Amos 8

Good morning, church.

And I bring you greetings from New Life Masikkar,

!

So you'd find some Americans in Southall trying to reach out to the Asian people.

So I'd like to thank you for continuing to pray for us,

that God has sustained us for a number of years.

It's a tough work, but we've been there.

And it's also a privilege and honor today to bring God's word to you.

So I believe they have read the scripture, Amos chapter 8.

Amos 8 · chapter mention

A number of years ago, I had received a letter from a debt collection firm demanding I pay up.

This was the time when I was still a student.

The amount was not much. It was about 60 or 70 pounds.

It was due to some unpaid mobile bill.

What had happened was that I had left the country.

I had left England for an extended period of time and gone home.

And I'd withdrawn most of my money from the bank account.

It was very little money. I'd withdrawn everything,

completely overlooking the fact that I had some pending direct debit for my mobile phone contract.

So now I've come back to England and I get this letter.

So for a brief second, I thought I would just ignore this letter.

And my reasoning was quite naive, as it was.

I was out of the country for almost half the term of the contract.

The second half, when I left, I did not use the services.

So I should not be paying.

But as I read the letter carefully, it made me get worried.

In big bold letters, it was that this is a final reminder.

Now perhaps that sent other letters when I was out of the country.

And if I don't pay up, the letter warned that the bailiffs or the debt collectors would be knocking on my door.

So either I'd have to pay up then, or they'll take anything of value and auction it off and sell it off.

And what is worse, I will have to pay them for their time and effort,

which I assume would be more than my actual debt with the mobile provider.

So one voice in me said, you know, ignore it, they're just bluffing.

And the other one said, don't fool around.

It could be what it is, a final warning.

And I remember the words of Jesus, you know, come to terms quickly with your creditors.

While you're going with them to court, lest your accuser hand you to the judge,

and the judge the guard and you be put in prison.

Truly I say to you, you will never get out until you've paid the last penny.

So in my case, my accusers were the mobile service company and the guard are the bailiffs.

So I decided to treat the letter as it was, and pay up, and not risk the bailiffs knocking my door.

In our passage this morning, Amos the prophet is giving Israel their final reminder.

It's only nine chapters, the book has nine chapters, this is the eighth chapter.

It's the final reminder.

The only difference is, there is no time to pay up.

No more grace to shape up.

It's not a warning, it's a declaration of judgment.

God is going to judge his people now.

The bailiffs would be knocking at their door,

and they will be coming in the form of Assyrian soldiers,

the superpower of their time,

invading their country and taking most of them into exile.

Israel is hearing God's final word on their wicked behavior and unrepentant hearts.

Hence, in verse 11, you have Amos prophesying,

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God,

when I will send a famine on the land,

not a famine of bread,

nor a ters of water,

but of hearing the words of the Lord.

God is now going to stop speaking.

They have been ignoring his corrections.

He is going to give them the silent treatment.

They are about to face the full consequences

of their rebellious hearts and wicked behavior.

God has had enough

with the rebelliousness of his chosen people.

Look at the end of verse 2.

The Lord said to me,

The end has come upon my people.

I will never again pass by them.

And again at the end of verse 7,

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob,

Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

And finally at the end of the chapter,

at the end of verse 14,

They shall fall and never rise again.

I will never pass by them.

I will never forget.

They shall never rise.

Three nevers.

There is a finality

to what is about to happen to them.

You know we have been told,

if you have read the book before,

we have been told in the previous chapters

as well as documented

in history books.

It's in chapter 2.

An adversary shall surround the land

and bring down your defenses from you

and your strongholds shall be plundered.

What they had taken by plunder

would be lost by plunder.

It's a poetic justice.

What monuments they had built with that plunder,

it will come to an end.

The adversaries is the Assyrians.

And you can see it depicted

in the British Museum.

In the Assyrians had crafted

on their palace walls

how they took the children of Israel into exile.

The sad and gloomy picture

is also provided in our passage today.

It's in verse 3.

The songs of the temple

shall become wailings in that day,

declares the Lord God.

So many dead bodies,

they are thrown everywhere,

silence.

Songs of worship

becomes wailings.

Wailings will turn into silence.

