Amos - 4 Series

Dakota Community Church

May 2, 2010

Amos 4

I want to move forward in our study of the book of Amos by looking at a couple of the themes given as reason for the coming judgment upon the people of God.

Here is an e-mail Sean Goulet received this week at the lighthouse mission:

To whom this may concern,

First of all...s***w you, you are the reason those dirty homeless people infest our city. They need to learn for them selves how to get a job and make a decent living like everyone else does with their lives. Instead this company is only keeping them on the streets by supplying them with food, clothing, and food hampers. Thus making them whore out or rob, creating havack and more children that will grow up as nothing, and supplying more mouths to feed. YOU know that money comes from my pockets to feed those poor people and myself and and others do not agree with this scam. The only people i can really see in need of food is people in third world countries that have NO source of food. If you were to not supply them with food you could have ended hunger in Winnipeg.

Yours Truly

Well what about that? Should we be concerned with these people, are we making things worse, does God want us involved in this type of ministry?

Let’s begin with a quick review of the heart of God concerning the poor:

Amos 2:6-7

They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.

7 They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed.

Amos 3:15

I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished," declares the LORD.

Amos 5:11

You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain.

Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.

Amos 6:1,4-7

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion… You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.

5 You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.

6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.

 Today is not about feeling guilty about things that are not sin.

 Today is not about reverting to works righteousness

 Today is about understanding the heart of God

Luke 12:13-15

13Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

14Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Galatians 2:1-10

1Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. 3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.

6As for those who seemed to be important—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance—those men added nothing to my message. 7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles,[a] just as Peter had been to the Jews.[b] 8For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9James, Peter[c] and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. 10All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.