MSG: Mirror God’s Character to Lead People: Enough is Enough II

Posted on June 17, 2013 by shepherdbryan

The message was presented on June 16, 2013 as a part of the series on Malachi.

Mirror God’s Character to Lead People: Enough is Enough II

Malachi 2:1-9

There are few things worse than being told you’re doing a bad job. God rebuked the spiritual leadership of Israel prior to the destruction of Israel. Turn to Ezekiel 34.

Ezekiel was taken into captivity in B.C. 597. Five years later in B.C. 592, when he was 30 years old, which is the time a priest began ministering in official priestly duties, he began prophesying to the exiles and to those still in Jerusalem. Jerusalem would not be destroyed until B.C. 586. Even though Ezekiel was in exile, the people were still responsible to hear the word that God gave through Ezekiel. He was the messenger of God. It was not his responsibility to determine seven ways to get the information to the people. They were supposed to go to the prophet and ask what the Word from the Lord was. So God spoke through Ezekiel to rebuke the leadership,

· And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

· ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them,`Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

· ³ “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.

· ⁴ “The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.

· ⁵ “So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.

· ⁶ “My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.” (Eze 34:1-6)

After pointing out their polluted offerings in Malachi chapter one, God sternly warns them in Malachi chapter two. What should they have been doing that they were not? What are God’s requirements for spiritual leadership?

1) Serve glory to God’s name Mal. 2:1-2

“And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. (Mal. 2:1)

This is the second part of God’s rebuke to the priests. You might be sitting there thinking, “Whew, this applies to pastors, not me!” Before you shut down for the morning, consider what Peter wrote to Jewish believers scattered in what is called the Dispersion in Asia Minor. He said, “…But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,… (1 Pet. 2:9) Peter was talking to believers in general and he called them all a “royal priesthood.” They were all priests. In other words, they represented themselves to God and were called to lead others to God, just as Jesus commanded all believers to disciple people to the Lord (Matt. 28:19-20). They were priests, but they were also called a “royal priesthood.” They were royalty, because they shared in the blood of Jesus Christ, who was the King of kings. Therefore, the application of this passage impacts every believer, not just those in leadership positions.

Specifically it is given to the priests, the spiritual leaders. It is not just the pastoral leadership who is accountable today. It is the remnant of believers. The priest represented people to God, and was a teacher of the law on behalf of God. Prophets declared God’s Word to the people regularly and on special occasions. What were they doing in Malachi’s day?

We saw in Malachi chapter one, that they had made light of God’s name. Malachi said, “And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil?” (Mal. 1:8a) God had given precise instructions on the kind and quality of the offering that was to be made in Leviticus 22:19-22.

Furthermore, Malachi said, “You also say,`Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the LORD of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering!” (Mal. 1:13) They were tired of making offerings and caused others to have a bad attitude toward worship. Additionally, the priests were more concerned about the feelings of people than the holiness of God. So whatever the people brought to offer, that is what the priests offered. What could a priest say? They were all far more concerned about entertainment, play and stimulation than in offering a holy offering to God.

Imagine if I could read your heart. And let us say you spent $200 on an Indianapolis Indians or Pacer game and you just bought a $900 television this weekend. You come to church and pull out your wallet for the offering and all you have is $20.00, so you put that in the offering bag. However, imagine I can read your heart. So I walk up to the bag, take out the 20.00 and say, “This is leftovers and no good here. God does not need this.” How would you respond? Do I need to be more concerned about you or the holiness of God?

Paul rightly said to the Galatians, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. (Gal 1:10) Paul was not trying to persuade God to accept men’s actions the way they were. Paul was trying to persuade men that God was holy and they should act in accordance to God’s holiness. Paul was saying that if he were still trying to please men by accommodating men, then he’d have to make light of the holiness of God. He would not do that. He was a bondservant of the Lord, not to men. Malachi explains himself in verse two.

² If you will not hear, And if you will not take it to heart, To give glory to My name,” Says the LORD of hosts, “I will send a curse upon you, And I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, Because you do not take it to heart. (Mal. 2:2)

God is saying through Malachi, first, you are not listening, or you would obey me. He said second, you do not take it to heart, or you would be transformed and your purpose and priority would be to give God glory. The word, “glory” means “to make big, to honor, to give an abundance, to make heavy or weighty.”

It’s the story, in reverse, of when Eli heard that his two sons, Hophni and Phineas died in battle against the Philistines. Upon hearing the news, Eli fell over and broke his neck. The wife of Phineas was pregnant and gave delivery to her baby boy. She named the boy an unusual name, “Ichabod.” Ichabod comes from the Hebrew word cabod or “glory” and the prefix “I”, negates the meaning and thus she was saying “No glory.” The glory had left Israel, because the Ark of the Covenant was gone. God admonished the Israelite priests to give glory to God, because God would curse them if they didn’t.

If they did not give glory, then God would send a curse on Israel. The word for ‘send” is the Hebrew word “shalach” and means he would “shalach-d” them or send a missile to reap destruction. He would, first, send a curse on the people. Secondly, He would send a curse on their blessings, and that cursing had already begun! When God curses blessings, life becomes horrible. Your chariots will have transmission trouble, your harvest will rot, your streams will dry up and your septic systems will back up.

Let me give an illustration. Let’s say a person wants a job and goes for an interview. But he doesn’t dress for the interview, doesn’t do his research on the company, doesn’t show up on time and doesn’t look very interested. Would you hire someone like that? Would you accept that person, because his work will probably reflect how he approaches the interview? God looked at the priesthood in the same way. He did not want their offerings. They led, but not to holiness. They had no passion.

You can tell what someone’s priorities are by first, how they spend their time; secondly, how they spend their money, and thirdly how often they connect to worship God, become equipped to be like Jesus and multiply themselves for the kingdom. God wants us to be “ate up with His kingdom.” He wants us to pursue His righteousness and He’ll take care of the details (Matt. 6:33). Serve glory to God’s name, not yours. It’s about Him, not you.

2) Stand in God’s covenant of truth Mal. 2:3-4

³ “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants And spread refuse on your faces, The refuse of your solemn feasts; And one will take you away with it. (Mal. 2:3)

God says, “You aren’t teaching your children, so I will have to rebuke them.” No one wants to hear a stranger rebuke their children. There is something inside that says, “That is my responsibility as a parent.” Those parents who don’t care are far down the downward spiral of indifference. Parents were not able to bring the children under control. The word “refuse” is a horrible word referring to dung, entrails, or undigested food. Moses wrote about this when he said, “But the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.” (Ex. 29:14) Yes, the offalis awful and is to be removed from the camp. Do not let it be a part of your life.

Furthermore, God said He would “spread refuse on your faces.” What could be worse than on the face? This was a visible sign of God expressing shame on the leadership. It’s like God said, “Shame on you!” They would be rendered unclean for service. Just as you would want to wipe it away, so God was saying, “You will be carried away to the dung heap; treated as filth by the people. Shame on you!” God was saying, “Enough is enough!”

⁴ Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue,” Says the LORD of hosts. (Mal. 2:4)

In the midst of the shame and misery, God says, “It will not be because others have become powerful. It will be because you have turned from Me and I have given you over to them.” Why? God made a covenant – a promise. The sons of Levi stood with Moses in Exodus 32 and killed 3000 men at the golden calf incident. Years later, just before Israel was to enter the Promised Land, the Levites were still making a name for the Lord. There were a number of Israelite men who were attracted to Midianite women and one decided to present a woman to Moses and the leadership. Without approval, the Jewish man led the woman into the tabernacle and performed the woman’s fertility cult rite. Phinehas , who was a Levite, said, “Enough is enough!” and went into the tabernacle and thrust a spear right through the man and the woman. Phineas was more concerned about the holiness of God, than the feelings of the man and the woman. You can imagine how the man and woman felt. But God said this about Phineas,

¹² “Therefore say,`Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace;
¹³ `and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'” (Num. 25:12-13)

When you serve glory to God, it will lead you to stand in the covenant of truth. When you stand in the covenant of truth, it will be because you have submitted to the covenant of life and peace.

3) Submit to the God’s covenant of life and peace Mal. 2:5-7

⁵ “My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name.
⁶ The law of truth was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.
⁷ “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. (Mal. 2:5-7)

God gave the covenant with Levi of life and peace. God gave the covenant that he might fear the Lord. Fear is appropriate with God. We do not deserve anything from God. Yet, for many people, He is like a genie. But God is not a genie.

God delineates in these next three verses what is required of leaders. First, leaders must have the fear of God (Mal. 2:5). God gave life and peace, that they would be reverent before His name. This makes us think of Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Pro. 1:7)

Secondly, an ability to instruct truth. The law of truth was in his mouth (Mal. 2:6a). These are the duties of equipping and discipling. Leaders must know it, so they can teach others what they have learned (Matt. 20:28).

Thirdly, integrity in judgment on behalf of others (Mal. 2:6b). This is self- control, not selfish-control. He is just in his judicial functions.

Fourthly, intimate devotion to the Lord (Mal. 2:6c). His walk matches his talk. God’s leaders walk in peace.

Fifthly, he restored many to the Lord (Mal. 2:6d). They turned from sin.

Sixthly, he preserved the truth (Mal. 2:7a). The lips are a part referring to the whole life. The lips have truth, because truth is hidden in the heart. And the lips provide what was fresh every morning.

Seventhly, he is honored by the people (Mal. 2:7b). The people seek from their leaders the message from God. God put Malachi and Israel’s leadership there to give God’s Word.

Spiritual leadership is to serve glory to God’s name and stand in God’s covenant of truth. That will happen, because they submit to the covenant of life and peace and as that happens, they will pursue sanctification. One of the purposes of sanctification is to disciple others.

4) Sanctify your life to disciple others Mal. 2:8-9

⁸ But you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” Says the LORD of hosts.
⁹ “Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, Because you have not kept My ways But have shown partiality in the law.” (Mal. 2:8-9)

The priests had failed. There were six indictments against them. First, they turned from God’s ways (Mal. 2:8).

Secondly, they led many astray (Mal. 2:8b). Contrary to how Phineas turned people to the Lord, the spiritual leadership in Malachi’s day were not helping to sanctify the people. Twenty years ago, Episcopalians ordained women. Now they ordain homosexuals to the spiritual leadership. What will they do next?

Thirdly, they were unfaithful in their commitment (Mal. 2:8c).

Fourthly, God made them contemptible in reputation (Mal. 2:9a). This is just the opposite of what God did with Elijah. Elijah was confronted with 450 prophets of Baal. So, Elijah set up a contest to see whose God was God. Both sides took an ox and were to prepare the ox for sacrifice, but neither side could light the fire. The real God Himself, would consume with a fire. Elijah had some fun with this.

When the 450 prophets of Baal set up their altar and sacrifice, they started chanting, singing and shouting. They started hopping and hobbling around the altar. Elijah decided he had seen enough and yelled out, “Maybe Baal has gone on vacation, or maybe he’s relieving himself!”

When Elijah set up his altar and ox, he directed that water be poured over the sacrifice. When Elijah prayed that God would exalt His name, God sent fire down that licked up the entire sacrifice, including the ox, wood, stones and water. The people were so moved, they bowed in worship of God and killed the false prophets of Baal. God exalted Elijah’s reputation, because Elijah honored God. The spiritual leadership of Malachi’s day had dishonored God’s name, so God made their reputation contemptible.

Fifthly, they were negligent in their duties (Mal. 2:9b).

Sixthly, they showed partiality in judgment (Mal. 2:9c). They favored people rather than God. This is what Eli the priest did for his sons in 1 Samuel 2-4. While Eli rebuked his sons, he did not insist that they do the right thing nor pull them from serving the Lord. “You respected people over my truth. You have not kept My ways. You have picked and chosen what you wanted. You find some Scripture exciting, but are bored with others.” God was saying, “Enough is enough.”

God’s leaders must mirror God’s character

and lead people in truth to the Lord!

What kind of leadership does America have? We are still dealing with the deceitful cover-up of the American Embassy in Benghazi. We are still dealing with the attack on the freedom of the press by seizure of the reporter’s phone records, and spying on media outlets to root out leakers. We are still dealing with the IRS intentionally and maliciously targeting conservative groups and leaking personal and private taxpayer information. We are still dealing with IRS officials, who threw lavish million dollar parties for themselves, even as Americans struggled to keep their jobs and pay their taxes. Those officials cannot account for their expenses – imagine that? We are still dealing with Pro-life and Christian groups, who report extreme and intrusive demands from the IRS. The IRS demanded one group to promise not to picket Planned Parenthood. We are still dealing with the IRS, who conducted 100,000 audits of adopting families in 2011 alone – because they adopted a child. The IRS just purchased coffee trays and plants with hidden cameras. Not everyone in the IRS is included. There are many law-abiding people.

What about the healthcare, that was voted in so that we could allegedly find out what is in it and now all parties are backing away because what was promised was false.

While the government is trying to disarm you, they’re arming up with millions of weapons, ammunition and executive orders.

A tyrannical government is rising up out of the ocean of people with an entitlement attitude.

But the problem is really the American Church. There have been so many deviants in pulpits abusing their position, abusing their power and abusing the people around them. It is no wonder that many denominations are experiencing a decline. But it is not just the leadership in the church, it is also the people in the pew, who allow this foolishness, this wickedness, these leaders to continue. Enough is enough!

Jesus said, “Do not be like them.” (Matt. 6:8). Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33). God loved Israel. That is why in His mercy He would become silent, so they would say, “Where is the voice, the message of the Lord?” Beloved, God loves you. Are you hearing from the Lord in His Word everyday?

God’s leaders must mirror God’s character

and lead people in truth to the Lord!

Remove leaders who become complacent regarding God’s character and actions. You cannot afford not to remove them if they are complacent or they do not respond to rebuke. Some need to be tested to see how they will respond to rebuke.
Choose leaders whose character mirrors God’s character.
Develop leaders who are pursuing God’s character and actions.

