A Promised Messiah Pt 4 - Amos

Intro

Who is Amos

Shepherd & Fig Tree Farmer

Lived in Judah (Southern Kingdom), along the border of the Northern Kingdom

Called by God to travel to North (to Bethel - place where temple was set up w/ 2 golden calves)

Prophesied during the same time period as Hosea

Book is a lot of Doom & Gloom

What’s Going on in Israel

So last week, when we looked at Hosea, we chatted a bit about what was going on in the nation of Israel. It has been in this season of immense prosperity. The king at the time, Jeroboam II, was a great military leader and had led Israel to victory and economic prosperity.

Along with this, though, they had gone down the path of widespread idolotry & wickedness. Their love for Baal had led to their entire lives being impacted.

They were still going through the motions of worship of Yahweh, but they were merely that—motions. Done alongisde their worship of idols and a life far from the righteousness God had called them to.

Hosea’s focus in his messages to the people was on this Idolotry and the resulting wickedness.

Amos addresses these things, but hones in on a particular outworking of this wickedness that God specifically is going to call out and hold them accountable to.

I’m going to read a few verses that come from different parts of this book to help us get a picture of this:

Amos 2:6-8 Amos 5:7, 10-12 Amos 6:12 b Amos 8:6

Injustice is at the heart of this. Those with wealth and power are oppressing the poor and powerless. “The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.” Judges are being bribed & paid off.

Here, what we see, is this connection between heart and hand:

Last week, Hosea: Your works (your motions) don’t matter because your heart is far form me.

Amos: Your worship doesn’t matter because your actions reveal a heart far from me.

So here, we’re seeing this fleshed out a bit more. Our actions that are merely actions, performed from a place of hypocricy, a heart that is far from God, are worthless. This is what Hosea was getting at. God doesn’t want your sacrifice—he wants your heart!

But at the same time, our actions are so often a result, an overflow, of our heart. Wicked actions reveal a heart of wickedness. And the actions of Israel, the injustice that was being shown through their lives, were revealing hearts that were wicked and corrupt. And so when it came to their worship of Yahweh, it meant nothing.

This is the dochotomy we are constantly wrestling with as the people of God:

Our actions aren’t what save us, they aren’t what make us right with God. It is our heart.

But a heart that is right with God will naturally lead to actions that reflect that heart.

So if we want to know where our heart is, check our lives, check our actions. Are we walking in righteousness, pursuing justice—not just for show, not just because we don’t want to get in trouble—but because those things are the desires of our heart.

We are saved by faith alone, but, as James tells us, faith wiithout works is dead.

Israel’s Hypocricy

So this is exactly what we’re seeing in Israel—their lives of injustice is revealing hearts that are far from God, so their worship is shown for what it is: baseless motions.

Amos 5:21-24

This should be a sobering passage for us this morning, as we are gathered to worship God together. As we reflect on our hearts, our lives…what do you think God’s response to our worship is? Our SUnday gatherings each week?

So here’s what’s going on in Israel, as they are going through the motions, yet worshipping these false gods as well, having their lives consumed by wickedness and injustice, yet finding success and prosperity—

They are lulled into believing that they are on this pedestal with God—nothing can touch them because they are “God’s people”. In their mind, God is going to judge all the other nations surrounding them, obliterating them, and then elevating Israel over them.

Well, they’re in for a wake up call. Yes, judgement is coming on the other nations…but even more so on the house of Israel.

Amost begins, in the first chapter and a half, with the Lord calling out these other nations in short poems. But then…He gets to Israel. And we almost get this sense:

Yes, the other nations are judged…but Israel is judged to a greater extent, a greater level of accountability—because THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER! And so the book of Amos continues through what this is going to look like for this nation who thinks that because they are of a particular ethnic identity, that they will somehow be spared the judgement their actions deserve:

1. Famine

A famine, but not of food… listen:

Amos 8:11-12

Worse than a famine of food, of resources… a famine of hearing the Word of God. For the people of God, those called by Him, chosen by Him…this is devestating!

2. Disaster

And then, yes, there will be disaster:

Amos 9:9-10

Hope is Coming

After chapters and chapters of Amos calling out Israel, declaring judgement upon this nation…we still find hope…

And that’s such a beautiful thing…God doesn’t give up on His people!

Amos 9:11-15

This great promise that God will one day restore, rebuild this nation. That they, along with people from every nation who are called by the name of the Lord, will experience the world in the way they were always meant to experience it…to live out the reality of what it is to be the people of God.

There will be immense Prosperity as the Booth of David, the tent of David (and we’re going to unpack in a minute more of what that means), is rasied up and rebuilt.

Everything that was taken away in the time of judgement will be restored in the time of the “rais[ing] up [of] the booth of David”.

Okay…so…what does this mean for us? Where do we see the Messiah and what has this to do with us, all these years later, halfway around the world from where this people lived in the time when this prophecy was given?

