WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:01.540 And I'm going to invite you to the book of Malakai's. 00:00:01.940 --> 00:00:05.900 We get through our series together on leg on the legacy and leaving a legacy for the Lord. 00:00:05.940 --> 00:00:07.930 The book of Malakai is the last book of the old Testament. 00:00:08.580 --> 00:00:11.710 It's the last book before you come into Matthew of the new Testament. 00:00:12.340 --> 00:00:15.680 And we're going through the series together for a really a few reasons. 00:00:15.680 --> 00:00:22.880 One, because our desires for God to use us to live out a legacy in him that not only impacts our lives, 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:30.100 but those around us and generations to come on top of that we've noticed as we're going through this book of Malakai together, is that this is a difficult 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:33.770 book of scripture really with some of the concepts that it wrestles with. 00:00:34.180 --> 00:00:41.450 And so when we attack it boldly and we go for it, just desiring what God's heart is for us, leaves us really with this conclusion. 00:00:41.680 --> 00:00:46.170 When you, when we take a look at this and we walk away with this and you're like, Hey, I've learned, I've grown in the Lord. 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:53.620 I want us as a church family to know, and just learn that there's no question for us that's off limits. 00:00:53.720 --> 00:00:58.700 There's no question that you're gonna ask that's really gonna uh, rock the Christian faith. 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:05.940 It's been around for thousands of years, but there is a place for us to be able to ask those questions and we want you to feel 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:13.940 a safe place here in our church as we talk about what we believe and why we believe it and it's 00:01:13.940 --> 00:01:17.620 foundational to life and the way you choose to live your life. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.580 And today's going to be no different than the last few sessions that we looked at together. 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:29.340 And the first two weeks, we talked about love and hate, how God describes himself as a loving God and a hateful God at the same time and how that works 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:30.600 in chapter one. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:35.200 And then if you know what alligator arms means, that's because you were here last week. 00:01:35.580 --> 00:01:40.180 But it's the way that we serve God and foundational to everything that God's saying in Malakai. 00:01:40.360 --> 00:01:45.850 If you remember how this book fits in context to scripture, this is the last message that God shares you. 00:01:45.960 --> 00:01:53.100 Remember, you look at the old Testament, it's important to recognize when you see the old Testament that the old Testament is not put together chronologically, meaning the 00:01:53.160 --> 00:01:57.760 books don't follow in sequential order as to when they were written according to the chronology of their writing. 00:01:58.160 --> 00:02:01.680 But rather the books of the Bible are formulated together according to literary genre. 00:02:02.540 --> 00:02:09.710 But it just so happens that the last book of the Bible, the book of Malakai is in a cluster of books which is called the minor prophets at the end of the old Testament, 00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:17.340 but Malakai chronologically, his last book written in the old Testament, God is about to go silent for 400 years before the coming 00:02:17.340 --> 00:02:21.060 of Jesus and the pronouncement of the coming of Jesus by John the Baptist. 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:28.940 And so God gives this last message to Israel before his 400 years of silence and he builds the foundation of his message on one 00:02:28.940 --> 00:02:29.620 thought. 00:02:29.740 --> 00:02:30.620 And that is love. 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:38.480 God's created you for a relationship in him and the health of all good relationships find itself centered 00:02:38.480 --> 00:02:41.440 and unconditional, sacrificial love. 00:02:41.480 --> 00:02:48.660 And that's the way God demonstrates himself to us in Malakai chapter one and exactly how we interpreted 00:02:48.660 --> 00:02:51.440 what it means when God talks about love and hate. 00:02:52.940 --> 00:02:58.600 But from there we talked about in the way in that love, we find ourselves secure in that love so that we can respond with love. 00:02:58.660 --> 00:03:05.920 The Bible us, we love him because he first loved, loved us, and the demonstration of his love inspires his 00:03:05.920 --> 00:03:08.800 people in love towards him. 00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:16.180 And so the rest of scripture is the encouragement of God's people to live out their love for the Lord because of his love that has been demonstrated to 00:03:16.180 --> 00:03:16.840 us. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.740 And God shares six messages in the book of Malakai. 00:03:20.760 --> 00:03:23.100 Most of these messages start with a question. 00:03:23.100 --> 00:03:30.120 ISR often gives a response and it's to share this particular area in which God is challenging his people to live out their legacy in love 00:03:30.120 --> 00:03:30.540 with him. 00:03:30.980 --> 00:03:33.440 That impacts not only their lives but generations to come. 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:43.800 And he says this in chapter two talking about the third message that he communicates to Israel this morning. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:50.100 He says in chapter two in verse 10 do we not all have one? 00:03:50.320 --> 00:03:57.420 Father has not one God created us why do we deal 00:03:57.420 --> 00:04:01.680 treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers. 00:04:03.540 --> 00:04:10.080 Judah has dealt treacherously and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. 