Pastor Marty Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 10:17AM We apologize for not having the audio to this sermon available.
Our Youth Pastor Nick Hauestein was preaching. We will try to get a synopsis of that sermon and post it here.
Pastor Marty Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 11:45AM Today we will look at Malachi 3:13-18 and in this section we see two very different kinds of people. We could call the first group complainers and the second group encouragers, but it goes deeper than that.
Have you ever recognized how God doesn’t work on our time schedule? It is easy for us to become discouraged by what we see or don’t see happening around us. When you add to that a sense that God should be doing something on your behalf, well, it is exponentially worse. So what do we do with these discouragements? First we should recognize that these times are testing us to reveal what really is in our hearts and what we will do with it. Will I allow God to reveal the junk in my heart and then will I ask Him to scrape off the scum that rises to the surface in these “melting pot” times? That is the question.
Complaining and murmuring were common descriptions of Israel when they were in the desert. Perhaps you may think that this is a good thing that helps make things better. But, God said that it is destructive and its source is unbelief, or lack of trust. Of course, most of the Israelites perished in the desert because of their unbelief. It is interesting that the very thing they were complaining about happened because of their complaints and those who didn’t complain made it through the desert. All of Israel went through the same difficult circumstances, but most let unbelief rule in their hearts and complained harshly or strongly against God. In these moments it is made clear that no amount of evidence to the contrary would make these people trust. They had a trust issue and instead of seeing that and letting themselves be taught to trust by a loving God, they chose to fight against Him and brought upon themselves the very thing they accused Moses and God of doing: killing them in the desert.
Malachi first points out that they had come to believe that serving God was useless. It is not clear how public these complaints were voiced. Perhaps they were mostly thought within the heart, and perhaps voiced in small rooms with few people. However, this belief was infecting their service to God. Now we can see how they would continue to obey the command to offer a sacrifice for sin, but then ignore the command that it be without blemish. They felt it was useless anyways. However, they continued the “religious sham” because of what it would gain them in the eyes of others. In their minds, there was no hope in continued service to God. They no longer looked to God and His Way as an answer, but rather to their own devices and schemes. Then it gets more specific in the passage. They believed there was no profit in serving God. They were not as materially prosperous as they wanted to be. Meanwhile they could see others who were not obeying God’s command seemingly prospering. They also believed that it was useless to serve God despite their “mourning before the Lord.” Apparently they were impressed with their own cries for God to prosper them. They felt that their fasting and weeping before God to give them material prosperity should have been acceptable to God. But this wasn’t fixing their “situation” either. They had made the mistake of thinking that God would accept mere, external duty without inner faith. They also had made the mistake of thinking God should always materially prosper those who serve Him. This childish mentality fails to see how times of weakness physically or financially can actually help our character to become more like God and develop spiritual understanding. It can only see that God is not giving them what they want or think they deserve.