And there will be many dead bodies scattered.

Songs, wailings, silence.

The songs at the temple

will be silenced once for all.

Because in chapter 5,

God had declared

that he detested the worship

of the people of Enemos' time.

You know, in chapter 5, verse 21 onwards,

God had declared,

I hate,

I despise your feast,

and I take no delight

in your solemn assemblies.

Even though you offer me

your burnt offerings

and grain offerings,

I will not accept them.

And the peace offerings

of your fattened animals,

I will not look upon them.

Take away from me

the noise of your songs

to the melody of your harps,

I will not listen.

And the reason God gave

for despising their worship

is that they have neglected

the more important matters

of justice and righteousness.

The God of the Bible

puts it in his own words

in chapter 5,

let justice rule down

like waters

and righteousness

like an ever-flowing stream.

Instead, what they did

was the opposite.

And God said

in the same chapter,

they had turned justice

to poison fruit

and cast down righteousness

to the earth.

These people were no different

than the Pharisees

that Jesus condemned.

You know, Jesus said,

woe to you,

scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites.

You have neglected

the weightier matters

of the law,

justice,

and mercy,

and faithfulness.

You know, justice,

mercy, faithfulness

runs through the Bible

like a stream

from Genesis right

to Revelation.

The Israelites

in Amos' time,

the Pharisees

of Jesus' time,

and some of us

in our times,

you know,

we could put up

a good act

as good church-going folks.

You know,

we could turn up

at church events

at the right time.

We could say amen

to all the prayers.

We could sing

the right hymns,

but we could be busy

with church,

but far from God.

No different

than the priest

and the Levite

who abandoned

the injured man

that had been robbed

and left to die

on the road to Jericho.

Now, both the priest

and the Levite

probably were busy

with church stuff.

They were unlike

the good Samaritan,

whom Jesus praised,

who took the risk

at the cost

of his life

to save a man's life.

Jesus said,

But a Samaritan,

as he journeyed,

came to where he was,

and when he saw him,

he had compassion,

mercy.

He went up to him

and bound up his wounds,

pouring on oil

and wine.

Then he set him

on his own animal

and brought him

to an inn

and took care of him.

And the next day,

he took out two denarii

and gave them

to the innkeeper,

saying,

Take care of him

and whatever more

you spend,

I will repay

when I come back

at the cost of his life

and the cost

of his wealth.

The Israelites

in Amos' time

were the opposite

of the good Samaritan,

who, interestingly,

is a product

of the aftermath

of the Assyrian invasion.

So, interestingly,

there is grace

after the judgment.

The Israelites

have stepped upon

and abused the poor,

the needy

and the disadvantaged.

It's in verse 4.

Hear these,

you who trample

the needy

and bring the poor

to the land

to an end.

In their greed

and selfishness,

they have all the while

been ignoring

the Torah injunction.

In Deuteronomy,

God had said,

For there will never

cease to be

the poor in the land.

Therefore,

I command you,

you shall open

wide your hand

to your brother,

to the needy

and to the poor

in your land,

as well as you shall

love your neighbor

as yourself.

You know,

as I've mentioned,

the Israelites

in Amos' time

were very,

very religious.

They were church-going folks.

They observed

the new moon

and the Sabbath.

But all the time

while they were

in their worship services,

their eyes

were on the clock

rather than the hymn book.

When can we get out

and continue

with our money-making schemes?

You know,

they had the system

rigged for their benefit.

They turned

their backs

against the poor

as they faced

the pulpit

to convince themselves

that they were

part of God's people.

Their ears

were close

to the deafening cry

of those

whom they were oppressed

as they increased

the volume

of their worship.

They were no different

again

than the people

of Jesus' time.

You know,

Jesus said,

you hypocrites.

Well,

did Isaiah prophesy

of you

when he said,

these people

honor me

with their lips,

but their heart

is far from me.

In vain

do they worship me

teaching as doctrines

the commandments

of men.

Now,

Isaiah,

another great prophet

of the Bible,

a contemporary of Amos,

who Jesus

had just quoted,

says this

in his famous

chapter 58.

