Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. As we look and realize here in the book of Amos that in past days that we've talked about in Amos chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 the fig picker turned prophet, Amen. I'm glad that he was a rancher. and a farmer, amen, had no education whatsoever. God called him and gave him the ability to prophesy to the nation of Israel, amen. We see the lions roar a call to repentance in Amos chapter one, verse three, down to verse four. Verse 16 of Amos chapter two. And we see a divine wake up call as well in Amos chapter three. When we were in Amos chapter four, amen, I'm glad that we saw that we were preparing to encounter the Almighty. And then in Amos chapter five, we saw the way to life from destruction to deliverance. This all started out with the revelation of God's judgment. In a vision, Amos sees divine wrath falling upon certain nations, Damascus, Phylicia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Judah, and Israel, all of them. But then in Amos chapter three, we saw Amos' first sermon. and he gives this first sermon to them. In Amos chapter four, we see Amos' second sermon, their godless women, their hypocrisy, and their past patience of God, and their future punishment from God. And then in our last chapter, Amos chapter five, we saw Amos' third sermon, that started out, that will also go into this sixth chapter of Amos, where we saw God's invitation to Israel, that Amos makes one final plea, urging his people to repent, seek God and live, renounce your idolatry, and do what is good. And then, God's, we look and we realize that we see, God's indictment of Israel. And so, here in Amos chapter six, we call this God's invitation, indictment to Israel. God's invitation, indictment to Israel. When we look at the collapse of the complacency of a wake up call, because here, based on Amos chapter six, verses one through 14, the preacher the dangers of spiritual apathy among the people of Israel. And the sermon begins by highlighting their false sense of security and indifference to God's warnings, illustrating how their luxurious lifestyles and self-indulgence reflect a deep spiritual demise. And so, apathy, emphasizing their neglect of God's commands and warnings, which ultimately leads to a dangerous complacency. And the second point provides not only apathy, but caution with God's stern warning against pride, reminding the congregation that humility is crucial for spiritual health. And then the final point of the calamities that will result from their indifference of demonstrating That judgment is inevitable for those who turn away from God. Ultimately, the sermon serves as a very powerful reminder for believers today to awaken from their spiritual slumber and to heed God's warnings and to engage actively in their faith to avoid the collapse of complacency. And so, take your Bibles and turn to the book of Amos chapter six, and I remind you that we're, as we look at the book of Amos, We see the prophecies and the sermons, the visions and the promises. Here in this section, that it begins here, that there are three sermons. Each sermon begins with the words, hear this word. In chapter three, verse one, hear this word. In chapter four, verse one, hear this word. In chapter five, verse one, hear this word. And now, The third sermon preached by Amos is made up of two woes. Whenever you come across a woe in the Bible, you know that something bad is coming. The first woe of this third sermon was found in Amos 5, verse 18, that he talked about, that he said in Amos 5, verse 18. And he told us, he said this, woe unto you who desire the day of the Lord, to what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness and not light. And so a double woe, the burden of this message pronounced upon them. And so as he says this, and as we look and realize that the Lord is telling them, whenever you come across this, Now we come to chapter six and we find this second woe in verse one. Woe to you who are at ease in Zion. And so when we come to this conclusion of this third sermon, this second woe, we're gonna read of how this brings about God's invitation and indictment to Israel because it speaks of security refers to false security and it reminds us of a lot of Baptists that today that are apathetic. They no longer have any emotion in their worship. They no longer have any passion in their witnessing. They remind me of those two preachers talking about the churches that They pastored. One preacher said to his pastor friend, when the rapture takes place, the church I pastor will be the first to meet the Lord in the air. And he replied, friend, now how do you know that? And he said, because the Bible says that the dead in Christ shall rise first. Here's a group of apathetic, complacent people who had grown cold toward the word of God, the ways of God, and the warnings of God. And we read about their apathy. And when we look and we realize that from this, we see that let's open up with a word of prayer before we get into the wonderful word of God. Heavenly Father, we gather to come before you with humble hearts, forgive us our sins and shortcomings, help us to put on the whole armor of God each day. May your word penetrate our hearts, awaken our spirits, lead us to true repentance. And Father, I pray that through this message, that we, Lord, will come out of the slumber that we're in and get back in to where you want us to be. May it be a wake-up call that will bring us out of the slumber and back in our relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Save that lost sinner before it's too late. Thank you for the great honor and the privilege to speak on your word in Jesus' marvelous mighty name. Amen. You know what? There was a group of hikers that was set out for a beautiful mountain trail, and they were well prepared with gear. They had their maps. They had all their gear on their backpacks as they made their way. They grew overconfident, and they started ignoring warning signs about the changing weather conditions. Eventually, a sudden storm hit, and their complacency turned into chaos as they scrambled for safety. In the end, They learned the hard way that ignoring warnings can lead to dire consequences. I was out in Colorado at the time, and I was way up in the mountains trout fishing. Well, the sun was out, but all of a sudden, a storm come out of nowhere. It started hailing and then it began to snow. