1. Amos 7:1–17 (ESV)
  2. Sermon suggestions

Sermon outline for Amos 7

Amos 7:1–17 (ESV)

1 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

  1. Introduction

    What kind of a prophet do we need? What are the characteristics that we would want to see in someone who wants to tell us how to live and what to do?

    Maybe you are not so sure if we actually need prophets. Maybe you question the need for anyone to claim authority over us. We live in an age where we tend to be very skeptical and cautious of those who say they have the truth and that we should listen to them. We expect truth to be held at an individual level, encouraging everyone to speak their truth with the underlying assumption that what is true for you might not be true for me. That is why there is currently such an emphasis on changing the way we use language—if we have to affirm everyone in their own truth, then we must get rid of words that could challenge and offend. The result of this: free speech is increasingly being outlawed and alternative voices are quickly labelled as propaganda.

    We might be skeptical of prophets, but that does not mean we do not need voices from the outside. As individuals we have a great capacity to deceive ourselves, thinking we have everything sorted when in reality we are making a big mess of our life. Just looking back at the decisions you made in school and when you were still young, don’t you sometimes wish you had listened more to the advice of your mom and dad?

    We can deceive ourselves at an individual level. The same holds true for societies. Nazi Germany is an obvious example. Political leaders sought someone to blame for poverty. Voices of opposition were silenced and any condemnation from the outside world was ignored. As a result millions of people died in the most horrible conditions. In modern-day China and North Korea, the absence of free speech and unwillingness to listen to outside voices have likewise resulted in thousands of people being interred in prison camps. 

    Where free speech is eroded, all kinds of freedom quickly disappear. Expecting truth to be held at an individual level or to emerge from consensus is not enough—we need prophets, we need voices from the outside.

    This brings us back to the first question: what kind of a prophet do we need? And how are we going to distinguish between those who speak for themselves and seek to further their own political aims as opposed to those who speak truth from God? Amos 7 helps us to answer these questions as the man from Tekoa lays down his credentials and points us forward to our Chief Prophet and Teacher, Jesus Christ.

  2. A prophet intercedes on behalf of God’s people

    • Explain how Amos is given visions of judgment and how he intercedes for Israel.

    • Explain why Amos is unable to intercede after the third vision.

    • Explain how the first section of Amos 7 shows us that we need a prophet.

    • Explain how Jesus Christ is our Chief Prophet and what he is doing at this very moment for those who trust in him.

  3. A prophet speaks on behalf of God

    • Explain the authority battle between Amos and Amaziah.

    • Explain what happens when someone only speaks for the establishment.

    • Explain how Amos can critique the establishment because he has an independent message from God.

    • Explain how the second section of Amos 7 shows us that we need a prophet.

    • Explain how Jesus Christ came to speak God’s truth and where God’s truth can now be found.

  4. The Word of God makes us uncomfortable

    • Explain why we should not be surprised that the Bible teaches things that we do not like.

    • Explain why it is so important to keep listening to the Bible even though it sometimes offends us.

    • Apply: there is never a moment in time where we no longer need to hear from God’s Word.

    • Apply: let us pray for those who teach the Bible, that they would be faithful to God’s Word and not soften the message of the Bible in order to let people feel good.

    • Explain how Jesus Christ came to speak God’s truth and where God’s truth can now be found.

  5. The cost of prophecy

    • Explain what the cost of prophecy for Amos and Jesus Christ was.

    • Explain how we have all been called to be prophets and what that means.

    • Apply: let us pray for our friends and family; let us testify to Jesus Christ with our words.