Polluted Privileges
Book of Malachi
Chapters 1-3
Malachi is the last
book of the Old Testament
We have seen in our
study of the Old Testament, where Israel would sin, and the Lord
would chastise them over and over again.
Jehovah would
scatter them across foreign soil, and He would allow them to return
back to the Promised Land. These things happened over and over again,
until God will chastise them one more time and then go away for 400
or more years and let the world see what happens.
All these things are
still the plan of God from the beginning, but these things are
beginning to sink in.
What was happening?
They doubted God's
love.
They doubted God's
Word.
They doubted God's
great promises.
They doubted God's
justice.
They doubted God's
willingness to do anything for them.
They doubted God's
willingness to do anything against them.
All these things
happened because they had lost their faith.
They had forgotten
the "mercy" of God, written in all the Old Testament!
All these things
then led to rebellion against the Lord and they were blaspheming His
Holy Name.
Whenever sin and
doubt become our religion, corruption becomes evident in our lives!
Before we start
there is a passage we need to look at:
There is a verse in
the Book of Malachi that is not in our lesson today.
Mal 1:5 And your
eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the
border of Israel.
We can look at this
Scripture both ways.
It could mean that
the Lord's name will be magnified from all the border of Israel
inward, and this will take place in our future.
It could also mean
that the Lord's name will be magnified from the borders of Israel
outward to all other nations, and we know that this will also take
place.
Add this next
Scripture:
Psa 83:17 Let them
be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame,
and perish:
Psa 83:18 That men
may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high
over all the earth.
It is the Lord God
Jehovah who is the Most-High over all this Earth who is getting no
respect!
We can see this in
America, and we see this in the modern day church.
The Book of Malachi
was written by the Prophet Malachi and "Malachi" means "the
messenger of the Lord".
The Book of Malachi
was probably written around 433 BC just over 400 years before the
time of Jesus Christ.
During these 400
years, Persia would fall to Greece and then Greece would fall to
Rome, who ruled the known world when the Lord Jesus was born in
Bethlehem.
I guess you have all
heard the latest news from the Muslim, "that Palestine ruled
Bethlehem at the time of Christ, so Jesus is a Palestinian Muslim".
It was Rome who
first called the area around and near Israel, Palestinia, and the
Jews were on the land at that time even though they again were a
conquered nation.
Malachi was alive
during the time Persia ruled the majority of the known world.
Malachi remained
true to the Word of God, as did Ezra and Nehemiah.
The Book of Malachi
remains as a Book of the Bible that calls God's people back to
faithfulness.
We know that many in
Israel were returning again to their old sinful ways by the words
given to Malachi by the Holy Spirit.
Malachi also
described the coming of God's Judgment.
Again as most of the
other Prophets, the Book of Malachi gives us a glimpse into the
Character of God!
It truly breaks
God's heart for His children to return to sin!!!!!!!!
We see that we are
deeply loved by God!
If we want to know
what God is doing right at this very moment? God has His eyes on
us!!!!!!!
So let's begin
*****Mal 1:6 A son
honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a
father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear?
saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name.
And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Mal 1:7 Ye offer
polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted
thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.
I believe God is
asking this same question of us here today!!
What is the most
common sin of God's people?
It is written right
here in this passage. "We do not always show reverence to our
Father in Heaven".
We do not always
give God our very best, and the Lord will not accept our second best!
Remember, the Lord
is sanctified, it is we who need to be sanctified.
We owe our
allegiance to our Savior, we owe our life to our Savior.
In fact, we owe
everything we have, physically and Spiritually, to our Savior.
Yes this includes
our tithes, the very first part of any income.
Even in the
Christian world, we have lost our fear of our Awesome God!
Yes, He is the God
of love.
Yes, He is the God
of creation.
He is also the God
of all Power!
I believe when we
first see Him, we may be hunting some place to hide from our terrible
God, until He says, "peace be with you".
Deu_7:21 Thou shalt
not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a
mighty God and terrible.
If we fear anything
in this world, then we do not know how powerful is our God!
Anytime we go
against God the Father, or His dear Son or go against the Holy
Spirit, we have dishonored our Savior, who gave it all just so we
would have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him!
If we make up our
own laws to live by, we have said the table of the Lord is
contemptible!
Where have we
despised the name of God?
Here is what God
said to these Jews.
*****Mal 1:8 And if
ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the
lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will
he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of
hosts.
