1. How do you see the Lord? The Lord reveals Himself as:
a. A seeking God (1b-3a)
b. A sovereign God (3b-8)
c. A sifting God (9-10)
d. A saving God (11-15)
2. How does the Lord see you?
a. If you don’t see Him as He’s revealed Himself, He will show Himself to you as Judge (8-10)
b. If you see Him as He’s revealed Himself, He will show Himself to you as Savior (11-15)
AMOS 9:1a
Tonight is our last sermon on the book of Amos. Throughout the last 11 sermons, we’ve seen how God used His prophet Amos to warn the people of Israel. Israel was going through an almost unprecedented period of prosperity and they had forgotten God. They hadn’t forgotten religion. They were still very religious. They still went to worship in their places of worship. They still did all the sacrifices. They still tithed their money. As a matter of fact, they even went over and above what the law required. But God sent Amos to tell them how wrong their heart was. How hypocritical they were. How sinful they were. But like so many times throughout their history, they still didn’t get it. They thought they were OK. They were at ease in Zion. So God promised a horrible affliction on them. He promised all the horrible events that would happen about 30 years later when Assyria would invade Israel and destroy Samaria. All of the woes. All of the promises of affliction. All of the declarations of destruction. All of the heavy prophesies and messages of Amos build to a crescendo in this last chapter. In this last chapter, the focus changes. If you remember back through our studies over the past several weeks, I have used the word “affliction” a lot. That’s because Amos’ prophetic messages up till now have pointed to Assyria’s invasion of Israel. That was another example of God afflicting His people in order to draw them to repentance. See, that’s how affliction is different than judgment. I would contend that there are only two times that God has or will judge mankind. The first was at the flood. The next will be the final judgment. One culminated in destruction by water. The other will culminate in destruction by fire. Anything in between those two judgments is affliction rather than judgment. Affliction is for the purpose of showing God’s mercy and grace. Judgment is for the purpose of showing God’s righteousness and holiness. Up until now, Amos has spoken of God’s promised affliction. Those promises were fulfilled. Our passage tonight changes the focus by speaking of God’s promised future judgment. Promises that won’t be fulfilled until the end of time as we know it. Amos started off with a simple statement didn’t he? He said, “I saw the Lord.” It’s a simple statement, but what a profound statement. God revealed Himself to Amos. How do you see the Lord? We’ve all seen the pictures of what some artist thinks Jesus looked like. No offense, but those are absolutely wretched. Most of them have Jesus looking like a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girly-man. He looks more soft than He does sovereign. That’s certainly not what Amos saw. Amos saw the Lord standing upon the altar. God powerfully and authoritatively revealed who He is to Amos. The attributes God revealed to Amos have never changed. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Just like Israel had a skewed picture of God, many times we have a skewed picture of Him. Like those crazy pictures. Instead of seeing God in His fullness, we only pick out certain attributes to focus on like His love and mercy. Do we see God as He really is, or have we done like Israel and made Him into something He isn’t? Tonight, I want each of us to see God for who He really is. To see Him as He reveals Himself in His Word. And when we see Him for who He really is, I want us to make sure He sees us the way He should. In order to do that, we’re going to look at four ways the Lord reveals Himself. The first way the Lord reveals Himself is as a seeking God. Look with me at the second part of verse 1 through the first part of verse 3.
AMOS 1b-3
The Lord is a seeking God. Have you ever played peek-a-boo with a small child? It sounds funny, but little children think that when they cover their eyes, you can’t see them. How silly would it be for me to stand up here and cover my eyes and think you couldn’t see me? About as silly as we are when we try to hide from God. God told Israel through Amos that there was no place they could run. There was no place they could hide from His judgment. It brings to mind the scene of the opening of the sixth seal from Revelation 6. Verses 12-17 say, “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” When God pours out His judgment, there is no place to hide. If you could dig down to Hell or climb up to the highest heavens, God is there. If you could climb to the top of Mount Everest or dive to the deepest part of the ocean, God is there. If you could get on a rocket ship and fly to the farthest galaxy, God is there. There is no hide and seek with God. Wherever you may try to run, He will seek you and will find you. First, He will seek you with conviction. These words in Amos remind me of David’s words in Psalm 139. Turn with me there. I know it’s an extended passage, but let’s take the time to read the whole thing.
