“God’s Protection”
Malachi 3:16-18
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Introduction: “The Runaways,” from Stories of the Heart, p. 223. There is a story of a boy who went to help his dad feed the cows, on winter morning before he went off to school. So he got dressed in his warmest clothes. It was a beautiful day as the sun was shining, and the ground was covered in snow. They harnessed their horses to the wagon, loaded the hay, and then took it over the hill to the cows. After they fed the cows they headed home. His dad then asked him if he wanted to drive. He was very excited to be able to drive the wagon, so he took the lines from his dad, looped them over his hands and headed home. After a while he got tired of just plodding along, so he got the horses to speed up. First they began to trot, then a little faster. But their horses decided they wanted to go faster still, and so they started to run. At this point the wagon was bouncing from mound to mound. He started to get a little afraid, not knowing if he could control the wagon; he tried to pull with all of his strength, but couldn’t slow down the horses. The fear kept building up, but he didn’t want to show his fear in front of his dad. So as casually as he could he handed the lines to his dad and said: ‘Here dad, you drive, I don’t want to drive anymore.’
We all will have times when we fear, and that is okay: but we also need to have a fear, a respect of the Lord. This morning we are going to see the result of those who fear the Lord; those who give the reigns to God and say: ‘Here God, you drive, I don’t want to drive anymore.’
I. Spiritual Relationship- (Malachi 3:16; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Jeremiah 20:9)
To do this I want us to look at a number of scriptures to see how we should
be living as Christians who fear God, and how through these actions we see God’s protection. In Malachi 3:16 we read how those who feared God spoke to one another. What are the ways we should speak to one another?
a. Encouragement- Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We need to understand that God does not call us to live our lives alone. God surrounds us with others who are to be there for us. When we meet together, as we are doing today, or as we do at other times, one of the main purposes for meeting is to encourage one another; to encourage one another to love, and to do good deeds.
As Christians, we are called to love one another. If when we meet together we are not loving each other, encouraging each other, provoking one another to do good, we are not fulfilling our calling as the people of God. There is plenty in this world that can bring us down, frustrate us, and abuse us. The last thing we need at church is more of these things. Let us be encouraging and in this way show our fear of the Lord!
b. Edification- 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and
build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” This verse also talks about being encouraging, but then it goes on to challenge us to build one another up; to edify. How do we edify? We edify by sharing our experiences with each other. We edify by being a good example to one another. We edify by joining together in prayer and praise. As we understand the calling we have as Christians to do this, we can see that as we encourage and edify others, we ourselves are encouraged and edified.
Do you think we are an encouraging and edifying church? I would say sometimes we are. But we, like many churches, have conflict in our midst. God would desire for us to work through our conflict in love, and to not carry our conflict into times of worship and meetings, but to work things out aside from these times of gathering. This is the mature Christian behavior.
c. Evangelism- Jeremiah 20:9, “But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak
any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” One of the things we have talked about a lot in my time here at Community Pres. is evangelism; the sharing of our faith. In this verse in Jeremiah, Jeremiah is telling us that in those times that he does not take the opportunity to tell others about God, there is a burning fire that builds up in him, and to release this fire he has to talk about God. As we build up a respect, a reverence, a fear of the Lord, we begin to understand the importance of telling others about Jesus Christ; the importance of sharing our faith with others. God does not want any to be lost. If we agree with God about this, then we will seek to build our spiritual relationship with God by talking about God.
II. Spiritual Reception- (Malachi 3:16; Philippians 4:6; Jeremiah 29:13; 1 John 5:14)
Along with God’s protection coming to us as we build up others and as we
ourselves are built up, we also receive God’s protection through God’s listening to us. Malachi 3:16 goes on to say: “…The Lord took note and listened…” It is when God sees us loving Him and loving others that God begins to really listen to us, because we have aligned ourselves deeply with God.
a. Hearing the supplications- Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not worry about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” If all we did in our times of prayer was come to God and ask for things, God would know that we did not have an understanding of what it means to receive Him. But when our requests are born out of the way we are living (living for God and living for others instead of just for ourselves), then our requests are put in proper perspective, and God listens to our prayer. In this way God knows that we are serious about doing something with the answer that He gives to us.
b. Hearing the sincere- Secondly, God hears our supplications; the sincere
statements of our heart. Jeremiahs 29:13 tells us, “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.” One of the deepest needs we have is to find God. But all too often people do not make the effort to seek God and to know God. That is why Jesus spoke in parables; in stories. Jesus would tell these stories in order to see who really wanted to seek Him. Many people would get confused and just leave, because to them it was as if Jesus was speaking in riddles. But some would stay around and seek Jesus by asking Him what He meant in His teachings.
