Introduction

Good morning. Today, we turn to Amos Chapter 4. The theme of this chapter is “Prepare to Meet Your God of Calamity.”

“Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.” (Amos 4:12)

I have always thought that preparing to meet God is a very good thing. But why is it that after attending a retreat where I seemed to genuinely encounter God, I later developed cancer? Therefore, we must have a clearer understanding of God. This is no trivial matter. If you repeatedly offend God, you are testing whether God’s hand is harder than your neck. Just having a stiff neck is enough to cause you trouble, leaving you with a painful neck that you can't move and needing someone to massage it for you.

We must be particularly careful and not assume that meeting God is always a good thing. The key is to consider who is meeting God. Those who hate God meet Him through calamity, while those who love God meet a God who bestows blessings. We should fear God from the very beginning of our faith and not let sin take root. When sin takes root, life becomes unbearable. At least, I personally do not know how to cope. Therefore, I often remind everyone, including myself, to be careful. We must learn to know God, understand His deeds, and recognize His power.

I. The Israelites Like Cows of Bashan

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. (Amos 4:1-2)

People are truly stiff-necked. After repeatedly sinning, God repeatedly brings calamity. Do you hear this? There must be a heart of reverence within. We must learn to fear God when everything is normal, otherwise, it will be too late when calamity strikes. That is, we must not act like a stiff-necked cow when nothing is happening, but recognize that this is God's doing. Do not think about showing off your strengths before God. Do not think that you are good before God, having done a few good deeds, catering to others' flesh, or saying a few kind words, thinking you are a decent person, or even a good person. In fact, saying a few kind words can turn people into Satan; catering only to people's desires and not God's is a critical matter.

Among the people I serve, there are many who are stubborn. No matter how much they change, they still live according to their own ways. As the saying goes, after decades, you become another version of yourself. They say they dislike their mother's ways, but after decades, they find themselves behaving similarly to their mother's stubbornness, because they are born of her. As they get older, stubbornness becomes a habit. I urge everyone to be more gentle in heart. It does not matter what kind of person you are born as, what matters is what kind of person God wants you to become. Do not mistake your strengths for virtues. When asked about your weaknesses in an interview, it is bad if you say your weakness is that you work too hard. This trick no longer works. The interviewer will know it is nonsense. It is better to be honest and say you have many weaknesses and ask which one they want to hear.

Everyone must be clear. Once people focus on the few things they have done right and are satisfied with themselves, it becomes difficult for them to grow. Actually, you should often focus on the areas where you are not quite right, constantly reflecting on where you are unlike God, where you are still stubborn, and need to change. If you cannot remember, write it down and review it every morning. Be careful of stubbornness. Especially those who are self-righteous are stubborn. I often undermine the confidence of our brothers and sisters. It is really difficult to hear a compliment from me.

Many parents have a flawed and absurd logic in educating their children, which is to praise them. In fact, that is corrupting. Believe it or not, people cannot be praised. Do not be afraid of destroying people's confidence. That confidence is false, it is corrupting one’s self. If you do not believe me, do not follow what I say. I believe praising children is corrupting them, because people must see their own problems in order to grow. Someone asks me how he is doing in this or that, feeling that he is doing quite well. Actually, it is not really that great. He is doing everything in the name of Jesus, but the things I asked him to change have not changed. Like the cows of Bashan, their necks are so stiff that they cannot be tenderized even with a pressure cooker.

Therefore, we must change from cows of Bashan to lambs of gentleness. For those who trust in God to grow on the spiritual path, the most important thing is not to look at their strengths, but to often see where they are not yet like God. Some people write reflections that are chaotic. I am afraid of being too harsh if I dampen their confidence; but if I do not tell them the truth and point out their problems, they think they are doing well, putting me in a difficult position. Some pastors should learn from me not to praise people easily. I do not praise people because their problems have not been corrected. Do not wait until God brings calamity before regretting it. Some people are so outrageous that they still do not change even after God repeatedly brings calamity. As soon as things get better, they forget their problems. What kind of calamity must God bring before they can come out of it?

