{"id":545,"date":"2018-12-16T04:08:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-16T04:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=545"},"modified":"2019-01-03T19:07:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T02:07:11","slug":"jesus-is-your-soap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/jesus-is-your-soap\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus Is Your Soap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Malachi 3:1-15<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>
\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Good morning!\u00a0 Today’s passage is Malachi 3:1-15.\u00a0 And what a rich passage it is.\u00a0 I believe there are at least 7 powerful lessons that the Holy Spirit would have us learn from today’s passage.\u00a0 (I summarize them in bold below.)\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:1<\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)
\n1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.<\/span><\/p>\n

On verse 1:<\/strong>\u00a0 Here God says that He will send His messenger who will prepare the way before Him.\u00a0 Who is this messenger?\u00a0 Here are some clues.\u00a0 In verse 1 this messenger is called “the Lord”, “the one you are seeking”, the one who will come to “his temple”, and the one “whom you desire”.\u00a0 This messenger is none other than Jesus Christ the Lord, the long awaited Messiah.\u00a0 500 years before Jesus arrived on the scene, the prophet Malachi, and other prophets before him, were already predicting His arrival.\u00a0 What’s the lesson here?\u00a0 Jesus is our long awaited Messiah, the one our hearts truly long for and desire.<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:2\u00a0<\/strong>(NIV)
\n2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.<\/span><\/p>\n

On verse 2-4<\/strong>:\u00a0 After making the announcement that His messenger (Jesus) would come, God then asks a question:\u00a0 “Who can stand in the presence of this holy messenger?” In other words, who is worthy to stand in the presence of a holy God?\u00a0 The answer: none of us.\u00a0 Other religions and faiths, even the mainstream media, will tell you that we can earn our way to God (“I’m a pretty good person.\u00a0 Why wouldn’t I go to heaven?”).\u00a0 But the truth is: all of us are sinners who don’t deserve to be in God’s holy presence.\u00a0 As Isaiah 64:6 says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…”\u00a0\u00a0 Yet the amazing news is that this messenger from God “will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap” (v2).\u00a0 He will Himself purify the Levites (the priests during Malachi’s time) and refine them like gold and silver so that they are able to bring offerings to God in righteousness, offerings that are acceptable to a holy God (v3-4).<\/p>\n

What’s the lesson here?\u00a0 When we did not deserve to stand in God’s presence because of our sin, God sent Jesus Christ like a refiner’s fire and like soap to cleanse us, purify us, and refine us so that we could be righteous and acceptable in God’s sight.\u00a0 It’s not because we earned that righteousness by our good works.\u00a0 It’s all because of God’s amazing love and grace toward us expressed through His Son Jesus.\u00a0 All because Jesus shed His blood to cleanse us of our sins can we become children of God and priests in His kingdom, worthy to be in the presence and to serve Him.<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:5-6<\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)
\n5 “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.
\n6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.<\/span><\/p>\n

On verse 5-6<\/strong>:\u00a0 Just because God is willing to cleanse us and forgive us of our sins does not mean God turns a blind eye to sin.\u00a0 No, God is a just God who hates sin.\u00a0 In His holiness and justice, God must judge all sin and evil.\u00a0 He would not be a just God if He didn’t.\u00a0 That’s why verse 5 says that God is “quick to testify against” all those who sin, whether by engaging in witchcraft and idolatry (“sorcerers”), sexual sin (“adulterers”), lying (“perjurers”), not loving those around them who are vulnerable (such as workers, widows, orphans, and foreigners), or not fearing God.<\/p>\n

Have you engaged in any of these sins before?\u00a0 If so, then God’s justice demands that our sins be punished.\u00a0 In Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of our sin is death”, or eternal separation from God. Yet in His mercy God allowed someone else — His Son Jesus Christ — to be punished in our place.\u00a0 “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).<\/p>\n

That’s why the cross is so crucial.\u00a0 At the cross where Jesus died, we find the intersection where God’s justice and God’s mercy meet.\u00a0 For at the cross, God justly punished all of our sin, and at the cross God also mercifully poured out forgiveness for all of our failing.\u00a0 At the cross we see that God is at the same time full of justice and mercy.<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:7<\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)
\n7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’<\/span><\/p>\n

On verses 6-7<\/strong>:\u00a0 People’s hearts toward God can change.\u00a0 Sometimes we’re set on obeying God; sometimes we get distracted.\u00a0 For centuries, the Jewish people had turned away from God (v7a).\u00a0 But God’s heart toward His people never changes.\u00a0 From the beginning, God’s heart has been for His people to return to Him.\u00a0 That’s why God promises, “Return to me, and I will return to you.” (v7) Have you been far away from God?\u00a0 It’s time to return to Him.\u00a0 No matter how far away you’ve been, no matter how long it has been, you can always return to God, and He is committed to returning to You.\u00a0 That’s the amazing love of your Heavenly Father for you.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to return to God?\u00a0 The Jews asked the same question in verse 7: “How are we to return?”\u00a0 Returning to God starts in the heart but then continues to the hands and the feet.\u00a0 In other words, returning to God begins with recognizing in our heart that we’ve strayed from God and that we need to come back to Him, but then our hands and feet must follow our heart by turning from old ways.\u00a0 As we will see in verses 8-12, one old way that God’s people needed to turn from was their refusal to tithe.<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:8-12<\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)
\n8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
\n9 You are under a curse–the whole nation of you–because you are robbing me.
\n10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
\n11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty.
\n12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.<\/span><\/p>\n

