LESSON FOR JUNIORS
Called to Accountability
JUNIOR CLASS ISSUES
Study Scripture: Amos 5: 18 – 24
Background Scripture: Amos 5, 6 & Psalm 78
Lesson 1 February 29, 2020
Key Verse
Take from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments
But let justice run down like waters
And righteousness like a mighty stream.
Amos 5:23-24
INTRODUCTION
In this Lesson we look at what it means to seek something. Seeking something really means to look hard for things that you would like to have and then to doing the things that you get to do, things that you have to do because you would like to have something you desire.
In our lesson today we look at what it means to learn to seek God and making seeking Him the most important thing in our lives.
We will see what it means when we say to seek God. That will result in us doing what is good. In doing that we look for the good things to do and especially to do things we know God wants us to do.
But there is also another side to doing things so we look at what it means not to seek God but to seek to do evil. That is, we do things that we are not supposed to do. Those things are not good for us nor for people, and what makes it worse when we do those things we and the evil things are against God.
People that we call “evil people” do sins, but sins are things that God does not want us to do.
The thing that good people do is obey God. So make sure that you are doing the things which God wants you to do and obey God for then God will not classify you among the evil people.
Our Memory or Key Text points you to what God likes and what He does not like.
He warns us that though we like to do things that look good to us such as going to church regularly, taking part in the worship service, praying, singing, giving offerings, taking part in the Lord’s Supper otherwise called Communion, and even offering and making sacrifices to God, these things might be upsetting God.
God wants us to obey Him in the way that Amos the prophet of God whose message to the nation of Israel we are studying today obeyed God. So it is very important for us to look what Amos said the people were not doing right so that we can do what is right in the sight of God.
It is extremely important that we remember that there are things that God wants from us and He has been so kind to us He has put us in a special relationship with Him and we have become part of His family. He has therefore given us promises that He will never break. He will keep and protect us through all kinds of difficulties and in the end we will live with Him in perfect pleasure where there are many rewards.
So we are to be reminded ourselves and parents have to be reminded that children have to be taught about the marvellous things that God has done in freeing us so that we can live and fear God and keep His Ten Commandments and His other laws.
Our lesson therefore teaches strict lessons. Amos the prophet said among other things:
“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everlasting stream”.
Now why did Amos say something as powerful but at the same time very pretty sounding as that?
That’s all so peaceful and nice and you can imagine a beautiful river flowing nicely with green grass on the riverbank where we can sit and watch the gently flowing water and feel so calm and relaxed.
But remember beside flowing streams you might have slippery rocks and the waters can be dangerous for sometimes people have been swept away in these powerful flowing waters and carried downstream.
So God makes it very clear that He wants justice. Justice is sometimes powerful, relentless, so powerful in sweeps away everything that we like but which God does not like. It is not something to be taken lightly.
God definitely loves His children and He many times tells us that. He repeats that He loves us over and over again for we tend to forget that sometimes. But God also makes it extremely clear that He especially loves the people who have no father or mother, people that are oppressed, downtrodden, people in need, that are poor, have nobody to help them when they cannot help themselves.
God loves all His people and when we have the ability to help we must help. We must be sure to be on the right side of the stream of God’s Justice before the mighty waters of God’s Justice begin to roll down like a stream or river that cannot be stopped. If we do things that are wrong, do not treat people fairly, blame others for things that our friends do, tell lies on them so that they get into trouble, refuse to help them when they are in difficulty, and we do not encourage the adults around us to be fair and just when they are dealing with people who cannot help themselves, then we will be on the wrong side of God’s justice and God will not look on us with favour.
In other words, we are called to Accountability.
Realize though that this was not a popular message and many of the people and their leaders hated Amos for speaking the truth from God. So you have to be careful for when you tell the truth others might not like it. You have to depend on the leading of God the Holy Spirit which you have living inside you to advise you and tell you what to say and when to say it.
So God makes it clear that if we do not behave with justice we will have to have to give an account to Him as to why we did not behave the way that He wants.
So Amos was angry at the people of Israel for going to Church regularly, singing and praising God, enjoying great festivals and concerts, and looking holy and god- like on the outside, while at the same time being greedy, accumulating all the money, land, and wealth for themselves, robbing the poor and helpless and enjoying the good things of life without paying any attention to what other people needed. Many of the people were hungry, did not have enough to eat, and when they went to the authorities and courts to complain, their complaints were brushed aside. There was no justice for them. There was only justice for the rich, the powerful, and the famous.
God said He hated that. He despised their concerts, their festivals, their worship services at the Church and the Temple, the sacrifices that they made at the Temple, all the songs that they sang. In all, everything they did offended God though it did look good on the outside.
God wanted real life good behaviour, justice for the poor and the helpless, a fair distribution of the wealth of the country. God wanted strong actions be made to improve life and eliminate poverty and to bring justice and fairness.
So in a very needed and angry and long series of messages the prophet summarized how God felt about what everything His chosen people, the people of Israel were doing:
“Take away from me the noise of your songs..
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream”.
No matter how young you are therefore we must never forget that God is merciful, slow to anger, full of steadfast love, full of grace, He does not like when people are treated unfairly, and when people use their position or the power they have to make life difficult for others.
No matter how young you are therefore you should learn what God wants and do not make the mistake that other people, even those older than you make.
Learn therefore to seek God. You will have to give an account for whatever you have done during your life.
Everybody will eventually have to answer to God. There is a Day coming called The Day of the Lord. This Day the prophet Amos said would be an unpleasant day for those people in Israel that were not obeying God and treating the poor fairly and justly. There would be no escape from the terrible punishment that that Day would bring. We know from history that 50 years after Amos preached and warned his people that they would be destroyed if they did not stop misbehaving, the enemies of Israel came and took the entire nation into dreadful and painful slavery.
The same warnings from the prophet Amos apply to us today.
We must obey God.
We must never get to the stage where God does not even care about our Church services, our singing, our praising Him, and our offerings to Him.
That bad situation can happen. But it does not have to be like that. God will forgive us if we go to Him and ask Him to forgive us for the mistakes and sins we made.
So all young people must remember the words of Psalm 78:1
“Give ear, O my people, to my teaching:
incline your ear is to the words of my mouth”.
The words of the entire Psalm is most appropriate for parents. But it also is there for you. Do your parents a favour. If they love God which they most likely do, they will thank you for reminding them of the words of this Psalm. Encourage them to read and live by the words of this Psalm. You do the same when you grow up and have your own family.