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We'll be in aiming. Chapter 5, starting in verse 18.
Aim is 5.
Verse, 18.
Verse 18, he says, now, therefore, here the word of the Lord, you say, do not prophesy against Israel.
Do not spot against the house of Isaac.
Sorry.
Roamers.
Well to you. There we go to you who desired the day of the Lord.
For what good is it.
The day of the Lord is to you. It would be darkness and light.
It would be as though a man flared from a lion, and a bear met him.
Or as though he went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall.
And the Serpentum.
Verse 20.
It's not the day of the Lord. Darkness and not white.
Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?
I hate, I despise your feast days. I do not save your sacred assemblies.
Though you offered me offerings and great offerings, I would not accept them.
Nor will I regard your fat and peace offers.
Verse 23.
Take the wave.
Take away from me the noise of your songs, for I would not hear the melody of your string instruments.
But let justice run down like water.
And right, since, like a mighty stream.
Did you offer me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness for 40 years.
The house of Israel.
You also carry sick your team.
And so I knew your idols, your Star gouts.
Which, Major, which you made for yourselves.
Therefore I will send you into the captivity beyond the masks.
Says the Lord, whose name is the Gadaphos.
That's perfect.
Young father. Thank you so much.
For this book of Amos.
This man of God who you've used throughout history and.
But I pray that we can gleam much truth from this passage.
Help us to have Oklahoma's.
And then I asked the Holy Spirit to guide my words. Tonight.
And you purchase name. Amen.
Alright. So I have a slide show for you guys today. So.
I know this is the evening crowd. So I want you guys to kind of stay awake.
But as most of you know, one of my favorite things to do
For a hobby is to go biking, and I love going biking, especially in the summer and fall.
And earlier this summer, me my uncle. We went for a bike trip.
I think somewhere out in the Walker.
And you know we had a plan to go biking and stop at a nearby pizza place to, you know. Have some dinner.
And after we left a piece of place we saw the cloud started to get dark.
And for some reason I decided to ignore it. I'll say you know what I'm not gonna.
Pay attention to that, you know.
And the clouds got darker and darker.
And before you know it. When we left to go back to my car, it started really bad.
And
This is back when I had my care, and all of this stuff in my hair was getting into my eyes, and.
It was dark and I bring my bike light, and it was a very interesting event.
And luckily my uncle, he had his bike, and we made it back to my car.
But that time maybe think about a different history that I learned back at Eis.
And this was a law student.
Back in the year 15. 0. 5. So quite some time ago.
And if you want to go to the next slide for me.
So.
So far. All we know is that he's a law student who's caught in storm. Okay, this is back in 15.
This law student just finished his bachelor's and Master's Degree in Germany.
This was that.
Erford. University.
Is Ruth here tonight.
Maruth.
Ruth, if you're listening, I try my best to pronounce you German words.
So this is a law of student he was studying at Erford University. He just graduated with his masters in bachelors.
And he took a trip to his parents, house.
And on June second and 15 he was going back to earth in Germany from his parents.
And while on the road he encounter a violence store.
So you can hit the next one. Yep.
One more for me.
All right, so I'm sure he looks something like that. But.
He encountered this thunderstorm he.
Was terrified, you know, and he was so terrified that he cried out.
To God, because he fear for his life.
Now.
He didn't say God per se, but he said Saint Anne.
If you spare my life I will become a monk.
And not go to law school.
Right. So this was.
This was his cry. He was so terrified.
That, he says, and if you spare my life I will become a monk. So I didn't have that experience on my bike ride.
You know, if I feel for my life, I would just say, Laura, you know.
Be with you in a second, but I'm not becoming the muck anytime. Soon.
But if you hit the next one for me, this is the great Martin Luther. He was.
Basically the Kelly's for the Protestant Reformation.
And we know that he.
He honored.
His oath, he.
His life was spared, and he ended up going to.
Become a monk.
Now.
Obviously he probably wasn't, as far as being a Christian at that exact moment.
But the reason why I bring that story up is because.
In that moment he chose to examine himself right.
And you can see I have yourself and.
And Martin Luther. He's an interesting guy. I actually read a biography of him back at Eis, and he.
