Fresh Faith: Week 1

Good morning friends, and Happy New Year. What a wonderful day it is to be in God’s House! I pray you all had a great Christmas, and have enjoyed the holiday season in general. I am very excited for this new year. I know the Lord has some wonderful things planned for Ottawa First. There is something exciting about starting a new year, even if you aren’t into the whole “resolution” thing. Sometimes we all need a fresh start.

This upcoming year I have some very exciting sermons planned out. Of course, I always leave room for the Holy Spirit to speak and change my plans, but outside of that, I am really looking forward to what the Lord has impressed upon my heart, and the direction that He would have us to go over the next 12 months. Before I get started with this week’s sermon, I want to give you a preview of some of the series and topics we will be covering-should the Lord tarry.

Jan: Fresh Faith: The book of Malachi

Feb.: ReBrand: Refocusing on our Mission/ Topical Series

March: Lost Parables of Jesus: Lost Sheep, Coin, Son: Book of Luke

April: Problematic Passages: Tamar, Elisha, Jesus’s response to the woman; Hate Your Family.

May-June: Stories From the Beginning: Genesis

July: Sermon on the Mount

August: The King: The Rise and Fall of Solomon

Sept: How to Read the Bible- Hermanutics (I want all of us to learn how to properly interpret God’s word, none of us should have to rely on others to tell us what is right and wrong) God has given each of us the ability to understand God’s word. Of course, wise council is always important, and there is nothing wrong with seeking advice, but each of you have the Holy Spirit in your lives, which gives you discernment in reading and interpreting God’s word. The more you exercise this spiritual muscle, the bigger it grows.

October: A journey of Faith: Hebrews

November: Chasing the Wind: Ecclesiastes

Starting in February, as we look at refocusing on our mission, I will be issuing a challenge, for all of us, not just you all-but myself included. Like I said before, I am excited to see how the Lord moves, and what He has in store for all of us this year. Also, next month I will be giving my “state of the church” address, something that Pastor’s will generally do once a year. Also, next month, we are planning on having our yearly business meeting. I chose not to do this in January, because I want to ease into these things, as the New Year begins.

If you ask 10 pastors the question: what topic do you avoid the most, about 8 of them will say: money, or the Biblical principles of giving. It is a sensitive subject, but has become even more sensitive because of the greed of many well known pastors and churches. The subject of money and giving has become somewhat of a stain on the church and while I can’t really do anything about that, as a whole, I can do my part in teaching and preaching about giving and money in a way that honors the Lord. Let’s go ahead and pray, then we will start by examining the book of Malachi.

PRAY

The name of this series is “Fresh Faith,” and is centered in the book of Malachi-a book in the O.T. Some of you may remember, a couple of months ago, I let you all know that I would be talking about the principles of giving in January-and guess what-it’s January, but that’s not everything we will be discussing, of course. The book of Malachi is very rich and has a ton of great content that is very applicable to us today…money is just one the subjects.

The book of Malachi can be viewed as a mediation between God and the people. The book contains a series of six disputes that have a similar pattern: God speaks, the people question Him, and God delivers a rebuttal. The theme of the first dispute (Mal 1:2–5) is that God loves Israel. When the people ask how He has loved them, He contrasts His unwarranted kindness toward them with His anger toward their neighbors, the Edomites. In the second dispute (Mal 1:6–2:9), God rebukes the priests for failing to honor Him. In the third dispute (Mal 2:10–16), He criticizes His people for being unfaithful to Him and to one another. The theme of the fourth dispute (Mal 2:17–3:5) is that God is just, but the people have acted unjustly. In the fifth dispute (Mal 3:6–12), God speaks against the people for withholding tithes from Him. In the sixth dispute (Mal 3:13–4:3), God draws a distinction between those who speak arrogantly and those who revere Him. Those who revere God will be blessed on the Day of Yahweh. The book ends with a reminder to uphold the law of Moses and a promise that God will send Elijah the prophet before the Day of Yahweh, which is a promised day of judgment and restoration (Mal 4:4–6).

• Questioning God’s Love (Mal 1:1–5)

• Dishonoring God’s Name (Mal 1:6–2:9)

• Defaming God’s Covenant (Mal 2:10–16)

• Questioning God’s Justice (Mal 2:17–3:5)

• Robing God’s Storehouse (Mal 3:6–12)

• Despising God’s Service (Mal 3:13–4:3)

• Summary and the prophecy of Elijah to come (Mal 4:4–6)

Malachi 1: 1-5

1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. 2.“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the Lord of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever.” 5 Your eyes will see this and you will say, “The Lord be magnified beyond the border of Israel!”

