Sunday – July 22, 2012

Posted on July 22, 2012 by PastorAndy

July 22, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

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Word On Worship – July 22, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 1:14-15
“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Mark wastes no time in introducing the authority of Jesus Christ as he presents for us five scenes from Jesus ministry, all with the intent of demonstrating Jesus’ authority as the Christ. He begins with the calling of four fishermen: Andrew, Peter, James and John, to follow Him as His disciples. From there, Jesus moves to the synagogue at Capernaum where He teaches with authority and destroy the demonic reign of terror of a man possessed. Then Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law and many others who flock to Him for healing. Jesus concludes by healing the leper who directly disobeys His command to remain silent and tell no one what happened.

The authority of Jesus is a key theme in the Gospel of Mark. Not only does Jesus have authority as a teacher and over human disease, He has authority over the Sabbath (2:27-28), over the forgiveness of sins (2:5-12), over unclean spirits, over nature (6:45-52), over the Law (7:1-13), over the temple (12:1-12), and over the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. What I find remarkable is that One with such authority is also the One we can approach directly in our time of need. As we see with the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the leper, Jesus is not a dominating authority but a compassionate healer.

Sadly, the temptation for many of us in ministry is we crave the same thing for ourselves that was said about Jesus. We want people to say of us he speaks with such authority. With the availability of sermons on demand and entire satellite networks to broadcast and the availability of messages on the internet, it is tempting for ministers to try winning adoring crowds, Facebook friends, and subscribers to our podcasts. And so to gain followings, religious leaders can mislead the distraught and disenfranchised. Others, through the charismatic ranting and ravings, draw crowds but have only provided entertainment for the masses and not transformed hearts for the Lord. Even the smallest of churches and most traditional of denominations are sometimes led by those who fold their arms and state, “I know this is the will of God. Is there anything you would like to add?”

Anyone who desires to lead must be evaluated by the standard of Jesus Christ. Do they actively seek public acclaim or do they avoid it? Do they want credit for all that happens or can they sincerely give God the glory and pass the compliments to others? Are they seeking to build an empire for themselves or for the Kingdom of God? Are their doors open only for the largest donors and the influential families or are they accessible to those who dwell in the margins of society? Jesus had all the authority of God, but never used it for His own purposes. He was in charge of all things, but set His authority aside to do the will of the Father. As Jesus said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38)

Sunday – July 15, 2012

Posted on July 18, 2012 by PastorAndy

July 15, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

John the Baptist vs Rob Bell and Modern Day Church Planters from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Why are there four gospels? Is there more to be gained by telling the story four times and not just once? After all there are not four Books of Acts. This Sunday we begin our study in the wonderful Gospel of Mark. The gospels are like diamonds, each facet lets in new light, allows a new color to emerge, and causes the over all beauty to be enhanced in a way that one stone by itself can not accomplish. We encourage you to take the time and pull up a chair and join us as we begin our series with the question “Why Study the Gospel of Mark?” Our prayer is that you will come to agree it is the story of “the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1).

Word On Worship – July 15, 2012 Download / Print

Sunday – July 8, 2012

Posted on July 9, 2012 by PastorAndy

July 8, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Why Study the Gospel of Mark? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Word On Worship – July 8, 2012 Download / Print

Mark 1:1
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ”

One morning in Jerusalem, Jews from every nation in the Roman Empire pushed in closer to hear twelve men speak about God’s most recent display of power. Many were in Jerusalem seven weeks earlier as eye witnesses to the Roman execution of a rabbi the governor said was the King of the Jews. Then, the one called Peter stepped to the front of the crowd and spoke these words found in Acts 2:22-24, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

The words of Peter on the Day of Pentecost are the outline for the Gospel of Mark. Mark’s gospel is about the good news, Jesus the Messiah, and the Son of God. The gospel is the fulfillment of prophecies spoken of in the Old Testament, initiated with the baptism by John, manifested by His miraculous works, affirmed by His death on the cross and proven to be true by His resurrection from the dead. Many of the miracles and the healings were to be kept hidden from the masses during the public ministry of Jesus. Many times the instruction of Jesus was to tell no one. Now, through the Gospel of Mark, they are the church’s proclamation of the good news — Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God.

