On 7-5-15, Micah 2:4-11 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as No Rest for the Wicked

No Rest for the Wicked

Micah 2:4-11

July 5, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

Do you get tired of what I have to say?  I suppose some do and never come back and search for what they want to hear else where.

Do you get tired of some of the scriptures we have had week after week?  I suppose some do and attendance suffers.

Last week when we were still in Amos I talked of how I felt that the latter verses of Amos 8 applied to us today as there you read of those who wandered all over trying to hear the word of the Lord.

Much of what we can hear today is a social gospel or a prosperity gospel or an entertaining gospel.  Those who pant after the Lord want to hear the true gospel that is no longer popular.

In 1 Corinthians 10 we read that Israel served as an example for us, “to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.”  They “were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.”

In today’s Micah 2:4-11 we find just such a warning where we read that they were wanting false prophets.  They were saying don’t prophesy about the truth prophesy instead what we want to hear.

Micah said, “If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ that would be just the prophet for this people!”

As you study you can look at the context of that time and their situation, but I would have you remember what we said above about these being examples and warnings for us.

Are you tired of this kind of message and these types of scriptures?  If so I’m concerned and you should be also.

2 Timothy 4:1-4New International Version (NIV)

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

For Discussion:

Discuss the reality of wanting to hear pleasant things versus the unpleasant.

Discuss the challenges some face to keep the message “popular”.

Discuss Israel serving as an example and warning to us.

Discuss the different messages heard today.

Discuss the danger and fallout of those messages.

Discuss what appears to be success resulting from those messages but really is not.

Upcoming Lessons

7-12-15     No Tolerance for Corrupt Leaders and Prophets or No Tolerance for Corrupt Officials    Micah 3:5-12

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 6-28-15, Amos 8:1-6, 9-10 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as God Will Never Forget

God Will Never Forget

Amos 8:1-6, 9-10

June 28, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

Time, in spite of the fact or maybe because God is timeless I think about Him and time.

We see it in Galatians 4:4 that “…when the time had fully come, God sent His Son…” and then as Romans 5:6 says at just the right time that Son died for us.

Today in Amos we see an example in the ripe fruit that the time was ripe and Israel will be spared no longer.

The day is accompanied by bodies flung everywhere which certainly gives us a great deal of imagery with very little effort.

So what is the lesson for us?  Most of us who study these scriptures are aware that God’s patience though great does run out.  That God levies a heavy penalty when the time runs out with the patience.

Maybe our lesson this week is how close we are now ourselves to running out of time.

I know how I have experience in seeing the greatest blessed country ever turn from He who blessed them.  In hearing a message through out the land that has very little to do with the gospel message.  In witnessing the building up of vileness and calling it good.

The darkness is no longer afraid of the light.

For some time now, maybe I should say quite a while, I have considered the not included scripture from Amos 8 to be for us today.

“The days are coming declares the Sovereign Lord, when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or thirst for water,  but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.  Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord but they will not find it.”

I believe this but yet I know for anyone of us the sand can run out of our hour glass at any time.  For those who are saved it might not matter but for those who will have less and less chance to hear the true word of God it does and that should matter to us.  It is all about time.

“For He says, In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”  2 Corinthians 6:2

For Discussion:

Discuss your favorite scriptures that relate to God and time.

Discuss examples of God’s patience running out.

Discuss God’s patience.

Discuss the warnings that God gives.

Discuss the messages that are prevalent in the church today.

Discuss how ripe we are at this time.

Upcoming Lessons

7-5-15      No Rest for the Wicked     Micah 2:4-11

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 6-21-15, Amos 6:4-8, 11-14 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as God Abhors Selfishness or Rebuked for Selfishness

God Abhors Selfishness 

or

Rebuked for Selfishness

Amos 6:4-8, 11-14

June 21, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

Last week I asked the question, “Have you ever lived in a situation or in a place for so long that you became accustomed to it even when it wasn’t good?”  Here we see exactly what we were talking about in the not included verse 6:1a, “Woe to you who are complacent.”

How serious is the woe?  In verse 8 He says, He “will deliver up the city and everything in it.”  I take that to be all of the cities but it could just as easily be Jerusalem as she often represents them all.

It goes on to say that He “will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits.”  Meaning no one is spared both great and small.

Do you ever think of yourself as a small cog in a big gear and not all that significant?  To me that is similar to complacency.  Take a look at a picture of a cog and you will see removing one doesn’t leave a very effective gear.  In fact the Merriam Webster definition for cog says in part that a cog is a subordinate but integral person or part!

Since we have been looking at Amos we have talked about how we have to look within to avoid what we are reading about.  So let’s say that we have done that either for quite some time or recently.  Let’s also say that we notice a problem because our discernment shows that things in our church do not measure up, now what?

Amos was one of the Shepherds of Tekoa not a priest like Jeremiah or Ezekiel but that did not stop him from performing the role of a prophet because of the vision he was given.

We are given God’s word and we are given discernment and can see when things are wrong, will we perform as that cog who “is a subordinate but integral person or part”?

