgrimage. 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:22.699 Do not cross over to Beersheba, he says. 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:26.079 Beersheba was way, way south. 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:28.360 If you imagine Israel as being Scotland, 00:06:29.939 --> 00:06:32.720 Beersheba was right in the south of Judah, the southern kingdom. 00:06:32.980 --> 00:06:35.340 It's like going down from Edinburgh to Cornwall on pilgrimage. 00:06:36.939 --> 00:06:37.779 That's what they were doing. 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:39.459 They were seeking God on a pilgrimage. 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.159 It's like, oh, we've gone all the way to Beersheba. 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:43.839 Abraham met God there once. 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:45.099 It's got to be a good thing to do. 00:06:46.619 --> 00:06:48.859 People today still go on pilgrimages, don't they? 00:06:49.799 --> 00:06:51.779 To Rome, to Lourdes, to Mecca, 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:54.179 to Bali, to India. 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:57.859 Seeking meaning, seeking themselves, seeking identity. 00:06:59.019 --> 00:07:00.579 But the Lord says, don't seek those things. 00:07:00.679 --> 00:07:02.419 Don't seek the religion of your imagination. 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:05.140 Don't seek the traditions of the world around you. 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:06.240 Don't seek pilgrimage. 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:07.540 Seek Me. 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:09.420 That's where life is. 00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:10.960 That's where life is. 00:07:12.780 --> 00:07:14.319 And you hear the warning here as well. 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:17.159 Why should they not seek these other things? 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:18.199 Verse 5. 00:07:18.579 --> 00:07:19.560 Do not seek Bethel. 00:07:19.879 --> 00:07:21.120 Do not enter into Gilgal. 00:07:21.219 --> 00:07:22.599 Do not cross over to Beersheba. 00:07:23.339 --> 00:07:25.579 For Gilgal shall surely go into exile, 00:07:26.060 --> 00:07:27.579 and Bethel shall come to nothing. 00:07:27.579 --> 00:07:31.759 People long for religious experiences. 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:34.219 For the spiritual dimension in life. 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:37.180 But if it comes from our imagination, 00:07:37.379 --> 00:07:39.399 if it comes from just doing what the world around us doing, 00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:42.259 if it comes from seeking a pilgrimage, 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:45.079 it will ultimately amount to nothing. 00:07:46.699 --> 00:07:49.159 Because it's only the living God who counts. 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:50.399 It's only the true God. 00:07:51.860 --> 00:07:54.899 So how do we obey this command of verse 4? 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:56.539 How do we seek the Lord? 00:07:58.039 --> 00:07:59.579 Of course the answer is he's not hiding. 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:04.139 He makes himself known all around us in one sense. 00:08:04.199 --> 00:08:05.439 And he is the creator of God. 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:09.079 And the creation around speaks of his invisible qualities, 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:13.060 his power, his wisdom, his creativity. 00:08:14.539 --> 00:08:16.560 But more than that, he speaks to us specifically 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:18.399 through the scriptures of the Bible. 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:20.459 His word breathed out. 00:08:21.419 --> 00:08:24.639 And most concretely, through the person of Jesus Christ. 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.759 God who came to earth to seek and save lost people, 00:08:29.300 --> 00:08:30.439 like we all are naturally. 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:35.879 So for us to seek God means to seek Christ in the scriptures. 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:38.860 That's where we see God. 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:41.399 There is nothing un-Christ-like about God. 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:43.139 We see what it is like in Jesus. 00:08:43.259 --> 00:08:44.799 Jesus said, if anyone has seen me, 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:45.639 they've seen the Father. 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:50.220 So we seek God through seeking Jesus. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:54.240 And as we seek him, we find out it's not about what we've done. 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:56.139 It's not about our religious experiences. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:58.199 It's not about our pilgrimages. 00:08:58.460 --> 00:08:59.740 It's not about our imaginings. 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:01.779 It's about what God has done. 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:04.819 That Jesus came to seek and save the lost. 00:09:05.379 --> 00:09:07.240 And give his life as a ransom for many. 00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:10.740 So for us to seek God means to seek Jesus. 