PSALM 139
After all the sin in David’s life, God sought him. He knew David’s innermost ways and thoughts. He sought him and convicted him. Amidst all of the turmoil and affliction of David’s later life, God chased him down and convicted him. And how did David react to that conviction? He responded in repentance. He asked God to search him and try him and find any wicked way in him. And then he asked God to lead him away from his wickedness and into God’s holiness. David responded to God’s conviction. But what happens when we don’t? Then instead of afflicting us to bring conviction, God judges us. And when it is time for God’s judgment, there will be no place to hide. There will be no refuge that will hide when God’s wrath is poured out in judgment. When God brings His conviction on you, do you run from it? Are you running from it now? You can’t hide. You can’t hide, because the Lord is a seeking God. He’s a seeking God who either seeks in conviction or seeks in judgment. How is He seeking you? He’s not only a seeking God, He’s a sovereign God. Look with me at 3b-8.
AMOS 3b-8
The Lord is a sovereign God. God is sovereign over the circumstances of life. God commands the serpent. He commands the sword. I’ve got news for you. There is no such thing as coincidence. I have said it before and I’ll say it again. Nothing ever has or ever will happen to you that hasn’t passed through the hands of God. People today seem to have a real problem with that. Back in the early ‘80s, a Jewish Rabbi named Harold Kushner wrote a book called “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”. It was a best-seller and is still very influential. Do you remember several weeks ago when the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis? Well, within days, Kushner was on the radio spouting his explanation of God and bad things. He explained that bad things like the bridge collapsing happen because God doesn’t control the laws of nature. That He is powerless to do anything about evil. Kushner said those things to try to comfort people. What an empty form of comfort that is. Can you imagine if the God Amos had seen upon the altar had been Kushner’s god? A god who is as powerless to stop evil as you and I are? A god who sits back and wrings his hands in anguish wondering what he can do about all the bad things in the world? How pitiful! And how blasphemous. The God of the Bible is a sovereign God. The Lord that Amos saw is the same Lord that Paul wrote of in Colossians 1:15-18: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” In Him all things consist. He is Sovereign over all. He is in control of all. He is Lord of all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The God that Amos saw is sovereign over circumstances. He’s sovereign over creation. He can melt the land by His mere touch. He controls the waters to flood and destroy at His command. The Lord that Amos saw is also sovereign over the nations. Iraq didn’t surprise God. Afghanistan didn’t surprise God. Vietnam didn’t surprise God. Hitler’s Germany didn’t surprise God. None of those surprised God any more than Assyria surprised God when they destroyed Samaria in 722BC and carried off the Israelites into exile. Verses 7-8 tell us that God isn’t surprised by the actions of the nations. The Ethiopians, the Syrians, the Philistines. God is sovereign over them all. It’s a difficult teaching, but most of us can see God’s sovereignty over circumstances, creation, and nations. But here’s one that will stretch your thinking. God is even sovereign over our rebellious behavior. See the last part of verse 8? God said that He would not utterly destroy Israel. He would preserve a remnant. Why, because they deserved it? Because they had earned it? No—because He had promised it. He would preserve them for His name’s sake—not theirs. As rebellious as they were, God had promised to preserve a remnant. And He would. Because He is sovereign. Sovereign over circumstances, over creation, over nations, and even over rebellious people. The Lord is a seeking God and He is a sovereign God. He is also a sifting God. Look at verses 9-10:
AMOS 9:9-10
The Lord is a sifting God. What does it mean to sift something? When I first looked at this passage, I thought of the process of separating the wheat from the chaff. And I thought it meant that not one grain of good stuff would fall to the ground. But that’s not what it’s talking about. Separating the wheat from the chaff was called winnowing. The sifting would happen after the winnowing. During the winnowing process, all the chaff was blown away. Everything heavy fell to the ground. That included the good grain, stones and pebbles. Stones and pebbles were separated from the grain using the sifter. That’s the process our passage is talking about. Notice the word “corn” in verse 9 is in italics in the King James. When a word is in italics, it means that it wasn’t in the original text. It was added by the translators. The context of the original points generally to grain—like wheat. Also, notice the word “grain”, where verse 9 says, “yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth”. The original word carries the meaning of grain of sand or tiny pebble instead of wheat grain. So, instead of all of Israel sitting safely in the sifter of the Lord while the impurities pass from them… All of Israel is the one that has to pass through the sifter. They are the ones who will be sorted and sifted through affliction. They are the ones who will pass through the affliction of God in order to be purified. The stones and pebbles of sin and impurity are the things that are left in the sifter. And that’s a good thing because everything that’s left in God’s sifter will be destroyed in judgment. Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” The sifter of God in Amos compares to the fire of God in 1 Corinthians. God purifies His saints. He sifts His saints. Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat. Well, guess what? Jesus allowed Satan to sift Peter like wheat. And even though Peter initially failed the sifting terribly, when Jesus convicted him of his sin, he repented. The sifting purified him. Purified him to the point that he went from a brash coward to a bold witness in just a few weeks time. Is the Lord sifting you like wheat? If He is, it is for the sole purpose of purifying you. But if you hold onto your sin while you are being sifted, guess what? You won’t pass through the sifter. You’ll be like the least little sinful pebble that God will not allow to fall upon the earth. The promise of the New Testament says that if you have trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved. But Paul says, “yet so as by fire.” But God sifts you so you will let go of your sin. So that even your smallest sins will be separated from you. Then your work will shine forth as the purest gold. Just like one day it will for Israel. One day all of the sifting they have gone through over the past 6000 years will result in only the purest grain. All the sin will be gone and the evil will be put away. The Lord is a sifting God. Finally, the Lord is a saving God. Look with me at verses 11-15:
AMOS 9:11-15
The Lord is a saving God. As I said before, this chapter is all about future promises to the nation of Israel. God made a promise to Abraham back in Genesis 15. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a nation. A nation that God would choose to call His special people. And God promised Abraham that He would pour out His grace on those people and that He would give them a land. A land filled to overflowing with the rich blessings of God. And God sealed that covenant by Himself. In Genesis 15, He had Abraham set up a traditional ceremony of the day where both parties would contract together for something. In those contracts, if one party or the other broke the agreement, the contract would be null and void. God had Abraham set up that ceremony, but He didn’t allow him to participate in it. He put him off to the side and performed the ceremony by Himself. Do you know what that meant? It meant that God is in the grace business. He knows that we fall short. He knew that Israel couldn’t keep up any end of a bargain with Him. So He graciously called them out anyway. He graciously made them His people. He graciously preserved them as His people. He graciously polished them as His people. And He will graciously pour out His blessings on them as His people. Not because of who they are or how special they are. But because of who He is. Notice the wording of verse 12. You see where it says “all of the heathen which are called by my name”? Do you know who that is? Us. The word “heathen” is the same word for “nations”. The word for all those nations in the world who aren’t Israel. In other words, Gentiles. In other words, us. By His grace, God promised the same blessings to Gentiles who are called by His name as He will give to Israel. How? Through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26-29 says, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” These wonderful promises that God made to Israel are available to us because the Lord is a saving God. The entire book of Amos has been a warning. It was a warning to Israel that they didn’t heed. But it serves as a warning to us as well. God does not tolerate sin. He does not tolerate false worship. He does not tolerate hypocrisy. He doesn’t tolerate backbiting and strife and bad stewardship and injustice. He does not tolerate sin and rebellion in His house. Amongst His people. He seeks out sin. He is sovereign over all things. And He will sift us. Maybe He has been sifting us. Maybe He still is sifting us. At times He sifted Israel with troubles and at times He sifted them with prosperity. So whether we’re having troubles or having prosperity doesn’t tell the tale of where we are in God’s eyes. See, tonight we started off asking the question, “how do we see the Lord?” Maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is “how does the Lord see us?” How does the Lord see our church? If we don’t see Him as He’s revealed Himself… If we don’t see Him as seeking, sovereign, and sifting… He will show Himself to us as Judge. And I don’t think any of us want that. But if we do see Him as He’s revealed Himself, He will show Himself to us as Savior. So, how do we start to see God as He’s revealed Himself? The same way David did. We have to corporately humble ourselves before God. We have to corporately confess our sins before God. And we have to corporately repent before God.
