The Leftovers
Notes
Transcript
Whatever
Whatever
Last weekend we went camping… at camp. We went up, just a little mini retreat, spent the night at camp, it was so good!
Logan invited his friend, let’s call him Peter. That’s not his name, but that’s funny.
And it was awesome, Logan’s friend was SUPER chill. What do you want to do: “Whatever.” We are going to play a game “Okay, whatever.”
Y’all want to climb the giant tree at camp? “Whatever.”
Not in a passive-aggressive way, like a friendly chill up-for-whatever kind of way.
It was nice because we knew “Peter” would be good with “whatever,” we could kind of plan around all the rest of our concerns and issues and priorities.
We wanted to make sure he had a good time… but knowing that he was good with whatever we could kind of focus on other things.
Here was a convicting question for me… maybe it is for you too?
Is that the way I often see God?
I want to obey God, I want to please God, I want to make sure God is pleased with my worship… sure. But I can easily have this attitude.
When I am picking out worship music… I think God is “cool” with all of the songs I’ve got. So, since He’s cool with “whatever” I’m going to pick something that “helps people worship.”
That one’s too played, that one’s too fast, that one’s just right…
In the way I consider church service. I’m just confessing what goes on in my head. I think a lot about y’all, what will help you worship, what will be comfortable or encouraging. In my sin, I consider what will impress you or offend you.
That’s gross.
How much time do I spend… how much time do you spend asking “What will please God most?” before you walk in these doors?
What will please God most? before you roll out of bed.
What will please God most? before you do anything. Before I do anything.
The Greatest Commandment
The Greatest Commandment
Pop quiz!
Most of you probably know the answer to this: what is the Greatest Commandment?
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Summed up like this: Love God, Love Others.
That’s not wrong, it’s actually great! It is Jesus’ synopsis of all the Law and the Prophets. We used that as our interpretive guide all the way through the “Ten Words” or the “Ten Commandments” years ago. That’s the lens through which we should understand all Scripture.
But we have likely all heard this used and abused.
“Just love God and whatever, man.” If I get to decide what “love God” means to me, then that can take me anywhere!
And you get a lot of “I like to love God by dancing in the meadows in the moonlight.” “That’s nice, I like to love God by being really nice to people on the street.”
“Oh, that’s good for you, I like to love God by hunting hobos with a bow and arrow.”
Woah! That’s not cool! I know. To be clear, that’s not how I love God, that’s just not me! You do you.
Is God “fine” with “whatever”?
Does He love what we do here? How do we know?
Is God well pleased?
Well “of course” God must be pleased because we are at church… and doesn’t God have to “love church”? This is our “God thing.”
And… here is a terrifying thought… what if God hated what we do here? That isn’t hypothetical, it is historical.
Malachi
Malachi
The book of Malachi. We don’t spend enough time in the prophets… I think it’s been a minute.
The book of Malachi is great, last book of the NT, you can read it front to back in 15 minutes. I easily could have just read it to you this morning. Maybe I still will, we’ll see.
Short… but it is FIRE!
Malachi is literally “my messenger”. Maybe a name, maybe a title. I’ll assume name.
Malachi is a prophet shortly after the rebuilding of the temple. Under Haggai and Zechariah they had this revival, under Nehemiah they built the wall… but then Nehemiah went away for a time, and it had been decades since the new excitement of the new temple...
People grew cold. The priesthood became corrupt. Worship became routine. Social justice was being ignored (ie, they weren’t taking care of beggars, widows and orphans).
But first, they were bringing God the leftovers. The “eh, God doesn’t really care what we do here” stuff.
“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?’
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.
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.
You wouldn’t pay your taxes with trash!!! But you’ll bring it to God?
What’s the only reason they would do that? They figure God doesn’t count. Or maybe God doesn’t matter.
And then they pray for stuff!
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.
Rhetorical question there. The answer is “NO!!!”
But God, how can you be mad??? The form is right? You have the right priests in the line of Aaron. You have the “right” sacrifice. A goat is a goat? They are in the “right” place, they are in “church,” they are in the consecrated temple. They are “keeping” Sabbath, they are on the “right day.” They have the form right, mostly.
Isn’t God cool with whatever?
What if He said these next words to us?
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.
I love the way Eugene Peterson says it:
“Why doesn’t one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don’t want any more of this so-called worship!
I don’t want any more of this so-called worship!
