Good morning, church.
And I bring you greetings from New Life Masikkar,
!
So you'd find some Americans in Southall trying to reach out to the Asian people.
So I'd like to thank you for continuing to pray for us,
that God has sustained us for a number of years.
It's a tough work, but we've been there.
And it's also a privilege and honor today to bring God's word to you.
So I believe they have read the scripture, Amos chapter 8.
A number of years ago, I had received a letter from a debt collection firm demanding I pay up.
This was the time when I was still a student.
The amount was not much. It was about 60 or 70 pounds.
It was due to some unpaid mobile bill.
What had happened was that I had left the country.
I had left England for an extended period of time and gone home.
And I'd withdrawn most of my money from the bank account.
It was very little money. I'd withdrawn everything,
completely overlooking the fact that I had some pending direct debit for my mobile phone contract.
So now I've come back to England and I get this letter.
So for a brief second, I thought I would just ignore this letter.
And my reasoning was quite naive, as it was.
I was out of the country for almost half the term of the contract.
The second half, when I left, I did not use the services.
So I should not be paying.
But as I read the letter carefully, it made me get worried.
In big bold letters, it was that this is a final reminder.
Now perhaps that sent other letters when I was out of the country.
And if I don't pay up, the letter warned that the bailiffs or the debt collectors would be knocking on my door.
So either I'd have to pay up then, or they'll take anything of value and auction it off and sell it off.
And what is worse, I will have to pay them for their time and effort,
which I assume would be more than my actual debt with the mobile provider.
So one voice in me said, you know, ignore it, they're just bluffing.
And the other one said, don't fool around.
It could be what it is, a final warning.
And I remember the words of Jesus, you know, come to terms quickly with your creditors.
While you're going with them to court, lest your accuser hand you to the judge,
and the judge the guard and you be put in prison.
Truly I say to you, you will never get out until you've paid the last penny.
So in my case, my accusers were the mobile service company and the guard are the bailiffs.
So I decided to treat the letter as it was, and pay up, and not risk the bailiffs knocking my door.
In our passage this morning, Amos the prophet is giving Israel their final reminder.
It's only nine chapters, the book has nine chapters, this is the eighth chapter.
It's the final reminder.
The only difference is, there is no time to pay up.
No more grace to shape up.
It's not a warning, it's a declaration of judgment.
God is going to judge his people now.
The bailiffs would be knocking at their door,
and they will be coming in the form of Assyrian soldiers,
the superpower of their time,
invading their country and taking most of them into exile.
Israel is hearing God's final word on their wicked behavior and unrepentant hearts.
Hence, in verse 11, you have Amos prophesying,
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God,
when I will send a famine on the land,
not a famine of bread,
nor a ters of water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
God is now going to stop speaking.
They have been ignoring his corrections.
He is going to give them the silent treatment.
They are about to face the full consequences
of their rebellious hearts and wicked behavior.
God has had enough
with the rebelliousness of his chosen people.
Look at the end of verse 2.
The Lord said to me,
The end has come upon my people.
I will never again pass by them.
And again at the end of verse 7,
The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob,
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
And finally at the end of the chapter,
at the end of verse 14,
They shall fall and never rise again.
I will never pass by them.
I will never forget.
They shall never rise.
Three nevers.
There is a finality
to what is about to happen to them.
You know we have been told,
if you have read the book before,
we have been told in the previous chapters
as well as documented
in history books.
It's in chapter 2.
An adversary shall surround the land
and bring down your defenses from you
and your strongholds shall be plundered.
What they had taken by plunder
would be lost by plunder.
It's a poetic justice.
What monuments they had built with that plunder,
it will come to an end.
The adversaries is the Assyrians.
And you can see it depicted
in the British Museum.
In the Assyrians had crafted
on their palace walls
how they took the children of Israel into exile.
The sad and gloomy picture
is also provided in our passage today.
It's in verse 3.
The songs of the temple
shall become wailings in that day,
declares the Lord God.
So many dead bodies,
they are thrown everywhere,
silence.
Songs of worship
becomes wailings.
Wailings will turn into silence.
And there will be many dead bodies scattered.
Songs, wailings, silence.
The songs at the temple
will be silenced once for all.
Because in chapter 5,
God had declared
that he detested the worship
of the people of Enemos' time.
You know, in chapter 5, verse 21 onwards,
God had declared,
I hate,
I despise your feast,
and I take no delight
in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me
your burnt offerings
and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
And the peace offerings
of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me
the noise of your songs
to the melody of your harps,
I will not listen.
