1 Famous Amos Story behind Famous Amos Wallace Amos Jr. was born on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida. Following his parents' separation in 1948, Amos was sent to New York City to live with his Aunt Della, who often baked homemade chocolate chip and pecan cookies. After a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, Amos returned to New York in 1957. He spent the ensuing years working in the mailroom at the prestigious William Morris Agency. In 1962, became the first African-American talent agent at William Morris Agency. He discovered the singing duo Simon & Garfunkel. Worked with Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. In 1975 he launch his first cookie store on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Now owned by the Keebler Company (1998) Wallace Amos Jr. is best known for his cookies. Famous Amos Cookies. Another Amos who is famous. Explain Amos We don t know when he was born. We don t know when he died. We don t know anything about his family. We do know God used him as a powerful prophet. About 750 years before Jesus was born. He was a shepherd. He was a fig farmer. That s about all we know. Amos was famous. How to be Famous in God s Eyes. Amos 1:1 1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. A. Very few people knew who Amos was but God knew who he could count on. 1. Amos was not popular or well known. 2. His name was not a household word. 3. Nobody studied about him in class. 4. He didn t have any twitter followers or FB friends. 5. But he was a friend of God. B. Amos was willing and available. C. It s not what you know but who you know. 1. This was Amos. 2. He knew God and God knew him.
2 3. They had a relationship. 4. Amos was known by God. D. Amos was willing and available for God to use. Illustration - Samuel The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, Here I am. THREE TIMES Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, Samuel! Samuel! Then Samuel said, Speak, for your servant is listening. Application That was the beginning of a famous man s journey. Speak, for your servant is listening. Hey God I am willing and available. Jeremiah 29:11 I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. He wants you to be willing and available. Isaiah 6:8-9 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me! 9 He said, Go and tell this people: Illustration Simon Peter Luke 5:4-6,11 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch. 5 Simon answered, Master, we ve worked hard all night and haven t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets. 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him Philippians 2:13-14 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, God has great things waiting for you he is just waiting for you to say yes. Illustration Pastor Alisa s story E. Showing up with the right attitude is half of ministry.
1. God is not looking for your gifts or your talents he is looking for someone who will simply say yes. 2. God is not looking for perfection he is looking for willingness. 3. God is not looking for super-heros to sign up he is looking for someone who will say YES so he can put his supernatural touch on. Application 1. Do what Amos did 2. Do what Isaiah did. 3. Do what Samuel did. 4. Do what Simon Peter did. 5. Decide in your heart right now that you will say yes to God. 3 II. I will be courageous. and know God makes me powerful. I will be courageous. Serving God makes me Brave & Powerful Amos 1:2-3 2 He said: The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds dry up, and the top of Carmel withers. 3 This is what the Lord says: A. Amos spoke with courage and power. 1. To be able to say This is what the Lord says. 2. Those are heavy words. 3. This is what God says. Courage is the ladder on which all other virtues mount. - Clara Booth Luce B. Courage is not the feeling of fearlessness. 1. It is rather the willingness of mind necessary to act out of conviction rather than feeling. 2. You can actually feel quite fearless and act in a cowardly manner. 3. You also can feel quite fearful and behave with great courage. C. Courage has a cost. 1. Courage is that willingness to deny my own flesh and do what is right and noble, regardless of the cost. 2. Amos took a huge risk to obey God. 3. He went all the way to Bethel and was sent home by the priest. 4. The priest told him to stop and go home and do your prophesying there. 5. Amos did go home and then wrote down his prophecy and sent it to the king.
