Dr. Tom Doubt, Senior Pastor Four Mile Creek Baptist Church
January 25, 2004
Amos 4:1-5
MAD COW DISEASE
BACKGROUND:
A. Have you ever notice how some folk think you do not belong?
1. Kathie was taking registrations for a seminary lecture series. A man called and wanted to register by just giving his name over the telephone. When told he could not do it that way, he started to fuss at her. When it was clear that he would have to follow the rules, he then wanted to know why the seminary would hire a ¡§northerner."
2. The prophet Amos was someone accused of not belonging. He was a sheep breeder & grower of sycamore trees in 8th century BC. Though he lived in Tekoa, about 10 miles south of Jerusalem, God sent him to the Northern Kingdom of Israel where Jeroboam was king. Amos was a southerner sent north.
a. Unlikely prophet: no formal schooling, no prior experience.
b. Israel viewed him as a troublesome outsider. They did not want to hear what he had to say.
c. It was a time of prosperity; the threat from Assyria was low.
3. Amos stepped on the toes of people who very comfortable in their lifestyle. They were well-to-do and acted like their worship was "good enough" for God.
a. The prophet’s message was clear: God is in charge, they needed to change their ways.
b. Many Israelites had begun to think the Promised Land was for few rich, like themselves.
c. They lacked justice & righteousness, especially to poor & needy.
d. Shrines were built in Gilgal & Bethel to patronize God with their arrogant behavior.
e. Elaborate festivals were an occasion to show off their brand of religion.
f. God did not look favorably on rich sacrifices with empty words.
B. The words of Amos were biting, harsh sarcasm for Israelites sinful behavior. Listen to his inspired words in AMOS 4:1-5
INTRODUCTION:
A. Women of Israel were likened to cows Bashon (v 1).
1. To understand the sarcasm, you need to recall something of Bashon. It was east of the Jordan River, between Gilead & Mt Hermon. The area was lush pasture land, suitable for raising fine cattle; ones that were pampered in every way. Bashon cows were highly prized; Moses even sang of them (Deut 32:14).
2. In the 8th century BC, it was a compliment for a woman be compared to Bashon cows.
3. Men, the same reference would not fly today.
4. The sarcasm of Amos indicated God was not paying these women a compliment.
a. Pampered women of Israel might argue they had not directly oppressed the poor.
b. Yet they were filled with arrogance & self-importance, both to the needy & to God.
c. They nagged, whined & prodded husbands to provide even more.
5. Amos made it clear that men & women would come under judgment.
a. They oppressed the poor, crush the needy, and got others give them more (v 1).
b. In Bethel & Gigal they sinned in how they brought sacrifices & tithes to the Lord (v 4).
c. Worse, they loved to boast about what they gave to the Lord (v 5).
6. God had called Israel be His people; but they were not acting like He was their God.
7. They were guilty of sin & would be judged accordingly.
B. In effect, Amos told Israel they have Mad Cow Disease
1. Bovine spongiform encephalitis is caused by something called prions.
2. Prions are a biological substance, but have no DNA. Yet they are able to replicate.
a. Prions subtly infect brain & nervous tissue, eventually producing bizarre behavior in cows.
b. Prions are hard to destroy; they will survive in a medium-cooked steak or lightly browned hamburger.
c. There is no cure for Mad Cow Disease, either in cattle or humans. Ultimately the disease is fatal.
3. Mad Cow Disease is an appropriate allegory for sin .
a. God created us naturally. Since that day in the Garden of Eden, through sin we have been infected unnaturally.
b. While prions attack only nervous tissue, sin attacks both the spirit & the soul, and can even destroy our physical bodies.
c. Like prions, sin can easily infect us; it grows in us, and is hard to eradicate.
d. Once infected, sin begins to change our behavior ever so subtly. At some point, our view of who God is & how to worship Him changes radically.
f. Unforgiven sin will lead to divine judgment & fatal damnation.
4. Unlike Mad Cow Disease, there is a cure for our sins: Jesus Christ.
THESIS: Comparison to Mad Cow Disease teaches us about the threat of sin. There is no natural cure; we easily infected. Once infected, we have outward manifestations of sin that are symptomatic of altered attitude & behavior toward the Lord. The only place to seek treatment, to be cured, is at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.
MESSAGE:
A. LIKE MAD COW DISEASE, WE ARE EASILY INFECTED BY SIN.
1. The Cows of Bashon probably did not recall the 1st time they oppressed the poor, or crushed the needy.
a. These ladies were raised in affluence. If they noticed the poor at all, they probably were glad not to be like them.
b. After all, it is not a crime to be rich.
c. They were like the Pharisee Jesus spoke of, the one that prayed thanksgiving he was not like the tax collector (Luke 18:11).
2. Of course pampered women & husbands had to do what was expected of them.
a. So they had a great show of bringing sacrifices & offerings to the temple.
b. They boasted on the Sabbath about what they did, and went back to old habits the next day.