And the reason God gave
for despising their worship
is that they have neglected
the more important matters
of justice and righteousness.
The God of the Bible
puts it in his own words
in chapter 5,
let justice rule down
like waters
and righteousness
like an ever-flowing stream.
Instead, what they did
was the opposite.
And God said
in the same chapter,
they had turned justice
to poison fruit
and cast down righteousness
to the earth.
These people were no different
than the Pharisees
that Jesus condemned.
You know, Jesus said,
woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites.
You have neglected
the weightier matters
of the law,
justice,
and mercy,
and faithfulness.
You know, justice,
mercy, faithfulness
runs through the Bible
like a stream
from Genesis right
to Revelation.
The Israelites
in Amos' time,
the Pharisees
of Jesus' time,
and some of us
in our times,
you know,
we could put up
a good act
as good church-going folks.
You know,
we could turn up
at church events
at the right time.
We could say amen
to all the prayers.
We could sing
the right hymns,
but we could be busy
with church,
but far from God.
No different
than the priest
and the Levite
who abandoned
the injured man
that had been robbed
and left to die
on the road to Jericho.
Now, both the priest
and the Levite
probably were busy
with church stuff.
They were unlike
the good Samaritan,
whom Jesus praised,
who took the risk
at the cost
of his life
to save a man's life.
Jesus said,
But a Samaritan,
as he journeyed,
came to where he was,
and when he saw him,
he had compassion,
mercy.
He went up to him
and bound up his wounds,
pouring on oil
and wine.
Then he set him
on his own animal
and brought him
to an inn
and took care of him.
And the next day,
he took out two denarii
and gave them
to the innkeeper,
saying,
Take care of him
and whatever more
you spend,
I will repay
when I come back
at the cost of his life
and the cost
of his wealth.
The Israelites
in Amos' time
were the opposite
of the good Samaritan,
who, interestingly,
is a product
of the aftermath
of the Assyrian invasion.
So, interestingly,
there is grace
after the judgment.
The Israelites
have stepped upon
and abused the poor,
the needy
and the disadvantaged.
It's in verse 4.
Hear these,
you who trample
the needy
and bring the poor
to the land
to an end.
In their greed
and selfishness,
they have all the while
been ignoring
the Torah injunction.
In Deuteronomy,
God had said,
For there will never
cease to be
the poor in the land.
Therefore,
I command you,
you shall open
wide your hand
to your brother,
to the needy
and to the poor
in your land,
as well as you shall
love your neighbor
as yourself.
You know,
as I've mentioned,
the Israelites
in Amos' time
were very,
very religious.
They were church-going folks.
They observed
the new moon
and the Sabbath.
But all the time
while they were
in their worship services,
their eyes
were on the clock
rather than the hymn book.
When can we get out
and continue
with our money-making schemes?
You know,
they had the system
rigged for their benefit.
They turned
their backs
against the poor
as they faced
the pulpit
to convince themselves
that they were
part of God's people.
Their ears
were close
to the deafening cry
of those
whom they were oppressed
as they increased
the volume
of their worship.
They were no different
again
than the people
of Jesus' time.
You know,
Jesus said,
you hypocrites.
Well,
did Isaiah prophesy
of you
when he said,
these people
honor me
with their lips,
but their heart
is far from me.
In vain
do they worship me
teaching as doctrines
the commandments
of men.
Now,
Isaiah,
another great prophet
of the Bible,
a contemporary of Amos,
who Jesus
had just quoted,
says this
in his famous
chapter 58.
You know,
this is when Israel,
the people of God,
were complaining
to God
that God
is overlooking
their righteous acts.
You know,
they say,
why have we fasted
and you see it not?
Why have we
humbled ourselves
and you have
taken no knowledge
of it?
We've done all
these religious acts,
but you're ignoring us.
And God's answer
to Israel is this,
behold,
in the day of your fast
you seek
your own pleasure
and you oppress
all your workers.
What
they should have done
according to God
through Isaiah
is this,
this is what God says,
if you turn back
your foot
from Sabbath,
from doing
your own pleasure
on my holy day
and call the Sabbath
a delight
and my holy day
with the holy day
of the Lord
honorable,
if you honor it,
not going on
your own ways
or seeking
your own pleasure
or talking idly,
then you shall
take delight
in the Lord
and I will make
you ride
on the heights
of the earth
and I will feed
you the heritage
of Jacob
your father
for the mouth
of the Lord
has spoken.
