Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. Thank you for tuning us in. I'm Darrell Bailey, Service for Christ. As we deal with our podcast on the Book of Amos, for we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your servants, for Jesus' sake. I'm glad here, if you would, take your Bibles over to chapter three. Chapter three of the Book of Amos, verses one through 15. We look at a divine wake-up call. The certainty of judgment that is coming And here we know that God will one day judge the whole world. All injustices, all wrongdoings, all wickedness and brutality will be avenged, but not by the people of the earth. It is impossible for any individual or nation to straighten out the injustices and the acts of evil in the world. Impossible for any people to execute perfect justice among a corrupt, depraved society. But the Lord himself will avenge all the unjust and evil deeds ever committed. And so, The great book of Amos opens with the royal of God's judgment, beginning with the city, the nation most distant from Israel and Judah, and moving inward toward the nations immediately surrounding the Jews. You see, the Lord thunderously proclaimed the certainty of his coming judgment. God would judge not only the six nations, but also judge Judah and Israel, the southern and the northern kingdoms, and God's pronouncement of judgment upon these nations is a reminder and representation of His coming judgment on all people. Here, we'll be dealing with the third chapter. He dealt last time with the thundering roar of Damascus, a cruel people, of Gaza, a felicia, a callous people, the judgment of Tyre, which was a thundering warning of a disloyal people, the judgment of Edom, an unmerciful people, the judgment of Ammon, a covetous people, the judgment of Moab, a vengeful people, and a thundering roar of a lion towards Judah, a disobedient and an unfaithful people. And then he dealt with the judgment of Israel, a hypocritical people. And out of all of this, that when we look and realize that God was dealing with them. You see, a hypocrite is a person who pretends and is deceitful to professing to believe in the Lord and not enough to become acceptable to God. A person who truly believes in the Lord reaches out in praise and thanksgiving, genuinely seeking to follow the Lord. A true believer will do all that he or she can to obey the Lord and the holy commandments. A true believer will live thoughtfully, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for what that blessed hope the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. But a hypocrite, although he or she professes to know the Lord, does what they want and when they want, and they pay little attention to the commandments of God. Little attention to living righteously. Pleasing the Lord is of little concern to them. And so a hypocrite is deceitful, professing to know the Lord, but committing sin time and again, showing no sign of true repentance. And so, As we look at Amos chapter 3, God has just pronounced judgment on the northern kingdoms of Israel and as on the other nations, and the Lord focuses on explaining more fully why the people of the northern kingdom were condemned and how they could escape the coming judgment. You see, the people stood condemned before the Lord for the following reasons. They were guilty of not living as God's chosen people, ignoring His salvation, and refusing to walk with Him, both of which set an evil and a shameful example before the world. They were guilty of being an unrepentant people, never turning away from their sinfulness, selfishness, false worship, and stubborn rebellion. They were guilty of being unjust and hypocritical people. They were guilty of being complacent, indulgent, and prideful people. And as a consequence of the people's sinful behavior, God was forced to carry out his righteous judgment on them. Nevertheless, as he pronounced his judgment, the Lord began the first three messages with a very strong appeal. Hear this word, the word of judgment. If they would truly listen with all of their hearts, perhaps some would seek to escape the coming judgment. Perhaps they would repent and turn back to the Lord. But when we look at these messages of judgment, how God's love reaches out to the people time and again. Appeal after appeal is made for the people to escape the catastrophic destruction ahead by repenting of their despicable sins. If the people still refuse to repent, then they would, in fact, face the holy wrath of God. And we look at the final message of the passage that begins with only one word, woe. It's a powerful, it is a devastating chain of events from which there would be no turning back. And so, God's message to Israel is judgment is coming. And we see God's judgment on His chosen people due to their sins and their unrighteousness. And so, As we look at this, imagine the creator of the universe, the Lord God Almighty, choosing a human being to be his companion. Imagine his choosing to walk and talk and share with us. And yet, this is exactly what the Lord has done for the human race. He has chosen each and every one of us as the Lord has offered us a wonderful privilege of knowing him, and being able, in addition, to have the privilege of knowing him personally and intimately, fellowship and communion with him in the closest bond imaginable. But the Lord offers us a privilege of his care, provision, protection, peace, purpose. And so we look at Amos chapter 3 verses 1 through 15. It shows us how God chose the Israelites and sadly how the Israelites rejected the privileges God gave them. They refused to follow the Lord and rejected his holy word and commandments. Instead of obeying the Lord, they chose to live selfishly and unrighteously. And as