How often do we hear something at church, or read something in the Bible, and yet leave it at that; we do not seek to find out the meaning, and thus miss an opportunity to find God. We have not sought God with all of our heart. When we fail to do this, we are not seeking to receive God through spiritual means; we are not employing our spiritual reception; we are not being sincere in our faith. We thus will miss out on God’s protection; the protection of being close to God.
c. Hearing the surrendered- God hears us when we lift up our supplications,
our requests, and God receives us when we are sincere. But God also hears us when we surrender ourselves to Him. As 1 John 5:14 tells us, “And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us.” Now be careful not to read too much into this verse. Many will read it and immediately hear this: “If we ask anything, he hears us,” leaving out the phrase “according to His will.” For us to be able to boldly trust that God hears us and will respond to our requests, we must understand that it is in the context o0f our asking ‘in the will of God.’ God will answer our requests when they are in line with His will. This is the surrendering we must have, that we will accept that it is not our will, but God’s will in which we are to ask. We will not fully receive God, we will not be fully heard by God, until we surrender our will to the will of God.
III. Spiritual Rewards- (Malachi 3:17-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 1:12; Romans 14:12)
We can have a spiritual relationship with God, we can be received by God,
but we also can have spiritual rewards from God.
Illustration: “Near Miss,” 1001 Humorous Illustrations, p. 170, #428- There is a story of a 6-year-old girl named Angie who came home from school one day with a blue ribbon! She told her mother that she won it for knowing an answer in natural history. She said her answer was that a giraffe had 3 legs. Her mother responded to her: “But darling, a giraffe has 4 legs.” Angie replied back: “I suppose so, but I was the closest of anybody in the class.”
a. For our faithfulness- For some things a near miss is okay, but not for
eternal rewards. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Scripture tells us that we will be judged when we leave this earth; judged for our good and bad actions. But as Malachi 3:17 says, ‘a book of remembrance is written before God for those who feared the Lord.’ Only those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will have a true fear of the Lord and will have their name written in this book. Having received Jesus, we have the protection of His blood. So even if our good isn’t that good, and our bad is pretty bad, it is all wiped away by the blood of Jesus, and judgment will be passed on to us as one who is cleansed and made righteous
b. For our faith- And so through faith we are able to stand strong and
endure. And having done so, our reward will be great. We are told this in many places in the Bible, but one place is in James 1:12- “Blessed is the one who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” The crown of life is given to those who through faith have persevered in this world; to those who stood up against temptation knowing that through the power of Jesus Christ, we could overcome. The crown that is worn is the ‘crown of live.’ Or you could say the crown of eternal life. It is the sign that the cross we bore, while here on earth, has been changed to a crown.
c. For our fervency- So we are rewarded for our faithfulness, and we are
rewarded for our strong and enduring faith, and we are rewarded for our fervency; the ways in which we intensely expressed our faith. Romans 14:12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Even though we are saved through faith, rewards will be given to those who were faithful in the ways they lived out their faith in their life, for God. We have been given this life not to waste, but to make the most of, just as Jesus talked about in the parable of the talents. This parable talks about how we have been given talents, and resources, to be used to bless God’s people, and God’s Kingdom. When we fail to live with fervency, with intensity, we lessen the impact we make for God, and we will be accountable for this before God.
Conclusion: It is important to remember that we have roots that go long before us; Christians who have fought the fight and lived their life for God, and in doing so, received God’s protection. There are many examples of people who lived with great faith and conviction. As they lived in this way, they gained a spiritual relationship with God, a spiritual reception from God, and spiritual rewards. The questions I want us to think about are these: Do we want to make a difference? Do we want to have a spiritual relationship with God? Do we want to be received by God on a deeper level? Do we want the spiritual rewards that come from not only believing, but by living out our faith? I hope your answers to these questions are “yes.” If they are not, I pray that God would give you the desire. If they ARE yes, then seek God each day through His scripture, in singing praise, and by telling others about your faith. “Happy Ending,” p. 128, #305, 1001 Humorous Illustrations. A young boy named Jonathan had been promised a puppy for his tenth birthday. He was now at the local pet shop trying to choose a puppy from a dozen candidates, and it was not an easy decision. Finally he decided upon a very plain shaggy pup, who was wagging his tail furiously. Jonathan explained to his parents: “I want the one with the happy ending.”
If we seek God daily, and persevere in our faith, and encourage one another, then we too will have a happy ending; we too will be rewarded by God. May we praise God this day and every day. Amen.
