Amos: Following God’s Call - August 7, 2005
Join me in turning to the book of Amos. If you can find the book of Daniel in the OT, keep turning through Hosea, Joel, and then to Amos. If you’re using one of the Bibles in the seats, it’s on page ___. Amos isn’t exactly one of the more familiar books in the Bible. We don’t memorize a lot from here or turn there quickly for our devotions. But it is a book that has some great lessons for us as believers. And we’re going to look at two key lessons from the book. Today, we want to look at the idea of God’s calling on our life. Next week we’ll look at the idea of God’s judgment on sin. If you haven’t already read through the book of Amos this past week, I’d encourage you to read through it some time this week.
Allow me to set the stage of where we are at with this book. The year is about 760 BC. It is about 100 years after the ministry of Elijah and Elisha. The nation of Israel has been divided for about 160 years. About 200 years before were the glory days of David and Solomon. But these are the days of sin and corruption. Israel had split into a northern kingdom, called Israel, and a southern kingdom called Judah. In the north, you’ll remember, King Jeroboam set up two golden calves, idols, so the people could worship these instead of going south to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh, creator of the universe. The kings of the North were all evil, and years later, another king, Ahab, introduced idol worship, causing Israel to turn from worshiping Yahweh, or Jehovah, the Lord, and to worship Baal and Ashtaroth. Worship at idol temples, worship involving mutilation, premarital and extramarital sex, and all types of perversion.
In the south in 760 BC, the King is a man named Uzziah, whose reign lasted 52 years. He was a man who did right in the eyes of the Lord, but who became prideful when his kingdom became powerful.
In this setting, when God wants to speak, he does like he so often does, he calls a man to follow him. And this man is very unique, Amos. When we think of what it means to be a man of God, we often get very specific ideas in our minds. We think of Elijah and Elisha, calling fire down from heaven; living in the desert, parting the Jordan river with a coat. We often think this is the description of a man of God. After all, the Bible gives us several examples of this type of man of God: Samson, Ehud, John the Baptist - wearing his camel-hair jacket and leather belt, eating locusts and wild honey.
What do you think of when you put the concept of a “man of God” in our setting today? Often we think of a televangelist - hair slicked back, black suit, shaking a finger, maybe even wearing a backwards collar. But this morning, I want to challenge those stereotypes by the example of Amos.
Look with me at Amos 1:1 - The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. Then page forward with me to Amos7:12-16
Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy any more at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.” Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then, hear the word of the LORD.
Amos is a unique prophet - but he was specially chosen by God for his role. He was from the southern nation, Judah, but was called by God to go to the northern nation, Israel, and deliver God’s message. We was a shepherd, a farmer, a fruit picker. But most importantly, he was a man of God.
I think of my uncle, Dick Fether, when I think of Amos. Dick is a common man, he married Ronda’s mom’s sister. Dick is a farmer down between Adrian and Hillsdale. When you see Dick, there is nothing pretentious about him. He is about as common as you can get. He had only a normal schoolhouse education. Yet Dick has served on camp boards, as township supervisor, as an elder in his church, he has served on denominational boards and steering committees. Dick has a great level of spiritual maturity and wisdom about him. And that is evidenced quickly to all who know him.
*Godliness means following God is the area where he calls you. Amos was faithful as a farmer and as a shepherd. Dick Fether is a godly farmer. This morning, you might never serve as a preacher or evangelist or SS teacher, but whatever profession you are in, seek to serve God in that profession. Whether you are a busdriver, welder, cashier, hairdresser, factory worker, or business owner, seek to serve God in your place of business.
1 Corinthians 7 tells us, You should continue on as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you--but if you get a chance to be free, take it. And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, the Lord has now set you free from the awful power of sin. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God purchased you at a high price. Don’t be enslaved by the world. So, dear brothers and sisters, whatever situation you were in when you became a believer, stay there in your new relationship with God.
Let’s realize that not everyone gets a call to pastor or to go to the mission field. It’s great when that happens, but it’s also great to have Christian lawyers, Christian barbers, Christian cake decorators. Whatever profession you are in, seek to honor God.
What does it mean to honor God is the workplace? Colossians 3 gives us principles for those who are slaves. In our culture, for those who “slave away” for their boss, here are the principles to follow to honor God.
You slaves must obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Obey them willingly because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites who can get away with evil.
*diligence - follow the instructions given by your boss, and offer your boss respect
*integrity - don’t cheat on your time card; don’t leave work early; don’t slack off
*production - work hard as if you owned the business and benefitted by the profits
*attitude - have a cheerful, pleasant attitude about working
*authority - remember that we work not for a paycheck, not for the weekend, not for the boss,
but for the LORD!
So, godliness in daily living means following God in whatever profession we find ourselves. The only problem with that is that there are some professions where one could find it hard to follow God and serve their boss faithfully. As Christians, we may be called to step down from that job to honor Christ.
A movie actor may find it necessary to stop taking certain parts to honor God. A bartender who gets saved may find he needs to change jobs. A dancer may find it dishonoring to God to dress in an immodest attire. A Christian may choose to step down from a job that forces them to work on Sundays. Whatever the situation, we always need to remember that we work to follow Christ. We are not driven by our jobs, rather jobs are merely a vehicle through which we can show others our commitment to follow Christ.
Having said all that, let’s move on:
*Godliness means following God even when he calls you to change your profession.
