Starting Strong: Using God's Plumb Line in 2019
So I want to introduce you to an idea. Starting strong your last week. We talked about finishing strong. How do we finish out the year strong? And since this is the first Sunday of the of the year? Why don't we start strong along with that? I invite you to go to Amos chapter 7. I'm actually going to start in verse 7 today.
So welcome to 2019. Everybody's ready for that. Right just a few days ago. We closed at 2018 and I hope that you took the time to look back and to finish strong to take an inventory of your life taking inventory of your year. Look at the things that work the things that didn't work those areas, but you can tweak And maybe do better this coming year. Make sure that those bad things are repeated.
Today, we begin a new series. It's a 52-week long series. I can see those eyes back. There. It is a 52-week series. It is called 2019. You thought I was going to go for 52 weeks didn't you? It's my prayer desire that this year will be a Year of Jubilee for you. A year celebration a year of abundance a year full of God's grace and His blessings upon your life. As I got to get to thinking about this week's message and I thought about last week's message of finishing strong and and parallel that too. Starting strong. How can we start 2019 strong and I want to introduce to you a tool today. It's called a Plumb line. A Plumb line. Is anybody ever heard of a Plumb line? Okay, mostly guys have heard of a Plumb line for those of you that do not know. What a Plumb line is. It's really a simple object. You got a string. And you have a white. Doesn't matter the type of string doesn't matter the type of weight. The whole idea is that you got a string with a weight on the bottom of it. They can hold that string taut. So you can see any deviation left or right of an object. I want to hear this that to you today as God's plumbline is we looking Amos chapter 7. But idea behind a plumbline is that it shows us the end if you hold it up to a wall it shows us if the wall crooked. Is there a deviation does it blow out bulging? You can also take and hanging from the ceiling and use it to Mark a place on the floor so that you know that when you place that object on the floor that it will be exactly where you want to be. This is great. If you're trying to put in a wood stove as an example and you need to make sure that the whole that you're cutting up at the top for the chimney matches where the stove is going. It's a very useful tool this idea of a Plumb line. Indeed if you've ever wrote it old structures, I think about Angie's trip recently to Europe and getting the look at all those beautiful buildings. I can guarantee you. There's not a one of them was not done without the use of a Plumb line every last one of them was done using a Plumb line and that's part of the reason why they have lasted for centuries as you see if you if you don't have something that establishes that line that helps you determine that bowing effect. Make sure that is precise there what happens if when you when you allow it to shift even a foot? Call center or off alignment is enough to cause structural damage to the wall. It's enough to cause it to fall. So I guarantee you that all those old buildings all that the cost of the Colosseum of Rome the old Cathedrals all those that have stood the test of time I guarantee they were done with a plum live.
Alright, so let's go to all I'm sorry a little boy came to his mother one day and explain mom. I'm 84 in tall.
Mom was kind of taken aback on that cuz she knows if that little boy is only a little bit over four feet tall and ask the question the boy to find out what exactly he used in making this measurement turns out he used a 6in ruler to measure a foot.
So for him he was a foot tall. Add a few inches over that and you know, we do that.
We do that often. We use the wrong measurement. We use object to measure ourselves and our worth in our value based on the work of the world based on a a Plumb line. That is not Plumb. It's wrong. It's off-kilter. It's an imperfect measurement. So today we're going to address that we're looking at Amos chapter 7 beginning it verse 7 I got to give you a little ideas to to to what's going on here the first three verses in Chapter 7. Amos has a vision and he has a vision of locust God Is Standing Locust into the land and this is after the king's Harvest after his Harvest have been taken. So everybody else is Harvest is left and he sends the locust bean and they are devouring every green plant. If you ever deal with Locust, you know exactly what I'm referring to and anus he's missing his vision and he begins to pray at the intercede for Israel. And God really UPS. It says okay, I won't do that another Vision in this second Vision. He sees fire devouring everything from the sea all the way Inland consuming and if you've ever watched the fire, you know that fire consumes. Enrique Ramos began to pray and intercede for Israel and the Lord relented at this time in Israel's history the North and South kingdoms have been separated. This is after the death of Solomon and the two king of Israel itself has been separated into the North and the South and a king king jeroboam was there in the north Amos was from the south and he was called up to the north to Proclaim these visions. So this is the third Vision that ain't messed has and of what God has given him. So Amos chapter 7 beginning of verse 7. Then he showed me another Vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that have been built using a Plumb line. He was using a Plumb line to see if it was still straight. And the Lord said to me Amos. What do you see? I answered a plumbline smart guy. And the Lord replied I will test my people with his plumbline. I will no longer ignore all their sins the Pagan shrines you have got U of U and your ancestors will be ruined and the temples of Israel will be destroyed. I will bring the dynasty of King jeroboam to a sudden end.