When we let a complaining spirit become the dominant character of our inner life it will blind us to all the blessings we already have and it will spoil any blessings that God desires to give to us. In verse 15 God reveals some wrong-headed conclusions that they were making. They are wrong-headed because even though they appeared to be true in the short term, God had clearly stated in His word they were not true. Unbelief always leads us to live by conclusions that are contradictions to what God has said. But if we fear God we will not give into such conclusions that are made by our flesh in times of trial. Instead we will recognize the trap of these “feelings” and cast ourselves on God. They had come to believe that the proud are blessed. From God’s Word it is clear that the proud are actually on God’s “Take Down” list. Pride here is that sense of arrogance and inflated ego. They saw that the arrogant, inflated people were “getting all the pie.” They confused this with God’s blessing. Listen, I see the Christian church in all of this. Many teachers have risen in the land that promote a gospel that says when God blesses you, you will have money, wealth, and fame. This is a terrible understanding of God’s blessing. It is terrible because it messes with the minds and faith of those who are going through difficult times. It helps them to embrace ideas that are contradictory of God’s Word. The proud are not blessed. God will put them down and He will raise the humble. So where might you want to be? Next, they believed that the wicked are raised up. Raised up is the picture of promotion to positions of stature. Those who sin were being promoted to positions of power politically, economically, and eventually religiously. But those who try to serve God were being “passed over” and weren’t getting ahead. Now, again it is all about time. We want it yesterday and if it isn’t here we are on the phone, sending emails to the complaint department, trying to force our way. Listen, God can handle your questions, but He won’t put up with unbelief and a heart that embraces contradictions to His Word. If God has raised up the wicked it is so that they will stick out for judgment. It is the tall grass that get cut in the day of mowing. Now what do you want to be? When a society is under the judgment of God it is practically a curse to be raised up. Although in the example of Daniel we are shown that God is able, for His purposes, to raise up a righteous man and protect him through times of judgment. In the end we become envious of the wicked over things that leverage our trust away from God. Next, their conclusion was that those who tempt God, do so with no consequences. This phrase “tempt God” refers to intentional blatant disregard for God’s Law. It tempts God to do something about it. But when it looks like nothing has happened others looking on quickly think, “why am I still obeying the law? I’m falling farther behind and they are getting ahead without consequences.” The next step is to join them in their wickedness, casting off restraint. These people have come to believe that nothing bad will happen by breaking God’s Word, and quite the contrary, now believe that something good will come from breaking God’s Word.
In all of this we see our own country. In America many will give lip service to God in politics, economics, and religion. But, where the rubber meets the road, God is not an answer. And the person who tries to point to God will be laughed out of the room and have no votes on Election Day. Wake-up! We are killing ourselves by giving into such wrong-headed conclusions. Such conclusions are destroying our country and bringing the judgment of God upon us.
Now verse 16-18 transitions to a different type of person. The descriptor of this group is “the fear of the Lord.” They feel the same tensions and difficulties. They too wonder why the wicked get ahead and the righteous are ran over. But they have a bedrock belief in God that won’t budge. With Job they say, “though God slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Even if God let’s me die, I will still trust Him. They are afraid of the idea of following anything but God. Like the disciples of Jesus they feel the tug to walk away, but then where else would they go and who would they turn to? “No one else has the words of life.” This fear of the Lord enables a person to remain restrained when all the world around them plunges into the insanity of conclusions that are contradictions to the Maker of our Reality. Like Israel in the desert, these know that God is bringing them to good, and that even the desert is a place of intimacy. It is the place where God supplies in ways we could not see nor imagined. They are the times that deepen our soul and strengthen godly character within us. It is the refiner’s fire that gives opportunity to say to the Lord, “please scrape off this scum that keeps rising to the surface of my heart.”
Notice that those who fear the Lord talked with each other. Though it isn’t explicitly stated it is hard to imagine they are doing much other than encouraging each other to keep the faith; encouraging each other to keep walking the Way of the Lord. We have to find times to encourage each other in God’s Ways and in His Promises. Our times of Church gatherings should be exactly this. However, they can be taken over by the unbelieving and spoiled by arrogant and inflated egos. From such a place run. Those who fear the Lord will encourage each other.
However, God see this and listens in on these conversations. It impresses Him to have a Book of Remembrance written to record and give evidence to such conversations of encouragement. Now, nobody ever feels like God is paying such close attention to their difficulties that He is writing a book about them. This happens silently in heaven, unnoticed by us on earth. He is listening and He is intimately concerned with our “working it out.” Our actions of faith are not always Red-Sea-Parting moments. Sometimes they are the simple, normal, talking with a friend hashing out why we feel things in our heart and yet why we can’t walk away from the Lord. Strengthen the hands that hang down!
