Amos 09: Hope From Ashes

We wrap up our study of Amos by exploring "Hope from Ashes" – how God always brings restoration after judgment, revealing His ultimate goal is to lead His people back to Him.

• Even when prophesying judgment, God's messages always include hope
• Amos warns Israel about impending Assyrian invasion while revealing God's ultimate plan for restoration
• The prophets tell hard truths with love, not to hurt but to save
• God's judgment is inescapable but His mercy is unstoppable
• In Amos 9, God promises to rebuild the fallen house of David and restore Israel's former glory
• Like a loving father disciplining his child, God combines necessary correction with unconditional love
• God never stops pursuing us, even when we've completely turned away from Him
• When our idols and false gods fail us, God still reaches out with love
• The book ends with beautiful images of abundance, rebuilding, and permanent restoration

Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for your love and for your mercy, for your justice and your peace. I'm so thankful that you're for us in so many amazing ways. Keep the principle of Amos with us - when we sin, justice comes, but also your mercy, and we can trust in that. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Hope from Ashes: Introduction
• 3:55 Amos's Final Vision
• 6:47 God's Promise of Restoration
• 8:52 God Never Stops Chasing Us
• 10:55 Divine Discipline with Unconditional Love
• 14:36 Closing Prayer and Reflection

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, Amos, chapter 9, and for the grand finale, we're going to call this Hope from Ashes. Hope from Ashes. One of the things I love about the prophets is, even though they're waving the yellow flag, they're blowing the warning horn in your ear. They always remember that God's hope is restoration. I love that so much. We're going to dive into that here in just a moment as we finish up this amazing Old Testament book of the Bible.

Speaker 1: 0:58

But while you're getting your Bibles out, turn into Amos 9, get your coffee ready, get your popcorn ready, Make sure you take just a moment to like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you take just a moment to leave us a five-star review on the podcast. It really does help. Leave us a comment to let other people know how you're engaging with God's word. And then two other things make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook. It's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job and you can get links to all of that at thebiblebreakdowncom.

Speaker 1: 1:30

Well, if you've been with us over the past few days, we've been talking about the big idea of Amos, and that is to let justice roll. And one of the things that that means is is that Amos is talking to the nation of Israel and he doesn't even live in Israel, he lives in Judah. But he's writing to them over and over again in this and he is saying hey, listen, I know you're doing really well and you're really prospering right now, but Assyria is coming. I mean, they're on their way and they're going to take over, because it's not about how many friends you have and how many people you are influencing. What matters is that you are being holy unto God and you're not doing that. And so he is telling them man, if you don't turn around, Assyria is on their way.

Speaker 1: 2:10

And we've been talking about this idea of the prophets of the Old Testament, and the thing about the prophets of the Old Testament that is so amazing to me and it's kind of a good reminder to all of us, and that is that the prophets, you know, I don't know, we don't know what they were like they live in a very different time from us and within 30 years of Amos writing his book here that we have Assyria took over. I mean, it is a bad time right. There's bad things that are going on and he is writing this and just waving this flag and he is being kind but not being nice. I mean it is not a time to play around. And so he is being kind but not being nice. I mean it is not a time to play around. And so he's being very honest and it reminds us that the most loving thing we can do is to call it like it is, to do it with love, with kindness. Our goal is not to hurt people and that's why, in chapter one we talked about the very first thing we do when we see someone in sin is we check our life first, and then we check our motive second, and then we pray for the Holy Spirit third, to open the door. For us to do this we have to make sure, because when we live in a culture of gotchas and people calling each other out and this clapback culture and all this kind of stuff, and so if we're not careful, we lose the plot, you know, and we want to call things out so that we can make a name for ourself. Rather, Amos quickly says to the people he's like listen, I am not a prophet, I'm not the son of a prophet, I'm a shepherd, but I love you enough to tell you the truth. And we can see that coming up over and over and over again. And then, finally, in chapter nine, he ends with hope, Because the goal of all the things that God does is to lead us back to him, to lead us into this hope. And so let's read this final chapter, where he's still going to talk about some of the bad things that are on the way, but the goal is always hope. So he's got one more vision for us, and we're going to see how it goes here. It goes no-transcript.