00:09:11.680 --> 00:09:13.500 To set our hearts and eyes on him. 00:09:15.220 --> 00:09:18.159 For Merrill and I, as we went to seek that little toy dog, Dylan, 00:09:18.940 --> 00:09:20.720 it meant all our other plans went out the windows. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:23.320 The focus of our attention, 00:09:24.220 --> 00:09:26.740 the focus of our desires became finding that dog. 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:31.659 To seek the Lord and live means to focus our attention, 00:09:32.259 --> 00:09:34.120 our desires, our ambitions, 00:09:35.060 --> 00:09:38.379 on seeking this Jesus who makes God known to us. 00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:41.120 So that's the first command. 00:09:41.259 --> 00:09:42.320 Seek the Lord and live. 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:46.700 The second command really comes in verses 7 to 15. 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:49.419 See, it's not just enough to believe. 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:52.080 As we believe in Jesus, our lives must be changed. 00:09:52.460 --> 00:09:54.139 For Israel to believe in the living God 00:09:54.139 --> 00:09:55.620 should have transformed their lives. 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:57.220 But sadly it didn't. 00:09:57.779 --> 00:10:00.080 And so the second command is not only seek the Lord and live, 00:10:00.460 --> 00:10:02.299 but seek the good for others, 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:03.899 and not personal gain. 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:06.360 You can see the hint of that in the judgment, 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:08.080 in verse 7. 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:10.659 O you who turn justice to wormwood, 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:13.259 and cast down righteousness to the earth. 00:10:14.980 --> 00:10:16.019 What does that mean? 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:19.620 See, justice and righteousness are big words in the Old Testament. 00:10:20.620 --> 00:10:22.360 They're words that are defined by God. 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:24.399 Psalm 97 verse 2 tells us that 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:25.959 God's throne, 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:27.659 the foundation of God's throne, 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:29.299 are righteousness and justice. 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:31.939 This describes the way God rules. 00:10:32.059 --> 00:10:33.379 It describes the way God is. 00:10:34.439 --> 00:10:37.299 He defines what is just and right and true. 00:10:37.959 --> 00:10:38.679 Not us. 00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:40.620 Not human beings with our 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:43.579 warped view on what is just and fair. 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:45.540 When we read those words, 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:46.800 righteousness and justice, 00:10:47.220 --> 00:10:49.340 they have very concrete meanings in the Old Testament. 00:10:50.180 --> 00:10:50.980 In the Old Testament, 00:10:51.180 --> 00:10:54.759 righteousness is primarily not about our right standing with God, 00:10:55.340 --> 00:10:57.139 as becomes clear in the New Testament it is, 00:10:57.520 --> 00:11:00.860 but it's mainly about how we write relationships with other people. 00:11:01.660 --> 00:11:05.720 It's about relating to other people in a way that is consistent and correct 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:08.640 with God's norms and God's rules and God's ways. 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:13.340 And justice is about bringing those right relationships into being. 00:11:13.419 --> 00:11:16.279 It's about taking action to make things right again. 00:11:16.939 --> 00:11:21.899 Taking action to ensure that people are paid fair wages. 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:27.580 Taking action to make sure people in the church family are looked after and cared for in a fair way. 00:11:27.580 --> 00:11:31.220 And it's sweet when justice is done, isn't it? 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:33.240 For those of you who are at school, 00:11:33.660 --> 00:11:35.379 if you find you have a problem with bullying, 00:11:35.860 --> 00:11:39.160 it's sweet when the teachers finally sort that out. 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:41.820 For all of us in our work situations, 00:11:42.520 --> 00:11:46.120 if we feel we're being underpaid or bullied or mismanaged in some way, 00:11:46.300 --> 00:11:48.620 it's sweet when that gets sorted out. 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:50.580 Justice is a sweet thing. 00:11:51.620 --> 00:11:53.120 And Israel is God's people. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:56.680 Given God's law to live out in front of the nations, 00:11:56.679 --> 00:12:00.699 we're supposed to bring a sweet taste in their land. 00:12:01.719 --> 00:12:02.500 But what have they done? 00:12:03.539 --> 00:12:06.339 Verse 7, you turn justice to wormwood. 00:12:06.959 --> 00:12:07.759 To something bitter. 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:10.219 You cast down righteousness to the earth. 00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:14.719 You chuck out treating people rightly and fairly like a piece of scrap paper. 