Malachi 3:16-18
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Introduction: “The Runaways,” from Stories of the Heart, p. 223. There is a story of a boy who went to help his dad feed the cows, on winter morning before he went off to school. So he got dressed in his warmest clothes. It was a beautiful day as the sun was shining, and the ground was covered in snow. They harnessed their horses to the wagon, loaded the hay, and then took it over the hill to the cows. After they fed the cows they headed home. His dad then asked him if he wanted to drive. He was very excited to be able to drive the wagon, so he took the lines from his dad, looped them over his hands and headed home. After a while he got tired of just plodding along, so he got the horses to speed up. First they began to trot, then a little faster. But their horses decided they wanted to go faster still, and so they started to run. At this point the wagon was bouncing from mound to mound. He started to get a little afraid, not knowing if he could control the wagon; he tried to pull with all of his strength, but couldn’t slow down the horses. The fear kept building up, but he didn’t want to show his fear in front of his dad. So as casually as he could he handed the lines to his dad and said: ‘Here dad, you drive, I don’t want to drive anymore.’
We all will have times when we fear, and that is okay: but we also need to have a fear, a respect of the Lord. This morning we are going to see the result of those who fear the Lord; those who give the reigns to God and say: ‘Here God, you drive, I don’t want to drive anymore.’
I. Spiritual Relationship- (Malachi 3:16; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Jeremiah 20:9)
To do this I want us to look at a number of scriptures to see how we should
be living as Christians who fear God, and how through these actions we see God’s protection. In Malachi 3:16 we read how those who feared God spoke to one another. What are the ways we should speak to one another?
a. Encouragement- Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We need to understand that God does not call us to live our lives alone. God surrounds us with others who are to be there for us. When we meet together, as we are doing today, or as we do at other times, one of the main purposes for meeting is to encourage one another; to encourage one another to love, and to do good deeds.
As Christians, we are called to love one another. If when we meet together we are not loving each other, encouraging each other, provoking one another to do good, we are not fulfilling our calling as the people of God. There is plenty in this world that can bring us down, frustrate us, and abuse us. The last thing we need at church is more of these things. Let us be encouraging and in this way show our fear of the Lord!
b. Edification- 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and
build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” This verse also talks about being encouraging, but then it goes on to challenge us to build one another up; to edify. How do we edify? We edify by sharing our experiences with each other. We edify by being a good example to one another. We edify by joining together in prayer and praise. As we understand the calling we have as Christians to do this, we can see that as we encourage and edify others, we ourselves are encouraged and edified.
Do you think we are an encouraging and edifying church? I would say sometimes we are. But we, like many churches, have conflict in our midst. God would desire for us to work through our conflict in love, and to not carry our conflict into times of worship and meetings, but to work things out aside from these times of gathering. This is the mature Christian behavior.
c. Evangelism- Jeremiah 20:9, “But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak
any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” One of the things we have talked about a lot in my time here at Community Pres. is evangelism; the sharing of our faith. In this verse in Jeremiah, Jeremiah is telling us that in those times that he does not take the opportunity to tell others about God, there is a burning fire that builds up in him, and to release this fire he has to talk about God. As we build up a respect, a reverence, a fear of the Lord, we begin to understand the importance of telling others about Jesus Christ; the importance of sharing our faith with others. God does not want any to be lost. If we agree with God about this, then we will seek to build our spiritual relationship with God by talking about God.
II. Spiritual Reception- (Malachi 3:16; Philippians 4:6; Jeremiah 29:13; 1 John 5:14)
Along with God’s protection coming to us as we build up others and as we
ourselves are built up, we also receive God’s protection through God’s listening to us. Malachi 3:16 goes on to say: “…The Lord took note and listened…” It is when God sees us loving Him and loving others that God begins to really listen to us, because we have aligned ourselves deeply with God.
a. Hearing the supplications- Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Do not worry about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” If all we did in our times of prayer was come to God and ask for things, God would know that we did not have an understanding of what it means to receive Him. But when our requests are born out of the way we are living (living for God and living for others instead of just for ourselves), then our requests are put in proper perspective, and God listens to our prayer. In this way God knows that we are serious about doing something with the answer that He gives to us.
b. Hearing the sincere- Secondly, God hears our supplications; the sincere
statements of our heart. Jeremiahs 29:13 tells us, “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.” One of the deepest needs we have is to find God. But all too often people do not make the effort to seek God and to know God. That is why Jesus spoke in parables; in stories. Jesus would tell these stories in order to see who really wanted to seek Him. Many people would get confused and just leave, because to them it was as if Jesus was speaking in riddles. But some would stay around and seek Jesus by asking Him what He meant in His teachings.