Speaker 1: 4:08

Then I saw a vision of the Lord standing beside the altar and he said reach down and pull them up. If they climb up into heaven, I will bring them down. Even if they hide at the very top of Mount Carmel, I will search them out and capture them. Even if they hide at the bottom of the ocean, I will send the sea serpent after them to bite them. Even if their enemies drive them into exile, I will command the sword to kill them there. I am determined to bring disaster upon them and not to help them.

Speaker 1: 4:56

The Lord, the Lord of heaven's armies, touches the land and it melts, and all its people mourn. The ground rises like the Nile River at flood time, and then it sinks again. The Lord's home reaches up to the heavens while its foundations is on the earth. The Lord's home reaches up to the heavens while its foundations is on the earth. He draws up the water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name.

Speaker 1: 5:21

Are you Israelites more important to me than the Ethiopians? Asked the Lord. I brought Israel out of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines from Crete and led the Armenians out of Kerr. I, the sovereign Lord, am watching this sinful nation of Israel and I will destroy it from the face of the earth, but I will never completely destroy the family of Israel, says the Lord. I will give the command and Israel, and I will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in the sieve, but not one true kernel will be lost. But all the sinners will die by the sword. All those who say nothing bad will happen to us.

Speaker 1: 6:02

But here it goes. In that day I will restore the fallen house of David, I will repair its damaged walls From the ruins, I will rebuild it and restore its former glory, and Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be mine, says the Lord has spoken and he will do these things. The time will come, says the Lord, when the grain and the grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested. Then the terraced vineyards on the hill of Israel will drip with sweet wine. I will bring my exile people of Israel back from the distant lands and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens and they will eat their crops and drink their wine, and I will firmly plant them in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them, says the Lord, your God. Wow, One of the things I love about God so very much is that he loves us enough to tell us the truth. But the truth always has in there with it. But that's not the end of the story. I love that so very much.

Speaker 1: 7:18

We see this throughout the time of Israel. What happens from here on, after Amos does this and remember some of his different you know contemporaries that are with him, is he's got you know he's got Hosea, who is? He's the one who was told to marry Gomer the prostitute. It's like this is what it is. God is so angry because he's like a scorned husband. And you've got Jonah, who he is actually going to Assyria trying to reach them because you know they're loved by God as well and they kind of see what's going on. Then you've got Isaiah, who's in Judah, Judah, and he's kind of prophesying and doing all this. You got Micah, and we'll get to him soon, Like all these things are going on, but then just some 30 some odd years later, Assyria comes in and destroys them. They're scattered and then later on, Judah is destroyed by Babylon, also because of sin. But what's amazing is God tells Judah for 70 years because you have not honored me, the land is going to rest, but I'm going to bring you back again. It's amazing. It's amazing that God never gives up on us. Even when we are scattered, Even when bad things happen, he doesn't give up on us. And that's one of the reasons why I would encourage you to do something, encourage you to go on youtube and type out christian testimonies, because you can have testimonies about people who you know love their front yard. I mean, you know what I mean. You have all this stuff, but like christian testimonies and listen to the stories of god's goodness.

Speaker 1: 8:51

I I was watching one one time and this guy completely turned his back on God and actually got into Wicca and legit demonic worship and all this kind of stuff. It was dark stuff, dark, dark stuff. And even then and he said he would just do this terrible stuff and the idea was they were trying to blaspheme the name of God. They were trying to blaspheme the name of God, they were trying to go against it all. And even then he said deep, deep, deep down. I just knew this wasn't right. And he said I didn't realize it yet, but it was way down in the bottom of my soul. God was still chasing after me. And it's this beautiful story of of how, when he got to his lowest moment, all of his other gods, all his idols, all of his things, they all left him and he's literally at the bottom of his life and he can't think of a single reason left to live. And that feeling comes up god still loves me, god still wants me. I mean it was. It was amazing how god never stops chasing after us. Amazing how God never stops chasing after us.