a result, God pronounced judgment on his chosen people. And so, as we look and we realize that as we get into the thing, let's open up with a word of prayer and then let's read the scripture as we get into it. Lord, we've come before you grateful for your mercy and grace, and we ask for your forgiveness for our daily sins and prayer for the strength to put on the armor of God each day. May your word penetrate our hearts, lead us to repentance, open our eyes to your truth, and that may we gather in your name. In Jesus we pray, amen. As we look to Amos chapter three, verses one through 15, One of the first things that we see is a man named John recalls a moment that changed his life forever because while he was driving home one rainy evening, he lost control of his car and he slid off the road into a ditch. And in that moment of desperation, he cried out to God, realizing how much he had taken life for granted. It was a wake-up call, a moment of clarity amidst chaos, just as John, facing his reckoning, the people of Israel in Amos' time faced their own urgent call to awaken from a spiritual slumber. And so, we'll be talking about a divine wake-up call. Because one of the first things that we see is the pronouncement of their judgment in verses 1 and 2. The Bible says, Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family, which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. And so when we look at this scripture, We focus on God's certain judgment upon Israel due to their failure to honor their special relationship with him and their neglect of responsibility. And so, we see the pronouncement of their judgment. Amos highlights the unique relationship between God and Israel, reminding them that with privilege comes responsibility. And their failure to uphold their relationship would lead to severe consequences. And so, Through cause and effect reasoning, Amos illustrates that their disobedience will result in divine calamities. Each disaster serves as an opportunity for repentance, urging Israel to return to God. And so, we see that God calls other nations to witness Israel's failures, emphasizing the public nature of their impending judgment, the loss of protection, the rise of adversaries signifying the seriousness of their rebellion against God. And so, the Lord serves as a wake-up call. for believers today to encourage them, self-examination, urging us to take our relationship with God seriously, and it emphasizes the importance of recognizing our responsibilities as followers of Christ, responding to the challenges as opportunities for repentance and growth. And so, as we look at this, we're reminded of all the things that we do in life each and every day. And so, as we look at the book of Amos and how its proclamation, as every one of us are going to have to give it an account, first of all, one of the very first things that we see is that God summoned His chosen people to listen closely. Through Amos, He gave three reasons why He would punish them. The Israelites ignored God's salvation in verses 1 and 2. And Amos addressed this message to the entire family of the Israelites, both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. By far, most of the people rejected God's glorious salvation. They dishonored His holy name, His wonderful deliverance of the nation down through their generations centuries earlier. God had saved him from Egyptian bondage, a symbol of the world of its enslavement. And among all the families of earth, the Lord had reached down, chosen the Israelites for the high privilege and supreme honor of being His holy people. And so they were chosen for two primary purposes. First of all, to be the channel through which the Lord would send His Holy Word and the Savior, the Messiah, into the world. Also, to be a strong witness to the world that the Lord, He and He alone, is the living and true God. But nevertheless, the people dishonored the privilege given them. They did not respond by loving God, nor did they offer up thanksgiving and praise for what He had done. They refused to follow God, and although they professed to know the Lord, they did not live for Him. They did not live righteously, nor obey His holy commandments. Their profession was false, and they degraded their witness and brought shame to the name of the Lord in the eyes of the world. As a result, the Lord would punish the Israelites for all of their sins. You know what? We must not ignore the offer of God's gracious, glorious salvation. Doing so will lead to our judgment, judgment from which there will be no escape. And so, I'm glad that we're reminded of Matthew chapter 7 verses 26 and 27. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it. And so when we look and we realize that as we see the pronouncement of that judgment upon them. Amen. And verses 1 and 2, that special relationship in verse 2 that God declared, you only have I known of all the families of the earth. And it highlights that unique bond established from the time of Abraham where Israel was chosen to be a blessing to all nations and so yet they dishonored their relationship and the weight of the responsibility with privilege comes responsibility. Israel was called to be a holy nation and yet they failed to uphold their calling. And so, it reminds us of our duty as believers to share the gospel, to build the church, and disregard, if we disregard our responsibilities, it can lead to severe consequences. And there is a call for accountability. Amos' words serve as a reminder, judgment will come for those who dishonor their relationship with God and neglect their duties. And as John understood this crisis, we must not take our relationship with God lightly, each and every one of us. And so we see the pronouncement