Running from the Lions
About this sermon
In “Running from the Lions,” Pastor Dean Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about Bible prophecy, the authority of Scripture, divine judgment. Drawing especially from Amos 5, Revelation 5, Revelation 6, 1 Samuel 17, the teaching emphasizes that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience.
Chronological teaching outline
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Odle focuses on Bible prophecy while working through Amos 5. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on divine judgment while working through Revelation 5, Revelation 6. The message argues that God’s judgment is treated as righteous, certain, and a reason to repent while mercy is offered. It connects this with the conviction that God’s grace forgives and also trains believers to leave sin and live in obedience. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that the biblical narrative is used to show God’s power to recover what has been lost and restore usefulness. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that unresolved offense can become bitterness, while forgiveness releases judgment to God and protects the heart. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on spiritual vigilance. The message argues that believers are urged to remain sober, alert, prayerful, and ready amid spiritual danger. It connects this with the conviction that Satan’s work is described through deception, accusation, temptation, and opposition to God’s purposes. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on Satanic opposition. The message argues that Satan’s work is described through deception, accusation, temptation, and opposition to God’s purposes. It connects this with the conviction that biblical faith trusts God’s character and acts upon His promises. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on divine judgment while working through Revelation 19, Matthew 22. The message argues that God’s judgment is treated as righteous, certain, and a reason to repent while mercy is offered. It connects this with the conviction that biblical love is demonstrated through truth, patience, sacrifice, and conduct toward others. The practical emphasis is to practice patient, truthful love in relationships and conflict.
Odle focuses on prayer while working through Psalm 2. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that biblical love is demonstrated through truth, patience, sacrifice, and conduct toward others. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
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- 0:00:02
praise the Lord good to have you this morning and welcome everyone the fire and Grace Church we welcome those listening by Blog Talk Radio this morning I want everyone to turn to the Book of Amos Prophet Amos this morning chapter five Amos chapter five I want to say happy birthday this morning to Marlene she has joined the 40 club [Applause] welcome now we can start looking at you as an adult Hallelujah this warning the message I believe the lord gave me is entitled running from the Lion running from the Lions and it's not a mistake there that the word Lions is PL plural there running from The Lion now you're going to have to stay with me to understand what I'm talking about this morning because we're going to run through a lot of scripture but here in the prophet Amos as I've said even last week and a few times the Old Testament prophets were very unique individuals because unlike even the apostles and the New Testament prophets they were speaking of things that would happen you know about Jesus in the same prophecy they would be speaking about things in in their world in the near future they would be speaking mysteries about Jesus coming to be the Messiah and die on the cross for our sins and they would also be speaking many things about the very end of time when Jesus the Messiah would return and the time of great trouble so they were very unique in the sense that they would cover this vast uh array of things and sometimes it would seem that's why sometimes God's word if you're reading it just by the natural man the Bible says the natural man cannot see the things of the spirit of God because their foolishness to it and he says neither can they be discerned because they have to be spiritually discerned so basically you have to have the Holy Spirit help you understand sometimes what they're talking about because right in the middle of amos's Prophecy and gives a prophecy about the last days and I love the Bible symbolic language because there's so much in a small passage and if you follow the rules of biblical interpretation and you let the Bible interpret the Bible and whenever the Bible uses symbolic language like lions and bears and serpents the Bible will always tell you what those things mean
- 0:03:03
so this morning we're going to talk about this verse or this passage in the Book of Amos about the day of the Lord the day of great his great wrath a great Darkness that's coming upon the Earth in the end right before Jesus comes and this is what he says about it he said people would be running from the lion or let's let's look at this uh Amos 5 . we're going to go over to verse 18. [Music] and we'll read verses 18 through 20. now I may read some more a little bit later in this but really this is directed at God's people okay and this is what he says he says woe unto you that desires the day of the Lord to what end is it for you the day of the Lord is darkness and not light it is as if a man did flee from a lion and a bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand upon a wall and a serpent bidding shall not the day of the Lord be darkness and not like even very dark and no brightness in it and we know he's talking to the people of God because he goes on to say I hate and I despise your feast days I will not smell in