How often do we hear something at church, or read something in the Bible, and yet leave it at that; we do not seek to find out the meaning, and thus miss an opportunity to find God. We have not sought God with all of our heart. When we fail to do this, we are not seeking to receive God through spiritual means; we are not employing our spiritual reception; we are not being sincere in our faith. We thus will miss out on God’s protection; the protection of being close to God.
c. Hearing the surrendered- God hears us when we lift up our supplications,
our requests, and God receives us when we are sincere. But God also hears us when we surrender ourselves to Him. As 1 John 5:14 tells us, “And this is the boldness we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us.” Now be careful not to read too much into this verse. Many will read it and immediately hear this: “If we ask anything, he hears us,” leaving out the phrase “according to His will.” For us to be able to boldly trust that God hears us and will respond to our requests, we must understand that it is in the context o0f our asking ‘in the will of God.’ God will answer our requests when they are in line with His will. This is the surrendering we must have, that we will accept that it is not our will, but God’s will in which we are to ask. We will not fully receive God, we will not be fully heard by God, until we surrender our will to the will of God.
III. Spiritual Rewards- (Malachi 3:17-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 1:12; Romans 14:12)
We can have a spiritual relationship with God, we can be received by God,
but we also can have spiritual rewards from God.
Illustration: “Near Miss,” 1001 Humorous Illustrations, p. 170, #428- There is a story of a 6-year-old girl named Angie who came home from school one day with a blue ribbon! She told her mother that she won it for knowing an answer in natural history. She said her answer was that a giraffe had 3 legs. Her mother responded to her: “But darling, a giraffe has 4 legs.” Angie replied back: “I suppose so, but I was the closest of anybody in the class.”
a. For our faithfulness- For some things a near miss is okay, but not for
eternal rewards. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Scripture tells us that we will be judged when we leave this earth; judged for our good and bad actions. But as Malachi 3:17 says, ‘a book of remembrance is written before God for those who feared the Lord.’ Only those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will have a true fear of the Lord and will have their name written in this book. Having received Jesus, we have the protection of His blood. So even if our good isn’t that good, and our bad is pretty bad, it is all wiped away by the blood of Jesus, and judgment will be passed on to us as one who is cleansed and made righteous
b. For our faith- And so through faith we are able to stand strong and
endure. And having done so, our reward will be great. We are told this in many places in the Bible, but one place is in James 1:12- “Blessed is the one who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” The crown of life is given to those who through faith have persevered in this world; to those who stood up against temptation knowing that through the power of Jesus Christ, we could overcome. The crown that is worn is the ‘crown of live.’ Or you could say the crown of eternal life. It is the sign that the cross we bore, while here on earth, has been changed to a crown.
c. For our fervency- So we are rewarded for our faithfulness, and we are
rewarded for our strong and enduring faith, and we are rewarded for our fervency; the ways in which we intensely expressed our faith. Romans 14:12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Even though we are saved through faith, rewards will be given to those who were faithful in the ways they lived out their faith in their life, for God. We have been given this life not to waste, but to make the most of, just as Jesus talked about in the parable of the talents. This parable talks about how we have been given talents, and resources, to be used to bless God’s people, and God’s Kingdom. When we fail to live with fervency, with intensity, we lessen the impact we make for God, and we will be accountable for this before God.
Conclusion: It is important to remember that we have roots that go long before us; Christians who have fought the fight and lived their life for God, and in doing so, received God’s protection. There are many examples of people who lived with great faith and conviction. As they lived in this way, they gained a spiritual relationship with God, a spiritual reception from God, and spiritual rewards. The questions I want us to think about are these: Do we want to make a difference? Do we want to have a spiritual relationship with God? Do we want to be received by God on a deeper level? Do we want the spiritual rewards that come from not only believing, but by living out our faith? I hope your answers to these questions are “yes.” If they are not, I pray that God would give you the desire. If they ARE yes, then seek God each day through His scripture, in singing praise, and by telling others about your faith. “Happy Ending,” p. 128, #305, 1001 Humorous Illustrations. A young boy named Jonathan had been promised a puppy for his tenth birthday. He was now at the local pet shop trying to choose a puppy from a dozen candidates, and it was not an easy decision. Finally he decided upon a very plain shaggy pup, who was wagging his tail furiously. Jonathan explained to his parents: “I want the one with the happy ending.”
If we seek God daily, and persevere in our faith, and encourage one another, then we too will have a happy ending; we too will be rewarded by God. May we praise God this day and every day. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 7:11 PM
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