𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: We Can Run, But We Can’t Hide
𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 / 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 / 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮:
𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁: Amos 9:1
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲: God sees every life, every place, and every altar where people try to hide from Him.
𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮: You can run from God and worship at many wrong altars, but you can never hide from His all‑seeing eyes; the only safe place is to run to Him, not from Him.
𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗿 (Amos 9:1)
𝗮. Amos saw the Lord standing on the altar at Bethel—an altar of the wicked, rebellious, stubborn, and hard‑hearted.
𝗯. Many today worship at modern Bethels: the altar of Wal‑Mart, the deer stand, the river, the TV, or whatever comes between them and God’s house.
𝗰. There is also an altar of rationalization and self‑justification, where people decide what is right regardless of what God says.
𝗱. In the vision, God said that altar must be torn down; in our lives, those false altars must fall so we can return to God’s true altar—His church, where He meets with His people.
𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 (Amos 9:1-3)
𝗮. God said He would strike the altar and judge the people, yet they would still try to run and hide from Him.
𝗯. The Lord made it clear—no matter where they went, He knew where they were and what they were doing.
𝗰. People today may run to their chosen altars, but God knows every thought, every room they hide in, and every bed they sleep in.
𝗱. At any time He can get our attention “God style,” and those who run from Him will find He is already where they are running to.
𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 “𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆’𝘀 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁” (Amos 9:4)
𝗮. Many hide behind the words “Nobody’s perfect” as if that were a good reason not to try to do good and be faithful to God.
𝗯. It is true that none of us are perfect, but that does not give us permission to live careless, unchanged lives and worship on the devil’s altar of excuses.
𝗰. The Christian life should be a life of progress—less like the old person we were, and more like Jesus Christ as we go on.
𝗱. God does not expect sinless perfection, but He does expect sincere effort, growth, and surrender; He knows when “nobody’s perfect” is just a hiding place.
𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 (Amos 9:4-5)
𝗮. Some try to hide from God by blaming someone else for their own coldness, bitterness, or lack of commitment.
𝗯. “Every tub sits on its own bottom”—in the end, our life and our choices will fall back on us, not on those who hurt us.
𝗰. The altar of unforgiveness is not a place where God meets with His people; He calls us to forgive as we have been forgiven.
𝗱. We may move people with our stories of how badly we’ve been done, but that will not excuse us before the Lord for turning our back on Him.
𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 (Amos 9:6-10)
𝗮. Many young people hide behind the idea, “I’ve got plenty of time to serve the Lord; I’m young.”
𝗯. That “plenty of time” altar is a lie—time runs out quickly, and wasted years cannot be reclaimed.
𝗰. Testimonies like your daddy’s remind us of the sorrow of looking back and wishing we had given God our best years instead of what was left.
𝗱. The Bible says no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him; we do not get saved or surrender on our own terms, but on God’s.
𝗲. Hiding behind youth and delay may be one of the most dangerous altars of all—better to run to God now than discover too late that the last call has come.
𝗜𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 / 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲:
A movie once carried the title “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” That story was fiction, but there is a God in heaven who truly knows what we did last summer, last week, and last night. We may fool our family, our church, and even ourselves, but we cannot fool the Lord. He knows every step we take and every altar we bow at—and He lovingly calls us to leave our hiding places and come to Him.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 / 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
In Amos’s day, God’s people were worshiping on the wrong altar, and many are still doing the same today—hiding behind excuses, hurts, youth, and false worship.
- To the believer: Which altar are you worshiping on today—the altar of comfort, excuses, and blame, or the altar of surrender, faithfulness, and obedience? Will you tear down the wrong altars in your life and run to the Lord instead of running from Him?
- To the lost: You can run from churches and Christians, but you cannot hide from the God who knows you and loves you. Will you turn from sin and run to Christ today, trusting His death and resurrection for your salvation?