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:16.719 Like an empty Coke can to chuck away. 00:12:17.459 --> 00:12:18.679 You throw it down to the earth. 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:21.319 How could they do that? 00:12:22.459 --> 00:12:24.439 Well, as we look on through the next few verses, 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:27.780 we see there's a problem with their heads and a problem with their hearts. 00:12:28.100 --> 00:12:30.340 There's a problem with their heads, verses 8 and 9, 00:12:30.620 --> 00:12:32.520 in that they've forgotten who this God was. 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:34.100 They're thinking in the wrong ways about him. 00:12:34.880 --> 00:12:38.160 There's a problem in their hearts in that they had the wrong ambitions. 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:41.600 So let's look at who is this God they've forgotten about. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:43.140 Verse 8, 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:45.720 He who made the Pleiades and Orion. 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:50.080 Israel seems to have forgotten that their God was not something in creation, 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:51.960 but was the great creator. 00:12:54.340 --> 00:12:58.500 He turns darkness into morning and darkens the day into night. 00:12:59.019 --> 00:13:02.039 You've turned justice to wormwood, sweetness to bitterness. 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:06.779 God is a God who brings light in the darkness and darkens the day again into night. 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:08.779 He is a God who is in control of everything. 00:13:08.779 --> 00:13:13.720 He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth. 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:15.159 The Lord is his name. 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:17.240 In other words, 00:13:17.319 --> 00:13:21.980 Israel is your God who brings fruitfulness to the earth. 00:13:22.179 --> 00:13:22.980 He makes the rain. 00:13:23.199 --> 00:13:24.360 He brings the harvests. 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:27.279 He's the one who actually makes you wealthy and fruitful. 00:13:28.100 --> 00:13:30.220 Not the pagan gods you started worshipping. 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:32.240 And for us too, 00:13:32.839 --> 00:13:34.579 who is it actually who makes us fruitful? 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:39.540 Who is it who makes our companies work? 00:13:41.820 --> 00:13:47.660 Perhaps the obvious cause is the global market and how the economy is doing. 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:52.900 But behind all that is the sovereign God who rules over everything. 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:56.879 That's how great and big this God is. 00:13:57.500 --> 00:13:58.120 He's creator. 00:13:58.440 --> 00:13:59.040 He's provider. 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:00.420 And he's also judge. 00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:01.140 Verse 9, 00:14:01.139 --> 00:14:04.699 He who makes destruction flash forth against the strong. 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:07.620 So the destruction comes upon the fortress. 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:12.580 So these people thought they were so secure in their big houses. 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.120 In their flash cars. 00:14:15.379 --> 00:14:17.620 They didn't have cars in 7th century BC, admittedly. 00:14:17.659 --> 00:14:18.299 But you know what I mean. 00:14:19.939 --> 00:14:22.500 But no one was safe from this God who would judge. 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:28.299 Do you remember those words that Julia Roberts spoke in the film I mentioned earlier on? 00:14:28.299 --> 00:14:30.659 I've lost my appetite for life. 00:14:31.339 --> 00:14:32.599 If you've lost your appetite for life, 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:37.079 then maybe you need to realise you were made for something bigger to satisfy your appetites. 00:14:37.439 --> 00:14:39.219 That's something bigger being the God who made us. 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:41.000 The creator, the sustainer, the judge. 00:14:41.359 --> 00:14:42.500 Who calls us to seek him. 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:46.419 See, Israel was wrong in their life and in their living. 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:49.339 Because they were wrong in their thinking about who God was. 00:14:50.359 --> 00:14:51.799 And that affected their ambitions. 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:56.199 We see what their ambition was as we look on to verses 10 to 13. 00:14:57.339 --> 00:14:58.099 But before we do that, 00:14:58.439 --> 00:15:00.839 what's the big ambition in our society, do you think? 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:03.439 What's the driving motivation for most people? 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:06.639 What is it most people want? 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:12.079 Isn't it basically more? 00:15:14.079 --> 00:15:14.399 More. 00:15:16.339 --> 00:15:18.359 We live in a consumeristic culture 00:15:18.359 --> 00:15:20.139 and that's always driven by discontent. 