Brothers and sisters must undergo bone-scraping treatment, not tearing their clothes, but tearing their hearts. Use God's word as a mirror to see what we are like. You may not accept me saying such things, but you must gradually accept them, otherwise, you will suffer. God is a God who brings calamity. Do not force God to bring calamity repeatedly, until the time of Sodom's overthrow, perhaps you can be like a piece of firewood snatched from the fire, completely scorched and still carrying the smell of burning.

Therefore, thank God, we must be gentle in heart. The reason why Chinese Mingding Destiny can come to this day is that it always feels that there are still many areas that have not been corrected. There are many areas where I have not corrected, and there have been many times when I almost fell into the ditch. I am grateful that I have had this wisdom since I was young, often thinking that I have not been corrected. Being corrected is like Jesus. What God asks of us is to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. To have a humble heart is to feel that you are not yet like Jesus.

II. Delight in Oppressing the Poor and Crushing the Needy

This world is amazing. The most powerful bully the second most powerful, and the second most powerful bully the third most powerful. Even at the bottom two layers, there is bullying. Those who live at the bottom of society, even if they do the same work, will bully those who are weaker than them. Delight in oppressing the poor and crushing the needy has become the culture and norm of society, because without oppressing these people, they cannot survive. Everyone is pursuing their own fame, profit, and power. Even if they have very little power, they must use it improperly, so it is very hard to live at the bottom of society. Those who bully others are very ruthless, the lower the level, the more ruthless, because the resources they can obtain are already few.

This is a normal phenomenon in a selfish society. However, this is an experiment God is conducting on earth, deliberately placing the poor and needy around you to see if you will bully them. If you immediately see an opportunity to bully them, knowing that they cannot beat you in strength or compete with you in wealth, making the bullying safe and low-risk. In fact, this is true between countries and between people. This is God testing people. Once you oppress others, you are hooked, like a fish biting a hook and being caught, the result is being oppressed even more severely.

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks. (Amos 4:1-2)

This means successfully bullying someone weaker and poorer than them, successfully squeezing out the last bit of wealth from that person. Then, they go to their master to seek a reward, bringing up fine wine and delicacies to celebrate their bullying with joy. They think it is worth celebrating to have plundered the people's wealth, but after the celebration, they offend God. They feel it is their duty to do as the boss instructs and cannot miss any opportunity to curry favor.

Therefore, we must be very careful on the path of pursuing sanctification, pursuing eternal life, and obtaining the crown of eternal glory. It is a field of corpses, and you can easily fall into a pit. The key lies in the core interests within people. If people's core interests are these worldly things, they are no different from the Israelites, catering to the flesh and seeking wealth and profit. The whole world without God is too miserable. Those who have God oppress others, God will hold them accountable; those who do not have God being oppressed is the norm of society, and after being oppressed, some people even celebrate. Some even go to church to testify that they have successfully oppressed someone and want to offer a thank offering and freewill offering in the temple. Is this not evil?

III. Offering Thanksgiving and Freewill Offerings Cannot Please God

It is a tragedy to take the profit gained through oppression and offer a tenth to God, thinking that God needs that tenth obtained in such a way. What do these people do when God brings calamity? They are confused in the face of calamity, feeling that they have offered sacrifices and donations, and that no calamity should occur. If you are a worldly person, catering to the flesh and loving the world, you would feel foolish not to take advantage of opportunities. After taking advantage, offering thank offerings and freewill offerings, God gives you some calamity, and in the end, you find that nothing is left.

All that God asks of us is to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Be sure to read God's word, and do not try to live according to your innate selfish logic, living only for money, fame, and power. It will be very hard. In fact, there is an easy path in this world, which is the path of trusting in God. Those who trust in God lack no good thing. Everyone must grasp the key, do not create a religious behavior. Sometimes you will find that it is better not to pray. If you pray, it becomes more troublesome; it is better not to sacrifice, you can take on a few more projects, but after sacrificing, you encounter a calamity, and all the projects you took on are ruined.

We must know God and understand His deeds. The problem is whether we are a person who understands God's deeds. Take our time as an example. It is obvious that some people cannot make it to the meeting no matter what, they always have something going on; those who trust in God always have time no matter what. People are really interesting, they have time to be sick, but no time to believe in the Lord; they have time to wait for God’s calamity, but no time to wait for God’s blessing.