And again,
no different
than the Pharisees
in Jesus' time.
Woe to you,
scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites,
for you clean
the outside
of the cup
and the plate
but inside
they're full of greed
and self-indulgence.
You are whitewashed
tombs which outwardly
appear beautiful
but within are full
of dead people's bones
and uncleanness.
So you also
outwardly appear
righteous to others
but within are full
of hypocrisy
and lawlessness.
All respectable
and religious
on the outside
but rotten
on the inside.
Isaiah condemns
the sins
of the people
in his time.
Amos does the same
in our passage.
Jesus does the same
with the Pharisees.
Now we might be
sitting here
reading and listening
to these words
and thinking
I'm not like them.
My sins are not
as bad as them.
I am not
as evil as them.
But that's just
looking at the surface
because the heart
of the matter
is the matter
of the heart.
Those visible sins
are just symptoms
of something deeper.
You know Isaiah
tells us,
he says,
Behold,
in the day of your fast
you seek
your own pleasure.
If you turn back
your fruit from Sabbath
from doing again
your own pleasure
if you honor it
not going your ways
or seeking
your own pleasure.
At the heart
of all our
outward sins
that is visible
whatever form it is
are self-centeredness,
selfishness,
self-pleasure.
Because we are all
self-preoccupied
with our own
wants and needs.
That's just
the way we are
because of
indwelling sin.
we are worried
about our own
security
and our own
comfort.
Self-preservation
is the name
of the game
when survival
of the fittest
is the philosophy
of the fallen world.
God is not
against wealth
or the accumulation
of it.
In the Torah
it's a sign
of blessing
and grace
as a sign
of God's favor.
If you don't
believe me
just listen
to the televangelists
about that.
That's a joke.
what he's against
is how we
abuse others
in the process
of accumulating
wealth
for our own
selfish needs
and what we
do with it
closing our
eyes to the
needy
and using it
for our own
pleasure
besides putting
our trust
in it.
Now the people
of Amos'
time
and we
can do the
same.
drowned out
the cries
of the people
they oppressed
by raising
the volume
of worship
songs.
They wore
a cloak
of religiosity
to cover
their nakedness
before God.
You know
these are
the type of
folks that
Jesus rebukes
in the book
of Revelation.
for you
say I
am rich
I have
prospered
and I
need
nothing
not
realizing
that you
are
wretched
pitiful
poor
blind
and naked
I
counsel
you
to buy
from me
gold
refined
by fire
so that
you
may
be
rich
and
white
garments
so that
you
may
clothe
yourself
and the
shame
of your
nakedness
may not
be seen
and
salve
to
anoint
your
eyes
so that
you
may
see.
God
is against
the false
worship
and the
empty
religions
and the
social
injustice
that flows
out of it.
all of
this
stems
from
the
failure
to
recognize
who
the
God
of
the
Bible
is.
You
know
the
people
of
Amos'
time
had a
false
view
of
God
and
that
had
corrupted
everything.
You
know
when
God
is
first
and at
the
center
of our
lives
everything
else
our
relationship
our
work
our
leisure
they
become
meaningful
and they
fit
into
their
proper
place.
But when
self
is
entroned
and let
me tell
you
self
is a
punishing
master
it's a
jealous
and a
punishing
master
it's
never
satisfied
it will
push
everything
else
out to
the
margins.
When
our
worship
is
focused
on
ourselves
and
not
God
greed
and
selfishness
are
entroned
and the
result
as James
puts it
where
jealousy
and
selfish
ambition
exist
there will
be
disorder
and every
wild
practice.
The people
in Amos'
time
their standards
have become
wholly
corrupt.
Amos
condemns
them
for
selling
small
measures
of
weed
for
grossly
inflated
price
and
ruined
struggling
buyers.
If
ultimately
we worship
ourselves
which means
we are
very
self-centered
and we
don't
worship
the true
and the
living
God
we
will
judge
everything
and
everyone
on how
they
could
serve
our
interest.
So in
verse 6
the poor
are treated
as disposable
items
commodities
to be
bought
and sold.
That's why
James
the brother
of Jesus
warns us
this is
religion
that is
pure
and
undefiled
before
God
the
Father
is
this
to
visit
orphans
and widows
in their
affliction
and to
keep
oneself
unstained
from
the
world.
That is
why
God
has to
judge
his
people.
Now in
my story
in the
beginning
the
beliefs
had
every
right
to
come
after
me.
I
had
signed
a
contract.
The
children
of Israel
had a
covenant
with
God.
