SERMON | Come for the Judgement, Stay for the Grace

B-sides

Scripture: Amos 5:18-24

18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light,
19 as if someone fled from a lion
and was met by a bear
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall
and was bitten by a snake.
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24 But let justice roll down like water
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Questions

  1. On a scale of 1-10, how was everyone’s week?

  2. What is your gut reaction to this verse?

  3. How do you feel about “judgment?” Do you think judgment is good or bad?

  4. Where in your life have you felt judged unfairly? Where have you needed judgment to help you?

  5. Lucas talks about two binary understandings of God that Christians can get trapped in. Do you lean one way or the other?

  6. Where in your life have you experienced judgement and grace?

  7. How do faith, judgment, and grace intermingle with your understanding of God and our relationship to God? What is our role as followers of Jesus?

DTC