Go! And Hear The Roar Of God Series

Go! And Hear the Roar of God

A Sermon from the Book of Amos

Introduction – The Lion Has Roared

Imagine walking through the African savannah at night. The stars are bright above you, the wind is calm, but suddenly… you hear it. The deep, rolling roar of a lion. That sound shakes you. It demands your attention. It warns you that danger is near, that you cannot remain as you are.

The prophet Amos declared in Amos 3:8 (NLT): "The lion has roared—so who isn’t frightened? The Sovereign LORD has spoken—so who can refuse to proclaim his message?"

The roar of God’s holiness thunders through the book of Amos. It is a warning, a call to repentance, but also a signpost pointing us to Jesus Christ—the only One who can rescue us from judgment and bring us into eternal life.

Today, in our Go! And… series, I want us to hear the roar of God and respond—not with fear, but with faith.

1. Go! And Recognise the Reality of God’s Judgment

Amos 5:21–24 (NLT): "I hate all your show and pretence—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living."

Amos was a shepherd from Tekoa, not a professional prophet, sent by God to Israel during a time of wealth and prosperity. Outwardly, the people were religious. They offered sacrifices and sang hymns. But God rejected it because their lives did not match their worship.

The Hebrew word for justice here is “mishpat”, meaning fairness, righteousness, the right ordering of society according to God’s standards. And the word for righteousness is “tsedaqah”, meaning living rightly in relationships—towards God and others.

God was not impressed with religious activity without transformed hearts.

Isaiah 29:13 (NLT):

“And so the Lord says, ‘These people say they are mine. They honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.’”

Here God rebukes a people who appear religious on the outside but are spiritually empty on the inside. They speak the right words, they follow rituals, but their hearts are distant from Him. This is a warning against empty religion—going through motions without real love for God. True worship must come from the heart, not just from lips that repeat words.

Matthew 7:21 (NLT):

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”

Jesus echoes the same truth Isaiah spoke. It’s not enough to say the right words or put on a religious performance. Salvation is not in lip-service but in a surrendered life. Calling Jesus “Lord” without living in obedience to Him reveals a heart that has not truly bowed before Him. The evidence of real faith is doing the Father’s will—living under Christ’s lordship and bearing fruit that proves a transformed life.

Together, these verses remind us:

God sees past our words and rituals to the reality of our hearts.

Religious appearance without genuine faith is worthless.

True discipleship is not just saying Jesus is Lord but submitting to Him as Lord.

It is not about what we say but about who we trust. The only way to truly honour God is through repentance, faith in Jesus, and obedience flowing from a heart transformed by His Spirit.

In our day, it is easy to slip into “Sunday religion” while living Monday through Saturday as if God does not matter. God calls us not to empty worship, but to hearts surrendered to Him.

John Piper once said: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

If our worship is merely performance, it is hollow. But when Christ is our treasure, justice and righteousness will flow from our lives.

2. Go! And Repent Before It Is Too Late

Amos 5:4 (NLT): "Now this is what the LORD says to the family of Israel: ‘Come back to me and live!’"

The Hebrew phrase “come back” is “darash”, meaning to seek diligently, to turn with intent. God’s heart, even in judgment, was not to destroy but to call His people back to Himself.

Joel 2:13 (NLT): “Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead. Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.”

Joel reminds us that true repentance is not about outward show but inward change. In Old Testament times, people tore their clothes as a sign of mourning. But God is not impressed by theatrics; He looks at the heart. To “tear your heart” is to be broken over sin, to be truly repentant, and to return to Him. The good news is that God is merciful and eager to forgive. His grace is greater than our sin.