Introduction

Good day to all, today we examine Amos Chapter 2. Verses 1 to 3 of this chapter should, in fact, be grouped with Chapter 1, as they concern the Moabites. Like the preceding verses, they discuss foreign peoples. We shall skip this section about the Moabites and incorporate it into our previous sharing, which is that if people sin repeatedly, God will consume them with fire. These peoples have no direct connection with God, but if they offend Him, He will deal with them, regardless of whether they are His people. From verse 4 onwards, the theme of this chapter can be summarised as, If God's people sin repeatedly, He will by no means leave their offences unpunished.

I. God's Chosen People Are Not Immune to the Consequences of Sin

Someone once remarked that Christians are the worst, characterised by a tendency to sin and then confess to their God, who then forgives them. The most commonly invoked means is the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus, whom they see as a rag for wiping away sin, whether it be from the kitchen counter or their conscience. They sin, then wipe it away. They steal food, then wipe their mouths. They spill blood, then wipe it away again. Upon hearing this, I was unsure whether to defend against such a perception. God will certainly deal with these so-called Christians. Observe such individuals repeating this pattern, and you will witness God's judgement upon them.

Many Christians are unaware that the curses are written for Christians. The blessings and curses described in Deuteronomy are for those who believe, God's people. If God's people diligently obey, they will be blessed. If they fail to obey, they will be cursed. I categorise people into three groups. The first group is elevated above all nations on earth. These are the ones who read God's word and act accordingly – the wise ones. The second group comprises those of the world, whose allegiance is uncertain, perhaps Moabites or similar. Then there is the bottom tier, also of God's people, who, despite their belief, do not believe properly and therefore sink beneath all nations on earth. Like residents of a high-rise building who, during an earthquake, frantically rush downwards, ending up on the fifteenth basement level – fortunate not to reach the eighteenth, the realm of hell.

The implication is clear: if one cannot believe in the Lord properly, it may be better not to believe at all. We have a sister among us who has her own set of preferences, and we know that she does not believe properly, but superficially, she appears blessed because she lives authentically, unconcerned with others' opinions. Though she says she believes, her faith aligns with her own preferences, which she makes no attempt to hide. Some are cursed for their hypocrisy, thinking one thing but appearing to be another. Pay close attention to this theme I am discussing today. This sister recently gained an insight, reporting recurring dreams of our colleagues in meetings and training sessions. Eager to listen but fearful of being expelled, she hides behind a pillar, eavesdropping. Eventually, the teacher invites her to share with the group. This sister is admirably authentic, devoid of deceit. She has remained with us over a decade, embracing who she is.

My point is that God's people are not immune to the consequences of sin. One must approach God with sincerity and truth. You may not be perfect, but be truthful with God, free from hypocrisy. Even if imperfect, strive to move forward, however slowly, like a snail. This is far superior to living a lie. Approach God with sincerity and truth, shunning pretence, for God's chosen people are certainly not exempt from the consequences of sin. Sinning or being weak is one matter, but God detests pretence. Reflect on this. Those who engage in deceit lead strenuous lives, and their efforts only compound their struggles. It is normal for God's chosen people to have problems. God will become your strength, guiding you gradually, but never engage in falsehood with Him.

Believing in the Lord does not entail fulfilling God's law through our own carnal capacity, but through God's strength. If we possess sincerity and truth, there is hope for us. We are inherently weak, incapable of instant sanctification. But when we recognise our need for God, we are less likely to repeatedly fall. The most perilous state is hypocrisy – attempting to construct a façade of righteousness while engaging in wickedness. If we know we need God, even a prostitute who comes before Him will not be rejected. But attempting to maintain a righteous façade while engaging in wickedness is dangerous.

II. God Has Bestowed Various Graces Upon His People

One is not elevated above all nations due to one's own merit, but due to God's grace. Do not engage in pretence with God. God knows that humans are imperfect, and humans know their own imperfections. God grants grace because of faith. Faith and unbelief are critical matters. God bestows various graces upon His people so that, having experienced His grace, they may continually repent. We repent from the worldly aspects of our thoughts and intentions, but to consider oneself sufficient is detrimental. Because we are imperfect, we deeply need God's grace. Believing in and relying on Him, God grants us grace, and with grace, we trust Him more. This increased trust leads to more grace, which in turn leads to greater reliance on Him.

“Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. (Amos 2:9)

God destroyed the Amorites, seizing their land and giving it to His people. Our gains today are not due to our own abilities but to God's grace, which is intended to lead people to repentance. However, the Jews, including the Israelites, neither give thanks nor repent after receiving grace, nor do they pursue spiritual growth. They simply regard it as their due and quickly forget God's grace. They are ungrateful and reproach God, even arguing with Him. Far from being pleased, they take issue with God, questioning His pronouncements.

“Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, and some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is it not so, O people of Israel?” declares the Lord. (Amos 2:10-11)

God bestows many graces upon us. As Amos described concerning the Israelites, God once gave them a prophet named Elijah, who was powerful, performed great miracles, killed many prophets of Baal, and prevented rain for three years through prayer. Israelites, like King Ahab, witnessing the great works of such a prophet as Elijah, should have repented properly, believing in the Lord and being thankful for such a good God. Yet, they not only failed to repent but also sought to kill Elijah. Elijah had a disciple named Elisha, who was also a prophet. He possessed not only keen sight but also acute hearing. When surrounding nations planned to attack, he would pray and promptly inform the King of Israel about the identity of the attackers, the time of their attack, and urged the Israelites to prepare. This enabled the Israelites to inflict heavy defeats on their enemies. Despite having such a beneficial prophet, the Israelites still did not understand the need to repent. What were they thinking?

Even today, many things I do not understand. Why not seize hold of such a good God? A single word is enough to provoke us, and our temper flares, causing us to speak nonsense. Those whose temper flares easily are acting according to their carnal nature. God has provided various graces, treating His chosen people unlike any other nation. Oddly, people still abandon God. In the past years of building the church, we have seen numerous similar examples. Brethren, you must know that often God is testing us. Yet, many fail when tested, prioritising their own immediate interests.

This is the second point: God bestows various graces upon His people to lead them to repentance. You do not deserve it. God gives you grace to lead you to repentance. Yet, what He receives in return is forty years in the wilderness, eating the food He provides while plotting to depose Moses and return to Egypt. During those forty years, the wilderness was littered with corpses; six hundred thousand bodies fell there. Dividing six hundred thousand by forty years, approximately fifteen thousand died each year.

III. God's People Abandon God

Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked. (Amos 2:4)

Following false idols leads one astray. Do not think that God will only send fire upon Moab, Aram, and Damascus. He will also send fire upon Judah, consuming the palaces of Jerusalem. If we observe carefully, any nation that abandons God, especially egregiously, will eventually decline. Here, Judah is described as despising the teaching of the Lord. What is wrong with the Lord's teaching that they must abandon God? Their abandonment of God stems from their rejection of His words. They refuse to listen to the Lord God's teaching, statutes and ordinances. They prefer to walk their own path, believing that life is unbearable if lived according to God's word. Even today, many Christians do not know that living according to God's word leads to prosperity. They insist on walking their own path, despising the teaching of the Lord.

Consider how, when our corrupt inclinations arise, we also despise God's teaching. I often say that brethren do nothing according to God's word, not even a single sentence is from God. A corrupt inclination overcomes them, and they say harsh words for the sake of their own righteousness, not realizing that this is deadly. We who have received God’s grace must not despise the teaching of the Lord but must keep His statutes; otherwise, we will follow our carnal nature. Recently, we studied 1 Corinthians, which says that we do not run aimlessly or box as if beating the air, but we strike a blow to our body and make it our slave. That is the key. God will also help you put to death the misdeeds of the body, for setting the mind on the flesh is death, but setting the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

You should all know that when a corrupt inclination arises, it makes one feel righteous. I myself experience this. No matter how I think about it, I feel that others should not treat me this way. Do not be surprised. The dog excrement theory I share with you is articulated when I am cognisant; when I am not, I begin eating dog excrement. To emerge from carnality, one must recognise that one cannot keep the teaching of the Lord because one is always inclined to follow one’s own carnal nature, establishing one’s own righteousness, and considering oneself to be a good person. One must confess before God that one is a sinner and has no right to be angry. Indeed, one has no right. God’s people must understand when a corrupt inclination arises that it is the work of the devil and must immediately inform their pastor that they are losing control of this corrupt inclination and desperately need help.

