The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on June 23, 2024.
Amos 2:9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the Lord.12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. 13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. 14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord.
Amos prophesied the same time Jonah and Hosea did in Northern Israel and Isaiah and Micah did in the Southern part. He was from the village of Tekoa, just a camping ground at the crossroads. The people had left God out of their lives. They were religious, but religion won’t get us to heaven. There are many religions but only one plan–Jesus’ death on the cross, the blood–gets us to heaven. Assyria was there to pounce on Israel at any time. They didn’t want to hear anything negative, so the message of Amos wasn’t what the people wanted to hear. Today people want “the icing on the cake” not the truth. Amos warned that God will punish sin.
God had some complaints. The people had forgotten God’s blessings. We always need to remember them. God is good to us. In these verses God reminded them he had destroyed their enemies. The God we serve is greater than the forces of evil. He reminded them of their deliverance from Egypt. He brought them out of the wilderness even though they complained the whole time. God’s good. Let’s quit grumbling! They didn’t listen to the prophets; this was the same as ignoring the voice of God. How thankful are you? God was angry because the people rejected the truth. Read Mark 7:6-8. Many times people hold the traditions of men above what God says. They preferred lies over truth. Times haven’t changed. Do you hold to the Word of God? Many television evangelists give the “positive” things. A real Christian wants to hear the truth of God’s Word. Tell it like it is. If it gets on our toes, we get on our knees. In the Old Testament days the people only listened to positive prophecy. They looked to materialistic things. You won’t see a U-Haul behind a hearse. Immorality was prevalent among the people, even to the point of sexual immorality in worship. You can’t do that. Did God call us to impact the world or the world to impact us? We are to impact the world. We are to be different from the world. Compromise. It rarely satisfies each side. Satan wants us to compromise. A Nazarite vow signified being set apart and Israel wanted them to compromise the vow. In today’s society, compromise is politically correct. The world will seek to compromise us as Christians. We must not give in. The people’s sin had an effect on God. Verse 13: their sin laid heavy on the heart of God.
There are some effects of sin. There is greater judgment to people who have had guidance. The Bible says to whom much is given much is required. We’re privileged people. God will judge us as such. No one is exempt. Go back to Amos 1. Several verses show God’s anger with other nations/people. Amos 2 mentions it with Judah. No one. No nation. No individual will escape the judgment. Sin weakens. Israel was a strong nation but left God and became weak. The farther America moves from God, the weaker she’ll become. God will chasten his people. I wouldn’t whip your children. God won’t chasten the devil’s children, but he will his own. We should be thankful to get that chastening. It shows us we are his child. God is patient in judgment. Today is the day of grace. The only hope of our country is repentance. Without it we are headed to disaster.
Don’t forget the blessings of God. The greatest is the conviction that brought me to repentance. But I have a place to sleep, clothes to wear, food to eat. As the psalmist said: God loads us daily with benefits. Don’t forget that. Remember, the Lord can come back at any time. There is nothing left that needs to happen before his return. Be ready.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 