“Nothing Special” – Amos 7:7-9

How many of you consider yourself to be fairly aware of current events?  You catch the news every so often and know a little bit about what is going on in the world.  Everybody else, we appreciate you leaving your caves this morning and coming into civilization.  If you are somewhat aware of what is going on you know that the United States has some enemies in this world, not to mention the ones we have even in this country and maybe even in government.  There are people who would love nothing more than to see the United States crumble and fall off of the map.

How do you feel about those people?  If you love America, and I assume that all of us here do, then what are your thoughts toward a group of people who, for whatever reason, want us to be killed?  “You first!” right?  You think something along the lines of, “I hope your suicide vest goes off the first time you try it on.”  Have you seen the video of the guy trying to shoot at the U.S. soldiers with a bazooka and he pulls the trigger but it doesn’t go off?  So, he puts it on the ground and looks into the barrel and the next thing you see is just a bunch of dust.  Yea, that’s what I’m talking about.

How would you like it if we had an evangelist come speak to us here at Christ Fellowship who started out his message by saying he had received a message from God that the Iranian government and military was going to be completely destroyed?  “Amen, brother!  Preach on!”  Right?

Then he said that the Russian government and military would soon collapse.  God had revealed that to him.  Then the North Koreans would be next and the Chinese after them and all our enemies would soon be destroyed.  You would applaud and cheer and thank God for bringing this man to us.  You would be thinking, “Let’s boot out that bum Todd and get this guy to be pastor!”  Wouldn’t you?

But then the evangelist ends his sermon by saying that God had also given him word that the United States would also be wiped out; not just the government and the military but completely wiped off the map except for just a remnant of the population and that it will happen soon because of our love for money and love of self.  Now, who is saying, “Amen”?  Now, how do you feel about that preacher?

Well, I want to introduce you to that preacher.  His name is Amos.  His story can be found in the Bible between Joel and Obadiah in the Old Testament.  Some of you may never have even heard of Amos, much less Joel or Obadiah.  In the Bible in the pew in front of you it can probably be found on page 651.  We are concluding our sermon series entitled, “Nothing Special – Common Men and Women God Used” with a look at the prophet Amos.

Now, previously we have looked at some other Old Testament characters who were nothing special because sometimes we all feel like we really don’t have much to offer; like we have no great talents or gifts and can’t figure out how God could ever use us.  Like I said before, though, when we get to that place, I believe that is right where God wants us to be because He specializes in using the ungifted, untalented, poor, and ridiculous and the short, fat and bald because that way, when something great happens, God gets the credit.

But we have seen that while most of these people had nothing really special about them, most of them had something.  Last week we saw that Esther was good-looking.  Shamgar had an ox-goad.  Ezra had good handwriting and Gideon at least had a wine press.  But today poor old Amos has nothing but bad news given to him by God and the purpose of his life is to preach that bad news.

It says in chapter one that Amos was a shepherd.  That’s all that was on his resume.  He sticks up for himself later in chapter eight where he says that not only was he a shepherd but he also tended sycamore-fig trees.  So, he had that going for him.  But I think we can all agree that Amos would not be on anybody’s most-influential list.  But God saw him and said, “That’s the guy I need to preach to my chosen people.”

So, Amos was obedient and he started preaching.  He went to the middle of town and commenced with his message proclaiming that Damascus was going to be destroyed by fire.  “Amen, preacher!  Amen!” they said.

Then he preached that God had revealed to him that Gaza would soon be destroyed as well.  “Yes, preacher!  Preach that word” since the Israelites couldn’t stand Gaza.  Then Tyre, then Edom, then Ammon and Moab and all the other enemies of Israel and I’m sure the people hearing him were thinking just what a great and powerful speaker this Amos was.  Where had he been?  “Honey, let’s invite him over for lunch after the service!”

But then, continuing to be obedient to what God had told him to do, Amos preached – in Israel, his home – that all of Israel would soon be destroyed as well.  *Gasp!* “How dare he?  We don’t have to stand here and listen to this.  Honey, let’s go back to our big, comfortable house and drink our wine and eat our choice meat.”  But Amos continued to preach and, by the way, everything he prophesied came true, of course. 

I’m sure this was difficult for Amos.  He loved his country.  He didn’t want this to happen.  In fact, because of his prayers for his country Israel was saved from worse fates when God heard his prayers.  In chapter 7, God shows Amos a vision of why God is going to destroy Israel and Amos couldn’t argue about it.  It was plain.  God is a God of love and mercy and kindness and generosity, as we all know, but He is also a God of justice and His patience has a limit.