Speaker 1: 9:54

It reminds me of, especially in the book of Amos. It's just literally God just telling them listen, bad things are coming Unless you turn around. Don't think you are, but then, after all of that, I'm still going to do something in your life. It reminds me of something my dad used to do. This is me trying to honor my dad, not throw him under the bus. I realize times are different. I am very thankful for this. Okay so, dad, if you're listening, this is a testimony of you. Okay so, listen, send me the emails, not my dad.

Speaker 1: 10:20

But when I was a kid, my parents would spank us. Right, I know, I know, Save your emails, Okay, but they would. And my dad always, always, was very measured in how he would do it. But my dad never. I got 99,000 spankings. Okay, Never once did he get out of control, but it still hurt.

Speaker 1: 10:39

And I'll tell you what my dad used to do. My dad was a pastor and I'd get in trouble and I knew what was coming when my dad would say, son, I'm going out to my office, Give me a minute, and I want you to come, come join me. And I knew what that meant. That was the walk of death, right, you know what I mean. And I would go out there and my dad would talk to me for 30 minutes before he would give me a, as we would say in Alabama, a whooping, you know, and I would be like just feeling so bad because he would say I know you can do better. I know there's, you know. I mean, he's just sitting there and he's just he's making me feel worse, you know, to the point of going just kill me and get it over with. You know, cause, cause, you know, in a mind of a kid, he's not going to give you a whipping, he's going to kill you. You know, but the worst thing ever, worst thing ever.

Speaker 1: 11:28

And if you did this, if you either did this or your parents did this or you know any of this, I want you to put it down in comments below on the YouTube video. What he would do is he would. He would say son, I'm going to give you five licks. You know, whatever this is, this is what, what it is. You know this is coming. You know this is the worst part and it was over with.

Speaker 1: 11:45

Especially by the time I was like I don't know six. I was determined not to cry. You know what I mean. Like I'm a man, I'm six years old. I'm a man, I'm not going to cry Real men don't cry all that stuff. And so I would just stand there and go, okay. And then he would look at me and he would say, son, I love you so much, I'm so sorry I had to do that to you, but I did that because I love you, because I want you to do what's right and I know you can. Will you give me a hug? That was a low blow, sir, Because I was hanging on so strong, I was being such a man, you know, until he looked at me and he would say, son, I don't want to do that, I love you. Can I have a hug and I just break Dad, I'm so sorry, oh my goodness, it was so bad.

Speaker 1: 12:33

But in that moment I did not see my dad as judgment alone. I saw him as the carrier of both hats, as judgment and mercy. Can I tell you, your heavenly father is the same way when we do bad things and we experience the consequences of our sin. God is sitting there going son, daughter, I don't want to do this. And then he said I love you. Can I have a hug? Can I tell you I still love you, man.

Speaker 1: 13:05

That's what messes you up. That's what messes you up is if you have bad weight and you're sinning, you're doing things you know you're not supposed to do, and then you go into the house of God on Sunday and you start to feel the presence of God and you start to go man, if there's anything I don't deserve right now, it's God's presence and God's mercy. And God just wraps you up and he says no, I still love you. Now, you did something wrong. I need you to repent of it. I need you to walk away from it. You, that's the kind of God we serve.

Speaker 1: 13:36

Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for your love and for your mercy, for your justice and your peace. Lord, I'm so thankful for you. I'm so thankful that you're for us in so many amazing ways. God, I have no idea who's listening to this right now and what they're going through in their life, but what I do know is that you are for us more than we can imagine. I pray today, as we end this book of the Bible and we get ready to go into the next book of the Bible, that you will keep the principle of Amos with us, and that is that, when we sin, justice comes, but also your mercy, and we can trust in that. Today, In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, Amen. Well, God's word says one more time in Am in Amos, chapter five, verse 24,. God is saying instead of all those bad things, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for the next part of the Bible Breakdown podcast.