This document discusses a famine of hearing the word of God mentioned in Amos 8:11-12. It says that while access to God's word is greater than ever, fewer people are actually reading and learning from it. When people do not hear God's word, they become easily deceived. The document urges people to not just hear God's word but to heed and obey it, holding fast to its teachings and sharing it with others. It says this can turn a spiritual famine into a feast.

5. A Famine in the Land!
Amos 8:11-12 "Behold, the days are
coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will
send a famine on the land, Not a famine of
bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of
hearing the words of the LORD. They shall
wander from sea to sea, And from north to
east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the
Word of the LORD, But shall not find it.

8. How many of you have ever
experienced a famine before?
• Likely none of us! Thank God – A-men!
–Yet, have we read about those that have?
• In the Bible we read about many famines,
some local & some universal!
• Famine = an extreme scarcity of food;
archaic hunger; a drastic shortage
–Read (I King. 17-18 cf. Js. 5:17-18)

9. There “is” a famine in the land!
• This is not the kind of famine we read about
in 1 Kings 17-18, but rather a far worse kind
of famine!
• This is a famine of “hearing the Word of the
Lord!”
–This is one that will not only affect you now, but
for all eternity! Many are malnourished
spiritually! Many are starving to death!

10. Moving from famine to feast!
• In our lesson today we want to see how
we can more from famine to feast in our
lives, so we will then have the strength to
help others!
• 1 Pet 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the
pure milk of the word, that you may
grow thereby.

11. I. Hear the Word!
• Am 8:11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the
Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But
of hearing the words of the LORD.“
– The problem “isn’t” that God’s Word is not
available, the problem “is” that God’s Word isn’t
being “heard!”
– The people had cut themselves off from hearing
God’s Word! “hearing they don’t hear!”

12. God’s Word is available but not being heard!
• The available of the Word of God today is likely
greater than ever before in history!
– We live in the “information age!”
– Modern technology makes God’s Word more
accessible than ever before & yet fewer people
are reading & learning it!
– Less than 30% of Christian will read the Bible in
their lifetime! 82% only ready then while in
church on Sundays!

13. What happens when people aren’t
hearing God’s Word?
• The Bible teaches that they are easily deceived!
– 2 Pet 3:16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in
them of these things, in which are some things
hard to understand, which untaught and unstable
people twist to their own destruction, as they do
also the rest of the Scriptures.
– Mt. 22:23 Jesus answered and said to them, "You
are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the
power of God."

14. II. Heed the Word!
• There is “hearing” with the ears & then there
is “hearing/heeding” with the heart & mind!
“He that has ears to hear, let him hear!”
–Jesus says this some 15x!
• 8x in the Gospels & 7x in Rev. 2 & 3!
• Consider the parable of the “Sower, the seed &
the soils!” Mt. 13:1-23; Mk. 4:1-20; Lk. 8:4-15

15. “Be doers of the Word & not hearers only!
• Js. 1:19 & 22 So then, my beloved brethren,
let every man be swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath; But be doers of the
word, and not hearers only, deceiving
yourselves.
• The Word of God only helps us when we
“hear & heed” it!
–Rom. 10:17 cf. Heb. 11:6

16. III. Hold the Word!
• This last point will only be affective if we
have already done the 1st two!
–When we come to hear & to heed, now we
are ready to hold the Word!
• The Bible often warns us about this
need!

17. Two-fold meaning of holding the Word!
• Hold fast! “Hold on to!”
– 1 Thess 5:21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
– 2 Tim 1:13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words
which you have heard from me, in faith and love
which are in Christ Jesus.
• Hold forth! “Hold out!”
– Phil 2:16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may
rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in
vain or labored in vain. Or “Offering the Word” BBE
“Holding out to them the Message of Life” WNT

18. We need to both practice & preach the
Word!
• Phil. 4:9 What you have learned and
received and heard and seen in me—
practice these things, and the God of peace
will be with you.
• 2 Tim. 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in
season and out of season. Convince, rebuke,
exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

19. Conclusion:
• Truly Amos got it right “There is a famine
in the land!”
• The good news is that we can help turn it
from a famine to a feast!
• You have heard the Word this morning,
now will you heed it and will you hold it?

20. Hearing God’s Word!
1 Pet 2:2 as newborn babes, desire
the pure milk of the word, that you
may grow thereby.

22. “Americans revere the Bible–
but, by and large, they don’t
read it. And because they
don’t read it, they have
become a nation of biblical
illiterates.” – George Gallup