As I mentioned before, the title of this series is called “Fresh Faith.” I chose this particular series for a few different reasons. First, as we kick off the New Year, it’s important that we refocus our minds on one of the most important aspects of our relationship with the Lord…which is our faith. The second reason has to do with our topic next month, in which we will be refocusing on our mission and vision as a body of believers. As your pastor, part of my job it getting you all motivated and excited to grab a hold of our mission and owning it for yourself. But, before we do that, I want us have a proper grasp of where we stand, as far as our faith in the Lord’s provision in our lives. After all, if we struggle in our beliefs that the Lord is our provider, rather than our occupation or our social security checks…or whatever the case may be, that will affect many other areas of our lives.

Before we get into the specifics of the passages I read, let’s look at some of the context behind the book of Malachi, which is among the least well understood books of the O.T. and it’s one of the most difficult to fully understand. The authorship of Malachi is up for debate. Scholars are not sure if the name of the author is Malachi, which means The Messenger, or if the prophet is unanimous, using The Messenger as his moniker.

When I was first beginning to learn how to really study God’s word, I was wondering how we know that a certain book of the Bible was considered “cannon” (an official part of the Bible) if we do not know it’s author…or exactly when it was written. There are a number of ways, but one of the most easy to understand is: do any N.T. authors quote the O.T. book? In the case of Malachi, we can find it quoted in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Romans , (some of which we will get to in a little bit).

An interesting fact about the book of Malachi is that God is the one speaking in 47 of the 55 verses through the entire book. So, whoever the author was, their idea was for the reader to focus on the word of the Lord, rather than the name of the author. This is just one of the things that makes Malachi unique.

Malachi forms the transition link between the two dispensations, the Old and the New.

The general idea that I want us to understand today is that

God loves us with a fierce and jealous love that requires us to respond with fidelity and trust.

This book was written during a time of unrest for the people of Israel. If you remember back a few months, during our series on Ezra and Nehemiah, we talked about how the people of Israel were given permission to return to their land and rebuild the temple (after they had been taken captive by Babylon. The book of Malachi is believed to have been written after this…so, many of the Jewish people were living back in Israel. Also, and you may not remember, at the end of Habakkuk, despite the fact that God had done all of these marvelous things for them, they started going back down the road of disobedience. Malachi was written after this…so the people were not doing well. In the opening few passages, God is addressing some of the questions that have arisen.

1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. 2.“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”

Here, the Lord is speaking through the prophet, and is addressing the priests-the men who’s job it was to take care of the temple. Although the Israelites have been given the freedom to worship, the societal conditions were not that great. Poverty was a big problem; the people of Israel were wondering when the Lord would restore them back to a powerful nations. It seemed to the Israelites that the ungodly nations surrounding them were the ones receiving the blessings. God reminds the people of Israel t hat He loves them, then address a question that (no doubt) had been asked many times…it’s kinda “Hey God, I know you are good and all…but what have you done for me lately? We are supposed to be the “chosen one’s,’ and here we are, suffering. The Lord then brings up the story of Jacob and Esau-reminding them that God chose to bless their ancestor Jacob, instead of Esau (even though Esau was the older of the two).

Let’s take a look at that story real quick:

Genesis 25: 19-26

19 Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham [n]became the father of Isaac; 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the [o]Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the [p]Aramean, to be his wife. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord [q]answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.” 24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 Now the first came forth red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called [r]Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.

More than once I’ve spoken about the importance of birth order back in the O.T. days. Even in a situation, where there were twins, the first to be born was the one who would receive the blessing. Much like in other stories, Esau is the elder born, but does not receive the blessing…Jacob does. God chose Jacob to be the one through whom the line of Abraham would continue. I would like to tell you why God chose one over the other, but I’m not God. The Lord knew what He was doing.

Now, back to Malachi, the priests has the temerity to pose the question: What have you done for me lately? I think we can look at that question and become a bit self-righteous, pretending as though that sort of question has never entered our minds before-but, if I think we are honest with ourselves, even if we’ve never said it out loud, it’s easy for us to have that mentality-not only with God, but with our earthly relationships as well. Sometimes we can get tired of giving and giving..and seemingly never receiving anything back.

Thankfully, we serve a gracious God, who puts up some of our nonsense, just like he did with the priests in Malachi 1.

