From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Hearing the Roar of God

I find AI very interesting. When I came here 10 years ago the MBA office provided data to reveal that there were 1,800 people within a 5 mile radius of this church.

I was curious as to how many people today live within 5 miles of the church and interestingly AI, by use of United States zip code data revealed 1,150 people. I believe that figure is a little low but low or high, we have between 10-15 people per square mile in the region around us.

Given that reality do you believe God can use us ordinary average Joe’s (no pun intended Joe) from remote humble surroundings to do extraordinary measures in the power of God?

As you think in that vein reflect with me on a book of the Bible that I imagine you may have never heard a message from.

Specifically we will look at the book of Amos. Not only will we feel that we can identify with Amos, the person, but we will see that we can identify with the times in which he prophesied. The Lion of Judah, our Lord roared and Amos responded. My prayer as we study Amos that we will hear the roar of God and we will respond to His message for us. Amen. Let’s pray.

Pray

Message

Read along with me in your Bibles and I encourage you to use a physical Bible in this study for a couple of reasons:

There will be a great deal of reading and some historical detail and you may want to take notes.

You may want to reflect back because the points of the message will come from different sections of scripture.

I’m going to give you time to get your hands on a physical Bible if you have one available.

If there is a theme verse from the book of Amos it would be Amos 3:8.

Amos 3:8 “8 A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”

I do not know how many of you have been to the zoo but invariably a lion will roar at a time you least expect it. Things are usually tranquil and all of a sudden when the Lion roars its voice is arresting. You will almost feel your hair stand up on the back of your neck. A lion’s roar can be heard from five miles away. The voice of God spoke to Amos and His message was arresting.

Amos stated at the end of that verse, “who can but prophecy?”

Meaning that when God called Amos, there was no option but to yield to God’s calling. He was going to serve the Lord in the capacity in which God called Him and He was going to trust the Lord as He served.

The question you may ask this morning is:

How is our situation similar to Amos?”

Great question. I’m glad you asked.

Look with me at Amos 1:1

Amos 1:1 NKJV

1 The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

I underline those phrases in the introductory verse because we learn a great deal about Amos and the times in which he served in this first verse. We find further background in Amos 7:14-15.

Amos 7:14–15 “14 Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: “I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit. 15 Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, And the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’”

Amos was the first of four eighth century prophets. Contemporaries would have been Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah. Along with Hosea, Amos’ ministry was to Israel even though he was from Judah. In other words, Amos was from the Southern Kingdom. The kingdom had been divided. Israel to the north and Judah to the south.

Amos was from a small town in the hill country of Judah, 10 miles South of Jerusalem, and 5 miles southeast of Bethlehem. Tekoa was wilderness as described in 2 Ch. 20:20. Time does not allow to tell a great deal about Tekoa other than to say the people of Tekoa helped rebuild the walls in Jerusalem.

Interestingly, the town name, Tekoa means “the place for pitching tents.” I believe we can sense that Tekoa was remote, uninhabited, small and insignificant, yet God saw something in Amos to use him.

In Amos 7:15 we see that God called Amos from tending his flock and Amos trusted in faith to follow God’s will for his life.

Amaziah was the priest of Bethel — not the house of God, but a house of compromise. He wore the robes of religion but served the throne, not the Lord. When God’s Word threatened his comfort, he told Amos to pack up and go home.

Amos didn’t have a title, a salary, or a pulpit. But he had a call. And when you have a call from God, you can’t keep silent. The Amaziahs of the world protect the system; the Amoses of the world proclaim the truth.”

You could liken Amaziah to a “company man” — the kind of person who does what’s politically safe instead of what’s morally right. Amos, on the other hand, is the whistleblower of heaven — called to speak even when it costs him.

Well....

We see the similarity in our backgrounds. Amos was a layperson. Amos was a farmer. He was from a small village and a rugged place. We can identify with that.

But there is something else we can identify with. Through words and visions, God called Amos to speak against superficial religiosity of the day. Amos was called to minister to people that were going through the religious motions but were not really surrendered to the things of God.