IV. God Sends Calamities to Remind Israel

Our God does not simply inflict death upon people with single calamities; rather, He sends calamities repeatedly. He sends a calamity to see if people will awaken, and if not, He increases the severity. He starts with a 10-kilogram calamity, then adds a 20-kilogram one, and if that doesn't work, a 40-kilogram one, until the person is crushed. God sees the oppression in a place is severe, so He causes a famine in the city. Once there is a shortage of food, the oppression among people intensifies because there is only so much food; either you don't have food, or someone else doesn't. As a result, the poor and needy are treated even more abusively; this is why hardship breeds wickedness.

I also gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord. (Amos 4:6)

Cleanness of teeth means there is no meat to eat, nothing to get stuck in your teeth. Then He gives them a bit more color, causing them to suffer calamities. People's hearts are locked down by the things of this world; they believe everything except God. When there is a food shortage, some people even want to eat their own children.

I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. (Amos 4:7)

Here, it says one field had rain and another had none, meaning one city had rain and another had none. When people see this, they are dumbfounded, feeling that the other city is not doing as well as they are, and that person is not doing as well as they are, so why is there no rain on their own land? Because they think they are better than others, that they are good. However, when a person thinks they are good, that is most enraging to God. When you see these things happen, you must know that it is God's doing. But the Israelites' reaction after seeing this was to stiffen their necks like the cows of Bashan, continue to sin, and still not return to God. One cannot help but sigh; these people are really foolish.

Two or three towns wandered to another town to drink water, but could not get enough, yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord. (Amos 4:8)

When water is scarce and there is no water to drink, people do not seek God but go looking for water instead; this behavior is very strange. Those among us, brothers and sisters, who are sick, in need, and encounter all kinds of calamities, must be careful. It is God reminding you; do not stiffen your necks and still not return to God, but must soften.

Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord. (Amos 4:9)

When locust plagues, droughts, and mildew strike them, they still feel that Old Zhang's land is better than theirs, and Old Li's land is even better than Old Zhang's; they are completely confused. They only care about comparing whose calamity is heavier and whose is lighter, as if those with heavier calamities have deeper sins. They still do not believe, and still do not know God, so later God increases the severity.

I sent plagues among you as I did to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses, and made the stench of your camps rise in your nostrils, yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord. (Amos 4:10)

Not only did they suffer defeats, but many people died from plagues. The whole situation was very miserable, yet they still did not return to God; they had already been trapped by the world's logic. Brothers and sisters, you can count the calamities you have experienced in the past few years; the most deadly thing is that you forget as soon as you get through a crisis. People are really wicked. In the end, Israel was left with only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; the other ten tribes were gone. If you ask where the tribes of Dan, Ephraim, or Manasseh are now, you really don't know; they have all been destroyed. I hope that none of us brothers and sisters will experience these calamities.

I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you did not return to me, declares the Lord. (Amos 4:11)

After God overthrew a city, the few people who were saved from it were like a burning stick snatched from the fire. Having experienced calamity and been saved by God, they should return to God, do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. However, I have found that constantly increasing calamities cannot change people's stubborn hearts. Once people are trapped by this worldly logical system, there is basically no chance. Therefore, our hearts must always be soft, always humble, knowing that we are still not good enough; otherwise, if the heart remains stubborn to a certain extent, people will eventually perish.

The ending of the Israelites is a typical portrayal; today's Christians should be vigilant after hearing this. It is very strange when a pastor gets cancer and still feels that he loves God very much and that he has done everything right. Even when we are still normal, we should often reflect on where we have not done things correctly. Don't think that building a church of tens of thousands of people means you have done things right; God is not glorified by this, and the Bible never says so. Look at the chaotic church he built; it doesn't look like the Lord Jesus at all, and he still doesn't know that he hasn't done things right. When 1 Corinthians mentions being saved as through fire, it is talking about the burning stick snatched from the fire in Amos.

V. God Will Surely Send Calamities

Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel; and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel. He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name. (Amos 4:12-13)

We know that God said, Let there be light, and there was light; Let there be darkness, and there was darkness. God turns dawn to darkness. God is a God who sends calamities, so who are you? The calamities have already been listed; if they are not enough, God can increase the severity. If you want God to give you more creative calamities, God can definitely invent them. This is why I often encourage everyone to uphold Mingding Destiny and maintain a reverent heart towards God. Do not repeatedly force God to send calamities. If we repeatedly sin and then force God to increase the severity of the calamities, God will surely send calamities; do not joke with God.