But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”

The Lord reminds the priests that He had chosen their ancestor, and blessed him, rather than the older son Esau. You see, the Israelites were complaining that their lives were not going well, they were waiting on some of the well known prophesies-that state that Israel will be restored, and that the messiah would come to set them free…hence the question: what have you done for me lately. God let’s the people know that even though they may be struggling right now-the Lord still has His hand of blessing upon them. God compares the blessings of the line of Jacob, compared to that of Esau..by making a rather stark comment: that God loved Jacob, but hated Esau.

In the past I’ve talked about the importance of not ascribing human emotion to God-if I were to say that I hate something-that means that I have completely written it off-that I want nothing to do with it..and we can be forgiven for thinking that is exactly what the Lord means here with the followup statement : and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness. As I was studying this, and looking up many different commentaries, without exception, each of them said that in this instance, God is not referring to hate, as you and I would think of it. Rather, the idea is more like preferring less…which is very accurate.

This is important, because in the N.T. in

Galatians 5: 19-21

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

It is clear to understand, and I’m not trying to sugarcoat the fact that the line of Esau, which became Edom, was not part of the Abrahamic covenant, but the Lord, much like Ishmael who became a separate nation (Abraham’s other son), Esau did experience a certain amount of blessing. If you remember the story, Jacob deceived their father, in order to get the blessing. This angered Esau, as you can imagine…then Jacob and Esau both went their own ways. The Bible does record though, that the brothers reunited.

Genesis 33: 1-3

33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

The line of Esau, as I said, ended up as Edom, which eventually went on to oppress Israel. When we come to the first chapter of Malachi, the people of Israel are wondering why it seems that the people of Edom (Esau’s descendants) are prospering, while God’s own chosen people are suffering. God graciously take the time to remind the people of the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-and that the people of Edom, despite temporary appearances, do not have a place in the covenant.

CSB Study Bible: Notes (Chapter 1)

God hated Esau insomuch as he did not choose to make a covenant of blessing with him and his descendants (the Edomites) but instead destroyed them for their rebellion. That nation was noted for its pride, treachery, greed, and violence (Jr 49:7–22; Am 1:9–12; Obadiah). Although God disciplined Israel severely, he did not destroy them completely (Neh 9:31; Jr 31:3) as he had done with Edom.

Let’s keep moving through the first few verses of Malachi 1.

4 Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the Lord of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever.” 5 Your eyes will see this and you will say, “The Lord be magnified beyond the border of Israel!”

Here, God continues to address the idea that Israel is indeed the chosen people that God chose. At this point in history, Babylon had risen to be a mighty and powerful nation. They ended up defeating Israel and the people of Edom. God is reassuring His chosen people that even though Edom may try to rebuild their nation, God has not chosen the descendants of Esau, and they will eventually come to ruin. God reassures His people that one day they will see these things come to fruition…and to have faith that it will happen. In other words, God is telling the people of Israel, get your eyes off of Edom, and put them back on me. Be assured of your calling, and do not waiver in your knowledge that you are my chosen people.

Much like God’s chosen people in the O.T., as long as we have placed our faith in Christ, and repented of our sins, we too are the chosen, no different than the people of Israel-Christ’s work on the cross ripped the veil of the temple, and allowed you and I access to God the Father.

Romans 9: 11-13

11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Romans Ch. 9 is a great read, and address the very subject we are talking about today-the fact that God chose Jacob over Esau. As with all things that have to do with why God does what He does, it can be difficult to understand. I’ve learned though, that we get a much clearer picture of what Paul is trying to say if we read Ch. 9-11 in one sitting. Paul addresses some very important points in these chapters that help us better understand the mind of God and why He chose Jacob over Esau. One thing is very clear, regardless of how you interpret these verses, God does everything for a reason, and is always in control. If God makes a promise, we can count on it.

One thing that we can all be assure of, if you’ve repented of your sins and put your faith in Christ, you do not need to worry.

Romans 11: 33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[i] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”[j] 35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”[k] 36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Conclusion

So, what can we learn from the first few passages of Malachi 1?

The people of Israel were in a difficult situation, mostly as a result of their own bad decisions. Regardless, God was reassuring them of who they are. God chose them, long ago, long before any of those who were currently living were ever born. God chose them, not because they were wonderful people, but because God had a plan. His plan was to eventually bring the messiah through a specific ancestral line. Much like us today, they people were restless and were doubting their place in God’s plan. They were unsure of where they fit within God’s master plan. They looked at the people around them, wondering why they seemed to be prospering, while God’s people were suffering.