It’s all about character, not just talent or looks. Find the right character in a man, and the other superficial things will take care of themselves. Let God develop your character and you will experience more blessing from God that you can imagine.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) When you were growing up, what was your view of pastors, priests or spiritual leaders?

Digging Deeper:

2) Read. Deuteronomy 28:1-14. What did God want to do if Israel obeyed the Lord? _______________ What if they did not obey the Lord (cf. Deut. 28:15-21)? What areas of life are covered? Did they have a choice?

3) How important is the concept of blessing to God (cf. Num. 6:22-27)? ________________ Why does a people not receive that?

4) Note 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9; and 1 Peter 5:1-5. Are the characteristics required of spiritual leaders only applicable to those in a leadership position? ______________ Why or why not?

Making application of the message to life:

5) How should followers relate to spiritual leaders (cf. Heb. 13:7,17)?

6) How can you hold spiritual leaders accountable, while being respectful and helpful?

7) What are seven things you can do to multiply yourself to prepare the next generation to lead others to Christ?

Q & A: Malachi: Enough is Enough

Posted on June 6, 2013 by shepherdbryan

The following are suggested answers for the Message Based Discussion Questions from the message presented on June 2, 2013.

Enough is Enough

Malachi 1:6-14

How should God be worshiped?

1) Worship God with honor 1:6-8

· 2 Sam. 12:10; Pro. 14:2; 1 Sam. 2:27-31

· Lev. 22:19-22; Deut. 15:21

2) Worship God with reverent fear 1:9-10

· Is. 1:11-15

3) Worship God with pure offerings 1:11-14

God deserves 100% of our best preparation

and worship to honor Him.

· I honor God when I start to prepare for worship on Monday.

· Godly preparation focuses my attention on heaven, rather than on problems.

· My offerings to God must be pure and holy. Heb. 10:19-25

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) When and what were you taught about giving to God?

Digging Deeper:

2) Read Leviticus 22:17-24. What is God’s standard for an offering (cf. 22:21)? _______________ What were God’s expectations regarding the sacrifices?

3) What did God expect from Eli and his sons (1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-35)? ______________ Who did Eli favor according to God? What promise did God make?

4) Read Psalm 51:16-17. What does God desire? _____________ What does this passage and the previous questions say about God’s desire for our heart related to sacrifices?

5) Does Hebrews 10:19-27 give room for casual preparation and worship? ___________ How or in what way?

Making application of the message to life:

6) How well prepared do you need to be for Sunday worship? What kinds of things should be considered throughout the week?

7) How would you disciple a brand new Christian on how to prepare for worship?

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) When and what were you taught about giving to God?

a) When I was a boy in elementary school, my mother gave me a bank and as I saved, she also told me I needed to give part of it to church, to God.

b) I remember learning I was told to give 10%, but I don’t think I applied that very well.

c) I didn’t learn about grace-giving until I was in my early twenties.

Digging Deeper:

2) Read Leviticus 22:17-24. What is God’s standard for an offering (cf. 22:21)? __perfect__ What were God’s expectations regarding the sacrifices?

a) God expected Israel to understand the sacrificial system

b) God expected Israel to understand why they were to offer a perfect offering

c) God expected the one who made the offering to do it willingly and not grudgingly.

d) God expected that any imperfect offering would not be given. He would not accept them.

e) A handicapped animal could be offered as a free will offering, but not as a vow.

f) God would not accept an offering of an animal that was damaged in some way.

g) Offerings were a foreshadow of Christ’s perfection to come.

3) What did God expect from Eli and his sons (1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-35)? _respect and honor__ Who did Eli favor according to God? What promise did God make?

a) Eli favored his sons, because while he told them the right things to do, he did not insist or ensure that they did the right things. Eli was more concerned about his relationship with his sons than he was with his relationship with God.

b) God said that there would be no old man in Eli’s house, that is, he and his sons would die leaving no heir.

4) Read Psalm 51:16-17. What does God desire? _a broken heart__ What does this passage and the previous questions say about God’s desire for our heart related to sacrifices?

a) God desires sacrifices, but not as much as a broken and contrite heart.

b) God does despise some sacrifices (Is. 1:11-15), but God will not despise a broken heart.

5) Does Hebrews 10:19-27 give room for casual preparation and worship? _no, we are to enter with boldness, but not casual, because it is by the blood of Jesus_ How or in what way?

a) We are to enter by the blood of Jesus. That is a big deal. He did what we couldn’t do (Eph. 1:7).

b) It is a new and living way, what we could not do. Now we can walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4)

c) We are to enter by a true heart, by faith. We are to continue to walk by faith (Col. 2: 6)

d) We accept that we had an evil conscience, but we have been transformed. We should walk in a manner that is worthy of what He has done for us (Col. 1:10).

e) We need to exhort each other to press forward (Phil. 3:13)

f) If we become complacent, we miss out and become hardened in the downward spiral and enter the sin unto death (Eph. 4:17-19; 1 John 5:16; Jam. 5:19-20)

Making application of the message to life:

6) How well prepared do you need to be for Sunday worship? What kinds of things should be considered throughout the week?

a) It is the highlight of the week for believers. It is an expression of my heart in love for Him.

b) I need to consider my time in preparation, treasures in giving, use of talents, encouragement of my tongue and rest for my temple (my body).

c) I should start on Monday to prepare by quiet times and considering God-sightings throughout the week. I should lay out my clothes Saturday night and ensure that no controversial topics are discussed on Sunday morning. I should consider entering worship with praise and a heart full of anticipation of giving to Him full glory.

7) How would you disciple a brand new Christian on how to prepare for worship?

a) Demonstrate by my life what is important.

b) Guide into Scripture to understand God’s attributes and why He is worthy of worship.

c) Give an example of what he would do to prepare for a job interview or meeting someone he thinks is important. Ask him to multiply that 100 times and apply that to approaching God in worship.

d) Ask him to consider many areas of life, like time, rest, work, mind, heart, friends, fellowship, spiritual disciplines, clothes, schedule and arrival time.

e) Ask him to participate in one of the service opportunities before, during or after the service.

I. Indifference to God’s love 1

A. The Lord’s love declared 1:1-5

B. The Lord’s love despised 1:6-14

II. Indifference to God’s law 2

A. The priest’s violation of the law 2:1-9

B. The people’s violation of home laws 2:10-17

III. Indifference to God’s message 3

A. The coming judgment 3:1-6

B. The current judgment 3:7-15

C. The circle of faith 3:16-18

IV. Indifference to the Day of the Lord

MSG: Malachi: Enough is Enough

Posted on June 3, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This message was presented on June 2, 2013 as a part of a series on Malachi.

Enough is Enough

Malachi 1:6-14

Malachi was written 2400 years ago, but our passage could easily have been an editorial in the Star today. The passage reminds me of people who are not really aware of what’s going on around them. Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t know what happened at work. I was laid off. I did most of what I was told to do. Sure I was late a few times. Sure I was sick, but there were things I had to do around the house. Everyone says they do that. No I didn’t attend the company functions. Why should I? They aren’t any fun. People get into their own cliques anyway. I just stayed home. I just don’t understand why I was laid off.” Israel was not aware of what was going on either.

Israel was about to get their pink slip from God, again. They did not seek after God with their whole heart. Their complacency left them indifferent to the holiness of God. They had forgotten the agony of exile, when God said “Enough is enough.” God was about to say, “Enough!” again to Israel. If God can say enough, how should He be approached? How should God be worshiped?

1) Worship God with honor 1:6-8

Malachi 1:6-2:9 is a rebuke to the priests. Their attitude was communicated to the people that any offering was better than none at all. Yet, God gave an entire book, Leviticus, including major portions in Exodus, describing precise procedures and standards for offerings. Why did He give such preciseness? Was it to make us work? Was it to make us feel bad? Was it to make us miserable? Those are all the wrong questions. What is the focus in those questions? The focus is on self. The answers must all relate to the reality that God is holy and righteous. The questions should have been, “Why did God establish precise procedures?” Or, “Why is God so meticulous in the standard for offerings?” Israel’s heart was far from God and they were moving farther away.

God spoke through Malachi in Malachi 1:6,

⁶ “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say,`In what way have we despised Your name?’

God chooses two words that denote respect in the Jewish mind: father (ab) and master (adonay). The lack of honor and reverence are the seed bed for the Pharisees and Sadducees in the time of Jesus. Like the people in Malachi’s day, they followed the rituals, but they had no relationship with God, nor did they offer sacrifices according to God’s standards. God said, “You despise My name.” The verb for “despise” means they “keep on despising,” “you keep on giving little worth to something,” or you “undervalue something or someone and implied contempt.

David was a man after God’s own heart, yet God said David despised the Lord. After David took Bathsheba as his wife, Nathan the prophet went to rebuke David, “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” (2 Sam. 12:10)

Let me illustrate the concept of despising someone. Let us say you borrowed a truck. You really needed to do some hard work and in the process you get the outside and inside of the truck rather dirty with mud. You also made frequent stops to McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Arby’s and you left the wrapping and leftovers on the back floor. You use up the gas tank, but when you return the key to the owner, you say, “Thanks for letting me use the truck.” You may have said, “Thanks,” but leaving the truck dirty, trashed out and gas on E is showing big time contempt for the owner. That is what God says Israel was doing.

Let me illustrate from Proverbs. Solomon writes, “He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.” (Pro. 14:2) The one who walks in a godly manner shows his fear and honor of the Lord. The one who is perverse shows by his actions what he is really saying, that is, “I don’t care what you say or think.” The actions show spite to the Lord. The actions speak louder than the words. Let me give one additional example.

Eli was made a priest in Israel during the time of the judges. He had two sons, Hophni and Phineahas. Eli told Hophni and Phineas what they were supposed to do and even rebuked them, BUT he did not insist, or train, or discipline them to do the right thing. Notice what God says,

²⁷ Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD:`Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
²⁸ `Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
²⁹ `Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’
³⁰ “Therefore the LORD God of Israel says:`I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the LORD says:`Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
³¹ `Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. (1 Sam. 2:27-31)

God chose Levi to be the priest for Israel and Eli should have felt privileged as a Levite. With privilege comes responsibility, but Eli did not ensure his sons were discipled to do the right thing. He warned them, rebuked them, but did not insist that they honor the Lord. God said that Eli honored his sons more than God. Eli wouldn’t have seen it that way, but he did accept the Lord’s judgment.

God said that Eli kicked at the sacrifices by kicking dirt on them and then choosing the best meat from what was offered rather than just taking from the pot. Hence, God will honor those who honor Him, but make smaller (lightly esteem) those who made light of
Him. Furthermore, Eli’s arm (his power and sustenance) would be removed (that is neither he nor his sons would be in his house much longer). In 1 Samuel 4, Eli died when he heard both his sons died.

In Malachi 1:7, God continues charges against Israel, “You offer defiled food on My altar. But say, `In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying,`The table of the LORD is contemptible.’” The word for “defiled” means something has happened to the sacrifice so that it is no longer as it once was. Again, they would not say those words, but they did by their actions. Verse eight explains what God means.

In verse eight, God calls their actions evil. Evil? Yes, God calls their sacrifices “evil”! Malachi writes for God, “And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts.” (Mal. 1:8) How can an offering Israel offered be “evil”? God described how He wanted Israel to offer sacrifices in Leviticus. He writes,

· ¹⁹ `you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats.

· ²⁰ `Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf.

· ²¹ `And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.

· ²² `Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to the LORD. (Lev. 22:19-22)

And Moses wrote in Deuteronomy,

· ²¹ “But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.” (Deut. 15:21)

When Israel offered a sacrifice that had sores, was blind or was lame, diseased, or torn from the teeth of an animal, God said it was not acceptable. So God tells Israel to offer it to the governor and asks if they think the governor would accept it. The implied answer is the governor would not accept it. So should God accept it? Israel might say, “But is God not a loving God? Does God care that much? He’ll accept it won’t He?”

2) Worship God with reverent fear 1:9-10

Even though God rebukes the people for their ungodly attitude and actions, the people ask the priests for God’s favor. They’re expecting He will provide, because they are, after all, God’s people.

· ⁹ “But now entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the LORD of hosts. (Mal. 1:9)

They want the blessings in spite of their unawareness. In spite of God’s rebukes they still want God’s blessings. They are more concerned about blessings than presence. But God rebukes the people in verse ten.

In verse 10, God says, “Enough is enough!” Malachi records, “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” Says the LORD of hosts, “Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.” God wants to know if there is anyone who will shut the door of the temple to stop this parade of defilement from entering the holy halls of the temple. “Someone, shut the door!” The expression “invain,” (chinam) means “uselessly,” “for nothing,” or “for no purpose.” “Don’t let that in My house! Would there be someone that says, don’t bring those sacrifices, if they are second hand.”

I have offended people, to which I make no apology, because I told people not to give their cast offs to the church. Don’t bring in your old televisions, your old couches, or something else, if you have replaced them with something better at home. Someone might say, “But it’s for the youth and they’ll just tear it up.” Does God give you leftovers? Don’t bring it to church, unless it is for the Rummage Sale. God says. “It is useless, I will not accept it.” God would rather someone shut the doors of the temple than let this go on.

But doesn’t God need my handout? Isaiah makes that very clear for us in Isaiah 1,

· ¹¹ “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats.

· ¹² “When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts?

· ¹³ Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies– I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

· ¹⁴ Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

· ¹⁵ When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. (Is. 1:11-15)

God doesn’t need sacrifices, we do. Righteous sacrifices show we understand God is holy. We need to sacrifice regularly, because it reminds us of having a reverent fear of God and teaches our dependence upon Him. Many offer up what is left over, things already used, the tired, the sick, the poor and they still ask God for more! Let me illustrate.

