A Case for Revival

 

A Case for Revival

Malachi 1:6-8

SUBJECT: NEGLECT OF WORSHIP

THEME: As We Serve God with Respect and Sincerity, Our Ministries Will Honor Him. This Must Be our Number One Priority in a Life of Worship.

RELEVANCE:  Have we succumbed to problems of neglect, expediency-convenience, and outright disobedience? Do we have a proper perspective of God, or do we doubt His faithfulness to His promises? Such opinions lead to widespread unfaithfulness, and it affects the worship of others. We need to renew our perspective, reestablish our hope, and promote a proper faithfulness to God.

INTRODUCTION:

1.  What sins were the priests committing as they carried on their duties in the restored temple? This showed in the way they kept up superficial religious behavior which insulted God.

2. Beloved, have we “despised” God by offering unacceptable worship in direct violation of the word? Are we treating God in a way that we would not dare treat our human or spiritual leaders, family members, or fellow church members (1:8). Perhaps it’s time for us to repent also (1:9)!  By our “polluted” worship, and meaningless church exercises we demonstrate our disrespect for God (1:12-14). Aren’t we making this same mistakes?

MESSAGE:

I.  Give God the Honor Worthy of His Name.   (Mal. 1:6-9)

God focuses on the priests, who should have been the spiritual leaders of the land. The priests were not giving honor to God’s name; they were taking the best for themselves.

A.  THE ALLEGATION (Mal. 1:6)

B.  THE VERIFICATION (Mal. 1:7-8)

They offered polluted bread and imperfect sacrifices and kept the best for themselves. We have in these words a case for genuine revival detailed that we would be wise to heed.

True revival is indicated by discovering again Bible truth, a returning to a sense that God Almighty is to be respected, reverenced, and the feared, and a recommitment to God through honest confession and complete repentance. There is a revived spiritual faithfulness on behalf of God’s people, and a commensurate restoration of authentic personal virtue and zeal for witnessing. Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Haggai, Josiah, and Nehemiah all experienced something quite similar connected with Bible revivals. Every revival in the Old Testament rested solidly on a new and powerful proclamation of the Word of God. The most obvious example is the revival under King Josiah (2 Chron. 34).

    1.  They Offered God Polluted Bread.  (Mal. 1:7)

       A.  The Offerings Were Supposed to be Holy.

            1.  Because They Belonged to God.

                  — What was consumed upon the altar was regarded as God's portion, and regarded as "the bread of God."

                  — Leviticus 21:6, They shall be holy unto their God, and not profane the name of their God: for the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God, they do offer: therefore they shall be holy. 

                  — The "polluted bread" was maimed and blemished sacrifices.

            2.  But the priests did not Value the Worship of God.

They show how little they valued worship by the contemptuous way it was performed.

            3.  The Prophet Malachi deals with the unfaithfulness, and the disregard of the priests.

                  — This signified the sad spiritual conditions, morals, and religion when the priests failed in their duty.         

                  — The way to national repentance could not be realized, until the spiritual leaders realized and sensed their obligations.

APPLICATION: What causes real spiritual revival then? True revival rests on rediscovery of the word of God, a restored sense of the fear of God, a return to God through confession and repentance, a renewed spiritual commitment as God's people, and certainly a reformation of distinctively Christian devotion. A desire to reach the lost is one outcome of real revival. Preachers should lead the way in this regard. Those who are exposed to the Word and God regularly through prayer should be the first to repent, get right with God, and lead the way to real revival, worship, witnessing, and devotion to God!

       B.  The Priest Were Supposed to be Holy.

            1.  Often the condition of our culture reveals the unfaithfulness of God’s “priests.”          

            2.  It is generally true that our culture is reflected in the moral standard of the believers and spiritual leaders. This is embodied in the saying, "Like priest, like people;" and it is a broader and more unsettling truth than is usually recognized.