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was up there with another military police guy from Georgia and a full bird colonel. Three of us was up there trout fishing. As we was up there, the three of us soon saw the conditions of the weather that changed so quickly. We gathered our reels in, we began to get our gear and come back down to where the parking area was. But by the time that we got back down there, the storm had come in so fast and so quick that we converged even though that we didn't come in the same vehicle. We got in one vehicle and the other two of us was pushing that car to get out of that area of that fishing location. And that's how we were able to get away. We converged and came together. Boy, it was a close call. We had to come back later and get our vehicles. That's how fast that storm, how quick that it moved, that we didn't even have time to get in our own vehicles. We had to converge in one vehicle and the other two push to get out. You know, when we look and realize, first of all, of the message that we have before us here, we see the nation's perversions because here we see that God's indictment to Israel. The nations, they hated the truth. They hated the honest judges and the people who tell the truth, and they opposed the good, and they trampled the poor, and they took what they had. They were guilty of extortion and bribery. They oppressed the good people by taking bribes, and then they were lazy and complacent, that they lounge in luxury and to think that they're safe. And one day we see that. We pick up Amos chapter six, verses one through six, and we see the apathy of the people. Where we start, the Bible says, again, notice what I said, woe, the second, woe to them who are at ease in Zion and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations to whom the house of Israel came. woe to them other words he says the first one was found where in amos chapter 5 verse 18 and verse 2 it says pass you unto carnea and see and from thence go you to hamath the great then go down to gath of the philistines be they better than these kingdoms are their border greater than your border And then in verse three, you who put far away the evil day and cause the seed of violence to come near. In verse four, who lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall. In verse five, who chant to the sound of the vowel and invent to themselves instruments of music like David. In verse six, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the chief ointments, but they are not grieved nor for the afflictions of Joseph. When we look, we see false security because in verse one, Amos warns, woe to you who are at ease in Zion. And this ease represents dangerous complacency. The people of Israel had become so comfortable that they failed to recognize the looming judgment of God. And not only was there false security, but they ignored the warnings because in verse 2 Amos tells them to observe the fate of the other nations. They saw the prosperity but they ignored the spiritual decay leading to destruction. Their apathy blinded them to the consequences of their actions and so the false security, they ignored the warnings but oh so the self-indulgence that was there because Verses three through six describes their luxurious lifestyle, lying on ivory beds, indulging in fine foods, drinking from bowls, the self-centeredness that reflects the lack of concern for God's will. You know, C.S. Lewis said one time, when we are really in love, we do not want to be left alone. And so we saw the apathy of the people. But secondly, we saw the caution to the people because in verse eight, we read that he tells us about. Let me read verse seven first, though. He says, therefore now shall they go captive with the first who go captive, and the banquet of them who stretch themselves shall be removed. Other words, where the first who go captive speaks of Israel falling to the Assyrians about 133 years before the southern kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians, and it refers to the nobles of Israel being removed. and an understatement that they would be removed as slaves, as the ones who were not killed. But he goes on in verse eight and he says, the Lord God has sworn by himself, says the Lord, the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob and hate his palaces, therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is in it. that is therein. You see, the Lord God has sworn by himself the threatening that come from him, that the balance of this scripture means that God hates prosperity, but that he hates prosperity that is not gained by his hand when he gives the blessing. And so here is a caution to the people, because in verses seven and eight, we see God's warning. The Lord declares, I abhor the pride of Jacob. The pride leads to destruction and God's caution is a direct warning to repent because it's too late. It's too late. In other words, he talks about the danger of pride. The wisdom of Proverbs 16, 18 says pride goes before destruction, and so pride creates a barrier between us and God, bringing us to our need for him. John Piper said one time, pride is a spiritual cancer, unquote. And so God's warning in verse 8, the danger of pride and the call for humility, that God's caution serves as a wake-up call. We must recognize our need for humility and a return to true worship. And so we see the apathy of the people and the caution to the people in verses seven and eight. But in verses nine through 14, we see the calamities facing the people because out of this, we look and he tells us in verse nine that he says, and it shall come to pass if there remain 10 men in one house that they shall die. He goes on in verse 10, and the man's uncle shall take him up, and he who burns him to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him who is by the sides of the house, is there yet any with you? And he shall say, no. Then shall he say, hold your tongue, for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord. He goes on in verse 11, for behold, the Lord commands and he will smite the great house with breeches and the little house with cliffs. In verse 12, shall horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with oxen? For you have turned judgment into gall