You know,

this is when Israel,

the people of God,

were complaining

to God

that God

is overlooking

their righteous acts.

You know,

they say,

why have we fasted

and you see it not?

Why have we

humbled ourselves

and you have

taken no knowledge

of it?

We've done all

these religious acts,

but you're ignoring us.

And God's answer

to Israel is this,

behold,

in the day of your fast

you seek

your own pleasure

and you oppress

all your workers.

What

they should have done

according to God

through Isaiah

is this,

this is what God says,

if you turn back

your foot

from Sabbath,

from doing

your own pleasure

on my holy day

and call the Sabbath

a delight

and my holy day

with the holy day

of the Lord

honorable,

if you honor it,

not going on

your own ways

or seeking

your own pleasure

or talking idly,

then you shall

take delight

in the Lord

and I will make

you ride

on the heights

of the earth

and I will feed

you the heritage

of Jacob

your father

for the mouth

of the Lord

has spoken.

And again,

no different

than the Pharisees

in Jesus' time.

Woe to you,

scribes and Pharisees,

hypocrites,

for you clean

the outside

of the cup

and the plate

but inside

they're full of greed

and self-indulgence.

You are whitewashed

tombs which outwardly

appear beautiful

but within are full

of dead people's bones

and uncleanness.

So you also

outwardly appear

righteous to others

but within are full

of hypocrisy

and lawlessness.

All respectable

and religious

on the outside

but rotten

on the inside.

Isaiah condemns

the sins

of the people

in his time.

Amos does the same

in our passage.

Jesus does the same

with the Pharisees.

Now we might be

sitting here

reading and listening

to these words

and thinking

I'm not like them.

My sins are not

as bad as them.

I am not

as evil as them.

But that's just

looking at the surface

because the heart

of the matter

is the matter

of the heart.

Those visible sins

are just symptoms

of something deeper.

You know Isaiah

tells us,

he says,

Behold,

in the day of your fast

you seek

your own pleasure.

If you turn back

your fruit from Sabbath

from doing again

your own pleasure

if you honor it

not going your ways

or seeking

your own pleasure.

At the heart

of all our

outward sins

that is visible

whatever form it is

are self-centeredness,

selfishness,

self-pleasure.

Because we are all

self-preoccupied

with our own

wants and needs.

That's just

the way we are

because of

indwelling sin.

we are worried

about our own

security

and our own

comfort.

Self-preservation

is the name

of the game

when survival

of the fittest

is the philosophy

of the fallen world.

God is not

against wealth

or the accumulation

of it.

In the Torah

it's a sign

of blessing

and grace

as a sign

of God's favor.

If you don't

believe me

just listen

to the televangelists

about that.

That's a joke.

what he's against

is how we

abuse others

in the process

of accumulating

wealth

for our own

selfish needs

and what we

do with it

closing our

eyes to the

needy

and using it

for our own

pleasure

besides putting

our trust

in it.

Now the people

of Amos'

time

and we

can do the

same.

drowned out

the cries

of the people

they oppressed

by raising

the volume

of worship

songs.

They wore

a cloak

of religiosity

to cover

their nakedness

before God.

You know

these are

the type of

folks that

Jesus rebukes

in the book

of Revelation.

for you

say I

am rich

I have

prospered

and I

need

nothing

not

realizing

that you

are

wretched

pitiful

poor

blind

and naked

I

counsel

you

to buy

from me

gold

refined

by fire

so that

you

may

be

rich

and

white

garments

so that

you

may

clothe

yourself

and the

shame

of your

nakedness

may not

be seen

and

salve

to

anoint

your

eyes

so that

you

may

see.

God

is against

the false

worship

and the

empty

religions

and the

social

injustice

that flows

out of it.

all of

this

stems

from

the

failure

to

recognize

who

the

God

of

the

Bible

is.

You

know

the

people

of

Amos'

time

had a

false

view

of

God

and

that

had

corrupted

everything.

You

know

when

God

is

first

and at

the

center

of our

lives

everything

else

our

relationship

our

work

our

leisure

they

become

meaningful

and they

fit

into

their

proper

place.

But when

self

is

entroned

and let

me tell

you

self

is a

punishing

master

it's a

jealous

and a

punishing

master

it's

never

satisfied

it will

push

everything

else

out to

the

margins.