God says that these people are jewels to Him, and that they are like a son who serves his father. When the Day of Judgment comes, He will not only just spare these. But He will take them up as His possession, while the rest are taken away in destruction. He will spare them the judgment that the wicked are plunging towards. Now, at the cross and resurrection, Jesus took up those jewels out of the land of Israel. He called that believing remnant to follow Him into the wilderness as God poured out His judgments on the Egypt that the nation had become. Later in 70 AD when the nation of Israel was being destroyed, God’s remnant had been pulled to himself and entered into His blessing. Lest we become arrogant and inflated ourselves, let us recognize that we are in a similar situation today. Beware lest your life “rhyme” with the life of the wicked 2,000 years ago. There is a Day of Judgment coming for America and a day of judgment coming for this whole world. They question is, will God see me as a jewel in that day or is His wrath coming for me? Do not surrender to unbelief. Rather, flee into the Word of God and trust His Ways completely, because God will eventually make it clear who are the righteous and who are the wicked.
Scoffers have increased outside the Church and within. Those who do not fear God within are manipulating the Scriptures to their own desires. But we must fear God, encourage each other, and warn the perishing. However, let me warn you. Warning the perishing will only become more dangerous in this country. It will take a higher and higher personal cost to warn those who have cast off restraint. It will seem like it is useless to do so and that those who do are ran over. However, it is what God has told us to do. I know this post is long and hopefully you have made it to this point. If you have then let me plead with you to guard your heart against the unbelief that this society causes to come to the surface. You don’t know how precious you really are to God. I don’t say that to inflate your ego. But to build up your faith in Jesus. Let’s go forward for Jesus and lay our lives down that other might live.
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Complaining, Encouragement, Faith, Fear of the Lord, Judgment, Righteous, Wicked Pastor Marty Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at 11:38AM Today we will be in Malachi 3:7-12. Here the Lord begins to deal with Israel in the area of finances. There sin of disregarding God’s Word wasn’t just in sickly sacrifices, but also in their giving to the Lord. Even though we are not under the Law of Moses, I think we will see some of ourselves in their heart attitudes.
In verse 7 God basically calls them to repentance, but notice that the end of that verse shows that they are somewhat clueless as to how they should repent. Clearly a blindness had settled upon the people to the point that even as God begins to point out their sin, they still don’t see it or recognize what they need to do.
Now false religion doesn’t start out as stories about pagan deities and their exploits. Rather it begins when we twist or reject parts of God’s Word. When we treat the parts of God’s Word that we don’t like as if they don’t exist or don’t apply to us, then we have begun to go down the road of false religion. Why doesn’t a person just admit that they don’t believe or trust God and walk away? Whatever the individual reason, their religion ends up becoming a half-hearted cultural thing.
They are reminded that this is no new problem. Their fathers had done the same thing. Now it is true that some generations turn to God more so than others. However, let us not think that it was because they weren’t as sinful or that doing good was natural for them. No. Each generation may have different technologies and different dress or music, but the hearts of people are generally the same. Those generations that chose to repent did so over the top of hearts that were sinful and a past that was littered with sinful actions. All generations have a tendency to be blind to their sins. So we need to be careful of making previous generations more righteous than they really were.
Sin causes separation. God cannot bless us on the path of sin and thus a separation occurs. We must turn back to him in repentance so that he can turn back to us in blessing. This will make sense later because God will point out how they were under a curse. So this brings up the question: How do I repent? Let me answer this for all of us in general. Then we will go on to look at Israel’s particular sin and needed act of repentance. Ultimately we repent by letting God’s Word show us where in our lives we have chosen other paths than His. And then, we choose to change by turning whole heartedly to God’s Way. This will be in very specific things for each one of us. One of those areas is our finances.
Now I know that verse 8 actually asks “will a man rob God.” But I will come back to that in a moment. First lets settle what “robbing God” is in the first place. We essentially “rob” God when we don’t give Him what belongs to Him or is His due. Now Israel had agreed to give God a tenth of their increase and to offer sacrifices of the perfect animals in their flock. These sacrifices also had a financial impact. They were supposed to give a clear and specific amount of money and wealth in their life. However, they had begun to give weak and sickly (i.e. not costly) animals for their sacrifices and were not giving a full 10% of their increase. They were welching on their agreement with God and not giving what they had agreed to give.
