He was preparing swarms of locusts after the kings share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. Title as with each of the minor prophets, the title comes from the name of the prophet to whom god gave his message 1. Our lives can only be measured to jesus, the plumb line of life sunday morning sermon from our senior pastor alfredo. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line. I just finished preaching a sermon about the reading from amos and the good samaritan. When amos accused the religious leaders of israel of failing to teach gods way of life, amaziah. Then the lord said, behold, i am setting a plumb line. A sermon delivered on lords day evening, august 27, 1876, by c. A friend recently made reference to a plumb line in a conversation. The people listened and spoke to each other about his preaching.
It is difficult, while in the middle of a project, to determine a true horizontal or vertical line without an objective measuring tool, so a plumb line is employed. It never flatters, but by its own certainty of truth it reveals and condemns all deviations from uprightness. Amos overview, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is from the most widely read and often quoted preacher in history, charles haddon spurgeon. Amos and hosea were coworkers and may even have gone on preaching tours through the land together, although hosea continued his work after amos passed from the scene. See, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. The prophet amos employs the plumb line as a powerful metaphor for justice in society. Religious leaders in the sermon on the mount, jesus said, for i. When you hold the string at the top, the weight makes the line hang down straight. We looked at chapters four through six in our last lesson, seeing the things that israel and judah put their trust in. Behold, the lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. Open your bibles with me today to the old testament book of amos, and chapter 7. Bible, many people have a newlyinvented testthe book of common prayer. The plumbline, with a plumb bob on the end of it, is used to determine the vertical perfection of a wall. Amos was from tekoa, a small town in judah about 6 miles south of bethlehem and 11 miles from jerusalem.
John ritenbaugh warns us that the book of amos is specifically addressed to us the end time church the israel of god the ones who have actually made the new covenant with god. Amos pleaded with god to relent his judgment and, in their place, god places a plumb line. A teaching outline for the book of amos expository. Our lesson today begins with one of the visions, the vision of a plumb line. So god said to amos, im going to measure all my people to see how straight and strong and true they are, or how.
Today we use a level instead of a plumb line to be sure that when we construct a building the walls are level. Amos first presents us with an image of a plumb line, to my knowledge this is the only reference to a plumb line in the entirety of the bible, this plumb line is a device used to determine straight and even lines in a field. Amos says that god is holding up a plumb line to us, to our structure to our faith, to our devotion. Amos is responding to the warning god is giving him, and he sees the mercy in god in giving the warning, and is moved to pray as he did because of this assurance. Amos was a contemporary of hosea, isaiah, and jonah. A wall, with the lord standing beside the wall, holding a plumb line against that wall, and declaring that the wall is off plumb. Now, this is a dangerous message because it seems to go against our understanding of the gospel. It is used by builders as a vertical reference point to make sure what they are building is straight. Gods word translation he asked me, what do you see, amos.
The book is too big this time for me to give an exposition of each section. The plumb line to which we must measure up today is christ and his word john 12. Jan 01, 2020 now, beloved, since god uses the plumb line in his building like this, i gather that we also should use the plumb line in our building. The plumb line was the reason amos could not protest gods judgment. Prophecy of christ as plumb line anglican orthodox church. Amos and the crumbling kingdom bible story lifekids youtube. Jan 27, 2014 pastor steve carr, the book of amos series. The poor of the land and the pride of jacob desiring god. Aug 02, 2010 i read chapter seven and i am left feeling uncomfortable and uncertain. Christ as the plumb line in amos the scarlet thread. Then the lord said, behold, i will set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. God was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. First, with regard to the building up of our own soul, i would urge on myself first, and then on you next, the constant use of the plumb line.
I concluded with several paragraphs about christ being the plumb line spoken of in amos, and in our lives. We find two quotations from the book of amos in the acts of the apostles. Now in amos s story, the plumb line is also very important if you want to build a straight wall. Jul 12, 2015 amos and the plumbline childrens sermon. This sermon was preached at forge road bible chapel, in perry hall, md on 52012. Amos preaching the message no one wants to hear youtube. I will never let their crooked ways pass inspection anymore. We have already seen in the book of amos how the religious houses, which should have modeled how covenant grace was supposed to operate among the people of god, had instead become shrines of.
This is the third of five visions amos saw concerning the judgment of god against israel. Then the lord said, look, i have set a plumb line in the midst of my people israel. Uzziah was king of judah, and jeroboam ii was king of israel. A plumb line is a weight, usually with a pointed tip at the bottom for marking a point. He went on to explain that justice by comparing it to a plumb line, thus he showed me and behold, the lord stood beside a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line. Poverty amos was a shepherd from tekoa before god called him to be a prophet to israel 1. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure. In amos vision, god was standing with a plumb line by a wall that was level.
A plumb line applies the law of gravity to find right angles, to indicate the most direct route from top to bottom, and to keep things plumb. As young christian it didnt take me too long to run into the concept of the plumb line around church circles. Then said the lord, behold, i will set a plumbline in the midst of my people israel. The plumb line was gods standard by which the people of israel would be measured. Amos overview spurgeons verse expositions of the bible. Outline of the book of amos you only have i know of all the families of the earth. He speaks to the prophet and asks him what he sees, and what he sees is a familiar sight. A nation abandoned by god john macarthur sermons the wrath of god is revealed romans 1.
The plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down. In seeking to learn from amos what it means to serve our lord and master, jesus christ, we may observe one last expression of this service. Such law is a plumb line in the hand of god with which he checks the walls of our lives. In the book of amos, god shows the prophet that he is setting a plumb line to test the faithfulness of his people. When the cord is held in such a way that the weight can dangle freely, an exact vertical can be determined. Then the lord said, im going to hold a plumb line in the middle of my people israel. A plumb line is a metal weight on the end of a string which is used to determine if a wall under construction is vertical or not. His book is found in the minor prophet section of the ot.
Metaphorically, when god draws near with the plumb line, he is looking for those people who are living and abiding in his grace and his law. I have heard and preached a lot of sermons in my life. The pictorial style of amos here sets before us in an impressive and memorable way a great truth. I saw god standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. The plumb line behold, the lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand. The wall is not identified, but it can be only one wall the wall of israels capital city, samaria. Ministry matters prophetic pains and plumb lines amos 7. The words of amos reveal jehovahs mercy towards an unworthy people. Measure what you do and say against the plumb line. Amos and the crumbling kingdom bible story lifekids.
The major sections of the book of amos and their significant features. Lewis johnson who once said, amos is the kind of book that rewards constant study. The plumb of lead falls in a straight line, and therefore the line is the best test as to whether a wall is truly perpendicular. A prophet is empowered by god and called by god to speak truth to power. And even though tekoa is in the southern kingdom of judah ten miles south of jerusalem, amos delivered his message to the northern kingdom of israel. People would say that the word of god is like a plumb line for your life.
It can possibly come across as some sort of works righteousness. I taught preaching for twentyeight of the thirtythree years i spent on the faculty of. The historical background leading up to the book of amos. Spurgeon, at the metropolitan tabernacle, newington. Mar 31, 2008 that is our plumb line as christ said, be ye perfect. Amoss problem is that god has given him a vision, and he cannot. But since amos word is from god and has been preserved for us in scripture, perhaps we had better measure its true success not by its effect on the cows of bashan 4.
Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland, amos 7. Jan 24, 2011 the plumb line was used by builders to ensure that a wall was vertical, that is, that the wall was straight up and down. Plainly he discerned the will of god that prayer further was inappropriate. While hosea only prophesied regarding israel amos also prophesied concerning the neighbouring nations of israel. There is no place for pride or arrogance or cocksureness in the masters service. The purpose of the vision was gods desire to show amos that the plumb line was accurate and that it had been used to construct a proper wall. Amos tells us that this wall had been made with a plumb line, or had been built true to plumb. In the book of amos, the prophet describes a set of visions that he had.
Use of the audio may be required for this one to be helpful. It is not until we compare our lives to the plumb line of perfect law that we find just how skewed our lives really are. Amos told the people of israel that the god was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. He went on to explain that justice by comparing it to a plumb line, thus he showed me and behold, the lord stood beside a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. Whether in a dream or in a prophetic ecstasy, the prophet beheld one with a plumb line standing by a wall. Gods people were called israel and they had a special agreement with him that they would keep his laws and his rules. There are many synonyms for gods word such as the bible, cannon, manuscripts, sword of the spirit, fire, hammer, manna, truth, bread of life.
Painters and carpenters use plumb lines to keep their work straight. I then got to wondering if anybody else had made that analogy, and was told by two experienced priests that they had never seen it. Amos 7 locusts, fire and a plumb line this bible gateway. In this vision amos sees the lord standing on a wall with a plumbline in his hand. If they did not line up with this standard, they would be punished. A sermon preached by stacy abernathy at first christian church of clemmons on 92808. Terms in this set 16 amos 12 have parallel messages of what. Overview of the book of amos by pastor steven l anderson duration. Behold, i am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people amos 7. Amos 7 new international version niv locusts, fire and a plumb line 7 this is what the sovereign lord showed me.
However, amos preference to begin a new section of thought with an introductory formula suggests that verse 8, which begins with behold, introduces the final section of his book. Amos and the plumbline childrens sermon sallyjjones. Weve become too tenderhearted and gentle toward the common sins of people. It provides a standard against which one can measure what he has built. In amos vision, god is standing with a plumb line by a wall that is level. Amos made a great appeal to justice and righteousness, by saying, but let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream 5. Christian praise and worship in songs, sermons, and audio books. Devotion on notable firsts of the bible prophecy of christ as plumb line, 3 october 2015 anno domini 7 thus he shewed me.
A plumb line, also called a plummet, is a cord with a nonmagnetic weight attached to one end. Now, on this occasion, we have nothing before us but this plumb line, but there is a great deal to be learnt from it. This summary of the book of amos provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of amos. The peoples hearts were crooked, and they stopped caring about what god wanted. The plumbline shows whether it bows outward, or inclines inward. God says to a special man called amos im setting a plumbline in the midst of my people, i will never again pass them by. When god speaks again concerning the plumb line we find amos ceasing to pray as he did before. Line your life up with the bible and it will be a plumb line to keep focused on what is upright and true. Introduction if you have not done so yet, please turn your bibles to the book of amos. Amos audience not only didnt like the news the prophet brought. She mentioned she attended a local church service that discussed the book of amos. Amos and gods plumb line sermon by howard strickland.
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