If we have not given
our very best, we have offered the blind to God for a sacrifice!
If the things we
offer God are tarnished in any way, we have offered the lame and the
sick!
If we try in any way
to hold onto our hidden sin, God will not be pleased with us!
These are facts!
If we do not worship
God in Spirit and Truth, we have not reverenced God.
If we do not adhere
to all the Word of God, we have not reverenced God.
If we give in to our
temptations, we have not reverenced God.
If we do not pick up
our cross and follow the Lord daily, we have not reverenced God!
If we have not
sacrificed our heart to the will of God, we have not reverenced our
God!
If we have taken the
name of the Lord in vain, we have shown the Lord we do not love Him
as we say we do!
If the Lord does not
live in our heart, we are not even God's child!
We should ask
ourselves this same question! Will He be pleased with us?
What is God's
answer?
*****Mal 1:14 But
cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth,
and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King,
saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
What is the actual
truth? To worship the Lord in a way that goes against what He teaches
us, is worse than not worshiping the Lord at all!
We need to take a
moment and let that sink in!
What did God say to
the Jews?
Isa 1:13 Bring no
more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons
and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is
iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
When we just worship
to be worshiping, we are deceiving ourselves!
If we forget God's
"mercy", we have forgotten why we worship!
If we forget we are
saved by "faith" we have forgotten why we worship!
If we have forgotten
God's "judgment", we have forgotten it is the Lord that
washed us in His blood!
What is going on in
the modern-day church? We see the offerings to God without
repentance!
It will just not
work that way! We should think on "Faith" and "Repentence"
as the first steps in the right direction!
We cannot just offer
things to the Lord, thinking we can appease Him!
We must understand
that we are full of sin as long as we are in these bodies of flesh,
but we still cannot abuse God's "Grace"!
Repent, is a word we
do not hear much of other than here at Gethsemane!
We need Pastors and
Preachers to teach the truth!
*****Mal 2:7 For
the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law
at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
What is a true man
of God?
1) He is divinely
called: There is no such thing as choosing to be a preacher, it is a
special calling of God!
2) He must be a man
of profound reverence: This is a respectful, submissive, attitude
toward the Lord God, built upon affection and esteem for the truth.
3) He must be a man
of truthfulness: Because the Word of God is true and it must be
taught as the truth, with no higher authority.
4) He must be a man
devoted to his calling, unwavering.
5) He must be
devoted to the Lord and this devotion passed down to his flock.
6) He must be a man
of intelligence, not worldly book learning, but the wisdom of God
through knowledge of the Word of God.
God only has "one
standard" for those He has called to preach the "Gospel"!
That one standard is
"for" every Preacher, to guard the truth of the Scriptures!
What happens if they
fail? They will face the "judgment" of God.
This also holds true
for every teacher!
We have the law that
came from God's mouth, it is the Bible, the preserved Word of God,
from the original Greek and Hebrew text.
If not, we will fall
into the curse of God!
God's blessing will
turn into the curse of God!
That good Pastor
will turn away from all iniquity.
A good Pastor will
never depart from the truth of God!
*****Mal 2:8 But ye
are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the
law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 2:9 Therefore
have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people,
according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the
law.
What had these
priests done? They had perverted the Word of God to please great
men!
They had twisted the
Word of God to serve what God had forbidden!
They had only given
the Law of God, that suited their own benefit!
Sounds just like the
many who pervert the Word of God today and people say the Old
Testament is not good enough for the modern-day Church.
Shame on all those
who call themselves "called of God" yet they serve their
own calling.
Jer 28:15 Then said
the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah;
The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in
a lie.
Jer 28:16 Therefore
thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of
the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught
rebellion against the LORD.
Jer 28:17 So
Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
How can a man preach
about sin, when they are deliberately withholding their own sin to
suit themselves?
The job of the
Christian Minister, must bring all the Word of God, fearlessly,
faithfully, firmly, and impartially!!!!!!!
They are never sent
of God to tickle ears.
They are never to
modify the Word of God to hinder its application to anyone just
because of their social status.
They must present
the Word of God as the perfect Word of God that it is!
They must never
confirm men in their sins!
Even today we have
gay pastors in certain denominations. This goes against the
Scriptures!
We have multitudes
claiming that God created them "to sinful lives" and
therefore they need not repent to Biblical truth.
Each one of these
who pervert the Word of God, will be destroyed and they will be
accountable for their destruction of others, who believed them!