It's
a
contract.
And that
covenant
came with
privileges
and
responsibilities.
You know
at the
heart of
it
God
had
said
I
shall
be
their
God
and
they
shall
be
my
people.
A
people
that
will
be
the
salt
of
the
earth
and
the
light
to
the
nations.
God's
people
Israel.
God's
people
was
Israel
then
and
today
it's
the
church
it's
us.
We
are
the
moral
compass
of
this
world.
But
what
happens
when
we
are
no
longer
fit
for
purpose?
When
we
are
no
different
in
fact
worse
than
the
society
that
God
has
put
us
in.
When
we
are
just
as
selfish
and
self
centered
as
the
people
that
do
not
know
!
Jesus.
Jesus
has
some
very
chilling
words
for
us.
He
says
you
are
the
salt
of
the
earth.
But
if
the
salt
has
lost
its
days
how
shall
its
saltiness
be
restored?
It's
no
longer
good
for
anything
except
to
be
thrown
out
and
trampled
under
people's
feet.
God
has
to
judge
them
because
of
the
covenant
he
had
made
for
them.
The
covenant
came
with
privileges
!
character.
You
know
at
the
end
of
the
Sermon
of
the
Mount
Jesus
said
this
everyone
who
hears
the
words
of
mine
and
does
not
do
them
will
be
like
a
foolish
man
who
built
his
house
on
the
sand
and
the
rain
fell
and
the
floods
came
and
the
winds
blew
!
God's
moral
law
and
God's
ways
we
are
playing
with
fire
because
we
are
messing
around
with
God
we
are
building
our
lives
on
shifting
sands
like
the
foolish
man
Paul
tells us
in
Galatians
do not
be
deceived
God
is
not
mocked
for
whatever
one
sows
that
will
he
also
reap
for
the
one
who
sows
to
his
own
flesh
!
will
from
the
spirit
reap
eternal
life
in
God's
universe
there
is
sowing
and
reaping
because
God's
principle
of
justice
and
mercy
are
infused
in
the
DNA
of
our
universe
mess
with
it
and
you
mess
with
your
lives
and
destiny
Amos
puts
it
this
way
in
verse
7
the
Lord
has
sworn
by
the
pride
of
Jacob
surely
I
will
never
forget
any
of
their
deeds
shall
not
the
land
tremble
on
this
account
and
every
one
moan
who
dwells
in
it
and
all
of
it
rise
like
the
Nile
and
be
tossed
about
and
sink
again
like
the
Nile
of
Egypt
first
he
is
speaking
of
an
earthquake
and
then
the
rising
and
the
sinking
of
the
great
Nile
now
imagine
you
are
on
a
boat
and
when
that's
happening
that's
what
happens
when
God's
moral
principle
are
ignored
as
an
earthquake
when
we
do
not
treat
others
as
they
are
made
in
the
image
of
God
when
we
abuse
and
take
advantage
of
one
another
when
we
use
our
religion
to
hide
from
God
when
we
assume
just
coming
to
church
at
certain
times
of
the
week
should
have
God
off
my
back
Amos
wants
us
that
our
world
will
be
turned
upside
down
you
know
in
fact
Amos
actually
dates
his
prophecies
two
years
before
the
earthquake
in
the
beginning
because
in
his
spiritual
universe
that
is
what
matters
in
terms
of
timeline
Amos
speaks
of
the
great
Nile
in
verse
8
Amos
is
alluding
to
Egypt
when
the
children
of
Israel
were
oppressed
!
When
they
were
slaves
and
taken
advantage
of
God
had
judged
Egypt
for
oppressing
his
people
now
he
will
judge
his
people
for
being
no
different
we
cannot
build
our
lives
apart
from
the
framework
that
God
has
given
us
in
his
word
there
will
be
an
earthquake
there
will
be
a
storm
everything
will
be
made
topsy
turvy
no
different
than
the
storm
that
Jesus
had
warned us
at
the
beginning
of
our
chapter
God
asked
Amos
what
do
you
see
and
he
said
a
basket
of
summer
fruit
Israel
had
been
living
in
the
summer
of
God's
grace
they
have
neglected
his
warnings
they
have
neglected
his
word
they
have
neglected
the
poor
they
have
lived
as
they
pleased
and
the
basket
of
summer
fruit
is
the
harvest
they
have
rived
they
are
ripe
but
rotten
therefore
ripe
for
judgment
you
know
verse
2
says
at
the
end
has
come
upon
my
people
I
will
never
again
pass
by
them
God
is
no
longer
going
to
overlook
the
sins
of
his
people
his
patience
and
long
sufferings
has
run
out
he
will
bring
upon
them
the
curses
of
the
covenant
but
we
are
still
being
shown
grace
you
know
God
is
inviting
us
to
repent
!
of
our
!