Yeah, he was an interesting guy. Laura used him in a mighty way.
Most of our doctrine of grace.
Much different teachings and Christian thought.
Is from this guy, Martin Luther, who became a monk after this experience.
But in the way the storm caused him to examine himself, even though he was out of fear.
And he wasn't sure if he was right with God.
Even if you knew God.
From a maybe religious standpoint.
He wasn't sure if he knew the heart of God.
In other words, what does God want for me? What is his desires? What is his thoughts? What is his plans? Who is God?
And it's interesting that he cried out to Saint Anne, and not.
The Lord Jesus right.
And most people believe that he that was his only mediator.
Between God at the time was St. Ann was.
Known to be the mother of Mary, even though that's no Biblical
Records of that.
But that was the belief at the time.
You see, like Martin Luther.
Aim is.
2 had a message about this about.
Looking at ourselves and our Christian lives.
Who are we to go? What is? What is
Do we think about God deeply.
What do our religious ceremonies say to God? Is it intentional.
Do we know the heart of God? So I actually name this message.
The heart of God, but also examining ourselves.
As believers in Christ.
You see the profit Amos is trying to get through the minds of.
The minds and hearts of the Northern kingdom.
So if you go to the next slide here.
So? Who who was Amos right?
So, like many of the prophets in the Bible, we don't know much about.
The profit aim is, we know that he's from
Town called Tao, which is in the southern kingdom.
And
We can see here this near Judah.
So he's from Taco he goes to preaching the northern kingdom.
And he's preaching against idolatry and.
This disobedience on the northern keynote part.
And he says,
But so this is before the excel, so we call them a prelate.
This is back between 7 93.
And 7, 39 BC. And you guys know the Assyrian.
Empire,
Took the nation of Israel into exile in 7 22 BC.
So basically God called Amos to deliver this message to the northern kingdom.
And, as you can see, he was just a.
Ordinary guy. He was a shepherd.
I have up there. He was a shepherd, one of the shepherds of.
A Herseman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, so.
So he he was a regular guy, just like you and me.
But God called him to deliver a.
Rather shocking and challenging message to the religious leaders of.
His day.
In the northern kingdom.
And like.
Like the the great Martin Luther.
These people had to examine themselves where they are with God.
Do they have a good relationship with gal? Or are they.
Falling into our dolly tree.
So if you go to the next slide here.
So we'll be talking about idle worship.
Today.
And we see this a lot in the book of famous.
You see Amy's messages to the northeast kingdom, and will have been challenging and shocked to them.
They were living in time of financial prosperity.
While continuing the religious sacrifices that over time became nothing more than a religious system.
That require no intentionality.
However, the truth is that they were far from the heart of God.
Because of their false piety.
And mistreatment of the poor.
They had no idea how far their, you know, faithfulness and injustice.
Had drifted them away from the Covenant relationship. We've got.
So for believers today there's much truth and wisdom to glean from this message.
They even set to deliver to the northern kingdom.
As you see up there. I have.
Pictures of
Keynes aerobone, the second.
You can see the 2 goings there. And it's just basically showing the Id that happened.
During this time.
And you can see.
What Amos had to face up against. He had to face up against people who were.
And so either worship.
So.
Kings. Airbum was known as one of the worst kings throughout Israel's history, so.
He had a challenged message for this kingdom.
Now for our walkthrough price, we often find ourselves drifting away into strange past.
Pads filled with darkness and confusion.
We can easily become confused, and start to care too much about the cares of this world.
We stop finding the light in God's word.
His work. Rest is on the right path, and without it it's easy to fall back into darkness.
That's what the people of Israel needed. That was.
And that's what we need today.
You see, when I was on my bike with my uncle.
It was so dark that I could not see, and I already had so much stuff in my eyes from my hair, and it was just so bad.
But I needed like to get through that dark path.
And the Bible says that the Word of God is the light, until our feet and lent it to our path.
And that's what the people of Israel they missed that they missed the Word of God in their lives.
Do we have the same issue today as Christians?
You see.
Sometimes we have trouble discerning God's will for our lives.
What this guy want for me? What is his purpose in my life?
