Judgment at The Altar
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Intro: A couple of weeks ago we closed the morning service with a song entitled “Come to The Altar.” It is one of the most accurate descriptions of how one needs to respond to God’s invitation.
Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself, Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling
Leave behind your regrets and mistakes, Come today, there's no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy, From the ashes a new life is born Jesus is calling
Come to the altar the Father's arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ
Altar- to slaughter/sacrifice. A place where various types of sacrifices and offerings (e.g., animal, grain, incense) were presented. The altar functioned as a means of mediation between man and God, thereby maintaining or reestablishing the covenant relationship. The consecrated altars of the tabernacle and of the Jerusalem temple were symbols of God’s eternal presence in their midst.
Myers, A. C. (1987). In The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (p. 42)
Though the altar is a place of forgiveness and worship of God, it is also a place where God judges. God judged our sin on the altar of Calvary. Amen!!
God also judges false worship at the altar, and that’s what we’re going to look at this morning as I preach on “Judgment at The Altar”.
Text: Amos 9:1-10
1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said: “Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake, And break them on the heads of them all. I will slay the last of them with the sword. He who flees from them shall not get away, And he who escapes from them shall not be delivered.
2 “Though they dig into hell, From there My hand shall take them; Though they climb up to heaven, From there I will bring them down;
3 And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, From there I will search and take them; Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea, From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them;
4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword, And it shall slay them. I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good.”
5 The Lord God of hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, And all who dwell there mourn; All of it shall swell like the River, And subside like the River of Egypt.
6 He who builds His layers in the sky, And has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, And pours them out on the face of the earth— The Lord is His name.
7 “Are you not like the people of Ethiopia to Me, O children of Israel?” says the Lord. “Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, The Philistines from Caphtor, And the Syrians from Kir?
8 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” Says the Lord.
9 “For surely I will command, And will sift the house of Israel among all nations, As grain is sifted in a sieve; Yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword, Who say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’
1. Judgment begins in God’s House; 1
1. Judgment begins in God’s House; 1
Amos sees God by the altar [Bethel “house of God”, but now a place of false worship].
Amos heard God tell someone [Angel of the Lord, angel] to strike the pillars that the altar of false gods will be destroyed and the people of false worship with it!
17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
The Lord’s judgment would begin exactly where it should: at the worship centers of the nation. Those who professed to know the Lord but who lived wickedly were hypocrites. They would be the first to bear the brunt of God’s judgment.
God is Omniscience- God’s perfect knowledge of both Himself and that which He created.
13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
God’s judgment on America will start in the houses of worship!
2. God’s Judgment is Inescapable; 2-4
2. God’s Judgment is Inescapable; 2-4
God tells Amos that no sinner will escape His judgment.
God is Omnipresence- God is everywhere present and is not limited to any location or physical space. God is inescapable.
[2a] If a person attempted to hide in the depths of the earth (grave) or hell itself, the LORD’s hand of judgment would still reach him.
[2b] If a person sought refuge in outer space, no matter how far out he went, even there the LORD would bring him down to face His divine justice.
[3a] If a person climbed the highest mountain (Mt. Carmel) and sought refuge in its wilderness, the LORD would still find him and bring him to face his due punishment.
[3b] If a person sought refuge at the bottom of the sea, even there God would execute judgment against him. [Ask Jonah]
[4a] Even those who are taken captive would face the righteous judgment of God.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2008). Joel–Nahum (p. 129). Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
[4b] This is one of the most terrifying statements in scripture.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What a blessing for believers but a terror for the unbeliever!
3. Judgment comes from an Omnipotent God; 5-6
3. Judgment comes from an Omnipotent God; 5-6
God’s Omnipotence- God’s unconditional power to do that which he wills in accordance with his nature.
God tells Amos that He will use fire, water, wind anything He desires to bring about judgment upon sinful man.
In the Book of Revelation God uses famine, wild beasts, earthquakes, hail, floods, fire, darkness, drought, plagues and people to bring judgment upon sinful men.
8 “Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.
God used Assyria to judge Israel, whom and what will He use to judge America?
4. God’s Judgment is Impartial; 7-10
4. God’s Judgment is Impartial; 7-10
Amos shares with the nation of Israel that even though they are a favored people of God, He loves the Ethiopians, Philistines and the Syrians as much as He loves them. God loves all His creation, but He judges its SIN!
Look at what the scriptures say from the Old Testament to the New about Impartiality.
15 ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
23 These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
21 To show partiality is not good, Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
11 For there is no partiality with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law
If God requires His creation to be impartial, then He must by His nature be impartial as well!
[8-9] God will destroy the northern kingdom from the face of the earth. He will judge the sinner but save the repentant at heart.
Sifting is a practice of separating chaff from wheat [bad from the good]. God said He would sift in His judgment and not destroy the good grain/believers.
Turn to Mt. 13:24-30 [present condition of the church in the world]
Mt. 13:36-43 [future condition of the eternal kingdom]
When God brings the nation of Israel back together it won’t be divided anymore 10/2, but one nation under God!
For America to be One Nation Under God again, judgment must come!
Close;
Before God’s judgment comes, He loves us enough to be longsuffering, desiring that all men would come to the knowledge of the truth. This morning, God is giving us an invitation to “Come to the Altar” before it is no longer available to you.
Are you hurting and broken within? Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Have you come to the end of yourself, Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling this morning.
Come to the Altar!