Are We Privileged?

 

Are We Privileged? 

Malachi 1:2-3

SUBJECT: CHOSEN BY GOD

THEME: Be thankful for the blessings of love, privilege, and hope from God upon our personal lives, our homes, our churches, and our county.

RELEVANCE:  the Sovereign Choices of God (in the past) Concerning Israel’s General Conditions and Quality of Life Should be Viewed as an Act of His Love. 

INTRODUCTION: 

1. Again, thankfulness requires reflection on our lives as we consider or count what God has given us. We don’t want to ignore, dismiss, or take any blessings from God for granted.

2.  In contrast, it is quite common anymore to be counseled to “check your privilege!” This seems to indicate that some people enjoy certain opportunities while others aren’t as fortunate. There seems to be a violation of equality inherent to this notion…with certain privileges…it is perceived that something is unfair, inequitable, or fallacious. Today, we will examine this concept along with several others that Malachi, the prophet highlighted.

MESSAGE:

I. We Enjoy Great Love from God, but Some People Ignore It (Mal. 1:1-2).

We have studied this idea in the previous post.

II.  We Enjoy Great Privileges from God, but Some People are Irresponsible (Mal. 1:2-3).

   — It is a fact that there is a difference in the privileges afforded different peoples as a result of God’s own sovereign choices. “I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau.” This is the same as saying, “I choose Jacob for my purposes, but rejected Esau.”

The Hebrew words for loved and hated refer not to God’s emotions but to His choice of one over the other for a covenant relationship (cf. Gen. 29:31–35; Deut. 21:15, 17; Luke 14:26). To hate someone meant to reject him and to disavow any loving association with him (cf. Ps. 139:21). ^[a]

Including some while excluding others is at the heart of special privileges. When you're privileged, you enjoy some special rights or advantages that the majority or even no one else has. You could be privileged to live in a lighthouse and have a spectacular view of the bay. Those of us who have been around the US military know officers and senior NCOs who have certain privileges, but they also shoulder giant responsibilities for our country--‘RHIP’. Congressmen represent their states and districts, and they enjoy opportunities, prerogative, and freedoms many Americans do not, but they bear many obligations, duties, and burdens on our behalf. People can be privileged in many different ways and with a myriad of agencies, but it basically means that they’re getting some unusual deal that others don’t enjoy because they don’t qualify or were never initiated. Even being in this country comes with its share of privileges and responsibilities!

We as Christians belong to a special class who enjoy tremendous favor from God. We literally have rich spiritual privileges in Christ. Being chosen by God to join His Kingdom is a divine privilege (Ephesians 2:8-10). God invited us into an elite family. He included us with His most trusted servants and wanted us to live with Him forever. And God made Christ the head of His family. It has nothing to do with our ethnicity, political affiliation, socio-economic status, or social class, but weather or not you belong to God through Jesus Christ.

A.  GOD’S CHOICE IMPLY HIS PURPOSE.

Why was Jacob more privileged than Esau? Was God capricious or arbitrary in his selection?

     1.  Not According to Human Performance.  

         — Not because he had a better moral character.

         — In some respects he appears more unworthy than Esau. It was simply because God chose to distinguish him.

         — Unconditionally, and completely apart from any consideration of human merit, God elected Jacob and his descendants! 

         — No one should conclude that God does not love His people just because He afflicted them, but rather He loves them because He elected them.

     2.  But, According to Divine Purpose.

          A.  His purpose for them to become His heirs of promise (Rom. 9:6–29).

          B.  The reason for God’s choice was in His mind, and nowhere else. 

Ephes. 1:11, In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

          C.  God always works in accordance with a plan, we must learn to trust Him and His will even during the difficulties of life. Romans 8:28-29, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God’s choice is neither capricious nor is it an arbitrary choice. God does not make choices like that.^[b]

B.  GOD’S CHOICE DOES NOT IMPLY OUR IRRESPONSIBILITY.

His sovereignty does not negate our responsibility; it does not imply either of two things.

   1. It Does Not Mean Partiality on God’s Part.

The fact that the Jewish people, the descendants of Jacob, in their history endured, perhaps, calamities as great as those that befell the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, proved that there was no partiality on God's part. He is no Respecter of persons. God remains unbiased, unbigoted, conscientious, independent, and egalitarian!  

Romans 9:15-16, For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. [16] So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Romans 2:11, For there is no respect of persons with God.

