The state of faith
Amos 5:18-27; 12/18/2022; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Prophet Amos, who is under pressure, seems to be recuperating a little at this time, reflecting on his life and thinking about the state of faith. Perhaps this is also the spiritual character we should have, reflect at any time and follow the steps of the Lord. Let’s look at the first point:
False worship
The so-called false worship means that the object of worship is wrong, or the expectations in our hearts are also wrong, so that the meaning of worship disappears. First, the persistence of time and space. People who live in time and space are hard not to be affected by it. Actually, Jesus made it very clear: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)” For the Israelites, the so-called Day of the Lord is the moment when God enters history, judges history, and ends history. However, for the Israelis in the Northern Kingdom at that time, they were narrowly caged in their own nationalism and patriotism, and they couldn’t extricate themselves! This can be answered from the experience of the contemporary prophet Jonah! Jonah was also a typical pink character at that time, “Sola Judaism” was deeply rooted and inextricable!
Second, darkness and light. The truth revealed here by the prophet is astonishing! Since they are the chosen people of God, they naturally look forward to the day when God comes, right? But woe to you when our expectations are not in God’s will! The reason is very simple, the day when God comes will come to judge, don’t you know? He will not only judge the Gentiles, but also His elect! Jesus said: “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ (Matthew 24:29)” What we have to do is not to guess what day it is, but to prepare ourselves well to meet the Lord. Otherwise, if people take the world as the center of the circle, and take the hustle and bustle as the radius, what people draw is just the trajectory of toil and sorrow. A life with the Lord as its goal is light, otherwise, people will live in darkness.
Finally, form and content. The prophet Amos said: “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. (Amos 5:21)” The Israelites might feel lost, wondering how this could be? Did you not ordain religious festivals? Don’t assemblies also have Your presence? How did it become not pleasing to You? At this time, the Holy Spirit may remind the Israelites in the northern kingdom: “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)” This is exactly the same as what the prophet Amos said. He says: “Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. (Amos 5:22)” What God wants is neither the form nor the so-called content of our offering. What God wants us to do is our heart for Him! OK, let’s look at the second point:
False life
The essence of faith, the life produced, needs a word “honesty”. If there is no sincerity towards the Lord, man is essentially a walking dead. First, heartless worship. Heartless worship means worshiping with your mouth and without your heart, provoking God’s wrath. Amos said: “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. (Amos 5:23)” Religious ceremonies at the time included playing musical instruments and singing. then, “David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. (2 Samuel 6:5)” After the division of the northern and southern kingdoms, the Israelites often paid more attention not to the first part of worship, but to the second part of the feast, entertainment, playing and singing, joy, play, and even noise. This is also the same as our usual worship. Is it also heartless?
Second, unrighteous boasting. Obviously, it is not difficult for us to feel that God is expressing a message of justice through Amos. Amos said: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Amos 5:24)” This sentence seems a bit strange here, as if it is inconsistent. But if we know God’s disappointment with the northern kingdom of Israel and His expectations for God’s people, we can know how God feels at this moment. Since Jeroboam, Israel has no so-called fairness or justice! The Gentiles do not have fairness and righteousness, so it seems to be nothing. Now, even God’s people are like this, so God simply doesn’t say anything. God seemed to be saying to Israel, stop bragging, stop boasting about your unrighteousness! Obviously there is no justice, and I don’t see any fairness in you, but you are boasting to the southern kingdom of Judah: Look how rich I am! See how strong I am!
Finally, follow blankly. Those who boast in God’s righteousness are at a loss in their hearts. When people always think that they are right in everything, they may be walking on a road of confusion. Amos thought of the forty years of the wilderness journey after Israel came out of Egypt. God did not mention sacrifices and offerings. Still as Jeremiah said: “For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, (Jeremiah 7:22)” Do some of us really say that God cares so much about the little money we offer? Isn’t that what God wants us to have Him as the only goal in our lives? Can we give an account to God for lying down in a daze, or for being ignorant in the wilderness? Let’s look at the third point:
False path
A false path means that we may be walking on a swampy path because it is not the path. First, idols destroy the path. Jeroboam abolished the rules of the Levites as priests and introduced local Canaanite idols. The idols were brought into the temples of Gilgal and Samaria, and the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, were placed among the people of God. Moloch is the deity of Ammon. In the original Hebron, Moloch is pronounced similar to the king. Amos here refers to the fact that the Israelites were having their king as an idol, and even put the image of their king into the temple to be cast as the result of God’s judgment. In today’s world, who puts his portrait in the church? This is a self-destructive future, self-destructive road! I am also curious, how come there is no one who tells the truth around these ignorant kings? Fear of death? Or are you afraid of losing jobs? Little do you know that you have joined Jeroboam in the eyes of God!
Second, captivity is a foregone conclusion. You have a share in captivity, but you may not be there when you return! Amos said: “Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” Maybe today because you insist on the truth, the king will give you a hard time, and you will definitely be persecuted. But at least Jesus Christ is still your way, life and death cannot cut off our relationship with the Lord. Maybe we live without the prosperity, wealth, peace and tranquility of the world. Little do we know that our hearts have long been captive in Assyria and shamed in the palaces of Babylon. The people of God were captured once by the Assyrian Empire, once by Babylon, once by Constantine, and once by the Three-Self Church. In the past thirty or forty years, we have been captured by our pride once again. Excuse me, do you want to continue being captive?
Finally, focus on God’s words. Is this the state of our faith? The Lord is coming back soon, do you still want to continue living in a false situation? Why don’t you turn around and look up to God? Come back to his word, for “says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.” God said let there be light, and there was light. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm! The state of our faith will depend on our relationship to God’s Word. If God has spoken, then do it! If God didn’t say it, don’t act! As the poet said: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalms 119:11)”
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the end of today’s sermon on “The State of Faith”. May God help us to stay away from false worship, false life, and false path! Come back to God’s words, and find the meaning of life again!
Let us pray……
Amos 5:18-27
18 Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
25 “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god—which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.