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:21.319 It's always driven by people saying, 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:23.199 you can have better, you can have more. 00:15:23.939 --> 00:15:25.720 In our road in Isleworth, where we live, 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:29.299 we've noticed we get property papers through every week 00:15:29.299 --> 00:15:31.439 advertising properties in Chiswick. 00:15:32.379 --> 00:15:34.960 Now, I don't know if you've looked at property prices in Chiswick 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:37.419 or I suppose basically the same as Ealing and Richmond and everywhere else. 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:39.500 You look at a little two-bedroom flat and think, 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:44.299 why would I pay £950,000 to live in a car park called Chiswick? 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:45.539 What's that about? 00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:47.539 But they keep giving us this stuff. 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:47.980 Why? 00:15:47.980 --> 00:15:50.720 Because they want us to desire more. 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:54.300 They say, you could leave your terrorist house in Isleworth 00:15:54.300 --> 00:15:56.399 and live in Chiswick, that's a better postcode. 00:15:56.920 --> 00:15:57.840 Have more. 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:02.960 And that same drive for more was what drove the Israelites as well. 00:16:03.420 --> 00:16:05.240 As well as driving much in our society. 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:06.779 So look down at verse 10. 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:08.360 See the criticism the Lord lays on them. 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:11.940 They who hate him and who reproves in the gate. 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:14.060 They abhor him who speaks the truth. 00:16:14.059 --> 00:16:16.799 The gate of the city was where the court dealings were, 00:16:16.859 --> 00:16:18.419 where the business transactions happened. 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:21.099 So the idea is the rich and the wealthy and the powerful, 00:16:21.579 --> 00:16:22.379 they hate the whistleblowers. 00:16:23.439 --> 00:16:24.939 They hate the straight lawyers. 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:27.679 They hate anyone who gets in the way of them 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:29.899 gaining as much from themselves as possible. 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:32.939 Therefore, because you trample on the poor 00:16:32.939 --> 00:16:35.219 and exact taxes of grain from him, 00:16:35.859 --> 00:16:37.739 you've built houses hewn of stone. 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:39.779 Why have you exploited people? 00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:43.440 Because you want a lovely big house in Chiswick, so to speak. 00:16:44.060 --> 00:16:45.279 You want a house made of stone, 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:48.299 not the usual wood-fired bricks that most people would have lived in. 00:16:49.180 --> 00:16:51.279 But costly, precious stone 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:53.539 dug by human hands out of a quarry somewhere. 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:54.879 Much more expensive. 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:56.120 Much better show. 00:16:58.259 --> 00:16:59.820 You've built houses of hewn stone, 00:16:59.940 --> 00:17:01.080 but you shall not live in them. 00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:03.320 You've planted pleasant vineyards. 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.359 You've got to be wealthy to plant a vineyard, remember? 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:09.219 Most people couldn't afford to do that. 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:11.359 Most people would have just used the land they had 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:12.939 to feed their crops 00:17:12.939 --> 00:17:16.919 and to grow the basic cereals they needed, basic crops. 00:17:17.899 --> 00:17:19.759 And to have a vineyard, you must have luxury, 00:17:19.919 --> 00:17:20.759 you must have wealth, 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:22.019 you must have land to spare. 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:24.179 And as you read through the whole of Amos, 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:26.939 you'll see that most of that was to do with self-indulgence as well. 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:30.359 Because they would use the vineyard to produce wine, 00:17:30.699 --> 00:17:32.279 and they'd use that to get drunk. 00:17:32.939 --> 00:17:35.059 And that's what the Lord criticised them for here. 00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:36.559 You've planted pleasant vineyards, 00:17:36.639 --> 00:17:38.339 but you shall not drink their wine. 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:41.379 You're all about selfish gain, 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:42.539 personal accumulation. 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:45.039 You shouldn't be that. 00:17:45.379 --> 00:17:45.980 Verse 12. 