Wow, that's pretty pointed there. He's going to use that Plum line from now on to judge to look at. So what are we doing with with this plumbline? As I said it earlier when you you try and build something with stop or something to measure that. structural integrity
will be will be negative without structural Integrity. We will fail it will cause the wall to be off and without that would begin to fail. I saw it is with our own lives.
whether or not we are Boeing and bulging deviating from what God has called us to if you try and build a wall President Trump wants to do that right now, but you do it without some sort of a Plumb line and the wall will be off it will begin to bulge it with the bow and will cause it to lean and as a result that structural Integrity will cause it to fall.
And I never text this morning God is speaking to Israel. But I also believe that he was speaking through the prophet. concerning America concerning our churches concerning us as individuals
You see if we don't get it on his plumbline. If we don't get to where we're supposed to be according to God's righteousness. Our structural Integrity will cause us to the lack of structural Integrity will cause us to fall at the word wall. The word wall is our hearts as often used as that heart are the description of a heart Jesus standing on or standing beside a wall. So he is standing on or standing beside your heart measuring your heart.
Likewise the plum line symbolizes God's word. It's always straight. It's always perfect. It is always pure. God's words represent soundness and integrity
I think we need that. And Hebrews chapter 4 verses 12 and 13. It says for the word of God is alive and Powerful it is sharper than the sharpest two edged sword cutting between Soul and Spirit between joint and borrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes and he is the one to whom we are accountable. It said that everyone every man every woman every child will be measured by God's plumbline by the word of God. No one is is discounted in that everyone doesn't matter what faith you are or what lack of faith you have. It doesn't matter if you're part of the CMA.
Everyone will be judged according to the plum line. We will give account to that. God measures are hard. Against his plumbline his word and if it is found crooked if it is found deviate if it is found bold or bulging.
It's coming down.
And when you think about these things in her own life, when you think about these things in the the nation of America when you think about these things in relation to our church. I have to question. Where do we stand and God's plumbline? I believe that this is a message for for the church today. I think it is a message for our nation. I think it is for each of us individually that we need to get our heart straight. We need to get an aligned with God's word if we don't. He says I will destroy your shrines. I will destroy your temples. I will destroy your Dynasty.
So it's important that we get onto God's plumbline not the worlds and I'll tell you right now that Satan wants to mess you up. Okay, Satan wants to mess you up. He wants to to take you and get you off course, he wants to get you off kilter and indeed if you're lookin 2nd Corinthians Chapter 4 verses 3 and 4 declares. If the good news we preach is hidden behind a veil. I so get your mind thinking. If the good news we preach is hidden behind a veil. It is hidden only from people who are perishing.
Is the good news hitting from you? That's a really important question to ask yourself. If the good news we preach is hidden behind a veil. It is hidden only from the people who are perishing Satan who is the God of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe they are unable to see the Glorious slide of a good news. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ. Who is the exact likeness of God. He's blinded the world. He's blinded the unbeliever. So that they can't see that they can't understand they can't comprehend. They can't hear the word. They can't understand the word. They can't receive the word. Because Satan has blinded them to that he wants to mess you up and he has a four-fold purpose. The first is to distort the image of God to you. What we got this image of who God is but Satan wants to destroy that before you he wants to change how we see God and if you think about it, Jesus Christ is called The Lion of Judah. Right hand in scripture. Satan is known as the roaring lion seeking whom he can devour you see the difference. You see the disparity from the King of Kings who is the lion of Judah they wants to bring life versus Satan the roaring lion that wants to destroy the steel to Kiel. He wants to distort the way we see God he wants to distort the way we we believe in him because once it gets distorted it changes our perception it changes how we see him. no longer seeing him as the righteous God that he is second that he wants to destroy distort the image of who God has created you to be
You are a child of God.