How long can you fool your boss? Let’s say you get together with some Christian friends and you are having a great time. Laughing together, sharing in fellowship and you might even be spiritual by talking about the message. Those spiritual Euchre cards come out and all of a sudden you realize it is 3 a.m. You go home, get a few hours of sleep, drink some coffee and do the best you can at work.

The next night, you get together again with your friends, because you hadn’t had so much fun in years and things lead to the Euchre cards and again, it’s 3 a.m. You rush home get a few hours of sleep and drink a lot of coffee. How will your work be? There may be simple mistakes, missed meetings and assignments become sloppy. You can fool the boss some of the time, but eventually, what would the boss do? He will give you a pink slip.

The boss wants only the best attitude and actions at work. Should we give the Lord any less than that when it comes to worship? Only the best should be given to the Lord, not leftovers.

We get tired on a busy Saturday at the park and stay up late Saturday night. So we are not alert on Sunday, we don’t sing out and we’re not as concerned about other brethren. That is “blind, lame, sick” worship and effort on our part. Parents, do you to prepare your children so they are ready to learn and worship God!

Worship God with honor. Worship God with reverent fear. And when you come, worship God with pure offerings.

3) Worship God with pure offerings 1:11-14

At some point in the future, there will be pure offerings.

· ¹¹ For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the LORD of hosts. (Mal. 1:11)

This verse 11 is a prophecy of the Millennium. There were no pure offerings during Malachi’s time, nor for the next 400 years, nor during the time when Jesus walked on earth, but there will be in the Millennium. There will be pure offerings in the Millennium, because Jesus ensures purity of sacrifices. Yet verse twelve explains how they were failing in their worship.

In verse twelve, Malachi rebukes their attitude by means of observing their actions.

· ¹² “But you profane it, in that you say, `The table of the LORD¹is defiled; And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ (Mal. 1:12)

The word for “profane” (chalal) is an intensive use of the verb and means to “make light of” or “not hold the offering with reverence.” The ATTITUDE is seen in the ACTION. Some give what is left over after monthly bills, etc. Some believe they can spend their income on themselves and have nothing to give to God. If you spend more on pleasure and entertainment than on the Lord, there is something wrong with your thinking.

The Lord reveals the problem is even worse.

· ¹³ You also say, `Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the LORD of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the LORD. (Mal. 1:13)

The people are bored with the sacrificial rituals. They consider it a waste. They were tired of doing the same thing over and over. In fact they sneered at it and the verb means they caused others to sneer at it or treat it with contempt. In fact, the priests said it was okay to bring in animals that were robbed from the mouth of a lion or wolf. The word, “stolen” means torn away like a sheep from the teeth of a wolf or lion.

God is very clear. Holy sacrifices are to be given, because of Who He is.

· ¹⁴ “But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished– For I am a great King,” Says the LORD of hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations. (Mal 1:14)

Do not make a vow for a sacrifice and then reconsider and give what is blemished. God is “a great King.” In fact, He is the Lord of hosts, or Lord of the armies. Israel did not treat God as a great King. Does America?

Instead of holy worship of the Lord, America is being deceived that Al-qaeda and Islamic Jihadism is not a terrorist threat. And hence, Islam is a viable alternative. Tell that to the victims of the Fort Hood terrorist attack, or the Boston marathon bombing or the Americans killed on Libyan soil. Enough is enough.

Instead of promoting the National Day of Prayer, the nation supports the Islamic prayer schedule. Enough is enough.

Instead of defending Christians and their places of worship, our nation has removed troops from Iraq and Afghanistan so the al-qaeda would have freedom to destroy Christian places of worship. And There was no outrage spoken from our highest office? Enough is enough.

The withdrawal of troops and combat operations with a shift to intelligence gathering and law enforcement is merely smoke and mirrors deception so the enemy can gain power in the Middle East to serve as a launching pad to neutralize Europe and the United States. Enough is enough.

The only reason there have not been more attacks in America is because of the ineptness of the enemy and the remnant of believers who are pursuing the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, the enemy will not stop with the World Trade Center destruction until he destroys our economy and reshapes our laws. Enough is enough.

Instead of responding to warnings about the Tsarnaev brothers, the botched FBI investigation allowed the Boston bomber Muslims to complete their mission. And the country wants 11 million illegal aliens from whatever foreign countries to continue living in America. But the administration refuses to grant asylum to a Christian family who fled from Germany. The Administration is seeking to deport them because the Romeikes want to home school their family. Germany had outlawed homeschooling. The administration argues that their problems are not great enough to grant asylum, but argues to give full citizenship to any Muslims and other illegal aliens. Enough is enough.

But those are only the tangible evidence that America is worshiping something other than the Lord. We are a country who worships so many things other than the Lord. We worship sports stars and rock stars. America flocks to theaters to see screen stars and music stars. America rushes to sacrifice so much to climb the corporate ladder, while their family falls off the wagon. America buys into the American dreams and forgets about God’s gifts of peace, hope and love.

How would America respond to accusations that it is turning from God? America would say, “We’re the greatest country on earth!” “We help so many.” “We’re a good country.” “We’re not against God.” “We go to church.” That is when it suits our cause.

God deserves 100% of our best preparation

and worship to honor Him.

I honor God when I start to prepare for worship on Monday. My quiet time and walk prepare me to approach Him in singing and encouraging and learning. Do I set aside for God the first of my time and income?
Godly preparation focuses my attention on heaven, rather than on problems. I prepare well so my attention can be above, not distracted by below. Do I give God the best of my alertness for church and service?
My offerings to God must be pure and holy. Do I honor God by the way I talk, walk, dress, eat, live, sleep, exercise, keep His Word? Is your daily walk pure and holy?

Let me close with this passage.

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God,
²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. (Heb. 10:19-27)

People often are entranced by what is interesting, new or different. God is clear about what we should do.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) When and what were you taught about giving to God?

Digging Deeper:

2) Read Leviticus 22:17-24. What were God’s expectations regarding the sacrifices?

3) What did God expect from Eli and his sons (1 Sam. 2:12-17, 22-35)? Who did Eli favor according to God? What promise did God make?

4) What does this passage and the previous questions say about God’s desire for our heart (cf. Ps. 51:16-17)?

5) Does Hebrews 10:19-27 give room for casual preparation and worship? How or in what way?

Making application of the message to life:

6) How well prepared do you need to be for Sunday worship? What kinds of things should be considered throughout the week?

7) How would you disciple a brand new Christian on how to prepare for and involvement in worship?

I. Indifference to God’s love 1

A. The Lord’s love declared 1:1-5

B. The Lord’s love despised 1:6-14

II. Indifference to God’s law 2

A. The priest’s violation of the law 2:1-9

B. The people’s violation of home laws 2:10-17

III. Indifference to God’s message 3

A. The coming judgment 3:1-6

B. The current judgment 3:7-15

C. The circle of faith 3:16-18

IV. Indifference to the Day of the Lord

Q & A: Questioning God’s Love

Posted on May 30, 2013 by shepherdbryan

The following (below the insert information) are considerations for suggested answers to the Message Based Discussion Questions. These are designed to stimulate discussion, not to replace it. The questions are designed to promote thinking, not just give answers. Christianity will only be real when Christians can think through the issues rather than just meander through the motions. My prayer is that these will stimulate spiritual growth.

Questioning God’s Love

Malachi 1:1-5

Isaiah 38:1-3

What happens when we question God’s love?

1) God declares His burden of love 1:1-2a

· Is. 1:2-3

2) We can grow indifferent to His love 1:2b

· 1 John 2:15-17; 3:18

3) God doesn’t need to explain, but does 1:2c-5

· Gen. 25:30; 36:8

· 2 Ch. 21:8,10; Ezek. 25:12-14; Ob. 1:8

· Pro. 13:24; Mat. 6:24; Luke 14:26; [Matt. 10:37]

God’s love is strongly stated in Scripture

· God’s love for you is perfect and eternal John 3:16

· Nothing can frustrate God’s love or plan in your life 1 Cor. 10:13

· God will allow you to wander, become indifferent and forget 1 John 2:15-17

· You choose what you will pursue – God’s love or the world Ps. 26:3

· Your response determines your understanding of His love Rom. 8:31-39

There is nothing more clear than God’s love;

question God’s love and you’ll become miserable,

trust God and you’ll experience more love than you can imagine.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) Have you ever seen a child grow indifferent to his parent’s love? How would you describe it?

Digging Deeper

2) What are Scripture passages that describe God’s love?

3) What does Romans 1:21-32 and Ephesians 4:17-19 describe? ____________________ Why do people grow indifferent toward God’s love?

4) What do you learn from the following passages about Edom (1 Kings 11:11-25; 2 Kings 14:7-10; 2 Chron. 25:19; Ps. 60:8-9; Ps. 108:9,10; 137:7; Is. 11:14; 34:5)?

Making application of the message to life:

5) Why does God allow antagonism toward His people if He loves them?

6) How would you disciple someone to understand the confidence he can have of God’s love?

7) If God was willing to explain his love to Israel, what should our response be to others when they question us? Is that response the same in every case?

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) Have you ever seen a child grow indifferent to his parent’s love? How would you describe it?

a) Yes, it’s a business relationship or friend relationship rather than a parent/child relationship.

b) The child often grows prideful in his own eyes. The child often seeks to treat the parent as a peer rather than an honored parent. The child seeks entitlements without the expectation of work, in other words, he expects care at the expense of the parent and without giving respect. He eventually disrespects the parents, because he grows up with an expectation or learned concept that they should love and he may look down his nose at them. He may feel sorry for them, but more likely grow indifferent and possibly disdain them.

c) Sometimes the child becomes introverted looking, focusing only on himself. He will close himself into an inner world of individuality or fantasy and remain aloof from others. He talks about himself, because he has not learned to be other-centered. OR, he will look for companionship with the world (Pro. 1:10-19) and be delinquent and misbehave. He will do what he does for his own gain. He remains independent of other people, because he doesn’t learn to trust them.

Digging Deeper:

2) What are Scripture passages that describe God’s love?

a) God’s provision of the gospel Gen. 3:15

b) God’s Abrahamic Covenant Gen. 12:1-3

c) God’s care for Joseph and the family Gen. 50:20

d) God’s deliverance of Isreal Ex. 14:31

e) God’s daily provision in the wilderness Ex. 16:15

f) God’s commandments Ex. 20:1-17

g) God’s abundant provisions Deut 28:1-14

h) God’s love poured out to us Rom. 5:5

i) Demonstrated on the cross Rom. 5:8

j) Nothing can separate us from God’s love Rom. 8:31-39

k) It surpasses understanding Eph. 3:19

l) He loves us John 3:16

m) It can be perfected in us 1 John 2:5

n) It can be bestowed on us 1 John 3:1

o) It causes us to love others 1 John 3:17

p) God is love 1 John 4:8-10

q) God’s love through us 1 Jn. 4:19

r) We reveal it by our obedience 1 John 5:1-3

3) What do Romans 1:21-32 and Ephesians 4:17-19 describe? _the downward spiral__ Why do people grow indifferent toward God’s love?

a) They do not honor God nor are they thankful Rom. 1:21

b) They don’t love God, so they won’t see God’s love

c) They want what they want when they want it

d) They are focused on themselves, rather than others

e) They reject God’s saving grace

f) They want to be their own god and in control of life

g) They become hardened from sin and can’t see God’s love

h) They occupy themselves with the world

4) What do you learn from the following passages about Edom (1 Kings 11:11-25; 2 Kings 14:7-10; 2 Chron. 25:19; Ps. 60:8-9; Ps. 108:9,10; 137:7; Is. 11:14; 34:5)?

a) 1Kg 11:11-25 = Hadad, from Edom, was a thorn to Solomon

b) 2 Kg 14:7-10 = There was war in Amaziah’s day with Edom

c) 2 Ch 25:19 = God used Judah to defeat Edom. We may have to do dirty work to complete God’s work.

d) Ps. 60:8-9 = Edom will be defeated and treated as waste

e) Ps. 108:9-10 = It was part of the chorus of at least a couple Psalms

f) Ps. 137:7 = Edom wanted Judah destroyed

g) Is. 11:14 = Edom will have trouble in the future; nations will rise against Edom

h) Is. 34:5 = God’s judgment will fall on Edom

Making application of the message to life:

5) Why does God allow antagonism toward His people if He loves them?

a) It shows we do not live in heaven

b) It shows sin has resulted in division and trouble

c) God allows it so we depend on Him

d) God allows it so we learn to discern when to shepherd tenderly and when to shepherd firmly

e) God allows it to exalt Himself

f) God allows it so we see He is sufficient

g) God allows it when we continue in sin

6) How would you disciple someone to understand the confidence he can have of God’s love?

a) 1 Pet. 4:8 show God’s love and cover over a multitude of sins

b) Teach them God’s character of love 1 Jn 4:8

c) Teach them many stories of God’s love actions 1 Jn 4:9-10

d) Accept him where he is and help him grow Heb. 12:5-6

e) Bring him along to visit one who is suffering and troubled

f) Show him how to love others through service and encouragement

g) Ask him to take the lead in serving others

7) If God was willing to explain his love to Israel, what should our response be to others when they question us? Is that response the same in every case?

a) We should be willing to listen to understand the person. We need to see things from his perspective, rather than assuming.

b) We need to examine ourselves, because only God is perfect and the person may be exposing something God wants addressed. We may be more focused on self than we think or we may have become complacent.

c) We need to think through the response so that it edifies the person rather than merely defend or justify self (Eph. 4:29).

d) The response will not be the same in every case.

i) Most cases require shepherding as in 1 Pet. 5:1-5

ii) Some cases require humble firmness to help the person see their waywardness 1 Tim. 5:1; 2 Tim. 2:24-26

MSG: Questioning God’s Love

Posted on May 27, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This message was presented on May 26, 2013 as a part of the series teaching through Malachi.

