Sermons 2024

July 14, 2024

Amos—A Prophet For Our Times

Amos 7:7-15

    Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the text for our meditation to-day is the Old Testament lesson of Amos chapter seven verses seven through fifteen.

Today’s text presents us with some unique challenges.  The Law of God is the predominant preaching.  The plumb line is God’s Law at work judging the crooked ways of a perverse and obstinate people.  Amos’ mes-sage of impending desolation and ruin about to come crashing down of Isra-el for their sins is not so much a challenge for us.  We raise little objection to pointing out the sins of others.  Israel had it coming to them for their dis-regard for the holy sanctuary of the Most High God.  We learn from the con-text that the worship of foreign false gods was taking place there.  We learn that this is sanctioned and promoted by Amaziah and King Jeroboam.
   

 The challenge we face in hearing this text is applying the same trans-parent Law of God to our own nation and our own church.  Another chal-lenge we face is seeing Jesus at work in the text and how this text sheds its foreshadowing light on the cross.  This is the preacher’s task.  Your task is to hear it and believe it.  So we begin with our sin and the plumb line that sets the standard of perfection God expects.  You might want to buckle up.  This exam has all the makings of a rough ride.

    Israel had their woes in their day, and they paid dearly for their apos-tasy.  In today’s democracy it is reprehensible and appalling that under the law unborn children are being discarded under the guise of a woman’s right to choose and hailed as a personal freedom.  In today’s democracy it is shameful that under the law marriage is dismantled and redefined to justify the sin of homosexuals.  In today’s democracy we can no longer call our-selves “one nation, under God” because such a claim tramples the rights of a chosen few.  Under the laws of the state, you and I can exercise all kinds of freedoms that violate and transgress the Laws of God with no apparent con-sequences.  The print of our liberal press trumps the “Thou shalt not…” in-delible mark that God has written on our hearts.  Violate the conscience  and cross the line one too many times and the sin becomes the status quo.

    It’s no surprise that visitors to our worship are puzzled by the words of our confession of sins that acknowledge “I, a poor, miserable sinner…have ever offended You and justly deserve Your temporal and eternal punish-ment.”  Not only visitors, but even members of our own fellowship may ex-press difficulty seeing themselves as poor or miserable in their sin.  Objec-tions to sin set forth by the plumb line of God’s Word tramples one’s com-fort and intrudes upon one’s right to the pursuit of happiness.  So you begin to see the challenge we face to be steadfast and faithful to our just and right-eous Lord while we are beset by such resistance to the truth.
   

 Sadly, the woes of an apostate nation have infiltrated Christ’s Church.  The priest of Bethel takes the political route when accusing faithful Amos of conspiring against the nation and the king.  His objection raised to Jeroboam is heavy-laden with political rhetoric and hints of a bid for re-election.  In today’s church there is no lack of Amaziah-types who use their positions for political gain and power brokering.  Recent attempts by the faithful to point out false doctrine and practice in our own synod has been met with calls of extremism and accusations of lovelessness.  Can’t we just all get along?  The plumb line is an obsolete means of measuring.  For the sake of mission opportunities can’t we just forego doctrinal integrity and compromise a lit-tle here and there?  It would go a long way to healing divisions among the brothers if we could just turn a blind eye to our black eyes in the synod.

    Why is it so hard for us as God’s people to listen when He speaks to us?  Why must we put political spin on “what does this mean” and raise ob-jections to what God declares clearly and emphatically in His holy precious Word?  You and I are indeed “poor, miserable sinners” who call on the Lord in the words of the Kyrie:  Lord have mercy.  Christ have mercy.  Lord have mercy.  This is the Church’s prayer in our day.  Should the sanctuaries in which we worship today be laid waste?  Will the Lord raise His sword against the house of Biden?  Must the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod go into exile away from her land?  What prophet will speak of such treasonous news?  Can’t we all just get along?

    I told you that you might want to buckle up for the bumpy road.  The Law of God is always an accusing word.  It condemns such that the plumb line is true and accurate in its measurements.  The just judgments of God are miserable for the poor sinner forces to his knees in confession.  They bring low in order that in due time they might also raise up with the forgiveness of the Gospel.

    The Gospel?  Oh yes, the other challenge of the text I mentioned be-fore is seeing Jesus in the text.  How is His holy cross foreshadowed in light of Amos’s confession and faithful proclamation?  Think of Jesus as the em-bodiment of the plumb line.  He comes as Israel reduced to one in order to fulfill all that the Law of God demands of us as a nation and as a church.  He’s the standard we are to be but fail to be because of our sin.  Therefore, the sentence of desolation falls on Jesus who stands in our place at the cross.  The sanctuary of Israel is laid waste in the crucifixion of God’s Son under Pilate’s sword.  The high places of Isaac are made desolate that we might look up upon Him who was pierced for us.  He is the new Isaac, the nation Israel redeemed and brought back anew from exile in Christ’s body, the Church.

    Amaziah looks short-term to his political future and stability in a time when the nation is crumbling and the kingdom is falling.  Amos sees long-term beyond and puts his trust in the words of the Lord to bring low in order to raise up again.  The Messiah will bring this about in a future hope.  He will redeem as the Word made flesh suffers and dies under the weight of the peoples’ sin and unbelief.  Jesus is this Messiah.  Jesus is this Redeemer for you and for all people.  His kingdom has no end.  This is the sweet Gospel of our heavy-laden text.  In the midst of taking away His presence from this re-bellious people, the Lord God is preparing to send His Emmanuel who is “God with us.”  The Old Testament plumb line is enforced and exceeded be-yond all measure in Jesus, the New Testament plumb line employed on the cross for you.  There you see the magnitude of your sin as poor, miserable sinners (and mine too) as they result in the death of God’s only-begotten Son.  There you see the magnitude of God’s mercy and forgiveness in that you are spared.  You get to live.  You are spared the God-forsaken desola-tion.  The angel of death passes over you.  The sanctuary of your soul is not laid waste, but filled with forgiveness, life, and salvation in that Plumb line.

    Today’s text presents us with a number of challenges as we consider our rightful place before the perfect plumb line of God’s impending Law.  We like to point the finger at Israel and say, “They got what they deserved!”  When we turn the condemning finger inward at us both as a nation and as a church, we fare no better.  We believe that Christ will come to be our Judge.  In many ways, Amaziah reflects our short-sighted, here and now mode of preservation.  The accusations of the Law always hurt when we take them seriously.  Sin carries consequences.  Thankfully, Jesus met the challenge and bore the consequences of our sin on the cross.  Thankfully, the challenge of the plumb line we could not endure Jesus endured for us in His sinless life and innocent death.  Thankfully, you and I are members of a kingdom that does not fade or perish.  

Thanks be to God!  
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard, and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. sAmen.