Now such daring action really shows that unbelief had entered their hearts. Robbing God is a daring thing that speaks of great audacity. What kind of man would dare rob God? The only answer is one who doesn’t think there are any real negative consequences. Ultimately they have ceased to believe God is real. In fact they believe that they will be better off by not giving anything to God. Instead of “wasting it” they could keep it and spend it for themselves.
God is holding Israel accountable in this passage to the Law of Moses. But we should ask ourselves why He commanded them to give a certain amount. It’s intention was to force their flesh to recognize just how hostile it really was to the desires of God. We are not under the Law of Moses. But the same things God was trying to teach them, He is trying to teach us. We are not under the Law of Moses, but we are not called to be lawless. Rather the Word says that we are under the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.
This Holy Spirit is trying to teach us what it means to be like our Father in Heaven when it comes to our finances and material possessions. In 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 Paul challenged the believers to become givers like God. “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And, God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” We will come back to this in a bit, but recognize that He does not want us to give because we are forced or manipulated, nor out of a grudging heart.
Now in verses 9-12 God finishes calling them to the carpet on this matter. There is no way around the truth that our finances demonstrate where our hearts really are. Billy Graham once said, “give me 5 minutes with a person’s checkbook and I will tell you where there heart is.” Now God doesn’t need to look at our checkbook to know where our heart is, but it is the irrefutable proof one way or another. Have you looked at your spending register lately? How does God’s things fare on that list versus your own comfort and luxury?
God tells Israel that they were under a curse because of willful disobedience in their finances. This problem was wide spread throughout the land. They were purposefully only giving a part of their tithe and probably only giving that just to keep up appearances. This sin would definitely impact the livelihood of the priests and the poor who were helped by these gifts.
Now God actually challenges them to “test” Him in this matter. Basically He is saying if you will start giving me all the tithe, I will lift the curse from you and pour blessings out upon you. Now the blessing isn’t primarily financial, but it would affect their finances. Here is what God would do. He would rebuke the devourerer, bless their agriculture, and make His blessing obvious to others. The devourer is more than just a metaphorical term for the things that caused their finances to go bad. It really is a deeper reference to the devil and his desire to kill, steal, and destroy God’s good in our life. Because of unbelief and rebellion this devourer is released in our life and will consume even our very soul if we don’t repent and turn back to God. Only God can rebuke the devourer in our life and free us from his tyranny.
Now what about Christians who are under the Law of the Spirit? There is no command for us to give 10% of our income in the gospel. But to say that means we don’t have to give at all is disingenuous. Clearly if we give nothing at all and consume everything in our life, God will not just be displeased. In fact a story much like this is used of a man who had bumper crops and built bigger barns to hold it all. The Bible says, that night his soul was required of him. God brought judgment upon the one who held all for himself. This is wickedness in its basic form-selfishness.
It demonstrates a lack of truly believing God and loving Him. When we truly love God we will want to be like Him. Good news, that is what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. He is working in you to perfect God’s image. When we give nothing or stingily or grudgingly we are anything but reflecting God’s image.
Now in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 Paul instructed the Christians on how they should give. When we combine it with the 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 passage we are given these main points.
The believer will be led by the Spirit to give regularly. God increases us regularly and models regular giving to us. Thus when we are cooperating with the Spirit we become regular givers. Our giving will be planned. They were instructed to not only think about ways in which they could help, but then to do what it took to actually follow through and make the plan happen. He tells them to set aside the money at the first part of the week and then later it will be ready for those it was supposed to help. Sometimes we use the concept of “Spirit-led” giving as a cop out. The real question is not did the Spirit tell you to help a particular need, but has God blessed you and do you trust Him to take care of you enough to help someone else? Our giving should also be generous. Too often those who ask if they have to give 10% are only wanting to give less. Do you recognize that the testimony of the early Christians was that they actually gave more? Now I don’t say this to put us under a new law of giving more than 10%. But it does show where their hearts were and where ours often are. In fact notice that this is the area that got Ananias and Saphira in trouble. They were not in trouble because they didn’t give enough, but because they lied about what they gave. Our giving should also be made as a private and free matter. There should be no force or spiritual manipulation put upon people by spiritual leaders or other believers. Lastly, God wants us to enjoy giving. When you give, it makes money your servant. When you mostly consume it all, you become a slave to it. Let me ask, are you a slave to your money? Are you consuming it all and complaining to God that you don’t have enough? Or, are you living on less than you bring in and honoring God with the firstfruits of your increase by giving to His work and blessing those who are hurting? And are you doing it with the joy of the Lord, filled with thanks? Powerful questions, and may we be tough enough to wrestle with them.
