For the past few weeks and over the next couple of months, I will upload short messages based on the book of Malachi. It will probably be eight total and based on the section divisions in the English Standard Version of the Bible.
No special titles. Just taking a quick look at what was said.
So read along with me, and let us study what Malachi said to his people about 2,400 years ago.
Remember that Malachi literally means “my messenger”, so he is God’s messenger, as all the Prophets were.
Chapter 1 was about God’s love for His covenant people – those who obey and love Him – versus those who refuse to listen to Him. The priests offered lame, sick, and injured animals as sacrifices, basically taking the Lord’s name in vain by calling it acceptable even though they were worthless gifts.
Chapter 2 can be called the passage about “bovine scatology”, because priests then (and many now) led people astray with false teachings. So God rebuked them and showed they are outside of the covenant.
Chapter 2 nearly finishes with God rebuking not only the priests but any who practice what God said not to
Now, to discuss the God of justice:
17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”
3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.[a]4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:7-12
Simple, Not Easy (Part 2)
Big picture: Love God, love people, share the Gospel. But how do we love others . . . in the Church?
Jesus loved by S Himself, so ought we do the same (John 15:13).
Love each other by NOT being:
S , but rather h (Philippians 2:3)
H (Romans 12:9-13), but rather s (1 Peter 1:22-23)
Love each other by:
H each other (Colossians 6:10)
T , r , r , e , and staying p (2 Timothy 4:2)
Let us show un-hypocritical love by helping each other through this life by pointing each other back to God’s Word and Christ’s example, being patient and kind with each other as we stumble along, remembering we need each other’s help!
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31:31, ESV
Women – made in the image of God – are to be praised and honored for their God-given gifts, especially as they honor God. And the Church – the Bride of Christ and mother of the saints – deserves honor and respect.
For the past few weeks and over the next couple of months, I will upload short messages based on the book of Malachi. It will probably be eight total and based on the section divisions in the English Standard Version of the Bible.
No special titles. Just taking a quick look at what was said.
So read along with me, and let us study what Malachi said to his people about 2,400 years ago.
Remember that Malachi literally means “my messenger”, so he is God’s messenger, as all the Prophets were.
Chapter 1 was about God’s love for His covenant people – those who obey and love Him – versus those who refuse to listen to Him. The priests offered lame, sick, and injured animals as sacrifices, basically taking the Lord’s name in vain by calling it acceptable even though they were worthless gifts.
Chapter 2 can be called the passage about “bovine scatology”, because priests then (and many now) led people astray with false teachings. So God rebuked them and showed they are outside of the covenant.
Now, God rebukes not only the priests but any who practice what God said not to:
10 Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant of the man who does this, who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 16 “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
Big picture: Love God, love people, share the Gospel. But how love God?
What does the Bible say?
Love God by (Deuteronomy 6:4-9):
Studying S (Psalm 119:15-16)
Discussing S
Love God by loving the C (John 13:34)
R God’s faithfulness.
M together to talk about His faithfulness.
E each other in truth and good works.
Love God by:
H those in need (Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:16-17)
W to people (Matthew 5:13-16, 28:18-20
We show we love God by sharing the gospel and teaching people to obey, as we should be doing. Not being ashamed of the Gospel, but boldly proclaiming truth.
[This is a little late. We did some remodeling and cleaning, and I forgot to upload on Saturday night! We have more storage area in our garage and a green bathroom, now, though! And this explains why I look tired in this video. I had worked hard all day!]
It is about time for a short message series.
Over the next couple of months, I will upload short messages based on the book of Malachi. It will probably be eight total and based on the section divisions in the English Standard Version of the Bible.
No special titles. Just taking a quick look at what was said.
So read along with me, and let us study what Malachi said to his people about 2,400 years ago.
Remember that Malachi literally means “my messenger”, so he is God’s messenger, as all the Prophets were.
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor?
God is our heavenly Father, and today we see evidence that He is not given the honor that is due. But Paul reminded us what the times before Christ’s return would be like in 2 Timothy 3:1-5:
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
This certainly describes much of our world today, even within the Church. But especially seeing as, as a world, we barely acknowledge our heavenly Father, let alone give much honor to our earthly parents. We are too busy seeking our own pleasure and thinking we are right about everything.
But back to Malachi:
6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.
God was talking to the priests of ancient Israel. But we see polluted offerings today.
We see it in the Prosperity gospel or the so-called New Apostolic Reformation with all of these new apostles and prophets and such who say we should be living our best life now and be healthy, wealthy, and happy. If you are not healthy and wealthy and happy, you have weak faith. It is your own fault for not trusting God enough.
It is these people making claims that “thus saith the Lord” when He has not spoken.
Like what?
Like these preachers and prophets who said the C-19 pandemic (at the time of this message) was going to end by Passover. Here I am two weeks after Passover having seen that it not only is not over but hit its worst days AFTER Passover (in the US, at least, which is what most of these people were talking about).
