Cause and Effect
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
My son Christian is one now.. he’s about to walk and climb and just yesterday he made my wife super happy as he finally said “momma”. It won’t be long until he’s at one of those phases that parents somewhat dread.. the “why” phase. For those who do not know the “why” phase it’s the phase where the child keeps asking why… why is the sky blue, why do birds fly, why is the grass green. Parents then wrack their brains trying to answer the question why.
While this phase is difficult for the parent it’s necessary for the intellectual development of the child. The child is seeking to better understand the world around them.
Mom, Dad what caused the grass the be green?
Mom, Dad what caused the bird to fly?
At the root of their questioning is a desire to better understand cause and effect.
Cause and Effect
Cause and effect is a relationship between events or things, where one is the result of the other or others. This is a combination of action and reaction.
And this morning as we continue to see news stories of riots in various cities across this country every thinking person ought be asking the adelsant question of “why”, what caused this?
And this morning the book of Amos will serve as a great teacher for us on the principle of cause and effect.
Who is Amos?
Amos is a shepherd from the southern kingdom of Judah. Amos was also kind of an entrepernuer because he didn’t just rely on his shepherding income he also grew sycamore fruit to serve as a second stream of income.
You see Amos lived during a time of material prosperity.
Under the leadership of Uzziah in Judah and of Jeroboam II in Israel it had brought stability, prosperity, to the two kingdoms.
The southern kingdom was doing alright, that’s where Amos lived.
The Northern Kingdom was doing even better
Because the Northern Kingdom had control over the trade routes, wealth began to accumulate in the Northern Kingdom. Commerce thrived, an upper class of society emerged and expensive homes were built.
The rich enjoyed, indulgent lifestyle. And the prospurs people were going to church, and everything for them seemed ok.
And while this prosperity was happening in the Northern Kingdom, the poor became targets for legal and economic oppression .
Just like God saw the oppression and heard the cries of the Hebrew children in Egypt and sent Moses, God sees the legal and economic oppression in the Northern Kingdom and God calls Amos to leave his sheep and sycamore fruit in the south and travel to the north with a cause and effect message.
In chapter 1 God lays out his judgement on the Nations.
In chapter 2 He shows them their sin of injustice and how innocent people are cheated out of justice when the justice system is broken.
In chapter 3 he says bring the leaders of Ashdod and Egypt and when those oppressors see how bad you are even they will be shocked.
In chapter 4 he shows them how they have economically oppressed the people. God shows them that their lavious lifestyle came because they were not giving workers a livable wage. Then he says you did this while going to church and singing to me.
In chapter 5 he again says to them, your justice system is unjust, horrible judges are taking bribes innocent people are thrown in jail and the nation is complacent with the system of injustice.
In chapter 6 God says with all of this injustice you’ve joyously complied. You saw the evil and you were silent.
You saw the economic wrong as people struggled to make ends meet and you were silent. You’ve
been obsessed with materialism—squeezing trade into every possible minute, manipulating quantities and prices, and treating the poor like they were expendable.
Then God says, I’ve shown you the cause now here’s the effect, I will reject you and there will be darkness in the land. I don’t want anything to do with your fake religous acts. I hate your church service, your offerings stink , your songs are horrible noise to me.
Here’s what I’m going to do, first I’m going to send a plague and then I’m going to send fire throught the land.
God says change will only come when you let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a ever-flowing stream.
Brothers and sisters thought the bible we see cause and effect at work…
When Cain killed Able...
when Egypt oppressed the Hebrew children… God sent a plague and destruction.
When Gods people were attacked and oppressed God showed up on behalf of the oppressed.
Shadrack...
Daniel..
But not only in the Bible but in human history we see cause and effect.
In 1773 when American colonist got frustrated with Britians taxation w/o representation… they rioted and history recoreds it as the boston tea party.
In 1775 when the American colonist got tired of the British foot on their necks they violently protested and an armed milicai fought against the oppressive government.
In 1791 slaves in St. Dominque got tired of Nopolian and the freach putting their boots and the necks of slaves, those slaves rebelled.
In 1831 when slaves in virgina got tired of slave holders boot on their neck Nat Turner organized a rebellion.
In 1859 when John Brown saw the evil of slave holders… he lead a rebellion
1861 When southern states refused to end slavery ...
1955 bus boycotts
1968… murder of dr. king
1992 rodney king riot
Trayvon Martin
freddy gray
Eric gardern