3. So accustomed were they to having things done for them, no one saw their own sin.
4. Husbands likely claimed they were just trying to please wives. Wives just wanted something nicer.
5. Illustration: infection by sin is gradual, we hardly notice the change. It is like getting lost on a journey. Technically you are lost when you make the 1st wrong turn. You are not immediately aware of making the wrong turn. At first, you may even like the sights & sounds of going down the wrong road. After awhile, we rationalize & refuse to admit that we are lost. Elaborate schemes are devised to make everyone think we are not lost. And if we can only get someone else to join us ... then "everybody’s doing it." So it can’t be a sin in our minds!
6. Who can say they have kept their heart pure, clean & without sin? (Pro 20:9)
a. All of us are like one who is unclean (Is 64:6a)
b. For all have sinned & fall short of the glory God (Rom 3:23)
c. Woe to the world because of things that cause people to sin (Matt 18:7)
d. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people (Pro 14:34)
e. The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23)
7. Is it possible for us to resist sin? Not by ourselves.
a. We need to pray daily not to be led into temptation, but delivered from evil (Matt 6:13), which means that without God’s help we are helpless.
b. Yet we continually put ourselves in situations where we are tempted. We go to unsavory places, hang out with folks of questionable character, and then seem amazed when we follow the lead of the devil.
8. Eventually sin becomes so commonplace, we think it is normal. We rationalize our thoughts & our behavior to imply we have done nothing wrong, or worse, suggest that our wrongdoing is the fault of someone else’s sin. Pretty convenient, huh!
9. Sin is appealing, it plays to basal instincts of pleasure & power.
10. Failure to admit our sin leads to ever increasing symptoms of Mad Cow Disease.
B. LIKE MAD COW DISEASE, SIN RESULTS IN BIZARRE BEHAVIOR.
1. The Israelites acted religious, but their bragging & boasting gave them away (v 3-5).
a. Peace offerings were made every morning (cf. Lev 3, 7).
b. Tithes were offered every 3 years to priests, fatherless, widows (Deut 14:28).
c. All this activity seems religious.
d. The problem: their sacrifices & offerings were not true submission to the Lord.
e. Bethel & Gilgal were sites of cultic practices that evaded God’s rules.
2. How I hated discipline, & how my heart spurned correction (Pro 5:12).
a. A malicious man disguises with his lips; his heart harbors deceit (Pro 26:24).
b. A sinful & unbelieving heart will turn away from God (Heb 3:12).
3. Example: A few weeks ago a woman claimed she lost her Lotto ticket that would have won $162 million. She filed a lawsuit against the rightful winner, who had a receipt for the ticket. When she finally admitted her deceit, she was quoted in the paper as saying, "I’m not bad person. I just wanted the money." Do you see anything wrong with this picture?
4. The same attitude can infect our worship.
5. Illustration: A man went to church with an angel as guide [WB Knight, Treasury 2000 Illus, p 447]. The church was filled, but oddly, there was no sound. The organist played, but no music could be heard; the choir’s lips moved, but no song came forth. The pastor went through the motions of preaching, but the man heard nothing. He asked the angel, "Why?" The angel’s reply: "This is the service as God sees it. When there is no heart in it, there is no sound." Then in the back pew he heard a child pray, "Our Father, who art in heaven ..." The angel said, "You are hearing the only part God hears, that which comes from the heart."
6. God sees us as we are, not as we think we are.
C. GOOD NEWS: MAD COW DISEASE CAN BE TREATED, AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS.
1. With biting sarcasm, Amos described the true situation in Israel. Pampered cows without concern for others. Pompous lovers of worship for themselves; not for the Lord.
a. Amos called them to repent (Amos 5). Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, told him to go home (7:10).
b. Blinded by darkness, the light shone but darkness did not understand (Jn 1:5).
2. Unless you repent, you too will perish (Luke 13:3).
3. Israelites were content to practice their own remedies for Mad Cow Disease.
4. Illustration: Max Lucado tells the story of a 19th century English village at Christmas. A party wa held where all the kids were given gifts. A retarded boy was given a brightly wrapped box. With great excitement, he opened the box only to find it was empty. It was a cruel joke. Just like the cruel joke of world’s remedies for sin.
5. It’s time to give up on the cruel joke that there is any other way for sins to be forgiven.
a. Look on my affliction & distress; take away all my sins (Ps 25:18).
b. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, & the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (Jn 14:6).
c. Repent then, turn to God, so your sins may be wiped out (Acts 3:19).
6. Jesus suffered & died for our many forms of Mad Cow Disease. He did it because He loved us. He did it because He obeyed the will of the Father. He did it because He did not want that any should perish, but have everlasting life (Jn 3:16).
7. Our only possible cure for sin is at the foot cross.
TIME OF DECISION:
A. Our fallen nature makes us easy prey for sin.
1. We sometimes think we are better, smarter, stronger than Satan.
2. Yet we are continuously drawn into sin.
3. Sin causes behavior unacceptable to the Lord.
4. The only remedy, if we are willing to take it, is through Jesus Christ.
B. Is it time to admit there are prions in your life?
1. Do not accept the empty box of world remedies, no matter how pretty they are wrapped.
2. Rid yourself of prions of sin by accepting Christ as Lord & Savior.
3. Lessen the chance of re-infection by fellowship with other believers.
4. Eliminate the disease before it spreads: let the Holy Spirit cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