I once ministered to a state-level or national-level sumo wrestler weighing three hundred catties. If I, with my small build, were pinned under him, I would likely suffocate. When he came to me, his fists were clenched tightly. At the time, our church was not yet victorious, and I was still working in a company. I took him to the conference room to pray. As soon as I began to pray, his large, iron-like hands tried to strangle me. His face was ferocious, scaring me greatly. I desperately cast out the demon, and with a pop sound, the demon left, and he collapsed. I wondered what would happen if he had died, would that not be a medical accident?

I prayed continually, and after a while, he gasped for air and said that the demon had left. He told me that the demon’s face was black and all it wanted to do was strangle me, but it could not. It turned out to be a dark society spirit. My God is truly powerful. Later, I ministered to a taekwondo expert weighing over one hundred kilograms. Once, the demon was defeated by me again. That inclination is a demon. You must absolutely not follow it. You will find that those images and words are released into your brain, as fast as copying from a USB drive to a computer, flooding in like a torrent. Even if you do not want to think about them, you must, which is very difficult because your mind is full of those corrupt things, and you cannot sleep.

The devil wants to entice God's people to abandon the statutes and ordinances of God and to follow their own carnal nature to ruin themselves. I deeply understand the devil's schemes. Since I believed in the Lord from a young age, my emotions have been extremely stable. It is difficult to make me unhappy, but there are times when I cannot resist. Brethren, you must closely connect with your pastors. Your pastor will know that you are speaking nonsense. Do not argue when speaking nonsense; it is useless. Pray directly with you, and relying on the Spirit of God, you can defeat the demon, and you will feel that the corrupt inclination is much less. The demon wants to harm people. Its greatest trick is to pull people out of God's statutes, ordinances, and teaching, and lead you to follow the Cain and Lamech system.

We must never remember the evil of others, be smart. The demon harms people severely. In the past, those cancer patients I ministered to each felt that they were very reasonable and that the people around them were letting them down. The corrupt inclination in them had become their norm. The cancer patient who passed away last year told me that her mother wanted one million from her. Her mother was also among us and had spent over one million to treat her disease. When that inclination came, nothing could make sense, which made her mother nearly collapse. The people in this world who have cancer are the most reasonable, and no one can argue with them. Consequently, they got cancer, and the process of their illness was excruciating. Some time ago, I slightly injured my leg, and at night, that leg ached, and no position was comfortable, which was a terrible feeling. Some people asked if I prayed. Of course, I prayed it, and it was like this. Without praying, it would be even more uncomfortable. Compared to that, the full-body pain experienced by cancer patients during chemotherapy is much more severe—not a pleasant experience at all.

So, I came up with a theory: if people don't want to reject the teachings of Jehovah, they must first realize that they are not entirely correct. If you think you are entirely correct, then God's teachings won't enter. Look at how furious we are, almost driven mad, then we must not be entirely correct, having forgotten God's teachings. I used to say that the bullshit theory is a good theory; when that evil force comes up, and you eat the bullshit, then it's not the bullshit theory anymore. The people of God immediately reject Jehovah's teachings because they are different from the logic within them.

IV. Their Covetousness and Immorality

Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. (Amos 2:6-8)

These people are God's people, but nothing they do is pleasing to God; everything they do is abhorrent to God. They sin again and again because they follow their own nature of covetousness and immorality. The matter of covetousness is terrifying; actually, it's not that people don't have money, but the more money they have, the busier they become for money, even to the point of taking clothes pledged to them and laying them down underneath. They sell the righteous for silver; this is abominable among them.

Everyone should be careful of the logic system of merchants; merchants are for making money; not making money is immoral, that is their logic. Look at what they say about themselves; for the sake of making money, for silver, they sell the righteous. Actually, they are not selling others, but selling themselves. Because they are businessmen, they exchange everything they can sell for silver, not even letting themselves go. Jehovah's teachings and laws are not in their hearts; they cannot do business with that. People who love money cannot love God; if God's people do not know how to love God but love money, they will surely be below all nations. Some people still think they are pretty good; that is because you have not been in close contact with these people. Otherwise, you will find that the most painful people in the world are them; they sell their flesh and soul, even selling the poor for a pair of shoes.