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:48.059 For I know how many are your transgressions, 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:50.099 how great are your sins, 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:52.659 you who afflict the righteous and take a bribe, 00:17:53.019 --> 00:17:54.679 and turn aside the needy in the gate. 00:17:56.159 --> 00:17:58.940 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, 00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:00.659 for it is an evil time. 00:18:01.619 --> 00:18:03.599 In other words, it's no use the righteous speaking. 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:06.759 God's people were so corrupt, 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:08.859 so into seeking personal gain, 00:18:08.919 --> 00:18:10.719 instead of seeking the good of others. 00:18:11.199 --> 00:18:12.419 There was no point even speaking. 00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:14.619 The Lord's verdict is to say, 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:17.339 it's a rotten time, rotten to the core. 00:18:17.919 --> 00:18:18.819 Corruption in the courts, 00:18:19.139 --> 00:18:20.639 exploitation in the tax system, 00:18:21.099 --> 00:18:22.459 desire for excess wealth. 00:18:23.719 --> 00:18:24.899 So what does the Lord want from them, 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:26.119 in contrast to all that? 00:18:26.959 --> 00:18:27.839 Verse 14. 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:31.079 Seek good and not evil, 00:18:31.199 --> 00:18:32.079 that you may live. 00:18:32.659 --> 00:18:33.339 And so the Lord, 00:18:33.419 --> 00:18:33.980 the God of hosts, 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:35.319 will be with you as you have said. 00:18:36.339 --> 00:18:37.720 Seek good for others, 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:38.959 not personal gain. 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:41.139 Seek good for others, 00:18:41.220 --> 00:18:42.220 not personal gain. 00:18:42.619 --> 00:18:43.839 So the Lord will be with you. 00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:46.500 See, they complacently thought 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:47.240 they were God's people, 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:48.539 so the Lord is bound to be with them. 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:50.039 The Lord says, 00:18:50.159 --> 00:18:51.679 no, you need to change. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:54.519 You need to show signs of repentance 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:56.420 in your life by treating others fairly. 00:18:58.200 --> 00:18:59.779 Now how does this apply to us? 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:02.660 Remember, Amos is speaking 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:05.759 not to any old nation state. 00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:08.019 He's speaking to God's covenant people. 00:19:08.759 --> 00:19:10.299 Effectively, he's speaking to the church. 00:19:11.560 --> 00:19:12.640 So I think the first application 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:14.240 of this for us is not so much 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:15.960 what things do we need to do, 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:17.299 but what do we love? 00:19:18.060 --> 00:19:19.039 What are our ambitions? 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:19.960 What are our desires? 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:23.079 Do we love seeing the needy among us helped? 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:26.200 Do we love it when we hear 00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:27.620 of people within our church family 00:19:27.620 --> 00:19:29.860 who, yes, may have suffered greatly 00:19:29.860 --> 00:19:30.380 in some way, 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:32.440 perhaps a big bill for a broken down car 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:33.779 or heating that's gone wrong, 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:35.559 but then we hear that others have helped them. 00:19:36.360 --> 00:19:38.059 Do we love the beauty of God's people 00:19:38.059 --> 00:19:38.960 caring for each other? 00:19:40.579 --> 00:19:42.799 Do we love to show mercy and kindness 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:44.500 helping people in their needs? 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:47.779 Or do we love our own selfish gain? 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:50.940 When we come to think about 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:52.680 extending our houses 00:19:52.680 --> 00:19:53.920 that some of us need to do, 00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:55.740 we're decorating our houses, 00:19:56.099 --> 00:19:58.039 how do we make decisions about that? 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:00.639 Do we flick through the catalogues 00:20:00.639 --> 00:20:02.299 and look for the most glamorous, 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:03.940 beautiful properties 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:05.220 and ideas 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:06.559 and go for that 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:08.000 and see how much we can borrow 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:08.599 from the bank, 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:09.740 the biggest loan we can get 00:20:09.740 --> 00:20:10.759 to make everything look 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:11.660 as beautiful as possible? 