First, the booth of David, the tent of David, we should immediately think back to where we’ve been already in this series. The Mesiah from the line of David, the One hwo sits ont he throne of David, establishing His Kingdom forever! Who is it that established David’s throne, his Kingdom forever? The Messiah! This is the work of the Messiah, Jesus.

So what about us?

Well, jump over to Acts 15 with me…

A portion of this passage from Amos 9 is quoted in Acts 15.

Here’s what’s going on: Paul and Barnabas have been travelling around, planting churches. And God has specifically called Paul to go to the gentiles—non-Jews. So they’re in Antioch, and we’re going to pick it up: Acts 15:1-12.

We have this Pharisee Argument: Israel is the recipient of the Covenental Promises of God. Therefore, in order for the Gentiles to partake in these promises, they must first become Jews (be circumcised & follow the Mosaic Law).

So, Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem, to the Apostles and Elders of the Jerusalem church, and the question is placed before them: Do Gentiles need to become Jews in order to receive the salvation brought by Israel’s Messiah?

Here’s the Response:

(Simon Peter) The Holy Spirit was given to the Gentiles in the same manner it was given to Jesus

(Paul & Barnabas) Signs and wonders were performed among gentiles, just as they had been among the Jews.

Prophetic Confirmation - And this is where James quotes Amos 9:11-12. Now, this is where our doctrine of Scripture becomes vitally important: as we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. We believe the New Testament is just as inspired by God as the Old Testament. So as the Old Testament is interpreted by the New Testament, we ssee the fullness of its meaning.

And here’s what we see:

Gentiles, called by the name of the LORD— ARE INCLUDED, as Gentiles.

The Booth of David is bieng rebuilt, restored through the finished work of Christ on the cross. We see here, in the usage of this prophecy by James, a deeper understanding of what this prophetic word was referring to: It’s deeper, it’s greater than simply an earthly Kingdom. It is a people, called by the name of God, to know Him and to make Him known. The booth, or tent, of David goes far beyond a physical tent, a physical tent, in Jerusalem. It is a tent that encapsulates every person, regardless of their ethnic heritage, who is called by the name of the Lord. And this booth, this tent, is established by Christ, by the Messiah.

The recipents of this Promised future under the reign of the Messiah are all those, Jews & Gentiles, who are called by the nam eof hte LORD.

Galatians 3:26–29 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

This goes back to the initial purpose of Israel, found in God’s Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12: that they are to be a blessing to all the nations of the world. This covenant, this blessing, that was fulfilled in Christ, the SEED of Abraham.

But it’s this purpose that was so misunderstood throughout Israel’s history—this sense of superiority over other nations—the idea, as we saw already, that the other nations would be judged, but Israel would be leevated to a position over them. It’s this notion that Amos completely obliterates. Again, yes, the other nations will be judged, but Israel: You should know better! You’re meant to be a light in the darkness, messengers of Hope! And you’re completely failing…instead of being a light int he darkness, you are becoming just like the darkness.

We see this same message in John the Baptist’s confrontation with the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 3:7-12

Matthew 3:7–12 ESV

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Judgement was coming…is coming, in which the wheat will be gathered into the barn, but the chaff will be burned. The true recipients of the Covenant will be gathered into the Kingdom, but the wicked will be cast out.

And the only recipients of the Covenental Promises of God are those who are in Christ—those called by the name of the Lord—whether Jew or Gentile.

It doesn’t matter ethnicity! What matters is what you do with the Messiah! Whether Jew or Gentile. Whether you were raised in church, or this is your first Sunday.

What will you do with Jesus? Will you embrace Him as the Messiah, the Saviour of the world? Will you repent, turn from your sin, turn from your old way of life, and accept Him as your Saviour and your Lord?

This isn’t about just praying some prayer, or going through the motions. That’s exactly what Amos is calling out! It’s about your heart…

Is your heart in submission to Him? Is your heart devoted to Him?

Final Judgement

And here’s, now, where we come to the haert of Amos—this connection between our heart and hands. What we touched on in the beginning—a heart that is close to God will result in a life that reflects His righteousness and Justice.

We’re going to look now at a parable Jesus gives of the final judgement—the separation that will one day occur between those who know HIm, and those who don’t. And as we look at this together, play close attention: the fruit of the lives of those who are in Christ.

READ Matthew 25:31-46

Justice and Righteousness

The hypocricy of Israel’s worship was revealed through their injustice. Is our worship being revealed as hypocricy through our injustice?

How are we caring for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked one, the sick, the prisoner?

When we see them on the sidwalk downtown, what is our response? When we hear of the immigrants coming into our nation, what is our response? When the delivery driver drops off our packages, when we’re asked for loose change…what is our heart response?

Are we reflecting the heart of our King, the heart of our Messiah?