The gospel is all about Jesus Christ, and we can never get too much of Jesus. The word Christ literally means “anointed one.” Any preconceived ideas of those who saw the work of Jesus had to have been thrown out because to understand the message of God’s Christ can only be comprehended from this side of the death, burial and resurrection of Messiah. The Gospel of Mark is about showing Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Israel’s hope. Even if that hope is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles, because He exposes our false hopes and selfish expectations.

I am glad you are coming along in our exploration of this book. Keep your hearts open to connect the dots between the prophecies of the Old Testament and the actions of Jesus Christ. Look for the evidence of Jesus being the Son of God from the introduction to this book, to His baptism, transfiguration and finally to His crucifixion. Demons will publicly acknowledge Him and the blind will see Him before He opens their eyes. Yet the disciples and the high priest will not comprehend just who is this Jesus of Nazareth. May your eyes be opened in this study as you come to see Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God!

Sunday – July 1, 2012

Posted on July 2, 2012 by PastorAndy

July 1, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Christmas in July from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

This Sunday is your last chance to catch our series in the Book of Malachi. How does the Old Testament end? Look back to the law and forward to the second coming. Join us Sunday morning as we celebrate “Christmas in July”. The great Christmas hymn Hark the Herald Angels Sing is all about our text on Sunday- Malachi 4:2 “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” Don’t miss the end of this great series!

Word On Worship – July 1, 2012 Download / Print

Malachi 4:2-3

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.”

Our study in Malachi has presented to us the contrast between those who biblically fear the Lord and those who claim fidelity to God but show by their hearts and actions their distrust of God’s promises and sovereignty. What makes the difference in whether we choose to be those who fear God or those who do not? It is the question about how our ethics (what we do) is changed by our theology (what we believe). While the decisions we make in the 21^st century are certainly different, the decisions faced by Malachi’s generation and the decision about how our faith will align with our practice have not changed one bit.

Jesus dealt with the disconnection people have between theology and ethics. In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Usually our focus is on correct knowledge, but knowledge without a correct response produces the same result as not even having the knowledge. This highlights the struggle of Malachi speaking to Israel and realizing on a heart level we are no better. Just like Israel, we need to reset our hearts, reboot our worship and renew our relationship with the Father — our theme through this Old Testament book.

Malachi’s view of those who fear the Lord are the people whose character has been shaped by a daily walk with Him and whose very thoughts are of Him. They would not be like the priests of Malachi’s day, who would ask “what’s in it for me, right now?” This is the sickness of the Church today, where our eyes are more focused on the numbers in attendance than we are on the amount of Christ likeness that is in our own heart. Is our priority duty or is it discipleship? When we examine our lives, does the priority of our hearts put us on the wrong side of the anticipated Day of the Lord?

Do not let Malachi be a “one and done” study, relegated to the intellectual storehouse of biblical knowledge accumulated in your Christian experience. The call for continual renewal and sanctification is the lifework of those who pursue Jesus Christ, a call to examine and test ourselves regarding how we see our relationship with God. Do we tremble at the prospect of dishonoring Him by not trusting His promises or by living in disobedience to His commands? May we be a part of the remnant which Malachi tells are, “those who feared the LORD, talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name.” (Malachi 3:16)

Sunday – June 24, 2012

Posted on June 25, 2012 by PastorAndy

June 24, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Esteem the Name Of God from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Which group are you in? Are you standing with those who think it is not profitable to follow God, or do you stand with those who fear the Lord and esteem His Name? It is an important question because no matter how often you go to church, only one group is recorded in the Lord's book of remembrance. Join us Sunday as we continue in Malachi 3:13-18 and see the beautiful people who "Honor Your Heavenly Father." Come for the worship and stay for the fellowship

