SINFUL WORSHIP (AMOS
4:4-6)
1. In December of 1825 a Russian citizen was sentenced to death.
2. This man was supposed to die by hanging.
3. Everything was made ready and the man was hung.
4. Before this man died the rope that was around his neck broke. He fell to the ground.
5. Aside from being bruised and bettered from the fall he was very much alive.
6. The first words out of this man’s mouth were sarcastic. He said:
7.
In
8. The Czar who was ruling was told about the flawed execution.
9. Under normal circumstances this man would have been released.
10. The Czar asked what the condemned man had said after he fell.
11. When the leader was told the man’s words (In Russia the people don’t know how to make anything)
12. The Czar said, “Well, let the contrary be proved.”
SARCASM CAN GET US INTO TROUBLE. IF THIS FORM OF SPEECH IS NOT USED IN THE
A. Sarcasm is pretty infrequent in scripture but there are places where it is used.
B. One of these places is Amos 4:4-5.
C. Amos
said to the people of
D.
E. The
proper place of Hebrew worship was
F.
G. The
prophet Amos said, “Go to church at
H. He also said, “While you are there transgress (sin, break the rules).
I. He also told the people to go to Gilgal.
J. Those who went to this area were told to “multiply transgression.”
2. God’s people were told to go to places of worship were they could sin.
3. They were told to have a religion that pleased themselves.
4. Notice verse 5.
5. The prophet told the people to do whatever they wanted at worship.
6. This instruction can best be understood by comparing it to Hosea 9:15.
7. Hosea came along about 6 years after Amos. He dealt with the same group of people.
8. His work occurred about 40 years before northern Israel was punished by Assyria.
9. Here is what he said – Hos. 9:15.
10. There was wickedness in Gilgal.
11. The sin was so bad God said, “I hated them.”
12. God further said, “I will drive them from mine house; I will love them no more.”
13. According to the prophet Hosea, God absolutely despised what took place in Gilgal.
14. This was the wrong place to be if someone wanted to please God.
15. Since things were so bad in this place why did Amos tell the people, “Go to Gilgal?”
A. The answer is found in the word sarcasm.
B. The word “sarcasm” means a taunting, sneering, or cutting remark.
C. Sarcasm is a form of mockery and ridicule.
16. This is what Amos the prophet did. He ridiculed the churchgoers of his day.
17. He made fun of the people who went to church services.
18. In our day and time most would probably saw that Amos had lost it.
19. People would say that he was an extremist and he would not be welcome in any church building..
A. I say this because of Amos 7:10.
B. There were people who heard this man preach and they didn’t like it.
C. They didn’t want to hear him speak.
D. Listen to how some responded to the prophet’s preaching – 7:10.
E. One of the priests objected to God’s prophet.
F. If we put this into modern terms we might say a “clergyman” said, “”We do not like that teaching.”
G. The preaching of Amos bothered people.
20. AMOS WENT TO THE CHURCHGOERS OF HIS DAY AND SAID, “YOUR WORSHIP IS WORTHLESS. I KNOW YOU HAVE ALL THE TRIMMINGS AT CHURCH. THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY. YOU HAVE PRIESTS AND SACRIFICES; YOU PRAY AND ARE VERY RELIGIOUS. YET, ALL OF THE WORSHIP THAT IS BEING OFFERED IS UNACCEPTABLE.”
