Saturday, September 24, 2011

Malachi Chapter One: Whole Hearted Worship






The first five verses of Malachi declare God's sovereign love, mercy, and grace; held up against His justice, wrath, and judgement. God is going to be praised for both! (Isaiah 66:23-24)

In verses 6-14 we see that in spite of God's great love for Israel, they are guilty of half-hearted sacrifices, (v. 8) contempt for God's worship, (v. 13) and a lack of concern for His glory. (vss. 11, 12,14)

Familiarity breeds contempt and these are a people that have grown too familiar with the things of God. They had lost their awe of His majesty. They ceased to be swooned by His love.
    
     What a picture of the western church. Go into almost any local gathering and you will have no problem finding those who would fit this description. Sometimes it may be as easy as looking in the bathroom mirror. This is the attitude of a spiritually fat and lazy generation. Those who have long eaten at God's table and have become bloated on His blessings.

But I am not here to just pick on the western church.  (A popular sport now days.)

 I had the extreme pleasure of visiting in a brother's house here in Kathmandu last week. Under this one roof dwells three generations of believers: grandparents, parents, uncles, nieces. And they are about to add one more! A child that will grow up it's whole life under the blessings of God's word and in the presence of God's people.

     As amazing a blessing as this is, how easy it would be for the believers here to fall into the same pattern as have many of God's people through the ages. Losing their first love for Christ. Losing their joy in serving God. 
    
     As inspiring as the third world church can be at times to us in the States, we tend to, as my friend Cary Cox says, "romanticise the third world church".  The church here is just as susceptible to lethargy and apathy in worship as we are at home.  As generation after generation of third world christians grow up in the church and surrounded by the accompanying blessings of the Gospel (1 Timothy 4:10), they too can fall into this trap and become blase concerning the the things of God.

     In the letter to the church at Ephesus, Jesus accuses them of having abandoned their first love and He commands them to repent and to do the works that they did at the first. (Revelation 2:4-5) Here is a church that we are told had not turned their backs on God or went back to their old ways or religions, but had just lost their love for Christ. Like the audience in Malachi, serving God had become, “weariness” (v. 13)

While reading these texts, I began to think back to my own conversion and to think about what were the characteristics of my faith and my love for God at that time. What were my “works”? (Products of my love for Christ.)

  1. A Desire for Holiness: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6 ESV) In the new believer there is not only a deep hunger to live righteously before God but a burning conviction of sin! When I was new believer, my heart would be so broken over any sin that I had to run right away and repent. Get right with God. Our hearts should be tender before the Lord. But many of us, as we let one little sin or another creep in and as we make excuses for them, our hearts become hardened, our consciences calloused, and we stop being convicted over even bigger sins.
    What is the remedy? 1 John 1:7-9!  Start walking in the light! Go into your closet and start dragging out all of your pet sins and throw them under the light of God's Word! Clean house, and what does it say will happen? He will forgive us, cleanse us, restore us to His fellowship and the fellowship of His saints! All by the blood of Christ! So what are you waiting for? Start confessing! This is a means of grace given by God to us to build our faith! Use it!
  2. A Love for His Word: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2 ESV) As new believers we have just really become aware of God. Before this we were, according to Paul, “Dead in our trespasses and sins.” (Eph. 2:1) We were dead to God. We didn't know or honor Him as God. (Romans 1:21) Our eyes have just been opened and we find out that not only has this God been so good as to love us and save us and make us new creatures, but He has left us a book full of His words! What?! Get outta town! A whole book full of the words of this God? Let me at it! This word is life to us! It is food to us! It is precious! But then ...  The world starts wearing us down and other things become precious to us as well and then they start taking the place once reserved for God and His Word. Repent! This is another means of grace that God has given to us whereby to build our faith and to make our joy full and complete. (1 John 1:4) Pick up the word and eat it, absorb it, immerse yourself in it and teach it to others! Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:15-16 ESV
  3. A Love for His People and the Gathering: “I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD!'” (Psalm 122:1 ESV) Can you say this with David? Or how about: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10 ESV) For many it would be just the opposite! Any excuse, it seems, is good enough to keep us from the assembly. How dull is the worship. How dull is the word. (Many are even turning away from the preaching of the word and replacing it with conversation! There is a place for dialogue in the assembly, (and it is neglected in most churches) but not at the cost of the preaching and teaching.) Contempt for the house of God and His worship! This is the attitude of the believer who has forgotten his first love for Christ, and this is the attitude which causes God to say, “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.” (vs. 10) Our hearts should be excited to come together with God's people. If we are walking in the light, in righteousness and delighting in God's word, then that is the very place we will long to be! It is only when we neglect these first two that this becomes such a loathsome chore. Would God say to you, “I'd rather you stay home than to come and offer such pitiful worship!”? If so, repent!!
  4. A Desire to See God's Name Glorified and a Burden to See the Lost Saved: “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 1:11 ESV) I can remember it like it was yesterday how greatly I desired to see my friends and my family saved. I prayed for them, I preached to them, I begged them (I even tried to trick one friend (but hey I was 10)). I had received a great thing and I wanted everyone else to have it as well! Isn't that the most rational thing? Isn't that what we do with everything else that is wonderful to us? Tell somebody! But now, we can walk through life, facing thousands everyday who are facing an eternity apart from Christ, and we don't even blink. Not an ounce of sleep is lost over our lost family members or coworkers or how about even our children? How often do you pray for their salvation? Pray! Pray! Pray that God would give you a burden for the lost and a great desire to see His name great among the nations!
Conclusion: Have you forgotten your first love for Christ? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do you love God's Word? Do you long to be with God's people? Do you pray for the lost and proclaim the Gospel to those around you, both in word and in how you live? If not, Repent! Jesus says, “Repent! And do the first works!” If you are not walking in the light, if there is unconfessed sin in your life, repent of it and Jesus will be faithful to forgive it and cleanse you and restore you. Get into your Bible! These are the very words of God! Believe them! Obey them! Teach them to others! (discipleship) Be faithful to your local church! This is the body of Christ! His bride! You are not here to be fed like a baby bird! You are here to bless others, to serve, to minister to the body! Everything you do here is to glorify God and build up the body! And last, pray for the lost, love the lost, and preach the Gospel to the lost, with your mouth and in your life style. Be generous, be gracious, be forgiving, be patient. “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 ESV

