THE PLUMB LINE (7:7-9)

1. In the last three chapters of Amos 7-9 we are introduced to five different visions.

2. The third vision begins in Amos 7:7.

3. The prophet saw God standing by a wall.

4. To those who are familiar with the New Testament this may seem strange.

5. The New Testament affirms that no man has ever seen God (Jn. 1:18).

6. What Amos and others have seen were theophanies (manifestations of God).

7. The form that Amos saw was holding a plumb line.

A. If you have ever hung wallpaper you have probably used a plumb line.

B. Plumb lines were strings that had a weight attached to one end.

C. People who built buildings used this tool to see if walls were straight.

D. People used plumb lines to see if walls had settled and tilted.

E. If you have never used something like plumb line imagine a level.

8. In the vision recorded in Amos 7 the wall that was being checked stands for Israel.

9. Amos realized that God was going to see if the nation of Israel was straight or crooked.

10. When Israel was formed she was straight.

11. God had made a good wall (nation). The bubble in the level was dead center.

12. As time passes walls sometimes lose their integrity and straightness.

13. In some cases walls need to be torn down.

14. This is what God had planned for Israel – verse 8.

15. Israel was no longer plumb.

16. The spiritual walls in this nation were no longer true. They were out of alignment.

17. God said, “I cannot pass by the problem anymore.”

18. The information in Amos 7:7-9 presents some very simple but eternally important points.

19. FIRST, GOD HAD A STANDARD.

A. Throughout time God has given people a standard and measured them by it.

B. Throughout time God has checked His people to see if they were plumb.

C. This shouldn’t surprise us. We are familiar with this principle in the physical world.

D. What would we think of a construction crew that didn’t use squares and levels?

E. What would we think of the surveyor who eyeballs things and guesses about property lines?

F. In the physical realm we test things and make comparisons to known standards.

G. Either we are meeting certain standards or we are not.

H. A few weeks ago we studied Amos 6:12.

I. The prophet told the people that they understood how the secular world worked.

J. These people wouldn’t plow over something like concrete.

K. They wouldn’t run their horses on rocks.

L. Because they knew how things worked in the world they should have understood the spiritual realm.

M. The laws in our day-to-day world are the same types of laws we have in the spiritual realm.

N. In Amos 7 we have another example of a physical law being used in the spiritual realm.

O. When it comes to building things we have standards.

P. Things are either plumb and level or they are not.

Q. In a similar way God has a plumb line for His people.

R. We either line up with this standard or we do not.

S. If we fail to line up with God’s standard we will perish.

T. This is what happened to Israel.

20. In our day many suggest that the way we do religious things doesn’t matter.

21. For the most part we can do what we want.

22. This is the same argument that was being heard by Amos.

23. Today many assert that we are under grace.

A. We are covered by grace so how we do things is un important.

B. Just as we can live with a wall that is slightly out of plumb so we can err in our spiritual lives.

C. Bear in mind the principle from Amos 6.

D. If we want to please God we are to learn from the physical realm.

E. What does the physical realm tell us about building things?

F. What if someone built a structure for us and it was lopsided?

G. Let’s say that two of the walls didn’t match.

H. Would we tell the contractor that we were satisfied with his work?

I. Would we be pleased with and accept this kind of workmanship?

J. We want things to be square.

K. If it is our house we want the walls to be in alignment.

L. Israel was God’s house. He wanted things to be right.

M. He wanted His people to be straight.

N. The church is God’s house (1 Tim. 3:15); God wants w/is said and done in the church to be right.

24. In the Old Testament God evaluated the Hebrews with a plumb line (His law).

25. Christians have a different standard—the level that God uses on us is the New Testament.

26. Whether we deal with the Old Testament or the New, scripture is God’s plumb line.

27. Amos 7 specifically states that the Old Testament was like a level.

28. What about the New Testament?

29. In Jn. 12:48 Jesus said, quote.

30. In Paul said (Rom. 2:16):

31. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.

