I’m sure that everyone here has at one time or another played the game “follow the leader.” I remember it being a favourite for my classmates and me in grade one. We spent countless hours leading each other up, over, and around playground equipment during recess. While you might think that it’s been a while since you’ve played a rousing game of follow the leader do you realize that as Christians this is something that God wants us to do? Of course! God wants us to follow his Son Jesus who is our Saviour.
But did you know that God has also made us leaders, not just followers? For example as your pastor I have been called to lead you in your walk with God. Husbands and fathers you have been called to lead your family in godly living. Mothers are to lead their children, while children and young adults are to be examples for siblings and friends.
Since that is the case let me ask you this question. Where are you leading God’s people? In our text this morning we’ll see that during the time of the prophet Amos the people of Israel and Judah were leading God’s people into foolish boasting, self-indulgent living, and therefore into danger of God’s judgment. Are we guilty of such shoddy leadership? If so what should we do about it? Let’s take some time to find out.
Amos was a prophet who lived about 760 years before Christ was born. He hadn’t always been a prophet. He was first a shepherd and a farmer before God called him from his home near Jerusalem and told him to go to the northern kingdom of Israel to preach to God’s people there. Amos lived during a time of peace and prosperity. Both King Uzziah of Judah, and King Jereboam II of Israel had extended their territories to a size it hadn’t been since the days of David and Solomon.
As the leaders looked around at what had been accomplished it seemed as if things couldn’t get any better. There was no one left to fight, the economy was booming; what was there to worry about? In reality things couldn’t get much worse. Instead of giving God credit for their victories the leaders thought that success was something they had orchestrated. Peace and prosperity had brought about foolish boasting.
Amos warned that such boasting could only lead to God’s judgment. He urged the leaders to look at the cities they had destroyed and realize that God could do the same thing to them if they continued to remain unfaithful. Amos said, “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! 2 Go to Calneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours? 3 You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror” (Amos 6:1-3).
What lesson are we to learn from this warning? Can we say that we in North America who have foolishly boasted in our military strength, technology, and our riches while ignoring God are in danger of his judgment just as the people of Judah and Israel were? Could we even say that just as the Israelites suffered God’s judgment when they were carried off into captivity so we have seen God’s judgment in the terror that was September 11th?
We might be tempted to make those comparisons but before we apply Amos’ words to present politics we need to apply them to ourselves here at St. Peter’s. That’s because while Amos spoke his words to the nations of Judah and Israel he spoke to them as God’s chosen people – the visible church of the Old Testament. Therefore if we are going to properly apply Amos’ warning we must first direct it to the visible churches of today – including this very one we call St. Peter’s.
Since Amos is speaking to those of us who call ourselves Christians we should evaluate whether or not we have been guilty of leading our fellow Christians into foolish boasting. For example have we boasted in the strength of our faith thinking that it’s strong enough that we don’t need to continue to study and absorb God’s Word? If so has our cavalier attitude rubbed off on our children or spouse so that they have stopped being in the Word?
Have we led others into foolish boasting by giving the impression that salvation depends on what we do for God rather than what he has done for us? Have we led others to believe that if they just show up to church and pray, pay and obey then God will be happy? That’s what the people of Amos’ day thought and listen to what God had to say to them. “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. 22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. 23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god— which you made for yourselves” (Amos 5:21-24, 26).
God’s judgment will not only come upon those who foolishly boast in themselves but on those who get wrapped up in themselves. Amos said to the people, “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” (Amos 6:4-6).
Although God had blessed the people with peace and prosperity they abused these gifts when they used them for self-indulgent living. Instead of seeing how they could carry on the Lord’s work, and provide for the less fortunate, the leaders were concerned about building expensive homes for themselves and spending their nights in wild parties drinking wine by the bowlful.
It’s not hard to see how this section applies to us is it? The Lord has certainly blessed us with material things; how do we use them? Would you say that your family budget testifies that Jesus is your priceless treasure? Or has your car, home, or entertainment habits grabbed that designation? Don’t get me wrong. God has given us material blessings so that we can take care of our family. But don’t let luxuries become necessities. What did Paul say; if we have food and clothing we will be content with that (1 Timothy 6:8). Therefore honor God, not yourself, with your first fruits. Trust him in this and he will fill you with more blessings that you will know what to do with (Malachi 3:10).
Perhaps it’s not with our money that we show ourselves to be self-indulgent. Maybe it’s with our time. If you find yourself too busy to study God’s Word remember that it doesn’t have to be that way; it’s a matter of priorities. How many of you have ever become too busy to eat? It happens doesn’t it but not for days or weeks on end? Why is then that we think ourselves to be too busy to eat the spiritual nourishment that God gives us in his Word? If you haven’t had time for God’s Word make time. Drop an activity that is less important or organize your life so that you have time to spend in the Word.
Parents, I think this warning is especially important for you. In your zeal to equip your children with the tools they need for success you may unwittingly be leading them into a self-indulgent life-style. If you’ve signed them up for an activity that takes them away from worship and Sunday School, or if they’re involved in so many activities that they can hardly stay awake on Sunday morning aren’t you teaching them that God is important only when he doesn’t interfere with the other stuff?
Brothers and sisters make no mistake; if we continue to abuse God’s gifts whether it’s his Word or material blessings he will take them away and give them to others. Look at what happened to the Israelites. Because of their lack of repentance, 40 years after Amos shared his message with them the Assyrians came in and toppled Samaria carrying off the people into exile. Jesus gave a similar warning to the Pharisees. He said, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21:43).
This is a text that calls for repentance doesn’t it? Who of us can stand here and say that we have not been guilty of leading God’s people closer to judgment through our foolish boasting and self-indulgent living whether we meant to or not. For that we deserve that kind of treatment the Israelites received. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that we have a God who doesn’t want us to perish in our sins. Speaking through the prophet Hosea who lived at the same time as Amos God said, “Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall! 2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips” (Hosea 14:1, 2).
God desperately wants us to find salvation from our sins in him. He has provided for that salvation through the blood of his Son, Jesus which pays for all of our sins of foolish boasting and self-indulgent living. Therefore lay all of your guilt you feel for the times you have set a less than perfect example for other Christians at his feet and know that you can walk away from it knowing that he has taken that guilt upon himself nailing it to the cross with our sins. Our God is just but he is also gracious. That’s why we don’t boast in ourselves but in him who saved us. That’s what the prophet Jeremiah encourages. He wrote, “This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23, 24). Friends, find your delight in the Lord, not in yourself or your riches. Delight in the Lord because through Christ he delights in you. Amen.