00:04:12.140 --> 00:04:19.200 Couple of things I want to point out about this burse before I dive into the context of why God is saying this, but the first thing God identifies for 00:04:19.200 --> 00:04:23.200 him as again his position of his communication to his people. 00:04:23.440 --> 00:04:28.060 The foundation for why he is saying isn't to destroy us but to build us up. 00:04:28.080 --> 00:04:35.400 And so he identifies himself and his nature towards his people as he communicates this message and he says two things about himself, 00:04:35.880 --> 00:04:38.880 which is communicating also our identity in him. 00:04:38.880 --> 00:04:41.780 He says, this does, how do we not all have one? 00:04:41.780 --> 00:04:43.040 Father has not. 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:46.380 One God created us and so what God is saying here is I am creator. 00:04:46.760 --> 00:04:49.900 You are creature and sod design you for a purpose. 00:04:50.260 --> 00:04:57.480 And more than that, I am father and you are children, meaning my hands over yours, one of a father's 00:04:57.480 --> 00:04:59.220 concern and care for your life. 00:05:01.080 --> 00:05:06.840 And the response that he identifies out of the people of Israel in this versus to is this to say to them, why? 00:05:06.840 --> 00:05:11.580 If I am your father, are you acting like orphans? 00:05:13.400 --> 00:05:18.120 And he begins to identify how they're living that out in their lives. 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:25.180 He's saying, you have, you have dealt treacherously against his brothers so as to profane the covenant of 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:32.180 our fathers, this idea of dealing treacherously their actions 00:05:32.180 --> 00:05:38.900 are hurting one another and he roots this back in the idea of covenant. 00:05:40.320 --> 00:05:44.180 And this thought of covenant really is what gave Israel their identity. 00:05:44.260 --> 00:05:48.360 If you, if you think about what the formulation of the people of Israel was all about. 00:05:48.400 --> 00:05:55.780 When you, when you read the book of Exodus and you see they are slaves in Egypt and that ragamuffin group of individuals 00:05:55.780 --> 00:06:01.860 are called to be free through through Moses, God speaks and they find themselves set free and they're wandering in the wilderness. 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:03.680 They're their slaves. 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:08.880 Now finding new identity in God and God shapes that identity in what's called the old covenant. 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:17.300 In fact, you identify it in your life when you hold the Bible and you reference old and new Testament that the word for Testament 00:06:17.300 --> 00:06:22.840 is covenant and so within scripture where marking that there is something significant there. 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:30.180 This idea of covenant, the old covenant and the new covenant and what God is referencing in Malakai is the old covenant 00:06:30.180 --> 00:06:33.080 that Israel has shaped their identity in the old covenant. 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:38.000 Now in our culture today, we don't really grasp the thought of covenant much. 00:06:38.260 --> 00:06:39.740 We usually work in terms of contract. 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:45.680 The idea of contract is we hold each other under these obligations of contract. 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:52.500 If you don't fulfill those obligations under a contract, then because you don't fulfill those obligations under contract, we move on. 00:06:53.220 --> 00:07:00.240 It's like if you, if you set an appointment in the doctor's office and you don't show up to the doctor's office, the doctor can move 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.100 on from you and your appointment. 00:07:02.200 --> 00:07:07.040 You set this a contract, you didn't oblige to show up to the appointment, which you've established and so they move on. 00:07:08.840 --> 00:07:10.840 But a covenant is a little different than a contract. 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:15.220 Covenant runs deeper and it's, and it's love and appreciation towards someone else. 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:22.260 The most prominent covenant in the Bible is found in Genesis chapter 15 between Abraham and 00:07:22.260 --> 00:07:22.680 God. 00:07:23.820 --> 00:07:30.840 God comes and he establishes in Genesis chapter 15 a covenant with Abraham, but the Bible tells us within that story, when he sets this covenant with 00:07:30.840 --> 00:07:38.100 Abraham, he causes Abraham to fall asleep and God establishes this covenant with Abraham on his own 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:45.500 authority and he's communicating to Abraham that the fulfillment of this covenant is based on his character in nature and has nothing 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:48.300 to do with Abraham's character and nature. 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:57.080 That this idea of covenant is a, is a language that thinks of the wellbeing of the individual or of another at the sacrifice 00:07:57.080 --> 00:07:58.740 of the one who was establishing the covenant. 00:08:00.780 --> 00:08:08.260 And so he's saying in this passage to Israel that you're not considering this covenant that we've established with one another and you read the old Testament, 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:15.880 the terms, the covenant or in Exodus chapter 19 and verse 24, that 00:08:15.880 --> 00:08:19.800 the way that they would live out the covenant is found in the book of Deuteronomy. 00:08:19.860 --> 00:08:26.920 The blessings and curses that come with that, especially in chapter 28 but the Bible tells us not just that there's the 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:32.380 old covenant Israel established under Moses, which is under the law, the old Testament system and the law law. 