Does that sound like a God who is “cool with whatever?” P
Mother’s Day Leftovers
Mother’s Day Leftovers
Mother’s Day, 2020. Drew, Ella and I planned breakfast for KK. Omelettes (Drew’s favorite… but Karen appreciated the gesture). Great day out playing, some gardening, chill afternoon. I think we watched some “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.
Then dinner arrives. I had planned breakfast… but because I am an idiot… I hadn’t really thought threw dinner. And it is dinner time. So I think fast and say...
“What would you like for dinner? I could make you something… I could heat up leftover pizza...” I could...
It’s too late, right? It’s already awful. The look on her face as, on Mother’s Day, I revealed that I hadn’t thought ahead, planned for her, and was now offering her what? Leftovers. Lovely.
My wife is a loving woman… and so she is still my wife. But that was a fail. I failed to love her because I failed to ask “What would please KK most?” on a day to celebrate and thank her.
She forgives me. Thank God.
God forgives me. Thank Him.
How often do we offer God our leftover pizza? Our leftover time and energy? Our “whatever.”
How seldom do we ask “How do I love God in this moment with my heart, mind, soul and strength?” “What would please God most?”
Can you imagine God saying to you “I don’t want anymore of this so-called worship!”
The Prophets
The Prophets
And this wasn’t a one-time deal, this is a pattern. That is what the prophets were all about, it is the primary use of the gift of prophecy.
He says it through Isaiah:
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
He says it through Jeremiah:
What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba, or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
Amos (I love Amos), he says it through Amos:
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
Not going to listen to your empty forms of worship. I love Amos because He cries out for substance, he cries out for obedience, HE CRIES OUT FOR LOVE… In Amos Love takes the form, always, of “justice and righteousness.”
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Justice, that’s love for the least, beggars widows and orphans in Amos.
Righteousness, that is right relationship with God that leads to right living that leads to right relationship.
God is absolutely explicit that we are to love Him… and His Word details how we are to do that! With all our heart, with all our mind, with all our strength, with all our soul...
We are to love Him by keeping His commandments… by paying attention to what He has taught us, commanded us to do… and then actually doing it!
Covenant
Covenant
I read this to you a couple weeks ago.
This is the big picture. This is a refreshing of our covenant together. The simple things, the big things, what God has commanded us to do and be… who God is calling us as Next Step church to be.
We are going to walk through Scripture together, all of this is rooted in Scripture, in the big commands:
As disciples of Jesus we covenant together to love God and love others, inside and outside the fellowship, by the Spirit of God, in sacrifice, submission and trust, we are on mission: to encourage and equip one another to take the next bold step in being and making disciples of Jesus.
We know, of course, that these things aren’t equally weighted. What is the “Greatest Commandment?” Love God! Which means “Love God” dwarfs and encompasses everything on here, everything in Scripture, everything and everyone here in this place.
What would please God most?
What would please God most?
We love one another because that’s an answer to “what would please God most?” or “how do I love God in this moment?” We are his disciples because we love God, we are on His mission to make disciples… why? Because we love God, and we love God by obeying all His commands.
So let’s repent, together, of ever bringing God anything like our leftovers.
Let’s repent, together, of bringing God anything less than all that we are, all that we have, the best of what I can imagine, and plan, and bring.
As last week, what can I say “no” to so I can say a bigger “yes” to God. God wants all of me. How do we live this out?
We become, by disciplined practice, which becomes habit, which becomes the way we do things and the way we are… we become people who ask “What would please God most?”
and then we do that thing. Then we live that way.
This isn’t to say God doesn’t love our worship songs. He does, I believe that. I think singing together is one of the areas we are most faithful, sometimes I hear the angels singing with us… I feel the Spirit pleased among us.
That isn’t to say we don’t get some things right. I think God loves it when we gather and hear His Word. His Scripture read, His Scripture faithfully taught and faithfully preached (God help me do that, I’ll answer to Him for every sermon)!
But there are areas that you and I, Next Step Church, are not so faithful in. Not so obedient in. We are going to walk into that in detail next week, so buckle up.
As we enter challenging waters, let this be our banner, our defining question and be absolutely committed to the answer.
We are a people, disciples of Jesus, who covenant together to Love God.
We ask “what would be most pleasing to Him?” And we do that, whatever the cost.
In worship, let’s repent of offering anything less than our best. Anything less than our heart, our mind, our strength, our very soul.
Let’s repent of thinking God’s good with “whatever”.