A. Amos used sarcasm to say that the more people worshipped the more they sinned.
B. For the Hebrews, as we saw from 7:10, this was something they didn’t want to hear.
C. What if we proclaimed this same message in our day and time?
D. What if we said to those who engage in improper worship,
E. “The more you worship the more you sin”?
F. What if we told people that the worship they offer is sin?
G. Most would agree that we wouldn’t be received too well.
H. We would be dismissed as oddballs and crackpots.
I. People would tell us, “I love and I believe in God. I worship and I pray.”
J. “I am in the church choir and part of the church softball team. I even teach a Bible class.”
K. “How dare you tell me that my worship is unacceptable and sinful.”
L. Amos 4 is a passage that doesn’t step on toes; it stomps on them.
M. In the book of Amos God teaches that worship can be sinful.
21. At different times we have observed the importance of worshipping as God has specified.
A. Jesus said in Jn. 4:24 that worship must be “in truth” (just as God has said).
B. We have made the point that some worship is unacceptable.
C. In Mt. 15:8-9 Jesus describes worship that is vain, useless, without value.
D. Amos 4 goes one step further—engaging in improper worship causes us sin.
E. This is why Amos said, in verse 4, “Come to Bethel.”
F. Bethel was a place of worship. What would happen when they worshipped at Bethel? Sin.
G. The people were even sarcastically told to come so they could “multiply transgression.”
H. Why would Amos sarcastically encourage people to sin?
I. The answer is found in a small statement made by Jesus.
J. This statement is found in Mt. 23:32.
K. Mt. 23:29 says Jesus was talking to Scribes and Pharisees.
L. He called these people “hypocrites.”
M. Then He said this – verse 32.
N. The idea of “fill up” is “bring to its maximum limit.”
O. Make it full, complete, and total.
22. Why would Jesus and Amos say such a thing?
23. We need to go back to the book of Amos for an answer.
24. The answer is found in Amos 4:5.
25. The people had a religion that pleased themselves.
26. When it came to worship these people put their will first.
27. They did what they wanted.
28. If God’s plans were consistent with what the wanted then God’s plan was followed.
29. If their ideas about worship differed from God’s, their plan was followed.
30. These people wanted to worship in a way that pleased them.
31. Amos 4 says this was sinful.
32. When man creates or arranges worship as He wants the service is not worship; it is a sin service.
33. This is not a popular concept but it is true.
34. It was true in the days of Amos and it is still true.
35. We know this because of a passage penned by Paul (Col. 2:23).
36. Knowing what certain Bible words mean is often very helpful.
37. This is true for Col. 2:23.
38. This passage has a word that deserves careful study.
39. Let’s first read the verse. Col. 2:23.
A. The word I want to emphasize is “will worship.”
B. W.E. Vines (p. 236) says this word means, “voluntarily adopted worship.”
C. That is, we bring things into worship that we want.
D. This is exactly what Amos 4 describes.
E. Mr. Vines then adds, “whether unbidden or forbidden.”
F. People do what they want in worship no matter what God’s word says.
G. Another source (CBL Dictionary, p. 230) says this is “self made religion.”
40. The word that Paul used is not found in classical Greek or in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.
41. Some think this word was coined by Paul to describe man-made worship.
A. In Col. 2 this “will worship” is condemned.
B. Paul and Amos preached the same message.
42. WHEN WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE MUST AVOID WORSHIPPING IN WAYS THAT ARE FORBIDDEN WE CAN BETTER UNDRESTAND AMOS 4.
A. The prophet said, “Do whatever you want.”
B. “You sin when you worship so take your sin to the limit. Sin more and more.”
C. Why did He say this?
D. We are now ready for the final answer.
E. If we are not willing to abide by all God’s instructions, why abide by any of them?
F. This was Amos’ point.
43. I recently came across some information about cheating.
A. Cheating has become a national pastime.
B. Students are using cell phones to send test answers to a friend’s pager.
C. Some have worked out a “coughing code.”
D. Others writer put test answers on their hands and then “stretch,” revealing the answers to others.
E. In chemistry classes students have programmed multiple choice answers into calculators.
F. A recent study of students at 31 colleges revealed that 70% of the young people cheat.
44. Cheating is a common practice.
45. Let’s suppose that we are given a test this week.
46. This test has ten questions and we cheat on one of the questions.
47. Another person cheats on all of the questions.
48. Is there any real difference between us and the other person?
49. If we are going to cheat on one question, why not cheat on them all?
50. This is the principle Amos made known to his listeners in Amos 4.
A. If we are going to violate God’s will in one area of worship, why stop there?
B. This is a terrific truth to understand and teach to others.
C. Amos 4 teaches that our worship and service to God is a package deal.
D. We do things as God has said or we do not.
E. If we do not worship as God has said the service is sin.
51. This passage forever illustrates the need to worship in truth, Jn. 4:24.
52. Is this how we are worshipping and are committed to worshipping God for the rest of our lives?