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:14.220 Or do we look at the money 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:15.059 in our bank accounts 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:16.319 and realise this is God's money? 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:18.200 He's the one who's rescued us. 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:19.480 He's the one who gives us 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:20.359 everything we have. 00:20:20.419 --> 00:20:21.059 He's our creator, 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:21.899 our sustainer. 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:25.079 This is something He's given me 00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:27.039 to help look after other people, 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:30.299 not just seek personal gain for myself. 00:20:31.659 --> 00:20:32.619 See, the Lord commands us 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:33.639 to seek good for others, 00:20:33.879 --> 00:20:35.299 not just excess for ourselves. 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:38.379 And that you think about our attitudes 00:20:38.379 --> 00:20:39.359 within the church family, 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:40.819 but also about our attitude 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:43.659 to things more broadly in society. 00:20:43.660 --> 00:20:44.920 For example, 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:45.759 it's public policy. 00:20:46.560 --> 00:20:47.240 So let me use just one 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:48.640 little red hot topic, 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:50.660 the topic of immigration. 00:20:52.300 --> 00:20:53.500 How do we begin to think 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:54.320 about that as Christians? 00:20:56.400 --> 00:20:57.380 See, if we read the newspapers 00:20:57.380 --> 00:20:58.000 around us, 00:20:58.480 --> 00:20:59.420 depending on if you read 00:20:59.420 --> 00:21:00.820 the Daily Mail or the Guardian, 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:02.320 you get a different opinion. 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:04.500 So some people will be prone 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:06.360 to think immigration is terrible. 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:07.759 Immigration means there aren't 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:08.840 enough jobs for us people 00:21:08.840 --> 00:21:09.519 who've been here longer. 00:21:10.820 --> 00:21:12.180 It's a sort of Daily Mail response, 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:12.519 I suppose. 00:21:13.180 --> 00:21:14.220 You get a kind of 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:15.340 more Guardian-like response. 00:21:15.560 --> 00:21:16.759 So it's bound to be good 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:17.960 to let as many people in as possible 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:19.680 and then we'll be able to get 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:21.060 some cheap, reliable plumbers. 00:21:23.120 --> 00:21:24.420 Now if that's our thinking, 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:25.840 then in both cases, 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:28.279 what's our heart leading us to? 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:31.580 It's leading to personal gain. 00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:33.360 Oh, I don't want immigration 00:21:33.360 --> 00:21:34.759 because there won't be jobs for me. 00:21:35.320 --> 00:21:36.400 Or I do want immigration 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:37.299 because I'll get a cheap plumber 00:21:37.299 --> 00:21:38.019 to get out of my bathroom. 00:21:39.080 --> 00:21:40.420 It's actually the attitudes 00:21:40.420 --> 00:21:41.360 about selfish gain. 00:21:42.180 --> 00:21:45.160 What should drive our attitudes? 00:21:47.060 --> 00:21:48.200 It's being the people 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:50.259 who are loved and cherished 00:21:50.259 --> 00:21:52.299 by the God whose throne 00:21:52.299 --> 00:21:54.160 is founded on justice 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:55.060 and righteousness. 00:21:56.519 --> 00:21:58.100 The God who has treated us 00:21:58.100 --> 00:21:59.180 with amazing grace 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:01.160 that when we were his enemies 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:02.080 and far from him, 00:22:02.120 --> 00:22:03.860 he sent his son to rescue us. 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:06.920 But through his poverty, 00:22:07.100 --> 00:22:08.340 we became rich. 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:11.299 We're to seek the Lord, 00:22:11.419 --> 00:22:12.599 not religious experience. 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:14.579 We're to seek the good of others, 00:22:14.919 --> 00:22:16.519 not personal gain 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:17.480 and accumulation. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:19.500 And much more briefly, 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:20.740 there is a third application 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:21.439 here as well. 