Word On Worship – June 24, 2012 Download / Print

Malachi 3:16-18
“They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”

Do you sometimes watch people around you deny God, yet they seem to receive greater blessing than believers and especially you? You would never say it, but you cynically think it in your heart: “What profit is there in serving God? It doesn’t pay!” Here’s the message of Malachi: God records everything. The God who does not change not only records our foolish actions, but God keeps record of all that we do and say in His name. Asaph in Psalm 73 was looking at the prosperity of the wicked and was thinking “It’s a waste of time serving God!” Asaph had honest and painful questions, but when he took them before God he saw their action in terms of eternity. You must keep eternity’s values in view, because in the end we will win!

There is a second group of people found in verses 16 through 18. God calls these people jewels; God’s jewels. “My jewels — they shall be mine.” He gives this beautiful name jewels to those who, in an age of compromise, an age of worldly values, apathy and indifference still speak about the Lord and who fear the Lord. I think these are some of the most beautiful verses in all of Scripture. God says they are a remnant people; true to Him throughout all of time.

Now I want you to note both of these groups, those who were the judges and those who are the jewels, claimed to be among God’s people. What makes the difference? The difference is the jewels feared the Lord. The book of Proverbs tells us “To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” These were people who, in the midst of all that was going on around them, reverenced God and submitted to His authority and no one else’s. They began to fear God more and fear others less. They feared the Lord, they thought upon His name, and then they spoke often about Him.

Here’s the question out of Malachi’s message for all of us: what do our lips portray about our heart? Do you talk often, one to another, about Him? Don’t miss the fact even in Malachi’s day the remnant kept company together. They encouraged one another and they promoted love and faith in each others hearts. They did not forsake the assembling of themselves together, as the manner of some, as they saw the Day approaching. They kept company with those who were talking about the Lord, thinking on His name and who feared the Lord. Can I give you a bit of advice? Keep company, not only in the assembly, but in your personal private company, with those who talk about the Lord, not about other Christians!

Sunday – June 17, 2012

Posted on June 19, 2012 by PastorAndy

June 17, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Honor Your Heavenly Father from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

This Sunday we are continuing in our study in the Book of Malachi, and we will rewind a little and go back Malachi 1 to look at our Heavenly Father, and in particular our response to Him. Our Father is God who is worthy of both our honor and our devotion. Devotion is one we are usually more comfortable with, but honor is a tougher nut for us to get our arms around. Join us with your own dads for worship this Sunday morning at 8:45 as we see how Malachi exhorts us “Honor Your Heavenly Father”

Word On Worship – June 17, 2012 Download / Print

Malachi 1:6-7
“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, “How have we despised Your name?’ “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, “How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, “The table of the LORD is to be despised.‘

Who is your Heavenly Father? We can all agree that being a child of God is the result of His calling. Each one of us has heard the call of God on our lives — but what is our response to the call of God? We may feel remorse for sins past or joy for a future with Him. When God reveals Himself to us as Father, when He adopts us as children into His family, what does He intend for us to feel? What is the appropriate response of children to fatherhood of God?

I think the biblical response is twofold. I think God wants a child-like reverence for His power and strength and wisdom coupled with peace and security in His gracious provision for His children. When we put these two together, reverence and trust, we honor our heavenly Father in the same way God said we were to honor our earthly father in Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” And yet how many of us who say the fatherhood of God should motivate us to honor and hold Him in sacred respect?

I see our passage in Malachi as a proper balancing of our response to God for the honor and worship He deserves for His gracious care. The fatherhood of God is brought before the priests to humble them because they have despised the Lord’s altar. The fatherhood of God in our passage is not for the comfort or the security of the priests. The majestic fatherhood of God requires His children to honor and respect Him in reverence and fear.

In our relationship with our Heavenly Father we should always entwine reverence and awe with security and tenderness. When we respond to God properly we see these attitudes dependent on the presence of the other. The psalmist knew this when he wrote Psalm 103:13 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.” Who will rest in the mercy of God? The Scriptures teach us it is the person who bows with reverential fear and honors his majestic Father in heaven.

