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Through the message of the Messiah God offers His people hope for the future.
How does God’s message of the Messiah in the minor prophets offer us hope?
I.
The message of the Messiah in Hosea offers hope through reversal
II.
The message of the Messiah in Amos offers hope through restoration
Introduction and message of Amos:
The prophet Amos minister just before the time of Hosea, somewhere between 760-755 BC.
He also primarily preached to the northern kingdom of Israel just before its destruction and exile in 722 BC.
He was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore figs.
He ministered during the “Silver Age” of Israel’s history.
It was a time of prosperity and relative safety.
Amos warned Isreal that she was guilty of sinning again and again and even forgetting how to do right.
Thus, Isreal was ripe for divine judgement!
The primary message of the prophet Amos was that God judges and holds all nations accountable for their sins.
Before we get to Amos’ message of hope in the Messiah, we must first understand his primary mission of preaching judgement and repentance to Israel.
A. God roars like a mighty lion in judgement because of sin
Video of Lion roaring!
Amos 1:2 (ESV)
2 “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
Illustration: The other day we took the kids to the Madison zoo.
When we got to the lion enclosure all of the lions were out of sight.
They were in the back area inside some covered cages.
We couldn’t see them and the kids were disappointed, but then one of the lions started to roar.
We couldn’t see the lion, but we could feel the power of his roar.
His roar shook the zoo.
Look at what the Lord’s roar does:
When God roars in judgement over sin the pasture land and all its inhabitants cower and mourn, and the top of the mountains wither!
Why does Amos begin his prophetic message this way?
There was a fundamental misunderstanding of the person and character of God and this misunderstanding lead to wickedness and sin throughout the land of Israel.
What was this misunderstanding?
Amos 6:1 (ESV)
1 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria
There was a false sense of security.
Remember Amos is preaching during the “silver age” of Israel.
There was relative peace and abundant prosperity.
Because of these favorable conditions the people of Israel came to believe that they were in a state of security.
It did not matter how they lived their life, they were the people of God and God was obligated to bless them.
Amos pronounces a woe of this notion.
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria...
Calneh and Hamath were Syrian city-states under Israel’s influence.
Gath was a Philistine city-state under Judah’s control.
The answer Amos is after is no- Isreal is not better than these kingdoms.
If they were conquered, what makes Israel feel so secure?
Israel was putting far away the day of disaster- they did not recognize that judgement for their sin was possible and immanent.
They thought that the day of disaster by God was only for the enemies of God.
How wrong they were.
They fundamentally misconstrued God.
Illustration: Modern day example of a misconception of God: Chelsea Smith, wife of Juda Smith who is the pastor of a mega church called Churchhome.
He is also the personal spiritual advisor of Justin Bieber and his wife.
Chelsea is also a “pastor” at Churchhome.
Recently she was on a discussion panel talking about abortion.
And Ps. 139:13 was brought up in the discussion.
Chelsea was asked how Christians can basically ignore the teaching of Psalm 139:13 and instead empathize with women that are hurting.
She says this, “It’s also taking one verse and making that as black and white as the verses of the forgiveness and love of Jesus Christ.
It is one verse, verses thousands and thousands of verses that are in the Bible.
And we have a conviction that as we look at the Bible we put the emphasis where God puts the emphasis.
And He puts the emphasis on love.
He puts the emphasis on forgiveness.
He puts the emphasis on compassion.
And so as a follower of Jesus wouldn’t I put the emphasis there?”
Now it is true that God is a god of forgiveness, and love, and compassion.
But God is also a lion who roars in judgement for sin.
God roars against the sins of the nations and the mountains melt!
In fact look at one of the sins that God roars against.
“They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals” (2:6).
Israel was selling human beings for a price.
This most likely is speaking of corrupt judges or jurors who were willing to accept bribes, even a ridiculously low payment (a pair of sandals), in order to take advantage of the innocent (righteous) and the poor (needy).
Amos is highlighting the low value that Israel’s elite was placing on human life.
Many great atrocities throughout history have their roots in the devaluing of human life (e.g. the holocaust or abortion).
God roars like a mighty lion in judgement for the sin of devaluing human life.
And to portray God as only a god of love, forgiveness, and compassion is to fundamentally misunderstand Him!
It is with this thought that we turn our attention to Amos 9.
This is the context you must understand as Amos finishes his message.
When the lion finally roars in judgement for sin, what will that judgment look like?
We are not told what altar this is, but Amos is preaching to the nothern kingdom of Israel who had set up their own altars, false altars of worship.
God commands for the capitols or the support pillars to be stuck until the foundations shake and the entire temple collapses in on itself.
Why does God want this?
To shatter the support pillars on the head of all the people and crush them to death.
Then those who are left, who escape the collapse of the temple God will have them killed with the sword.
NOT ONE of them shall flee away; not one of them shall escape.
I think this is foretelling of the day when Assyria conquered Samaria and took Isreal into captivity.
The day when God roared!
Listen to the hyperbole of the poetry God uses to describe this day of judgement.
Who is the one who brings this judgment?
What is the lion who roars like?
“He is not a tame lion!”
How can God do this to His chosen people?
Isn’t that what Isreal thought?
We are the people of God, he can’t judge us!
What does God say about that?
God judges and holds all nations accountable for their sins.
God roars like a mighty lion in judgment for sin.
Application: Is this your understanding of God? Do you view God as only a god of love, forgiveness, and compassion?
Do you understand that God is also a righteous and justice God who roars in judgment over sin?
What about your sin?
How does God view your sin? Do we have the same attitude as the Israelites did? “Oh, sin is no big deal.
I can sin and sin and God’s grace is greater than all my sin.”
Or maybe you might say, “I don’t want to repent of my sins right now and turn to Christ.
I want to live it up first and have fun with my sin and then I will turn to Christ.”
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