            3.  The Christians and pastors are the moral barometers by which the atmosphere of their time can be known. The priests of Malachi's time revealed the moral and spiritual decline of the people.

            4.  The saddest sign of all was the degeneracy of the priesthood which Malachi, though perhaps himself a priest, was specially commissioned to denounce.

            5.  It may be shown that priestly indifference and unfaithfulness are products and results of neglected personal devotional life. So long as priestly duties are associated with heart-felt spiritual devotion they will be correctly performed.

            6.  When personal godliness fails, these duties become perfunctory, and then if they are kept up, the service begins to deteriorate. It is in maintaining the personal spiritual life that priests lead the nations and influence others.

APPLICATION: Revival is needed when believers have strayed from God. 2 Chronicles 7:14, If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. It is vital that revivals take place periodically because they stir us and even cajole us to have an awakening and renewal to the Lord. Revival awakens us to the same joy that we had when we first trusted Jesus as our Savior and Lord. It helps us to desire to know God better and to grow in our relationship with Him. Such renewal should start with preachers…us who are exposed to the Most High often should live in the reality of revival! Historically, revivals share a common origin with anxious believers desperately seeking God in prayer.

          C.  The People Were Supposed to be Holy.

The culture is recovered by the recovery of the “priests.” Therefore, Malachi appeals to them.

            1.  It may be that the priests are the last to yield to the society evils; but they must always be the first recovered.

            2.  They must become forces on the side of Christ in the restoration of moral health to a nation.                               

            3.  Revivals are always hopeless things unless their first effect is the spiritual revival of the preachers.

APPLICATION:  God is worthy of great respect (Ex 3:5). Exodus 3:5, And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. At God's command, Moses removed his sandals and covered his face. Taking off his shoes was an act of reverence, conveying his own unworthiness before God. God is our friend, but he is also our sovereign Lord. To approach him frivolously shows a lack of respect and sincerity. When you come to God in worship, do you approach him casually, or do you come as though you were an invited guest before a king? I know we are wanted at the “throne of Grace” and the Lord Jesus our great high priest gives us the right to be there (Heb. 4:14-16), but none of these facts encourages us to be casual…relaxed…and everyday-ish with Almighty God! If necessary, adjust your attitude so it is suitable for approaching a holy God.

APPLICATION: One of the first hindrances to true revival is a misunderstanding of the very nature of true revival. They are first for believers and not the lost unconverted. The goal is to reach believers through which the unsaved will be addressed with the Word. Additionally, we can have a scheduled meeting, but God must revive! Even when people think they can conjure up revival with fanaticism, or by diminishing the truth of the Bible, it hinders the Spirit of God and the work of true revival. Thirdly, worldliness, secularism, externalism, and materialism embraced by church members is a tremendous obstacle to revival! God can indeed revive a carnal believer, but a carnal believer will not sustain revival encouragements, appetites, and reinforcements without serious changes. Are we willing to change that God can sustain revival in our lives? Remember we were dead in trespasses and sins! Colossians 2:13-14, And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; [14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (See also Eph. 2:1, 5)

APPLICATION: Without life sustaining sound doctrine, the revival meeting excitement will be nothing but noise. Acts 2:42, And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Sustaining a revival requires wholesome and healthy teaching, pinned, and focused on the word of God. After hearing Peter speak and being moved by his account, the people in Acts 2 continued with Peter's doctrine before anything else. Also to sustain revival, we need to identify what sparks it in the first place. While we cannot predict when the next great revival will happen in America or the world, we can take faithful steps to sustain it with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Again, the purpose of revival is to restore the presence of God in our lives and bring us back into right relationship with the Father. It awakens the hearts of God’s people. Remember revival is needed when believers have strayed from God.

    2.  They Ignored God’s Laws of Sacrifices.  (Mal. 1:8)

The Levitical system very rigorously demanded that only sound and clean animals be presented in sacrifices.

