David Henneke's Video Podcast

Complacency is an insidious sin, motivated by pride, and leads to trusting something or someone other than God. Any person who feels “at ease in Zion” who feels completely satisfied with what this world has to offer is like an ostrich….with its head stuck in the sand. Ignoring the Lord, while seeking peace, security, and comfort in this world instead of in God, WILL lead to a disillusioned life. Everything in this world collapses, fails, deteriorates, dies, decays, it will eventually fade away. Only God can give permanent life. Only God can give true peace, comfort and assurance!

Instead of celebrating this amazing display of repentance Jonah is furious. In Chapter 2 we see Jonah’s response to his own deliverance. Here in Chapter 4, we see Jonah’s response to the deliverance of the Ninevites. The deep contrast between these two chapters speaks volumes about Jonah, all this his shame. As the Lord turns from His anger at the end of Chapter 3, Jonah turns to his here in Chapter 4.

Amos reveals that their profession and religion were both hypocritical. Therefore, the Lord would not accept their offerings or sacrifices. God did not leave them without hope, without an opportunity to correct their hypocrisy. God told them how to make their worship acceptable to Him. They had to practice & pursue justice & righteousness. True worship results in action. No matter how much “religious activity” we participate in, if we don’t love our brother and our neighbor, then we are not an authentic worshipper of God

In our study of Jonah we see how time and time again, God never gave up on Jonah nor did he give up on His desire to GIVE the Ninevite’s the opportunity for repentance. When you return to God after running from Him, your past does not limit what God can do in your present. After all, God looked at Jonah in Chapter 3 just like he did in Chapter 1!

Religion without righteousness and justice is HYPOCRISY. No matter how many people attend our worship services, if the end result does not lead to obedience to God and for a greater concern for our neighbor then our meetings are a failure. Revival begins with Repentance. True repentance begins with naming our sins and dealing with them one by one.“HEAR God’s Word!” Are you listening? “SEEK the Lord!” Are you praying and pursuing Him? “SEEK the good!” Do you HATE what is evil and RUN TO what is Right? Revival begins with Repentance. Will you be the one? Even if you're the ONLY ONE?

Jonah’s three days and three nights in the fish’s stomach pointed to the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ It was through Jonah’s three-day experience
that he was given a new life and a new beginning. So it is with us. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we too can receive a new life, a new beginning, a brand new start, a second chance

Amos Chapter 4 magnifies Chapter 3, by specifying a number of areas of failure: (1) failure to care, (2) failure to worship, (3) failure to remember and (4) failure to engage with God. Israel had sinned grievously, and despite many appeals to repent, they ignored God’s warning. They are much like of us today….walking in our sin and refusing to repent.

Last week we saw how Jonah’s hatred for the Assyrians and Nineveh was so strong that he would rather run from God than to go and preach to the great city. This week we see that not only would he rather run from God, he rather die than to have to go to Nineveh. Two major truths are revealed in this text: (1) God loves us too much to let us remain disobedient without bringing His discipline and (2) or personal disobedience affects other people.

Amos 3:1-15 The breakdown of society is simply the outward evidence of the loss of personal holiness. This chapter is full of reminders of who God’s people are and where they have come from. External forms of worship are worthless if personal and corporate holiness is lacking. God’s judgment upon Israel was utterly devastating. So it will be when Jesus Christ returns to execute perfect judgment upon the earth. Every city and nation will be judged by the mighty hand of God. Every human being who has ever lived will stand before God in judgment. We will all give an account for our lives, Are you ready?

Amos 2:4-16 The nation of Israel refused to listen to the voice of the Lord’s prophet because they did not like what they heard. They did not want to be challenged or shaken out of their comfortable lifestyle. It’s no different than today. People still ignore God’s warnings: they don’t like what they hear, so they ignore what is said…what is made known to them. Do you pursue what you want more than you seek after what God wants for your life?

Amos 1:3-2:3 God will one day judge the whole world. This is a certainty. All injustices, wrongdoing, wickedness, and brutality will be avenged … Justice DELAYED is NOT Justice DENIED! The book of Amos opens with the roar of God’s judgment. God’s pronouncement of judgment upon these nations is a reminder and representation of His coming judgment on all people. The Roar of the Lion helps us review our own lives and values. It helps us to reflect and consider: Does our lifestyle reflect the heart of God? Do we share the self-seeking heart of the indifference of Amos’ day?

Amos 1:1-2 The book of Amos teaches us several valuable lessons. The core message of Amos is God’s judgment for sin. YES, God IS patient and slow to anger BUT His patience does have limits. Sin, rebellion, corruption, injustice, and every form of evil behavior will be judged. Every person and EVERY Nation who breaks God’s laws AND refuses to repent will be judged. The message of Amos is needed today as much as ever.

Ephesians 1:13-14

Ephesians 1:11-12 We have been predestined not only to adoption and to holiness, but also to “an inheritance” Our Inheritance is, in a word…..heaven. It is the sum total of all God has promised to us in and thru salvation. God gives us this inheritance so that we will live forever in the new heavens and earth as a perfect demonstration of His glory. There we will give praise to the glory of His grace, love and mercy extended to those who are in Christ. Even now…we are enabled to give thanks and praise unto Him…even in our trials and difficulties…because we have His guarantee that we will receive what He has promised.

Ephesians 1:7-10 Because we are FORGIVEN we (1) have been Justified, (2) are being Sanctified and (3) will be Glorified. Our Justification is behind us. In Christ, we are saved from the PENALTY of sin. Our Sanctification is ongoing. In Christ, we are being saved from the POWER of sin. Our Glorification is coming. In Christ, we will be saved from the PRESENCE of sin. God’s offer of forgiveness and redemption is available to everyone but it is only effective for those who actually repent and receive Jesus Christ as their LORD & SAVIOR.