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:37.090 But the Bible more importantly talks about a new covenant, which is where we find ourselves today. 00:08:38.400 --> 00:08:45.600 In fact, in the, in the book of Galatians, the Bible tells us that the old covenant was established as a tutor until Christ would come, but 00:08:45.640 --> 00:08:51.580 the new covenant would be delivered to us because the new covenant is what God desires to give us to set us free. 00:08:52.800 --> 00:08:59.820 In fact, in the book of Genesis and chapter three, promise of that new covenant is given to Adam and Eve, but the consummation of 00:08:59.820 --> 00:09:07.400 that covenant isn't established until the coming of Jesus, Jesus, and setting that new covenant for us sets 00:09:07.400 --> 00:09:12.180 his people free because he becomes the ultimate sacrifice for the gift forgiveness of all sins. 00:09:12.420 --> 00:09:15.620 That covenant gives identity to God's people. 00:09:17.930 --> 00:09:19.330 That's what we live for. 00:09:21.320 --> 00:09:24.900 It's the way in which God shapes us and how we live our lives. 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:34.620 Hebrews chapter eight it says this, in speaking of a new covenant in verse 13 he makes the 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:35.480 first one obsolete. 00:09:35.780 --> 00:09:42.440 Talking about the old covenant and what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:51.100 So the promise and the prominence of this new covenant is given even in old Testament verses and as equal chapter 30 36 verse 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:58.360 26 and 27 and Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 31 this in fact, this verse is the reason we talk about the old and new Testament. 00:09:59.460 --> 00:10:06.520 They get the term for old and new Testament from this portion of scripture and this is what it says, behold the days are coming, declares the Lord when I 00:10:06.520 --> 00:10:13.700 will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers, which is the old covenant, 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:21.100 the law of Moses on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke though 00:10:21.140 --> 00:10:28.200 I was their husband, declares the Lord what God 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:35.280 is saying in Malakai chapter two remember that we talked about this last week, but it's important that it 00:10:35.280 --> 00:10:41.980 lays into this week as well, that when God calls us to do things for him, it's not because he needs us. 00:10:44.030 --> 00:10:46.020 We talked about it in prayer. 00:10:46.020 --> 00:10:47.620 We talked about it in serving God. 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:52.580 When God calls you to pray or when God calls you to serve, it's not because he needs you. 00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:58.120 Do you want to reference to look in scripture that I'll identify that for you? 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:05.620 Acts chapter 17 verse 24 to 25 God does not serve by human hands as though he needs anything, but 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:08.890 he himself gives life and breath to all mankind. 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:12.940 So the question then is, why isn't this got cost to serve? 00:11:14.980 --> 00:11:16.430 Why then does God call us to pray? 00:11:19.380 --> 00:11:25.480 It's not for his benefit, but for yours, it's for his glory. 00:11:25.620 --> 00:11:31.020 But to your benefit, God doesn't need to hear from us in prayer. 00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.440 God doesn't need us and depend on us to do things. 00:11:36.520 --> 00:11:38.070 He himself is more than capable. 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:47.540 And so what we find that the benefit of serving the Lord is one, our lives are transformed in the way that we walk with God and serving him, but not only 00:11:47.540 --> 00:11:53.040 our lives, but the lives of those around us and what God is saying in Molokai. 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.030 Two in verse 10 11 is that you've dealt treacherously. 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:57.850 You're profaning the covenant and here's what's happening. 00:11:58.970 --> 00:12:00.400 It's hurting the people around you. 00:12:03.380 --> 00:12:10.160 And the reason that it's happening this way is because they're not considering that in serving God. 00:12:10.180 --> 00:12:15.220 The benefit of serving God is the blessing that other people receive in that service towards the Lord. 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:21.240 They look at it, we saw in just the previous verses that they're huffing and puffing about serving God, and they don't realize that it's to their own demise. 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:30.270 Israel is supposed to be building a lasting legacy through their relationship with God, and instead they find themselves tearing it down. 00:12:31.760 --> 00:12:39.040 And so the Israel would ask the question then, how does that happen in our lives that this is it's taking place 00:12:39.040 --> 00:12:41.160 and I'm pretending to click, but I can't. 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:58.700 And then he says this, verse 11 or Judah has profaned the sanctuary 00:12:58.700 --> 00:13:04.440 of the Lord, which he loves and is married the daughter of a foreign God. 00:13:06.520 --> 00:13:07.850 That's for the man who does this. 00:13:07.900 --> 00:13:14.940 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob, everyone who awakes and the answers who presents an offering to the Lord of 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:15.490 hosts. 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:23.060 I want to tell you the rest of these verses this morning are difficult passages because they're personal. 00:13:25.680 --> 00:13:33.160 What God is saying here is significant towards building a legacy and 00:13:33.160 --> 00:13:38.400 what God's saying in verses 11 and 12 he's saying to them, here's how. 00:13:38.640 --> 00:13:41.180 Here's how you're dealing treacherously with one another. 