Sermon Audio: The Minor Prophets Series..

This is a post for me to simply keep all the Minor Prophets Sermons in one place and in order. These were recorded at Christ the Redeemer Church in Post Falls Idaho.

You can read the preparation questions to make sure that you get reading Scripture yourself, rather than just download talks and listen less critically (which is too easy to do in our New Media World).

Right Click to Download, or simply Click to listen:

AMOS: In Defense of God's Wrath.
The Prophet HOSEA: In Defense of God's Love.
ZEPHANIAH: In Defense of God's Jealousy.
HABAKKUK: In Defense of God's Timing.

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Sermon Audio - HOSEA: In Defense of God's Love

This is the THIRD in a series of FOUR on the Minor Prophets. Click for online sermon:

The Prophet HOSEA: In Defense of God's Love.

Here is a brief introduction to the man:

Hosea prophesied during dark days of Israel's history, the period of the Northern Kingdom's decline and fall to Assyria in the 8thc BC (c750-c715BC). The apostasy of the people was rampant, having turned away from Yahweh in order to serve the calf idol (8.4-6) and Baal, a Canaanite god of fertility (11:2).

All of that is interesting. But here is the bizarre thing: Hosea has the dubious honor of being the only prophet told to marry a prostitute...!

Find out why by doing some reading.

FOR YOUR PREPARATION:

Read Hosea 1.

• Why is Hosea told to marry a prostitute?
• What is God communicating about Israel?

Read Hosea 3.

• Why is Hosea told to go and 'love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress'?
• How does he 'win her back'?
  
• What is God communicating about himself?

Read Hosea 11.

• Describe the heart of God.
• What do you think it means when God says: "My heart recoils within me"?

Read Hosea 14:1-7.

• What kind of response does this kind of love evoke?

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Pic is of the Hosea Commentary Scroll, from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and includes the text of Hosea 2:8-12.

Sermon Audio- ZEPHANIAH: In Defense of God's Jealousy

This is the 2nd of Four Talks. It is on ZEPHANIAH: In Defense of God's Jealousy.

Here are the Sermons Audio links so far. Click on the links to download the messages. Or Right Click to Save it:
AMOS: In Defense of God's Wrath.
ZEPHANIAH: In Defense of God's Jealousy.

Here is a brief introduction to the man:

Unlike Amos (a farmer), Zephaniah was descendant of royalty. And unlike present day royalty, he felt compelled to speak up, and speak out against the leadership and the godlessness of his day. He spoke during the reign of King Josiah (c630BC), but before that King set about a spiritual reform (See 2 Kings 22-23). Zephaniah knew that his compatriots did not care about God. He knew that many were complacent, saying in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.' How wrong they were...

The Book is short!

You can read this one in 10 minutes. But twice it mentions one phrase: "In the fire of his Jealousy". You can read that, for example, in 1:18:

In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

FOR YOUR PREPARATION:

Read Zephaniah 1.

• How strong is God's wrath here?
• Why is God jealous for his people?
• What are they doing to provoke his jealousy?

Read Zephaniah 2:1-3.

• Good jealousy can be good. It can provoke a much needed response from an unfaithful person. What response ought God's jealousy to provoke in us?

Read Zephaniah 3:14-17.

• What does God's jealousy lead him to do in love?
• How does this chapter reflection God's love shown in Jesus in the New Testament (See 1 John 3:1).

You download the outline as PDF document by clicking HERE.
Again, the talk can be downloaded HERE.


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Sermon Audio- AMOS: In Defense of God's Anger

This is the FIRST in a series of four sermons on four Minor Prophets. This one is a sermon on the Prophet Amos (In Defense of God's Wrath.)

You can listen to the sermon by CLICKING HERE.

Here is a brief introduction to Amos the Man...

Amos was a simple farmer turned prophet of God. He was from the South [Judah], but he spoke to the North [Israel] in 750BC. Amos was a contemporary of Hosea. Israel at the time was high on prosperity and 'security', but low on obedience and faith in God. And Amos was not afraid to point this out. So the ruling elite didn't like him much. He was like a potato farmer from Idaho challenging the elites in Washington DC.

Amos’ word was simply that God is a Lion [1:2] roaring against all sin. God has a strong and settled anger at sin, and wants Israel to know it. God has set a day when he will judge Israel. Here was the problem: Most Israelites thought that 'The Day of the Lord' was going to be a day of vindication. But Amos pointed out that it was to be a day of punishment [5:18-20]. That day initially came for Israel in 722BC when Assyrian army came to pay a visit...

Now, that is a shock to the complacent heart.

One thing that Amos does for us is this: You cannot take God for granted. You cannot take his mercy for granted. God is good, but he will not be mocked with faint praise and idol worship.

In this sermon, I suggest 5 methods of getting 'around' the anger of God! Or at least, 5 ways Israel tried. 5 ways that don't work.

FOR YOUR PREPARATION:

Read Amos 1:1-3:2

• Why is God angry?
• Who is he angry at?
• The book was written to Isreal, but he mentions the sins of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammonites, Moab, and Judah before he even gets to Israel. Why do you think that the Prophet does this?

Then Read Amos 5:21-24

• What does God think of their religious efforts?
• What do you think is the problem here?

Then Amos 8:11-15

• Does God remain angry forever? (The last word is one of the first positive things said in Amos!)
• How does God deal with his own anger? (Meditate on Christ's work on the Cross)

Can we take God's Kindness for granted?

• Read 1 Corinthians 10:11-12.
• Read Romans 2:4-5.

You download the outline as PDF document by clicking HERE.

Again, you can listen to the sermon by CLICKING HERE.

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Pic on Flickr by DonBaird.

Sermon Audio- HABAKKUK: Three Disciplines in the face of the Problem of Evil

It has been a month since I've posted anything serious. But we had some fun times on vacation. We were in Spokane (Washington State) to speak on a camp with Christ the Redeemer Church. I did some talks that I first started working on in 1994. I keep saying that I will never do them again, but I keep being drawn to the Minor Prophets.

Click HEAR to listen to a message on the whole book of Habakkuk. (Right Click to save and Download.)

The message is the final one from the series. It is called 'Habakkuk: In Defense of God's Timing'. If you want a the ones on Amos, Hosea and Zephaniah, then let me know, and I'll post them too.

Here is a brief introduction to the Habakkuk:

Habakkuk had a problem with God, and wasn’t afraid to say it: Why had God let evil go unchecked for so long? If God could stop evil, and he wants to stop evil, why hadn’t he stopped evil. It’s a great question and one that we all face at some stage. But Habakkuk boldly says it to God: Face to 'Face'.

So Habakkuk can help us as we face suffering and pain in the world. He is best known for beginning his prophecy with bold questions to God. And ending it with a daring statement of faith -- something like this - although 'I see no evidence of the blessing of God, yet I will rejoice in God'. Habakkuk offers us three disciplines in a world of suffering and sin.

In Habakkuk, we have a prophet we can relate to.

In PREPARATION for listening to this sermon:

Read Habakkuk 1:1-2:1.

• What 2 complaints does Habakkuk have with God?
• How does God answer the first complaint?
• What does this passage teach about 'wrestling with God'?

Read Habakkuk 2:1-4.

• What is God's final answer?
• What is Habakkuk (and all people who 'live by faith') required to do?
• What does this passage teach about 'waiting for God'?

Read Habakkuk 3:16-19.

• How does Habakkuk resolve to do?
• What is his 'evidence' for this resolve?
• What does this passage teach about 'relying on God'?

You download the outline as PDF document by clicking HERE.

And, again, click HEAR to listen.

Discuss.

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Pic on Flickr by Truthinreligion.