Dakota Community Church
June 20, 2010
Amos 9
1. God’s warning – locusts, fire, a plumb line & ripe fruit
2. Mercy triumphs over judgment
3. Human opposition to God as judge and to His messengers of judgment
Amos 7:10-17
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. 11 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.’ "
12 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. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom."
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. 15 But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, ’Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now then, hear the word of the LORD. You say, " ’Do not prophesy against Israel, and stop preaching against the house of Isaac.’
17 "Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan [a] country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land.’ "
A.) God is not primarily concerned with the comfort of hearers.
Matthew 15:29-32
29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.
32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."
Just imagine the feedback card comments after this three day mountainside camp meeting.
Not seeker sensitive!
Acts 20:7-12
7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus (U-Tik-Us), who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don’t be alarmed," he said. "He’s alive!" 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
He talked so long that someone died, then rather than taking the hint he continues until dawn.
Do you think Paul thought the message was of primary importance or the listeners?
B.) Truth is worth fighting for.
I think it is somehow appropriate that we talk about these things on this Father’s Day.
In many ways we have neutered the faith by being overly cautious when it comes to sensitivity toward those far from God.
I am not saying we should be rude and purposefully disagreeable; however, we must stand up for truth and refuse to compromise on issues of doctrine.
It is not wrong to take a bold stance on important issues.
We are not winning anyone if those who join our ranks are only doing so because they think it is a nice club which helps them be better citizens.
Our goal is New Birth, not nicer townsfolk!
Titus 1:7-11
7Since an overseer[b] is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
10For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. 11They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.
Look at these words which hold all the more weight as they are Paul’s final instructions to his son in the faith.
2Timothy 4:1-9
1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
C.) Everyone should not like you.
This is hard for me; I want people to like me.
I have been guilty of “softening” the truth in order to be less offensive.
This is seriously wrong!
Luke 6:22-26
22Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
23"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
24"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
25Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
Matthew 24:1-9
1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ’I am the Christ,[a]’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
John 15:18-21
18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If 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. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: ’No servant is greater than his master.’[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
Amos faces opposition and gets BOLDER!
So must we; the time has come to repent of sissified girlie theology that tiptoes around carefully ensuring that no one hears anything that might offend them.
Opposition does not arise because of us; opposition arises because the enemy does not want the Word of the Lord proclaimed.
Jesus said that when the sower sows the word – immediately the birds of the air descend in order to devour it.
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