Selling themselves sounds disturbing, yet they feel it is very important. Look at those who get Alzheimer's; before they become senile, they will count money first. Everyone, listen to me, never love money; otherwise, when you get old, you will definitely love it to the point of Alzheimer's. Last year, someone sent me a video of their ninety-year-old relative counting money every day; this year, they have become ashes. After death, there is nothing left; can loving money keep you alive? But people who love money feel that money is very important, feel that carnal immorality is very important. Everyone, think about how abominable it is for a father and son to share a woman; that is blasphemy against God.

V. Despising Those Who Belong to God

And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the Lord. But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. (Amos 2:11-12)

Those who belong to God are the prophets raised up by God, and those who are completely dedicated to God, called Nazarites. Yet they despise those who completely belong to God, the prophets of God called Nazarites, lightly asking the Nazarites to drink alcohol, telling them not to speak prophecies. They simply do not take those who belong to God seriously; this was probably the environment Amos was in. He wrote the Book of Amos, but people felt it was all nonsense, discarded it like worn-out shoes, and told Amos not to speak prophecies anymore. There was no fire coming down to consume, nor so many curses; where did these problems come from? It was nothing at all, and they told everyone not to believe it.

Some people consecrate themselves and give themselves to God as Nazarites; others drink alcohol and eat meat, doing whatever they want. This is a corrupt culture, despising those who belong to God, not taking those who belong to God seriously at all. At that time, having money was good; there was a saying laugh at poverty but not prostitution, which is materialism and the supremacy of money. Our brothers and sisters must not despise those who belong to God.

VI. Why Are God's People Like This?

God's people are like this because their minds are filled with worldly logic systems, but worldly logic systems seem very reasonable on the surface, but in reality, they are not. For example, some people admire strong people, looking at how powerful and capable they are; once they admire them, they all belong to the house of Lamech, a family that indeed produced many patriarchs in various industries. Now, all kinds of online celebrities on Douyin are all worldly logic systems. We humans are all carnal; once the devil's lies enter through our willfulness, we are immediately taken captive by the devil. People have an evil force because the logic system inside is of the devil, not of God, and they throw the word of God aside.

Some people study the Bible with me for two days a week and listen to sermons on Sundays, but when we truly implement it, we find there is a bit of a gap. They are very conflicted because it conflicts with our internal understanding. Let's not talk about the Old Testament; the New Testament says that leaving parents, wives, children, brothers, sisters, and houses and lands to follow God seems very difficult. Many people do not understand even the matter of gathering together. We did not have so many gatherings before; at first, we had one Bible study a week, and then we added a gathering to train leaders among us, and everyone came. Our church is a very magical church; everyone came, and I was a little worried that it would delay their studies and work, but they comforted me and said it did not delay them and that everything was fine. Later, we added a prayer meeting, and I was also very conflicted because the spiritual height at that time was just like that. Everyone came again, and nothing was delayed.

Some brothers and sisters are the complete opposite; after Sunday service, as soon as they hear there is a prayer meeting, they run away, afraid that I will ask them if they want to stay and pray. They are very conflicted; they don't want to stay, but they are embarrassed to refuse if the pastor asks, so they simply slip away under the pretense of going to the restroom. I was also a little uncomfortable at the time, but fortunately, there were still a lot of people following us in prayer. Before long, someone who always slipped away suddenly volunteered to stay and pray, saying that he had failed his exam and needed me to pray for him. Those who stayed to pray did not fail their exams, and of course, I did not argue with him and led him in prayer. As a result, even though he felt he had failed, he passed in the end. From then on, he became a person of prayer, but he still remained at the level of praying for his work, degree, and things like that.

The logic system inside people is very interesting; you can never calculate anything out from adding and subtracting time. Among us, God has a very wonderful grace, which is that when looking for a job, people do not want you for bad jobs, but you are hired for good job opportunities. Not only is the job good, but you also get promoted and get a raise. The mystery in this is that if you make God happy, everything is good. That is Happy God, happy man. If God is happy, we are all happy; if God is not happy, everything is ruined. Never offend God; offend God again and again and provoke God's fire, it will not be easy to clean up. Everything is fine, but God burns it all with a fire.

