Trinity Grace Church

Amaziah seeks to silence the Word of God but to silence the Word of God has disastrous consequences - for after all, the Word of God leads to life.  

When compared to the weakest around them, Israel thinks of themselves as pretty good.  But the Lord, through this vision to Amos, drops the plumb line in the midst of His people showing that they, and ultimately all people, do not measure up to His standard.  What is the hope for crooked sinners?  

The Lord, through Amos, warns a people who think they have all they need that to trust in those things, leave them empty and defenseless against the real threat.  The real threat is a righteously angry God against His people.  The only refuge from Him is IN Him.  

Amos warns the people of Israel of the coming day of the Lord for which the Israelites longed for.  They longed for it thinking that God would overlook their sin, rebellion, and empty worship.  Hearing about the judgment of the Lord is a frightening thing.  But it's not for the sake of dread, it's so that we might be moved toward the refuge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

The Reverend Ted Wenger from Redeemer Siloam visits us this morning and preaches from I Corinthians encouraging the church to true unity.

In the first part of Amos 5, we have both a voice of judgment as well as the voice of salvation.  The people of God of old even as we today, often look for other things to fulfill us when the only thing that truly fulfills is the Lord Jesus.  

The Lord speaks to the emptiness of Israel's worship and social life.  They were neither loving their neighbors nor their Lord.  But there is refuge - in the Lord Jesus.

Through Amos, the Lord speaks to Israel who lived in such a way that it was hard to tell the difference between the people of God and the pagan nations that live around them.  Often, and sadly, the same seems to be true today; there seems to be little difference between the church and the world around us.  We learn from Amos that which Peter also declares, judgment begins with the household of God.  But we also see the hope, the hope in the Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, and that those who trust in Him WILL be saved. 

Amos reminds the people of Israel and Judah that they stand accountable before Him.  They act no different than the pagan nations around them and yet they've been given the Word of God and the Grace of God.  Their only hope is to take refuge from the Lord, in the Lord.  

The Lord, through Amos, declares that He is not only God over Israel, but He is God over all.  God doesn't need permission to exercise His authority and sovereignty.  God shows Himself again to be both the just and justifier.