Justice In the Gate

famous has prophetic words came during a time when God's kingdom when the Kingdom of Israel was divided Not only was there a political division with a northern king and a southern King, but there was a growing division among the people historic records indicate that it was a relatively peaceful time.

But there were and there was a growing Prosperity among some but at the expense of many not toward the end of this relatively peaceful. Of time. There was a new and aggressive adversary was coming to power and who wanted to conquer all of the land of Israel. God had complained against all of his people because they were his troll chosen people not only got a complaint against Israel, but God had a complaint against Israel's neighbors as well.

Which was the southern Kingdom as well as Israel, which was the northern kingdom and the whole family that God had brought out of Egypt. The people had rejected God's correction. And now God is issuing this lament through the prophet Amos Amos has Amos renders these words to a people who don't quite get it that God has been trying to tell him something. CareNow these words from Amos Ah you that turn Justice to Wormwood and bring righteousness to the ground the one who made the Pleiades and Orion and turns deep Darkness into morning and darkness and the Darkness and darkens today and tonight who calls for the Waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the Earth. The Lord is his name. Who makes description flash out against the strong? So that destruction comes upon the Fortress. They hate the one who reproves in the gate and they abhor the one who speaks the truth therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them from them levees of grade you have built houses of hewn Stone, but you will not live in them. You shall not live in them. You have planted Pleasant Vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many of your transgressions and how great are your sins you who afflict the righteous who take a bribe and push aside the needy in the gate there for The Prudent will keep silent in such a time for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil that you may live. And so the lord of the god of hosts will be with you. Just as you have said hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate. And it may be that the Lord the god of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. I'm in.

Scripture brings to us time and time again God's Timeless truth and it is our task as Believers to connect the stories of God and God's people with our own stories. So as we explore as this text this morning, I want you to think about the ancient people of God and notice any similarities between what is going on in their time. And what seems to be happening during our time. I'm ever mindful of the words of Ecclesiastes in my dad used to always say this and I never quiet I didn't quite understand when I was younger, but the older I get the more I see this Justice the truth. Crazy ass tease where it says that there is nothing new Under the Sun. There is nothing new Under the Sun. Let us pray. Gracious God. We thank you for the gift of your word. We thank you for your prophetic message that transcends time Lord help us in this generation in this day to hear your word and taking its full meeting so that we may live it out in our lives and perhaps we will stop repeating the tape again and again help us to learn the lesson fully Lord so that we may truly live in your will this world may flourish and your kingdom May Come. Lord open our hearts and our minds open our ears differently so that we my process we might listen more deeply to your word and then give us a bowl this lure to follow your will we pray this in Christ? Holy name. Amen. NRA text this morning

