Homerton Baptist Church
Evening Service (260503)

      • Amos 4ESV

  • Hymn 667 - ABOVE THE CLASH OF CREEDS

      • John 8:39–47ESV

      • Ephesians 1:3–14ESV

  • Hymn 194 - O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

      • Amos 4ESV

  • Order of Service

    Welcome

    Prayer

    Hymn - ABOVE THE CLASH OF CREEDS (667) - Graham Kendrick

    Notices

    Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm Wed
    Friday 7pm - Online
    Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm
    Tithes & Offerings - £

    Main Prayer

    Hymn - O WORSHIP THE LORD IN THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS (194) - J S B MONSELL 1811-75

    Reading

    Amos 4:1–3 ESV
    “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. And you shall go out through the breaches, each one straight ahead; and you shall be cast out into Harmon,” declares the Lord.
    Amos 4:4–6 ESV
    “Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!” declares the Lord God. “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    Amos 4:7–9 ESV
    “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    Amos 4:10–12 ESV
    “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
    Amos 4:13 ESV
    For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

    Sermon

    To be totally crushed
    the only remnent left to be witness to who had been destoryed
    Faithless
    Counterfeit Worship
    Luxurious lifestyle (at cost of others)
    Chapter 4
    contains 7 judgement oracles, all ending with “declares the LORD”
    followed by a conclusion v12
    and final docology v13

    Condemnation of Samaria’s Self-serving Women (v1-3)

    Amos 4:1–3 ESV
    “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. And you shall go out through the breaches, each one straight ahead; and you shall be cast out into Harmon,” declares the Lord.
    the women being addressed are the elite women
    indulgent, wealthy upper class
    You cows of Bashan
    Some present the idea (little evidence to support this view)
    worshipers of the might bull of Samaria (Hos 8:5-6)
    idolarty in the conflation of Yahweh and Baal
    “Cows of Bashan” probably the name given to the followers (male & female)
    Bashan was a firtile plain and mountain range of both sides of the middle and upper Yarmuk River
    It was a lush pasturage and had fine cattle
    Three charges against these women (self-worship)
    oppressing the poor [scanty, helpless, powerless, or insignficant]
    striking the needy
    nagged their husbands/masters for greater riches
    insatiable desire
    “The Lord God has sworn by his holiness”
    as surely as God is sperate from mankind
    The judgement wording has translation challenges
    the picture is that their corpses will be dragged away like meat
    v3 expresses that the wall that provides protection to the livestock will be broken
    cast out into the Harmon [unknown location]
    likely the carcus pit

    Condemnation of Israel’s Worship (v4-5)

    Amos 4:4–5 ESV
    “Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!” declares the Lord God.
    Amos uses sarcasm, which would have notibly shocked the listeners
    They would be used to the priestly call to worship
    But Amos, in sarcasm, invites them to the worship site to sin
    Come to Bethel to sin, and come to Gilgal and sin yet more
    The law required daily offerings (Lev 6:8-13) and a special tithe every hree years (Deut 14:28-29)
    Their attitude had been prideful and boastful towards their actions
    'look how generous they were towards God’
    instead of to praise God for His gracious provisions for them
    “for so you love to do”
    worshippers must practice a constant vigil as to their motives in performing religious rituals
    they must be devoid of self-righteousness

    Condemnation of Israel’s Stubbornness (v6-13)

    Amos 4:6–11 ESV
    “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord. “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    These verses are divided into 5 declarations by God [“declares the LORD”]
    7 divinely controlled calamities
    “yet you did not returned to me”
    returned - old testament word for repentance
    “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    Famine
    “Cleanness of teeth”
    NIV - Empty Stomachs
    “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    Drought
    sparse rain during the rainy season (Oct - April) - harvest (May - June)
    To show His Hand at work God prevented rain on one city but not their neighbour (v7)
    It was so severe they had to drop everything and search for water (v8)
    “I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    Plant desease and locusts
    The people prayed to golden calves for a plentiful harvest
    God sent them blight, mildew and locusts
    But Israel failed to recognise God as Lord and did not return to him
    “I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
    Plague and War
    God had made the link between these clear in Lev 26:25 and Deut 28:49-59
    When linked they showed God’s judgement
    Boils, with tumors, scabs and itch
    “I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord
    Overthrow
    Often queries as an Earthquake
    Sodom and Gomorrah - Brimstone & Fire - Volcanic eruption
    Likely to be both Earthquake & Volcantic Eruptions
    Conclusion
    Amos 4:12 ESV
    “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
    God’s People are to Fear Him - Respect
    They ignored God’s warnings to repent - time of Grace
    calamities were a call to repentance
    Failed to return to him in faith, subjection and obedience
    even Amos’ announcement of judgement is an opportunity to return to God
    When they fail to repent - terror
    “Prepare to meet your God”
    a summons to judgement
    Now they will face judgement before God
    Doxology
    Amos 4:13 ESV
    For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!
    The LORD
    forms the mountains
    creates the wind
    declares to man what is his thought
    who makes the morning darkness
    treads on the heights of the earth
    like treading grapes in the winepress
    — the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

    Hymn - GOD OF THE POOR (944) - Graham Kendrick

    Q&A

    Hymn - O SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD (544) - James Montgomery 1771-1854

    Closing Prayer

    Doxology

      • Amos 4:1–3ESV

      • Amos 4:4–6ESV

      • Amos 4:7–9ESV

      • Amos 4:10–12ESV

      • Amos 4:13ESV

      • Amos 4:1–3ESV

      • Amos 4:4–5ESV

      • Amos 4:6–11ESV

      • Amos 4:12ESV

      • Amos 4:13ESV

  • Hymn 944 - GOD OF THE POOR
  • Hymn 544 - O spirit of the living God
  • Doxology 1145 Chorus

      • 1 Corinthians 16:23–24NKJV

Homerton Baptist Church
pastor@homerton.church
0756 612 9969
http://www.homerton.church
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