When

our

worship

is

focused

on

ourselves

and

not

God

greed

and

selfishness

are

entroned

and the

result

as James

puts it

where

jealousy

and

selfish

ambition

exist

there will

be

disorder

and every

wild

practice.

The people

in Amos'

time

their standards

have become

wholly

corrupt.

Amos

condemns

them

for

selling

small

measures

of

weed

for

grossly

inflated

price

and

ruined

struggling

buyers.

If

ultimately

we worship

ourselves

which means

we are

very

self-centered

and we

don't

worship

the true

and the

living

God

we

will

judge

everything

and

everyone

on how

they

could

serve

our

interest.

So in

verse 6

the poor

are treated

as disposable

items

commodities

to be

bought

and sold.

That's why

James

the brother

of Jesus

warns us

this is

religion

that is

pure

and

undefiled

before

God

the

Father

is

this

to

visit

orphans

and widows

in their

affliction

and to

keep

oneself

unstained

from

the

world.

That is

why

God

has to

judge

his

people.

Now in

my story

in the

beginning

the

beliefs

had

every

right

to

come

after

me.

I

had

signed

a

contract.

The

children

of Israel

had a

covenant

with

God.

It's

a

contract.

And that

covenant

came with

privileges

and

responsibilities.

You know

at the

heart of

it

God

had

said

I

shall

be

their

God

and

they

shall

be

my

people.

A

people

that

will

be

the

salt

of

the

earth

and

the

light

to

the

nations.

God's

people

Israel.

God's

people

was

Israel

then

and

today

it's

the

church

it's

us.

We

are

the

moral

compass

of

this

world.

But

what

happens

when

we

are

no

longer

fit

for

purpose?

When

we

are

no

different

in

fact

worse

than

the

society

that

God

has

put

us

in.

When

we

are

just

as

selfish

and

self

centered

as

the

people

that

do

not

know

!

Jesus.

Jesus

has

some

very

chilling

words

for

us.

He

says

you

are

the

salt

of

the

earth.

But

if

the

salt

has

lost

its

days

how

shall

its

saltiness

be

restored?

It's

no

longer

good

for

anything

except

to

be

thrown

out

and

trampled

under

people's

feet.

God

has

to

judge

them

because

of

the

covenant

he

had

made

for

them.

The

covenant

came

with

privileges

!

character.

You

know

at

the

end

of

the

Sermon

of

the

Mount

Jesus

said

this

everyone

who

hears

the

words

of

mine

and

does

not

do

them

will

be

like

a

foolish

man

who

built

his

house

on

the

sand

and

the

rain

fell

and

the

floods

came

and

the

winds

blew

!

God's

moral

law

and

God's

ways

we

are

playing

with

fire

because

we

are

messing

around

with

God

we

are

building

our

lives

on

shifting

sands

like

the

foolish

man

Paul

tells us

in

Galatians

do not

be

deceived

God

is

not

mocked

for

whatever

one

sows

that

will

he

also

reap

for

the

one

who

sows

to

his

own

flesh

!

will

from

the

spirit

reap

eternal

life

in

God's

universe

there

is

sowing

and

reaping

because

God's

principle

of

justice

and

mercy

are

infused

in

the

DNA

of

our

universe

mess

with

it

and

you

mess

with

your

lives

and

destiny

Amos

puts

it

this

way

in

verse

7

the

Lord

has

sworn

by

the

pride

of

Jacob

surely

I

will

never

forget

any

of

their

deeds

shall

not

the

land

tremble

on

this

account

and

every

one

moan

who

dwells

in

it

and

all

of

it

rise

like

the

Nile

and

be

tossed

about

and

sink

again

like

the

Nile

of

Egypt

first

he

is

speaking

of

an

earthquake

and

then

the

rising

and

the

sinking

of

the

great

Nile

now

imagine

you

are

on

a

boat

and

when

that's

happening

that's

what

happens

when

God's

moral

principle

are

ignored

as

an

earthquake

when

we

do

not

treat

others

as

they

are

made

in

the

image

of

God

when

we

abuse

and

take

advantage

of

one

another

when

we

use

our

religion

to

hide

from

God

when

we

assume

just

coming

to

church

at

certain

times

of

the

week

should

have

God

off

my

back

Amos

wants

us

that

our

world

will

be

turned

upside

down

you

know

in

fact

Amos

actually

dates

his

prophecies

two

years

before

the

earthquake

in

the

beginning

because

in

his

spiritual

universe

that

is

what

matters

in

terms

of

timeline

Amos

speaks

of

the

great

Nile

in

verse

8

Amos

is

alluding

to

Egypt

when

the

children

of

Israel

were

oppressed

!