Let’s look at Amos chapter 7, verses 7-9 to see what God shows Amos.

 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. ⁸ And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”  “A plumb line,” I replied.  Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.  ⁹ “The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”

How many of you have ever seen one of these (plumb lines) before?  Have you ever actually used one?  I’m sure there are more modern ways of building things now but for centuries this ingeniously simple little device was the tool to use to make sure the building or the wall you are building is straight and true or “plumb”.  It was used by masons and carpenters to establish a true vertical.

If the building was not true and plumb then it had to be torn down and rebuilt before it could be used.  That is exactly what God is showing Amos right here but the wall to be torn down…is Israel.  Now, I am not standing before you today as a prophet saying this is going to happen to America any time soon.  I don’t know that.  I will say like Amos did that I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet (7:14) but I do know that God does not change.

God is the same as He was in the Old Testament and in the New Testament and in the days of our parents and the same today.  He is still merciful and loving and generous but He is also still just and His patience with the United States has a limit.  I told you about the faulty thinking I have had for a while thinking that just because times were getting bad that Jesus had to be coming soon because surely God wouldn’t let us as Christians go through anything any more difficult.

Nobody knows when Jesus will come back and it may be before I’m finished here and I hope it is but if the Israelites – God’s chosen people - had to be disciplined with death and slavery, who do we think we are to avoid such things if we keep doing exactly what they were doing? 

God was showing Amos how He was holding a plumb line up to Israel to see if they were true and He still holds a plumb line up to us today individually, as a church and as a country to see if we are true.  He is holding His written and revealed Word up to all of us today to see if we match up and if not then biblical history would have us to believe that we can expect to be torn down just like Israel was.

If we do keep up to date on what is happening in our world then this would be a hard pill to swallow.  That makes this message sound pretty depressing.  We started off with, “Better is one day in your house” and now we’ve come to, “We’re all gonna die!”  Well, I don’t want to sugar coat anything or take away from the seriousness of the situation.  I’m not going to go all “Joel Osteen” on you here but I do want us to see that, like Amos, we have a message to tell our country but it’s not all bad.

When God says He is holding a plumb line to Israel He means He is comparing them to His Word and for us today He is doing the same thing.  He is comparing us to what is written in the Bible.  So, our message to our country is that we should be biblical.  We should be a people of the Word.  We should know it, understand it and apply it to our lives.  It should change our lives.  It should make us uncomfortable because change is always uncomfortable.

Now, let me just stop right here for a second because I need to know something.  First I need to know that you are listening and then I need to know that you believe me so far.  If you believe what I have said so far that this country is in dire shape similar to where Israel was at this time and that God’s patience won’t last forever then raise your hand, please.

Ok, good.  Now if you believe what I have said then I need you to believe that becoming “plumb”; becoming biblical as individuals, as a church and as a country is not going to happen by coming to church on Sunday mornings.  If that is all you do to be biblical then put your hand down and go ahead and leave now because you’re not going to be able to do anything else God has for you in this message.

If you really believe what I have said then you will spend time on your own in the Word.  You will have a daily quiet time where you can read and study for your own pleasure and for your own knowledge, understanding and edification; for your own building up.  It will happen.  I know you’re busy but this country and your kids and grandkids can’t afford for you to not be biblical so it’s time to make that a priority.

Then right away we need to start making disciples just like Jesus told us to do in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19.  Go into all the world making disciples.  Do you remember what it means to be a disciple?  It means to learn from Jesus and then teach and encourage others with what you learn.  You don’t have to be anything special.  You just have to be biblical and you have to be a disciple who makes more disciples.

Next, like Amos, we not only have a message to be biblical but we have a message to be bold.  Look again at verse 9.  When God mentions the high places of Isaac and the sanctuaries of Israel, He is talking about the places of worship; the so-called holy places and the places of sacrifice.  Can you imagine what kind of boldness it took for Amos to go to what we would call the local church and tell them that God was displeased with them?

Who does he think he is, right?  I forget the name of the old-time evangelist (not as old as Amos but still pretty old) who said that when you preach people should either be offended or changed.  That’s what should be expected when we tell people the Gospel.  That is going to happen when we hold up the plumb line and quote scripture that condemns homosexuality and abortion.  People are going to be offended or they are going to be changed when compared to the standard of God’s Word.  Expect it and be bold because the Bible is our rock.  It is our light and a lamp to our path and this country and your kids and grandkids can’t afford for you not to be bold.