Amos says 3 times in the gate in the gate and the gate makes you wonder in the gate. What does that mean? And in fact that phrases used I think it's 29 times in throughout scripture. So that tells it tells us that is a significant thing that something happens in the gate. Well, let's take a look at that. Would you put that picture back up? Around the ancient cities, that would be a wall that would surround like this that mean this is an image of an ancient gate. Within the wall as you can see there is a gate and this would be the weakest place in the walls over the course of time the walls would be more fortified and they actually became became fortresses. If you will to protect the people who were within the city and these Gates will be open in the morning and close that night. It was the means of security for the folks who were were inside now over the course of time Gates developed and there would be an outer gate which is what you see and then it will be an energy and there would be sometimes a substantial space in between so literally you would be in the gate so and even for defense purposes you notice it's dark inside that gate there's not just a thoroughfare that goes straight through often times. You would have to make a perpendicular turn when you went inside to see that energade. It was a defense mechanism. The Shield was held on the left so you wanted the if your enemy was coming through your gate you wanted to turn to the left because that exposes their right flank which made them vulnerable so your people would be there waiting to defend. There's a turn in the gate. So this space though was used for a lot of different reasons. The gate was in the gate was where public announcements would be made. This is where in Nehemiah the reading of the law took place in the gate. It was a place where the city Elders would sit where the respected man of wisdom with sit in the gate and share their wisdom. I'm in fact there was a Solomon's gate we're teaching occurred business would be transacted in in the gate and sometimes Kings even would hold Court in the gate David was known to be sitting in the gate when he was waiting for word from the war with with Absalom on his his son. Who was his Advocate adversary at one point. Court was held in the gate. So the gate was a place of influence and they typically would have names for what happened primarily in that gate. That was the fish gate. It was a horse gate cuz that's where you went to buy fish or that's where you went to buy horses that sort of thing. I saw him and scared of course was the place for exchanging wisdom. So the game was part of a complex structure that served and protected the people who were within the city. What are they were citizens or visitors whether they were Native or immigrants. And again in the gate was a place of of social political economic educational religious and even judicial influence. So God was taking issue with what the people were doing in their places of influence in the gate. And Amos reminds this people of God these chosen folks of who this God is that they are defying he is the one who made the play the Pleiades and Orion the Heavenly constellations the one who turns Darkness into morning and the Darkness today and tonight the one who calls that the Waters of the sea the one who orders the heavens and the Earth. The Lord is his name this formidable God is the one who can make Destruction come in a Flash. So no words don't think that you're human made protections or you think that you are protected because someone has your back or you got You're In Cahoots with with some folks to continue to do what you've been doing this for model though. God sees all of this. And can bring that down in a Flash don't be so comfortable in the fortresses that you create for yourself because those are nothing to the Lord Amos goes on to announce God's judgement against the blatant transgressions. The blatant Injustice is amongst the people because at this point God's chosen people have perverted sweet Justice and made it to the point of bitterness. That's that's the reference to Wormwood in and are scripture and they had one goodness and decency efficacy end, excuse me Essex into the ground, the people had indulged corruption and corrupted appetites. They had tasted and savored all the Temptations of the day and they had turned deaf ears to the truth that made them uncomfortable and instead sought to listen to a false prophets who would tickle their ears with what they wanted to hear, especially What was being said would render gain for themselves? This was a time when the elite took advantage of the poor by the structures that they put in place, perhaps they overworked and overworked the poor and underpaid them or perhaps a a set of stipulations that were a block blockades for the poor that did not get Grant to them the same advantages that the elite had come to know and while the poor struggle that the rich build homes at a state-of-the-art materials. They built homes out of hewn Stone in our day. Let's say they built marble edifices that were filled with all of the latest Technologies. That the times had to offer. And to add insult to injury to insult to injury instead of planting crops where perhaps the poor could glean with dignity as they had been instructed his people of God. There's some earlier scripture in that the pentateuch that instructs the people don't clean your feels from edge to edge but leave a Remnant behind so that the Widow the orphan the alien the poor could come and glean for themselves so they could help support themselves with with the remnant that was left in the field. But these people did you plant those crops instead? They planted Vineyards that were beautiful for their site and would continue to further their indulgences, but God knew about all of these transgressions. He knew that the strong were trampling of the vulnerable and that the corrupt were worth were threatening the upright nothing. Absolutely. Is hidden from the Lord verse 12:12 says that's you who have took the righteous who take a bride and push aside the needy in the gate the people made trouble for the upright any of those whistleblowers who would speak truth who would uncover what that which was not just they brought trouble again into the lives of those people. They took bribes whether it was for money or position.

They would tip the balance of Justice against the innocent in order to patronize or protect the wealthy as they continue to oppress the poor. They pushed aside the needy in the gate the strong pushed over the weak as they took a bribe the poor could not tender bribes because they couldn't afford it to do so and it perhaps me that would they because they were more upright and had to be but because they couldn't afford a bribe The Prudent would keep silent left their fate might be worse if they complained. God knew that there was Injustice happening in the gate in these places of influence and God knew this repeated Narrative of the haviours and judgment was coming judgment was coming because of what was being done in the gate. But our God is a merciful god. And truly as people are going down the wrong path, but God always makes a way always says but he was an option. Here's an alternative way for you if you would but I heard from what you are doing to this way. I've been trying to show you. Then I will be with you. I will walk with you you claimed that I am your God you claimed that I am with you already. But God directs the people to seek good and not evil. This is the good news. This is the god news that regardless of the level or the extensive nature of the transgressions that we have made in the past if We will repent if we will turn from our old ways and turn to the ways of God and God mercifully forgives us but we must truly earnestly repent of our ways let go of them turn 180 degrees away from them and not turn back if we will walk with God God will walk with us because God is ever ready to take us up wherever we may be.

people the people or being directed to seek good and not evil in. The message is clear that the people of God must live as God's people not as a matter of convenience, but as a matter of commitment pacifically God directed God's directive is to hate evil to Lovegood and to establish justice in the gate. And when all of these things are done, it may be that the Lord the god of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. God still has the choice to make because God is God. God though, we know he is merciful. And so what does all of this mean for us? The constant voice of scripture is one of discernment. We must always be asking the question. Where is God leading us with this? What does this mean for us? And we need to listen to that voice in this day and in our relationship it in our relationships throughout this world. What are there a local or Global God has a word in his speaking to us and is working through us. We are God's people today and they're our transgressions among us. We all know this we are trans their transgressions Among Us that are far too similar. To what the ancient people of Israel were doing? When I say there's nothing new Under the Sun but we tend not to remember. What is that saying history is people doing things.