When

they

were

slaves

and

taken

advantage

of

God

had

judged

Egypt

for

oppressing

his

people

now

he

will

judge

his

people

for

being

no

different

we

cannot

build

our

lives

apart

from

the

framework

that

God

has

given

us

in

his

word

there

will

be

an

earthquake

there

will

be

a

storm

everything

will

be

made

topsy

turvy

no

different

than

the

storm

that

Jesus

had

warned us

at

the

beginning

of

our

chapter

God

asked

Amos

Amos

what

do

you

see

and

he

said

a

basket

of

summer

fruit

Israel

had

been

living

in

the

summer

of

God's

grace

they

have

neglected

his

warnings

they

have

neglected

his

word

they

have

neglected

the

poor

they

have

lived

as

they

pleased

and

the

basket

of

summer

fruit

is

the

harvest

they

have

rived

they

are

ripe

but

rotten

therefore

ripe

for

judgment

you

know

verse

2

says

at

the

end

has

come

upon

my

people

I

will

never

again

pass

by

them

God

is

no

longer

going

to

overlook

the

sins

of

his

people

his

patience

and

long

sufferings

has

run

out

he

will

bring

upon

them

the

curses

of

the

covenant

but

we

we

are

still

being

shown

grace

you

know

God

is

inviting

us

to

repent

!

of

our

!

God

opposes

the

proud

but

gives

grace

to

the

humble

the

people

of

Amos'

time

are

facing

their

harvest

harvest

in the

Bible

is

a

sign

of

judgment

as

well

a

sign

of

vindication

so

are

we

being

ripened

as

Jesus

puts

it

either

as

wheat

to

be

gathered

furs

and

bound

into

bundles

to

be

burned

or

wheat

to

be

gathered

into

God's

barn

but

the

choice

is

ours

we

should

not

spurn

God's

grace

the

book

of

Hebrews

tells

us

for

if

we

go

on

sinning

deliberately

!

after

receiving

the

knowledge

of

the

truth

there

no

longer

remains

a

sacrifice

for

sins

but

a

fearful

expectation

of

judgment

and

a

fiery

fire

that

will

consume

the

adversaries

anyone

who

has

set

aside

the

law

of

Moses

dies

without

mercy

on

the

evidence

of

two

or

three

witnesses

That

was

the

warning

for

the

people

in

Amos'

time

because

they

lived

on

the

covenant

with

Moses

but

for us

is

this

how

much

worse

punishment

do you

think

will

be

deserved

by

the

one

who

has

trampled

underfoot

the

son

of

God

and

profaned

the

blood

of

the

covenant

by

which

he

was

sanctified

and

has

outraged

the

spirit

of

grace

for

we

know

him

who

said

vengeance

is

mine

I

will

repay

and

again

the

Lord

will

judge

his

people

it

is

a

fearful

thing

to

fall

into

the

hands

of

the

living

God

God

will

judge

those

who

trample

his

grace

there

is

no

such

thing

as

cheap

grace

why

is

that

because

when

God

shows us

his

grace

he

is

actually

risking

his

character

and

his

name

what

is

God's

name

and

what

is

his

character

when

Moses

asked

God

to

see

his

glory

this

is

what

God

revealed

to

him

he

said

the

Lord

the

Lord

a

God

merciful

and

gracious

slow

to

anger

and

abounding

in

steadfast

love

and

faithfulness

keeping

steadfast

love

for

thousands

forgiving

iniquity

and

transgression

and

sin

but

who

will

by

no

means

clear

the

guilty

visiting

the

iniquity