Famous Amos. Amos is Famous The 12 tribes of Israel are divided. Northern and Southern Kingdoms.

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1 1 Famous Amos Amos is Famous The 12 tribes of Israel are divided. Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Amos was bold and confident. This is what the Lord says 8 times in the first two chapters. 1:3,6,9,11,13 2:1,4,6, Look at the big picture. What would God say to us? What is God saying to us? Look at the first two chapters. God is revealing himself to us. The church. Why is God revealing himself to us? Why is God showing us? He is wanting to reveal himself to this community and the way he does it is through his church. We are the church the people of God. I. I will keep my heart pure before the Lord. Amos mentions a phrase unique to him in the Bible. Amos mentions this phrase a total of 8 times Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6 Amos 1:3 For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. A. He goes through the list of 6 foreign surrounding countries and then Judah and Israel. 1. Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, Israel. 2. God knows what is happening. B. Sin is never a secret. 1. It s always known by God. 2. Amos uses the numbers three and four. Psalm 44:21 he knows the secrets of the heart. Could we see sin like God sees it? It is nasty. It is harsh.

2 2 It always takes. The exchange is always to the loss of the sinner. It s never worth it. It is always blinding. It is always destructive. It is always harmful, hurtful, damaging. It s like candy flavored poison. If you drink it there is a good taste for a minute but death is inevitable. 1. Come to God with a repetitive heart. 2. Repentance is at the heart of the Gospel. C. First words of John the Baptist --- First words of Jesus public ministry. Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand 1. Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. 2. Why would Jesus be baptized by John? 3. Teachers would baptize their followers. 4. If you were Baptized by someone you were saying - I agree with your ministry and what you are teaching. 5. Jesus was saying that I agree with John s ministry. 6. I am validating it as authentic and true. Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. D. At the heart of the Gospel is repentance. 1. You cannot be a follower of Jesus without repenting. 2. Christians are marked by their decision to turn away from their sin and follow Christ. 3. That is what it means to follow Jesus. E. You must be sensitive. 1. No one thinks that I believe I will destroy my life and bring upon myself misery, hurt, bondage, pain and death. F. Effects of Sin.

3 3 1. Sin makes you short sighted. 2. It causes vision loss. 3. It blinds you. 1. Remove the blinders from your eyes. 2. Keep a sensitive heart. 3. Keep a tender heart. 4. God loves you and only wants the best for you but you must repent. 5. You must turn away. Question Why would you eat something that you knew would kill you just because it tastes good. Request / Petition Forgive us from all known sin. Reveal to us any unknown sin so we can repent. Make us sensitive to those things that you do not approve of. I. I will keep my heart pure before the Lord. II. I will hold God s word close to my heart. Amos 2:4 4 This is what the Lord says: For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed A. The first six prophecies are against foreign nations. - We listed them - Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab. B. Judah had rejected the law of the Lord and had not kept his decrees 1. God chose the descendants of Jacob. 2. Jacob wrestles with the Angel of the Lord and he tells him that he now has a new name. 3. Jacob will now be called Israel. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin C. In Chapter 2 Amos brings it home to the Israelites. 1. I know that it says Judah and Israel.

4 4 2. But remember the Kingdom is divided. 3. Judah and Benjamin formed the Southern Kingdom. 4. The other 10 tribes formed the Northern Kingdom call Israel. 5. So Northern Kingdom is referred to as Israel. 6. Southern Kingdom is referred to as Judah. Deuteronomy 30: See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. D. Unpack. 1. God reveals himself to them. 2. Vs. 1 I set before you today life and prosperity death and destruction. 3. God is saying I am setting something before you. a. It is your choice. b. I don t want robots I want a Bride. c. God is giving them this -- cosmic marriage proposal. d. God is pursuing you but the only way I will marry you is if you say YES. e. The offer is on the table life and prosperity OR death and destruction. 4. Love the Lord your God. a. Walk in obedience to him. b. Keep his commands, decrees and laws c. Promise if you do this you will live and increase. d. God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. Illustration The Bible has over 500 behavioral commands in the NT. These are there because God loves us. It s like the manual. If you want eternal life and prosperity, then this is what you should do. He is constant and consistent. His word is unchanging. It always means what it always meant and it never means what it never meant. 1. Transform us by the power of your word.

5 5 Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Request / Petition Strengthen us to love your word/law. Transform us by your word. I will love God s law. Don t think about law as a bad thing. Change your thinking. Think about law as a good thing. Love it. Let it strengthen you. Let it establish you. Let it give you solid ground to stand on. Let it give you mental health. Let it prosper you. 2. Strengthen us to love and follow all of your commands. Romans 10: But not all the Jews accepted the good news. Isaiah said, Lord, who believed what we told them? 17 So faith comes from hearing the Good News, and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ. (NCV) Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Same God Same character hasn t changed Amos 2:4c This is what the Lord says: For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed They have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees. They have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed.

6 6 God s word is a protection against deception. They were led astray by the gods their ancestors followed. God is trying to use you to break generational curses and bondage. Revelation / Praise Jesus is Lord of all and he will not settle for second best. He is holy and is beyond comparison. Request / Petition Keep us by your power and do not let us be led astray by false gods. Love God s word. Keep from being led astray. False God s are anything that hinders you from following Jesus Christ whole heartedly. Where do you put your trusts? Where do you put your passions?