your solemn assemblies though you offered me burnt offerings and your meat offerings I will not accept them neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat Beast take away take thou away from me the noise of your songs for I will not hear The Melody of your vows but let judgment run down as Waters and righteousness as a mighty stream now this passage I know is talking to the people of God and it applies to us today all right because he says woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord and say I'm around many Christians and through the internet and through Facebook and and through all the different mediums that we have now I hear from a lot of different Christians I hear both good and bad I hear the positive I can read to you emails and messages that I received this week of people saying we thank God for your ministry we love what you're teaching straight out of the Bible keep preaching it keep teaching it um but I also hear you know we don't want to hear that it's not going to happen nothing's going to happen anytime soon and I'm talking about Christians we have the mockers the mockers of the prophetic the the prophetic word in the scriptures about the end times and Jesus returning and everything's going to lead up to that we've got the mockers who don't want to hear it or say it's not going to be in our lifetime or it's a hundred years away or whatever I hear all of it and then I hear people that say yeah I want Jesus to come back Christians I'm talking about yeah I'm ready I'm ready it doesn't matter to me
- 0:06:03
I'm a pan tribulationist all the stupid jokes it's gonna pan out the way God wants it to and I'm ready no they're not I most Christians particularly in America in the west are not ready they think they are they're arrogant they're prideful they're blind they're lukewarm and and yet they say now remember this Jesus told us about the laodicean church and one thing he said about them is they say I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing there is a there is an attitude within Christianity that especially in America I got it you know I know how to use Google so I'm an expert now I'm about tired of Christians also that think because they watching the video on YouTube they're all automatically an expert on Bible prophecy and then they start correcting me for trying to correct me I'm like have you read a book or did you just watch one video one video does not make you an expert I've told people before I said the internet's great but it's also bad the hard thing now is not that there's a lack of information the hard thing is figuring out which information is correct because there's so much of it and there's so much disinformation and if you don't have some foundation in the scriptures and some foundation and some actual physical real books you'll believe anything there are a lot of people that desire the day of the Lord or they say I'm ready you know I'm ready yeah I you know they're not ready he says woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord I'm gonna prove it to you because he says this he goes to what end is it for you are you really sure you know how it's going to end for you a lot of people think remember the lukewarm Church said I'm rich and increase with good and have need of nothing and Jesus said but you don't know you're blind you're wretched you're miserable you're poor you're naked you're not ready to me that's the greatest Danger within Christendom is to think that you're ready or to think that you're walking with the Lord correctly or to think that you're okay when you're not okay to actually think I'm good I don't have need of anything Jesus I know Jesus I got saved when I was 12. I know Jesus I speak in tongue I know Jesus I had an experienced well you know years ago I know Jesus a lot of people say they know Jesus a lot of people say they believe in Jesus a lot of people say that
- 0:09:04
in fact Jesus said in that day he said meaning will say Lord Lord have we not prophesied in that name and then my name cast out demons and then that ain't done any wonderful works and then he will say depart from me you worker of iniquity or sin I never knew they thought they knew him they thought they were ready they thought everything was wonderful they said yeah I want Jesus to come I'm ready I'm ready no you're not you better know for sure are you ready for the day of the Lord what end is it going to be for you it's going to be different for me that it is going to be for you or you but do you know how it's really going to end because the day of the Lord is is not really an end as much as it is the beginning of Eternity it is the deciding moment it is the judgment and Christians are going to be judged Christians and not all Christians I'm going to show you are going to make it on that Judgment Day some Christians will hear well done enter in you've been faithful other Christians will hear you should have done this binding hand and foot and casting I'll show you that in a second but I want you to see this he says here that the day of the Lord will be like a man running or fleeing from a lion and then a bear Maddie and then he runs into the house and leaned on the wall in a serpent bidding you may tell you the first thing this is saying there will be No Escape you can run from the Lion you can run from the lion and you're going to meet a bear you can run from the bear and run into the house and think you're safe and you're going to lean up against the wall like I'm okay now and it says a serpent goodbye the day of the Lord's wrath the end There Is No Escape for anyone you hear that now let me explain to you what these symbols mean the reason I said lions running from the Lions everyone holds your spot here and Amos because we may come back to it in just a second but go to Revelation chapter 5.
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