“Prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12).

What goes through your mind when you read that sentence? Does the thought of meeting God face to face bring you joy and excitement? Or does the thought of meeting God bring absolute terror?

That depends on who God is. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, God is your loving Father. If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, God is the judge who will judge between the good and evil and punish all sinners. If Jesus is not your Lord, the thought of seeing God face to face is absolutely terrifying.

The above text comes in Amos chapter 4. The entire chapter is about a God who has done everything he can to cause his people to return to him and repent. Prior to verse twelve that reads: “Prepare to meet your God,” the phrase “Yet you have not returned to me” occurs five times (v.6, 8, 9, 10, 11). God goes out of his way to let the people know that they are being judged. God goes out of his way that the only pathway to salvation is through God’s mercy. God goes out of his way inviting sinners to return to him and repent.

When we obstinately reject God’s invitation, the day when we will meet him as he sits on the throne of judgment will come.

It is God’s desire that not one should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

Repent and return to the Lord.

“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry” (Jonah 4:1).

Look at the opening words again: “But to Jonah this seemed very wrong.”

What seemed very wrong? What was Jonah so upset about? Who was Jonah upset with?

God.

You see, God sent Jonah to Nineveh, the terrible enemy to all Jews. These were people who terrorized, murdered, raped, and pillaged the Jews. This would be like saying God sent Jonah, a Jewish man, to Hamas.

As odd as sending a Jewish man to the Hamas, the message which Jonah proclaimed was more palatable. Jonah prophesied doom: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). If any message from God were to be uttered, this was it! This was more to Jonah’s liking.

BUT…

The people of Nineveh believed the prophet’s words. They believed Jonah and repented. They repented not even knowing if God would listen to their prayer or not. But they knew they were guilty. They knew God’s judgment was correct. So, they confessed their sins and repented and placed their lives in the hands of God.

AND…

God relented. God forgave. God heard the prayers of the people of Nineveh.

That’s why Jonah was so angry. What? No damnation and destruction? Forgiveness? Are you kidding me?

Jonah had a massive meltdown. Not only did Jonah think God was wrong and messed up, he was ticked. He was angry.

Friends, if you ever find yourself at odds with God, where you think God messed up, where you think God is wrong, so wrong that you are furious with what God says in his word? When you are at odds with God, when you are at odds with what God says, who do you think is wrong?

Yeah. It’s silly isn’t it? When you find yourselves at odds with God…surrender anyway, submit anyway, obey anyway. One hundred million percent, you are wrong and God is right.

Surrender. Submit. Obey.

“For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:13-15).

How can people come to believe and be saved? Through the proclamation of the gospel.

This is so important. Preachers of the gospel have one job – to preach what the Bible says. The preacher has no business preaching anything other than that. The preacher must never preach when they want the Bible to say, they only have the right and the responsibility to preach what the Bible says.

The preacher stands under the authority of God and God’s word. The preacher cannot choose what they like and reject what they don’t. The preacher does not have that authority.

What the Bible says is true may not be popular. That has nothing to do with the veracity. What the Bible says is true may be difficult. But, that has nothing to do with whether it is true or not. If there is to be any bending, it is we who must bend to the truth of God’s word.

Little Church and Lakewood Grace, we stand under the authority of God’s word. We do not get to pick and choose what we like and don’t like in the Bible. All of it is God’s word and our job is to do our best to bend and adjust to the truth revealed to us in God’s word. If there is any bending to be done, it certainly is not bending God’s word to suit our taste. If there is any bending to be done, it is us who must bend our wills to God’s word.

The salvation of everyone around us depends on the church getting this right.