Does this sound familiar? On one hand, we can question God when times get rough and we can’t see Him moving amongst us. Additionally, we become fearful and discontent when things aren’t going our way. Israel was having both of these issues. When Sam was young, sometimes I could tell that he was feeling unsure of himself (as we all have a tendency to do). In these moments, I would do my best to affirm him, much like God was doing to the people of Israel in our passages today. I would remind Sam of how special he was and of how much I loved him, regardless of any mistakes or shortcomings. Sometimes our emotions can get out ahead of the Lord, where we then experience fear and uncertainty. When this happens, we begin to questions God’s goodness, provision and protection. I want to close with a couple of stories today-something a bit different than how I normally close a sermon, but they both really illistrate what I’m trying to get across.

The first story is from the life of Corrie ten Boom, she was a Christian who would hide Jews during the 2nd world war. Eventually her and her sister got caught. This is an excerpt from her book: it speaks to us remembering to be grateful, despite our circumstances:

Corrie and Betsie ten Boom were courageous, compassionate Dutch Christians who helped harbor Jews from the Nazis in Holland during World War 2. After the sisters were arrested for doing so, they were imprisoned at Ravensbruck, a German concentration camp.

In their barracks, they were shown to a series of massive square platforms, stacked three levels high and placed so close together that people had to walk single-file to pass between them. Rancid straw was scattered over the platforms, which served as communal beds for hundreds of women. Corrie and Betsie found they could not sit upright on their own platform without hitting their heads on the deck above them. They lay back, struggling against nausea that swept over them from the reeking straw.

Suddenly Corrie started up, striking her head on the cross-slats above. Something had bitten her leg. “Fleas!” she cried. “Betsie, the place is swarming with them!” Descending from the platform and edging down a narrow aisle, they made their way to a patch of light. “Here! And here another one!” Corrie wailed. “Betsie, how can we live in such a place?”

“Show us. Show us how,” Betsie said matter-of-factually. It took Corrie a moment to realize that her sister was praying. “Corrie!” Betsie then exclaimed excitedly. “He’s given us the answer! Before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!”

Corrie checked to make sure no guards were nearby, then drew from a pouch a small Bible she had managed to smuggle into the concentration camp. “It was in First Thessalonians,” she said, finding the passage in the feeble light. “Here it is: ‘Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus …’ ” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18).

“That’s it!” Betsie interrupted. “That’s His answer. ‘Give thanks in all circumstances!’ That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this barracks!”

Corrie stared at her incredulously, then around at the dark, foul-smelling room. “Such as?” she inquired.

“Such as being assigned here together.”

Corrie bit her lip. “Oh yes, Lord Jesus!”

“Such as what you’re holding in your hands.”

Corrie looked down at the Bible. “Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages.”

“Yes,” agreed Betsie. “Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!” She looked at her sister expectantly and prodded, “Corrie!”

“Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.”

“Thank you,” Betsie continued on serenely, “for the fleas and for …”

That was too much for Corrie. She cut in on her sister: “Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.”

“ ‘Give thanks in all circumstances,” Betsie corrected. “It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.” So they stood between the stacks of bunks and gave thanks for fleas, though on that occasion Corrie thought Betsie was surely wrong.

As the weeks passed, Betsie’s health weakened to the point that, rather than needing to go out on work duty each day, she was permitted to remain in the barracks and knit socks together with other seriously-ill prisoners. She was a lightning fast knitter and usually had her daily sock quota completed by noon. As a result, she had hours each day she could spend moving from platform to platform reading the Bible to fellow prisoners. She was able to do this undetected as the guards never seemed to venture far into the barracks.

One evening when Corrie arrived back at the barracks Betsie’s eyes were twinkling.   “You’re looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself,” Corrie told her.

“You know we’ve never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,” Betsie said, referring to the part of the barracks where the sleeping platforms were. “Well—I’ve found out. This afternoon there was confusion in my knitting group about sock sizes, so we asked the supervisor to come and settle it. But she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?” Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice as she exclaimed, “Because of the fleas! That’s what she said: ‘That place is crawling with fleas!’ ”

Corrie’s mind raced back to their first hour in the barracks. She remembered Betsie bowing her head and thanking God for creatures that Corrie could see no use for.

The last story has to do with choosing to remain calm, knowing that we having nothing to fear.