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged False Religion, Finances, Giving, Robbery, Tithing Pastor Marty Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 12:29PM Today our Scripture portion will be in Malachi 3:1-6. We left chapter 2 on the note that the people and leaders of Israel had developed an attitude that serving God didn’t help. In fact that it seemed those who scorned His laws were “blessed” by Him. “Where is the God of justice,” is a question that goes to the heart of the messiah because the whole purpose of sending the messiah was to restore justice.
They continued to give lip-service to the doctrine of a coming messiah, but had ceased living as if he was really coming.
Thus, the Spirit of the Lord stirs up Malachi to give them a reminder that the messiah is coming and they are not ready for him.
In verse one a clear reference to the messiah is made, “the Lord whom you seek.” This messiah was promised to deliver Israel from all her enemies and would be the perfect leader both politically and spiritually. The term messiah literally means Anointed One. Though many kings and priests had been anointed by oil for their roles and duties, the messiah would be unique in that he would be directly anointed by God and not just with oil, but rather with the Spirit of God. Now for centuries Israel had hoped in the coming messiah. But by the time of Malachi it had become a shell. What I mean by that is this. The teaching still remained, but the heart and spirit of what it meant was no longer there. We see this in John 4 when Jesus talks with the woman at the well in Samaria. She is definitely not living according to God’s Word and yet she still gives lip service to the coming messiah. In fact, she does not really demonstrate a desire for him to come, but rather a desire to drop the discussion. “When the messiah comes he will explain it.” Their lives actually scoffed at the idea that a messiah would actually come. Thus God reminds them that he is going to send the messiah.
However, He will first send a messenger of preparation. In Matthew 11:10, Jesus quotes this verse to declare that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of it. He was the messenger of preparation. He had prepared the way before the messiah by calling people to repentance (much like Malachi). The messiah does not need an actual road prepared for him because the place he is trying to reach is our hearts. Thus John the Baptist’s message was “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Isaiah does use this picture of road building in Isaiah 40:3-4. “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” But the “way of the Lord” is a phrase that refers to God’s judgments and dictates in His Word. Thus a straight path is when we completely follow God’s Word instead of branching off in our own desired directions. Just as in building a road we lower the high places and raise the low places, so each individual needed to knock down those areas of pride in their life and build up those forsaken lowly places that God intended to be higher. It is a picture of what we become without God’s word: barricaded against His entrance into our heart. Yet, God would do some road building Himself. He would knock down those great proud mountains within the nation of Israel and raise up forsaken believers who truly believed on him. Now let me warn us today. Jesus, the messiah, is coming again. This time he is coming in judgment for the whole world and we need to prepare our hearts for his coming. God is going to do some smashing of “proud mountains” in this world and some raising of lowly “valleys.” Does your life today reflect a preparation for Christ or does it only give lip-service to that coming? Has the belief in Jesus’ coming become only a shell or have you jettisoned it altogether? Know this: Jesus is coming and we will either be prepared for that coming or be caught unprepared.
After the messenger of preparation then comes the messiah. He is referred to as the messenger of the covenant. He is the “Lord, whom you seek.” Verse one says that he will come suddenly or surprisingly. He is going to catch them by surprise and at a time that they aren’t expecting. Does that sound familiar? As his first coming was so shall his second coming be.