of that judgment, amen. But we see also the direction of their judgment, because in Amos chapter 3, verses 3 through 10, we look and we see that the Israelites did not walk with God. To the contrary, they chose to walk through life without God. Tragically, the course chosen by the Israelites was entirely different and the exact opposite direction from the righteous path laid out by God for the human race. And for that reason, they stood condemned and were to face the judgment of God, standing before the audience. Amos used a series of rhetorical questions to stir the people to think. The questions explained why judgment was to fall upon them. God's judgment was aroused because of their disobedience, behavior, and how these questions are an argument for cause and effect. If the people were to suffer God's judgment, it was because they stood guilty before God, which was the cause. And so the Israelites were guilty of not walking with God. Seven facts show this. And when we read, first of all, let's read verses 3, 4, 5, down to verse 8, that when we look at it, that we're able, because in verse 3, the Bible said, In chapter three, can two walk together except they be agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den if he hath taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth where no gain is for him? Shall one take up a snare from the earth and have taken nothing at all? Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be afraid? Shall there be an evil in the city and the Lord hath not done it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets. In verse 8, And the lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophecy? And so, two people can walk together only if they agree to follow the same path, and to walk side by side. In verse 3, the Israelites did not agree to follow the Lord's path of righteousness, nor to walk through life with the Lord. They did not agree with his holy word and commandments, and the people aroused the roar of God's judgment, the lion, and became the target of his punishment. In verse 4, and we see in verses 9 and 10, the Bible says, publish in the palaces at Ashdod and in the palaces in the land of Egypt and say, assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria and behold the great Tomols and the mists thereof and the oppressed in the mists thereof, for they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. And so, The people fell into the trap of sin like a bird falls into a snare. The spring of the trap, God's judgment was to snap shut and catch them. In verse five, and getting out or getting away was no longer an option. In verse six, the people did not fear the warning of God. And when they heard the trumpet sound of God's coming judgment, they should have trembled. They should have immediately joined the Lord as he walked along the path of righteousness. But they ignored and rejected the warning signs of impending doom. Oh, and the people did not know the disasters are a warning from God. In verse 6, God uses trials and troubles to arouse people either to repent or to turn back to Him, or if they already know Him, to draw closer to Him. But the Israelites rejected the idea that God would bring disaster upon them. After all, they professed to know the Lord, and they professed His Holy Word, and they felt eternally secure. They felt that no matter how they lived, their profession and God's word assured them that He would never judge them. They ignored the fact that a person who truly believes in the Lord will cast himself upon God, trusting, following Him along the path of righteousness. True belief involves both trust and righteousness. And since the Israelites did not walk with the Lord, they failed to know that disasters were a warning from God. And the people rejected those warnings of the prophets. In verse seven, God revealed his plans, his secrets of judgment through them, the prophets, over and over again. And when the prophets proclaimed the revelation of God's coming judgment, The people rejected both the messages and the messengers. They refused to repent. They refused to turn back to God and walk with Him in righteousness. And so, the people stubbornly refused to fear the roar of God's warnings in verse 8. And although the lion, God Himself, had given fair warning of coming judgment, the people refused to tremble, refused to walk with the Lord. And nevertheless, Amos shouted out, that he would continue to warn the people. And the sovereign Lord himself had spoken, and once he had spoken, his prophet was constrained to proclaim God's message. As we all, as men and women of God, walk throughout life We're to walk with the Lord. We're to follow the path of righteousness laid out for us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But Satan is out to trap us with every snare imaginable. And for this reason, we need to actively seek the Lord in order to know him better and to understand his will for us. We need to pray for wisdom to discern what God is trying to say to us through the events happening in our lives. God is loving and he will do everything in his power to draw us to him. And that is not to say God's power is limited or insufficient to draw us to Him. How far from the truth. But God created man and woman with a free will. And He wants us to choose to love Him, to follow Him, to walk in His ways. But in addition, He has chosen us so many reasons to do just that. His love. forgiveness, deliverance, salvation, mercy, compassion, care, and protection, just to name a few. But you know, we so often choose to walk down our own path in our own strength, feeling secure in our own self-righteousness, ignoring all the signals, the warnings God sends our way. And for this very reason, we must