It is people trying to declare the weather act a certain way, such as Kenneth Copeland declaring a heatwave to kill the virus … and a cold snap hitting the very next day. Nationwide.
These are people claiming to be speaking for God, when they make false prophecies and have no actual power. This is blasphemy and taking the Lord’s Name in vain.
It can also be seen in a too-close, buddying up with politics.
It is saying “Our party is the Christian party” or “the Republican party is the party of Christianity.” It is saying that God is not only okay with such-and-such a thing but endorses it, such as saying abortion and gay marriage are godly acts.
I just stepped on the toes of Republicans and Democrats, but they are far from alone in this.
When we let our politics influence our faith, instead of the other way around, we put forth an offering polluted by the world. [Our religion should influence our politics, though!]
Back to Malachi:
9 And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. 10 Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. 13 But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. 14 Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.
Costi Hinn – Benny Hinn’s nephew – worked for his uncle’s ministry. However, he “shut the doors” by walking away from that ministry. Today, he is a pastor – in the Reformed tradition – and speaks out against his uncle’s ministry and other Prosperity Gospel, the NAR, and other hyper-charismatic ministries.
Both in ancient Israel and today, we have horrible sacrifices and offerings.
Churches say “gay marriage” is okay, when the Bible forbids it.
Churches say “No matter what you believe or how you live, why don’t you lead this bible study or lead this ministry … or become ordained and lead a church.” No repentance nor confirmation of beliefs.
God was not happy with sacrifices and offerings when Israelites offered lame and sick sacrifices.
God is not happy when we offer teachings and leaders that are contrary to His Word.
But there is good news! (And you probably know where this is going …)
God offered the ultimate sacrifice in our place when He offered His own Son, Jesus Christ for the atonement of our sins.
Jesus was the perfect, unblemished sacrifice.
He endured violence, but it was to redeem our violent nature by being beaten and killed on our behalf. He suffered death at our own hands to redeem our actions and make us holy as He is holy by washing us in His blood.
Our sacrifices and offerings have never been good enough. So He offered Himself.
And all we have to do is believe that and let the Holy Spirit change us to be more like the Son.
And this is the good news that will spread His fame throughout the nations, a pure offering of praise made by His redeemed, as we make His Name known.
And one day, Jesus is returning to renew the world. And all who live on this planet will worship Him.
Over the next couple of months, I will upload short messages based on the book of Malachi. It will probably be eight total and based on the section divisions in the English Standard Version of the Bible.
No special titles. Just taking a quick look at what was said.
So read along with me, and let us study what Malachi said to his people about 2,400 years ago.
A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.
2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.
“But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’
“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”
4 Edom may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.”
But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’
Malachi literally means “my messenger”, so he is God’s messenger, as all the Prophets were.
There is nothing new being said today from over two thousand years ago. People are still asking about the existence a good, loving God. People are still claiming God would never cause a calamity or leave people to suffer, especially for eternity.
But why should God help people who want nothing to do with Him?
Why would God force people into heaven if they want nothing to do with Him?
We must remember that the difference between God’s love and hate for us is that His love is given to those who take it, and those who hate Him remain under His wrath.
It is our own fault if we do not receive God’s love.
This is still happening online because of the current mandate for isolation for the C-19 pandemic.
After the lesson for Palm Sunday that my lovely other-half, Caitlin – who is our Children’s Director at the Church Next Door – made, we had her record another lesson!
So, gather up the kiddos (or enjoy this at any age), and enjoy another mashup from a weekly sermon and children’s curriculum:
Questions to consider:
Was there a time in your life that you thought everything was going wrong? How did you feel?
Have you had a fight with someone and you could not ask for forgiveness or were you ever not able to see someone for any reason, to say goodbye?
Resurrection Sunday – John 20:19-29
Jesus is the Son of God, God’s only Son by birth.
Remember last week’s big idea? That Jesus is the Son of God, God’s only Son by birth.
He was nailed to a cross to save us from our sin, but His own disciples did not understand it.
Jesus died. Their leader was gone. His friends felt abandoned by Him. They thought they would never have the chance to see or talk with him again.
But then … He is alive?! Now what?
John 20:19-29
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Jesus’ resurrection shows us that:
We can be afraid in our circumstances, but Jesus can comfort us;
We can push God away with our sin, but by His sacrifice He draws us back to Himself;
We can misunderstand God’s plan, but Jesus draws us close with the Holy Spirit to give us forgiveness;
We can doubt, but Jesus comes to us and overcomes our doubts. Because He was dead, but He is alive!
Now, we tell the world that Jesus is alive!
Today is Resurrection Sunday! The one holiday we celebrate 52 times a year!
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Memory verses: Ephesians 5:2:
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
21 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Palm Sunday 2020 (The Church Next Door) – Matthew 21:1-11 – Worshiping Without Understanding
Imagine being a 1st Century Jew.
A hostile government
Foreign soldiers walking the streets
Turncoats siding with the hostile government (tax collectors, joining the army)
Weak and compromising leadership
And here comes Jesus, the one everyone is calling the Savior of Israel! Finally! Someone to throw out the Romans and restore Israel to greatness! Here is a great prophet and king! Save us!
