Worship Appropriately - Malachi 2:17 - 4:6

During these last three months we have spent some profitable moments in the study of the Minor Prophets and the part they played in encouraging the nations to prepare for the coming Messiah whom they prophesied to be the King of all Kings. Starting with the first lesson in September we will move into a study of the book of Matthew, one of the greatest authorities on the history of the actual coming of the Messiah who is the Lord of all Lords. My request, as your teacher, is that you will not only read Matthew in its entirety, but that you will study it verse by verse and run references on any word or statement that is not already completely clear in your mind.

It is important that you realize that we are starting a new eight year study of the Bible. Please make a commitment right now that you will dedicate yourself to this eight year study and try as best you can to know every thing that the bible teaches you pertaining to your salvation by the time this study is completed. With God’s permission and help I will complete my commentaries on his entire word at the age of ninety-one. Please pray that I will remain alert and capable of “RIGHTLY DIVIDING HIS WORD” during this eight year study!!!! There is no place in the bible where it is taught that Christians are to retire from the study and spread of God’s word.

We are right in the middle of one of the hottest summers that Arkansans have ever endured. During the past few days the weather bureau has recorded two or three record highs; and this lesson brings to a close a study of the Minor Prophets and some of the hottest [most sinful] subjects that caused vast problems among the Israelite people in the latter days of the OT reign. The sad truth that we must face is that we in the twenty-first century have been as slow to learn about God’s wrath as were the Jews. The greatest success that I could possible feel as a teacher of His Word would be to know that something has been discussed that would cause someone [hopefully many] to learn and profit from the experience of those who paid a terrible price for their disobedience. The experience of others is a good teacher—and our own experiences are the best of all teachers. It is our responsibility to learn from our mistakes and our good fortune to have a loving savior that willingly forgives us.

Our young people, teens and pre-teens are now experiencing some of the most troublesome times in American history. They have experienced some of the most horrible examples of extreme weather conditions, earthquakes under sea and in populated areas, Katrina on the Gulf Coast, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and hundreds of terrorist attacks around the world, and finally a devastating war with no end in sight. These are, no doubt, the perilous times prophesied in the scriptures as sings of the second coming of our Lord and Savior. The signs of the time behoove us to WORSHIP APPROPRIATELY.

I mentioned last week that the Psalmist painted a picture of the levels of our relationship with Christ as it is compared to the structure of the tabernacle that went with God’s people all the way to the Promised Land. The Psalmist told us that we could enter his gates [of temple] with thanksgiving. We are to enter his courts [of the temple] with praise; and approach his throne [arc of covenant] which is God’s presence, with WORSHIP. It is easy for us to see that all three relationships are important. We should be a people of thanksgiving for all that he has done for us—and never cease to praise him for who he is—but it is most important that we WORSHIP HIM APPROPRIATELY because he is holy. It is impossible to worship God unless you are wholly—and he must accept you into his throne room [the holy of holies] before there can be meaningful two-way communication between you and God.

I want you to compare the picture above with the hour of thanksgiving, praise and worship at First Baptist Church each Sunday morning. We should enter the church building [our tabernacle] each time we meet with our conversations reflecting our thanksgiving to God for all he has done for us, even the privilege of this opportunity to praise and worship him. Our singing should be musical anthems of praise and our prayers audible to all present should praise him for being our Savior. Then as the pastor presents God’s word and its purpose which is to save the lost, we should be in an attitude of worship just between us and God as we reflect on his holiness and awesome power to save the lost and keep them safe in him. Others can be a part of our thanksgiving and praise but when it comes to worship it is always strictly between a person and his God. Our lesson today is entitled WORSHIP APPROPRIATELY.

In temple worship only the chief priest could enter the holy of holies to hear from God—and the priest was the mediator between God and man. We do not depend upon a priest to go to God for us and when we are worshipping appropriately we are the only one present in that throne room with God. Next Sunday, take one moment to stop and ask your-self one question. Have I spent my time in this worship service in the throne room in the presence of God? You can know the answer. Review all of your thoughts during the hour of worship. Was your mind on what you would do, where you would go, what you would eat, who you would spend the afternoon with or was it centered on the true worship of God Almighty? I wish that I could say “Not guilty Lord! I worship only you! Be honest—now will each reader make your own judgment of how well you stand in the sight of a holy God.