        A.  The Law of Acceptable Sacrifices. (Lev. 22:17-25; Deut. 15:21)

Such rejectable offerings signaled just how low the priesthood had fallen in that day! When people are not careful, thoughtful, biblical, or respectful of their offerings to God, they have lost great respect for who he is really!

The priests; however, dismissed Almighty God! They did not value him greatly at all (see Lev 22:22, etc.). This sin of offering the imperfect to God can be seen in the following two ways.

        B.  Offer an Imperfect Gift to Your Friend.

Is it even good enough for your friends? Such gifts dishonor a friend, and morally degrades you as the giver. Is God in Christ our Friend? Think about an outdoor barbeque or grill…. Is this good enough for friends?  

        C.  Offer an Imperfect Gift to Your Governor. (Mal. 1:8)

If a man wants to show his respect to a governor, or to indicate his gratitude he would ensure that no flaw is in it; he selects the best possible options for the governor; he is most anxious about its being the very best! Isn’t God our supreme Governor? Then how can we fail to offer the very best possible to him?

        D.  Offer an Imperfect Gift to Your God.

Doesn’t God have more claim than either friend or governor to the perfect offering? How should we respond to (1) his authority; (2) his holiness; (3) his redemption?

APPLICATION: Though it happens without our purview, God searchingly scrutinizes all our worship, praises, testimonies, gifts, offerings, and sacrifices…he even searches our motives (1Cor. 3:1-15). God will one day examine and inspect our services to and through the body of Christ! The all-seeing God can detect when we offer less than our best, the errors, flaws, and mistakes in (1) our conduct of worship; (2) our deeds of kindness; (3) our actions of ministry and service. He can also observe our sincerity, carefulness, responsibility, and attitudes! It behooves us then to be purposeful, biblical, dutiful, transparent, faithful, and honest with Him always.

CONCLUSION:

The priests had “despised” God by offering unacceptable sacrifices in direct violation of the law (Mal. 1:6-8; see Deut 15:21). They were treating God in a way that they would not dare treat a human leader (1:8). Malachi called on them to repent (Mal. 1:9)!  By their “polluted” sacrifices and empty formalism they demonstrated their “contempt” for God (1:12-14). The priests were listlessly going through the motions….

Jesus' Way is Far Better!

HEBREWS SEVEN

Chapter seven assures Christians that it makes all the difference in the world whether they approached God through the priestly order of Aaron or the High Priest of Melchisedec’s order. Christ’s priesthood, like Melchisedec’s, is superior in its order—it is eternal and effective. Through Christ believers have immediate access into the very throne room of God and eternal security in salvation.

The initial truth in this chapter presents the fact that Melchisedec’s priesthood preceded Aaron’s and the Law (7:1-10). First this is observed in the fact that Melchisedec was serving as a priest when Abraham first met him (7:1). Secondly because Abraham recognized the greatness of this priest and even offered him tithes. Thirdly, because the Scriptures do not record his parentage, birth, or death, one is left with the impression of his endless life. Thus, Melchisedec ministers continually as a priest and in this regard he is like “the Son of God” (7:3). W. W. Wiersbe observed, “Melchisedec was a type of Christ as both king and priest (Heb. 7:3, 15).  Jesus is our King of Peace, our Prince of Peace and God’s Righteous King. So, in his name and his offices, Melchisedec is a beautiful likeness of Christ.”

In fact, Abraham, the chief patriarch, offered him tithes! This act demonstrated the superiority of Melchisedec’s priestly order. Necessarily, unborn Levi, head of the tribe of the Aaronic priests, is said to have paid tithes to Melchisedec through his great-grandfather, Abraham (7:1–10). Thus the Aaronic priestly order acknowledged the superiority of the Melchisedecian priestly order through their chief representative Abraham. The major argument for superiority continues with the giving of a blessing (7:1, 6, 7). The greater Melchisedec blessed Abraham!