Questioning God’s Love

Malachi 1:1-5

On the lighter side of the military, I remember some road marches as a private and the misery of each step after the twenty mile marker. Many years ago, before the draft was over, the third Brigade, 11^th Division was doing a two day road march in Germany. The weather was cold and rainy. The roads had become muddy. The privates in the Brigade were obeying orders.

The Brigade Commander, who was a 25 year veteran, a colonel, ordered his unit on this training mission, hoping for good weather, but facing what came. The Colonel marched with his battalions over that two day march.

On a moonless night, Private Snuffy Smith was miserable. Not knowing the person who was walking next to him was the Brigade commander with rain gear that covered his identity and his insignia, Private Snuffy leaned over to the 25 year veteran colonel, and said, “Can you believe some idiots make a career out of this?”

Have you ever been miserable, in the pit, and said, “Why God? Why does this have to happen right now? Tomorrow would be better.” OR, “Lord, if you love me, you’ll get me out of this jam. I’m going to church. I read my Bible. I pray to You. Why am I not being blessed? Lord, don’t you love me?”

Hezekiah was miserable. He was a king in Israel around B.C. 701. Isaiah records,

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD:`Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.'”
²Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
³ and said, “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (Is. 38:1-3)

Job was miserable. He lost his business, his ten children and his health when his body was covered with boils. Then his friends discouraged him implying Job was suffering because of his sins.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, cast into prison, forgotten by the cupbearer and left in prison. Do you think over the thirteen years he was separated from his family that he would have wondered, “God did you forget me?” Did God love Hezekiah? Did God love Job? Did God love Joseph? Does God love You?

In Malachi’s time, B.C. 425, Israel was more focused on their circumstances and concerned about the world, than pursuing God with their whole heart. Israel lacked trust in God. They grew independent from God. They were not satisfied with their condition. They did not honor God, nor were they thankful for all of His provisions. Israel forgot about God’s blessing and love for them. They became indifferent to God’s love, His law, His message and the coming Day of the Lord. What happens when we question God’s love?

1) God declares His burden of love 1:1-2a

Malachi is a series of declarations from the Lord. Israel had fallen away from God, but they did not realize they had fallen. God called Israel back in his mercy. Malachi records for us, “The burdenof the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.” (Mal 1:1) The word for burden is masaa which means a load or weight. God’s love is weighed down as a heavy burden, because God’s people are living like they didin’t know His love. It’s very similar to what Isaiah prophesied,

² Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me;
³ The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” (Is. 1:2-3)

It’s interesting that Isaiah prophesied 300 years before Malachi around B.C. 725. Malachi prophesied around B.C. 425. Both prophesies are very similar.

Then God makes His first declaration. He said, “I have loved you.” (Mal. 1:2a) How had God loved Israel? God gave the Abrahamic Covenant and every Israelite was the recipient of that unconditional covenant. God promised Israel, through Abraham, a land, a seed and a blessing. (Gen. 12:1-3) That promise was a wall of Protection and Blessing. God also delivered Israel from Egypt. (Ex. 14:30-31) God could have left them in Egypt in slavery. God provided for them in the wilderness from Egypt. (Deut. 8:4-20) Everything they needed to accomplish God’s work was available to them. They did not lack anything. God chose them (Deut. 10:15) from all the nations. And, God promised blessing if they walked in His commands. (Deut. 28:1-8) But, you say those were 1000 years before. And you are right. It’s easy to forget what was said and not think someone is still loving in their actions. Israel forgot what God said and grew indifferent to His love.

2) We can grow indifferent to His love 1:2b

Israel had forgotten where she lived, God’s land. They knew they were God’s people, but they forgot where they lived — in God’s perfect righteous plan. To them living was just getting through each day. Their sufferings and afflictions were assumed a part of the trials as they waited for the Messiah to come and rule.

Why did Israel not remember how much the Lord loved them? Israel had not regained their military strength as when David was king. They had not regained economic strength as when Solomon was king. When you are less than you once were, you easily get discouraged. It’s the challenge of growing older. You lose strength and your ability to earn a decent wage, so you think about the good ol’ days and forget how fantastic God’s love has been through the years.

Sometimes, our senses draw us into the world. John writes,

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
¹⁶For all that is in the world– the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life– is not of the Father but is of the world.
¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

We are often more keen about our senses and those senses become our reality. We forget that God is more real than our senses and we must trust His Word all the more (2 Pet. 1:16-19). Our senses draw us to enjoy the world, but also to depend on the world, because it is what we can see, touch, hear, taste and smell. The more dependent we are on the world, the more we grow unattached to the Lord. The more unattached to the Lord, the more we will tend to question His love.

Now the question is, did they really say, “In what way have you loved us?”(Mal. 1:2b) Did they say that? We have studied how we can communicate by nonverbal communication. Our tone of voice and nonverbal expressions are actually more powerful than the content of our words. John writes that love must be more than mere words, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18) Love is shown by actions, not just words.

At this point, God does not need to explain Himself. He declared His love. That should be sufficient. He should not have to explain Himself, but He does.

3) God doesn’t need to explain, but does 1:2c-5

Israel had returned to the land, the temple was rebuilt, worship restored and the wall reconstructed, but Israel did not think God loved them. Who did they think was behind those actions? Did they think it was coincidence that Cyrus the Persian let them return to Israel? Did they think that Israel knew what to do in order to rebuild the temple? Did they think the reconstruction of the wall was based on their ability?

God described a major adversary had been removed. All through Israel’s history, Edom had been antagonistic. The Edomites were descendants of Esau. (Gen. 25:30; 36:8) Edom had kings long before Israel had a king, because they were far more worldly. (Gen. 36:3) The Edomites were amazed and dismayed at God’s deliverance of Israel at the Exodus. They did not want Israel out of slavery. (Ex. 15:15) When Israel desired to enter the Promised Land, Edom refused to let Israel pass through their land. The fighting continued as King Saul inflicted punishment on Edom. (1 Sam. 14:47) David put garrisons of soldiers in Edom to prevent an uprising, because they couldn’t be trusted. When Joab, David’s Chief of Staff of the Army, slew all the males of Edom, Hadad, a prince in Edom, escaped to Egypt. While there he grew in favor with the Pharaoh and married the Pharaoh’s sister-in-law. And when David died, Hadad returned and became an adversary of Solomon all the days of his life. When there was no king in Edom, Israel enjoyed relative peace. (1 Kg. 22:47) Ezra notes in 2 Chronicles 21:8, 10, “In Jehoram’s day Edom revolted against the rule of Judah, and set up a king over themselves….So Edom revolted against Judah to this day.”

Ezekiel records God’s wrathful attitude toward Edom,

¹² `Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,”
¹³`therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword.
¹⁴ “I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord GOD. (Ezek. 25:12-14)

God would make sure Edom was punished. In fact, the prophecy of Obadiah is completely against Edom.

And when Edom threatened to rebuild, the Lord described Himself as “Lord of hosts,” which means Lord of the “armies.” And Edom would not rise up, literally, “until forever,” or for eternity. Malachi writes,

⁴ Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places,” Thus says the LORD of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever. (Mal. 1:4)

Finally, God calls attention to their sense of sight when He says, “Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, `The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’ (Mal. 1:5) Your eyes – the eyes of Israel – will see God’s continual promise fulfilled and you will say “The Lord is great,” beyond the border.

Israel was acting like she had an uninvolved parent. America is filled with parents who are not involved with their children. What are characteristics of uninvolved parents and what are the effects of uninvolved parents?

Characteristics of the Uninvolved Parenting Style:

· Are emotionally distant from their children

· Offer little or no supervision

· Show little warmth, love and affection towards their children

· Have few or no expectations or demands for behavior

· Don’t attend school events or parent-teacher conferences

· May intentionally avoid their children

· Are often too overwhelmed by their own problems to deal with their children

The Effects of Uninvolved Parenting:

· Must learn to provide for themselves

· Fear becoming dependent on other people

· Are often emotionally withdrawn

· Tend to exhibit more delinquency during adolescence

· Feel fear, anxiety or stress due to the lack of family support

· Have an increased risk of substance abuse

These descriptions seem to describe parenthood in America as a whole. Today, children struggle to identify with something and make it on their own, because parents are too busy with their jobs or struggling with their lives. Let’s take a few moments and seek a little better understanding.

Understanding Uninvolved Parenting:

Researchers associate parenting styles with a range of child outcomes in areas such as social skills and academic performance. The children of uninvolved parents generally perform poorly and tend to lack in thinking, attachment, but also emotional and social skills.

Due to the lack of emotional responsiveness and love from parents, children raised by uninvolved parents may have difficulty forming attachments later in life and is why children with uninvolved parents are more likely to misbehave.

Uninvolved parents were often themselves raised by uninvolved and dismissive parents. As adults, they may repeat the same patterns of their parents. Some may simply be so caught up in their busy lives that they find it easier to take a hands-off approach to dealing with their children.

In some cases, parents may be so wrapped up in their own problems (i.e., being overworked, coping with depression, struggling with substance abuse) that they fail to see how uninvolved they are or are simply unable to provide the emotional support their children need.¹ Is God uninvolved in your life?

Before we go any further, let’s look at that expression in verses two and three, “Yet Jacob I have loved; ³ But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.” (Mal. 1:2c-3a) People are often too simplistic in their interpretation and do not look at the context for meaning. The word hate can certainly mean “wrathful hatred,” but it also denote a comparison as in the following passages:

²⁴ He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly. (Pro. 13:24)

Most people think they are loving their son when they withhold the rod, but compared to true godly discipline, they are revealing hatred.

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:24)

Most people trying to serve two masters would never say they hate one, but in a relative comparison, Jesus says you cannot love them equally. Jesus also uses the word hate in a discipleship passage,

²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26)

Jesus would not ask someone to “hate” his parents, because he also directs that we honor parents for all of our lives. (Eph. 6:2) Hence the word hate here also means that God chose Jacob and loved him in a far greater way than Esau. God did not choose to bless Esau as He did Jacob. Compared to Esau, Israel was greatly loved by God.

In fact, God’s love is strongly stated in Scripture.

· God’s love for you is perfect and eternal “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

· Nothing can frustrate God’s love or plan in your life “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13)

· God will allow you to wander, become indifferent and forget (1 John 2:15-17) You will have tests (like Edom) to determine your response to the Lord. Will you respond and focus on His love, or focus on the adversary, antagonism or problem? It may be a person, a job change, a personal handicap or disease.

· You choose what you will pursue – God’s love or the world. “For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.” (Ps. 26:3) David was facing the vindictiveness of his enemies, yet he chose to focus on God’s love. Let me illustrate. A child who does not sense parental love will grow up, but will not develop physically, mentally, socially, or emotionally the way he should. The child will often retreat into his own imaginary world of fantasy, just to create something he can control, until he grows up and moves out. We have a country filled with people who were not loved as children. Often people will say about children:

o Children are resilient through divorce

o Children will overcome without mom and dad

o Children need to face the world at a young age

o Let the TV babysit the children

These are true on the surface, but the hindrance results from a lack of what they could achieve. But you take a child who is loved, nurtured, trained, and given godly discipline, that child will become an effective builder in God’s kingdom. Israel was living in fear, and denied that God even loved them. She looked to the world, rather than the Lord.

· Your response determines your understanding of His love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
³⁶ As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter¹.”
³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:31-39)

No weakness, desire of the world, or influence of the angelic realm can hold back any believer who claims Christ’s victory for their own life. You are a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), positionally dead to the flesh (Rom. 6:12-13), but the flesh fights on (Rom. 7:24). The victory is Christ’s! Let us walk in it (1 Cor. 15:57)

Will you receive it and respond to it?

There is nothing more clear than God’s love;

question God’s love and you’ll become miserable,

trust God and you’ll experience more love than you can imagine.

¹Comments are based on the article found at: http://psychology.about.com/od/childcare/f/uninvolved-parenting.htm

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) Have you ever seen a child grow indifferent to his parent’s love? How would you describe it?

Digging Deeper

2) What are passages of Scripture that describe God’s love?

3) Why do people grow indifferent toward God’s love (cf. Rom. 1:21-32; Eph. 4:17-19)?

4) What do you learn from the following passages about Edom (1 King 11:11-25; 2 King 14:7-10; 2 Chron. 25:19; Ps. 60:8-9; Ps. 108:9,10; 137:7; Is. 11:14; 34:5)?

5) Why does God allow antagonism toward His people if He loves them?

Making application of the message to life:

6) How would you disciple someone to understand the confidence he can have of God’s love?

7) If God was willing to explain his love to Israel, what should our response be to others when they question us? Is that response the same in every case?

MSG: Malachi Introduction: Silent Treatment Prelude

Posted on May 20, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This message was presented on May 19, 2013 as the introduction to a series on Malachi. The parallels to the United States are incredible.

Silent Treatment Prelude

Malachi Introduction

Do people ever give you the silent treatment? Do they give you the cold shoulder? What do you do? Some you ignore. Some you approach and listen for understanding. In a family, we should approach the person to find out how to get along. Family should be an example of unity and oneness. That can only happen when people are agreed about their direction. Amos 3:3 records, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” How do people get to an agreement? They have to talk.

We have a Communication Team. Their responsibility is to communicate to the church important information and events. The team does a great work, although we’re always trying to improve what we do, so you can have better information. Israel was about to enter a time when they would not hear a word from God – for 400 years. What was going on 400 years ago? How many of you use a King James Version Bible? It was written 402 years ago. That is a long time ago. Let us get some background information on God’s Word as we begin our study of Malachi.