If someone contracts a serious illness, be careful and often remind yourself that you haven't done things right. Some people start to go crazy as soon as they recover from their illness and establish their own righteousness again. They feel that they are good, that no one can criticize them, and they start to bristle as soon as someone says anything, like a bird whose feathers stand on end as soon as it is touched; they cannot be touched. In times of peace, maintain a reverent heart; in times of calamity, reflect even more and maintain a reverent heart even more. After hearing the fourth chapter of Amos, do our brothers and sisters feel that it conflicts with the traditional so-called Christian belief that God is a good God and will not send calamities? Some people feel that they are forced to sin by others, but if you are forced, must you do it? After sinning, you still have to bear the consequences.

VI. People Must Be Careful to Pay Attention to God's Actions

Brothers and sisters, be careful and pay attention to God's actions. I am not only telling you this, but also telling myself. After hearing it, my mind is also very clear. God led the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years, yet they did not understand God's actions. Not knowing God's power is very dangerous; can't God feed you? It is easier for God to feed you than for you to feed a chicken. God is mighty and awesome; no matter what you are doing now, you cannot push God aside. Do not be like the Israelites, whose necks were as stiff as the cows of Bashan. Start to soften and know God's mighty actions. Have such faith that people live by God and do not need to oppress or do things that are unethical and harmful.

In fact, the most important thing for people is to repent, to recognize where they have not done things right and where they are not like the Lord Jesus, and to call on God to help them repent. Revere God! Carefully examine the endings of those who revere God, and also see the endings of those who constantly offend God and repeatedly sin against God; then look at the small endings of each stage of our own lives. Do we still not understand God's actions, and why do we still sin? Be holy, because our God is a holy God. The Lord Jehovah has sworn by his own holiness that He will do this, so those who revere God will gain wisdom.

Not only does Amos speak harshly, but every book of prophecy speaks harshly enough. From now on, stop talking about these advantages. I hate it most when our pastors say how well they have been serving recently; this is what pastors should do, and there is no meaning in talking about it. In fact, what I want to hear most is how he has corrected the faults I pointed out to him last time, but he has forgotten his faults. After hearing that, I get angry and quickly repent, asking the Lord Jesus to have mercy on me. If he has really dealt with his bad habits on the issues I raised, and summarizes which aspects he has dealt with well recently, and has barely won again, I am willing to listen to this information. Because the pastor's service is to serve in the name of Jesus Christ, and it has nothing to do with the pastor himself, and what everyone should learn is to discipline their bodies and make them their slaves, as Paul said.

Run in such a way as not without aim; box in such a way as not beating the air. Stop thinking about whom you have liberated all day long and feeling that you are great. Each of us must ask ourselves how we are dealing with the problems on our bodies. Some people write a reflection, and when you look at it, it is full of worldly logical systems, making it impossible for people to comment, but they feel that they are still good. Then why are there still so many calamities? I don't understand what you are thinking, but I understand God's actions. Start to constantly improve yourself and grow on this spiritual path. Don't worry about face; even if you do, you can't hide it. It is normal for God to make you lose face. Face is not worth much; pleasing God in the presence of God and coming to God with sincerity of heart is the core.

The more Paul served, the more he felt that he was a sinner, and the more he served, the more he felt that he was the worst of sinners. Because the more you know God, the more you know your own filth. The more people do not know God, the more they feel that they are great and cannot be touched. If you say a few words to him, he will argue with me and explain for a long time; it turns out that he wants to be a cow of Bashan, which is also OK. It depends on whether your bull's neck is stiff or Jesus Christ's hand is stiff. Arguing and explaining are still saying that you are right, then you should build another church, so that you can become a generation of teachers.

I cry out to everyone to be careful to pay attention to God's actions; this is what we should do. From today on, make up your mind and write down what you want to deal with. Then little by little, deal with yourself like scraping poison from bones, so that you can live out the image of Jesus Christ. Don't feel that you are good; the Israelites all felt very good about themselves, but when the calamities came, they were powerless to reverse them, just like when the fire of Sodom and Gomorrah came down, no one could change it. That's all for today, may God bless everyone!