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GIVING THANKS TO GOD
(Amos 1:1-2:16)
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willingly forfeited their unique, covenantal status
with God as his chosen people, his most favored
SUBJECT: Gratitude.
nation, and so God will treat them just like any old
F.C.F: What fruits grow on the tree of ingratitude to God?
nation.
PROPOSITION: Because God is saving us in Christ, we must give thanks
to him.
C. The enumeration of their sins is found in
2:6-8. “6 Thus says the LORD: “For three
INTRODUCTION:
transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not
A. Imagine that the year is 1945. Pearl
revoke the punishment, because they sell the
Harbor has been attacked by the Japanese, America
righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of
has entered the war both in Europe and the Pacific
sandals— 7 those who trample the head of the poor
theater, and dreadful casualties have resulted in
into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of
bitterness and grief towards these malevolent
the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same
aggressors. And suppose a preacher in America rises
girl, so that my holy name is profaned; 8 they lay
to denounce these enemies, the Axis Powers,
themselves down beside every altar on garments
claiming prophetic privilege and insinuating that he
taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they
speaks for God. As he rails against the enemies of
drink the wine of those who have been fined.”
God, the gathered people shout aloud their deeply felt
As you read this text, it is difficult to
agreement:
distinguish
one sin from another, for they all blend
“You Japanese imperialists who enslave the
together.
One
sin leads to another or is complicated
subjugated peoples—God will destroy you for your
by others. So we find a mixture of greed, sexual
merciless aggression!” (The crowd roars in approval.)
immorality, idolatry, and the callous disregard for the
“You Italian Fascists—God will overthrow
disadvantaged, which would also describe an average
you and trample you to the ground!” (More roaring)
week of an average American. And when we search
“You German Nazis—God will destroy you
for the roots of this cesspool of sin, how God’s
destroyers of the earth!” (Wild shouts of rage)
favored people fell into such error and disobedience,
“You smug and complacent British—God
the source is easy to locate. It comes, remarkably,
will judge you for abandoning the faith you once
from their failure to give thanks to God.
professed!” (Hesitant applause)
D. Amos reveals the Lord’s outrage at their
“You haughty and self-satisfied Americans—
outrageous behavior. 9 “Yet it was I who destroyed
God will strike you for your arrogance and selfthe Amorite before them, whose height was like the
righteousness!” (Silence)
height of the cedars and who was as strong as the
B. This is how Amos opens his prophecy.
oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots
He begins by pronouncing God’s judgment on
beneath. 10 Also it was I who brought you up out of
Israel’s enemies, drawing in the approving crowd.
the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the
One by one, like a hawk circling his prey, he soars
wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11
over Israel’s neighboring nations, enemies, naming
And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and
their sins, mostly sins of aggression against Israel,
some of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not
and stinging each with a warning of God’s impending
indeed so, O people of Israel?” declares the
doom. But he doesn’t stop. He draws the circle
LORD.” “I flooded you with this outpouring of
tighter and tighter. He names Edom, their cousins,
blessing,” God says, “Yet this is how you repay me?”
drawing closer to home. He addresses Judah, their
Paul agrees. He names this ingratitude to God as the
rival brother, as the Israelites begin to fear. And then
taproot of human sin in Romans 1:21: “For although
he rails against Israel itself.
they knew God, they did not honor him as God or
He prefaces his address to each nation with
give thanks to him, but they became futile in their
these words, “for three transgressions…and for four.”
thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
This was a poetic device used either to enumerate a
And the point for us is not simply to shake
specific list or to indicate an indefinite number. But
our
heads
at these ungrateful Israelites, but to look
he addresses Israel in the very same way. And the
into
the
mirror
of God’s Word and to examine our
shocking implication is that Israel has become like
lives in accordance with it. Because God is saving
any other of these pagan nations. They have
us in Christ, we must give thanks to him.
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I. WE MUST GIVE THANKS FOR
FORGIVENESS.
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messing with my stuff? Then watch out for me!” Or
What’s in my wallet? Nothing but an expired gift
card and a bit of lint? Then I’m down in the dumps.”
But there should only be one question at the
beginning of the day. Do you know what it is? Here
is the question. “Am I in hell right now? Cause that’s
what I deserve. And if I’m not, then this is the best
day of my life.
We must thank God for forgiveness, for his
deliverance from sin and death and hell in Christ.
We read in Amos 2:10: “Also it was I who
brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you
forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of
the Amorite.”
A. This event, God’s deliverance of his
people from slavery and certain death in Egypt, is
always considered as his decisive act of salvation on
their behalf and considered their independence day,
the birth of their nation. It is for this powerful work
II. WE MUST GIVE THANKS FOR NEW LIFE.
that they owed God their undying allegiance and
loyalty. The mention of the “forty years” reminded
Look with me at Amos 2:9: “9 Yet it was I
them that their ancestors also rebelled against the
who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height
Lord shortly after he delivered them, but he did not
was like the height of the cedars and who was as
abandon them. He raised up the next generation and
strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his
gave them the inheritance instead.
roots beneath.”