The Old Testament is composed of 39 books written between B.C. 1600 and B.C. 400. The New Testament is composed of 27 books written between 40 and 96 A.D. From B.C. 400 to the birth of Christ, there was silence from God. Why was there silence? There is often silence because people are mad. But why is there silence after Malachi? Was God mad at Israel?

Why was God silent for 400 years and then all of a sudden He began speaking at the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ? Malachi helps us understand why there was divine silence. Malachi reveals the condition of the people around B.C. 425-400. They had an attitude of spiritual indifference and spiritual mediocrity and an attitude that questioned why God was not blessing them. They treated God like He was supposed to be their Sugardaddy.

Remember God sent Israel into exile by sending the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar’s leadership beginning in B.C. 606 and destroying the temple in B.C. 586. Nebuchadnezzer took Israel into exile in Babylon. God allowed a remnant to return to Israel and the temple was completed in B.C. 516. Israel was in exile for 70 years. The 70 years was for the 70 Sabbath years Israel failed to honor God. Later, in B.C. 460, Ezra returned to Israel to restore worship. In B.C. 444, Nehemiah returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. So even though God allowed Israel to return, she failed to humble herself completely, and did not seek after God with all her heart, and with all her soul and with all her might [Deut. 6:5.]

Israel thought she was doing right. She couldn’t figure out why God was not blessing her. from her perspective! Sacrifices were done every day. Giving in the form of tithes and offerings were made, sometimes. Most people had a family and a business. Yet, Israel was falling into a morass of empty religiosity. Let me first show you how Israel thought she was doing right. Here are ten questions Israel asked of God as God recorded them through Malachi:

1:2 In what way have You loved us?

1:6 In what way have we despised Your name?

1:7 In what way have we defiled You?

1:9 But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? Where’s our blessing?

1:13 Oh, what a weariness! the assemblies and sacrifices…

2:13-14 you cover the altar of the Lord with tears..For what reason?

2:17 In what way have we wearied Him?

3:8 In what way have we robbed You?

3:13 What have we spoken against You?

3:14 What profit is it that we have kept His charge?

These ten passages reveal the human versus divine viewpoint of Israel. She was going through rituals, assembling in the temple for sacrifices, and yet she did not have the answers to these questions. Why? Why? We are going to answer those, because the answer to these questions are going to help us understand why the United Statesis suffering so much today.

Now I still didn’t answer the question, “Why 400 years of silence?” Remember the patriarchs went down to Egypt when Joseph was the prime minister? That was around B.C. 1950. Israel went down and enjoyed an abundance in contrast to the famine they experienced in Israel. Once the famine was over, they should have gone back to the land promise, but they stayed in Egypt. Israel became saturated with the idolatry of Egypt. How do we know Israel became idolatrous? While Israel was waiting for Moses, who was up on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God, what was the first thing they did? They made a golden calf. Finally, when Israel cried out for deliverance God brought that deliverance through Moses. The only thing we know about the time of Joseph’s death until Moses is Exodus 1 and extra-biblical writings on the Kingdoms of Egypt. The extra-biblical writings reveal that Egypt became a super-power. Why did Egypt become so powerful? Because, wherever God’s people are, God is and there will be great blessing. Egypt was blessed, while Israel came under oppression. How many years was Israel in slavery? We read in Acts 7:6 that they were enslaved and oppressed 400 years. Israel enjoyed a short abundance of blessing in Joseph’s time, but they did not return to the land of promise. So, God allowed them to remain in Egypt until Moses delivered them.

In Malachi’s time, about 1000 years after Moses, Israel was in the land, the temple was rebuilt, the walls were restored, but Israel did not change. They were not passionate about their pursuit of worshiping God. Hence they lost their freedom to the Greeks and to the Romans for 400 years when God sent Messiah. Yet Israel rejected the Messiah and God began the Church Age.

So what brought on the silence of God? Malachi answers that. The people asked in Malachi 2:17, “How have we wearied Him?” Have you ever been around someone who grumbles? Someone who grumbles or whines a lot? It gets very tiresome. Israel became a nation of indifferent grumblers. They did not know God well, because they were not seeking Him with all their heart, soul, and might!

Here are those questions again Israel defamed the Lord with according to God:

1:2 In what way have You loved us?

1:6 In what way have we despised Your name?

1:7 In what way have we defiled You?

1:9 But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? Where’s our blessing?

1:13 Oh, what a weariness! the assemblies and sacrifices…

2:13-14 you cover the altar of the Lord with tears..For what reason?

2:17 In what way have we wearied Him?

3:8 In what way have we robbed You?

3:13 What have we spoken against You?

3:14 What profit is it that we have kept His charge?

Are those questions, you might ask?

Listen, maybe you won’t ask those questions, but you ought to ask these parallel questions:

1:2 Do I experience God’s love for me?

1:6 Do I treat God’s name as holy?

1:7 Do I approach God with reverence, awe and holiness?

1:9 Do I ask for God’s blessing, when I am not in fellowship?

1:13 Do I say, how tiresome it is to assemble for church?

2:13-14 Do I mourn about my situation and not trust God’s sovereignty?

2:17 Do I go through religious rituals without passion?

3:8 Do I keep from the Lord my time, talents, and treasures

3:13 Do I make light of God and grumble or blame-shift?

3:14 Do I act like obedience is a duty, rather than a joyous response?

Malachi begins to answer the cynicism, the disbelief and the distrust of God’s people. They had become disillusioned that the Messiah had not come. They no longer really believed that God would come at any time to fulfill His covenants made to Abraham. The people wondered if it was worth serving God at all. They had an attitude of mechanical observances, empty rituals, stealing from God by not giving, and gross indifference to God’s moral and ceremonial law. Even the priests were immoral and corrupt. They could not understand why they were not being blessed.

Malachi is a series of accusations by God and indifferent questions by the people and convicting arguments again by God. In fact, 47 of the 55 verses are spoken by God and the book ends in a way that no other prophet ends his book – judgment. The rest of the prophets end their books with hope or blessing. The last word in Malachi is “cursed.” What a horrible way to end a conversation, yet the Lord did and that began 400 years of silence. What a way to end and begin silence!

Here’s a simple historical outline of Malachi:

1) Israel is indifferent to God’s love 1

a) The Lord’s declares His love 1:1-5

b) Israel despises the Lord’s love 1:6-14

2) Israel is indifferent to God’s law 2

a) The religious leadership violate the law 2:1-9

b) The people violate home laws 2:10-17

3) Israel is indifferent to God’s message 3

a) God declares a coming judgment 3:1-6

b) God declares a current judgment 3:7-15

c) God draws together His faithful 3:16-18

4) Israel is indifferent to the Day of the Lord 4

a) A great day of judgment will expose the wicked 4:1

b) A great day of joy will expose the righteous 4:2-3

c) God’s final admonition 4:4-6

Let us note several other aspects of Malachi before I make application. First, Malachi is the author of Malachi. We know nothing of Malachi besides in the first verse, his name means “My Messenger.” He is the final prophetic voice as a contemporary with Ezra, who actually wrote the last words in the Old Testament of 2 Chronicles, and assembled the books in the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew Bible, Chronicles is the last book. Malachi was the final voice ministering about 1000 years after Moses, the first prophet, wrote.

Secondly, the religious setting is one of spiritual indifference. The temple was rebuilt in B.C. 516 by Zerrubbabel and worship system restored B.C. 457 by Ezra. The walls were rebuilt by Nehemiah in B.C. 444. Israel was in the pits, spiritually. While the Lord reached down to pull Israel out, Israel said, “We’re not in a pit.” Israel was indifferent, rather than eagerly waiting. In contrast to their fathers who went into the land, braving many savage obstacles, they became self-righteous, arrogant, and impatient in their attitude toward the Lord.

Religiously, Israel questioned God and were wondering if religion was worth it (Mal. 1:6-10; 2:17). Morally, they dealt treacherously in their marriages by infidelity and lack of oneness with their mates. They gave up their Jewish wives and married heathen women. They were failing to raise up a godly offspring (Mal. 2:11-16). Socially, they were involved with sorcerers, perjurers and adulterers, but would not reach out to the widows and aliens (Mal. 3:5). Economically, they didn’t think what they gave really mattered. They didn’t think the lack of giving was actually robbing what belonged to God (Mal. 3:8-10). They failed to remember God’s covenant (Mal. 1:2-5; 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3-14).

Thirdly, we see Jesus Christ mentioned three times in Malachi. In Malachi 1:14, He is the “Great King.” Indeed, He is greater than the governor. Israel would not think of offending the governor, but they are not aware of the offense against the “Great King.” In fact the Lord would be king over all the earth as Zech 14:9 declares. In Malachi 3:1, He is “The Messenger of the Covenant.” However, His coming would not be of blessing, but of judgment, beginning with the Levites. The cleansing of the temple in John 2:14-16 and Matthew 21:12 were a foretaste of the Second Coming. And in Malachi 4:2, He is the Sun of Righteousness who brings healing and great joy, but He will condemn the wicked.

There are almost exact parallels of Israel in the attitude and lifestyle of the United States. It is amazing how self-righteous we see ourselves, but are failing to understand life from God’s perspective. Consider the following:

America tolerates radical Muslims who despise America and is intolerant of Christians who seek the America as it was originally founded.
America tolerates those who choose an alternative lifestyle and is intolerant of Christians who adhere to what the Bible says about those lifestyles.
America tolerates those who sleep around and is intolerant of Christians who promote fidelity in marriage of one man and one woman.
America tolerates political lying and IRS targeted audits and is intolerant of Christians who seek after the truth according to the constitution.
America tolerates the murder of babies and is intolerant of Christians defending the rights of the unborn.
America tolerates the Clinics of Horror just like the WW2 Germans tolerated death camps and is intolerant of organizations that will not give adoptions to same-sex couples.
America tolerates a press that will not expose to the public what happens in clinics of horror, and is intolerant of Christians who want the audacious evil exposed.

Speaking of that, a jury in Philadelphia on Monday convicted Kermit Gosnell, a doctor who does not deserve that title, of three counts of first-degree murder. The details of the crimes are horrible. Mr. Gosnell conducted illegal late-term abortions, past the 24-week mark, which, in some cases, resulted in live births. Gosnell then instructed his employees to plunge scissors into the babies’ necks to kill them. Where was the justice for the tens of thousands of babies not born?

America tolerates a government that prints money to cover indebtedness, runs without a budget and rewards those who do evil and is intolerant of Christians for seeking Tea Party economic standards
America tolerates filth and evil over radio and television air, but is intolerant of a UCLA Christian woman who wanted to thank her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in her graduation speech.

Furthermore, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Los Angeles) requested an investigation of the desecration of a Quran, Islam’s revealed text, as a hate crime. Conversely, when Palestinians tore up Bibles for toilet paper (May 15, 2002, The Washington Times) there was no outrage, and after a church in the U.S. saved and held fundraisers to afford the cost of buying and shipping requested Bibles in the Pashto and Dari language to an American sergeant in Afghanistan, the Bibles were confiscated, thrown away, and burned. The only official comment about burning the Bibles was this one, by a Defense Department spokesman, “Troops in war zones are required to “burn their trash.”
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/growing-intolerance-for-christianity-in-us-49588/#qf2ruIEgsiRS1rFh.99

Christians in America have to tolerate the defamation of their holiest images in national museums, including particularly provocative, offensive acts defined as “artwork,” some receiving taxpayer-funded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. On the other hand, several college editors who cited freedom of speech when republishing anti-Muslim cartoons first published in a Danish newspaper, were fired or disciplined because they were offensive to Muslim students
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/growing-intolerance-for-christianity-in-us-49588/#qf2ruIEgsiRS1rFh.99

We in America are just like Israel was in B.C. 425. Will we wake up? Are you indifferent toward God? You can change today. Come to the cross and become a part of God’s plan with passion, desire to walk with God and enjoy His presence. We don’t have to be like the rest of America. We can be different, passionate and ready to disciple others.

Have you been a Christian more than two months? Then who are you discipling? It is through each Christian discipling another person that a difference will be made in the United States. The front of the bulletin says,

Connecting together to worship God.
Equipping together in grace to be more like Jesus Christ.
Multiplying together with the gospel to reach the world for Jesus Christ.

Who are you discipling? I’m going to go to that side room and you can join me in prayer as the music closes and final prayer is made. I would like to pray with you. Come to the foot of the cross. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Respond in awe to God’s Word or hear His silence.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) How does it make you feel when someone you love gives you the silent treatment?

Digging Deeper:

2) What was the problem in the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22)? How is it the same as Israel in the time of Malachi?

3) How would you describe how people communicate without saying anything? What do the following passages say about non-verbal communication (Gen. 3:7-10; 4:5-6; 40:6-7; Josh 7:6; 1 Sam. 18:4; 1 King 9:3-4; 21:4; 1 John 3:17)? What do you think people are saying to God by their actions?

4) How would you describe Israel in the time of Malachi religiously (Mal. 1:6-10); morally (Mal. 2:11-16); socially (Mal. 3:5); and economically (Mal. 3:8-10)?

Making application from the message to life:

5) What was God’s message through Jeremiah to Israel in Jeremiah 14:13 – 15:6? Do you suppose God has a point or line that when crossed He says, “Enough!”? What discernment should that give us in life application?

6) How do you think USA would fare related to a message like Malachi? What do you think would be said if USA were a biblically chosen people by God?

7) What are spiritual indicators of “indifference” or “anticipation”?

MSG: Mothers Predict the Future

Posted on May 13, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This message was delivered May 12, 2013 on Mother’s Day. There were seven child dedications and two baptisms.

Mothers Predict the Future

2 Timothy 1:3-5

Happy Mothers’ Day! Every one of us had a mother and a father, for there is no other combination that produces children. Let me make several statements: Continue reading →

MSG: How do you Evaluate Music?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This message was presented on April 28, 2013 as the fourth of four messages on “Music and Worship.”

