When the River Runs Dry | Amos 5:21-24

Sermon Guide for October 26, 2025

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How to Use This Guide:

These guides are designed to help you engage more deeply with my weekly sermon, regardless of your life stage. Use this guide to prepare your heart to receive God's Word before worship, or to reflect on God's Word the week following worship.

Parents, use the information in this guide to have meaningful conversations with your kids that nurture their faith and help them grow in God’s love.

Finally, I’d love for you to leave a comment! My hope is that these posts spark intergenerational conversations, helping us all learn from and encourage one another.

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Scriptures Referenced in the Sermon:

Amos 5:21-24; John 7:37-38

Main Idea:

Amos 5:21-24 calls God’s people to worship that flows from transformed hearts rather than empty ritual—a call echoed and fulfilled in Jesus. In this sermon, we see that true worship is relational (God desires our hearts, not just our actions), transformative (the Spirit changes us from the inside out, producing justice and righteousness), and overflowing (when God’s Spirit fills us, our lives impact others with mercy, love, and integrity). While Israel’s worship was hollow and fleeting, the same Spirit that Jesus offers today empowers believers to live lives marked by consistent, life-giving streams of justice and righteousness in every area of life.

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Kids (Elementary Age)

• Insight: God wants us to love people, not just do things like sing songs or go to church.

• Reflection Prompt: Who can you be kind to this week, even if it’s hard?

• Action Step: Draw a picture of a “river of kindness” showing ways you can help your friends or family.

Teens (Middle & High School)

• Insight: Worship isn’t just what you do at church—it’s how your actions show love and fairness to others.

• Reflection Prompt: When have you done the right thing on the outside but felt your heart wasn’t fully in it?

• Action Step: Identify one situation at school or home where you can stand up for someone or speak up for what is right this week.

  
  

Younger Adults (20s & 30s)

• Insight: True worship produces justice and righteousness in daily life, not just on Sundays.

• Reflection Prompt: How does your faith show in the way you treat coworkers, friends, or family?

• Action Step: Choose one practical way this week to show fairness, mercy, or generosity to someone who can’t repay you.

Midlife Adults (40s-60s)

• Insight: Outward religious routines are good only if they shape our character and relationships.

• Reflection Prompt: Are there habits or routines you do in faith that haven’t shaped how you love or serve others?

• Action Step: Commit to one act this week that intentionally addresses a need for justice or care in your family, workplace, or community.

Seniors (60s+)

• Insight: Our life experience and faith can produce a lasting impact as a river of righteousness and justice for others.

• Reflection Prompt: How has God used your life to influence others in justice, mercy, and love?

• Action Step: Mentor or support someone younger this week in practical ways to live out God’s justice and righteousness.