Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Amos 5:4-15, 24 October 22, 2023

Message: “Let Justice Roll!” by Pastor George Gnade

Intro.: 1. As most of you know, we are presently studying the Book of Amos, but we are not studying every verse. Instead we are concentrating on verses you should be familiar with. Amos 5:24 is one of those verses.

2. It says: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” What does that mean? How can we apply that principle to our lives?

A. Let us begin by considering the context.

1. In Amos 5, the words justice and righteousness are used several times. In vs. 7 it says: “You turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.”

a. When justice is served, people are filled with a sense of satisfaction. When evil prevails, people often feel bitter. Amos describes this “as casting righteousness to the ground.” We might use the expression: “They are walking all over it.”

b. In vs. 15, it says: “Hate evil and love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on (you).” Clearly law and order are important to God. Obviously, God is talking about His laws, not ours.

2. This chapter also illustrates other issues of concern.

a. In vs. 10, Amos writes: “You hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth.”

b. Isn’t that a relevant issue?! Many are concerned that the media is hiding facts from us that we ought to know. People are concerned because the truth is being suppressed.

c. In Rom. 1:18, Paul writes: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

3. In Amos 5:11, Amos spells out another problem: “You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain; therefore, though you have built mansions, you will never live in them…”

a. This is another relevant problem. In some ways, our country tries hard to help the poor. In other ways, we fail miserably.

b. It is hard to agree on how to do this effectively.

4. In vs. 12, we have another example. God says: “I know how many are your offenses and how great are your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

a. There is a saying: “Follow the money!” That is what determines what happens.

b. Often that is not the way of righteousness.

B. Secondly, this chapter emphasizes what God would like us to do.

1. In Amos 5:4, God says: “Seek me and live!”

a. The problem was they were worshipping false gods and bowing to idols that were set up in Bethel and Beersheba. Apparently, Gilgal was no better.

b. This concern was so important that it is repeated in vs. 6: “Seek the Lord, and live, or He will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire…”

2. Do you remember Joseph? His brothers sold him into captivity, but he forgave them. He set an example for them to follow. He put the Lord first even when it cost him greatly. But in Amos’ day, Israel was not following his example. God was about to punish them.

3. In vs. 14, again God explains what He desires of them:

“Seek good and not evil, and the Lord God will be with you.” And again in vs. 15: “Hate evil and love good. Maintain justice in the courts.”

a. Lawlessness and violence are also a present concern. Often those who do wrong are released from jail, while those who are harmed, either financially or physically, receive no justice at all.

b. God wants us to be different. He wants us to seek Him, to seek good, and to love what is good. That includes moral values based on God’s Word.

4. In this context, Amos writes in Amos 5:24: “Let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like a never failing stream.” It is hard to stop the flow of a river; it is hard to stop a never ending stream. In the same way, God is promising us that, in spite of all of Israel’s problems, justice and righteousness would roll on.

C. Finally, consider with me some interesting ways in which God’s justice and righteousness roll on.

1. It is not because of the goodness of man, but because of the grace and mercy of God. It all begins with the coming of Jesus and His death on the cross for us.

a. Justice demands that the penalty for sin be paid. And none of us are good enough to go to heaven on our own merits. So God sent Jesus to die in our place.

b. That way God can be righteous while also being loving. Like a mighty river, God can wash away all of our sins and make us clean again. Regardless of when or where we live, everyone who repents and asks Jesus for help will be forgiven and washed in His blood.

2. Secondly, righteousness rolls on because of the Holy Spirit who has come to live in our hearts.

a. To be declared righteous because of Jesus’ death is one thing. The Bible calls that justification. But to receive the help of the Holy Spirit to help us actually begin to live like Jesus lived is another. That is called sanctification.

b. In Titus 3: 5, it says: “Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by His mercy has He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit.”

3. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, God creates in us a desire to love and please the Lord. In Titus 2: 11-12, it says: “The grace of God … teaches us to say ‘no’ to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives…”

a. That was why Jesus’ died for us “to purify us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people for Himself who are eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).

b. And again in Titus 3: 8 it says: “I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing good.”

c. And one more time, in Titus 3.14 it says: “Our people must devote themselves to doing what is good… so they will not live unproductive lives (for the Lord).

4. In our Scripture for today, in Amos 5: 5-15, remember what God asked Israel to do. He told them “to seek me,” “to seek good” and to “love doing good.” Now through the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do that.

a. Listen to what Jesus tells us in John 7: 38: “Whoever believes in me…streams of living water will flow from within Him.” And John adds: “By this Jesus meant the Holy Spirit” whom Jesus sent to live in our hearts.

b. Yes righteousness and goodness flow in us like a never-ending stream through the Holy Spirit.

5. One more application and we will be done. This comes from Ezekiel 47. It describes a river flowing out from the temple of God. This is a picture of Jesus as the water of life. Because of Him, the river gets bigger and bigger. Wherever this river goes, everything comes back to life. Salt water in the Dead Sea became fresh. And God’s fishermen are on the banks of this unfailing stream catching, not literal fish, but the souls of men for God.

a. Yes, this is exactly what Jesus told Peter when He called him to follow Him. He said: “I will make you fishers of men if you follow me”(Luke 5:1-11).

b. So God’s spiritual stream is running freely in spite of the sins of this crazy world, and the church of Jesus Christ is growing as Jesus calls us and justifies us and sanctifies us through His blood and the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

In Conclusion: 1. While Israel failed, Jesus never fails. He came to wash away our sins and to create in us a thirst to please God.

2. And so this exhortation given to us in Amos 5:24 has come to pass and is being fulfilled every day as we love and live for Jesus. God’s “justice is rolling on like a river and God’s righteousness like an unfailing stream.” Amen!