How do you Evaluate Music?

Ephesians 4:29

Harold Best, Dean of Music at Wheaton College, wrote, “There is nothing un-Christian or anti-Christian about any kind of music. By the same token, there is no such thing as Christian music. If there were, what would it be?” This is a very popular position to take among Christians today. Is music completely neutral? Because Scripture does not define a style of music, can we define what is Christian and what is not? What music is appropriate to worship God?

Let’s begin by noting that music communicates meaning and provide some examples.

1) Music communicates meaning Ex. 32:17-19

a) Music communicates war Ex. 32:17-19

Joshua heard some kind of noise and it sounded like “the noise of war.”

And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp. (Ex. 32:17)

He likely went on red alert, putting his hand on his sword ready to defend the people. Joshua thought it sounded like chaos and the tumult of war, but Moses knew the sound was something else.

Moses knew, because the Lord told him, that the people had turned to an idol.

¹⁸ But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear.”

¹⁹ So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. (Ex. 32:18-19)

It was the sound of war, and used in worship. Joshua associated it with war. This passage says nothing about the kind or style of music, but just that it suggested strong associations in Joshua’s mind. Music also suggests a contrast of refreshment.

b) Music communicates refreshment 1 Sam. 16:1-23

King Saul disobeyed God’s command to destroy the Amalekites and Samuel told him the kingdom would be torn from him. Samuel anointed David as king of Israel and “…the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.” (1Sa 16:14) This is likely a troubling spirit, just as when a person is angry, the devil gets a foothold and can influence your life. Ephesians 4:26-27 uses anger as the mechanism that opens the door for Satan’s influence, but any sin, like rebellion or worry can likely open that door.

Saul was astute enough to understand the power of music and requested someone to help him when he was struggling with life.

¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.” ( 1 Sam. 16:17-18)

The music addressed Saul’s emotions and provided a temporary calm.

And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. (1 Sam. 16:23)

This passage implies that music calmed Saul with peace and serenity to bring about a change of emotions, however, it did not cause a change of heart or bring about repentance. Saul reveals no sign of repentance. In fact, his heart becomes hardened as he reacts to God blessing David’s leadership as a soldier. There are other ways music communicates.

c) Music communicates emotionally

Some music is used for laments or mourning. For example, Job writes, “My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.” (Job 30:31) There is also particular music that is used for love songs as Isaiah wrote the music for God’s love for Israel, “Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill.” (Is. 5:1)

The Bible uses many musical instruments to describe certain emotional states. For example, the harp is used for mourning and the flute for weeping and wailing. These are universal emotions that all peoples share.

Scripture implies that music communicates meaning, but not how it does. How does music communicate as a medium (or mechanism) of communication?

2) Music communicates by association like a symbol

a) A symbol communicates something

We use symbols everywhere. For example, what does a USA flag communicate?

What does a rose communicate?

Symbols have associations according the culture in which it is used. Scott Aniol wrote, “Music is not emotion; it is merely symbols of emotion. Music communicates certain moods and emotions to us because we associate its symbols with various emotional states” (Worship in Song, 62)

There are two ways symbols communicate meaning. One is by “Conventional Association” and another is by “Natural Association.”

b) Conventional Association

Conventional Association is when a symbol is used by a particular group of people for connecting to another idea. For example, some symbolism is man-made like “red, white and blue.” When I asked my three-year-old granddaughter what that stood for, she said, “The American flag!” I said, “Yes, you are right!” Then I asked her, “What if we were in Paris, France. What would “red, white and blue” stand for?” She said, “The American flag!” I responded, “Yes, it would mean that to us, but in France, the French flag is red, white and blue and the French people would think of their flag. Then I asked her one more question, “If we were in Russia, and I said, “What does “red, white and blue” stand for? She said, “The American flag!” I answered, “Yes, it would mean that to us, but to the Russian people it would stand for their Russian flag.” I added, “All three flags are made of red, white and blue, but there are different arrangements of the colors.”

What about raising your right arm at a straight 45^o angle in front of your body. Is that associated with anything? Remember the German Nazi salute?

The salute is associated with terrible times. In fact, just this Spring, one Greek soccer player has been banned from his country’s national team for life after making a Nazi salute during a game.

What about Rossini’s overture to the opera William Tell?

What picture is often associated with that music?

How about a picture of the Lone Ranger?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBK6AZiIDAo

What does this song remind you of?

http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh731.sht Yes, “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken.” Shortly after World War II, an American missionary used that song in a church service in England. Unfortunately, a British man who was visiting the missionary’s church, stood up and stomped out. Why did he leave so abruptly? There was nothing wrong with the music in itself, because it is a great hymn of faith, but to that British man, he knew it as the German National Anthem and it was clearly associated with wickedness.

c) Natural Association

There are also natural associations that we make. For example, dark looming clouds are associated with a coming storm,

Or the symbol of a curve in the road is associated with curves in the road,

Or even a frown is associated with sadness,

They are universal symbols that convey a meaning without a word spoken.

There are some kinds of natural associations from the dynamics, tone colors, rhythms and tempos of music to help us feel a certain way. Natural associations must fit with the context, or that kind or style of music is not used. For example, Mendelssohn’s wedding march is not played at a football game; it is played in a church. You will hear different kinds of music at a tavern and the songs played in an nursery where babies are will be much different. Again, they are universal around the world, in most cases.

Consider the kinds of musical scores used for movies. The scores are written to enhance the moods and emotions with a given scene regardless of the age, demographic, culture or gender of the audience. For example,

What does this evoke?

This is the “Star Wars” theme song. The language used changes from country to country, but the music stays the same. Or what about,

Sound of music.

So what does this mean? Music by its nature is a form of communication, Music possesses some natural meanings and also conventional meanings by association. At the heart of music is communication. Some times the conventional association corresponds to the natural meaning like Pachelbel’s Canon in D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOA-2hl1Vbc

The point is music communicates through symbolic associations and such association can be either conventional or natural, depending upon whether or not they correspond to something that occurs naturally in all human experience.

Now, add lyrics to a musical selection, and we have two additional layers of meaning: the obvious content of the text and the poetic “mood.” We must remember that symbolic meaning (in this case, the meaning music conveys), if it is natural, always trumps the text. This is extremely important. For instance, if I were to approach my wife with a frown, furrowed brow, and loud tone of voice (natural symbols of anger) and say to her, “I love you,” my negative tone of voice and body language would certainly overpower the positive meaning of the statement. The medium trumps the words, no matter what the words are. The same is true for music. So we must take Scripture, apply what we know to music.

3) Evaluate music by Scripture Eph. 4:29

a) There is both edifying and corrupt communication Eph. 4:29

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Eph. 4:29)

This is a great verse on communication. The word “corrupt” means “rotten,” “causing to become foul,” or “putrid.” Consequently, we should have lyrics that edify, not that corrupt. Would we even want to have music that has lyrics that promote sexual immorality, impurity sensuality,…etc.?

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery¹, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

²¹envy, murders¹, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21)

Lyrics that would promote sin are obviously something we wouldn’t want. In fact, Paul becomes clear that we should be very careful to not let that be named among us.

³ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

⁴neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. (Eph. 5:3-4)

God doesn’t want things like foolish talk and crude joking. It is not even to be named among them. But are the lyrics the only thing we should judge as Christians? Since music is a medium of communication through emotional metaphors, music can communicate the kinds of emotions that naturally represent sinful deeds.

b) Bad association can corrupt 1 Cor. 15:33

Scripture is clear that we should avoid bad company. Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’“(1 Cor 15:33) If evil company corrupts, can music not corrupt? If music promotes certain kinds of emotions, is it any different than hanging around with the wrong kinds of friends?

As Christians, we are to avoid any kind of corrupt communication, this would include music that promotes a cacophony of sounds, whether by sinful lyrics or emotions of music associated with sin. Instead a Christian’s communication must be edifying. As Paul writes, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Eph. 4:29) Christians are called to use edifying music.

Note Paul’s desire to run to the righteous standard of God, rather than be satisfied with what is “not sinful.” He writes, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”(1 Cor. 10:23) Paul makes a distinction between what is “lawful” and what is “edifying.” He is saying that we shouldn’t be content with what is lawful. We shouldn’t fill our lives with what is “neutral.” As Paul says, “…but not all things edify.” Rather than asking the question, “What’s wrong with it?” we should really be asking, “What’s right with it?” What does this music communicate?

Listen to music that expresses noble affections as a way of approving what is good and “good music promotes good morals.” So how do we make application to music from these principles?

This should cause us to realize there are two kinds of music. There is one kind that is edifying and one that is corrupt. This does not mean that music is black and white as we might like it to be. Where music has liberty, there will be great choices for preference.

Corrupt	Edifying
Avoid at all times	Room for preference

This does not mean, as stated, music is black and white, but there is communication, and therefore music, that communicates corruption and some that edifies. For example, a child wouldn’t eat rotten, smelling food. They know better by their senses. But if left to himself, what would a child eat? He would eat what tastes good, not necessarily what IS good. If you put a plate of mixed vegetables and a box of Long’s donuts, what would the child eat? He’d eat the donuts far quicker than the vegetables! They taste better to me too! The same is true for music.

c) Associate with what edifies 1 Cor. 10:23

The next question is, “Is this song or style fitting for this circumstance?” When I was three years old, struggling with God’s plan for my life, trying to figure out who I was going to marry in life and what I was going to do, I couldn’t sleep. My mom would take me on her lap and sing a lullaby. I still remember her sweet, comforting voice. I had a tough time going to sleep and her singing helped me to relax. But how fitting is that lullaby at a basketball game? A John Philip Sousa March is great for the military, marching or a pep band, but would it be fitting to put my granddaughter to sleep?

So when it comes to sacred music, we have to ask, “What is fitting for this occasion?” For example, if we were to express joy, like the joy Paul talks about in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice!” Would that be done in a flippant, care-free frivolity or would it be done with a majestic, sober, stand-tall praise? What kind of music captures David dancing before the ark as it was entering Jerusalem? Or what kind of music would you use for a court jester doing a little ditty? They certainly wouldn’t be the same. Why do we say that music is neutral? Is it because we like certain kinds of music in the same way my taste buds would prefer to eat Long’s donuts rather than asparagus? What music expresses or communicates what is appropriate for expressing God’s truth?

This requires that we expand the chart. There is corrupt music that we should avoid at all times in worshipping God. I would say music like “Death Metal.” Under the category of Edifying, there is music that would be “Unfitting” for worshiping God, but may be okay on another occasion. That should be avoided for that occasion of worshiping God. Under the “Fitting” category, there is great room for preferences.

Corrupt	Edifying
Avoid at all times	Fitting	Unfitting
Avoid at all times	Room for preferences	Avoid for this occasion

Evaluating musical style carries great importance, because it is what you are using to express biblical truth! You are using a medium to communicate God’s Word! We should pay particular attention to the kind of music we use to sing God’s Word. Let me illustrate. I treat my Bible carefully. I don’t knowingly put anything upon my Bible. I won’t put another book on it, or even my notes on it. I will store notes in my Bible, but not on it. I don’t want anything to be “above” my Bible in any way. I also never put my Bible on the floor. My Bible is holy and precious. I try to treat it like it is the most valuable thing I have. I would not give a Bible to a child and let him treat it anyway he wants. I would give a Bible to a child, even a picture Bible, but I would put parameters on how it is treated and stored so the child would learn to treat God’s word as holy.

Let me illustrate the importance of music in another way. Let us say you are serving baked chicken. You are having a picnic at a park and have chicken, potato salad, beans and carrots. What would you serve it on? You would likely use a paper plate. That is fitting for the occasion. That is appropriate. But if you were to have Governor Pence to your home for baked chicken, would it be fitting to use paper plates at the dining table if you had dishes in the cabinet? Regardless of what you think of Governor Pence, and I have a great deal of respect, his position as governor deserves your best.

Music is like the dish for delivering the truth. We consider the music style, because we are concerned about the truth and those who hear the truth. Therefore, we want to make sure the music is edifying and fitting. We have to decide what is fitting for those who hear. Ultimately we must make it fitting for our holy, sovereign and merciful God. What musical style is fitting for a time of corporate worship?

There is one more area that must be considered. We need to consider conventional and natural associations. Paul addressed love in 1 Corinthians 8. Some of the Corinthian believers were bothered about eating meat, because they had come out of a cult, whereby the meat at certain meat markets had been used for worshiping idols. Some of the excess meat, which wasn’t consumed in the idolatrous worship, was sold to the public and it happened to be good meat. This is what Paul said about that.

⁴ Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. (1 Cor. 8:4)

For Paul, where the meat came from didn’t matter, because there is nothing to idols, so he wouldn’t make any association to idolatry and the meat. However, because some in Corinth associated the meat with idols, the association reminder would cause them to think, “Maybe there is nothing wrong with the idols,” and they would slip back into thinking about the idols and even worship them. They are what Paul described as the “weaker brother.”

Yet by the end of the chapter, Paul says, “I’ll not eat meat if it causes my brother to stumble.” Why did Paul conclude that? The meat carried a conventional association to pagan worship and the immoral activities that occurred there. If Paul ate the meat, that would indicate to a weaker brother that Paul was endorsing the practices of pagan worship. Paul and most believers knew better, but the weaker brother did not think the way Paul and you do. The meat is not the problem. The problem is the conventional association.

⁹ But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

¹⁰ For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

¹¹ And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

¹² But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

¹³Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Cor. 8:9-13)

The same is true with musical choices. That is what happened when the British chap stomped out of a missionary’s church service over the song, “Glorious things of Thee are spoken.” If a kind of song is strongly associated with a particular sinful lifestyle then don’t use it. Especially consider children. What kind of music are we feeding to children? If you give them what they like all the time, what happens if you give them healthy, wholesome music? Will they reject it? We need to be discerning.