God
opposes
the
proud
but
gives
grace
to
the
humble
the
people
of
Amos'
time
are
facing
their
harvest
in the
Bible
is
a
sign
of
judgment
as
well
a
sign
of
vindication
so
are
we
being
ripened
as
Jesus
puts
it
either
as
wheat
to
be
gathered
furs
and
bound
into
bundles
to
be
burned
or
wheat
to
be
gathered
into
God's
barn
but
the
choice
is
ours
we
should
not
spurn
God's
grace
the
book
of
Hebrews
tells
us
for
if
we
go
on
sinning
deliberately
!
after
receiving
the
knowledge
of
the
truth
there
no
longer
remains
a
sacrifice
for
sins
but
a
fearful
expectation
of
judgment
and
a
fiery
fire
that
will
consume
the
adversaries
anyone
who
has
set
aside
the
law
of
Moses
dies
without
mercy
on
the
evidence
of
two
or
three
witnesses
That
was
the
warning
for
the
people
in
Amos'
time
because
they
lived
on
the
covenant
with
Moses
but
for us
is
this
how
much
worse
punishment
do you
think
will
be
deserved
by
the
one
who
has
trampled
underfoot
the
son
of
God
and
profaned
the
blood
of
the
covenant
by
which
he
was
sanctified
and
has
outraged
the
spirit
of
grace
for
we
know
him
who
said
vengeance
is
mine
I
will
repay
and
again
the
Lord
will
judge
his
people
it
is
a
fearful
thing
to
fall
into
the
hands
of
the
living
God
will
judge
those
who
trample
his
grace
there
is
no
such
thing
as
cheap
grace
why
is
that
because
when
God
shows us
his
grace
he
is
actually
risking
his
character
and
his
name
what
is
God's
name
and
what
is
his
character
when
Moses
asked
God
to
see
his
glory
this
is
what
God
revealed
to
him
he
said
the
Lord
the
Lord
a
God
merciful
and
gracious
slow
to
anger
and
abounding
in
steadfast
love
and
faithfulness
keeping
steadfast
love
for
thousands
forgiving
iniquity
and
transgression
and
sin
but
who
will
by
no
means
clear
the
guilty
visiting
the
iniquity
of
the
fathers
on
the
children
and
the
children's
children
to
the
third
and
fourth
generation
God
cannot
ignore
the
cry
of the
oppressed
because
his
reputation
and
character
is at
stake
read
psalm 73
the
cry
of
God's
people
how
long
oh
God
is
the
foe
to
scoff
is
the
enemy
to
revile
your
name
forever
why
do
you
hold
back
your
hand
your
right
hand
take
it
from
the
foe
of
your
garment
and
destroy
them
every
time
God
delays
his
punishment
he
is
prolonging
the
cry
of
the
oppressed
and
God
allows
that
he
shows
grace
so that
the
wicked
may
repent
grace
is
possible
because
of the
blood
of
Jesus
you know
all of
us
in our
worship
and our
calling
as well
as our
responsibilities
have
fallen
short
of the
standard
that God
expects
of us
only
Jesus
is a
true
and
faithful
worshipper
who
fulfill
all
that
God
expects
of
us
yet
became
the
lamb
of
sacrifice
of
our
sins
that's
why the
book of
Hebrews
urges
us
take
care
brothers
lest
there
be
any
of
you
an
evil
heart
unbelieving
heart
leading
you
to
fall
away
from
the
living
God
but
exhort
one
another
every
day
as
long
it
is
called
today
that
none
of
you
may
be
for
we
have
time
to
share
in
Christ
if
indeed
we
hold
on
our
original
confidence
firm
to the
end
as it
was
said
today
if
you
hear
his
voice
do
not
harden
your
hearts
as
in
the
rebellion
God
is
still
showing
us
his
grace
if
you
are
sitting
here
and
you
haven't
put
your
trust
in
Christ
he
is
still
showing
you
grace
and
if
you
hear
and
you
say
I
going
to
God
of
the
universe
and
God
has
to
be
true
to
his
character
let
us
respond
to
God
God's
grace
and
repentance
he's
more
willing
to
forgive
than
our
desire
to
repent
let
us
pray