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:24.619 We're to seek the Creator 00:22:24.619 --> 00:22:26.639 and weep over the judgment 00:22:26.639 --> 00:22:27.139 to come. 00:22:27.819 --> 00:22:28.379 Seek the Lord, 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:29.019 seek the good, 00:22:29.019 --> 00:22:29.799 and weep 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:31.180 over the judgment to come. 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:32.619 The judgment is described 00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:33.359 in verse 16. 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:34.539 Look what Amos says there. 00:22:35.339 --> 00:22:35.579 Therefore, 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:36.740 thus says the Lord, 00:22:36.819 --> 00:22:37.420 the God of hosts, 00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:39.000 because you won't turn to me, 00:22:39.059 --> 00:22:40.039 because you won't turn 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:41.400 to being good to others. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:43.299 In all the squares 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:44.019 there will be wailing. 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:45.359 In all the streets 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:46.000 they shall say, 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:47.279 alas, alas. 00:22:47.660 --> 00:22:48.740 They shall call the farmers 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:49.299 to mourning 00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:50.599 and to wailing 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:51.379 those who are skilled 00:22:51.379 --> 00:22:52.220 in lamentation. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:53.400 Do you see where 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:54.559 this judgment is going to strike? 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:55.900 It's going to strike 00:22:55.900 --> 00:22:56.400 in the cities 00:22:56.400 --> 00:22:56.900 and the streets 00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:57.400 and the squares. 00:22:57.519 --> 00:22:58.000 It's going to strike 00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:58.660 in the countryside 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:01.119 where the farmers are. 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:04.039 Everyone's going to be 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:04.660 called to wailing. 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:05.180 Why? 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:06.859 In all the vineyards 00:23:06.859 --> 00:23:07.539 there shall be wailing 00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:08.660 for I will pass 00:23:08.660 --> 00:23:09.579 through your midst, 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:10.440 says the Lord. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:13.359 The language there, 00:23:13.420 --> 00:23:14.000 he's echoing 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:15.039 the language of Exodus 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:17.079 where he promised Israel 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:17.700 he would pass 00:23:17.700 --> 00:23:18.740 through the land of Egypt 00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:20.160 and act in judgment 00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:20.980 upon the Egyptians. 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:23.119 Now he's warning them 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:24.079 his own people 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:25.099 have become his enemy 00:23:25.099 --> 00:23:26.940 by the way they've lived. 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:28.120 They say he's going to 00:23:28.120 --> 00:23:29.059 pass through their land 00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:29.740 and judge them. 00:23:31.600 --> 00:23:33.039 What's Amos' response 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:33.660 to this? 00:23:35.820 --> 00:23:37.000 Look back to verse 1 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:37.420 shall you? 00:23:37.620 --> 00:23:37.900 Can you? 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:40.259 How does Amos respond 00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:42.340 to God's forthcoming judgment? 00:23:43.420 --> 00:23:44.160 Hear this word 00:23:44.160 --> 00:23:45.220 I take up over you 00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:46.880 in lamentation 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:48.059 O house of Israel. 00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:50.759 A lamentation. 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:53.140 He is weeping about it. 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:55.200 Fallen no more to rise 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:56.259 as the virgin Israel. 00:23:57.600 --> 00:23:58.700 Forsaken on her land 00:23:58.700 --> 00:23:59.980 with none to raise her up. 00:24:00.420 --> 00:24:01.120 The image there is 00:24:01.120 --> 00:24:02.360 Israel, God's people 00:24:02.360 --> 00:24:04.160 were this beautiful young woman 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:05.500 with a whole future, 00:24:05.840 --> 00:24:06.960 a whole life of fruitfulness 00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:07.600 ahead of her. 