stop and pay attention to what God is saying. If we ignore God, If we stray from God, if we reject, disobey, or fail to fear God, we too will face his righteous judgment. Therefore, we should no longer walk in the sinful ways of this world. And so, what did he tell us? He said, enter in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate, broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at, and because straight is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. And so, that's sad that we look and we see this happening. And so, when we look at verses 9 and 10 that we read, the Israelites set a horrible, evil example before the world. Their sins were so utterly shocking that Amos summoned the surrounding nations to witness the scandalous behavior of Israel's citizens. But keep in mind, that Israel professed to know the Lord, the only living and true God. And when Israel's behavior differed so much from what the people professed, Their neighbors were astounded. How could a people claim to know the Lord and to possess His holy word, yet do the very opposite of what they professed and what the Lord's word commanded? You see, in the eyes of the world, the profession of the Israelites was a sham. They were nothing but hypocrites, far worse than any other surrounding heathen nations. What they saw was appalling, a society guilty of unimaginable evil, unrest, permeated all of the society within the hearts of the individuals as well as within the communities and the cities and so extreme oppression was a common trait in society. Not only did the rich oppress the poor but also nearly everyone oppressed everyone that was weaker in verse 9 because what did we read that he said? He said Publish in the palaces at Ashdod and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, say, assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria and behold the great Tumuls in the midst thereof and the oppressed in the midst thereof." Righteousness could scarcely be found with very few people even knowing how to do right. But in verse 10, He said, for they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their places. This was a charge that the Lord himself made. The people were ignorant of his holy word, and they simply did not know God's commandments, nor how to go about living righteously. Citizens thought nothing of taking what did not belong to them. People everywhere were stealing. Violence, assaults, robbery was widespread. People hoarded their wealth, neglected the poor and the needy. Listen, we must not disobey the Lord or break His holy commandments, but if we profess to know the Lord and we live sinfully before the world, We dishonor and bring shame to the name of the Lord. Tragically, we all damage our testimony before others, often shattering any chance we might have of ever leading unbelievers to Christ. And for these reasons, and so many more, We must not follow the evil examples of this world. Paul said, I wrote unto you in an official not to company with fornicators, yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covenants, or the extortioners, or with the idols. For then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or a covenant or an idler or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one know not to eat. And so how many times have we married or we went ahead and done something with someone that was lost? He said, Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And so, I'm glad, what have we been told? The writer of Hebrews said, let us labor therefore to enter into the rest, lest any men fall after the same example of unbelief. And so, when we look, we see in verse 11 that he's telling us some more things. Because he says, therefore, thus saith the Lord God, an adversary there shall be even round about the land, and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. And so, I'm glad we go from the pronouncement of their judgment and the direction of their judgment as we look and we see the description of their judgment. There's a call of witness back in verse 9 that God invites the nations to witness Israel's failures. Their public acknowledgment of their sin was part of their judgment as reflected poorly on God's name. But then here in verse 11, It reveals the coming adversary. An adversary shall be all around the land. God's discipline would be severe, and those who once felt safe in their privilege would find themselves vulnerable. And so, a cruel enemy, the Assyrians would attack, overrun the land. and they would destroy all of the defenses and the fortress cities of Israel. In verse 11, Scripture actually says the enemy would totally devour the nation like a lion devours its prey and Israel would cease to exist because In verse 12, Thus saith the Lord, As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. And so only a mutilated remnant. would be saved and survive the brutality of Assyria's armed forces. Only a few would be left to serve as proof of the Israelites' destruction. Note, though, the wonderful promise of God. Despite His terrifying judgment, He would leave a remnant a small number of survivors through whom He could fulfill His promises. The promise of salvation through the coming Savior of His Holy Word would be fulfilled. God could not and would not violate or break His holy promises of His Word. And so, I'm glad we read in 13, 14, and 15 Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, and the God of hosts, that in the day that I shall visit the transgressors of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. In verse 15, And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of Ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord. Now, you see the nations who had been summoned earlier, Ashdod