Ephesians 1:3-6 We have turned Christianity into a ME THING: I get to go to Heaven, I get to be with Jesus, I get to walk the streets of gold, I get to reunite with lost loved ones, etc. Our Faith is not about us and it is ALL about Him! He CHOSE us…in Him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be HOLY and BLAMELESS…before Him. You will note that all three Persons of the Godhead are involved in our salvation: As far as God the Father is concerned, salvation BEGAN when He chose you IN Christ BEFORE the Foundation of the world…but that alone did not save you; As far as God the Son is concerned, salvation was PURCHASED when He DIED on the cross and ROSE from the dead…but that alone did not save you; as far as God the Spirit is concerned, salvation is COMPLETED when you YEILD to His conviction and RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior. What BEGAN before the FOUNDATION of the WORLD was FULFILLED in time present, and WILL CONTINUE for all eternity and NOTHING….i repeat NOTHING…can separate you from the Love of God!

Ephesians 1:1-2 As Believers, we have been SET APART…MADE HOLY…and, therefore, we are called a SAINT. This is true both positionally and experientially. Positionally, we are holy in Christ and experientially we are called to be holy like Christ.

Repentance is more than having a conviction of sin (Felix, Acts 24) and it is more than giving a confession of sin (Pharaoh, Ex 9; Balaam, Numbers 22; Saul, 1 Samuel 15; Achan, Joshua 7). The Greek word for Repentance is metanoia and it is a change of mind AND and change of heart that LEADS TO a change in action. If Repentance does not lead to a change of action then it is not true (Biblical) repentance.

Jeremiah 29:11promised that the nation of Israel would be restored, but very few of the exiles lived to see the fulfillment of that prophecy. Most of them died without seeing the “future” that God had planned for them. A future that wasn’t fulfilled until 70 years later. Likewise, the future & hope we have in Christ are not a guarantee that things will go well in this life. For most believers throughout history and in the world today, the world is a cold and dangerous place. In fact, the promise outlined in Romans 8 is specifically that, even though believers will face all sorts of dangers and persecutions in this life, Jesus will never abandon us. May the words of Jeremiah 29:11 remind us that God is faithful and He will never abandon us.

1 Corinthians 10:13 The statement “God won’t give you more than you can handle” is both untrue and unhelpful. Quite simply the Bible does not teach this. In fact, the Bible actually teaches the opposite truth. Understanding this will enable us to to give better encouragement to those who are suffering.

Matthew 5:10 The Beatitude does not say, “Blessed are the persecuted, PERIOD!” Unfortunately, this is the way it is sometimes interpreted. Those who read it like this delude themselves into thinking that any time they experience conflict they are bearing the reproach of Christ. Sadly, Christians are very often persecuted not for their Christianity, but for a lack of it. Sometimes they are rejected simply because they have unpleasing personalities. Know that EVERYONE who seeks to live like Jesus WILL BE PERSECUTED…There are no exceptions!

Matthew 5:9, This divine pronouncement…understood…taken to heart…and applied by the Holy Spirit, can not only bring inner peace to our own troubled hearts but it can also make us instruments of peace to those that are troubled. In other words….It has the potential to give us peace within and to make us mediators of peace in the lives of those around us. may we all be both Recipients and Distributors of the Peace of God

Matthew 5:8 The pure in heart are marked by transparency & an uncompromising desire to please God in all things. It is more than an external purity of behavior; it is an internal purity of soul. Imagine having a heart that is totally focused on God. FOUR THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ENHANCE THE FOCUS OF YOUR HEART (1) Be honest (2) Acknowledge that only God can make your heart pure (3) Fill yourself with God’s Word and (4) Think about what you will be in eternity.

The greatest thing in all the world is to be forgiven of our sins. When we are…we are absolved and released from ALL guilt and condemnation, We ARE accepted and restored by God and assured of seeing Jesus Face-to-Face. When we receive forgiveness from God…We ARE FREE from the PENALTY of sin, we are BEING SET FREE from the PRACTICE of sin and we WILL BE SET FREE from the PRESENCE of sin. The Believer that prays for Forgiveness and then refuses to grant forgiveness is a hypocrite. They are guilty of asking God to do for them what they are unwilling to do for others. BEWARE!

Matthew 5:6

Matthew 5:5 This word (Meek) is much misunderstood. It does NOT denote cowardice or spinelessness or timidity. It does NOT suggest indecisiveness or a lack of confidence. It does NOT imply shyness or having a withdrawn personality. Make no mistake…Meekness is not weakness. Quite the opposite; Meekness is “strength under control.” A meek person reacts, then, with emotions appropriate to the occasion. A meek person EXERCISES self-control and self-control implies strength. So we might say, “Blessed are the meek, for they have the strength to be humble.”

Do you ache with the guilt of your sin before a holy and righteous God?

The supreme lesson of the First Beatitude is that without the poverty of spirit, no one enters the kingdom of heaven.

Romans 16:17-18: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naive people.”

At some point in life, you can expect to find yourself in the midst of some serious trials. If you are not prepared you will struggle to make sense of the suffering. When our world is turned upside down we tend to focus on the problem and not on the One who can overcome them. Discover 5 foundational truths about suffering: TRUTH #1 God is not the creator of evil and suffering. TRUTH #2 God allows suffering to accomplish something good. TRUTH #3 One day ALL suffering will end. (for those who follow Christ) TRUTH #4 Our suffering will pale in comparison to what God has in store for his followers. TRUTH #5 You can either run away from God or turn to God in your suffering. What will you do with your suffering?