https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/AndThenThereWereNone.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Amos 6:3-11<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. One of my favorite mystery writers was Agatha Christie. She would write books where\nyou tried to figure out who did it before the end of the book, but in the process you were\ndistracted by so many possibilities.\n A. One of my favorites was based on the old children’s nursery rhyme: Ten Little\nIndians, but that was too politically incorrect, so the title became “And Then\nThere Were None.”\n
B. The story has ten people on an isolated island and they die off, one by one. <\/p>\n 1. By the end of the book, everyone is dead. Then the question was who was\nthe murderer when no one survived.\n 2. I won’t tell you the ending, but I was reminded of it by a passage in Amos\n6 that we had for our Bible reading.\n
II. Israel and Judah had become complacent and arrogant in their glory days<\/p>\n A. Amos was written during the reigns of Uzziah in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel,\nabout 30-40 years before Assyria destroyed Israel.\n 1. God had warned that in the days when everything appeared to be going\nwell, that was the time people would become careless – Deuteronomy\n32:15\n 2. These were times when the economy was booming and the borders were\nexpanding.\n B. People had a hard time imaging that disaster was looming on the horizon – Amos\n6:1-3\n 1. Even when neighboring kingdoms were falling to the Assyrians, Israel\ncould not believe such would happen to her.\n C. The upper crust in society lived in large and luxurious homes, filled with soft\ncouches. \n
1. Food was plentiful and banquets abounded<\/p>\n
2. Indulgence in wine, fine music, and high culture were enjoyed by many.<\/p>\n
3. People felt secure as they anointed themselves with fine perfumes.<\/p>\n
D. God was treated as just another idol – II Kings 17:7-17<\/p>\n
1. The core problem was that they did not fear God – II Kings 17:34-40<\/p>\n
a. If anything, they treated God as a good-luck charm<\/p>\n
2. God warned them that would learn to fear Him- Amos 5:25-27<\/p>\nIII. Even with the warnings of the prophets, the people thought they would be able to escape –\nAmos 5:18-20\n
A. They did not take God seriously<\/p>\n
B. But God said they would learn to fear Him – Amos 4:10-13<\/p>\n
C. When the destruction started, people tried to hide – Amos 6:8-9<\/p>\n
1. But they could not hide. All was destroyed.<\/p>\n D. When the undertaker comes to remove the bodies, he asks the one who hid the\nbest if anyone else is left – but there were none – Amos 6:10a\n
1. Consider how this reflects what God had said – II Kings 17:18<\/p>\n 2. All the nations, including Israel were gone. They could not escape, but\nsomehow Judah was left … Judah alone\n
IV. But then the undertaker says something strange – Amos 6:10b<\/p>\n
A. Don’t even mention God’s name! Why?<\/p>\n B. For decades they treated God as a good-luck charm, an idol that blessed them no\nmatter what.\n
1. Now that disaster struck, they blamed God for the ruin<\/p>\n 2. Don’t attract God’s attention. We don’t want any more of this “idol’s”\nblessings.\n 3. In other words, the people did not get it. They feared God, but they would\nstill treat Him as an idol, though now as a bad-luck piece – II Kings 17:29-33\n
C. In truth, they still did not fear God – II Kings 17:34-41<\/p>\n
D. Jeremiah confronted one group of idolaters<\/p>\n 1. After three waves of destruction, people were still worshiping “the Queen\nof Heaven” – Jeremiah 44:1-6\n 2. God tells them, their continued idolatry will provoke another response –\nJeremiah 44:7-14\n
3. But notice the response! – Jeremiah 44:15-19<\/p>\n a. They were convinced that Jerusalem’s destruction was due to them\npausing their idol worship\n
b. So they were determine to go back to it<\/p>\n
4. God would not endure this any more – Jeremiah 44:20-28<\/p>\n
E. There just was no remedy – II Chronicles 36:15-17<\/p>\n
V. It is easy look down on these people and condemn their stupidity<\/p>\n
A. But we are to learn – I Corinthians 10:6,11-12<\/p>\n B. We live in a time when people call themselves Christians, but they are not even\ntrying to live the life of a Christian\n
1. They treat God as a way to gain their every wish and desire<\/p>\n 2. The name of God is not treated seriously. It is just a profanity to say when\nyou are shocked or mad.\n C. I don’t know when God will decide that He has had enough of this, but I’m\nabsolutely certain we are not immune from God’s wrath\n
D. One day this world will end – II Peter 3:3-10<\/p>\n
E. What will you do? Go deeper into worldliness, or turn to holiness? – II Peter 3:11-14<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Amos 6:3-11 I. One of my favorite mystery writers was Agatha Christie. She would write books where you tried to figure out who did it before the end of the book, but in the process you were distracted by so many possibilities. A. One of my favorites was based on the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[304,1260,339],"class_list":["post-53911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-idolatry","tag-judgment-day","tag-second-coming"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7339,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-the-ten-tribes-of-israel-really-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":53911,"position":0},"title":"Were the Ten Tribes of Israel Really Lost?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ezekiel 37:15-28 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Hurlbut\u2019s Story of the Bible: \u201cAs in their own land, the children of Israel had forsaken the Lord and had worshiped idols, so after they were taken to these distant lands, they sought the gods of the people of those lands and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19289,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-the-ten-commandments-nailed-to-the-cross\/","url_meta":{"origin":53911,"position":1},"title":"Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 30, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 56, No. 20, May 18, 2007 QUESTION: I understand that the Old Testament was \"nailed to the cross\" when Jesus died. \u00a0Would that\u00a0also include the Ten Commandments? \u00a0If so,\u00a0what about idolatry, murder, and the other\u00a0moral commandments? ANSWER: The first listing of the Ten\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1945,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-the-ten-commandments-apply-to-christians\/","url_meta":{"origin":53911,"position":2},"title":"Do the Ten Commandments apply to Christians?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 23, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If we, as Christians, no longer follow the laws of the Old Testament, does that also apply to the Ten Commandments? Answer: People today tend to look at the Ten Commandments as an entity separate from the Mosaical Law. Yet, these ten commandments were the prelude to the body\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86359,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/an-introduction-to-the-ten-commandments\/","url_meta":{"origin":53911,"position":3},"title":"An Introduction to the Ten Commandments","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Exodus 20:1-18 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Thousands of years ago, God gave Israel a law that has impacted the laws of mankind ever since. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0John Adams wrote, \u201cAs much as I love, esteem, and admire the Greeks, I believe the Hebrews have done more to enlighten\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62966,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-law-and-the-gospel-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":53911,"position":4},"title":"The Law and the Gospel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 1:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I have frequent encounters with people who do not distinguish between the Old Testament and the New Testament \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0None want to fully return to the Mosaical covenant, but each wants some feature found in the Old Testament to be binding on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53828,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-law-and-the-commandments\/","url_meta":{"origin":53911,"position":5},"title":"The Law and the Commandments","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Deuteronomy 30:6-16 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Seventh-Day Adventists insist that the only acceptable day of worship is the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath day. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To get to that belief, they insist that the Ten Commandments are separate from the rest of the Law of Moses. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53911\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}