Pastor’s Notes

September 25, 2016

What the Minors Say about Our Majors

Text: Amos 5:4 and 6 – “Seek me and live. . .”

Background for Understanding

Both Israel (northern kingdom) and Judah (southern kingdom) were prospering

Harder to hear God in prosperity

Amos (about 30 years before the fall of Israel)

Sheep herder – wool was the very best

Tended sycamore (fig) trees – fruit harvest

Speaks to Israel under Jereboam 2

Amaziah is the priest serving in Bethel

I.Sin Separates

  1. Seven nations are warned
  2. “For three sins and for four. . .”
  3. The straw that breaks the camel’s back
  4. How can it be so bad when it feels so good?
  5. The sins of the nations
  6. Damascus – threshed Gilead with iron
  7. Gaza – sold Israel into slavery
  8. Tyre – introduced Baal worship
  9. Ammon – tore open pregnant women (unborn child sacrifice) - Molech
  10. Moab – offered living child sacrifice – Chemosh
  11. Judah – rejected the law, led astray by lies
  12. Israel – idolatry, oppression and prostitution

II.Hope

  1. “______me and ______. . .” 5:4, 6
  2. God heart is always “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love . . .” – Joel
  3. False Hope – “some trust in chariots and some in horses. . .” – modern day: medicine, chemicals, materialism, position, power, etc.
  4. Israel – relied upon their sacrifices and tithes
  5. Judah – relied on the Temple, but they killed the prophets
  6. True Hope
  7. God put all ______on Jesus
  8. “the iniquity of us all was laid upon him” – Isaiah 53
  9. “he became sin for us”
  10. He was the “one and only sacrifice”
  11. “All who put their trust in Him shall be saved / delivered” (sin taken away)

III.God’s Process

  1. The Lord ______his counsel through the prophets
  2. ______
  3. We can quench (put out the fire) the Spirit – 1 Thessalonians 5:19
  4. Despise (think little of) not prophesying – 1 Thessalonians 5:20
  5. We can grieve (to distress, make sad) the Spirit – Ephesians 4:30
  6. God eventually ______his mercy
  7. Gives us what we pursue, but with a price
  8. “I will send a famine of ______the Word of the Lord” – 8:11
  9. Move us into “exile”
  10. Restoration – 9:11-15
  11. Restore David’s tent
  12. ______the nations – Psalm 2:8 – Acts and in the Latter Rain
  13. The ______shall be so great that it reaches until the planting season -9:13
  14. I will bring back my ______people – 9:14
  15. I will plant Israel . . . never to be uprooted – 9.15 and Revelation

Application

Joel and Amos are in agreement

Both judgment and restoration

Focus on the future, not the past

God’s Word is more accurate than the media

Do what we have to do to restore

Take a personal inventory

Change our direction / ways and do the first things