Amos begins with a humble description of himself - "one of the sheep
farmers" (Amos 1:1). Being a prophet of God has nothing to do with what
we are in ourselves. It's all about God. It's all about His grace and
His call. Looking after sheep - This is such an apt description of the
ministry of a pastor. "The Lord roars from Zion" (Amos 1:2). These words
make us think of a lion. This could be terrifying for sheep. Think of
the lion - Aslan - from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (C S
Lewis). It's a picture of Christ. His voice is more than a roar. It's
the voice of love. The "roar" speaks of authority. The greatest
authority is the authority of love. How does the Lord command our
respect? He loves us. As we learn to appreciate His love, we learn to
love Him. Our love for Him is inspired by His love for us. As we learn
to love Him, our obedience to Him increases in strength. "The Lord has
said this" (Amos 1:15). The prophet's voice is to be an echo of the
Lord's voice. We speak because God has spoken.
"The Son of Man came to save the lost" (Matthew 18:11). In Matthew 18:12-13, Jesus speaks about sheep. He's really speaking about us. He is the Shepherd. We are His sheep. Sheep wander away from the shepherd. We wander away from the Lord. The shepherd looks for the lost sheep. Jesus has come to seek for us and find us. He brings us home to God, our Father. Through His saving grace, we receive new life - a life in which we rejoice in our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He delivers us from the condemnation, which our sin has brought upon us. He brings us into the knowledge of His forgiveness. This Gospel of salvation changes us. It teaches us to live in the power of God's love. Jesus speaks about "the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:12,23), "the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:14,24) and "eternal life" (Matthew 19:29). Jesus' way of thinking and living is so very different from the world's way of thinking and living. He chall...
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