00:13:43.020 --> 00:13:44.830 This is how your legacy is ending. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:54.860 It's because you're getting married and you're marrying people that don't care about me, and 00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:59.450 so in terms of legacy, what he's saying is your home is being divided. 00:13:59.520 --> 00:14:04.500 When the homes divided, the nation becomes divided because its identity doesn't root in me anymore. 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:08.660 It's a tough race. 00:14:11.740 --> 00:14:18.040 Some look at a passage like this and maybe ask the question, what right does God have to direct my life like this? 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:22.480 In verse 10 that's how he opened. 00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:34.120 I am your father and I am creator and 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:35.830 that's a pretty good list, right? 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:37.780 Okay. 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:45.220 I know what I'm talking about here when it comes to legacy, because when I created you for it and 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:46.080 too, I love you. 00:14:48.260 --> 00:14:55.420 I'm watching over you and you look at verse 10 it's an 11 and 12 and what he's communicating 00:14:55.420 --> 00:15:02.420 here and talking about legacy, and maybe you ask the question, well now I'll say, who has the right over who I marry 00:15:02.420 --> 00:15:05.660 or do not marry, right? 00:15:05.660 --> 00:15:12.820 You, when you think about significant events in your life, I 00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:18.700 think the most important decision you make, who is your God? 00:15:23.390 --> 00:15:27.980 The definition of that answer in the way that you choose to live your life in the lie. 00:15:28.180 --> 00:15:30.640 The answer really dictates the pursuits of your life. 00:15:32.640 --> 00:15:42.700 You know, the second most important decision someone could make, who do I marry in 00:15:42.700 --> 00:15:43.140 appearance? 00:15:43.140 --> 00:15:50.140 When you think about children and it comes to important decisions of their lives, when they pursue careers, 00:15:52.500 --> 00:16:00.840 you get around them, you encourage them, coach them, you 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:01.590 help them. 00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:07.900 God forbid when they turn 16 and they get a driver's license, right? 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:15.300 I mean they have to take tests for that and even if they pass the test, are you really that comfortable? 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:20.820 Now you've got to get them to jump through some hoops, take some extra classes, make sure they're ready. 00:16:20.820 --> 00:16:23.880 I mean, you get around them when they make those kinds of decisions because they're important. 00:16:27.800 --> 00:16:28.340 What about marriage? 00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:32.280 Just whoever you want. 00:16:34.280 --> 00:16:35.470 As long as you're infatuated. 00:16:36.020 --> 00:16:43.020 If you know, say that you love each other, I can tell you anyone that's been married for more than 00:16:43.020 --> 00:16:51.020 a month you already know what 00:16:51.020 --> 00:16:52.620 makes marriage sustain. 00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:58.820 What helps marriage build a, in marriage that's unconditional, sacrificial love for one another. 00:16:59.040 --> 00:17:06.040 Because when you get day in and day out, under the same roof, a roof, you start to smell each other stinky breath and you'll start to see the warts 00:17:06.040 --> 00:17:08.560 and everything starts popping out, right? 00:17:10.140 --> 00:17:16.119 But it's the unconditional, sacrificial love built on a foundation that's unified, that helps marriage thrive. 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:28.099 I don't say amen to this if you're married, but it's better to be single then 00:17:28.099 --> 00:17:29.280 it has to be miserably married. 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:39.660 When you look at the context of the scripture, I think it's worth considering what God's saying in this passage, that of a loving father and creator. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:47.980 That's not saying now go overboard and hate people that don't agree with the Lord that you want to follow, but what it's getting us to acknowledge as the 00:17:48.020 --> 00:17:51.100 foundation of the home and how that's central to the legacy you want to lead. 00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:52.180 Oh God. 00:17:56.120 --> 00:18:01.560 You consider the thought of this verse of this passage of verses as it relates to other verses in the Bible. 00:18:04.020 --> 00:18:11.260 Deuteronomy chapter seven verses three and four, God tells the people of Israel to marry in their own faith or else their hearts will be tempted to 00:18:11.360 --> 00:18:12.830 wonder from the Lord. 00:18:15.040 --> 00:18:22.220 Oftentimes when people talk about marriage and what God's desire is, they'll turn to second Corinthians chapter six and verse 14 that 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:24.680 says, do not be unequally yoked. 00:18:25.320 --> 00:18:28.830 And I'm, I want to let you know if you read the context of that verse, you ever heard that in your life. 00:18:29.020 --> 00:18:36.140 That passage is not talking about marriage, it's actually talking about business and it's talking about going into 00:18:36.140 --> 00:18:37.560 business with other people. 00:18:37.800 --> 00:18:42.840 And its comparison is of two oxen yoked together on a journey. 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.850 And when those oxen don't work as a team, guess what happens? 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:49.880 The unequally yoked the cart doesn't move right? 