Vision Of The Lord Series

AMOS 9:11-15

The Lord is a saving God. As I said before, this chapter is all about future promises to the nation of Israel. God made a promise to Abraham back in Genesis 15. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a nation. A nation that God would choose to call His special people. And God promised Abraham that He would pour out His grace on those people and that He would give them a land. A land filled to overflowing with the rich blessings of God. And God sealed that covenant by Himself. In Genesis 15, He had Abraham set up a traditional ceremony of the day where both parties would contract together for something. In those contracts, if one party or the other broke the agreement, the contract would be null and void. God had Abraham set up that ceremony, but He didn’t allow him to participate in it. He put him off to the side and performed the ceremony by Himself. Do you know what that meant? It meant that God is in the grace business. He knows that we fall short. He knew that Israel couldn’t keep up any end of a bargain with Him. So He graciously called them out anyway. He graciously made them His people. He graciously preserved them as His people. He graciously polished them as His people. And He will graciously pour out His blessings on them as His people. Not because of who they are or how special they are. But because of who He is. Notice the wording of verse 12. You see where it says “all of the heathen which are called by my name”? Do you know who that is? Us. The word “heathen” is the same word for “nations”. The word for all those nations in the world who aren’t Israel. In other words, Gentiles. In other words, us. By His grace, God promised the same blessings to Gentiles who are called by His name as He will give to Israel. How? Through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26-29 says, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” These wonderful promises that God made to Israel are available to us because the Lord is a saving God. The entire book of Amos has been a warning. It was a warning to Israel that they didn’t heed. But it serves as a warning to us as well. God does not tolerate sin. He does not tolerate false worship. He does not tolerate hypocrisy. He doesn’t tolerate backbiting and strife and bad stewardship and injustice. He does not tolerate sin and rebellion in His house. Amongst His people. He seeks out sin. He is sovereign over all things. And He will sift us. Maybe He has been sifting us. Maybe He still is sifting us. At times He sifted Israel with troubles and at times He sifted them with prosperity. So whether we’re having troubles or having prosperity doesn’t tell the tale of where we are in God’s eyes. See, tonight we started off asking the question, “how do we see the Lord?” Maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is “how does the Lord see us?” How does the Lord see our church? If we don’t see Him as He’s revealed Himself… If we don’t see Him as seeking, sovereign, and sifting… He will show Himself to us as Judge. And I don’t think any of us want that. But if we do see Him as He’s revealed Himself, He will show Himself to us as Savior. So, how do we start to see God as He’s revealed Himself? The same way David did. We have to corporately humble ourselves before God. We have to corporately confess our sins before God. And we have to corporately repent before God.