Amos - The God Of Justice - Preach The Word

THE GOD OF JUSTICE
David Legge
The God Of Justice - Chapter 1
"The Accused"
Copyright 2011
by David Legge
W
ell, good evening to you all. It's a delight to be back with you in Portrush
Presbyterian Church for the CPA Summer Bible Week. I have fond memories
of being here, I think it was six years ago, and sharing ministry with the Rev
Tom Shaw who is here tonight - and it's a delight again to be here sharing ministry
with the Rev Noel Darragh. I really appreciated the study of God's word this morning,
and I'm looking forward to the rest of the week - it's not often preachers get the
opportunity to sit under other men's ministry, and it's something that I'm really
looking forward to the rest of the week.
I'm here with you to preach the word of God each night this week, and I want to take
as a series in the evenings a study of the book of Amos. So I have asked you to turn
to it, I know what happens when you pick a wee minor prophet - everybody starts to
panic! Don't be afraid, by the way, to look at the contents of your Bible, I do it often -
but if you're embarrassed to do that, find Ezekiel and Daniel, and then go three books
after Daniel and you'll get the prophet Amos. So that's what you're all doing now, isn't
it?!
Now I have to bring to you the message that I believe God would have me preach. I
was down here for a holiday about three weeks ago, and God, I believe, very heavily
impressed upon my heart to bring to you an exposition on the prophet Amos. Now
there will be some gospel application here, but mainly I have to say the message is
applicable to believers. I've entitled this series: 'The God of Justice' - and tonight we
are in chapters 1 and 2. We'll not read them all, but we'll read the first four verses of
chapter 1, and then from verse 4 to the end of chapter 2.
So Amos chapter 1, and I'm reading from the New King James Version: "The words of
Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in
the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king
of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said: 'The LORD roars from Zion,
and utters His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the
top of Carmel withers'. Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have threshed Gilead
with implements of iron. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall
devour the palaces of BenHadad". Then, if you were to read down the rest of chapter
1, you would see in verse 6 that the prophet of God repeats another judgement upon
another nation: "Thus says the LORD: 'For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment", and Gaza was really the Philistines. Then you go
down to verse 9, and you will see another proclamation of judgement: "Thus says the
LORD: 'For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn away its
punishment". Then verse 11, another nation: "Thus says the LORD: 'For three
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