Application: God does not show partiality or favoritism based on external factors such as social status, ethnicity, or outward appearance. We need to underscore the impartiality of God’s judgment and His fairness in treating all people equally. God loves everyone alike. There is nothing we can ever do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can ever do that will make God love us less. God’s nature is love! Yet even though we’re loved by God, people still have a serious dilemma. God will still judge people fairly.

Application: We must not view God as some friendly TV sitcom dad. God sits in heaven on a sovereign throne, not an easy chair. The heavenly Father is the holy Judge.

   2.  It Does Not Mean Irresponsibility on Man’s Part. There are some applications it would be to our advantage to heed….

        A.  Do God’s Will with the Privileges He Affords You.

              1.  QUOTE: “They who have least, and bear most, may become better and happier than they who have most and suffer least.”— Godwin

              2.  QUOTE: “The permanent value of all things depends on the use which is made of them: the first often becoming last, and the last first.”  —D. Thomas

        B.  Be Responsible for the Choices You Make Regardless of Your Circumstances.

No argument can be drawn from the differences in a person’s circumstances as to which will be the most morally advantageous or disadvantageous according to their conduct. While the differences of one kind depend solely on the Divine will, the differences of the other kind are not irrespective of human choice.

Application: 1 Peter 1:17, And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:  Beloved, we should stop trying to convince ourselves and the people around us that we belong to this world. We should stop trying to fit in with many groups and stop sacrificing our responsibilities to be Christ-like. Believe me Jesus was not a closet-Christian! We must embrace our status as foreigners, strangers, and people in exile from our rightful country of Heaven. We need to live ‘holy’ like the Father we wait to be united with. And, yes, we should live with some amount of healthy fear or respect for Him. Christians are children of the God who is Father and Judge.

Application: We must choose to act as those who are God’s own people, rejecting the evil desires that drove our actions before we knew better. Our choices matter—“Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1Pet.1:16). Our God placed a high value on our lives, paying for them with the blood of Christ. Since God has made us able, we must now strive to earnestly give love to God and each other.

Application: What are some of our privileges as God’s People?

1. Believers have the privilege of continually coming into the presence of Christ. Let’s do this daily through prayer, study of the Word, and the Christian church; this is our greatest honor (1Pet. 2:4; Heb. 4:15-16).
2. Believers have the privilege of being built into a house of God. We need one another, a brick has very little usefulness by itself. Also, because we are the house of God, we should be a holy place, set apart for God’s worship. Everything we do can be worship because we are his temple (1Pet. 2:5; 1Cor. 6:19-20).
3. Believers have the privilege of being priests that offer spiritual sacrifices. We should labor in prayer for others; we should serve others as priests in order to please and honor our God (1Pet. 2:5; Heb. 13: 15-16; Rom. 15:15-16).
4. Believers have the privilege of sharing in the honor of Christ. The glory given to Christ by God has been given to us (John 17:22). Though rejected by the world, along with Christ, we must rejoice in the coming honor and glory. We are co-heirs with Christ, and therefore, recipients of the coming kingdom. This honor shines even brighter against the destiny of the lost (1Pet 2:6-8; Rom. 8:28).

Let us give glory to God for our great and awesome privileges. Thank you, Lord, for these incredible honors. (Greg Brown, U.S. Navy Reserve Chaplain)

Application: Being defensive and argumentative complaining are typical of feeling ashamed, hurt, guilty, or attacked by God and the prophet Malachi. When facing such convictions by the Holy Spirit a wayward person tries to defend themselves from feeling angry, hurt, or ashamed! They perceive the truth or think that God is too harsh and critical for confronting them. This incredible lack of pliability is not recommended!

CONCLUSION.

Aren’t we as individuals, homes, churches, and Americans among the peoples whom God has specially blessed and smiled upon? Are these words not especially applicable to us, “I have loved you, saith the Lord”?

Above all, what about our Lord Jesus Christ? 1 John 4:10, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have bestowed on my life. You have provided me with more than I could ever have imagined. You have surrounded me with people who always look out for me. You have given me family and friends who bless me every day with kind words and actions. There are many more blessings to thank You for, and they are as countless as the stars in the night sky. Your grace never fails to amaze me, O God.

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^[a] Craig A. Blaising, “Malachi,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1576.

^[b] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed., vol. 3 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 993.