And then there is Jesus. He knows our expectations, but he subverts them. He knows our longings, but He has His purpose.
Triumphal Entry: Celebration “God has come to do what we expect!”
But the cross … Not what we expected. “In this world you will have trouble …” (John 16:33)
Triumphal Entry: Worship Christ still receives worship, even amidst our misunderstanding.
So, the cross … Shows us why He can accept. So, we should show grace to our brothers & sisters in error of understanding.
January 17: Took Caitlin to the airport, stopped at a favorite coffee shop. Was updating the owner about my 10-month-old nephew being hospitalized with Hand Foot Mouth, Pneumonia, RSV, and other stuff. Customer asks if has gotten better, and I mentioned that as a Christian I believe all of the prayers helped get him home on Christmas night. Oops. Angry atheist. If any god exists, he “royally ****** up with humans. So you probably believe he made your nephew sick, which means he’s evil! If anyone helped your nephew it was the doctors.”
I went from celebrating my God for healing my nephew to getting attacked for my faith.
But I had a peaceful calm the moment this man blew up. And, how come our world is so messed up? “Short answer: sin. God gave us free will, and we choose to mess up this world by rejecting Him. But He plans on fixing it one day.” I did not get to share the full gospel with this man, but he respected meeting a Christian not afraid to tackle the hard questions. God gave me His grace to peaceably talk with a hostile man, calm him down, and even get a “It was nice talking with you! Have a nice day!” as he left.
Why?
Because I celebrated, without knowing what was coming. (But I also put in the groundwork of worshiping with my heart, soul, mind, and strength, studying the Word and answers people have provided.)
But because of what did come over the week after Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem – the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus – I could still worship Him by loving one who hates Him.
Think back to those worshiping on Palm Sunday: (Matthew 21:11) “This is the prophet Jesus.” They see Lazarus – the man who was dead just a week earlier! – and think of Elijah and Elisha raising women’s sons. They see the donkey, and they think of Zechariah 9:9 prophesying the King coming on a donkey, and then probably skipped ahead to Zechariah 14: (vv. 1-5)
Behold, a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
Here comes the King, on the Mount of Olives, to fight off the invaders and restore our nation! Especially with the other events of the week:
Clearing the Temple with zeal for God’s house
Rebuking and shaming the Pharisees and Sadducees
Celebrating the Passover, the first time a mighty prophet led Israel out of subjugation into freedom
But our Lord does not meet their expectations. What else happened that week? The arrest. The abuse. The crucifixion.
No one saw it coming. (Even with Jesus’ own warnings!)
If only they had continued reading in Zechariah [14:6-9]:
On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
When coupled with Daniel 9:24, “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place”, we see that the Messiah would bring an end to sin and then establish His worldwide, eternal Kingdom.
So, on Palm Sunday, we are reminded of three things:
Jesus accepts our worship, even when we misunderstand and believe wrongly about Him.
So, we need to show grace to those we disagree with.
The disciples did not understand that this King was going to die in just a few days time, and it caused them to scatter. (Self-isolate?) And Jesus still loved them!
There are many who teach things wrongly, but they may still be our brothers and sisters.
Though, just as Jesus rebuked and shamed the leadership in His day, we must watch for and correct false teachings.
If the teachers repent, awesome!
If not, then we distance ourselves from them.
NOT EVERYTHING WE DISAGREE WITH IS NECESSARILY FALSE TEACHING!
Look at George Whitefield and John Wesley: a Calvinist and an Arminian who were dear brothers in Christ.
We worship and celebrate God without knowing everything that is coming.
The disciples did not understand that this King was going to die in just a few days time, and it caused them to scatter. (Self-isolate?) But it led to our salvation from sin!
Palm Sunday during C-19 Pandemic
Didn’t see it coming, but look at us trusting our Lord and meeting in innovative ways (such as Zoom!)
We know God leads us through hard things, and we rejoice and share the Gospel. (2 Corinthians 5 – Ambassadors for Christ sharing the message of reconciliation and peace)
Just as I was ready with an answer for an angry atheist, we are all commanded to be ready to give a reasoned defense for the faith that is within us, especially when bad/hard things happen (1 Peter 3:14-15).
We remember that our King shall return triumphantly to institute His eternal Kingdom!
Jesus warned (yes, warned!) and promised us He will return.
He was the gentle lamb in His ministry, but He is returning as a strong Lion and conquering King!
We need not imagine what ancient Israelites thought about our coming King. The book of Revelation shows us that God’s wrath will be poured out on the entire earth, all of Creation will be renewed through fire, and His eternal Kingdom shall be established as heaven and Earth become one. [READ Revelation 22:1-7, 20-21]
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Do we truly love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths? Maybe I can help with the mind part, at least! This is Daniel M. Klem, apparent poet, reluctant yet passionate Disciple (Peter?), and foolish man attempting to understand theology!
a simple man of God 