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Righteousness of God

 These are my notes from my sermon last Saturday.  Hope you enjoy :)

Romans 1:15-17
 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Introduction:

Paul is anxious to preach the Gospel in Rome. Why? Because he is proud of it! Why is he proud of the Gospel? Because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes! How does it bring salvation? Because it makes known the righteousness of God and His righteous requirements. What is the righteousness required by God? Faith!

  1. Paul is anxious to preach the Gospel in Rome.
    Paul eagerly wanted to go to Rome to preach the Gospel. He was so determined to go that he was even willing to go in chains! That is what he did! Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome from Corinth and after this he was headed to Jerusalem to bring money that had been collected from the Gentile churches to help the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. On the way to Jerusalem he was told, “Don't go, they will imprison you!” But Paul was sure that this is where God wanted him to be. In Jerusalem he was indeed arrested and spent THREE YEARS in jail and traveled as a prisoner in chains to Rome. On the way he was ship wrecked and snake bit, but he arrived in Rome and was finally able to preach this Gospel. But why was he eager to preach this Gospel to those who had already believed?
    ( Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ESV) )
    The Gospel is not just how we come to know God, but also how we live in God! We are saved through the Gospel and we are daily being saved by the same Gospel.
    ( O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.  Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?  Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?(Galatians 3:1-6 ESV))
    We start into this life with Christ by faith and we stand in it by faith, faith in the same Gospel!
  2. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel
    This is the Gospel which Paul is not ashamed to proclaim. He is eager to proclaim! Why? Because he is proud of it! This Gospel of the Christ and Him crucified is a scandal to the Jews and it is foolishness to the Greeks, but Paul knows that it is truly the wisdom of God and powerful to save those who will believe. “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18)


  1. The Gospel is the power of God for Salvation
    God's power to save is not only looking back to His delivering us from slavery and bondage to sin, but also looking forward to the time when Jesus will come back with great power and glory and deliver us from this world of sin. First, when we think of God's power, we cannot think too big! We cannot over exaggerate His power and might. It was with a mighty hand and outstretched arm that God, Himself, delivered the Israelites from the hand of Pharaoh. It is by this same mighty hand that He has delivered us from the “hand” of sin. It is this same hand that Peter tells us to “humble ourselves so that at the proper time He may lift us up” (1 Peter 5:6)
  2. The Gospel reveals the righteousness accepted by God
    We must humble ourselves and submit to this power if we are to be saved. What is the righteousness that God has required? Your righteousness? My righteousness? No! “Not a righteousness of my own that comes from works of the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” Philippians 3:9 Our own righteousness is not only not good enough, but it is repulsive and offensive to God. In Isaiah our own righteousness is compared to filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and Paul compares all of his righteous accomplishments, apart from Christ, as trash! (Philippians 3:8) This is the righteousness accepted by God: Jesus Christ!
  3. The Righteous will live by Faithfulness
    Jesus is our righteousness! It is only by faith in Him that we can be saved! There is no righteousness, apart from that of Christ, that God will find acceptable! The righteous shall live by faith! Do you want to live? Then stop relying on your own righteous deeds and rely on Christ's. Do want power to live a life acceptable in the sight of God? Stop trying to impress Him with your good works and rest in Christ's righteousness! Jesus is our righteousness, and those who will live in Christ, must live in Him by faith is Him and His works. He has already accomplished our salvation! We must rely on Him for everything! Cease from your works and rest in Christ!
    Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
    (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)

Grace Bible College Update

Namaste Y'all!

     Well, we have been here nearly two and a half weeks now and things are finally starting to run smoothly!  Thanks to the generosity and faithfulness of a few everything is going well at home. (a huge answer to my prayers)  And aside from a little upset stomach here and there, Daniel and I are doing great! 