32. The gospel is God’s plumb line.

A. Maybe we have never built a structure but we have hung wallpaper.

B. This job requires people to keep the paper straight.

C. We are not satisfied with crooked wallpaper.

D. We don’t want a lopsided doorway.

E. We wouldn’t tolerate a contractor who cannot keep things square.

F. Yet, there are religious people who believe God is satisfied with a crooked faith.

33. BY CROOKED I DO NOT MEAN THAT PEOPLE ARE STEALING THINGS. I MEAN THAT PEOPLE DO THINGS IN A WAY OTHERN THAN GOD HAS DESCRIBED.

A. God has given us a plan of salvation.

B. We must have faith, we must repent, and after confessing Christ we must be baptized.

C. We either line up with this plan or we do not.

D. Our conversion experience either matches these steps or it does not.

E. There are many in the religious world who believe that conversion does not need to follow these steps.

F. Some ridicule the idea that there is a plan to be followed.

G. These same people, however, zealously affirm that in the world there is a standard to be followed.

H. Affirming a standard in the physical realm but not the spiritual is a fatal spiritual error.

I. Both testaments teach that God has a standard.

J. Amos, Jesus, and Paul affirmed that we will be tested (measured, judged) by this standard.

K. If we are not plumb we are in trouble.

L. Some say to us that this is being narrow-mindedness and nit picky.

M. Would those make these assertions say the same thing to a builder?

N. What if a builder said, “the walls are crooked but so what? Just give the door an extra push.”

O. “The floor is tilted but prop up two of the legs on the kitchen table with some boards.”

P. In the world we would say this is shoddy workmanship.

Q. No one would hire a contractor who fails to keep things square.

R. Yet, people in the religious world say that God doesn’t care how we do things.

34. The end of Amos 7:8 as well as the 9^th verse says, READ.

35. God does care about the way we do things.

36. This is the reason that the scriptures tell us how to live.

37. We and others speak of a coming judgment day.

A. How do we judge things?

B. How do we determine if something is good or bad?

C. How do know if something is expensive or inexpensive?

D. We have a standard of comparison.

E. Those who suggest that we are not bound to do things just as God has said create an interesting ?.

F. On the one hand they affirm that a judgment day is coming.

G. A time is coming when all will be sentenced to heaven or hell.

H. On the other hand these very same people say, “It doesn’t matter how we do things.”

I. “There is no standard.”

J. If there is no standard how can there be a day of judgment?

K. If there is no plumbline (level) to measure things, how can all people be judged?

L. For judgment we need a standard of comparison.

M. The Day of Judgment proves that there is a standard. BRING OUT A LEVEL

38. A standard (God’s word) will be used to evaluate our conversion experience.

39. the word of God will be used to evaluate the life of each Christian.

40. The way we lived will be compared to God’s spiritual level.

41. The level God uses will show if we lived after the flesh or after the spirit.

42. God’s level will also examine the worship that we offered.

A. Was it in spirit and truth as Jesus said in Jn. 4:24?

B. The Hebrews had crooked worship.

C. Their worship was like a wall that wasn’t straight.

D. Today this same type of crooked wall is found in church after church.

E. God’s message to us is, “Get out the level. Take out my word”

F. We need to insure that our worship is level (straight; consistent with the word of God).

G. Jesus said God must be worshipped in “spirit” and “truth.”

H. God is not going to accept crooked worship.

I. If we worship in the wrong way or with the wrong spirit our worship is like a crooked wall.

J. The wall is so far out of alignment it will be torn down.

43. God’s plumb line applies to every area of our lives.

A. It applies to our works.

B. We are to be zealous of good works.

C. There is a standard in this area of life too.

D. Some think that good works will save them.

E. Perhaps Amos 7 can help us understand the problem with good works.

F. If we check a structure to see if it is square we may find some variations.

G. One section of project may be perfectly square but another part is not .

H. Some see themselves as being perfectly square (level) with God in relation to good works.

I. Perhaps this is true. Perhaps some would get an A++ for their good works.

J. God checks more than one section of our life.

K. If the other parts of our life are not square with scripture we are not okay.

44. God’s plumb line even extends to teachers.

45. Are people teaching the truth?

46. In area after area God’s plumbline tests us.

47. How do we line up with God’s level?

48. Are there some things in our life that need to be corrected?