Rev. David Holwick D
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 27, 1991
Amos 5:6-15
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I. Amos a colorful Minor Prophet.
A. Sheep herder and part-time prophet.
1) Not a professional religious leader. 7:14-15
2) Home in South, but prophesied in North.
B. North very prosperous.
1) Armies had conquered much territory.
2) Wealth and luxury in cities.
C. Big party for those in power.
1) But moral and religious corruption.
D. Main theme of Amos - justice must be restored.
1) He lays out their sins, and declares God's coming judgment.
II. Main sins of Amos's society:
A. Pride of the government.
1) Complacency rampant. 6:1
a) Biggest and best. 6:2
b) Militarism. "We're number one!" 6:13
2) Amos's answer in chapter 2:
a) Neighboring pagan countries condemned.
b) His own country rounds out the list! 2:6
B. Corruption of the court system.
1) Deny justice to oppressed. 2:7
a) Corruption of the courts.
2) Despise rebukers, truthful people. 5:10
a) Gates were areas for courts. 5:10
1> Trials were informal.
A> An elder as judge.
B> Prominent citizens as jury.
2> Integrity important, and lacking.
b) Those who rebuked or reproved the courts for shoddy
justice were despised. (5:10)
3) Take brides, oppress poor. 5:12
a) One thing made it work - bribery. 5:12
1> Steve Crane and $200 for someone to get his driver's
license. (Chicago?)
2> The rich could afford plenty of justice.
b) Justice turned to poison. 6:12
4) Prudent keep quiet. 5:13
a) Maintain justice! 5:15
C. Ostentatious wealth.
1) Rich mansions, decorated with ivory. (Archeology) 3:15; 6:4
a) Ivory beds, fattened lambs, music, wine, perfume. 6:4-6
b) Mansions, lush vineyards. 5:11
2) Cows of Bashan. "Get us a drink!" 4:1
a) Yuppies. 8:13
D. Oppression of the poor.
1) Dishonest scales, business practices. 8:5
a) Needy sold for a pair of sandals. 2:6; 8:6
2) Trample poor, force to give grain. 5:11 (2:7)
a) Rich have made poor into sharecroppers.
1> Land laws strict in Moses' day.
A> Each family guaranteed land.
B> Could not be sold.
2> Rich overturned it.
A> Story of Naboth and Ahab\Jezebel. 1 Kings 21
b) Rich end up richer, poor driven from land. 8:4
III. Social sin.
A. Evangelicals focus on personal sins.
1) Pride, lust, drunkenness, smoking...
2) Injustice and oppression don't grab us.
a) Social sins are complex.
B. God is concerned about society.
1) Major theme in OT prophets.
a) (He also loves individuals)
2) Since society does not care about each other, God doesn't
care about them. 5:21
[Section IV. not used]
IV. Two missing elements:
A. Judgment/justice.
1) Do right thing for right reason.
2) Two images:
a) Roman - blindfolded justice.
b) Jewish - open-eyed justice.
1> Passionately seek out wrong, right it.
2> Help weak and poor.
B. Righteousness.
1) Righteousness defines what right thing is.
a) God's standards. (Ten Commandments)
b) Applies to individuals and societies.
2) Beyond standards - relationship with God.
a) Individuals: repent and believe.
b) Society: can't be "saved", but can be influenced.
V. What will change America?
A. Not evangelism alone.
1) Evangelism is not only duty of Christians.
a) We are also told to seek justice.
2) Too optimistic.
a) Bible never assumes large numbers will be saved.
1> Narrow gate, according to Jesus.
b) More consider selves saved today (38%) than in past.
1> Where are changes?
3) Don't overestimate maturity of believers.
a) Notice how churches fight and sin.
B. True nature of influence.
1) Influence doesn't just flow from individual to society.
2) It also flows from society to us.
a) World influences us a great deal.
b) (Cartoon about church VCR's: junior high group watches
a video about not watching too much TV.)
C. Sin must be confronted in society.
1) Example of William Booth, founder of Salvation Army.
Booth was furious at the way workers were treated in Britain's
match factories.
Women and children worked 16 hours every day, and only earned
a few cents an hour.
In addition, they were exposed to yellow phosphorus, which
eventually ate away their jaws and resulted in death.
Booth was so concerned he set up his own factories that hired
people to make matches using harmless red phosphorus.
We know them as "safety matches".
Booth didn't stop there.
He got the newspapers and politicians interested.
Soon the last match factory stopped using the deadly yellow
phosphorus.
He was not popular, but he didn't care.
He was out to save souls and seek justice in society.
#1401
2) American Christians
a) Abolished slavery.
b) Led campaign against alcohol. (Prohibition)
c) Martin Luther King, Jr. (ABC), and drive for civil rights.
1> Memories of poor maid's family in Georgia during 1960's.
3) Charles Colson and prison reform.
Charles Colson was a tough lawyer who worked for President
Nixon at the height of Watergate.
He was successful, but he still felt empty.
One afternoon a friend shared his faith in Christ with him,
and a short time later Colson became a Christian.
Comic strips like Doonesbury ridiculed him.
Soon Colson found himself in prison because of his previous
activities during Watergate.
They were the worst 2 years of his life, but he kept his
faith.
He was appalled at the prison conditions and how prisoners
came out worse than they went in.
Today his organization has 15,000 volunteers who disciple
prisoners for Jesus Christ.
One reform he proposes is to allow non-violent offenders to
redeem themselves by making restitution.
Instead of going to jail, they pay back those they have
wronged.
Such criminals are more likely to be rehabilitated.
It is a principle found right in the Bible. #1402
The alternative can be seen in Morris County - we
desperately need a bigger jail.
It will be more expensive to run, and nobody wants it in
their backyard.
VI. Social action cannot stand alone.
A. Social Gospel movement, begun by Baptists, lost sight of this.
1) Gospel became doing good things for others.
a) Individual repentance was ignored.
2) They ended up with spiritually bankrupt churches.
B. Without evangelism, social action comes to nothing.
1) Where Christ is left out, there is no life.
2) Both go together.
C. Illustration of missions in Dominican Republic.
Tom Lipsey and people of Echo Lake Baptist just returned.
They raised $16,000 and put up much of the structure.
It will be used for both a church and a school.
Some of the residents don't care about getting saved.
But they want their kids to be educated.
One may well lead to the other.
VII. What are you doing?
A. Jesus - good servants take care of their tasks.
B. Amos - "Prepare to meet your God!" 4:12
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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