Amos 6: Cozy & Comfortable
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Social
False Security
False Security
Series on Biblical Justice: why?
Christians need to have clear sense on the totality of the Gospel message: salvation by grace alone, faith alone, God’s Glory alone, in Christ ALONE. Salvation is the greatest gift, the greatest act of justice on behalf of the sinner now being brought into the Marvelous Light.
Justice is the center of what God wants to accomplish
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
Luke
gives us a glimpse of the Messiah’s mission:
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Justice has been a dividing line in the American Church: Conservatives vs. Liberals. Conservatives submit that social justice waters down the Gospel. The concept of justice has been a sore in the Church.
Jonathan Edwards, a very conservative theology, saw the concept of Justice differently. He said that the scriptures was strong in its language concerning the Christian duty to giving to the poor. (The duty of charity to the poor)...
Tim Keller argues that our executing Justice Biblically is a matter of how we experience Grace from God. Sometimes doing justice is doing more than what is required. That’s what God has done for us. The Bible says, “ we were dead in our sins and trespasses and enemies of God; but God lavished His great love on us that while we were still sinners: Christ DIED!!!
The song-writer said it perfectly: “must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free, there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me”
We must see justice as a part of our regular lives, we seek to do justice, we seek the welfare of the city.. . we don’t shy away from it.
This is why we endeavored to walk through the Book of Amos, it is all about justice.
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.
James
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
God is a God of Justice
How do we balance this with what is going on today?
Central Park 5, Flint Water Crisis, poor education, bad economics, gentrification, etc
Get in the game
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes!
Woe to those at ease, folks chillin and not caring about anyone other than themselves.
this is not to say: don’t have choices were you live and spend your money.
Foolish Comfort
Foolish Comfort
“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,
AMos 6
the luxurious life: talk about how this clouds our vision of serving the marginalized
Faulty Reality
Faulty Reality
who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
Amos 6:6-
cities are being destroyed, children abused, and most don’t care