On verses 8-12<\/strong>:\u00a0 In verse 8, God says that the people were robbing Him by refusing to faithfully give their tithes and offerings.\u00a0 What is a tithe?\u00a0 Tithing is giving 10% of all I earn to God.\u00a0 A tithe literally means “one tenth”.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To give a tithe means to take one tenth of our income and dedicate it to God by giving it for use in the church.\u00a0 (What’s the difference between a tithe and an offering?\u00a0 A tithe is giving the first 10% of all I earn to God, and an offering is what I give in addition to my tithe.)<\/p>\n

As followers of Jesus, we are commanded to tithe.\u00a0\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Here are four reasons why Christians should tithe:<\/p>\n

1. Because God commands us to tithe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Leviticus 27:30 says that the first 10% of what we earn belongs to God.\u00a0 When we tithe, we’re not tipping God or giving him a bonus for good performance. Tithing is giving God what already belongs to Him.\u00a0 In fact, Malachi 3:8 tells us that when we fail to tithe, we are robbing God.<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:8\u00a0<\/strong>(NIV)
\n8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Tithing is not an option. It’s a command.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0When I refuse to tithe, I’m disobeying God’s word.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Because tithing shows that God has first place in my life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If a person says, \u201cI put God first\u201d, but they\u2019re not willing to tithe the first part of their income to God as He commanded, are they really putting God first?\u00a0 The answer is no.<\/p>\n

Deuteronomy 14:23 (TLB) says “…The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Tithing helps us put our priorities in order and reminds us of who we belong to and what’s most important in life.<\/p>\n

In Malachi 3:9, because the people were not putting God first by tithing faithfully, they always like they were under a curse, never having enough.\u00a0 You’ll find that happening in your own life too. When you don’t obey God’s command to tithe, and you keep the first 10% to yourself, you will find that you never have enough.\u00a0 Yet when you seek His kingdom first and His righteousness, God adds everything you need (Matthew 6:33).<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Because tithing gives God a chance to prove He exists and wants to bless you!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Malachi 3:10 is the only place in Scripture where God encourages us to test Him.\u00a0 It says,<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:10<\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)
\n10 …Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, God promises that when we are faithful in tithing, He will provide us with everything we need and more than we contain.<\/p>\n

Tithing is an exercise in faith.\u00a0 Our faith grows when we tithe, and with greater faith, God is able to bless us even more.\u00a0 When others see the way that God has blessed us, it will attract them to follow the Lord as well.\u00a0 As verse 12 says, “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land.”\u00a0 Praise God!\u00a0 When we tithe, we give God a chance to bless us and to make us a blessing to others.<\/p>\n

4. We tithe because we need to take good care of the church God has given us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

God wants to make sure that His church has all the resources she needs to thrive and to accomplish God’s purposes.\u00a0 That includes taking good care of those who dedicate their full time working hours to the church.
\nMalachi 3:10 (NIV) says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house…”<\/span><\/p>\n

God initiated tithing so that His church would always have more than enough.<\/p>\n

So here’s the question: are you tithing?<\/p>\n

As followers of Jesus, let’s be faithful in our tithes and offerings, so that we can live out God’s command, experience His blessing on our lives, and take good care of the church He has given to us.<\/p>\n

Malachi 3:13-15 (NIV)
\n13 “You have said harsh things against me,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’
\n14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?
\n15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.'”<\/span><\/p>\n

On verses 13-15:\u00a0 The Jewish people had spoken harshly against God, questioning the need to serve Him and questioning His goodness.\u00a0 Instead of worshiping God, they worshiped those who don’t trust God.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 God cares about the way you speak about Him to others.\u00a0 When you’re going through a tough time, don’t speak harsh words about God that are born out of a bitter, immature heart.\u00a0 Rather, bring your bitterness and frustration to God.\u00a0 As you spend time in His presence, He will renew your perspective and restore peace, hope and joy to your heart again.\u00a0 For more on this read Psalm 73.<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father<\/strong>, thank You that I was sullied with sin and could not get into Your holy presence, You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die for me and to cleanse me.\u00a0 Because of Jesus, I can enter Your presence.\u00a0 May I never forget the justice and mercy You showed at the cross where Jesus died.\u00a0 Because You gave Your all to me, may I not hesitate to tithe faithfully, knowing that You will bless and make me a blessing when I do.\u00a0 Whenever I stray, help me to return to You, not just with my heart, but with my hands and feet as well.\u00a0 Thank You for Your life-changing presence.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Good morning! Today’s passage is Malachi 3:1-15. And what a rich passage it is. I believe there are at least 7 powerful lessons that the Holy Spirit would have us learn from today’s passage. (I summarize them in bold below.) Let’s go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1357,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545\/revisions\/1357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}