Hear and Live

Opening & Intro

Hope it works out...

This morning we will continue our journey through the book of Amos. Picking up in Chapter 3 and looking to the end of chapter 6.

Main Point

We have to make a course correction. When God Speaks we need to listen. Listening means action. We have to move.

Why Does it Matter

This serves as a warning of things to come if the path does not change. What happens if we hear and refuse to do anything about it? The reality is that the Sin problem is real. It has got to be addressed and repaired.

Scripture

Amos 3:1 NIV

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:

Amos 4:1 NIV

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”

Amos 5:1 NIV

Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

What is the theme in the three verses I just read?

God is speaking through Amos and telling His people to smarten up or there are going to be some serious consequences.

Israel are God’s chosen people, yes. But they have to live up to their side of the bargain and time and time again they fail. They break the covenant. They worship other God’s, they Hurt people around them, they take advantage.

They claim to be God’s people yet very little about them actually reflect that.

And in this section of Amos, God is putting them on notice.

CHANGE OR ELSE!!!!

Amos 3:7–8 NIV

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy?

He is not playing games here.

But how many times in our lives have we said, “We know God wants this BUT…!!!”

I call it the but’s of ministry. We know what we ought to do yet it is too much or we just don’t want to or we think we will have time to do that later.

Basically we set up idols in our lives that keep us from doing what we ought.

James 4:17 NIV

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Clear as stated in James 4:17

John also says something similar:

John 5:24–25 NIV

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

Hear and live. That is the title of the message today!

Hear and live. You see God in this passage of Amos is stating that He sees all and knows all and wants them to understand something.

First, God is the deliverer. ONLY He has and can save them.

Second, He wants the world to see and recognize

Amos 3:9–10 NIV

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people.” “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted.”

God is about to be heard and we have to listen.

What is the message?

The israelites were NOT representing Him well and the world around them were disrespecting Him too.

We saw last week that Israel was sacrificing to false Gods, they were treating people like things. They were not doing right by God.

What was worse in God’s eyes was the way they woudl actually worship Him and “do the right things or make the right steps when they were worshipping” Yet they carried on like the rest of the world when they weren’t.

Listen

Amos 4:4–5 NIV

“Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

They did it because they had to. What a mess. That’s what the cows of Bashan was about. People acting high and mighty even when worshiping God. Treating people, God’s image bearers like they were worthless.

Hypocritical worship is not what God wants. He wants our hearts. He wants our commitment. He doesn’t want us to take refuge in some other fortress He wants us to take refuge in His. The only one that can protect us.

Application

So, Luke 14:11

Luke 14:11 NIV

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

What is God tellling us to do today? Do we need to give something over to him? Is there an idol in our lives that needs to be torn down? Is He speaking to you? Only you will know that and only YOU can respond.

We don’t inherit faith. We have to own it. We have to listen to God speak. He is roaring like a lion. Will we listen to that mighy roar and hear the warning and Repent or turn back or will we ignor the roar and walk into death and destruction?

That is what Amos is getting at here.

Hear and live!!!

Closing

Next week we will be finishing Amos and talking about the measure by which we are both jodged and judge. Hope to see you then.