The second major truth presented is Christ’s priesthood supersedes Aaron’s and the Law (7:11-22). This is achieved through a series of contrasts. Christ’s priesthood is contrasted with that of the OT order of Aaron to demonstrate its superior ministry (7:11–28). Christ’s priestly work brought about perfection while the Aaronic priesthood was totally incapable of doing this (7:11). Kenneth Wuest observed that the word “perfection” signifies the act or process of consummating. An institution is perfect or complete when it effects the purpose for which it was instituted. The purpose of the priesthood was to remove the obstacle of sin, which kept man from God, and make a way of access for man to God. The Levitical priesthood could only typify this pointing to the Messiah and His substitutionary death on the Cross. Because the Levitical system could not actually provide salvation for sinful man, a new priesthood after the order of Melchisedec was introduced.

As with Melchisedec, Christ’s priestly ministry does not rest on family line, but on the power of an indestructible life (7:16). Not merely an endless life, but a life undying and risen in character—the power of a life not subject to destruction noted William Newell. The word “disannulling” (7:18) presents the fundamental idea of doing away with something established. It means the making void of a document; cancelling or being superseded by another document. The law which established the priesthood of Aaron has been annulled because of its weakness and ineffectiveness. It has been canceled by the coming of Jesus Christ. Aaron’s priesthood was likewise set aside because it was unable to provide perfect access to God. In the Lord Jesus, Christians have “a better hope … by the which we draw nigh unto God” (v. 19). Additionally, Christ was not appointed by a weak commandment, but by God’s oath and he serves as a guarantee of a better testament than the law of Moses (7:21, 22). Newell stated, “The solemnity of the oath of God is the covenant with which this priesthood was inaugurated, is the measure of its superiority and existence.”

The third major mark of superiority is Christ’s priesthood proceeds beyond Aaron’s and the Law (7:23-28). Aaron’s priests died. Jesus continues forever as a permanent Priest. Therefore as Christians’ everlasting Intercessor, Christ is able to save them completely (7:25). This the Law nor Aaronic priesthood could achieve. Christ the sinless and perfect priest is the best fit for believers. According to Hebrews 7:27, there is a threefold difference between High Priest Jesus and the Aaronic priests. First of all is the frequency: their offerings were daily, but Christ’s only once.  Secondly, they offered mere animals, but the Lord Christ offered Himself.  Thirdly, they offered sacrifices for their own sins, but Christ had no sins to atone for. These facts evidence the weaknesses and imperfections of the Levitical priesthood.  Christ's way is far better!

God Will Not Forget You!

Too often we sense acutely—suspicion—folks are habitually taking us for granted…. They just keep expecting, requiring, and demanding more from us without giving much back in return. “Why are others so fortunate to constantly receive benefits at my expense?” You protest. “When will it be my turn to receive for a change?” You complain. The inequities are extremely annoying. “This is not fair!” You exclaim. It sounds like someone feels a little too much like a doormat, used, and perhaps even abused…right? Well, I have good news…God has plans to reward you abundantly! Since you have poured out your life to enrich others, He will compensate you accordingly. God promises to personally ensure all you do for His glory will be properly rewarded at the appropriate time.

A Clear Promise

Several promises have been issued in the Bible to challenge us Believers to become all that God desires for us to be. Such promises should stir us to journey onward and progress further in our Lord’s service. In Hebrews 6:10, the writer reminds us that, “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love”. God will not forget your service that is rooted in godly love (Heb. 6:9, 10).  He will not fail to recall your industrious exertions for His Name’s sake. In fact God upholds this promise with His own impeccable character and perfect faithfulness. His unadulterated fairness, absolute reliability, and flawless memory forbid even a hint of forgetting or overlooking your efforts. Our obedience and persistence will bring Him glory and He deems this as something He can reward. Beloved, we could never receive greater assurance than this!