00:18:49.940 --> 00:18:54.940 And one's pulling on the other and someone else's carrying the weight and they may not be going in the right direction and they're not in succinct. 00:18:57.300 --> 00:19:04.440 But the reason people use that verse to quote not only just to business, but to also relational life and married life is because it 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:06.700 works in every arena which you have relationships. 00:19:08.980 --> 00:19:13.300 And the more significant the relationship becomes, the more prominent that verse is. 00:19:15.320 --> 00:19:24.860 But Paul says, first Corinthians seven 39 Mary in the Lord Bible 00:19:24.860 --> 00:19:27.460 doesn't tell you can't love people outside of your faith. 00:19:28.120 --> 00:19:33.410 In fact, I think that's what Jesus did and does and calls us to do. 00:19:35.660 --> 00:19:36.420 But what is it? 00:19:36.760 --> 00:19:43.800 Inquiring our minds and encouraging minds and declaring to us is to consider the foundation things that you build so 00:19:43.820 --> 00:19:46.860 that you can spring from that in a healthy way. 00:19:50.320 --> 00:19:52.540 What God's ultimately saying through this example. 00:19:52.540 --> 00:19:55.100 He's saying, you love me. 00:19:58.080 --> 00:20:05.220 Then don't live as an orphan and listen, heart's desires for the legacy of your lives that it may flourish 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:08.510 not just as an individual but as a community. 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:13.630 Let me just be clear in this far. 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:21.320 What I don't think this passage is also saying is as you consider marriage and what the Lord wants us to do, 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:23.080 don't just go ask someone, are you a Christian? 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:26.910 And if they say yes, then just be content with that they said, yes, let's move on. 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:34.720 I think just because someone says they're Christian too, that may be maybe there might want to be a little more inquiry 00:20:34.720 --> 00:20:37.680 than just the thought of the statement coming out of their mouths. 00:20:39.100 --> 00:20:44.410 Meaning not only are they professing to be a follower of Jesus, but they demonstrate to be a follower of Jesus. 00:20:44.580 --> 00:20:47.040 It should look like this when someone says they're a Christian. 00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:48.300 You have reason to question. 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:55.540 I mean maybe, maybe if they're posting grossly immoral pictures downgrading women demonstrating poor character, the 00:20:55.540 --> 00:21:01.000 indication might be from the fruit of their lives that their pursuit really isn't Jesus though it's verbally professed off their lips. 00:21:04.760 --> 00:21:07.280 What God is saying is what we need. 00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:14.780 Men that use this, their strength to bless others, not men who 00:21:14.780 --> 00:21:20.760 are content to degrade women because they would rather think with another part of their body than their brains did. 00:21:23.260 --> 00:21:30.760 They have the integrity to live under the authority of the Lord for the benefit of not only themselves but others and 00:21:30.760 --> 00:21:38.160 be on the flip side ladies, it would work like this and our vocabulary of sentences that we choose to describe men that if your statement becomes he has a good heart, 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:46.080 you just have to look past that idiot that perhaps maybe he's not ready to be marriage material. 00:21:49.320 --> 00:21:52.600 It's not just to say that I am a Christian but the pursuit is Jesus. 00:21:56.100 --> 00:22:04.280 The reality is what he's acknowledging in this verse is that anytime families faced vision, no 00:22:04.280 --> 00:22:11.600 matter the topic, there's pain and the less division that you experience, the 00:22:11.780 --> 00:22:14.080 better the family is off for it. 00:22:15.860 --> 00:22:20.780 And that Jesus then builds a foundation to living out a legacy that impacts beyond you. 00:22:23.580 --> 00:22:31.160 So the encouragement it's always, always no matter the topic, okay, 00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:35.920 be faithful, be faithful. 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:42.610 I listen, I know I live in the real world and I know our homes aren't always used the five. 00:22:43.880 --> 00:22:50.900 And I want you to know if you experienced that in your environment just because you experienced that, and it may not be deal's situation that 00:22:50.900 --> 00:22:52.240 God doesn't stop working. 00:22:54.440 --> 00:23:01.580 In fact, praise God for the presence of you in the relationship because the Bible tells us in multiple places, believers asked, what they found in the early 00:23:01.580 --> 00:23:04.940 church in the first century is that people were coming to Christ. 00:23:05.020 --> 00:23:06.340 Christianity is birth. 00:23:06.340 --> 00:23:12.010 Jesus has died, people coming to Jesus, but within the context of family, not everyone comes at the same time to Christ. 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:14.960 So what do you do? 00:23:17.420 --> 00:23:17.780 You'd be faithful. 00:23:20.120 --> 00:23:24.160 You demonstrate sacrificial, unconditional love to everyone around you. 00:23:25.720 --> 00:23:32.780 Because through that, the Bible tells us first Corinthians seven 14 first Peter three one that you have the opportunity to make an impact 00:23:32.780 --> 00:23:34.960 in the most intimate of relationships in your life. 00:23:38.040 --> 00:23:45.420 But love Jesus, love Jesus and Malakai 00:23:45.420 --> 00:23:50.540 chapter two verse 13 as if that wasn't, hard enough to just dialogue through. 00:23:51.260 --> 00:23:55.000 He says this is another thing you do. 00:23:55.040 --> 00:23:55.640 Oh great. 