     Our usual day goes like this: I wake up about 5:45 am, shower, go to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee, make Daniel breakfast and go and study in my office until my wife comes online on Skype and She and Autumn and Daniel and I all video chat for a little while and then about 8:00 Daniel starts math and I get ready to go down for classes in the sanctuary. 

     Classes start at 8:30 with Praise and Devotion.  Then a little after 9:00 I start my first class on the Doctrine of the Word of God.  So far in this class we have discussed the different forms of the Word of God (as a Person (Jesus), as speech, personal address, and written form (Bible))  Now we are finishing up the Canon of Scripture; how we can know that the books we have in our Bible are the right books.  Next week we start to discuss the authority, inerrancy, clarity, necessity, and sufficiency of Scripture.  A little after 10:00 we start our Doctrine of God class.  In this class so far we have discussed the existence of God and the knowability of God.  Tomorrow we will start with the Attributes of God both communicable and incommunicable.  After this Pastor Tika teaches a class on a Survey of the Scriptures and we have lunch.  After lunch we start in again with a Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse Study in the Book of Exodus!   Once a week Amit teaches on worship during this time.  The last hour of the day (usually 3-4) we have an open study period and this is also a chance for Q&A.  This is a good time for the students to ask questions about what we have covered that day or whatever is on their mind. 

     After classes are over, Daniel and I try to get out and walk around the neighborhood a bit.  Go hunt for food and explore!  This is usually just some good exercise and a chance for Daniel and I to talk.  After dinner, I am usually in my office studying and Daniel is in his room playing or watching cartoons (as long as the electricity holds out :) )

     So there is our average day!  We are having a great time and I am personally getting stretched and grown in all kinds of ways!  God is blessing us in so many ways. 

     To all of my food fans out there:  Daniel and I have been eating momos everyday.  We say that we are attempting to eat them everyday for three months, but seriously they are just good!  Buff Momos are the best!  We have also been eating all kinds of other great foods.  Momita, one of our friends here at the church, is an amazing cook!  She has made me and Daniel some foods that would drive you wild!  If you tried some of these dishes you would be ashamed of me for the stuff that I served you!  It is that good, trust me!  Homemade momos, Buff Choila, Chicken Chili so many good dishes!  She has been stuffing us so much for the last four nights that I cannot eat breakfast in the mornings!  So good!  If we open a restaurant in the States we have to get her a ticket and a visa and put her in charge in the kitchen!

     Thanks to all who have already started giving their pledges!  However, there are some that have not come in yet.  I know that it is still early and I know all those who have pledged and know your faithfulness, but this is just a reminder, because we all get busy and forget sometimes.  So far everything is going well in that area, and God has blessed and has used some faithful people to help in the areas where we were lacking.  Please just keep praying for my family (in both places).

     Sorry this is so long, but I haven't written in a while!  Thanks again (so many times over) for your prayers and support and generosity and faithfulness! 

Dhanyabad Esu!
Steve and Daniel

Monday, September 5, 2011

Friday, September 2, 2011

God of Creation


"His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So that they are without excuse."  Romans: 1:20

     God's signature is written upon everything that He has created.  Look to the sky.  The stars, the moon, the planets, the infinite nature of space itself down to the simple yet ingenious system of the water cycle: evaporation - condensation - precipitation - collection.  Thousands upon thousands of gallons of heavy water is transported across miles of land to water crops and grass and trees and animals, caring for God's creation.  If the contents of one rain cloud were released all at once it might crush its recipients below, but instead it is gently released in the form of rain drops and is allowed to saturate the ground below usually without harming even the most delicate flower. (Acts 14:15-17)
     Now look to the ground.  Down to the ant and it's tightly organized society, up to the beauty and intricate nature of even something as common as grass, not to mention all the varieties of plants and trees and flowers.  Then to the depths of the oceans and all its marvelous creatures.  And lastly to the human body itself, God's crown jewel of creation, with all of its complexities.
     So corrupted is man's sanity by sin that the more his wisdom in these matters is increased, the more of God's glory is seen, the more man's denial of His existence.
     We have telescopes in space that can see further than we have ever been able to before, sending back gorgeous photographs screaming to man the name of their Creator. (Psalm 19:1-6)  The deeper we go into the oceans, the more the creative mind of God is displayed, and though we can now explore the depths of man down to the very DNA of which he is constructed and the intricacy of life never more manifested, man continues to deny their Creator.  This could only be the result of a fallen mind, so corrupted by sin, that unless this same gracious Creator God intervenes, we would never be able to see His glory.
     Open your eyes!  See the handiwork of your God!  Acknowledge Him!  Bow to Him!  And He will show more of Himself to you than you have ever known.  He has sent His Son Jesus Christ to become a sacrifice on your behalf that you might escape the wrath of a Holy God for the very sin that clouds your eyes. 
      Open your eyes!  See your sin and your need for salvation from that sin and repent and put your trust in the One who has died for your sins.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16