What do we see in the example of Amos? He was very happy as a shepherd and farmer, but God came to him and called him to change his lifestyle. We serve God where he calls us, but sometimes the call of God involves a total lifestyle change. We have already mentioned that some jobs are dishonoring to Christ and force a Christian to make a change. But sometimes God leads Christians to change their jobs. Never feel you need to serve God in only one area all your life. Some people say, “My ministry is ____ - whatever, fill in the blank. My ministry is the nursery - don’t ask me to teach. My ministry is singing in the choir, don’t ask me to help clean the church. And sometimes we miss great opportunities for ministry because we never try any new ministry.
The truth is that sometimes God finishes the task he calls us to, and leads us on to another area of ministry. And when he does, are we faithful enough to move on and not hold on to the past. Remember what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6 - I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. God uses some of us to start a work, others to build on the work, others to finish it. Let’s be faithful in what God has for us.
Amos was called as a farmer in Judah; but he was called to go to the north, to Israel, to deliver a message of judgment and condemnation. God totally changes Amos’ life; but Amos faithfully follows.
*Godliness means following God even when He takes you out of your comfort zones. We need to remember that even though you might have a job or ministry that you enjoy, faithfulness to God means being willing to change and step out of our comfort zones. 80% of Americans work at a job they hate, but feel trapped, and are scared to look for something different.
Now, I’m not saying to change your job to try something different; I’m not saying to look for a job that pays you more money. But it may be that someone here feels that God is leading you to make a change. And change is ALWAYS scary. Even if it means stepping out of your comfort zones, be willing to trust God. Look for confirmation - from God’s word - maybe a verse in your devotions will jump out at you; look for a peace in your spirit - look for confirmation through the wise counsel of others; look for confirmation through circumstances. But when God calls you to make a change in your life - be willing to follow.
Maybe it’s helping in AWANA this year - you say, I’ve never worked with kids before - step out of your comfort zone and give it a try. Maybe it’s leading a class for LIFT or getting involved in a small group Bible study - if God is leading you, be willing to follow.
Amos was willing to leave his ranch in Judah, and go north, to an enemy nation, to a wicked culture, to a perverted society. And he went as light, showing them the truth.
Just a reminder, that God has called us to be light to our world. Matthew 5:14 - “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
We are in the world, but we are not of the world. Sometimes it seems that we are afraid to be in the world rubbing shoulders with sinners. If someone smokes or drinks or cusses or loses their temper, we back away from them. But these are the very ones we are called to pursue with the love of Christ and the message of hope. It takes us out of our comfort zone whenever we share the gospel. God’s spirit says “talk to your neighbor” and automatically we think, “No, they’ll think I’m weird or some type of fanatic.” But we have all been called to give a witness, 1 Peter 3:15 - Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
The fourth thing we learn from Amos is
*Godliness means following God even when the calling is unpleasant and criticism comes.
It would be great if when we followed God we always had great success, everyone we witnessed to liked us, and we had the respect of others. But often, we end up being faithful, but being rejected, mocked, and laughed at. Jesus reminds us in John 15:20 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
What happened to Amos? He was a good old country boy living down south in Judah. He is called to give a message to all the rebels up north in Israel. So he goes, and starts telling about all the judgment God is going to bring. He is going to judge the Philistines, Ammonites, Edomites, and other enemy neighbors of the Jews. And the Jews just loved this message of Amos. But then Amos went on to tell them that God was bringing judgment on them as well. That’s where we come to in Amos 7:10.
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying: “‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.’” Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy any more at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.”
Amos was just seeking to do right and follow God, but Amaziah was very critical of him, accusing him and denouncing him to King Jeroboam, saying things about him that were not true. We all face Amaziah’s in life - those who tell us to go away, those who discourage us and make us want to give up and quit. But when we focus on the critics, we will be defeated. Instead, our eyes need to be fixed on our God and what he has called us to do. Notice Amos’s answer in verse 14 - Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ Now then, hear the word of the LORD. You say, “‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the house of Isaac.’ “Therefore this is what the LORD says.
Amos says he is following God, seeking to do what God wants. Sometimes we live our lives trying to meet all the expectations that others place on us. The truth is that we need to be faithful to our Lord, and when we do that, it doesn’t matter what others expect of us. Amos knew his calling- it wasn’t even to convert the North, it was to deliver God’s message of judgment. Today, if you’re faithfully following God, doing what he wants in your life, don’t get discouraged by those who would seek to be critical of you.
And in closing this morning, the last lesson we will look at today -
*Godliness is shown not by discovering God’s will, but by obeying and following God.
When God called Amos to go speak to Israel, when was his faithfulness seen. It wasn’t when he knew what God wanted him to do, but when he DID what God wanted him to. God said GO, and Amos WENT. Compare that with the example of Jonah, who when God said GO ran in the other direction. It is not knowledge that is the key to faithfulness, but obedience. Many of us have a lot of knowledge about what it means to follow God. But it doesn’t matter how much we know. It matters what we do. So this morning, let me ask you, how faithful have you been in doing what you know is right and no doing what you know is wrong.
When people think of a man of God or a woman of God, would they think of you? If not, why not? God calls each of us to follow him. Where has God called you to go that you have not followed?
Let’s make a renewed commitment to God today, that we are committed to going wherever he leads, doing whatever he calls us to do. Let’s pray.