If you've been reading this week and Matt, excuse me, Mark chapter 4 he's Jesus is seated there. He's got a crowd around him and I said, hey Jesus your brothers and your mother are here honey looks around at the crowd. He says who am I mothers who are my brothers and my sisters. He says if you follow God's commands you are my brother's my sister's my mother's If you follow God's commands. So he wants to distort the image of who God has called you to be he knows that you are a child of God. And he wants to change that. He wants to change your perception this past week Friday. We had our seniors distribution, and I'm getting my lunch together and I get this text message David. Call me. Please from last night. I called her up and she says hey someone so he's one of our clients that we do home deliveries to someone saw is having some problems. He's crying. He's lost. He needs help. I need somebody to talk with him and the other driver has called her seeking help. I got to go and I got to sit down and talk with this man.
And this is exactly what was happening in his life. God was one or God saying was trying to distort who God has called him to be trying to distort his perception instead of seeing his value instead of seeing his worth in the eyes of Christ. He started looking at the eyes of the world. He started looking at the world and how they see him as an old man. They can't get out can't do anything but is worthless of no value to society. There's nothing that he can do.
And that was a type of spiritual attack that this man was under that day. I got to go a minister to him to talk with him to share with him to tell him that he is valued by God. He thought that God hated him. I hate you. God. He loves you. That's why he sent his son for you.
4 things Satan wants to do he wants to drive you out of a place where God has called you to do. Well, I want you to think back a few months when we were talking about God's grace the purpose and power of God's grace for God's glory. Excuse me. And one of the things we talked about one of things I said was that you were made to dwell in the presence of God. You were created to dwell in that Garden of Eden the place of God's presence. That's what the Garden of Eden was a place of God's presence. a place where Heaven and Earth met you were created to 12 in that place. You weren't created. Well in the world as it is today, you weren't created to dwell in all the problems all of the hassles. You were created to dwell in the presence of God. And he wants to drive you out of that because if he's able to get you out of God's presence. Yes. What? Now he can mess with you. Now he can get in there and start changing Who You Are. Start changing the reality of who you are called to be start changing. The reality of who God is. Truck start changing the reality of the word of God. He wants to drive you out of the place. God has called you to dwell and lastly. He wants to steal your inheritance.
Your child of God, right? So there's an inheritance there.
That's a natural thing with with family. Right? My kids I get to my inheritance course were spending their inheritance. So
I'm off to steal your inheritance. Good-looking Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 through 7 declares all praise to God. I like that already a praise to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and the Heavenly Realms because we are united with Christ and that's awesome decoration. Thank you. God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ because you have blessed us with every spiritual blessing. And I have in our rooms.
At your inheritance it goes on even before he made the world. That's a long time ago. God love us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do. And it gave him great pleasure. You guys ever go to Chick-fil-A, right? You tell him thank you and what they say, it's my pleasure. I'll know it was my pleasure. It was God's pleasure to do this. We can say thank you God he says. Oh no, it's my pleasure.
So we praise God for the Glorious Grace. He has poured out on us who belonged to his dear son. He is so rich in kindness and Grace, but he purchased us purchase our freedom with a blood of his son. And what? forgave our sins
What a word today. Is your inheritance as a child of God you have been adopted into his family? You're not just a son or a daughter you have been legally. brought in and as a legal child. a legal representative of the kingdom of God
a spiritual blessings of Heaven are all yours. Think about what what Christ said when he was teaching disciples to pray our Holy Father Our Father in heaven Hallowed be thy name. What's the next thing by Kingdom Come then? I've been praying that on each of you that God's kingdom would come and rest in you. Can you imagine walking out of this place and into the world and you carry the kingdom of God with you?
your vessels Of God's glory, you are vessels of the kingdom of God. And when you go out into the world you are taking the kingdom with you when people come across you. They should stay.
I have been in the presence of God.
We've got to get on his plumbline. We've got to get our Focus. Our hearts on his plumbline cuz Satan wants to mess with us Satan wants to distort our view. This is a an article. from October 2018
Has Faith leaders gathered at an abortion clinic a new one there was opening in in Ohio and they came together. to bless an abortion clinic
There's a problem with that. There's a problem with that when we have churches twin. We have people of Faith leaders that are coming together. And saying abortion is okay.