4 D. Amos prophecy was heavy. 1. The Book starts by a word of rebuke to the surrounding countries. a. For three sins of Damascus b. For three sins of Gaza c. For three sins of Tyre d. For three sins of Edom e. For three sins of Ammon f. For three sins of Moab ch. 2 2. After the first two chapters he focuses on God s people. a. The Kingdom is divided into Northern and Southern regions. b. Amos sees them as one in the same when speaking to them. Amos 3:1-2 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt: 2 You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins. Application What would it be like to be told that? Were so offended all of the time that we can barely hear any voice of rebuke. God s voice of reproof and correction is drowned out by our right to be free from anyone telling us what to do. Who are you to draw a plumb line and call everyone to it. E. We need to be brave but courage is more than just bravery alone. 1. Bravery in the face of danger may be a momentary burst of instinct and not reflective of true character. 2. Some people are naturally bolder than others by nature. 3. Courage without character can degenerate into mere bravado. 4. The distinction between a hero and an obnoxious show-off is character. 5. Acts of heroism may sometimes be born of stupidity, ignorance or misunderstanding. 6. In other words, if his motives are selfish and impure, a hero s actions may result from a desire for preeminence that overrides good judgment. Illustration In an interview with Bill Maher - author Dinesh D Souza claimed that the 9/11 terrorist were not cowards because they were willing to die. D Souza was wrong. They were cowards who killed thousands of civilians without warning. F. God is looking for daily courage. 1. Young people it is going to take daily courage for you to live sexually pure lives in a perverted culture. 2. Stormy Daniels and the liberal self-appointed spokes people for North America have tried to redefine making porn films as a legitimate way to make a living. 3. It may be lucrative but it is not legitimate.
4. It is dangerous and harmful and damaging and it will drag you to a pit of incredible anguish and despair. G. Fear is not altogether unwholesome. 1. If a man fears the wrong things, he will probably not fear the right things. 2. If he fears the right thing enough, he will not fear the wrong thing at all. 3. All lesser fears will be swallowed up in the life of the man who truly fears God. Illustration Bruce Olson s capture and ultimate release by South American communist guerillas is stirring. It is a study in quiet, beautiful courage. Olson did not overpower his guards or use karate to throw hand grenades. He is a missionary. In a boldness born of fearing God more than their bullets, he offered to teach them. Most of them were illiterate. He, being a linguist, was more fluent in their Spanish language than they were. Olson offered to teach them to read and write in Spanish. They kept him captive until they learned to read. Then they released him. The fear of the Lord makes us calm, quiet and confident. Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Unpack The fear of man is a trap, but it is harmless and bait-less to the man who fears God. The man-fear trap is the leading cause of disease in the development of courage. If we fear God more than we fear the good opinion of our mates at work, our spouses, our congregations or our constituency we are free. If his ultimate fear is the fear of God what lesser fear can make a man disobey God s will or deny His name? If she fears the Lord what hold does any lesser fear have on her? II. I will be courageous III. I will be confident. A. Amos was confident. 1. What would give a shepherd and fig farmer such confidence? 2. He was confident a. About the message that God had given to him. b. The method with which God had asked him to deliver it. B. Give the story of Amos going to Bethel. 1. Amos goes from his town of Tekoa to Bethel. 2. Bethel was at the heart of the problems. Amos 7:1 5
6 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying: Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land. Amos 7:12-13 12 Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos: Get out of here, you prophet! Go on back to the land of Judah, and earn your living by prophesying there! 13 Don t bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king s sanctuary and the national place of worship! (NLT) Amos 7:14-16 14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel. 16 Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. Ephesians 3:12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him(esv) In (Jesus Christ) we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him (ESV) If we really know the will of God, we can approach God boldly and confidently! Unpack 1. The words in whom tell us that our confidence is not based on ourselves, but on our relationship with Jesus Christ. 2. And when you really know that you are in Christ, there is no longer a need to be sheepish about asking for what God has already promised you in His Word. 3. Ephesians 3:12 tells us that we can come to God with boldness and confidence! 4. The word boldness in this verse is from the Greek word parresia, which describes a frankness of speech that is often viewed as unflinching authority even in the face of opposition. 5. It presents a picture of unashamed boldness. 6. It also is associated with joy and courage. 7. But in addition, Paul goes on to tell us that we can have confidence in Christ as we pray. 8. The word confidence 9. The Greek form used here depicts absolute confidence that is, one who is doubly persuaded. 10. You could say that this person is convinced to the core. 11. Rock-solid certain about what he believes or feels. 12. He is so completely persuaded and trustful of what he believes that no element of doubt remains. 13. Our boldness is based in our assurance of God s faithfulness to perform what He has promised. 14. Be confident and thoroughly convinced that God s promises are trustworthy and true. 15. That confidence should cause us to pray with bold authority. When you are certain of your right standing in Christ, it provides you with a foundation on which to stand.
7 You are convinced of what God has promised you. You have a certainty that when you pray, God hears you and will do as you have asked. If we really know the will of God, we can approach God boldly and confidently! Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. II. I will be courageous III. I will be confident.