July 16, 2000
God Uses All Kinds of People; Don't Count Yourself Out

Text: Amos 7:12-17
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: "Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying: 'Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.'"

Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don't prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king's sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom."

Amos answered Amaziah, "I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' Now then, hear the word of the Lord.  You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, And stop preaching against the house of Isaac.'

"Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be measured and divided up, and you yourself will die in a pagan country. And Israel will certainly go into exile, away from their native land.'"

God leaves no stone unturned to reach people.

He loves us. He blesses us. He forgives us. He chastises us. He makes His presence known when we "walk through the valley of the shadow of death" and the day is very difficult. Our Father walks with us as "He leads us beside quiet waters" and all is quiet and peaceful as our souls are at rest. God uses the technology of our day as some of His most gifted servants deliver His message into our homes. I wonder if it can be said that anyone in the United States has not had an opportunity to hear the Gospel message with at least their physical ears, if not the ears of their heart.

For a generation our nation has had the privilege of listening to Billy Graham as God's spokesman. He has the gift of making the Gospel so simple that a child can understand Jesus loves him or her. And yet Graham is used by God to invade the hearts of some of the world's most powerful leaders. The world as a whole, and America in particular, has been called to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ by this evangelist.

God has raised up in our midst great preachers of His Word. In my youth, it was the voice of Walter Maier "bringing Christ to the nation, the Lutheran Hour," that God used in addressing our land. It was Maier who warmed my heart as a teenager. How that man was gifted by God to spell out the way of salvation so clearly that people of all kinds were brought face-to-face with Christ!

In our day, another great preacher, Lloyd Ogilvie, has been one of God's well-known expounders of His Word. He has been gifted with a voice and use of words second to none. His strong message is built on the Rock, Jesus Christ. It was Ogilvie who stood for years in the pulpit of the Hollywood Presbyterian Church and preached to the people of his neighborhood. It was this same message that he proclaimed over television until God called him to be the chaplain of the United States Senate. There he has the opportunity to confront one hundred powerful people with their opportunities and responsibilities of governing the world's most powerful nation according to God's will. These political leaders may not respond positively to God's Word, but they must hear what the King of kings is saying to them. Let me give you a personal experience with Dr. Ogilvie's ability to proclaim God's Word.

Not many years after our son-in-law was ordained, we attended a theological conference in the Los Angeles area. On Sunday morning, I suggested to Steve that we go to the Hollywood Presbyterian Church to hear one of the greatest preachers in America. We arrived for the first service. Ogilvie was at his best. When the service was over, Steve asked, "Would you mind staying for the second service? I want to hear him again." God's voice was alive.

A few weeks ago, Public Television ran a documentary on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Here was another great voice from God. In case you are not acquainted with Dr. Bonhoeffer's writings, let me introduce him to you. He was a theologian at Union Seminary, about to rise to great fame in the theological world. But God had other plans for this man. Bonhoeffer left the security of New York and returned to Nazi Germany where he ministered to the underground Church. It was when Hitler attacked the Church and its message that Bonhoeffer could not remain quiet, and his strong testimony for Jesus Christ cost him his life when he was hanged on the gallows at Flossenburg only weeks before the war in Europe ended. Jesus talked about people "killing the prophets." It is still going on in so-called enlightened western civilization.

This list of international Christian leaders is unlimited. We thank God that He always has some of these great voices on the world's scene. But today's text tells us about a very ordinary man who became a strong voice for God, and his message lives with us today. His name is Amos who is a "voice from the farm." His formal education was limited. He was a shepherd and farmer whom God put His hand on and used. In the days Amos lived, Israel was divided into two kingdoms.

The northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern kingdom was called Judah. Amos lived in Judah, but God sent him on a mission to the northern Kingdom. It was not long before Amos made his presence known. Here is a sample of the Prophet's preaching:
"You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. (5:11-12) I will turn your religious feasts into mourning and all your singing into weeping . . . The days are coming when I will send a famine through the land not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." (8:10-11)

When Amaziah the priest heard Amos preach, he became disturbed and sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel. "Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel.

The land cannot bear all his words. For this is what Amos is saying, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.'" (7:10-11)

Let's stop here for a moment and draw a picture of what was happening in Israel. Amaziah is the recognized clergyman. He has been trained religiously. However, his calling to be God's voice in the land had been set aside that he might please the king and all the influential people, lest they be disturbed by pointing out their sins. He did not let his message become personal. One could imagine that the priest went through the ritual of the service, which might have talked about confession and repentance, but after all the formality was over, the people were free to go back into the world and never experience any change in their behavior. Their relationship with God was completely impersonal. The nation needed a spiritual awakening, but it would not come through the ministry of people like Amaziah, who had sold out his convictions to what people wanted to hear. Just let me ask you, Do we experience some of the same in our churches today?

What would happen in some of our congregations if the preacher began to tell it as the Word of God teaches?

Listen to what God says through Amos, "I hate your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.

“Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have not regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream. You say, 'When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat? Skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales?'" (5:21-24; 8:5)

We have a picture here of how corrupt religion can become. God used Amos in his lifetime, and he is using him today as the Prophet speaks to the Church in the 21st century.

When Amos was told by the priest to leave, he replied, "The Lord tells me to stay." Amos was told to proclaim that the people would be punished for their sins, but the day would come when God would bring back His exiled people to their own land. He held before them the hope of being restored into that living relationship with their Heavenly Father.

What is unique about this message? God can use all kinds of people to bring His Word to the world. Let's not count ourselves out. Let me tell you a story that supports this Biblical teaching.

I had an Uncle Chris. He never married. While Chris never attended church services, his Bible was often open on the kitchen table when we visited him. Several times each year my mother would prepare a big dinner for Chris. One day, dad and I took this meal to Chris and had an interesting conversation with him. He knew that I was preparing to be a minister, and had a few choice comments for me about the church. However, there was one member of the congregation who had won his way into Chris' heart. His name was Nels Smith, an immigrant from Denmark who had no formal education, but who loved the Lord. He used to visit Chris and talk to him about his relationship with the Lord. I don't know if my uncle ever gave his heart to the Lord, but I believe that Nels Smith was God's most powerful messenger in his life. Chris made it clear that Nels was not afraid to tell him of his sins and how he needed Christ as his Savior, but he also let him know that God loved him and had sent Jesus to be his Savior. That's the Amos type.

If you are not a believer in Christ, listen to the great spiritual leaders of the day, but seek out that person who knows Christ and ask him or her to help you. If you know Christ, be an Amos in the life of someone who needs to hear about his or her need for a Savior and what Christ has done for all who trusts Him.

God can use all kinds of people. Don't count yourself out!

Amen.

Rev. Homer Larsen
Christian Crusaders