Pinterest it's a Godly decision.
The article on which they came together says Holy Ground. blessing the Sacred Space of decision This isn't the first time but this has happened. This is actually been going on since like October 2015.
It's been going on for a long time for the coming together and their blessing these places and I am sorry, but that's a crooked plumbline. That's a plumbline of Satan. It's bowed out. It's not God's plumbline. Here's another one, but I don't think you're going to be able to see your know if you're not going be able to see your picture, but I would introduce you to dr. Leah Torres.
Cibo's but she prevents the crying of that unborn child. By cutting his throat first.
Can't scream because the larynx has been cut.
She did a recent tweet that declares God performs way more abortions than I do. And I'm sorry, but this is wrong.
This is wrong. Abortion is the number one killer in our world.
The world is looking with a distorted view. Our world is using a plumbline of Satan. And it's Bode.
It's Bold and the walls are about to fall. That's why I said this is a word for our our nation is a word for a church as a reward for us as a people Satan wants to use his Plumb line, and it's off-kilter. It's just started. That as long as we are trying to use his or his plumbline the worldview. God says I'm not come in. I'm going to destroy your your shrines in your temples how much destroy those things that you hold dear and I am going to put in the end of your Dynasty.
We talked about it a couple years ago during the summer. Looking at in time events if you ever wondered what happened to America. when the end time comes I think this is private part one that
Satanist convinced us but the lgbtq is okay.
It's all cool. No big deal. It's just another lifestyle know it's a perversion of the word of God.
It is a perversion of the word of God. It is not okay. It is a perversion of his creation. He created man and woman.
Fat Joe and Steve
Brandon Soo
One of the things that we see so much of today is transgenderism. Our schools have had to change. So we're always I declare that I'm a girl. I'm allowed to go into the girls restroom to change and vice versa. A girl can declare she's a boy and go into the boys restroom to shower to change to go to the bathroom. Whatever transgenderism is wrong. It's a perversion of God's creation. It's saying that God doesn't know what he's doing is saying that God has no applicable idea as to how to put man together and he screwed up with me.
Big idea that a person can change their sex the surgeries and hormones treatment is a testament to the moral and spiritual decay of our nation. of our people and of our churches
and even our church leaders
man of God that I have respected. Are coming out now saying it's okay every read scripture every read the things and it's now, okay. No, it's not. Okay.
Got to get them God's plumbline. God's plumbline
Are we use a Plumb line to Build That Wall, right? We want to make sure that the wall is straight. We want to make sure there's no deviation. We start talking about a 30 foot tall wall. You get up that high. If there's any Boeing side-to-side any deviation, the structural Integrity of the wall is compromised and it will fall.
That's why Masons and stone Builders. Don't just eyeball it it'll be okay. No, they put the tool to it.
If you try and adjusted further down that's a little boat on the spot, but I think we can fix it down the line there. No.
Fixing it down. The line doesn't work. You got to fix it where the problem is. Did you get that you have to fix the problem where the problem lies you can't fix it down the road? how to fix it now
What's the Mason the joint compound? Right the cement sets up the only way to get that bow out? It's to knock the wall down and redo it.
We have to make Jesus Christ Our one-and-only plumbline. and Isaiah chapter 28 verses 16 to 17 But I realize I'm Coming Out Swinging here at the first of the year. I think this is important.
Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says. Look, I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem a firm and tested Stone. That's Jesus Christ, right? It is a precious Cornerstone that is safe to build on. We can build on Jesus Christ. Whoever believes. Need Never Be Shaken.
It's good work for you. 417 I will test you. With a measuring line of justice and the plumbline of righteousness.
Since your Refuge is made of Lies a hail storm will knock it down send it since it is made of deception a flood. We'll sweep it away.
What's the word for us? I said a word for a nation to work for our churches. We can build upon the rock by Stone that Foundation that is Jesus Christ. But as a Believer get ready for the plumbline get ready to be tested and measured. And we need to allow that.
We need to allow that.
