Like a Roaring Lion – Part 10 Amos 7:10-17 1) The mixture of religion and politics has always occurred and has always been problematic (7:10-11). The mixture of religion and politics has always occurred and has always been problematic. 2) Politically-minded religious leaders can be among the worst enemies of true faith (7:12-13). · Amaziah tells Amos to “flee away.” The Hebrew word here carries with it the emphasis “for your own sake.” o 1 Peter 4:12 – “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” The mixture of religion and politics has always occurred and has always been problematic. Politically-minded religious leaders can be among the worst enemies of true faith. 3) Righteous faith leaders know where they stand and they know where they stand because they know they were called (7:14-15). · If asked what would be the single greatest piece of advice you would offer to a young person in ministry, I would say, “Remember the call.” · Because God has called us to himself in salvation, there are a lot of things we don’t have to decide, and that’s really a relief during these tumultuous times. The mixture of religion and politics has always occurred and has always been problematic. Politically-minded religious leaders can be among the worst enemies of true faith. Righteous faith leaders know where they stand and they know where they stand because they know they were called. 4) Righteous men and women of faith dare to speak truth to power (7:16-17). · “Do not preach” is literally “do not drop, trickle, or drip your word.” As one writer notes “It speaks of that which is gentle, welcome, refreshing, like a waft of rain on dry ground.” · “. . . every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (Romans 3:19). · Amos’ final word in this chapter to Amaziah is a clear example of the plumb-line in operation. “By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. [Abortion is] really a war against the child, and I hate the killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that the mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? . . . Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love one another, but to use violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.”