I have heard it said that men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them and that includes all of us as members of Christ Fellowship.  Amos wasn’t afraid to tell the religious people that God was going to judge them and the reason God was going to judge them was not because they didn’t participate in the worship.  It wasn’t because God loves hymns more than He loves modern stuff.  It wasn’t because they called it Sunday School or Sunday Not School.

God was going to judge them and He is going to judge us, not on what we do or don’t do on Sunday mornings but on what we do or don’t do every other day of the week.  Our Sunday worship time may not be the biggest, best, brightest, latest, greatest thing going but it is worship in spirit and truth to the best that we know how and God is honored in our worship.

The problem is that every other day of the week we, as a church and as a country look just like the rest of the world.  We do the same things, say the same things, go to the same movies, have the same hobbies and tell the same jokes.  Inside the church we are plumb but outside the church we are crooked.  That’s like putting a fresh coat of paint on the inside while the outside walls are collapsing and God will not have His bride, the church, looking like every other hooker on the street corner.

Our message is to be bold and it is to the world as well as the church as long as the church looks just like the world.  As long as we keep doing the same things and saying the same things and sleeping with the same people and killing the same babies then God says, as He did in Isaiah 1 that our meetings together disgust Him and we should quit trampling His courts because our sacrifices are detestable to Him.

The plumb line is being held up to us, Christ Fellowship, and it is time to be biblical and surround ourselves and smother ourselves with biblical truth.  God says in Deuteronomy 6, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Our message, like the message of Amos is to be biblical and it is to be bold.  Satan wants nothing more than for you to be quiet but our children and grandchildren can’t afford for us to be quiet.  You don’t have to be specially gifted to make disciples.  You just have to learn from Jesus and teach and encourage others with what you learn.  So be biblical and be bold but we also have to be beneficial.

Our message, like the message of Amos, has to be beneficial to our hearers.  It has to be spoken with love.  Earlier in the same chapter of Amos, God tells Amos that Israel will be destroyed but Amos begs and pleads and God shows mercy.  It broke Amos’s heart to see the country he loved have to suffer and while he was obedient to say what God wanted him to say, Amos continued to beg God for mercy and grace on behalf of his family and friends.

You may be speaking biblically and boldly but unless it breaks your heart to say then you can’t say it in a way that is beneficial and you need to keep your mouth shut until God gives you the correct motivation.  Because speaking the truth without love is just arguing and no amount of arguing is going to change anybody’s mind, much less their actions.  But how can we do this?  How can we really speak biblically and boldly and in truth with love.  That sounds to me like somebody trying to teach me to golf.

Bend your knees, head down, shoulders back, left arm straight, right arm bent slightly, eyes on the ball, follow through, hold the club firmly but not too hard…good grief, I give up.  Well I can’t play golf at all and I struggle like everybody else with being biblical, bold and beneficial but here are three practical ways we can speak the truth in love.  First, Paul says in Romans 12:3 that we should avoid thinking too highly of ourselves.  Speaking the truth in love is impossible if you are proud.  Realize who you really are by comparing yourself to the plumb line of God’s Word.

Next, James 1:19 says, Know this my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak.  If we are going to be able to speak the truth in love we first have to listen to the other person to be able to know where they are really coming from and we also have to earn the right to be heard ourselves.  Listen before you speak the truth in love.

Lastly, another thing that we can do to help us as we speak the truth in love is to speak it in private as much as possible.  Matthew 18 tells us that the first thing we are to do is go to the offending person in private and speak the truth and if that doesn’t work then we get others involved.  But privately is best when dealing with one person’s problems.

There are other things we can do to help us to be biblical, bold and beneficial and do you know where they are found?  They are found in the plumb line of God’s Word.  You don’t have to be something special.  You just have to be obedient like Amos and Esther and Gideon and Shamgar and so many others all through the Bible who had nothing special about them and yet God used them to change the world.

This world needs to be changed.  Our country and our community needs to be changed.  Are you willing to do whatever God tells you to do to change it?  It starts with having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It starts with accepting Him to be Lord as well as Savior and as Lord, He has control of every aspect of your life, making you more and more like Him every day.

Ask Him for forgiveness of your sins and then repent – turn away – from those sins.  You will never be perfect until you get to Heaven but you can be holy even though you, like all of us, are nothing special.  Make that decision today.