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:09.580 And she's forsaken the Lord 00:24:09.580 --> 00:24:10.440 and so now the Lord 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:11.360 has forsaken her. 00:24:11.860 --> 00:24:12.480 There's no one 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:13.259 to lift her up. 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:14.759 For Amos 00:24:14.759 --> 00:24:15.840 this is a sad, 00:24:16.059 --> 00:24:17.160 sad message to bring. 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:19.019 He weeps 00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:20.400 over the judgment to come. 00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:24.620 How do we feel 00:24:24.620 --> 00:24:25.680 about the judgment to come? 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:29.840 We were praying for it 00:24:29.840 --> 00:24:30.200 in a sense 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:31.040 earlier on 00:24:31.040 --> 00:24:32.000 in that great song 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:32.740 Come Lord Jesus, 00:24:32.860 --> 00:24:33.540 Come Lord Jesus. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:35.660 It was a good thing to pray. 00:24:35.800 --> 00:24:37.240 It's a good New Testament prayer. 00:24:39.320 --> 00:24:41.040 But when that judgment comes 00:24:41.040 --> 00:24:42.940 what will that mean 00:24:42.940 --> 00:24:44.259 for our neighbours? 00:24:45.540 --> 00:24:46.940 For our family members? 00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:48.580 For anyone who hasn't 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:49.519 trusted in Christ? 00:24:53.699 --> 00:24:54.759 We should weep over 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:55.740 the judgment to come 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:57.599 and tell people 00:24:57.599 --> 00:24:58.299 the good news. 00:24:58.839 --> 00:24:59.779 They can seek God 00:24:59.779 --> 00:25:00.199 and live. 00:25:00.279 --> 00:25:01.099 They can seek him in Jesus 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:02.359 not in their religious experience. 00:25:02.980 --> 00:25:04.240 They can seek life in Jesus 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.359 not in personal gain. 00:25:06.740 --> 00:25:07.639 We need to weep over 00:25:07.639 --> 00:25:08.460 the judgment to come 00:25:08.460 --> 00:25:09.480 and recognise what it is 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:10.339 we've been saved from. 00:25:15.339 --> 00:25:16.399 How do we get life? 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:18.880 Seek good. 00:25:19.620 --> 00:25:20.320 Seek God. 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:22.000 And we seek God in Christ. 00:25:22.560 --> 00:25:23.759 Because Christ himself 00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:25.500 has paid for our judgment. 00:25:26.140 --> 00:25:27.240 He went to the cross 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:28.580 to be judged 00:25:28.580 --> 00:25:29.860 in our place 00:25:29.860 --> 00:25:31.620 so that we do not need 00:25:31.620 --> 00:25:32.200 to be destroyed 00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:33.060 by God's judgment. 00:25:34.040 --> 00:25:34.880 What does Jesus say 00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:35.500 to those who have come 00:25:35.500 --> 00:25:35.960 after him? 00:25:36.780 --> 00:25:37.680 With this I close. 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:39.220 Mark chapter 8 verse 34. 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:40.700 Calling the crowd 00:25:40.700 --> 00:25:41.680 to him with his disciples 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:42.300 he said to them 00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:44.019 If anyone would come 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:44.700 after me 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:46.599 let him deny himself 00:25:46.599 --> 00:25:48.399 and take up his cross 00:25:48.399 --> 00:25:49.399 and follow me. 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:51.399 For whoever would save 00:25:51.399 --> 00:25:51.980 his life 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:52.899 will lose it. 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:55.000 Whoever would seek 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:56.019 personal accumulation 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:57.200 personal gain 00:25:57.200 --> 00:25:58.960 will lose it. 00:25:59.619 --> 00:26:00.539 Whoever would seek 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:01.819 their own religious experience 00:26:01.819 --> 00:26:02.779 it will come to nothing. 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:04.200 Whoever would save 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:05.200 his life will lose it. 00:26:05.579 --> 00:26:06.659 Whoever loses his life 00:26:06.659 --> 00:26:07.379 for my sake 00:26:07.379 --> 00:26:08.220 and the gospels 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:09.379 will save it. 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:12.560 Seek God and live. 00:26:13.600 --> 00:26:14.580 Seek good for others 00:26:14.580 --> 00:26:15.360 and live. 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:16.920 And weep 00:26:16.920 --> 00:26:18.180 over the judgment to come. 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:18.820 Let's pray.