God called Amos to prophesy against Samaria and the kingdom of Israel in 760 BC as identified at the time the two kings were leading both the Northern and the Southern Kingdom:

Uzziah King of Judah 792-740 BC

Jeroboam II of Israel 793-753 BC

This was a time of great prosperity. All of the 401K’s of the people of Israel were performing well. Seriously, the people were financially doing well. The military for both kingdoms were doing well and the bordering pagan nations were in a weakened conditions. Samaria, the capital city of Israel enjoyed enormous wealth and luxuries poured into the city. The people of Israel were blinded to the blessedness of grace and mercy God had shown His people but enough was enough for God.

In the decades leading up to this time struggles with Damascus had left the working class, the farmer exhausted. They were reduced to poverty. The more affluent in Israel, the aristocracy made loans to the poor they were not able to repay and reduced the debtors to slaves and repossessed their lands. The heartbeat of Israel’s elite was that had no reason to fear and that their future was secure. The city had high walls, they were fortified, they were God’s chosen people and they thought they were immune from judgment.

1. The Comfortable Nature of Cultural Influence Amos 1:2-2:3

Amos 1:2 “2 And he said: “The Lord roars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers.””

-sheep, wheat, barley, wine, olive, figs

I want to read a few verses as we look at God’s judgment against the pagan nations in the region:

Amos 1:3 “3 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.”

Amos 1:4 “4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.”

Amos 1:5 “5 I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,” Says the Lord.”

Amos 1:6 “6 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom.”

By the way, “Three transgressions and for four” equals 7 and we know that number in the Bible to mean completeness. The time had come for God to bring His perfect judgment on the people.

If you were to read through Amos 2:3 you would continue to read of God’s judgment against the pagan nations that surround Israel:

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 1

First is

Each of these countries had crossed the line of humanity and decency. They had committed acts of cruelty, oppression, and betrayal.

Let me help you understand the setting and how God’s people Israel were receiving the information. As Amos called out Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon and Moab, the Israelites were clapping their hands. “ I told you so. I knew they had it coming to them. Amen!!” They were shouting, “Amen, Amos you preach it my brother! Those pagan nations deserve punishment.”

Are we not the same? When our government takes a stand against terrorism-Amen!! When we see an underdog situation in Ukraine where Russia by all appearances just decided to take their land. We place sanctions on Russia and we say “amen.” When we utterly destroy drug boats bringing drugs from Venezuela that poison our nation-Amen! When human trafficking is stopped or child pornography rings are broken apart—Amen! When justice is served on violent criminals—Amen!!

And rightly so. These things are evil. These actions are good actions to take against evil doings. But here’s the shocker—Amos then pivots.

He says, “What about you? That roar of God isn’t just form them, it’s for us too. Oh dearly beloved, Israel’s own comfort blinded them to their own sin.

Oh listen are we guilty of nodding at the sins of the world and blinded to the sins of our own?

2. The Confrontation with Covenant Responsibility Amos 2:4-8

Amos 2:4–5 “4 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have despised the law of the Lord, And have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, Lies which their fathers followed. 5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.””

Amos 2:6–8 “6 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals. 7 They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, And pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, To defile My holy name. 8 They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, And drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.”

After six “amen!” oracles, Amos points the finger back inward. First as you heard in verses 4-5 about Judah and verses 6-8 about Israel.

In these five verses we read that Judah rejected the law of the Lord and despised His statutes. Israel exploited the poor, they were involved in sexual immorality and idolatry.

Remember earlier that when Amos was preaching judgment about the other bordering nations they said, “Amen, Amen!” Now they are saying “Oh me, oh me!”

That happens to us. The pastor can be speaking about those people “out there” and then all of a sudden he shares something that hits you right between the eyes.

Charles Spurgeon said these words :

“When you read the Bible and it pricks your conscience, you may depend upon it that it was aimed at you.”

Oh listen to me dear church, I hear so much about what Fox News said. We will openly condemn the sins of the world but often ignore the sins of the church, more specifically our sins, more specifically, my sins.

-Gossip, backbiting, bitterness, divisiveness.

-We neglect the poor in our communities.

-Sexual compromise in private while holding a religious front in public.

What is the point?