Consider where spiritual maturity enters the picture. Paul, who is spiritually mature makes a clear case that he is willing to deny what he should be willing to enjoy for the sake of the gospel. Paul notes that he has several rights in 1 Corinthians 9. He gave up the right to financial support from most churches in 1 Corinthians 9:4. He gave up the right to marriage in 1 Corinthians 9:5. And, as a spiritual leader, he was supposed to make his living from leading, teaching and giving the Word to churches and pastors, so he was exempt from manual labor, but he gave up that right in 1 Corinthians 9:6. He makes no use of any of these rights. For some reason, receiving money from churches, taking a wife and refraining from manual labor had conventional associations that would have hindered evangelism. He was willing to give up freedoms to win some to Christ for the sake of the gospel. He said, “…to the weak I became as¹weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1 Cor. 9:22)

The principle would apply to musical choices when an otherwise good song or musical style would hinder evangelistic endeavors because of some kind of conventional association. A mark of spiritual maturity is the choice to give up a legitimate right for the sake of others. So now the chart looks like this:

Corrupt	Edifying
Avoid at all times	Fitting		Unfitting
	Negative Association	Positive Association	Avoid for this occasion
	Avoid for this occasion	Room for preferences

Evaluating music is important because truth is important and we are using music to convey God’s truth! Just like the plate we use to serve a delicious meal is important for the occasion, so music selection is important for the occasion. It is up to us to discern and to determine the meaning, appropriateness, associations of songs and style and then make wise decisions about what music is chosen. This is key: God is more interested in the process of discernment than the style, because it shows we are dependent on Him.

However, someone might say, “I can’t help what I like.” “I eat junk food, but my wife fixes healthy food. What do I do?” My taste buds may like a certain kind of food, but I must ask , “What is best for me?” I, and you, can learn to eat what is healthy.

We like what we know. We can learn something new and that becomes what we know. If what we know is healthy, then we will change what we are eating and begin to eat more healthily. We can change what we like, by changing what we know. Spend time with what is wholesome and your tastes can change. In fact, we are obligated to love what God loves,

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy– meditate on these things.

⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. (Phil. 4:8-9)

Here’s the conclusion:

Evaluate your music by Scripture to what is fitting for the King!

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) What kinds of music do you like?

Digging Deeper:

2) According to Ephesians 5:18-20, how is the Christian to be filled? __________________ What will be the result if a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit? What will that look like in Church?

3) What idea is found in both Eph. 5:20 and Rom. 1:21? ________________________ What is the contrast between the two verses? What will be true of the believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit compared to the unbeliever who is not filled? So, if a believer is not giving thanks, what does that say about his life?

4) As a reference to Satan, what does Ezek. 28:12-15 say Satan was good at (cf. 28:13c)? ______________________________ How do you suppose this might have caused his fall?

Applying the message to life:

5) If there is room for preference, how do I discern what I should not listen to in life?

6) What are several examples of conventional associations in regard to music? When you hear a particular song, what do you think of without hearing the lyrics?

7) If music is like a plate that serves food, why should the plate fit the occasion?

*I am indebted to Scott Aniol for his excellent instruction a the Chafer Theological Seminary Pastor’s Conference March 4-6, 2013 in Houston, Texas at the West Houston Bible Church. Much of the thinking and content was derived from Scott’s presentation at that conference. His book, “Worship in Song” is an excellent resource for thinking through the issues. I’ll have a book review on his book shortly.

MSG: Drawing Near to God in Music

Posted on April 22, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This message was presented on April 21, 2013 as the third part of four message on music and worship.

Drawing Near to God in Music

Hebrews 10:19-25

What is at the heart of music in worship? There are authors on all ends of the music spectrum. Some say because Scripture is not clear in regard to music, it doesn’t matter what we do. Others are far more rigid and say that we must choose from within a small spectrum of music to be holy before God. What is the answer? Worship is, after all, not about us, but all for God. Worship is about God. Let me give an example.

When God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, God called them to worship on that mountain where Moses was. Moses questioned God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them? God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” (Ex. 3:13-14) Worship is all about God, who was, is and will be. Then we read in 1 Peter 1:15,16, “He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet. 1:15-16) God is the eternally existent One, the holy One, and we are to be holy, i.e. set aside, for Him. How then should you worship?

1) Enter boldly to worship God Heb. 10:19-21

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,

²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, (Heb. 10:19-21)

We note in Hebrews 10:19 that we have access to God and we are to enter boldly into His presence. But how do we enter boldly, when we are sinful? That boldness is based on His work on the cross, not anything we can do or become.

In Israel’s time, the outer tent kept people away from the Holy of Holies. God is holy and people must approach Him in a reverent, holy way. People were not to approach God casually. There was one access to get into the tabernacle complex and then the Holy place where the Menorah or Golden Lampstand sustained burning oil for light, the Table of Shewbread and the altar of incense. Through the veil was the Holy of Holies, where the high priest entered only once each year to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. When Solomon constructed the temple, the layout was similar, only more permanent.

No Jew would consider entering into the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, except for the high priest annually. Why? They remembered what happened to Uzzah. Do you remember Uzzah? David was anointed king and had defeated the Philistines, so he sought to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. They went to Abinadab’s house where it was kept and they placed it on a new cart. Unfortunately, when the oxen stumbled on the road, the Ark began to fall from the cart and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark. Note God’s action,

³ So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

⁴ And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark.

⁵ Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

⁶ And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.

⁷ Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.

⁸ And David became angry because of the LORD’S outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah¹to this day. (2 Sam. 6:3-8)

Uzzah did what he thought was right, but Israel had violated God’s directions on moving the Ark (Ex. 25:14). God directed the Ark to be carried, not riding on an cart. God’s word must be treated holy and obeyed. Why? God is holy. Israel gained a fear of the presence of God. Too often today, many Christians have little fear of the presence of God.

In Hebrews 10:20, the word “new” is prosphatos, which means “lately slaughtered,” or “freshly killed.” Christ’s sacrifice was 40 years before, but it was recent in their memories. Christ’s sacrifice was a totally new type of sacrifice that removed the veil between God and man. We can approach God, because of what Jesus had done. Before, men trembled before God and kept their distance. Now God invites believers to enter boldly. It’s almost incomprehensible how fantastic what Jesus had done!

In Hebrews 10:21, Jesus is that high priest who made the way possible for us all. In the Old Testament, only the high priest could draw near to God and enter only once each year. It was an anxious moment, because no one knew if the high priest would come out of the Holy of Holies. The new access is through Jesus. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25)

That leaves us several questions. Are we to pattern our worship services for believers or unbelievers? Worship is about God. Worship is not about unbelievers, it’s about God. We need to have an evangelistic appeal, but is that the priority in worship? Have we made everything so casual to help unbelievers fit in so that we have lost awareness of the holy? The worship service is not a show, but a drawing near to God, the holy One. It is not entertainment, but a drawing near to the sovereign One. It is not a pay for view, but our expression to God.

We should not only enter boldly to worship God, but we should also draw near with full assurance of faith.

2) Draw near with full assurance of faith Heb. 10:22

²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Heb. 10:22)

The writer beckons us, “Let us draw near,” not to a physical location, but to a spiritual connection with God through the spiritual presence of Jesus Christ by faith. The specific verb “draw near” in Hebrews 10:22, is also found in Hebrews 4:16; 7:25; 10:1, 22; 11:6; 12:22, and translated, “let us come” or “draw near.” Will you today? Will you accept what God has done for you? What does it mean to draw near?

One of the concepts of “draw near” means we’ll sing, “Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.” (Ps. 100:2). It is not a “casual walk by.” Note the transition from the tangible form of worship to the spiritual emphasis in Hebrews 12,

¹⁸ For you have not come to the mountain thatmay be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darknessand tempest,

¹⁹ and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.

²⁰ (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stonedor shot with an arrow.”

²¹ And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

²² But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, (Heb. 12:18-22)

Note that the emphasis is not on the physical senses of touching or hearing. God wants us to relate with Him in Spirit and Truth. And the writer continues in Hebrews 12:25,

²⁵ See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,

²⁶ whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.”

²⁷ Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we mayserve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

²⁹ For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb. 12:25-29)

God calls us to draw near, but we don’t go to God on our own initiative or our own way. We must put on a “true” heart. The word “true” here means “real,” “genuine,” or “sincere.” When I served in the military, the commander determined the uniform. Even in the field, he determined if it was garrison cap or Kevlar helmet for headgear. We wore what he directed. We didn’t have any other options to incorporate our own ideas, like, purple bandanas. God calls us near. We draw near with a true heart. Why?

I can’t draw near because of my sin. I have no right to draw near. God cannot look upon sin. Habakkuk declared, “You cannot look upon wickedness.”(Hab. 1:13) Isaiah recognized his unworthiness before holy God when he saw the Lord in heaven. “⁵ So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” (Is. 6:5)

How do you draw near to God with a true heart, in Spirit and Truth, when we are physical beings? We want something tangible, something our senses can “sense,” especially something we can feel. Then we can say, “That’s worship.” And if we don’t feel “worship,” sometimes we begin to question if we have really drawn near in worship? If I don’t have a certain kind of stimulating music, will I begin to question my experience by means of my physical senses?

Certainly experience and feelings are good. Certainly I will experience and have some kinds of emotions in worship. The question is, “Are they the measure of worship?” Paul said to the Philippians that the carnal types, those who relied on the flesh, those who were not filled with the Spirit, worshiped their belly, “whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly” (Phil. 3:19). In the ancient world, they called the belly the seat of emotions.

We can move emotions from the outside in. For example, it is similar to a tickling stimulation, where laughter results from an outside influence. When I was a boy, my dad could let out a terrific roar when we were in the dark and scared us half to death. That was an outside stimulus.

Certain church movements have stretched the limits bycreating music that stimulates the emotions, and people often think that this is “worship.” They teach that the external, physical signs accompany “true, spiritual” experiences. So they stimulate through music to create that “physical sense of worship.” Hence the church often has a longing or temptation to create worship that people can feel, experience and touch. That is natural for people, who live by their senses. However, it does not indicate true worship. It may be like what Cain offered and was not accepted by God. God also did not accept the worship of the Samaritans, because they had their own ideas about worship. If we engage in music that stimulates physical responses, we expect that kind of experience from all music in worship and may get disappointed if we don’t get it. We begin to depend on the physical experience rather than a spiritual relationship with God.

The writer exhorts that we draw near in “assurance” or certainty of being sprinkled pure by the blood of Jesus by faith. The writer to Hebrews wrote, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1) Faith is what you cannot see, feel, taste, touch or hear. There is no material basis for faith. There is no physical evidence, no experience and no feeling that tells you worship is pure. It is by faith, or dependence upon God’s character of holiness and mercy.

Note that emphasis in Hebrews 12:18-19 that is no longer on the physical or tangible,

¹⁸ For you have not come to the mountain thatmay be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness²and tempest,

¹⁹ and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (Heb. 12:18-19)

Old Testament worship was tangible. They could see the gold, fine linen garments and sacrifices. They could touch the animal before its throat was slit, hear the silence when the sacrifice was killed and smell the sacrifice as it was offered. Everything was physical and tangible.

When I was in boot camp, I was away from my wife for seven weeks. I did have a picture of her, but I couldn’t touch her hand, smell her fragrance, hear her voice, taste her good food, or look at her beauty, but I had full assurance of her faithfulness. I enjoyed a relationship with her because of all the letters she wrote, steamy as they were!

Finally, the writer insists that the assurance is by “faith.” There is everything right with experience and feelings. However, to require them in order to describe worship, you cross what God has defined as worship and practice legalism, or as Paul said, “God is their belly.” We worship by faith, not by sight or senses or feelings. In fact, true worship is demeaned, or cheapened, when it is moved by manipulative music. Should you be afraid of moving or clapping? Not at all. That may be a godly response of worship, but that does not measure worship. David danced before the Lord, but that does not measure worship. We worship by drawing near to Jesus Christ with full assurance by faith.

Let us summarize the tension of worship with two illustrations. First, this illustration of Noah’s Ark:

[The picture would not transfer. It is a picture of Noah’s Ark for pre-school with two animals of each kind sitting on the Ark.]

What does this picture communicate? There was an Ark and there were two of each kind of animal on the Ark. That explains how God repopulated the earth after the flood. Everything is nice, clean, fun and it explains an aspect of the Genesis narrative, especially for children.

However, does it really explain the flood in Genesis? What is the emphasis with the flood? Consider this picture.

[The picture would not transfer. It is a picture of people clinging to a rock surrounded by a storm and waves crashing against them with the Ark in the distance]

This also has the Ark, but no animals. What it does portray is the destruction of the people, because of the judgment of God. Which is more realistic? Should not our worship be true to who God is rather than what we want? Do we want to have worship focused on us and be like children or focus it on God?

How should we worship? We should enter with boldness to worship Him and draw near with full assurance by faith. We should also emphasize the last part of this passage and the emphasis of this passage.

3) Let Us draw near to God Heb. 10:22-25

This last portion of the passage helps us understand that worship is about the body of Christ worshiping together, not as individuals,

²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10:22-25)

The writer may have been a a gardener, for twelve times in Hebrews we have “Let us” exhortations (cf. Heb. 4:1,11,14,16; 6:1; 10:22,23,24; 12:1, 28; 13:13,15. The exhortations admonish us to draw together as one body. Worship is about the corporate body, not the individual. The writer exhorts us to draw near, hold fast and consider one another. We’ve looked at the exhortation to draw near. There are two additional exhortations.

