Amos: The Man and His Message — Lesson 4
December 15, 2008
Arguing from Amos – Autumn/Winter Study Series
“Israel’s Future: Pride, Pleasure, and Pain” Chapter 6
Sunday and Wednesday Adult Bible Class
West Broad Church of Christ
December 21, 2008 and January 4, 2009
Dr. J.L. Nesmith, Jr., Facilitator
Introduction:
Chapters 2-5 revealed a nation that chose to consistently rebel against God even as they claimed to follow him. We saw that the sins of Amos’ audience are very much being repeated among contemporary people of faith. Today, we begin Chapter 6 and review more of the prophet’s words. Our objective is to discover how Israel will respond. But there is also a complementary question: how will we respond?
I. Pride, Pleasure, and Pain (6:1-14)
Many similarities exist between ancient Israel and modern America.
• The “blindness” of justice
• Wealth and woe
God is aware of such behavior. With regard to such, what are his words to Israel?
• The perspective of pride (6:1-3)
• The perspective of pleasure (6:4-7)
• The perspective of pain (6:8-14)
Question: How do Amos’ words compare to events in our country today?
It is evident that many among us are choosing to minimize the importance of God in American culture. Question: How is this behavior further evidenced in our country?
• The matter of church attendance
• The matter of membership decline
• A change in dominance
• An identification crisis
• Passages of pain
Summation and Challenge:
Israel’s rebellion led to their regrettable demise, and we can see ourselves in the ancient Jews if we look with honest, open hearts. At West Broad we profess relationship with God, but our lives are often inconsistent with that profession. Question: As you think of Israel’s negative relationship with the Father, what “first steps” would you suggest we take at West Broad to avoid the nation’s mistakes? Which of those steps will you take?