and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock. In verse 13, for which rejoice in a thing of naught, which say, have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? And lastly, in verse 14, but behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts, and they shall afflict you from the inner and end of Hemath under the river of wilderness. Here, when we look at all of these verses, we're reminded of the calamities facing the people because we see the inevitability of judgment. In verse nine, Amos prophesies dire consequences. If 10 men remain in one house, they shall die. In other words, there's no escape from God's judgment. And so, we see not only the inevitability of judgment, but the absurdity of their actions, because in verse 12 illustrates their confusion. It says, do horses run on rock? They've turned justice into bitterness, righteousness into poison, and so their moral compass has been shattered. And then we see not only the inavailability of judgment, absurdity of their actions, of the calamities facing the people in verses 9 through 14, but God's sovereignty, because in verse 14, God declares that he will raise up a nation against Israel. And it serves as a reminder that God will use circumstances to fulfill his judgment, no matter how far reaching that they may be. And so, when we look how that God works and what God does, amen, when we see the calamities facing the people. Some may escape God's judgment for a while, but none of them will escape finally. There's no escape from God. Even Ahab escaped the prophecy of Elijah for a while, but finally God's time came and Ahab was called into accountability. Because in verse 10, when a kinsman of the dead with one who will burn the bodies, picks up the bodies to take them out of the house, He will say to one inside the house, are there any more with you? Then someone will say, none. And he will say, hold your tongue, for dare not mention the name of the Lord. You see, Amos says that when a relative of the slain comes to bury the bodies and finds one still alive, that he's not to mention the name of God in fear of God's wrath turning on him. And so the word mention means to cause to remember. Again, in the fear of God's wrath falling upon him, he's instructed to hold his tongue from remembering the name of the Lord. You see the calamities that continue and go forth out of all of this. God is given a command and the calamities are sure to fall but God's going to use a nation as a weapon in his hand to strike a blow on the people of Israel. And he said in verse 12, do horses run on rock? Nope. Does one plow there with oxen? Nope. Yet you have turned justice into gall and fruit of righteousness into wormwood, he said. You know what? I don't even understand that. Amos is describing a people that are going right that are doing right had become wrong, and wrong had become right. In other words, their hearts were as hard as a rock, was what he was trying to say. And when we read in verse 14, he said, and behold, I'll raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel. He says, the Lord God of hosts, they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamah to the valley of Arabbath. It was the Assyrians that God used as a weapon until finally, in 722 BC, the entire population of Samaria was enslaved. Just as the Egyptians afflicted the people of Israel, the Assyrians would afflict them. And Amos tells them the extent of their destruction from the entrance of Hamath to the valley of Arama. Hamath was the far north border and Araba was as far south that you could go in Judah. In other words, all their land would be overthrown by the Assyrians. The whole nation stood guilty as charged and the whole nation would share in the calamity. And so here in chapter six, we find that out of all of this, God's invitation, his indictment to Israel. He had gave them a chance but they refused and so, out of all of this, when we see the apathy of the people in verses one through six, the caution to the people in verse eight, and the calamities facing the people in verses nine through 14, boy, here we see the message of Amos is clear. Complacency leads to collapse. We need to heed the warning and examine our hearts and ensure that we're not lured into a false sense of security. As we reflect on our lives, we need to ask ourselves, are we truly aware of our spiritual state? The state of our nation, are we truly aware of what's happening in America today? You know what? Are we complacent in our spiritual lives? What signs of pride do we need to address? How can we actively engage in God's mission today? We need to commit to being more involved in our community, in our church, sharing the love of Christ with those around us. And that we need to consider areas where we have become so self-reliant. We need to acknowledge these to God and seek his help in cultivating humility and humbleness. And we need to reflect on daily practices of spending time in prayer, scripture, going through and asking the Lord to come to our rescue. I hope and pray that as we look at God's invitation indictment to Israel, that we learn our lesson that here the nation had perversions, the nation had punishment, and to go into slavery, into exile, to lose their pride and glory, God will give everything to their enemies is what he's saying he's going to do. I hope and pray that America wakes up and they begin to realize that we're nothing. We're not a nation without the leadership of God. He's the one that helped us form this democracy of the United States of America and we'll never be nothing without him because our nation was formed on the basis of those morals and we've been run on the basis of those morals. Let's pray. Father, we come before you recognizing our need for repentance. in America, in this country. Help us to shed our complacency and pride. Awaken our hearts to your call. Save those who do not know you and guide us as we seek to live out our faith in authenticity, in genuine worship, calling upon the mighty name of Jesus. And Lord, when we get in the service, we're not trying to do the service ourself, but we'll wait upon the spirit of God and say, Lord, speak to us. Bring this message that we need to hear. May we worship you truthfully and wonderfully with every breath that we have to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we pray. Amen. you