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Text: Amos 7:10-17
In these verses you’re given the only biographical information about Amos that you have. Amos is just a plain fellow who thought more of what God said than those around him. Amos was a simple man who was more concerned with the Lord’s blessing than anything else. Unregenerate church people have God, Jesus Christ, the Bible about you overcoming your obstacles. I’m going to pray and get a better job!
Anyone undeterred by opposition to God’s words (vss 10-14)
- Trouble with the priest
- Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel…
- What Amos was preaching was harsh against godlessness, worldliness, covetousness, self centered pleasure seeking godless religious people. But the accuser shows up to put out the preaching of God’s words and eliminate whatever influence the Lord may have through Amos. The irony is the accuser is dressed in religious garb and conducts worship services in a building called the house of God.
- 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
- Enemy of the state
- …Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel:
- In preaching the words of God Amos has become an enemy of the state.
- Amos is personally attacked for bringing God’s words.
- He’s too negative.
- He doesn’t believe in the brotherhood of man.
- All he talks about is judgment.
- He doesn’t love people.
- Acts 16:21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
- Politically incorrect
- …not able to bear ALL his words.
- Able to bear some words.
- The culture gets to a point where it would rather let a murderer go free than suffer a Bible believer to preach what God said about sodomy.
- Do you remember before Jesus Christ was crucified, the crowd was given an option, Jesus Christ or the murderer Barabbas. They said give us Barabbas, crucify Christ!
- Lie about his message
- For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword…
- That isn’t what was said, but who cares what is really said when you’re goal is to simply destroy a person.
- A low view of preaching
- …and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
- No understanding of God’s call or God’s work and really no interest in it.
- Paul said in the New Testament Despise not prophesyings
- Amos answers this with the same thing Paul said to the Corinthians. Essentially that I’m not doing this to make a living. If my goal was to make a living, I’d go back to what I was doing.
- Undeterred is hardly a description of church people. Distracted maybe.
- Amos is used by God while others aren’t because he isn’t distracted, he isn’t discouraged by the current situation, he isn’t defeated by the world, he is simply stedfast in the word of God. Where others dropped off and couldn’t be used by God, he didn’t.
Anyone willing to prepare themselves with God’s words (vss 14-15)
- It’s not about a career
- …I was no prophet…
- The idea here is that Amos is not like Amaziah. He’s not a professional hireling.
- The sermon Amos is preaching isn’t some weekly religious motion to go through. The sermon Amos is preaching is from God Almighty and it is the truth of the situation.
- It’s not pedigree
- …neither was I a prophet’s son…
- Amos is the first prophet among the prophets of whom we have no pedigree. Isaiah was the son of Amoz, Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, Ezekiel was the son of Buzzi, Daniel was of royal blood, probably Hezekiah’s grandson, Hosea was the son of Beeri, Joel was the son of Pethuel then we come to Amos who specifically designates himself as a nobody for God.
- God uses working people who will uphold his words
- …but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit:
- Amos says to Amaziah, Look, I’m not some hireling, I had a job. I’m here because the Lord has something to say. I’m not here because I’m trying to make a living. I can make a living without this. And I can make a better living without doing this.
- God uses people are faithful to his words in small things
- And the LORD took me as I followed the flock…
- God has blessed His words and any FAITHFULNESS to these words will result in God’s blessing. The blessing of God is an effect of this FAITHFULNESS. The fruit of the Spirit of God is found labouring in the vineyard and field of the Lord.
- God has plans for whoever wants to take them up!
- The Lord called Amos; the Lord took me…
- The Lord sent Amos; the Lord said Go…
- The Lord gave Amos the message. What higher calling is there!
- Private preparation before public
- The secret preparation for Amos is clear. He prepared in the shepherd’s fields.
- God’s preparation is private before it is public. Jesus Christ spent thirty years preparing before his final three and half in public. Young men need to get this principal. The reason preparation in public doesn’t work is because men will learn how to appear righteous before they learn how to be righteous. They learn how to appear sanctified before they learn how to be sanctified. They will learn how to appear godly before the learn how to be godly. Matthew 6:4, 6, 18 identify this potential problem that the Jews would really struggle with.
Anyone willing to speak God’s negative truth (vss 16-17)
- The Lord could use Amos because the truth was negative. But if no one is willing to say it, there is no one God can use. If everyone keeps patting everyone on the back and “working together” and “getting along” then we’ll make it.
- Consequences to eliminating God’s words.
- People will cry where Where is God?! And there will be no answer. Where is God?! No answer. You didn’t want to hear from the Lord, remember?
- Your marriage will be destroyed with fornication and prostitution that goes by a different name.
- Youth violence. The enemy will devour your children.
- Everything you’ve worked for will be chopped up and taken by strangers.
- And you’ll die under a curse among strangers.
- These are all consequences of eliminating the words of God.
- But God can use someone who’s willing to tell the negative truth.
Be someone the Lord can use. You want the fruit of the Spirit? You want the blessings of the Lord Jesus Christ? Those things are found in the vessels God Almighty can use.