Sunday – June 10, 2012

Posted on June 12, 2012 by PastorAndy

June 10, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

What Ever Happened to the Tither? from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Tithing… how old school, Old Testament, old fashion can you get? But before you agree, can you find one passage where Jesus says, "you heard it said give 10%, but I tell you 2% is fine." Or did Paul ban the practice of tithing when he said we should give cheerfully? Or is it easier to say 10% is Old Testament and I want to justify spending my money on me. Maybe it is time to take a look at tithing in the Old and New Testament as see if this is an area we need to reset our hearts, reboot our worship and refresh our relationship with God. Join us Sunday as we continue our study in the wonderful book of Malachi 3 verses 7 to 12.

Word On Worship – June 10, 2012 Download / Print

Malachi 3:7-8
“Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from My decrees and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’”

The deeper I get into the book of Malachi, the more it seems he is writing a Top Ten list of problems facing God’s people. And even though this was written nearly 2,500 years ago, God’s people still struggle with these same issues today. The simple message of Malachi is God is unchanging and the human condition is also unchanging. The standards God requires from His people revealed in the Old Testament and man’s sinful fallen nature continue. Stephen’s charge against the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:51 is just as true of us today, “You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”

Our problem today is the same problem Israel faced: we do not see our need of God. As far as many Christians are concerned, they have not left God and God has not left them. The disease affecting the church today is one of spiritual delusion. We think repentance is something a person does when they become a Christian and then it can be placed on the shelf to gather dust. A.W. Tozer wrote the church is in the predicament it is in because “ignoble contentment has taken the place of burning zeal.” Just like the priests in Malachi’s day, the Church has a form of godliness but there is no power. We engage in the rituals and ceremonies, but the power of God is not in our motions.

Sometimes God needs to hit us where it hurts to get us to turn around and come back to Him. And where many of us are the most sensitive is in our wallets. Repentance that costs us nothing is worthless repentance. Repentance in the area of finance and stewardship is costly if it is genuine repentance. You can come to church every Sunday, but your checking account will speak more about your spiritual health than your attendance record because our wallets are closer to our hearts than we care to admit.

In Malachi’s time, God spoiled the crops and shut the rain off because of the Israelites’ selfishness. Their excuse not to give was because they had less even though they knew God had promised to bless and care for those who were faithful in their stewardship. God’s own money was not available because the people were so tight-fisted they would not let it go. Consider this: a poll taken by George Barna in 2002 showed only 6% of evangelicals in the United States gave a tithe (10% of their income). A 2010 survey indicated the average church attendee in America gives 3.1% of their income to charities, religious or secular. As the wealthiest and allegedly most Christian nation, the divine message to God’s people remains unchanged, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me.”

Sunday – June 3, 2012

Posted on June 4, 2012 by PastorAndy

June 3, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

The Refiner’s Fire from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

Have you ever looked around the church and thought to yourself, “How in the world could God allow such a group of misfit, stumbling, bumbling people into His kingdom? The Bible says heaven will be with out sin, and yet when we look in the mirror we have to honestly say I am certainly not qualified to enter into eternity with God. Take heart, for heaven will be full of people who are neither qualified nor pure enough to enter heaven as we currently are. God is a refiner’s fire, which through the work of His Holy Spirit will prepare and mold and refine the sin which so easily entangles us and will not allow the fire to consume those who are in Jesus Christ entirely. Join us Sunday June 3rd to see “The Refiner’s Fire” from Malachi 2:17 to 3:6 and prepare yourself to say Hallelujah! “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”- Malachi 3:6

Word On Worship – June 3, 2012 Download / Print

Malachi 2:17
“You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

In Malachi’s day Israel has already returned to the land, rebuilt the city walls and restored the Temple in Jerusalem. But Israel, as many would say of our nation, had fallen into complacency. As the people pursued their own agendas and satisfactions, they drifted further and further from God and from the mandates of the Law. The results of such a lifestyle were predictable: religion was at low ebb while wickedness prospered. It is only natural for us to wonder where the righteous justice of God is when the wicked seem to prosper and the people of God are in need?