New people make an old mistakes history of new people making old mistakes. How do we rewrite the history going forward so that we're not making the same making old mistakes. I guess we can do better because we have the word of God. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit if it is not written in the text that the spirit of God comes to us tells us counsel counsels of his ever-present and ever ready to talk to us and talk us through the Temptations that present themselves to us. We can do better. Thomas director for us is the same as it was Millennia ago hate evil Lovegood and establish justice in the gate. He's a God of Justice in the gate. That doesn't mean you hand it off to the person next to you to say you go do that. You going to handle it make that Justice happen. Now, this is very personal. We are all called to do so. Something about Justice to establish justice in the gate for our purposes in the gate means the places where we have influence whatever circles whatever Spears you move in. You have a voice you have any influence even if it is by your presence you'd be surprised at what I look. What a smile or frown. conveys You'd be surprised at what you meant presents in a space States? You have influence even if you never utter a word you have influence, sometimes your silence condones what's going on? And that makes you complicit sometimes your silence is a stand against what is happening because you are not speaking for it, but we have influence in the places that we travel. So if you were a teacher this director says establish justice in the classroom or in the school system. Don't be limited by what you see right in front of you. You have a greater sphere of influence than you probably imagine. If you are a establish justice in the courtroom in the judicial system. If you are a student establish justice among your peers. Know who you are as one of God's people and live walk in that way because God is with you as you do so as Christians, we are not alone in our ability to do this because the holy spirit is always with us. I want you to consider this. The ancient Gates War passageways constructed to guide movement and to provide protection for the people that were within the gate and the city walls and often as I said before you didn't just go straight through the gate. There was a turn in the gate. So you might enter in One Direction, but you were required to change direction once inside that gate in order to reach the inner destination. This is similar to the passageway of our faith. Jesus said in The Gospel according to John I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved and they will come in and go out and find pasture. And as I think about Jesus as the gate when we are in Christ, then we are in the gate. We are in the gate of Christ when we have entered through Christ Our passageway is not a straight thoroughfare.

We have we are required to turn to Christ and then we are required to turn with Christ as followers of Christ. We required to shift Direction not as the world shifts, but as Jesus leaves the way when we are in Christ Christ is within us as the Holy Spirit engages our spirit to establish a greater understanding of of life and Liberty of peace and Justice and especially of Love which encompasses all of that as we are in Christ. We seek good all the time and not evil. We love the ones who speak truth because the one we follow is the way the truth and the life. Jesus came not to Simply tell us what to do but to invite us into his life into the gate and to move into our lives to show us this new interpretive lens as we walk through this new gate Jesus stands with us walks alongside us includes us forgives us hold us accountable raises us to new Vistas and gives us this new Direction and new awareness of the way that we are to engage this world that we are in Jesus equips in powers and then sends us out with this Christian worldview, you know, when you walk side-by-side with somebody eventually if you walk long enough with them if they're going in a certain direction you begin to see things the same things that they're seeing you begin to see in the same direction that that they are seeing so their view becomes the same view that you are having you become aligned with that lead. This is what is happening to us with Christ in the gate when we see Christ as our gate and the lens through which we view the world.

The Christian view is the way up to engage the world to empower and send to an excuse me to engage the world and to impact the world around us with all of its complexities with all of its its pain and suffering its its corruption and its division but also its Delights and its Joys we are the ones who were charged with establishing Justice in the gate in the gate where we have influence amoses words are purposefully disruptive. The promise of judgment is real and we must walk with that. We must Embrace that people will be held accountable for Disobedience for mistreatment of others for dishonesty for greed and all of the Litany of other sins in the eyes of God. But those who truly heed the prophet's words will live and live abundantly. So as long as there is some discomfort in the world. The people of God must not rest in comfort as long as there are people experiencing homelessness. We should be working to establish justice in the gate of housing as long as there are people who are suffering from hunger and malnourishment or or food insecurity. We should be worked balash Justice in the gate of food in the food gate. There is much work for us to do as long as there are families unable to connect for virtual education. And that is the way of the world and we must work to establish justice and education and in technology. Establish justice in the gate, wherever you are, whatever your sphere of influence or authority as you engage in the twittergate the Facebook gave the Instagram gave the Tik Tok whatever the gate is the business gate and especially in the voting gate establish justice in the gate and remember that the Gate of Christ through which you travel remember where you are who you are and who you are walking with establish justice in the gate of your influence. Take action. And may God's will be done. May it be so may it be so I'm n

God's word is always a great guide for a Citizen Z guide for our lives and as we think about bringing for the justice. It is time. We that we would move into a time of prayer where we celebrate our blessings as well as bringing forth our concern.

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