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.
Acts 3:19 (NLT): “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.”
Peter’s sermon echoes Joel’s call. Repentance is not just feeling sorry—it is turning from sin and turning to Christ. The promise is glorious: when we repent, God doesn’t just cover over our sin, He wipes it away completely. Through the cross of Jesus, our slate is made clean. This is the heart of the Gospel: forgiveness and new life in Christ.
Joel calls us to tear our hearts, not our clothes—genuine repentance. Acts shows us the fulfilment of that repentance through Christ, where forgiveness is complete and sins are erased. Both verses urge us to stop relying on outward religion and instead embrace inward transformation through Jesus.
A firefighter once said: “The scariest sound in a burning building is not the flames—it is silence. It means the fire alarm batteries were removed.” Amos is the alarm bell of God’s mercy, warning us of the flames of judgment.
Charles Stanley said: “God’s plan for enlarging His kingdom is so simple: one person telling another about the Saviour.”
Repentance is personal, but it always leads outward—to sharing the hope we’ve found in Christ.
3. Go! And Trust in the Righteous Saviour
Amos points forward to the hope found only in Christ.
Amos 9:11 (NLT): "In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory."
This prophecy finds fulfilment in Jesus, the Son of David. Though Israel faced judgment, God promised restoration. Jesus is the true King, the righteous branch from David’s line.
Luke 19:10 (NLT): “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Here we see the very heart of Jesus’ mission. He did not come into this world to be merely a teacher, a healer, or a miracle worker—though He was all of those. His ultimate purpose was to seek out lost sinners and to save them. That word lost reminds us of our helpless condition apart from Christ—wandering in darkness, unable to find our way back to God. Jesus came looking for us. Salvation is not man’s search for God; it is God’s loving pursuit of man through Jesus.
Romans 5:8 (NLT): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
Here Paul reminds us that God’s love is not a response to our goodness but is given to us despite our sin. Christ didn’t die for perfect people—He died for sinners, rebels, and enemies of God. While we were unworthy, Christ laid down His life for us. This is the scandal and the glory of grace: salvation is not earned, it is received as a gift of God’s love through the sacrifice of His Son.
John 10:10 (NLT): “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
Jesus contrasts Himself with the enemy of our souls, Satan. The thief seeks to rob us of joy, peace, and eternal hope. But Jesus came to give us abundant life—life filled with His presence now and eternal life with Him forever. This abundant life is not measured in possessions or success but in the deep, satisfying reality of knowing God, walking in His love, and being secure in His salvation.
Together these verses form a beautiful Gospel picture: Jesus came to seek the lost (Luke 19:10), He died to save the guilty (Romans 5:8), and He offers new, abundant life to all who trust Him (John 10:10).
The Hebrew word for restore in Amos 9:11 is “qum”, meaning to raise up, to establish. Just as God raised the house of David, He raised Jesus from the dead—securing eternal restoration for all who believe.
Think of the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold. The cracks are not hidden but made beautiful. In Christ, God does not discard our brokenness—He restores us and makes us whole in His glory.
Tim Keller wrote: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
The Gospel Proclamation:
The roar of Amos reminds us that sin is serious. God will judge. But the greater roar is the cross of Christ, where Jesus bore the judgment we deserve. He died, was buried, and rose again. The Lion of Judah took the punishment of sin and now offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent and trust Him.
As Paul wrote in Romans 10:9 (NLT): "If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Application & Call to Action:
God is still roaring today. The question is: will we listen?
To the believer: Go and live lives of justice and righteousness. Let your worship be real, not ritual. Let your faith spill into action.
To the seeker: Do not delay. Come back to God and live. Place your trust in Christ today.
Invitation to Salvation:
Friend, if you do not yet know Jesus, hear the roar of God’s love calling you. He says: “Come back to me and live!” Will you repent, turn from your sin, and trust Him as Lord and Saviour? He is waiting with open arms.
Benediction:
Go and hear the roar of God. Go and live with justice. Go and proclaim Christ. May the Lord bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you, and may you live each day in the joy of the Lion of Judah, our risen Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