If we are honest with ourselves, we can fall into the same pit as the Israelites did. When we look around our own personal lives we feel that God doesn’t seem to be answering our prayers, or at least doing it in the way that we would like Him to. We’re not seeing God save our loved ones the way we long to see it happen, maybe we haven’t seen God heal us or another in the way that we feel is our right. We feel that we’ve been in the hour of need, and God has said: ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will answer you‘ – but He hasn’t. For so long we have heard so many people, like the Psalmist, saying to us: “Where is your God?” We’re perhaps beginning to say to ourselves as Gideon did, “Where is our God that our fathers told us of? Where are the miracles that they spoke to us of?”

Jesus spoke of the same condition in the Sermon on the Mount, the hearts of people who have become far-sighted. We see the splinter in our brother’s eye but fail to see the plank in our own eye. We are swift to see sin in another and not in ourselves, but the awful terrible truth of this whole book is they are swift to accuse God of apparent injustice without seeing their own sin! They accused God of a lack of holiness, a lack of justice, and can’t see their own sin was the very cause of their lack of blessing. They were ignorant of God’s charge against them, and even question God, not themselves. They question God’s holiness, they question God’s righteousness, and they actually ask the question back to God: “In what way have we wearied You?”

Could it be possible that sometimes our words weary the Lord? Is it a possibility in the church era our songs and even our prayers weary the Lord? I have seen the picture of the church sign which reads, “If you could only hear your prayers, you would sympathize with God.” You might say, “What could weary God in my prayer or worship?” It is simply this: the people were drawing near to God with their mouths, and honoring Him with their lips, but their heart was far from Him! Consider these things in your lives this morning as you prepare for worship, receiving the teaching of the Word and the celebration of the Lord’s Table as see where your heart is this morning.

Sunday – May 27, 2012

Posted on May 28, 2012 by PastorAndy

May 27, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

Being Covenant Keepers from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

We are a nation, a community and families based on keeping covenants. The nation promises to protect us and govern us justly in return the people give their loyalty. Employers promise good wages in exchange for the employee’s promise to labor diligently. The same is true between husbands and wives and also parents and children. Being faithful to the covenants we make is essential to a functioning society. When covenant order breaks down, God is grieved. He has made covenants to us that He will never break, and given us the picture of marriage as the picture for the relationship between Jesus and the Church. Join us this Sunday at 8:45 as we continue in our study of the Book of Malachi as we look at “Being a Covenant Keeper” in Malachi 2 verses 10 to 16.

Word On Worship – May 27, 2012 Download / Print

Malachi 2:16
“I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the LORD Almighty.
So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

In our study in the Book of Malachi over the last couple of weeks we have looked at how, in application of this Old Testament truth, the church is to function today as a light in this dark world, as salt in this dead earth. But we have also seen, just as the people in Malachi’s day experienced, awful indifference and apathy in the lives of believers today. We live in a day of little passion and even less power among God’s people! Even though we are New Testament priests, we find that we are not living up to the charge that God has given to us. I ask again, in all that we are experiencing in the church today, is God not disciplining us and chastening us, because we have allowed the world in which we live to push us into its mold?

The specific question and application here today is: have we become so like the world in our family life, like those in Malachi’s day, that God’s purpose in choosing and saving us to be a witness has been jeopardized? We need to remember there is a reason why God chose us and saved us and set us apart. If we are following the ways, lifestyle and attitude of the world, there is a very real danger our light won’t shine and our salt won’t work. The reason why we were saved in the first place, to be a witness, has been jeopardized.