and Egypt, would testify against Israel. Then God would execute his judgment against the entire nation of Israel. The major worship center at that time was at Bethel on the mountains. The place where so much false worship was being offered up to God would be destroyed. What did he say in verse 14? He said that in the city that I shall visit, the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. So you see, in addition, the horns of the altar would be shattered. No longer could the guilty find sanctuary or protection by fleeing to that altar. And so the people's houses would be demolished, left in shambles. Even the houses of the wealthy, the winter and the summer houses, as well as the houses filled with ivory or extravagant furnishings would all be reduced to rubble. No palace or mansion would be left standing. Now listen to me. God's judgment upon Israel was utterly devastating. It was final. Never again did the northern kingdom of Israel rise as a nation. And so it will be when Jesus Christ returns to execute judgment upon America, upon the earth. All the cities, all the nations of the world will be brought down. They will be ruined. Every human being who has ever lived will stand before God in judgment and he will all, listen, he will give an account, all of us, for our behavior. And so, when we look and realize that as God began a relationship with all of us, as He did with Abraham, we see the description of their judgment. Remember, there was the pronouncement of judgment in verses 1 and 2. And then there was the direction of their judgment in verses 3 down to verse 10. But back up at verse 9, there was a call to witness, the judgment. that was reflected poorly on God's name. And then verse 11 down to verse 15 reveals the adversary shall be all around the land, and God's discipline would be severe. And those who once felt safe in their privilege would find themselves vulnerable. The loss of protection. Amos warns that the horns of the altar shall be cut off in verse 14, symbolizing the loss of protection and safety that they once enjoyed. And so, Every one of us, when we look and realize that God wants to do something great for every one of us, but of all the things that are happening, of all the things that are taking place, it's sad that when we look and we realize that what God is doing I'm telling you, that special relationship that they had with the Lord. It's sad that when people today no longer continue to keep that same relationship that was taking place. And so, of all the things that had transpired in the nation of Israel, the Lord, as he does what he does best for all of us, he loves us. And so, you know what? When they grabbed ahold of the horns of the altar, it meant freedom and victory and protection. Everything that Israel wanted, freedom, victory, and protection, was what they were about to forfeit. Because the writer of Hebrews says, for whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. If you've known the Lord very long at all, you spent some time in the woodshed. Buddy, when you go to the woodshed, you better look out. You fixing to get a whooping like you ain't never got. He takes us there because He loves us. For whom the Lord loves, He chastens. But the writer of Hebrews said, Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. And so each and every one of us, as we go through life, we need to remember that there's no one that loves us like the Lord. And so, as I close out, I thank God each and every one of you. We reflect on Amos' message and we must recognize the chosen blessings, amen, because I'm glad that out of all the things that we see, we look and we see the certainty of judgment. Just as each and every one of us face a moment of reckoning, we too are called to examine our lives. We have a relationship with God that carries an immense responsibility, and we must not take it for granted. We've got to remember that every trial is a chance for repentance and growth. And so, you may be going through something right now, Somehow or another, you've quit listening and doing what you used to do in your responsibility. God's been trying to get your attention. But somehow or another, you've let it go by the wayside. And so we see the pronouncement of judgment in verses 1 and 2 of Amos chapter 3. and the direction of their judgment in verses 3 through 10, and the description of their judgment in verses 9 through 15. How can we honor our relationship with God in our daily lives? Remember what I always say, Don't forget to get in your prayer closet and to ask the Lord to be merciful to you and each and every one, and study the Word of God, share our faith with others, to nurture our fellowship with God. You know what responsibilities do we have as a part of the church? We are called to serve and to love and to spread the gospel. We engage in our church community outreach programs that fulfills that responsibility. When faced with challenges, how can we discern God's message? We must seek God through prayer, meditation, and counsel from mature believers. Each challenge is an opportunity to draw closer to Him. So we see here in Amos chapter 3, a divine wake up call and I hope and pray that you can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips. Father, we thank you for the word and may we take your message to heart, recognizing the need for repentance and a renewed commitment to our responsibilities as your children. Save the lost, help us as believers to turn away from any sin that hinders our walk with you. Father, I pray for salvation. that Lord that you would save that lost sinner before it's too late and bring them into the family of God. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. In Jesus' marvelous mighty name, Amen. you