They will be
rejected of God and condemned by the people they had misled!
Rom 6:13 Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but
yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin
shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but
under grace.
Rom 6:15 What then?
shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God
forbid.
Rom 6:16 Know ye
not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants
ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience
unto righteousness?
Rom 6:17 But God be
thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from
the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Gal_2:17 But if,
while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found
sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
What is the truth of
these men?
*****Mal 2:17 Ye
have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we
wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the
sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of
judgment?
When fake ministers
and fake Christians call evil good and good evil.
When we ask where is
the God of Judgment?
We must understand
that these people will be held accountable for their foolish
life!!!!!
Every minister is
called of God to instruct us in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ who
adhered to every law in the Word of God and did everything He set out
to do for the glory of God!!!!!!!
That word "wearied"
means these men are trying God's patience!!
Those who think
along these lines today, really think that God does not care about
His creation!
What is the truth of
our God?
2Pe 3:7 But the
heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in
store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8 But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the
Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up.
We have to believe
God knows what He is doing, and His patience will run out one day!
What did God say?
God said He would
send John the Baptist to prepare for the Messiah.
*****Mal 3:1
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before
me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple,
even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he
shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
God said He would
send a real messenger because they were not His messengers!
These men knew about
the Messiah, because they knew of the true prophets that they had
rejected.
We should understand
these people had seen the work of God take place in their own life
time.
Malachi was a
prophet sent of God in the days of Nehemiah.
They had seen the
words of Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel come true in their lifetime.
Who can really say,
what were they thinking, but it should be obvious, they were only
thinking of themselves and they were not worried about the coming of
the Messiah?
Malachi was the last
prophet they would see for more than 400 years but they did not care
at this time.
What do we know? The
Temple had been rebuilt, the city of Jerusalem had been restored and
maybe some places still showed signs of the destruction of
Nebuchadnezzar.
The walls of
Jerusalem had been rebuilt, which gave them that sense of security
and all these things had been dedicated to the Lord.
A Jew, Queen Esther
of Persia was in a place to help the Jews for her life time and again
thru her son who would also be the next king.
Some would think the
Jews had everything going for them so why would the Levites act in
such a way?
There are corrupt
priest in every age and every life time just as there are, today!
Even today no one is really concerned with the coming of the Messiah
for the second and final time.
The prophet Malachi
offered up the truth of God and the truth of the Scriptures!
*****Mal 3:2 But
who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he
appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
Mal 3:3 And he
shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify
the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may
offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
All our hope rest in
the Word of God which we have seen over and over again, God has
proven to these people that He loves them, but he will not tolerate
those who abuse the truth of God, nor those that teach them it is OK
to do so!
In actuality Malachi
3:2 tells us of the First and the Second Coming of the Lord.
What was the world
like when the Lord first came?
The world was under
world-wide domination. First the Babylonians, then the Persians, then
the Greeks and at the time of Christ, the Romans. (The Heathen)
For the most part
the Jewish leadership had strayed away from the Word of God even
though God will always have a certain group of people, a remnant, who
will stay faithful.
What will the world
be like when the Lord returns? Guess what, it will not be much
different. All the Superpowers are flexing their muscles to see who
will come out on top, and many Christians have left their 1st love
and most of the rest can only be said to be "lukewarm"
Christians.
What did Jesus say?
Luk_18:8 I tell you
that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man
cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Add to this:
Luk_17:28 Likewise
also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they
bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Add to this:
Luk_17:26 And as it
was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
man.
Anyone in their
right mind can see that we are in those last days of the Church Age,
and then these other things will take affect and the Lord Jesus will
return just as He says!
No one will be able
to abide at His coming accept a few Jewish people, a remnant of what
it could have been!
"And he shall
sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons
of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto
the LORD an offering in righteousness."
John the Baptist did
pave the way for the coming of the Lord, but the coming of the Lord
will be in two stages. At His first coming the Lord established the
Church which was certainly pleasant unto the Lord, but it is at the
Second Coming of the Lord when Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant
to the Lord!
****Mal 3:4 Then
shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD,
as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Every age has its
peculiar features. It is our duty to study the past. A knowledge of
the past is often the basis of safety in the present, and stability
in the future.
We should not be
fooled, it is the days of old that created these present days and one
reason is, we seem to never remember the mistakes of our past. No Age
can begin for itself, since the time of Adam and yes Adam looked just
like humans do today!
