Departing From Faithlessness

Promises Promises

There is a heavy weight in the work of promise making and an even heavier burden when it comes to keeping a covenant especially when one in the covenant is actively being unfaithful.

Today a promise is made and broken with little or no consequence other than the damage the broken promise has on your own word.

Yet when we consider the promises made by God and covenants forged we find them to be one sided. He has promised something and will keep it. That is in this covenant the only one bound to perform over and against the actins of the other party is God.

This does not give us free license to do as we please instead it holds us to a stricter account of what or how we must conduct ourselves in this covenant which promises us everlasting life.

In order to be recipients of the promises we must adhere to the terms of the covenant;

Ephesus; Abandons its first love and is warned if they do not return they will no longer remain a church.

Pergamum; The leadership decides it better to teach pragmatism ( they idolize the world) if they do not return the Lord will wage war against them

Thyatira; Practicing sexual immorality refused to repent and were told to depart those things or they would go through what Jezebel was going through

Today the pulpits across the United States are for sale… what is worse the congregations have learned to tolerate being sold to the lowest bidder. At present there is a large denomination that is well known and ascribed to that is hard at work trying to remove any remove reference of God being male. Your bibles will read “In the beginning God (they/them) created… They/Them were made in their own image.

If we desire to live in the promises we must conduct ourselves as if we belong to the covenant. (We cannot live outside of the covenant and still enjoy the blessings of the covenant)

As we will see in this the promises made by the Lord are kept in the symbology, typology and figures noted we will come to understand just how jealous the Lord is for us and how He uses the image of marriage to exemplify to us how we are to conduct ourselves.

Priests are to teach the people of the Lord well so the people may render proper worship to the Lord.

Malachi 2:1–2 ESV

“And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

Command for the Priest

1 Pet 2:9 reminds us that in the New Covenant we are all priests.

Then the Lord turned and said after speaking to you it appears I need to clearly outline what i need from you. (how are we any different.)

Series of “if-then” promises

If then promises are not just for good they can be used to warn

Keep “snorting at me” “keep taking your calling passively”

I will curse you

I will curse your blessing

Some work and work and work only to find there is never enough

Some even abide by some of the greatest of the Heavenly principles and still do not see a blessing or when they do the enemy destroys it so quickly.

The Lord is shouting “I want you to take me serious” “I want you to stop playing house with church””Its not possible the secular world takes me serious while my priests think this is a big game”

Defining the Priest

Malachi 2:5–7 ESV

My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Recaps what the Priest actually is

Covenant with the Priest

Covenant of Life… one which promises the priest access to life eternal… there will always be a place for them

Covenant of Peace… one which is perhaps defined best by Phil 4:7

Peace in the midst of the storm… not that you will never go through the storm but that when in the wilderness… the season of dryness… or literal storm your heart and mind are guarded.

Priests were witness to the power and majesty of God… They stood in “fear” or were awestruck… reverence to His name

Gard knowledge and people seek instruction… they turn people away from sin not to sin…

His lips guide people into the Lord not away.

You are the messenger of the Lord… or as in Acts 1 you are His witnesses

quite literally you are the martyrs that give your life that others may find life in Him. You no longer live for yourself.

Three Charges Against the Priest

Corrupting the Covenant

Malachi 2:8–9 ESV

But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”

When the priest sells out the congregation soon follows

the priest are noted in 1:12 teaching others to despise the good instruction and instead to look for things that appease them.

Showing partiality

Pick and choose gospel

it applies only when its convinient

Because of this I have made you the lowest of all the one to be least

Foreign Marriage

Malachi 2:11–12 ESV

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. 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!

We note in several sections of scripture how the Lord dislikes intermarriage

some take it literal

Speaks of marrying into foreign doctrines which lead to spiritual offspring

distorted; corrupted; unable to reproduce

All which go to a different doctrine or gospel will be cut off

Speaks of the sellout and their churches which are being cutoff

Empty Worship

Malachi 2:13 ESV

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.

There are those who present as genuine yet are sold out to foreign gods…

Notice how they weep and cover the altar with their tears and yet the Lord does not receive it.

He desires a genuine worship

Warning for the Unchanging Heart

for those who are waiting or the next generation to do it… what if the Lord outright rejects them because of your playing church?

Malachi 2:3–4 ESV

Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts.

That offspring you produce from unfaithfulness will be rebuked

For those who think its ok the Lord will just overlook

He will outright reject them and turn to you and say it is your fault…

He takes the dung (ofal) and puts that on your face.

This was the flesh of the animal

the stomach that produced dung feces

He does this so that all will know He is the one who has caused this

He refuses to coddle it,

He remains unchanging and declares what He has wanted and continues to desire of His people

The time for playing house with His church is long over. We cannot cry for revival and refuse to step into His service… much less can we repeat a message that is so far removed from what He desires and think we are doing anyone a favor.

Its not all doom and gloom when you read through Revelation you encounter a posture in which there is a call to change and to overcome… to the one that over comes are 7 promises

Eat from the Tree of Life

Not be hurt by the second death

Manna from heaven and a new name

Rule in His Kingdom, and the morning star

White garments, name never removed from the book of life, Jesus confesses their name before the angels and the Father

Pillar in the temple of God, God’s inscribed on them and the new name of Jesus revealed

Sit with Christ on His throne…

Notice all of these are given to the one that overcomes… to sit around and pretend like you didnt know or were the only one to have the luxury of doing nothing and just being a bump on a log is foolishness it is a deep thing that satan has sewn in so many

today hear the Lord calling you to action that your offspring will not be rejected that your offering will be received.