00:23:56.540 --> 00:23:57.660 They're talking about something else. 00:23:57.660 --> 00:24:04.660 Now you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning because he no longer regards the offering or 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:06.460 accepts it with favor from your hand. 00:24:06.460 --> 00:24:07.680 Yet you saying for what reason? 00:24:09.340 --> 00:24:16.960 And this is pretty significant, you think about Israel's coming to worship and 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:24.120 they're sacrificing animals on the old sir, when they're giving of their resources in life there, their livelihood 00:24:24.120 --> 00:24:26.360 and God's not accepting it. 00:24:26.520 --> 00:24:27.900 You gotta be asking the question why? 00:24:32.080 --> 00:24:39.020 They're even weeping over the thought that the Lord is distant from them and they're asking the question, Lord, how is this happening? 00:24:39.360 --> 00:24:46.400 And then he says this in verse 14, he uses the D word here because the Lord has been 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:52.700 a witness between you and the wife of your youth against whom you have dealt treacherously. 00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:57.080 Though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:02.320 Did he not make them one with a portion of the spirit in their union? 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:06.250 And what was the one God seeking? 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:07.180 Godly offspring. 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:13.880 So guard yourselves and your spirit and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:22.900 For I hate divorce, says the Lord, the God of Israel and him who covers his garment 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:24.320 with wrongs is the Lord of hosts. 00:25:25.800 --> 00:25:28.280 So take you to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously. 00:25:30.780 --> 00:25:33.060 Let me say a few things. 00:25:33.060 --> 00:25:40.080 Get into this, that when we talk about passages like this, I understand that a lot of us carry or can carry wounds over 00:25:40.080 --> 00:25:40.580 the discussion. 00:25:43.300 --> 00:25:48.310 We don't rest easy reading words like this, that there there's a reality of pain that we often experience. 00:25:48.580 --> 00:25:57.060 And I just want to say this morning, we don't have the power to undo the past, but 00:25:57.060 --> 00:26:00.240 we can choose today to live for our future in Christ. 00:26:02.100 --> 00:26:03.410 And so where are you are today? 00:26:04.740 --> 00:26:09.460 That's my encouragement to you and living out how God calls us to live with him. 00:26:09.520 --> 00:26:11.740 And I'm going to explain why, because why becomes important? 00:26:12.600 --> 00:26:15.240 Because it's where our heart attaches to what Jesus has to say. 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:20.640 But when you read this verse, a scripture verse, 14 hours, read this at weddings. 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:25.280 Every time I do a wedding, because one of the things I'll love to get across, we're conducting a wedding. 00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:26.080 I'm Mary. 00:26:26.520 --> 00:26:28.960 When I do weddings, I love to do it between, Oh, I'll do it. 00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:33.340 I just do it between two believers because this is something that we're honoring before the Lord. 00:26:34.040 --> 00:26:40.040 But when we, when we go into a marriage covenant, what he's saying in verse 14 is that it's not just two people, that there's actually three people present. 00:26:40.120 --> 00:26:43.780 There might be more than that, but there's definitely three people present if you to know who they are. 00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:48.340 It's the two getting married and it's the Lord because God is saying he sees this as a covenant. 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:55.580 And what God got assigned to this as in the passage of scripture is that the way you treat, choose to treat your wife, even at the wedding ceremony and beyond, 00:26:55.760 --> 00:26:59.470 it's or our husband, it's worship before the Lord. 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:04.260 It is looked at as worship before the Lord in verse 15. 00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:05.840 I just want to make you aware of this. 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:09.500 I put this in a Tallix just so we could signify the difference here. 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:16.280 If you read this in some translations, more literal translations, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense because the sit and structuring Hebrew. 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:24.360 So the NTSB, if you read this in the NSB, which is the translation we have this morning, they follow almost the way the Hebrew sentence structure 00:27:24.360 --> 00:27:26.760 is, which in English doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:29.560 I inserted here the ESB translation. 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:32.210 So what he's saying here is the way you deal with your wife. 00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:39.660 God's interested in not just for her and the worst you bring before the Lord, but because of the godly offspring that comes for that as well. 00:27:40.040 --> 00:27:45.950 That when there's a spiritual relationship that takes place or a physical relationship that takes place in marriage, there's also spiritual. 00:27:46.560 --> 00:27:53.660 The Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 19 what God puts together, let no man divide that there isn't a particular intimacy that 00:27:53.660 --> 00:27:58.090 God has created within marriage context that's different than all other relationships. 