Assurance of Capability

The Lord Jesus will remember everything you do in service to Him and reward you accordingly (1 Cor. 3:10-15)! He is entirely aware of all your sweat, tears, adjustments, sacrifices, readjustments, efforts, complications, setbacks, break downs, restarts, advances, and struggles to maintain pace with the tasks He has designated for you. Always bear in mind that we are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2:10). Clearly we are not saved by good works, but saved unto good works. He recreated us in the Lord Jesus with our pre-designated assignments in mind. We are fitted to the works, and the works are fitted to us! You can do anything and everything God calls you to do. You need to know and trust this deeply.

The Glory of God

Also recall how the Lord Jesus challenges us to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven” (Matt 5:16). Again we engage in good works to glorify our great God Who is actually working in and through us to execute His wonderful will (Phil. 2:12, 13). The intent should never be to glorify or bring attention to ourselves. That would be sinful.

Christ Knows

Finally, the words of the glorious Christ spoken in The Revelation come to mind. “I know thy works” says the Lord Jesus to each of the churches in Asia (Rev. 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:8, 15). He knows fully! Our brilliant Savior totally recognizes how you have sacrificed time, energy, money, privileges, advantages, and opportunities to advance His will. He knows your struggles as you have sought to obey Him fully…He knows when your heart is in it and when it is not. He knows those who are opposing your efforts trying to frustrate you and His work…believe me, He really does know. Never-the-less, He will reward your faithfulness at the appropriate time; therefore, remain engaged for His glory and the good of your fellowman. Keep serving, helping, praying, singing, writing, supporting, witnessing, preaching, teaching, mentoring, equipping, exhorting, caring, counseling, loving people, challenging, modeling, encouraging, instructing, raising your family, evangelizing, giving, leading your home, and working to advance His plan through you. Consider the stirring words of the Apostle Paul, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).  Your industry, passion, and expertise are never ever expended in futility in the Lord Jesus. What a promise and encouragement to remain steadfast in service for His glory!!

A Second Mile Christian

Therefore, do not quit! Do not give up! Do not permit yourself to become frustrated or discouraged. While I realize you are hurting, Christ wants you to do this for Him. I realize you cannot continue for those trying to take advantage of you, but do it for Christ to sustain a testimony of His power and grace at work in you (Matt. 5:38-48; Luke 6:27-36). Decide to do for the Lord Jesus what you would not normally do for anyone else…including yourself. Remember, the Lord Jesus was not only willing to become the doormat for the world; He actually did so at Calvary…even for me and you. It was not His honor that was most important—He looked beyond our faults and saw our need. Likewise, see the need of those around you. Look at them…do you see their need for Christ, a solid Christian testimony, an example of real devotion to God, and a life willing to be jerked out of its comfort zones to advance the cause of Christ? Let them see Christ radiantly shining fort from you. Through these challenges, transform your very interactions with them into a pulpit set ablaze by informed passion for Christ’s glory!

Overcoming Evil with Good

‘Bitterness’ and his cousin ‘Resentment’ are knocking at your front door greatly desiring a commanding influence in your heart. By the grace of God, refuse their entrance—there is no place for bitterness and resentment in Christ’s people. Yes, some may be trying to get over on you…thinking you are too stupid to detect what is happening…do not worry about that for now. God will judiciously handle this on your behalf. It is also true that others are only interested in using you…that is acceptable for now because God is using you in spite of them (Matt. 5:38-48). Heed the Apostle Paul’s counsel to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” that you may “please Him” Who selected you (see 2 Tim. 2:3, 4). Seek to please your Lord as His unique servant! Refuse to be conquered by evil; overcome their evil with God’s good through you (Rom. 12:21).

Use these promises to fuel your passion, inform your direction, inspire your faith, sustain your effectiveness, and refresh your energies. Allow them to stimulate your labors of love. People will fail to appreciate you down here, but still allow the love of Christ to compel and propel you (1 Cor. 13; Rom. 12). God will not forget you at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This you are roundly assured of by your faithful Heavenly Father.