Measure yourself not by the world's standards, but by Christ by God's word. How do we do that?
all getting into his word becoming an actively involved as a church body. Getting together on the same page and I can tell you I don't have all the decisions are all that the answers. working things out But I believe it's as long as we're in the God's word as long as we're in prayer. I believe that we can stand up to that plumbline. I wanted to do she do this Cameron make mention of it earlier. It is the faith life.com website. I've made it a small tweaking. It used to be bread - 5 - live. - Church the Nazarene right kind of long and cumbersome. I change that very simple Faith. Laugh. Com / b o l c n. Right simple enough right there is an app. But you can go to the App Store whether that be Apple or Google and download it and it will give you access to this site once you login and and select bolc in as your homepage everything that that Facebook could not do for us. this site cam it will allow us to set up reading plans as as you can see over here group readings and I've got a reading plan so that we know what's really simple as 5 days of reading. It'll take you maybe 5 minutes to read. 5 5 5 5 5 5 minutes of reflection. How simple is that? Generally is just one chapter a day.
5 minutes of reading 5 minutes of reflection There is a place for discussions if there's something that the spirit just lead you to that but your art aren't you got a question about the reading or something that just pops out? You can go in there and make comments. For all of us to enjoy all of us to grow remember iron sharpens iron. that's not just for guys that's for girls to
we sharpen one another ice week blind ourselves into it. There's groups in there. That's way down here for you can't see but there's groups in there. I've got a Woman's Group. Andaman screw I have made you the admin for the women's group.
Do I need to make Rachel Mad Men do that, too?
A place where you girls can go a place where the guys can go and discuss. With freedom not having to worry about the spouse scene.
Hey guys, I've really had a difficult time this week right place where you can share and be open to be honest with one another. men being men girls being girls
It's got a place way over on the right and down below the group readings again what you can't see. the Scott prayers
things to be in prayer about
Did you pray for this click? Yep? Thank you for the details of their prayers list. If you got prayer request you to have things that that need to be added you can add them. Bringing that one of us now. What is a place where we can come together as a community as a church to band together and sharing God's word and sharing prayers and sharing with one another or we can be held accountable to each other. Or we can make sure that we're all God's plumbline.
So if you haven't joined I invite you to do so, don't just be a follower be a member. You get more stuff. Be a member.
Bottom line here is that we have got to to use God's plumbline. We have got to come under his authority his righteousness. We have got to stand without deviation without bowing. We have to learn to live by what God has called us to live the code that he has lived called us to live by we can't allow ourselves to look at the world and the things of the world to become caught up and their things.
That's not the place to be. We've got to be on God's plumbline lest we fall. I don't know about you, but 2019 is not going to be a year failure for me. It's not going to be a year of falling. It's going to be the year of God's righteousness. It's going to be a Year of Jubilee. It's going to be here following after and chasing after my Lord my savior my God and my king.
We're going to start next week on a six-week journey of Experiencing God.
Experiencing God and who he is I invite you to come I invite you to be a part of it. Don't miss a week. But be here Experiencing God.
If you listen to these words today, you're watching online through the Facebook or you're listening later on to our audio. And you have questions. Or perhaps the Holy Spirit has been leading you and touching your heart and helping you realize that you're not aligned up.
All it takes is prayer. All it takes is getting before God and asking him to fix it. Asking him to take care of it. If you need to come and pray today to alter his open. People will come and pray.
Father Day I want to thank you for your word and want to thank you.
I want to thank you for your direction. And what you have put on my heart.
Father I want to be in line with Christ.
When he comes and measures my heart I wanted him to see that is lined up with what he expects. I don't want to deviate one way or the other.
I believe today that is the the cried a prayer of everyone that is here today.
POTUS testis, Otis true to your word Otis true to that line. And keep us from deviating this year.
Keep us focused and sit on you and on your Commandments. But as we leave this place that we were leaving with a full knowledge of who we are in Christ. But the kingdom of God resides in each of us. We are carriers.
Help us to go and infect the world.
infect the world with the word of God
for those that feel like they are space Trade they have are not Plumb anymore. I pray God for their hearts and their lives. Father that you would go and you thinks that area. Show me specifically the area that need to fix and bring them back true. Bring them back plum.
and help him father remain plum
pray father as we leave this place that you would go forward before us lead us and direct us according to your word. Father is the leaders gather here in just a few minutes. Thought that you would lead our discussions. Play the board meeting. God have a directions to Chi want this church to go. I pray that today in the name of Jesus Christ Our Savior.