00:27:58.560 --> 00:28:02.700 It's intimate in such a way that God establishes that relationship spiritually as well. 00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:13.300 God says, and the next phrase, his hatred, we talked about love and hate in chapter one, 00:28:13.820 --> 00:28:16.320 but uh, God's feelings towards that. 00:28:16.340 --> 00:28:21.560 And he's saying this, that the marriage covenant is a demonstration of his covenant towards us. 00:28:21.580 --> 00:28:28.740 That's why he loves and enjoys the thought of marital unity because for us, it's a living out of the reflection of 00:28:28.740 --> 00:28:32.900 God's relationship with his people. 00:28:34.660 --> 00:28:42.740 Here's the point, God is saying to Israel, Israel, 00:28:42.760 --> 00:28:44.540 you're dealing treacherously with one another. 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:47.580 And I'm concerned with that. 00:28:47.580 --> 00:28:52.800 And the reason he's identifying this, he goes to, he goes in as examples in both examples. 00:28:52.820 --> 00:29:00.280 He gives in verse 11 and 12 in verses 13 and 14 and both examples that he gives, he goes to the marital relationship 00:29:00.280 --> 00:29:07.600 as the prominent example because it's the most intimate of relationships and he wants us to recognize something and he's building to it to this point 00:29:07.600 --> 00:29:14.900 that your relationship with God, it's directly connected 00:29:14.900 --> 00:29:17.820 to your relationship with others. 00:29:19.980 --> 00:29:27.720 Let me set again, the way you treat people, it's directly connected to your 00:29:27.840 --> 00:29:28.760 relationship with God. 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:32.670 You cannot separate the two. 00:29:33.900 --> 00:29:41.000 Sometimes we like to compartmentalize that and in our society and our culture, we have the tendency to say to one another, we have 00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:43.560 religion, topic of religion we don't discuss. 00:29:43.840 --> 00:29:44.760 And that's personal. 00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:48.360 You keep it to yourself privately and then we do everything else outside of that. 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:50.080 But the Bible doesn't define it that way. 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:58.800 And in fact the Bible has to say everything that has to do with God impacts the way you choose to live out your life or not. 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:05.040 And so your relationship to others is not exclusive from your relationship with God. 00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:11.470 Then the ultimate example is the marital relationship, which he's saying the way that you have chosen to treat your wife of your youth. 00:30:11.600 --> 00:30:19.000 God is seeing that in Matthew five it says this in verse 23 00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:23.180 in talking about your worship before the Lord. 00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:30.400 He says, therefore, if you're presenting your offering at the altar and 00:30:30.400 --> 00:30:32.660 there, remember that your brother has something against you. 00:30:34.560 --> 00:30:38.220 Leave your offering there before the altering go first. 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:46.400 Be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering. 00:30:48.380 --> 00:30:55.560 Got saying when you show up to church and you began to realize that God cares about 00:30:55.560 --> 00:31:01.380 your relationships and the reason ministry exists is because of people [inaudible]. 00:31:02.280 --> 00:31:06.920 The reason God calls us to serve isn't because he needs anything, but rather through the way that we serve. 00:31:06.920 --> 00:31:08.960 We bless one another and what God is interested in. 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:12.580 The reason God came and the reason God gave us life was because he loves people. 00:31:12.580 --> 00:31:19.800 And when the Bible talks about the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, those are relational words that we begin to understand that when God intersects 00:31:19.800 --> 00:31:22.660 our lives, it should impact the relationships around us. 00:31:23.320 --> 00:31:24.560 That is so important to me. 00:31:27.080 --> 00:31:27.880 The one those aren't right? 00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:32.580 It interferes with my connection to you. 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:42.760 And so when you're coming before me to warship and you recognize there are things that aren't right because 00:31:42.780 --> 00:31:43.560 you love me. 00:31:45.540 --> 00:31:45.780 Reconcile those. 00:31:48.740 --> 00:31:55.240 In fact, in just using a mil, a marriage illustration, Peter said this in first Peter, chapter three. 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:58.020 Husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way. 00:31:59.160 --> 00:32:00.580 I like controversial verses. 00:32:00.600 --> 00:32:08.740 So here's this Libby, the wise and understanding way as with someone weaker since she has a woman, Oh 00:32:08.740 --> 00:32:09.020 boy. 00:32:09.580 --> 00:32:13.960 And show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life so that your prayers will not be hindered. 00:32:16.900 --> 00:32:18.100 Well, let me just say this. 00:32:20.080 --> 00:32:22.260 Bible already identifies men and women are created equal. 00:32:23.780 --> 00:32:26.430 And so there's no one more valuable than someone else. 00:32:26.500 --> 00:32:28.460 Race, gender doesn't matter. 00:32:29.700 --> 00:32:37.460 But what it's getting us to acknowledge here as men is that guys in general, I've seen this, not always true, but um, men 00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:44.820 tend to be physically stronger than women and 00:32:44.820 --> 00:32:51.860 guys, you can use that authority to dominate and look vicious, but God 00:32:51.860 --> 00:32:53.820 doesn't call you to use your strength in that way. 00:32:55.920 --> 00:32:58.470 God calls you to use your strength to honor her. 00:33:00.080 --> 00:33:06.150 Now, whatever strength you have and however you want to apply that to this verse, maybe it encourages you to get lifted weight, go lift away. 00:33:07.820 --> 00:33:15.160 But the point is God desires for you to honor her because this is why your 00:33:15.180 --> 00:33:21.250 relationship to God is impacted by the way you choose to treat those around you and especially your spouse. 