Plumbing Troubles

An Interesting Vision

Amos 7:7–8a ESV

7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them;

What is a plumb line?

PICTURE

It is a very simnple deviuce used to determain a straight vertical line. It was primarely used in building.

Today we might use a spirit level or more advanced lazer leveling devices, but they are just as acurate as the plumb line.

In Amos’s vision God is standing a wall. A wall that was bilt with a plumbline. Inother words a perfectly straight wall.

And standing on this perfectly straight wall, God has in in hands a plumbline.

And what is od going to do with this plumline? He is going to set it in the midst of Israel - IE: He is going to measure all of Israel, her people, her works, her dreams, her goals,against the plumblinr to see if they are straight.

And This Is A Big Problem for Israel and her currect King Jeroboam.

Jeroboam and Israel were at this time the perfect examples of the scripture:

2 Timothy 3:5 ESV

5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

He had set up an exact copy of worship to what God had ordained. He built a fake temple, had a fake alter, he ebven set up a fake priesthood.

1 Kings 12:31–32 ESV

31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.

On the outside tt looked fine. If you were blindfolded and were led in, you would have wsworn that you were in the real temple, that was a reral alter and those wrere real prients.

At least, thats what you would have thought if you wrere anything but a truly devoted seravnts of God - the average person would have been fooled.

And so when God brings out the plumbline, King Jeroboam and his followers get very upset.

Why?

Because they really enjoy what they have done. Igt was hard work and sacrifice, they were enjoying it, it was fun and encouraging to them. It was a work that they were really proud of.

But as good as it looked and as much as they enjoyed it and were pround of it - God’s plumbline would reveal a terrible truth about it.

What truth? That it was totally crooked and wrong.

Amos 7:8–9 ESV

8 And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

This is the state of many, many christians and churches.

They have copied everything down to the t and many have been fooled.

Gatherings who call themselves “churches”, who pray to “God” in the name of “jesus”. Who “preach” from the bible.

It all looks fine to the everage person.

“CVhjristians” who “attend” a church, “praise” God, “read” their bibles - it all looks good on the outseide and it fools the average person.

And these “christians” like these “churches” are very pround of themselves, and the life they live with all its self-righteousness.

Untill the Plumbline comes to town.

Get out of here!

When the king heard about this he was so angry at Amos. He sent his fake priest to Amos with a message:

Amos 7:12–13 ESV

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

Why?

Imagine you built a wall, you slaved in the heat, made the bricks, mixed the cement. You spend week after week, month after month, even year after year building this wall.

Its a beautiful wall, you painted it, decorated it, it gives you proterction and shade and its lovley.

And imagine that somoene comes along and tell you that this beautful wall you biult, that took years of hardwork is wrong, crooked and ugly and should be broken down immedietly!

You will get so angry! How dare you speak about my wall like that! Who are you to judge my wall!

Biut the per son says: Im not judgeing your wall, the plumbline it! look, your wall is not straigjt!

I dont care about you and your stupid plumline! Get out!

That is what happene to Amos and that is what happens to almost everyone preacher who brings out the plumbline.

It is why the bible says:

2 Timothy 4:3 ESV

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

But what was Amos’s answer?

Amos 7:14–17 ESV

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. “You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore thus says the Lord: “ ‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’ ”

What is he saying? He is saying that the plumbline and the one holding it do not care about your feelings.

And that because you life is crooked - IT WILL FALL.

Matthew 7:26–27 ESV

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

What is the Plumb line?

The solution is two fold:

First measure you wall against the plumb line - if it is crooked - tear it down and start again, because God will tear it down if you dont.

And then, rebuilt it, with the plumbline.

remeber:

Amos 7:7 ESV

7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.

If you build a wall, with the plumb line always there and you lay every brick alinging it to the plumb line each time, yes it will take a lot longer to build, but it will always be straight and true.

So what is the plumb line?

What is the only straight and true thing?

Psalm 12:6 ESV

6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

The bible is the plumb line that we must measure our lives as christians up against and build our lives upon.

This is not some theological concpet, it is practical truth.

Let us mewasure our lives?

Perhaps one of the most clear examples of a plumbl line we have is trhe most famous sermon ever preached - he sermon on the mont.

The plumb Line says:

You must be humble

Mourn for sin

be Meek

Thirst for righteousness

Be merciful

Pure

Peacemakers - not trouble makers

You must be salt and light - that it totally different from the world. Not materialistic, not addicted to the world narcotics, cigarets, weed, alchohol.

You cannot be controlled by anger or resentment and a single curse like “you fool” to anyone makes you worthy of hell fire.

That if you even look with lust at another person, or engage in even the slightest act of sexual gratification if you are not married you are a fornicator and an adultrer.

that if yo make a promise and break it, or tell even a single lie you are from the evil one.

That if you lift a finger in retliation you are not of God.

That you must love your enemies and pray for those who hate you. For if you dont youo have no proof that you kn ow God at all and are lost.

That worry is pure evil and that those who worry about life or tomorrow show that they have no trust in God at all.

shall i go on?

And how does this sermon, this plumbline end?

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”