If you have not already done so…read Malachi 2: 17, “You have wearied the Lord with your words.” The people answered with a question. “Where is the God of justice? They doubted God. And Malachi responded in 3: 1-6, read it now. This prophesy was fulfilled in the coming of John the Baptist. There actually are two messengers in this verse—the first is John and the second messenger is Jesus Christ.

We will study this very soon in Matthew 11: 10 and Luke 2: 27. The big question here is not who is coming or when is he coming, but who will be ready. Verse 2, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Some who “think they are saved” may ask why this question was asked. The answer is that he is coming as a refiner’s fire or a laundry man’s soap. A refiner’s fire melts the metal and then he separates the impurities from the real metal. Soap is used in the laundry to release the grease, grime and dirt from the cloth material leaving the garment clean and bringing the impurities to the surface where it is drained off as waste. God has his own special furnace through which we must pass; he has his own wash tub in which we will be cleaned…Can I…you stand the heat? Is the fabric of your life securely woven to stand the scrub it will take on a wholly rub board?

This purification process with heat and soapy water is taking place now…as you live and breathe. As the cleansing takes place the reflections of a godly life will become more and more visible to others around us. This scripture says that all leaders [here it was the Levites] should be especially open to his purification process in their lives. It is important that soap is an alkali that is used to whiten the white garments, sheets and gowns. The bible teaches in many places that sin is black and dingy in color while holiness is always pictured as white—like snow. Has your life taken on the look of snow or are there some indication that you, like a hog, have recently returned to your wallow.

Read verse 5 and you will see some of the individual complaints God may have against you. Most of these are easy for us to see as sins against others and God. However there is one mentioned here that caught my attention. Do you…or would you…deprive aliens of justice? Is this the same as illegal aliens? I have my idea but will not ask you to agree. I believe that legal aliens have their rights and should not be mistreated—illegal aliens also have their rights and should not be mistreated, but should be required to return to their legal residence. If I am right I see no conflict in how I would treat aliens.

Is it possible for you to worship God on Sunday and steal from him Monday morning? Have you read verses 6 through 10 in today’s lesson? If you do not tithe your income to your church and make offerings above the tithe to support other worthy causes you will not enjoy reading these verses. Why? Because we do not enjoy being called a thief—or robber. In verse seven the descendants of Jacob were told that they had turned away from God’s decrees and had not kept them. That was not fatal—because he promised them that if they would return to him…then God would return to them. How were they to return? They were to stop robbing God. How were they robbing him? They were not returning God’s tithe to him, and were not giving offerings to his causes. The tithe equals ten percent. In other scriptures we find that it must be the first dime out of every dollar you make. Pay your tithe first…and then make your offerings and live out of the last ninety-percent. They were under a curse because they were robbing God.

Do you trust God? Do you believe that God lies? Read verse ten. God says for you to bring your tithe into his storehouse—his church—so it will have the nourishment to grow and prosper. God dares you…to trust him…he said “Try me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so many blessings that you will not have room enough for it. I personally challenge you to talk to Christians who tithe and see if you can find one single person that will tell you that it has ever been a mistake. God through Malachi singled out the farmer and told them that if he would tithe that he would prevent pests from devouring his crops and that his vines would not fail to bear fruit.

In v 15 it is clearly explained that failing to tithe is not the unpardonable sin because the arrogant are blessed. It is true that evildoers prosper and even if you are arrogant enough to challenge God…you may escape. Let me remind you that we are discussing things that pertain to TRUE WORSHIP…and there is no doubt that you worship God by returning to him his tithe from your earnings that he blesses you with. The return of his tithe is between you and God…it takes place in the throne room…there are just two people present…you and your God and only you and he knows whether or not you are honest. You should end this lesson by reading carefully about the faithful: “16-18 “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. They will be mine, [says the Lord Almighty] in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” I worship God with my tithes and offerings…Do you? Tithes always go to his church—offerings can go to his people.