00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:30.760 Because when that covenant was established, God was there and when you honor her, you 00:33:30.860 --> 00:33:31.140 worship him. 00:33:37.140 --> 00:33:44.200 If I just gave a maybe a concluding thought and the God uses marriage as the 00:33:44.200 --> 00:33:51.600 illustration in this because it's the most intimate of relationships, but really we could use any relationship as an example. 00:33:53.060 --> 00:34:00.020 And in fact, when you read the book of Galatians in chapter six verses nine and 10 it says this, let us not lose heart and doing good. 00:34:00.560 --> 00:34:09.580 Not because God needs it, but for this reason, for in due time, we will reap if we do not grow weary as 00:34:09.580 --> 00:34:10.920 we're going to see the benefit of that. 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:19.639 So then while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people and especially to those who are the household of the 00:34:19.639 --> 00:34:19.980 faith. 00:34:23.500 --> 00:34:25.340 Let me tell you something that doesn't make sense to me. 00:34:28.659 --> 00:34:37.239 I know sometimes churches aren't always perfect and sometimes people get burned in their experiences, but 00:34:37.239 --> 00:34:39.040 it still doesn't make sense to me. 00:34:39.219 --> 00:34:42.540 In spite of all that, not to participate in a body of believers. 00:34:44.719 --> 00:34:51.520 This is Jesus, his bride and did not seek a spot to be a part of that as like talking trash about his wife. 00:34:53.760 --> 00:34:55.800 No dude has gone to settle. 00:34:56.139 --> 00:34:59.910 Well with that, I will defend your honor and suck you in the face. 00:35:00.180 --> 00:35:02.920 That's how you feel at least. 00:35:06.380 --> 00:35:13.480 And so the point is this, that when it comes to the body of Christ, if we want to see a legacy lived out, the 00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:17.360 establishment of that becomes pertinent here in his community. 00:35:18.280 --> 00:35:25.380 And if we think about this morning, sometimes we walk into church and we think God focused, worship God, get my, get my worship on and then head out the door to live out 00:35:25.380 --> 00:35:26.580 Monday and I did my Sunday. 00:35:27.640 --> 00:35:34.100 But what's God is saying is you want to worship me, look to your right and your left. 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:40.160 Demonstrate your love for me by the way, that you love each other. 00:35:42.540 --> 00:35:49.560 If you're saying that you're truly a follower of me and you give your life to me and you care about me, then that should, that should 00:35:49.560 --> 00:35:53.030 intersect in the way you choose to demonstrate that in your relationships. 00:35:53.340 --> 00:35:59.900 It's not exclusive, but it's inclusive. 00:36:00.540 --> 00:36:07.880 I think about that as you leave this morning, my worship before 00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:08.620 my King. 00:36:10.280 --> 00:36:15.780 It's seen in the way I choose to live that out and my love towards one another. 00:36:17.720 --> 00:36:24.780 What that does, it increases the significance of the body of people around you 00:36:27.540 --> 00:36:34.220 and the words that you choose to express the wrestling, of your heart. 00:36:34.280 --> 00:36:40.360 When you recognize, ah, violated this, you know how it goes in your life, right? 00:36:40.360 --> 00:36:46.270 When, Oh, he'd done, he'd done roamed Bay, and then all of a sudden you say yourself, vengeance, I am justified. 00:36:47.380 --> 00:36:49.000 This is calling out as justice. 00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:54.240 And so you express it and then you back away and you're like, I just, I feel just as dirty. 00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:56.830 I blew up on them, but they did it to me. 00:36:56.920 --> 00:36:59.900 I mean, you call up your girlfriend, your [inaudible], and you're like, do you know what? 00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:06.780 Hey, you try to justify it and now you drug somebody else into that discussion because of the frustration in your own heart and all the while you're wrestling with yourself. 00:37:06.840 --> 00:37:09.420 Because you know, somewhere in that it just doesn't feel right. 00:37:09.420 --> 00:37:13.640 No matter how justified that anger is, you just don't feel right and doing it. 00:37:13.700 --> 00:37:18.780 And here's the reason, because God sees this worship. 00:37:24.120 --> 00:37:25.020 God sees it as a worship. 00:37:27.960 --> 00:37:35.140 The legacy you build, how you treat others, the foundation 00:37:35.140 --> 00:37:36.470 of who he is. 00:37:39.620 --> 00:37:47.280 God sees it as a desire of your heart to honor him, by the way, you want her others? 00:37:48.720 --> 00:37:56.180 Malakai has a hard book, but it's a good book cause 00:37:56.180 --> 00:37:59.860 you know, I think it does challenges us. 00:38:02.860 --> 00:38:04.400 It refines us in complacency. 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:13.280 Honestly, one of the things I think God is doing is he's weeding out the brokenness in our hearts. 00:38:16.980 --> 00:38:22.240 The truth is, when it comes to books like this, when we wrestle with the hardest of that, sometimes people see things like this and they're like, man, I quit. 00:38:24.820 --> 00:38:25.570 But can I tell you believers? 00:38:26.060 --> 00:38:31.720 The reason God's saying this is because he's seeing in the body of the Lord here complacent people. 00:38:34.340 --> 00:38:41.480 Can I tell you, when comes to his church, it's way more rewarding and joy filled to 00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:48.980 serve with a handful of devoted people and 300 halfhearted people on 00:38:48.980 --> 00:38:57.220 the people of God give their hearts to God, all that he wants to do, but world's transformed through that. 00:38:59.040 --> 00:39:01.240 Jesus demonstrated that with just 12 this.