Am I actually walking with Christ today.
And today I want to talk about the things that God loves, but also the things that he hates.
What's the heart of God? What pleases the Lord?
And the Bible tells us to examine ourselves throughout Scripture.
If you look at you don't have to go there, but.
Second Corinthians, in chapter 13, verse 5.
Paul says, Examine yourselves to see whether you are in a faith.
Test your sales? Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ.
Is in you.
Unless, indeed, you failed to meet the tests.
David says in the book of some.
Sounds. Chapter 139.
He says, search me, O God, and know my heart.
Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there'd be any way in me.
And leave me in the way of everlasting.
You see Martin Luther.
Same dilemma in that moment. You know, he said, God.
Say air saved me right, and he ended up becoming a monk.
But in that experience he ended up becoming a Christian. As he studied gal's work.
So where are we tonight? Are we.
Right with God.
Have you searched our hearts.
Do we know the heart of God?
Have we examined ourselves, as Paul says, Corinthians, 13.
So in the book of Amos I basically drew out outline of 3 things that we can pull from.
And these 3 things.
You know they're they're very influential.
In our time today and relevant.
So if you go to the next slide, please.
Oh, nice one! I forgot I had.
Presentational period. So the Second Corinthians 5, and another one was.
Sols, 1, 39.
23 to 24.
And then the next one.
Awesome. So 3 things we can learn from the book of Amos.
And I said, up here 3 examinations.
So the 1st thing is, guys Hartford, that would be chapter 3 versus 9. Through 15.
The second thing is the plague of materialism, that.
Versus one, through 3.
And the 3rd thing is hypocritical worship and idolatry. That's chapter 5 versus 18 to 25.
So.
The thing that we're gonna be looking at tonight is hypocritical worship and idolatry to save you guys.
A long Serm.
But basically, you can find all 3 of these things in the Book of Amos. Right? You can find.
Yeah, it's hard for justice.
The the plague of materialism that sometimes we fall into.
And also you can find hypocritical worship and idolatry.
And chapter 5.
And next slide. Please.
So let's go back to Amos. Chapter 5.
Art Passage, tonight.
And go back to verse 18.
So Amy says in these verses, well, to you who desire the day of the Lord, for what good is it.
What good is the day of the Lord for you?
It would be dark and not like.
It would be as though a man fled from a lion.
And they buried me.
Or as though he met.
He went into the house, his hand on the wall.
And they certainly.
It's not the day of the Lord. Darkness and not light.
Is it not very dark?
With no brightness.
So Amy is referring to the day of the Lord.
Now most commentaries that I found. They believe that this was the upcoming exile.
For the nation of Israel.
More specifically, this judgment was from the from God.
But through the Assyrian Empire.
The people and religious leaders that Amos was prophesying to, will have thought that the day of the Lord was a good thing.
A positive thing.
The aim is. No, it's not as you can see.
It's a day of darkness, a day of gloom.
And this is again very shocking to the people. Amos day.
They thought the day of the Lord would be a victorious day of rain over their enemies.
But because of their worship. That wasn't the case at all.
And I have up here on the slides.
We are the idols in our lives today.
That we have, as Christians, right.
The question is, what is competing with our love and devotion?
To Jesus today, right.
And I'm so glad we first, st John, this morning, because this verse I had this verse before, and.
I was thinking about this all week.
So it's just such a blessing that we read John and Laura supper.
But first, st on chapter 5, he says, their children keep away from anything that might take the place of God.
In your hearts.
And I think that's so crucial, right? And you can see the guy or the lady right here.
You know, you gotta got their hands against their head, cause I feel like that's a perfect description of today.
We have so many distractions, whether it's.
Our phones, you know, business or.
Work.
Different anxieties.
It's all the precious today.
But also a lot of those that we might have in our hearts.
And.
This verse some some translations say, Stay away from my children, stay away from idols.
So I think that passage is very telling today.
Now this reminds me of a story that I read about.
Benny had now.
Before I go any further. I'm not.
Given any praises to any hand, or anything like that.
But he actually has a nephew that used to work with him back in his ministry days.
And his nephew actually recanted.
From working with him and.