We are to hold fast our confession. Our confession is Jesus Christ is Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). Jesus will draw us together in unity of purpose in relationship with the Godhead (John 17:20-23). Additionally, we are to consider one another to stir up love and good works. As the spiritual forces seek to divide, isolate and conquer Christians, we must “consider one another,” which phrase means to “concentrate on one another” to determine how best to “stir up” or provoke to love and good works. The word “love” refers to thinking more highly of others than self and the word “good” refers to the intrinsic value of the works, which can only be accomplished by the filling of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit does the work through the individual, then it has intrinsic value and is “good.” (1 Cor. 3:12)

As the body considers others more important than self, then worship will be about God rather than self. When worship is about God, then there will be a crescendo of singing!

Draw Near to Jesus and you’ll worship God in music!

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) What kind of music did your church (home) have when you were growing up?

Digging Deeper:

2) Read Isaiah 6:1-8. What does Isaiah see? ___________________ How does his response teach us how we should approach God in worship? How do you relate Hebrews 10:10-25 to Isaiah 6:1-8?

3) What are six attributes of God? ________________; ______________; ________________; __________________; _________________; ________________ How does that relate to how we relate to God according to Phil. 2:9-11?

4) Who is the main subject of Romans 11:33-36? ___________________ How does your understanding of this passage affect how you should worship God?

Making application of the message to life:

5) What can you do to prepare during the week to draw near to God on the weekend service?

6) How can you help others draw near to God and experience His presence?

7) What kind of assurance should people have when they leave a worship service at Grace?

MSG: Choose Music Wisely for Our Lord

Posted on April 15, 2013 by shepherdbryan

This message was presented on April 14, 2013 as the second of four messages on Music and Worship as we celebrate our new Pastor of Worship and Arts to the team at Grace.

Choose Music Wisely for Our Lord

John 4:19-24

Let us consider five comments. People often come to our church and like the messages, but leave because the music was not just what they wanted. There are people who stay out of the beginning of the service and come in when they think the singing is about done. For some, music is either irrelevant or just something we do because it is what “I as an individual like.” Some churches have seven musical venues, so people can hear the kind of music they like and still get the same sermon. Some people might see the purpose of music as, “expressing truth with what I enjoy so that it will be memorable and it stimulates me.” What is the common thread of these comments? The common thread is “the individual.” Is the individual the reason for having music in worship?

Does music matter? It matters to God. Do we only need to be concerned about lyrics and the actual music or the poetic form of the lyrics doesn’t matter? IF the words are all that matters, then we can use whatever musical form we desire. Music becomes purely personal preference, because the only concern is the content of the words.

Let’s first step back and look at what worship is and then consider how music affects worship. What is worship and how does music affect worship? Let’s start out with this underlying motivation, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. (Col. 3:23) What is worship?

1) Worship is declaring God’s worth John 4:19-24

In John 4:19-24 in His discussion with the woman at the well, Jesus describes worship for us. Jesus says two things. First, God seeks those who will worship Him and secondly, those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth. How we worship declares how we view God, our value of God, or His “worthship.” How do I worship?

Jesus meets a woman of the city who draws her water at noon, because that is when no one else is at the well. Everyone else goes in the morning or the evening when it is cool. She has been living a lifestyle whereby she wants to avoid people. Jesus asks her for water and in the discussion He offers her living water. Living water? She wants the living water, so she doesn’t have to go to the well. When Jesus discusses her life of being married five times and the sixth man she is connected to is outside of marriage, she gets uncomfortable and changes the discussion.

¹⁹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

²⁰ “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place
where one ought to worship.”

²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this
mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.

²² “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the
Jews.

²³ “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

²⁴“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:19-24)

The Samaritans said worship was to be done on Mt. Gerizim and the Jews said worship was to be done on Mt. Zion. In both cases, the emphasis was: what is the right way? What is the right form? Both the Jews and Samaritans were preoccupied with the overt form of worship. God did, after all, in Exodus and Leviticus, establish a precisely prescribed procedure of how to worship. Later, He directed it to be done in Jerusalem. But Jesus draws her to the heart of the issue – worship is done by Spirit and Truth.

Many argue whether this refers to the human spirit or the Holy Spirit. People have no trouble defining truth as the truth of God’s Word. But what does “spirit” refer to, since it is not capitalized in most translations?

It is helpful to understand the three ingredients for spiritual growth. The ingredients are listed in Romans 15:13-14, where Paul writes, “¹³ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁴Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Our God of hope wants us to abound in hope. How will that happen? We will abound when we put three ingredients into our spiritual life practice. The first ingredient for spiritual growth is our responsibility of faith as the text says “in believing.” Notice, the second ingredient for spiritual growth is what God provides as it says, “by the power of the Holy Spirit.” And the third ingredient for growth is God’s Word, or as the text says, “filled with all knowledge, able to admonish…” referring back to Romans 15:4, “⁴ For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. So, we have first, believing or faith; secondly, the Spirit and thirdly, God’s Word or Truth. These are the three ingredients for spiritual growth. They also are the three ingredients for worship. Let me explain.

First, we worship in Truth. I cannot worship God in whatever way I please. Do you remember what happened to Cain when he offered a sacrifice to God? He brought what he thought was a good offering of the ground, but God did not respect or accept it. Additionally, Jesus said it well in John 4:22, “”You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” Jesus was not hesitant to distinguish that the God of the Jews was the true God. He was not hesitant to say the Jews were worshiping correctly, because they worshiped the true God. After all, the Samaritans had taken some ideas from the Jews and incorporated their ownideas for their god. They decided who their God was and how they would worship Him. That is exactly what Cain did.

So what should be included in worship according to Truth? Truth teaches we worship God alone. The first commandment states, “I am the Lord your God…you shall have no other gods before Me.” (Ex. 20:2-3) God spoke through Isaiah the prophet, “I am the Lord, there is no other.” (Is. 45:18) Jesus Christ is the One to whom every knee will bow (Phil. 2:9-11).

Truth also teaches God has given us examples of the elements in our corporate worship. These include Scripture reading (1 Tim. 4:13); preaching (2 Tim. 4:2-4); singing (Eph. 5:19-20; Col.. 3:16); prayer 1 Tim. 2:1, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:41-42) and giving (2 Cor. 16:2). So we worship God according to His Word, that is, by means of truth from God. In fact, Paul tells Timothy, “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (1 Tim. 4:13) The elements of worship are important, because they are based on Truth. Truth declares God’s worth, His value.

Secondly, we worship in Spirit. John 4:24 records that we worship in Spirit and truth. There is one preposition for both nouns. The words are united as one thought. Both go together for true worship. So, is it the human spirit or the Holy Spirit?

The woman was seeking a form of worship. Jesus wanted her to get to the relationship of worship. Jesus says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37) That is our entire being, in fact, our spirit.

We should recognize, however, Jesus did nothing on earth apart from the Holy Spirit. He was led into testing by the Spirit and led out of it by the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14). He verified his public ministry was anointed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18). His miracles were done by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 5:17; 6:19; 8:46; Acts 10:38). And He was sustained on the cross by the Holy Spirit (Heb. 9:14). If that were true of Jesus, how could we worship God apart from the Holy Spirit? In 1 John 5:6, we read about the connection of the Holy Spirit to Truth, “The Spirit is truth.”

Now, if you choose not to interpret pneumahere as Holy Spirit, that’s okay, because you still have to be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit to worship God. And when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will worship through singing as Paul writes,

…be filled with the Spirit,

¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord,

²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
(Eph. 5:18-20)

So, when Jesus says to worship in Spirit and Truth, He is referring to worship from the inner being of the human spirit by means of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the third ingredient of worship.

Thirdly, we worship the Lord. Our act of worship is the third ingredient of worship. Worship is a form of dependence on God. It expresses upon whom we are dependent. Just as faith and prayer are both dependence on the Lord, worship says I trust only in the Lord.

Worship is declaring God’s worth. So, how does music affect worship?

2) Music will rightly or wrongly move me – is it worship?

Let us understand again the three ingredients related to worship. How do you worship the Lord? “In truth” is easy, because you measure worship by the Word. The second ingredient “worship” is your dependence on God. How do you worship “in Spirit”? Is it your feelings? Is it your affections? Is it your passion? Is the affection expressed in worshiping God the same as the emotional response of a team winning a championship? Is the affection I have for God the same as the affection I have for Papa Murphy’s pizza? How do I distinguish the affections a young girl has for a rock star singer and affections I have for Jesus Christ?

We have to be careful not to equate the human spirit with physical feelings. Physical feelings can be stimulated without any thought or spiritual affection. Let’s say that you tickle your granddaughter and she laughs till she almost wets her pants. OR, if you tell her a joke, she may also laugh. Are they the same? When tickling her, she’s stimulated without any kind of thought, but in the joke, she laughs because she intellectually understood the punch line and the laughter, the emotional expression, came because she understood the joke. By tickling her, the tickling is driving her to laugh and is not a thought process. By telling her a joke, she laughs because she thought about it. One is an emotional response driven from something outside and the other is an emotional response because of something inside.

Is music driving my feelings and I call it worship in the Spirit or is music a mechanism the Spirit uses to help me worship? When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, music is a mechanism the Holy Spirit uses to enhance your worship.

Music provides a means to express your affections to the Lord. Music is designed to help you. We believe in a mighty God, and we put that truth to music in “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” We believe in the shed blood of Jesus and it’s put into many hymns like “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” or “Before the Throne.” Now, we’re not seeking emotions or feelings, yet they may be a strong response in worship.

Are there some emotions that would be inappropriate in worshiping God? For example the emotion associated with uncontrollable rage? Or out of control frightful screaming? Or emotions associated with dreadful depression? Would you think it appropriate to worship a holy God with those emotions?

We need to teach our spirits in the Word by means of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Col. 3:16). David used music to lift Saul (1 Sam. 16:23). Paul and Silas sang hymns to lift their spirits while in prison (Acts 16:25).

Scripture identifies at least five kinds of songs: a work song (Num. 21:17-18); a war song (Ex. 15:20); a love song (Sol. 2:12); an entertainment song (Job 21:12); a lament song (Job 30:31); and praise songs (Ps. 150).

Music often causes you to respond OR react in certain ways: Consider the following examples:

First, what happens when we fill your heart with music that rages?

[Link removed, because of the inappropriateness of the music and content]

How would that music affect your thinking in worship?

Secondly, what happens when you watch a steamy scene in a movie? Besides being embarrassed if you’re watching with someone else from church, what emotions rise up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gAfnrSyxY

If that music was always played, what would be your view of God? How would that affect how you think? Is it any different than some of the sensual ways Christian singers express themselves today?

Thirdly, if I play sentimental, light and fluffy music, how does that affect your view of God?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbRW73P24V8

This kind can be okay for kids and fun, but if that’s all you had how would that affect your view of God? How would that affect how you think about God? Let us summarize how music affects worship.

Music helps us express the right affections toward the Lord. Music helps us respond with our affections when we don’t have the right words. Consider these principles:

First, music educates and guides our emotions and feelings. When we have troubling or wrong emotions, good music can draw us to right ways of thinking. Paul and Silas were imprisoned and when they sang hymns, their hearts were lifted as well as the other prisoners (Acts 16:23-25).

Secondly, music is a part of worship under pastoral leadership. The buck stops with the elders and the pastoral leadership. “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” (Heb. 13:17)

Thirdly, singing is not optional. Singing is not if or what I enjoy, but part of worship. Singing is a God-ordained means for expressing right affections in worship (Eph. 5:18-19).

Fourthly, use music that expresses appropriate emotions. Music should be done decently and in order to provide stability for emotional health (1 Cor. 14:40). For example, raging music should not be used in worship. Another example is using great lyrics in questionable tunes. Amazing Grace is a great song. However, I once was at a worship service, where it was sung to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun.” It worked because it was metrically correct, but inappropriate for the meaning of Amazing Grace. It was “interesting,” but we are not commanded to be interesting. We are commanded to worship God in Spirit and Truth.

And fifthly, musical choices matter, because music shapes our affections 1 Sam. 16:23

Worship is declaring God’s worth!

Wisely choose your music, because it affects how you worship God!

Ensure your music declares God’s worth, because it will affect how you worship.

Message Based Discussion Questions

1) What were some of the first religious songs you ever sang?

Digging Deeper:

2) Read John 8:31-36. What did Jesus say the truth would do? _____________ Why did the Jews not see their slavery? Can a person be enslaved to a certain kind of music? What biblical principles can you think of to help determine what kind of music is edifying?

3) Read Gal. 5:1; 3:1-3. According to Paul, what is the contrast between these two passages? _____________________________ What is the purpose of the Law in American? What is the purpose of the Mosaic Law? How can someone get enslaved to the Mosaic Law? How can someone get enslaved to laws in worship?

4) According to Gal. 5:13, what was Paul concerned about with liberty? ________________________________ How should a Christian use liberty? What does that look like in worship?

Making application of the message to life:

5) Based on the message, why is music good? How does it help you?

6) How can you ensure you are worshiping in Spirit and in Truth?

7) How can you help in corporate worship at Grace? What specific things can you do?

Component	Resulting Discipline	Proper Dominion	Evidence of Man’s Sin
Chemical Elements	Chemistry	Vaccine	Poison
Colors/light	Art	Michelangelo	Pornography
Spoken letters	Speech	Bible teaching	Lying, slander
Written letters	Composition Music lyrics	C.S. Lewis, “Messiah”	Moral filth Gangsta Rap
Sound waves	Music	Refreshing the spirit and body	Stimulating lust Instant ratification

1) Work song ¹⁷Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it– ¹⁸ The well the leaders sank, Dug by the nation’s nobles, By the lawgiver, with their staves.” And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah, (Num. 21:17-18)

2) War song ²⁰ Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. (Ex. 15:20)

3) Love song ¹² The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. (Sol. 2:12)

4) Entertainment song ¹² They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute. (Job 21:12)

5) Lament song ³¹ My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep. (Job 30:31)

6) Praise song (Ps. 150)

Shepherding Truth

Renewing Truth, Rightly Divided

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