We cannot understand
the present without acknowledgment of the past!
Today in America,
there is a goal to erase the past, and this one thing will be the
most foolish thing that could ever happen.
I should repeat
myself there is a goal to erase only the portions of the past that
does not fit in with the direction a certain group of people would
have us to go!
It is History that
teaches us, so we do not make the same mistakes!
Jewish history
should have been the answer to the mistakes the Jews made at the time
of Jesus Christ!
The days of old were
full of Divine revelations.
What we should ask
ourselves, just how many times should God ask us to "repent"
until He moves on, and He will move on!
Eph_4:30 And grieve
not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
What do we see in
the past of the Jews?
The Bible is God’s
record of the “days of old.” We may learn what He will be to us
in our days, by what He was to men then. His faithfulness, mercy, and
truth are written unmistakably on those wondrous days.
*****Mal 3:7 Even
from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances,
and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you,
saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
God still says
"REPENT"!
We must understand
that as soon as a nation is prosperous in worldly things, it is at
this point when they will begin to slip.
We have seen this
over and over again in the Old Testament!
What is melancholy?
Full of misery;
distressful; wretched; afflictive; that may or does produce great
evil and grief; as a melancholy event.
Today we see a great
falling away from the ordinances of God and the results is the nation
we see today only a glimmer of what it could still be!
Malachi describes
what happened to Israel when they continually had a similar falling
away, even over and over again.
To repent is to
return to the path of the Lord and never stray again!
It is not here a few
days and then there a few days and then start all over again.
In the end we all
have robbed God!
*****Mal 3:8 Will a
man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Mal 3:9 Ye are
cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
We should understand
that all we have actually belongs to God because He gave it to us!
By the Laws of Moses
given to these of Israel, a tenth of all produce, a tenth of all the
flocks and of cattle, belonged to God and "MUST" be offered
to Him.
It is this tenth
that was assigned to the Levites for their services at the Temple,
and to the people for teaching them the Scriptures and their meaning.
In order for them to
do this thing, they had to constantly learn the Scripture themselves.
Num 18:20 And the
LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land,
neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine
inheritance among the children of Israel.
Num 18:21 And,
behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for
an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service
of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 18:24 But the
tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave
offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit:
therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they
shall have no inheritance.
You see, it was not
about giving to the Church as it was sustaining those who God had
appointed the care of the Church on a fulltime basis.
Nehemiah dealt with
this when he was Governor of Israel, and none of this tenth was for
Persia because the king had stated that Israel would not be taxed.
Nehemiah had to
return to Persia for a time that, some say was 3 years, but when he
returned to Israel, he had to deal with this same things again.
You see we do not
understand this process!
If we give God a
tenth of what he has given to us, He will bless us by giving us more.
This is not a
prosperity thing, like the more we give the more God gives, this is a
blessing for being obedient!
Now this law was for
the Jews, but it is also a guideline for giving to the Church for the
same reasons!
In reality this is
the first step in departing from God!
You see this in an
outward sign of our inward heart for God!
When we do not
support the work of God, how can we say we love the Lord with all our
heart.
Mat 22:37 Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is
the first and great commandment.
This seems like such
a little thing our tithes, but in reality, it reflects our love for
our Savior.
This was the same
meaning given in the Laws of Moses!
God is serious about
this thing!
That curse meant
they would have even less to give which meant they would have even
less for themselves and their families.
Is this cruel? No it
is just fact!
Rev_2:4
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy
first love.
Our first love is
the Lord Jesus Christ, if we cannot show an outward love for Him, how
can we say we love Him with all our heart?
*****Mal 3:10 Bring
ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine
house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will
not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
there shall not be room enough to receive it.
What was happening
at this time in Israel?
The people were
robbing God of tithes and offerings. (see how these are two separate
things)
The priests were
polluting God's altar.
They gave things to
God that they would not give to their neighbor.
Yet they could not
realize the evil they were doing!
You see sin brings
its own punishment!
This tenth came
about before the laws of Moses, all the way back to Abraham before
Israel was even a nation, so how can we say that it does not apply to
the Church.
Besides the tithe (a
tenth) there is the freewill offering for specific needs of others.
We must understand
that God as our Creator owns all His creation, and should not our
owner reap part of the rewards that He gives us!
Here is another
place in the Scriptures where God promises a blessing.
How can we turn down
the blessings of God?
Amen
Let's Pray!