Next it says that he is coming to his temple. Now the temple that existed when Jesus came the first time was not the temple that Solomon had built. In fact when the second temple was being built the Bible tells us that some who remembered the glory of the first wept and cried. However, the “lowly” temple was going to be the one that received the honor of having the promised Messiah walk into it. Yet, in light of John the Baptist’s message we know that the true target is not the earthly temple that was going to be destroyed. No, the true target was the hearts of those who fear Him and exalt Him as Lord in their hearts and lives. These are the ones to whom He would ultimately come.
Now let’s move to verse 2. Malachi asks the question, “who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?” That is the question. Preparation entails knowing what you are preparing for. The question Who begs the answer that would inform our preparations.
Now the word endure is the picture of a vessel that is supposed to contain something. When Christ comes will your vessel be able to contain it or will it burst at the seams? This is what Jesus referred to when he said that many of the religious leaders were like old wineskins. They could not receive Jesus or His teaching because it would break their hardened traditions and the hardened shell of a life they had built in the name of religion. He also uses the picture of standing. Who can stand without being cut down and swept away? When God’s Anointed One who is the very Justice of God walks among our midst, which of us will survive? This important question is answered elsewhere. But here it is meant to stir a fear of the Lord in the hearts of those listening. We ought to also recognize the powerful thought that the perfect Lord of Glory is going to come down and deal with unbelievers and the unfaithful. Will you stand and not burst in that day?
Malachi goes on to give two pictures of the messiah. He is like a refiner’s fire and he is like soap. Now there is a personal and corporate level on which this happens. The personal level is for those who believe in the Lord. He causes our hearts to be searched out and purified through a daily relationship with him; just like the fire or soap.
Yet, corporately, He will remove the unbelieving and unfaithful from among His people. In the first century he did this by becoming an outcast and then calling all who believed to His side. In order to obey the faithful had to turn their backs on the hardened traditions of their Fathers and the present religious leaders. After those who made their choice had come to the side of Christ, outside the camp, then the judgment of God was poured out on the unbelieving of that nation. Thus the Church began as a purified remnant of Israel. They were able to stand because they were willing to let go of that which God was going to destroy and put their faith in Jesus whom He was going to bless.
When we have been purified by Christ we are truly able to give an offering of righteousness. Thus Malachi points to this time when the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord. In John 4:23 Jesus said, “the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” God wants true heart worship and not empty-shell lip-service. Even today the outward forms of worship and offerings can become something less than a spirit that is bowed in honor and in awe of God. However, a spirit that is bowed in honor and awe of the Lord will have visible actions. Jesus restored true worship. However we must avoid demolishing that true worship by hardening it into an empty shell again.
In verse 5, he warns that the messiah will deal with sorcerers: those who call upon demonic entities and powers and so have turned from God and His ways. Do you suppose any still do this today? The occult and spiritism have exploded in the modern era. He is coming to judge adulterers: those who are unfaithful and led by their pleasures. He comes to judge perjurers: those who falsely swear oaths in the name of God. Lastly he comes to judge those who abuse social power. Are any doing these things today? In fact in the “Christian” West we love to give lip-service to helping the poor. But, in reality, we only use the issue of the poor to get more power and money under our control. The poor end up hardly being helped. If we fear God we will not turn to any power other than God. We will refuse to be led by our pleasures and keep our commitments. We will not use God to back up our lies. And, we will not abuse workers, and the less fortunate around us for our own gain: this includes foreigners.
In verse 6 we are told that God does not change and thus Israel is not consumed. Though God’s anger and wrath had been stirred up, He is still merciful. He would purify and those who would allow Him to cleanse them would enjoy His goodness. God is forever merciful. But He will judge those who refuse His mercy. He always makes a way for the humble to survive and spiritually flourish. Israel did not deserve the New Covenant. But God would give it to them anyway. However, it would be given in a way that only those who believed God would enter into it.
Today we await the coming of the Lord. And, it is easy for Christians to lean back on a nice tidy theology to feel secure. However, it is not our theology per se that saves us. It is Jesus Himself. If our faith is not securely resting upon Him then you must question whether you are truly prepared for His coming. To all I say along with Malachi and John the Baptist, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”