Amos 9:7-15

Like every other of Israel’s prophets, Amos cried out for repentance from God’s people, repentance for their idolatry and accompanying wickedness.  But like other prophet there was included in Amos’ message from God a promise of hope for Israel.  In 9:7-8 the Lord brings Amos to a critical turning point: I will destroy the nation, but I will not utterly destroy the nation.  There will be a remnant of His people.

There is yet another graphic picture from Amos.  God’s judgment will be like a sieve, where most of the dirt falls to the ground.  But not the smallest pebble of the chosen remnant will fall to the ground.  It will be kept in God’s care.  

This is a testimony to God’s promise and faithfulness.  Israel’s sin made them like every other nation (v7).  And God will judge them accordingly.  But Israel is never just another nation in God’s eyes.  They were chosen by God, through His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  And it is specifically the descendants of Jacob (not Ishmael or Esau who were also descendants of Abraham) that God will someday restore (v8).  And what a glorious restoration it will be!  

·        It will be a restoration of the Davidic reign and kingdom, 9:11-12.  The house of David will be restored with the greater Son of David, Jesus, the Lord Himself, on the throne.  Note the possessions David will have.

o   He will possess the remnant of Edom.  Edom was the cruelest of Israel’s surrounding nations.  When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the people captive Edom rejoiced and prepared themselves to take possession of the land vacated by sinful Israel.  They were the original replacement theologians so to speak; they concluded that God had rejected Israel.  (Read of this in Ezekiel 35.)  But they were wrong.  God was just judging Israel but would eventually restore them (Ezek. 39:23).

o   He will possess the Gentiles who are called by My name.  Like many of the prophets (e.g. Deut. 32:43; Isa. 56; 65:1-2) Amos prophesies the salvation of Gentiles as well as Israel.  This is fulfilled in the Church (Rom. 11:1-10) but also points to the end time when people from every tribe, language, and people will worship Christ (Rev. 7:9-17).

·        And of course, it will be a restoration of the people of the land of Israel, 9:13-15.  The land is fundamental to Israel as God’s earthly people.  His covenant was to bless the land.  But their disobedience to the Law resulted in the land being made desolate.  But when God’s keeps His promise He will bring the people back to the land and there they will prosper in it.  And in the restoration Amos speaks of, the people will never again be removed from the land.  This is certainly the time of the Messiah.

God is faithful to His word in every setting.  He will judge wickedness; and He will restore Israel.  You can count on it!

John 14:12-14

       The third provision of Christ for His disciples is a prayer privilege. 
          Jesus makes a most astounding statement here:  they will do even greater works after He leaves than He did while He was with them.
          What did He mean by greater works?  In one sense you cannot imagine any more powerful works than raising the dead, casting out demons or healing a man born blind.  The apostles were given authority to do the same (Mark 3:14-15).  But He is not saying they will do greater kinds of works but works greater in number and scope.
          Consider this.  The work they were called to was that of making disciples (Matt. 28:16-20).  This was Jesus’ work, of course.  He made disciples.  There were the twelve.  We’re told He appeared to over 500 of His disciples at one time before His ascension (1 Cor. 15:6).  After His ascension we are told there were 120 disciples gathered in a room praying for ten days (Acts 1:15).
          On the tenth day the Holy Spirit came; Peter preached and, as a result of that one sermon, saw more people come to follow Christ than had come to Him during His three years (Acts 2:41).  Shortly after that another 2000 were baptized (Acts 4:4).  And over the centuries things like this have happened in many times and places around the world.
          Think about this.  Jesus called His disciples to make disciples, to do greater works.  120 of them prayed for 10 days; then the greater works came.  Now look at his promise in our passage:  Jesus ties the greater works to a promise about prayer.  They can come to the Father in Jesus name and whatever they ask for He will give it.
          To pray in Jesus name is the key.  It is not a magic charm to be added to the end of a prayer.  Rather, to pray in Jesus name is to…

·        make Christ the petitioner.  It is as if He were asking the Father, and the Father always hears His Son.

·        make Christ’s merit the basis.  We do not come in our own name, as if that would impress the Father.  It is Christ’s provision for sin that enables us to have this access to God’s presence.

·        make Christ’s will the standard.  Remember this:  we are asking of the Father what Christ would ask.  When we come in His name we are not asking for our will but His.
     Again we see that Jesus is calling the disciples to live and minister as He did.  He was often found to be in prayer to His Father, seeking direction and power.  So let us pray.  Let us pray in His name!  Use what He has given that you might do greater works and glorify God!

John 14:5-11

          The second provision of Christ for His disciples is a personal path.  This path provides access to God for the disciples.  The path is personal because Christ Himself is the way.
          There is a deep and difficult concept at work here, what the theologians call the “hypostatic union”.  Jesus says He is the way to the Father (v6).  Yet He says  He who has seen me has seen the Father (v9).
          The Bible Teaches that Jesus was…
          – in the form of God, Phil. 2:6.  God’s form is not physical but spiritual.  Thus
             Jesus had all the essential attributes of God.
          – the image of the visible God, Col. 1:15.  He was the visible representation
              to the invisible God.
          – the express image of His being, Heb. 1:3.  He is the express image of
              God’s essence.  The Greek word for essence is hupostasis (from which
              comes the term hypostatic union.)  This union is an essential unity
              that the Father and Son share.
          The identity of the Father and Son extends to every word (John 3:34-35) and work (John 5:19-20) of Christ.  And thus Christ is, in His essence, God; and at the same time He is the way to God.
          While this is a deep and difficult truth it is by no means dark.  Jesus calls us to believe it (v11a).  If we are not sure then He calls us to believe it on the basis of His miraculous works (v11b) which were signs of His identity with the Father.  To believe Christ and His word is to receive Him and thus to have immediate and intimate access to the Father.
          And if they would believe Him they would find this to be a fantastic provision for the skeptic (like Thomas, v5) and for the realist (like Philip, v8).
          What Christ is offering to His disciples is something He has enjoyed in His own life and ministry:  access to and intimacy with the Father.  He has told them they will someday be together again (v1-4).  But they need not be strangers to God in the meantime.  They can begin now to enjoy a personal relationship with God through Christ: He is the way!
          By faith in Christ are you in this relationship with God?