If God Be Against Us

Nov 25, 2007 By: Pastor Joseph LoSardo Series: Amos (The Oracles) Scripture: Amos 3:9-15
In the days of Amos, Israel took comfort from the fact that she was God’s elect. They felt that, having been chosen by God as His special people (Amos 3:2a), Israel must therefore be the recipient of His favor. She was counting on the fact that she was the church and that she went to church and maintained a religious life, while at the same time, she was violating conscience, disregarding love, and falling into spiritual complacency and unbelief. In reality, Amos is describing the church throughout its history, as it has always been in part. To this very day, we find a church filled with unbelievers who think God must be their friend when in fact He is their enemy. There are multitudes today that go to church, supposing that being a part of a church will keep them from the judgment of God. The truth is that many go to church for, what are in the end, selfish reasons. They do not belong to a church because it is the family of God, whose Father is God, or because they desire to hear from and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, or to bow their knee to the Savior in worship. Church is a part of many people’s lives because it makes them feel better about themselves, appeases their conscience, and gives them a place to display their good works before men. To ignore or deny the certainty that many will say, “Lord, Lord,” while damned through the church, or the fact that large numbers of people through the ages have perished in the church having left this world only to encounter the Lord as an enemy and not a friend, is to deny the clear meaning of Holy Scripture.