And this is what made their unfaithfulness
A. And God is referring to his giving them
and disobedience all the more serious. This was
the Promised Land, the truly garden spot of the
biting the hand that fed them. And we should
Middle East, a land flowing with milk and honey.
remember that a later generation even drove nails into
They did not really need to battle to take it away from
the hands that delivered them and into the feet that
these imposing, utterly wicked Amorites who
brought them good news of peace with God.
inhabited it before them. The Lord went ahead of
B. This is a powerful motivation to us to
them and drove them out. It was almost like taking
return thanks to the Lord and to live humbly,
candy from a baby. God gave them this good land
gratefully, and faithfully before him. God’s Old
and this new life under his blessing. And this made
Testament deliverance from slavery and death in
their defection and disobedience all the more
Egypt truly served as a mere picture of his greater
grievous and shameful. Again, they were biting that
salvation of his people in Christ. This is what makes
hand that had fed them, an astonishing act of
the Christian’s unfaithfulness and disobedience such
ingratitude. Now it is probable that as the
a serious matter.
generations came and went, the succeeding
God has saved his people in Jesus Christ. We
generations forgot about the Lord’s saving and giving
deserved his wrath, Jesus took it. We committed the
them all these benefits. They undoubtedly took all of
sins, Jesus paid for them. We owed God perfect
these good things for granted. They did not connect
obedience, Jesus achieved it for us. My friend, if
their happy life of peace and prosperity with God’s
these truths are not your daily, moment by moment
kindness and favor, and so they became ungrateful,
companions, then I can certainly understand why you
presumptuous, and eventually dissatisfied and
would live a life of shameful ingratitude.
demanding.
C. Many professing Christians simply begin
Once again, we who live on the New
their day in the wrong way. When they wake up,
Testament side of God’s creation understand that we
they determine their outlook by their present
too have entered and are entering into the promised
circumstances. How am I feeling today? Am I achy
land, though it is not a geographic location. It is the
and groggy? Then I am unhappy. Or “What’s the
people of God under the blessing of God. It is his
forecast? Is it going to be hot and humid, windy and
church, living in covenant faithfulness. It is the new
stormy? Then so am I.” Or “What’s in the
life of following the Good Shepherd as he leads us to
refrigerator? Only catsup, relish, and that two year
green pastures and beside the still waters and
old box of baking soda? Then I’m going to be
accompanies us all the way, even through the valley
grumpy today.” Or “What about the people around
of the shadow of death.
me? Are they in my way, or giving me grief, or
Israel could only enjoy peace and prosperity
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because God had defeated their enemies. And God
has defeated our enemies as well.
Christ has conquered Satan, disarming him at
the cross by nailing our sins there and stealing his
weapon of accusation out of his hands. The Accuser
of the brothers is now speechless.
Christ has conquered death through his
resurrection from the dead to life evermore. He has
removed all fear of death from us. Death holds no
sting and will enjoy no victory over us, for it no
longer has any claim over the forgiven.
And Christ is even conquering our sinful,
wayward hearts, leading us onward in the paths of
righteousness for his own namesake. “If anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away, behold new things have come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Aren’t you glad to be done with that old life?
Aren’t you glad that Satan has no power of
accusation against you, that death holds no terror for
you, and that the almighty Son of God is healing your
sick and twisted heart?
So here’s something more to flood your heart
with joyful thanks each morning. Not only am I not
in hell, I’m already in heaven (or almost there)!
But it doesn’t stop there…
III. WE MUST GIVE THANKS FOR
CHRISTIAN LEADERS.
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examples of holy living. So to help his people, God
provided preachers and examples so that they could
both hear and see who he called them to be: holy to
the Lord.
They should have responded with gratitude,
but in fact, Israel had reacted in a very different
manner. “12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not
prophesy.’” Instead of embracing and imitating
these models and examples, they did everything they
could to drag them down or shut them up. It reminds
me of the story of the sheriff’s deputy driving slowly
down a winding road. A woman walking along the
side shouted, “Pig!” He shouted back, “Sow!”
rounded the corner, and hit a pig. Instead of
following the example or heeding the warning, they
ungratefully resisted them at every turn.
We must give thanks for the leaders God has
given. I don’t think it is a stretch to compare our
faithful teaching elders (preachers) with the prophets,
nor the ruling elders who are to serve as “examples to
the flock” with the Nazirites. We need to give thanks
to God for providing these leaders. We need to give
heed to the Word God speaks through them, and to
follow their godly example insofar as they follow
Christ.
When you have those moments of resistance
or defiance, “Nobody tells me what to do,” “Those
guys are just a bunch of goody-goodies,” ask yourself
where that rebelliousness is coming from.
Look with me at Amos 2:11:
11 And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not
CONCLUSION
indeed so, O people of Israel?” declares the LORD.
A. God provided leaders and examples for
We must give thanks for forgiveness. “I’m
his people to follow. The prophets spoke for God.
not in hell as I deserve! This is the best day of my
They provided the ministry of the Word.
life!”
The weren’t the only leaders. God had also
We must give thanks for new life. “God has
given the priesthood and the Levites. The priests
set my feet on solid ground, established me among
were responsible for the temple ministry in the
the people of God.”
central location of Jerusalem. The Levites were to be
We must give thanks for Christian leaders.
the pastors in the villages, teaching and instructing
“God speaks to me and calls me to himself. He gives
the people. God gave the prophets largely when the
me shepherds to show me the way of peace.”
leadership and the people had declined spiritually.
We must give thanks to God—daily, gladly,
The prophets came announcing God’s Word to his
faithfully, gratefully. We must give thanks to God.
people, pointing out their sins and errors, and calling
them to return to the Lord. You can see how this

might be a bit unpopular.
And God sent the Nazirites. These men took
special vows to abstain from wine and from ritual
impurity by touching dead bodies. These served as
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