Monday, June 8, 2015

On 6-14-15, Amos 5:14-15, 18-27 will be our Adult Sunday School/ Uniform Series/ International Sunday School Lesson, herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as God is Not Fooled

God is Not Fooled
Amos 5:14-15, 18-27
June 14, 2015



Commentary 
by
Jed Greenough




“Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?”  Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you.  Away from me you evildoers!”

This scripture from Matthew 7 came to my mind instantly when i read today’s scripture and it said, “Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord.” And, “I hate, I despise 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 no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs!  I will not listen to the music of your harps.”

Either the scripture from Matthew or Amos are just as pertinent for us today and should cause most of us including me to pause and look within.

Have you ever lived in a situation or in a place for so long that you became accustomed to it even when it wasn’t good?  We can go through the motions of serving God and being Christians.  In fact we can become unaware of this fact and it will become who we are.  

We can see the people of Israel in the time of Amos “turned justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.”  They despised the truth, they trampled on the poor and oppressed the righteous.

I bet none of us or at least very few of us studying today are that bad but complacency can turn to the smugness I mentioned last week when things go well or one becomes accustomed to how things are.

Pointing these things out and being reminded is one of the great reasons for people to do things like you are doing today in preparing for Sunday school.  Just like stopping to make sure you aren’t taking a spouse for granted or maybe walking around your old house to see what maintenance  needs to be done so should we examine ourselves.

Oh, you might not be able to fix everything yourself just like you might not at home.  But like the scripture says, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  Therefore scripture covers the needed repair or improvement, church members have experience, books have been written.

The key thing even if one is aware like Amos’s people were you have to want to do something about it.  Not enough of them did.



For Discussion:

Discuss the first thing that came to your mind when you read today’s scripture.
Discuss applying this scripture and the one from Mathew to ourselves today.
Discuss verses 18-20.
Discuss verses 21—23.
Discuss verses 14-15 in light of what is going on today.




Upcoming Lessons




June 21     Rebuked for Selfishness or God Abhors Selfishness    Amos 6:4-8, 11-14








Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved

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