This has become abundantly clear in Christian marriages. Today, even believers seem to enter into it with the assumption that there is a get-out clause. God’s express purpose from the beginning is that no marriage would end in divorce. If you’re here today and your marriage is on the rocks, remember all of us have problems, and you’re no any different. As far as is possible, persevere and don’t give up to the spirit of the age. What is the spirit of the age, you ask. The spirit of the age tells us our personal happiness is what determines our willingness to honor the covenants we have made. That’s the spirit of the age. A Christian ought never to start that process prematurely. It has been said that when the doors on a marriage are shut and bolted, and a fire breaks out, all your time and energy goes to putting out the flames.

Are the doors of your marriage bolted and shut as a Christian? Decide to make your vows before God a covenant in His presence, and stop looking for a fire escape. Decide you will make this work, no matter how difficult things are. If anything, one of the reasons why we have a lukewarmness in the church today is that Christians are too easily running — for every reason — for a divorce. What does it do to the testimony of Jesus Christ? God says: ‘I am the LORD, I change not’ and He still hates divorce.

Sunday – May 20, 2012

Posted on May 21, 2012 by PastorAndy

May 20, 2012 – Read the Word on Worship

The Blessing of the Successful Ministry of the Word from Sunrise Community Church on Vimeo.

We have all turned on the TV or opened the internet and heard the news of the latest minister of some church who has morally failed and brought disgrace to the Church and to ministry they have devoted themselves. With each sordid revelation, many, even in the church begin to question the relevancy of the Church and raise questions in their own heart and mind about the whole Christian enterprise. God takes the failure of His ministers very seriously and desires to wake all of us up to the curse of ministerial failure. But the heart of God is for His ministers to find success in His purpose for the ministry of the Word. Join us Sunday as we resume our study in the Book of Malachi and examine the "Successful Ministry of the Word" in our second look at Malachi 2 verses 1 to 9. We look forward to worshiping with you this week.

Word On Worship – May 20, 2012 Download / Print

Malachi 2:4-5
“Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant may continue with Levi,” says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.”

It was no light thing to be a priest in the Old Testament. It was a gracious gift of God through His covenant with Levi. There is no order of priests making sacrifice, in the Old Testament sense, today. Because of grace, this has been done away with and superseded by Jesus Christ. In fact we find in the New Testament that we are the priesthood of all believers, and we are to worship God by bringing spiritual sacrifices to God. We are to bring our body, our substance, our financial giving, and our praise to God as our sacrifice.

In Malachi, we find the priests of Levi have corrupted the covenant God has made with them. God says: ‘This is my judgment upon you: I will curse your blessings’. There was no curse in the blessing God gave to the priests initially, blessings they inherited as descendants of Levi. They brought about the curse by their disobedient ways, which meant the blessings they would make over the people would be cursed also. As they ministered to the people, they would minister a curse! In Deuteronomy 28, God told the people of Israel very clearly what would happen if they didn’t obey His word. Instead of Israel being a light unto the Gentiles and a blessing to the whole world, God said that He would turn their blessings into a curse. I’m asking the question: is it possible that God’s people today, as the church of Jesus Christ, is more of a hindrance to the world around it than a help? Is it possible? Yes, I would say it’s more than possible, it’s probable.

God still looks for obedience to bless. I believe the weight of the message is the cry of Malachi to his own priestly people: how do you fare in comparison to your forefathers, Levi and Phinehas? How do we measure up? The priests of Malachi’s day were weighed in the balance and found wanting. I’m asking us today, how do we compare with our forefathers? What have we done with the privileges that we have because of their faithful endurance? They have passed down the charge of the Gospel to us, but what have we done with it?

What’s the solution? It’s found in 1 Corinthians 11:31, Paul said: ‘For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged’. In other words, we are to analyze our hearts, search and see if there are any wicked ways in us. My prayer for myself is that I would see that my life is now dictating, word for word, into Christ’s lips what He is going to say to me on the Day of Judgment! I am writing it now, with my life! It was George Whitefield who rightly said, “O that I could always live for eternity, preach for eternity, pray for eternity and speak for eternity”. May we all live in the light of eternity beginning with today!

Sunrise Community Church

Jesus is THE Way, not only a statement of faith; the way of life.

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