Dearly beloved, being a child of the King has great privilege. But must we not forget it requires great responsibility.

Look with me at these verses:

Luke 12:48 “48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

Hebrews 10:26–27 “26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

Romans 2:4–6 “4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:”

1 Peter 4:17 “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?”

If God held Israel accountable for wasting His blessings, how much more will He hold us accountable with what we have this side of the cross:

The Word of God in our hands

The Spirit of God in our hearts

The blessedness of freedom, family and faith.

With these gifts come great responsibility and Peter says it begins in the house of God.

3. The Collapse of Counterfeit Religion Amos 5:21-23

Amos 5:21–22 “21 “I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. 22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.”

Amos 5:23 “23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.”

Amos attacks right at the heart of religious life for Israel: God hated their festivals, their sacrifices, and songs. Why? Because their lives did not match their liturgy.

Imagine someone buying flowers for their spouse but living unfaithfully the rest of the week. The flowers do not cover or do justice to the betrayal.

A pastor made this comment: “You can no more fool God with empty worship than you can fool a bank with counterfeit bills.” They may look close to the real thing, but they will not hold up when tested.

Oh listen this morning dear friend, worship is not just what happens on Sunday, it’s how we live Monday through Saturday.

God is not impressed with outward appearances, He is impressed with the heart. He wants truth in our inner sanctum.

Psalm 51:6 “6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”

Do you remember when Samuel was called to go to the house of Jesse to seek God’s next appointed King?

When Samuel was searching for Israel’s next king, he thought he’d found the one based on appearance — tall, strong, impressive. But God said, ‘Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’

Amos reminds us of the same truth. Israel looked successful on the outside — prosperous, powerful, religious — but God saw the corruption of the heart. What He saw inwardly didn’t match what they projected outwardly.”

Oh listen to me church, Mt Zion doesn’t have the latest and greatest that some of our city churches have. We do not have the lights, the stages or the talent of the Mega churches around town. We do not have all the polish and bling bling but that is not what is important, God is looking at the hearts of His people.

4. The Call to Covenant Renewal Amos 5:24; 9:11-15)

Amos 5:24 “24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Amos 9:11–13 “11 “On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the Lord who does this thing. 13 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it.”

Amos 9:14–15 “14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the Lord your God.”

Notice as we close that Amos did not close with judgment, but with hope. In chapters 2-9, Amos prophesied judgment on Israel for their sins and as prophesied judgment came. In 722 BC, around 30 or so years later the Assyrians under Shalmaneser V and Sargon II invaded and destroyed Israel’s capital, Samaria.

2 Kings 17:5-6 teach us that the Israelites were deported and scattered through the Assyrian empire which ended the Northern Kingdom permanently.

Amos in his message of hope promised restoration through the fallen tent of David (ultimately fulfilled in Christ Jesus.)

Israel had broken covenant, but God had not abandoned His plan. He still offered hope if they would return. In the same way, God still calls us ordinary people today to extraordinary obedience and renewal.

I imagine for many of us we are approaching a month without rain. Think of a dry creek bed after such a time. The ground cracks and life shrivels. But when the rains come, the water rushes in and everything blossoms again. That’s Amos’ vision in 5:24 — “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.”

Let’s get real this morning. Are you here today and going through the motions? Are you here but you have an attitude of greed? Are you here but yet your are argumentative, fighting, saying things you shouldn’t say? Are you here but not trusting the Lord with your finances? Are you here but you know in your heart of hearts you are living in sin?

God wants you to live a life where the rivers of justice and righteousness flow. You can pray right now and call out to God and His rivers of grace and mercy with spring forth a flood of help in the Holy Spirit to help you live righteously and to be just (not in your power, but His.)

And church, God wants His people to live channels of justice and righteousness.

Oh church, we may be small and rural, but rivers don’t start big. They begin as small streams that grow as they flow. God can use our lives, our families, and our church to let His righteousness flow into this community.

And Extraordinary God can use us ordinary people to spring forth in His righteousness and justice in a parched world.

Let me ask you something. Are you parched because you need the living water that Jesus offered the Samaritan woman?

John 4:13–14 “13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.””

Let’s pray.