Renounced his teachings in his doctrine, and.
His nephew goes around preaching against the prosperity gospel.
And preaching against me? Has ministry.
So it's a very yeah interesting story.
But I remember his nephew talking about.
I used to travel with Minnea.
And.
You know, interview axem. You know. You used to travel with this guy day in and day out.
And you used to see the.
You know the hypocrisy, the fake miracles.
And because he was saying like, I saw this in person, like, I know it's real.
But he? He asked them, why didn't you do anything like? Why did you never stop it? Why didn't you report it to anyone.
And.
Benny's nephew said.
Well, because every night we went back to a luxurious hotel we.
We had a lot of money. We had
A lot of things, and it was.
But we'll see it that night, and we'll feel heartbroken.
We'll go back to our possessions and.
We'll forget. We'll forget that anything ever happened.
And I think that's.
That's a good example of how we are today as Christian right?
We have a heart to serve God. We have a heart to know Him.
But there's so many distractions distracting us from his.
His purpose in our lives, and his heart.
And this is something that we have to fight against today. As Christians, we have to fight against idols.
Back. Then I was these objects right that people worship and.
Different statues that people will bow down to.
But the the key is, they took the place of the people's hearts, they took their devotion, their.
Adoration and love towards.
A false god.
And therefore they started to disobey. The true guy only got.
And this is the case. We see the day. Sometimes we have things are lost that take place.
Of God's love and adoration.
And we need to be reminded that he is the only one who needs to.
Have His place in our hearts.
Next slide. Please, Neil, thank you.
So moving on to Amos, and also I would like to read.
Go back here back in chapter 5.
I would like to read verses 21 through.
25.
21, he says, I hate, I despise.
Your feast days. I do not save you a sacred assemblies.
Though you offered me burials and your during offerings, I would not accept them.
No? Well, I regard your peace offerings.
Take away from me the noise of your songs, for I would not hear another d.
Of your string instruments.
But let justice rundown like water and righteousness.
Like a mighty.
Did you offer me sacrifices and offerings and the wilderness for 40 years, or house or house of Israel?
And I love that question, that.
God through the prophet Amos is excellent, you know. Like, what did you offer me while you was in the wilderness? What was your devotion to.
And he says, I don't want to hear your songs. You're.
You allow, praises, your sacrifices right.
And it reminds me of
David and the Old Testament.
They even often would say.
Laura, you don't desire a a sacrifice per se you. You desire a repentant.
Because it sacrifices in their day became useless, and it wasn't intentional.
So I want to read a passage in John first, st John, chapter 5.
A couple versus before verse 21. If you were going to first.st
Chapter 5.
Again.
1st launch, chapter 5, I'll start to sound verse 20.
It says, and we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding that we can know the true God.
And now we live in fellowship with the true God, because we live in fellowship with his Son.
Jesus Christ.
He is the only true God, and he's.
Eternal life.
Their their children keep away from anything that might take God's place in our hearts.
And I love the further context. There, you know, he.
He's pointing us to the true guide that we should worship. And that's Jesus Christ. He's saying, this guy is the God of love. This guy is a god.
That we can serve. He's eternal. He gives us life.
The gods that in Israel's times, the Smalls, you guys, they didn't give life.
They brought deaf, they brought injustice.
They didn't bring the life that God could give him. And it's the same today, you know, we.
We often have items in our hearts, in our in our lives, but those idols can bring us true.
True peace and true love.
Only Jesus can do that.
And I want to go back to Amos. Chapter 5.
And I have a peer.
The phrase me, and live.
It's a phrase that he would piece in that passage.
Verse 4, through 6.
See who's voice.
For those, says the Lord to the house of Israel, seek me and live.
But do not seek Bethune, nor enter Gigal, nor pass over Placebo.
For Gigos, for surely go into captivity.
And Bethos shall come to nothing.
Seek the Lord and live. He break out like fire in the house until excuse me in the house of Joseph, and devour it.
With no one to quench it.
And I think this is.
It's telling for us today.
The lawyers calling us to to seek him and live him.
Above all things.
You know, Guy, he always calls his people back to repentance.
Even in the book of famous. If you go to Chapter 9.
You can see guys plan for restoration for the house of Israel.
Though he had very harsh judgment.
Against the people of Israel. He also gave them.
A glimpse of hope, and you see that a lot in the profits you see, God.
Announcing his judgment against his people.
He's saying, I'm gonna send you to excel because of your disobedience.
But he also gives him hope.
And a lot of times. Their hope is through the Lord Jesus Christ. The line of David.
And that's what I love about is that he.
He always calls us back to repentance.
So he says, Seek me and live, and I wrote down, seek the Lord.
And not the ways of the world. That's what he talks about when he's talking about Bethuel and Gigo.
You know they had different idols and different gods.
That they made for themselves.
But Delura, who's calling us to see Kim, and not the ways of this world.
Make them more focus and the like.
And again, you know, Israel will be restored one day, like God, still has a plan for them.
You know God, he's gracious enough to offer a glimpse of hope.
In our lives, and a chance to repent and turn it back to him.
There's no doubt that the Book of Amos is relevant for us today.
And all 3 of the points that I've mentioned. We.
So now look at these things that small concerns from.
Hundreds of years ago, but rather we should understand these.
Things as really very relevant today. And we can apply these things to our lives as well.
They have broken and.
Empty items to that they worship.
What else do we have in our lives today.
As you want to read. A quote from CS. Lewis.
Should be the next slide.
Oh, they say, okay, I got it down here. So.
Got back up.
But this is a quote from Cs. Lewis, and I think it's pretty relevant to this passage.
He says, give up yourself, and you will find your real self.
Lose your life, and you will save it to death.
Death of your ambitions and wishes every day.
And death of your whole body in the end submit with every fiber being.
And you will find eternal life.
Keep back nothing that you would.
Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours.
Nothing in you that has not died.
Will ever live will ever be raised from the dead.
Look for yourself, and you will find the long run only hatred.
Loneliness, despair raged and decay.
But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with everything.
Those thrown in.
And then CS. Lewis is.
For me. I just love that quote because he's saying.
Sink the Lord above all things, and I think.
That's really the solution to our.
Temptation to worship idols. We were to seek the Lord, we to seek the the true God.
Jesus, I said.
Tell us about first, st John.
Seek his delight.
Let our devotion be to him tonight.
That would be it tonight. We'll close in prayer.
The only father we thank you so much for.
I look back at the profit.
Prophet Amos, who.
Lord was
Used by you, though he was just a shepherd, and.
Came from a town of shepherds, where you call him to.
To, to preach your word, and to preach repentance to those who were.
Accustomed to either worship and.
Or we can look at these things as.
Old Scriptures that don't apply, but we know that.
These things are really relevant today.
Lord. Reaction to
But hope our hearts should not be attached to the things of this world.
Helpless to now fall to the.
Adoration and delight into idols and distractions and things that.
Often distract our our hearts from you. Lord!
Help us to know your heart.
As Davis.
Was the man after God's own heart. Lord, let us all have that.
They cry, and
Laura, I asked, if there's anything we need to know anything that.
Took up a place in our hearts that where you should rain.
I said we was surrendering that tonight, and.
Just bring it to the full of the cross floor. Focus on you.
And always to rejoicing your goodness and your.
Your Grace and your mercy.
And also giving you a song for us, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, that we might live and serve.
We asked all these things in Jesus, name.
Amen!
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
Not be all else to me. Say that while.
9 9.
So on by day, or by.
Waking your sleeping by presence, my life.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word, I ever with me long.
Thou, my grandfather, died, thy true son.
With me dwelling, and I'm with the one.
Which is, I heep not man's empty brains.
Oh, my inheritance now and.
Now.
Me 1st in my heart.
Hi, King of Heaven, my treasure! Thou.
I came up in my big story.
May I reach heaven! Joy, heaven!
What ever before.
Still be by the.
Well.
Converts our summer series. I wanted to thank all men.
It's easy.
So grateful.
I wanted to mention.
We just give you thanks and prayer.
Our father would just give you thanks and freeze.
For your wonderful mercy to us.
Help us to win our lives of titles.
Office to keep our focus on you.
Trustee.
Message today.