If the calculator inside God's chosen people has a problem, they calculate that following God's word is not worthwhile, but following their own worldly logic is worthwhile. Adding and subtracting time, there are only 24 hours in a day, and calculating it, it goes wrong. A project loses a million, two lose ten million; it is easy for God to make you lose money. Today, I will tell you my own views; just say that Kazuo Inamori is very powerful. When JAL was about to go bankrupt, he was invited to be the president of JAL. During that time, he made a lot of reforms and turned the dying JAL into profitability within a year of more than 360 days. But what I didn't understand was that JAL still had those people, but I spent painstaking efforts to train a person for several years and still have that brain. So why was JAL different?

Later, I found out that it has nothing to do with what people do; it's just that when Kazuo Inamori sits in that president's position, customers come, and things get better, and it has nothing to do with what he does. As for whether God is with him or a ghost is with him, it is uncertain, because a celebrity becoming popular does not necessarily mean God is with him; it may also be a ghost is with him. We don't know what kind of ghost god Bai Longwang is with these celebrities, but this is a spiritual matter. As long as you have a little bit of knowledge of business management, you know that a year is very short, and it is very difficult to turn a profit. Although Kazuo Inamori's books say that what he did has a great relationship, it is actually a spiritual matter. It is precisely because of these spiritual matters that we are confused and think that everything they do is right, but doing what he does is not right because you are not Kazuo Inamori. The homework you copy is all good, but the final result is not good.

God's people do things that forsake God, which is to see that Kazuo Inamori is very powerful, and see only worldly things in their eyes but not spiritual things, becoming spiritually blind. No matter how you calculate with a calculator, you have to save time from God's hands and earn real money, but as a result, you lose God. If you offend God again and again, carrying a worldly logic system, God will punish His people. No matter how that evil force wants to take you away, you can actually be released. Because our internal logic system is filled with God's logic system, many problems are easily solved. God is not trying to help us solve problems, God is trying to bless us; that is a blessed path.

VII. God Will Punish His People

Do not think that being God's chosen people is a talisman for committing sins. Some people convey the idea of ​​once saved, always saved, which is a completely incomprehensible logic. God will punish His people, experience punishment while alive, and not know where they go after death. Although we don't know, it certainly won't be a good place. If you cannot live out God's image while alive, you cannot be victorious, and it will not be better after death.

But I will send a fire on Judah, which shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. (Amos 2:5)

Don't think that God cares about His temple very much. God does not dwell in temples made by human hands. He can tear down the temple Himself because that temple is not what He wants at all. In this era, you must know for sure that God is going to tear down many churches, and He is already doing it. Many churches are burned down by fire from heaven, and once a member of a church had cancer in a checkup, the pastor did was to visit the hospital. Then again and again, someone was found to have cancer, and then fear shrouded the other members, who will be the next to be diagnosed, will it be themselves? You can't be good living somewhere like that, so God will definitely take care of it and send His people back to before liberation. If you are not sent back to before creation, then thank God, otherwise, it will be completely empty and chaotic.

Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself: Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself. And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord. (Amos 2:13-16)

Don't think these people are great, and don't admire those who are very capable. These people will flee naked and have no time to care. Some people like to sleep naked at night, and when they hear an earthquake, they don't have time to put on clothes, so they run outside. Not to mention it's minus 20 degrees outside, zero degrees is enough to bear. Those who think they are great actually cannot control earthquakes. God is going to send down fire to completely draw a line under these people because God is going to punish His people. Don't think that God is a loving Santa Claus; God is a very powerful God. Our God is a consuming fire, a holy and jealous God. He hates those who hate Him, and He will punish their sins from father to son to the third and fourth generations; God will keep His covenant and show mercy to those who love Him until a thousand generations.

Today, I am telling you these words to prevent you from trying God again. Once the experiment is over, you become consumables, and you become garbage after the inspection. Today, we must begin to fear God, and those who fear God and trust God will lack nothing. People in this world must be especially careful of that worldly logic system, that is, worldly values. If the calculator is broken, you cannot figure out the things of this life, let alone eternal life. We must use the words of God, the calculator of God's logic to calculate, and we will lack no good in our life. I will share this here today, may God bless everyone!