I don’t want to see complacency in part because it doesn’t bring God the glory He deserves.  I don’t want to see smugness because I have been there and fear that becoming complacent will return me there.

I know that you have seen a lowering of standards either in your own church or the church in general.  Think about how things are changing as if God who is timeless changes.  We all must fight this change no matter how trivial some of it may seem because these changes snowball and get ever bigger.

Litmus tests some times get a bad rap in discussions but I think in the case of measuring the glory to God there need be no concern.  Measure each issue and ask if what is going on is consistent with the word of God and/or if it does more or less to glorify Him.  If the result is negative you have been given an integral role to perform just like that shepherd from Tekoa.

For Discussion:

Discuss complacency in the church.

Discuss what can be done about complacency.

How can you as a class do something about complacency even outside of just your church?

Rather than just your church, look at your country as it relates to this scripture in Amos.

Discuss the not included verse 10 especially with regard to your country.

Upcoming Lessons

6-28-15     God Will Never Forget     Amos 8:1-6, 9-10

7-5-15      No Rest for the Wicked     Micah 2:4-11

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 6-14-15, Amos 5:14-15, 18-27 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as God is Not Fooled

God is Not Fooled

Amos 5:14-15, 18-27

June 14, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

“Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?”  Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you.  Away from me you evildoers!”

This scripture from Matthew 7 came to my mind instantly when i read today’s scripture and it said, “Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord.” And, “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.  Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs!  I will not listen to the music of your harps.”

Either the scripture from Matthew or Amos are just as pertinent for us today and should cause most of us including me to pause and look within.

Have you ever lived in a situation or in a place for so long that you became accustomed to it even when it wasn’t good?  We can go through the motions of serving God and being Christians.  In fact we can become unaware of this fact and it will become who we are.  

We can see the people of Israel in the time of Amos “turned justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.”  They despised the truth, they trampled on the poor and oppressed the righteous.

I bet none of us or at least very few of us studying today are that bad but complacency can turn to the smugness I mentioned last week when things go well or one becomes accustomed to how things are.

Pointing these things out and being reminded is one of the great reasons for people to do things like you are doing today in preparing for Sunday school.  Just like stopping to make sure you aren’t taking a spouse for granted or maybe walking around your old house to see what maintenance  needs to be done so should we examine ourselves.

Oh, you might not be able to fix everything yourself just like you might not at home.  But like the scripture says, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  Therefore scripture covers the needed repair or improvement, church members have experience, books have been written.

The key thing even if one is aware like Amos’s people were you have to want to do something about it.  Not enough of them did.

For Discussion:

Discuss the first thing that came to your mind when you read today’s scripture.

Discuss applying this scripture and the one from Mathew to ourselves today.

Discuss verses 18-20.

Discuss verses 21—23.

Discuss verses 14-15 in light of what is going on today.

Upcoming Lessons

June 21     Rebuked for Selfishness or God Abhors Selfishness    Amos 6:4-8, 11-14

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

On 6-7-15, Amos 2:4-8 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as The Greatest Gift is Love

The Greatest Gift is Love

Amos 2:4-8

June 7, 2015

Commentary 

by

Jed Greenough

Just when I thought we were leaving our former theme behind, meaning how we have been concentrating on loving one another, I see we are not.  God “directed” the committee who choose our 6 year plan of scriptures to take us to Amos.  In today’s scripture we see what results from doing the opposite of what we have been looking at in taking care of and loving one another.

We spend a few weeks here in Amos and since we start in the second chapter you know you really gotta read from chapter 1 verse 1 to today’s 2:4.  In the not included and the included you see the historical perspective of the prophet Amos and that we can pinpoint his work to the mention of who the kings were at the time.

NIV scholars say this time was when Israel was “politically secure and spiritually smug.”  I find this very key and what we should keep in the forefront of our mind as we look at the scripture in Amos and see this prophesy of her coming downfall.

Amos says, “the Lord roars” “and thunders”.  This is how the prophesy begins so we see right from the get go He isn’t pleased.  His wrath will not be turned back and it isn’t just against Israel but against her neighbors as well.  This makes me sad because she is lumped right in their with the unchosen.  No different and not acting any different.

They had His law but they rejected it we read in verse 4.  We also see they rejected His decrees and followed after false gods.  They favored riches over justice for the righteous, the poor and the oppressed.

Clearly the example of the previous weeks about how to behave towards one another continues with this week as we see how God reacts when we are smug and feeling secure and fail to do just that.

For Discussion:

1. Discuss how you think God feels when His people act like the world.

2. Discuss how to overcome the “trap” that so many fall into when things are going well.

3. Discuss what you think is meant by, “For three sins…even for four I will not turn back my wrath.”

4. Show other scriptures where how God wants the poor, the righteous and the oppressed to be treated.

5. Discuss the hypocrisy shown in verse 8.

6. Discuss the ease we often have in looking at Israel clinically rather than applying these messages to ourselves.

Upcoming Lessons

June 14     God is not Fooled     Amos 5:14-15, 18-27

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved