In his first six oracles of Amos systematically articulates the specific sin of each nation and the resultant judgment. Then, without batting an eye, Amos turns his indictment to the hub of his prophecy, the nation of Israel. It has been suggested that Amos was just using the preliminary oracles against the nations to catch his true audience cheering on the judgment of their enemies before revealing to them that the very same sins exist in their nation. In much the same way as the prophet Nathan did to David, Amos is exposing the sin of the nations so that he could turn the finger to Israel and say, “You are the man.”
While it is true that the sins of the nations were outward sins of a cruel nature, they nevertheless stem from inward sins common to all. Like the nations, God sees our using of other people for gain, our broken promises, and our long-term bitterness against family members. He sees our ambition, our lurking memories of hatred. The very sins that Amos will expose in Israel we find in our own hearts and in the life of even faithful churches. They may not be the hardened sins of an unrepentant and faithless people, but they are the same sins nevertheless. Many of these sins are the result of our being squeezed into the mold of this world, so two things you can do guard against this are: 1) by the grace of God, pursue a lifelong task of transforming your mind through Scripture, and 2) insulate yourself from the false security of the quasi-Christian subculture.
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“ Great Sermon! ” Sir,
This is the most convicting sermon I ever heard. I took the liberty of sending it to share with [email protected] whose online question last night on CNN was "Is Israel justified in killing the life of sworn enemies?" or something similar to which I replied from Leviticus 24:17 and down to v.22 plus your sermon. Thank you.
JL (8/6/2008)
from Oregon
“ Great Sermon! ” This has a Paul Washer flavor to it, but is so complete in pointing out Jesus and my need for Him, and the Law and my need for Christ, and my sin and my need for repentance.
If a person is searching for hard hitting truth of God's word, this is an outstanding message!
Scott (11/1/2007)
from Stroudsburg, PA
“ Great Sermon! Well worth listening to. ” Do you like hearing about other people's sin, and how they will be judged? What about your own sin? This is a good sermon to listen to. We all need to look in the mirror and see ourselves, and not focus so much on the sins of others.
Monika (10/24/2007)
from Cumberland, VA
“ Very difficult, but important message ” This is an especially good sermon for those of us who have been Christians for many years. It seems "The Pride of my Heart has deceived me" Very convicting, which led to repentence. Thank-you.
Jim Montesano (10/15/2007)
from NJ
“ A sermon to listen too ” This sermon was very convicting to say the least. I do recommend listening to all three parts. You'll get a better understanding of the message. And of the 1st chapter of Amos.
A native of New York, Pastor LoSardo was saved by the grace of God in 1986 after hearing the Gospel from his brother, while pursuing a career in scientific research. He was ordained into the ministry in 1995 and served as the Associate Pastor of a large messianic congregation...
#33 - Top Played Sermon (48-Hours) on 2/20/2010
