Subject: Shut the Doors - Continued
by Rick Welborne
Isaiah 45:1-3 (NKJV)
1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
2 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
2 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
Malachi 1:10-11 (NKJV)
10 "Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you," Says the LORD of hosts, "Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the LORD of hosts.
10 "Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you," Says the LORD of hosts, "Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations," Says the LORD of hosts.
--Last week we talked about verses that speak about shutting the doors and why God would tell a church or individual believers to shut their doors.
--Sometimes I think we have no clue what it is God expects of us as followers of Christ but in Malachi He gives us a glimpse of His expectations.
--Some either believe or act like God has no expectations of us after we receive Him but the Scriptures are clear of what He wants from us…So what does He want, expect, or most of all, deserve?
1. God deserves our honor.
Honor - regard with great respect:
synonyms: esteem · respect · admire · defer to · look up to · appreciate · value ·cherish · adore · reverence · revere · venerate · worship · put on a pedestal
--The Lord was saying in Malachi…you show honor to these worldly people in authority but where is the honor that is due my Name. Where is esteem, respect, and admiration for My Name and Authority?
2. God deserves honor when it comes to complete obedience.
--I hope you do not miss what was happening in Malachi…it was not that the people were not doing what they were supposed to do…it was that they were only doing it partially. Much negligence.
Malachi 1:8 (NKJV)
8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts.
8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?" Says the LORD of hosts.
--When the people brought their lamb or sacrifice to the Lord as an offering, it was supposed to be the best they had to offer…it was in the law and commands.
Exodus 12:5 (NKJV)
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
--How many of you are glad that when it came to our redemption…our salvation…that God did not give us His second best but He gave the best heaven had to offer…Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV)
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
--The children of Israel were bringing their sacrifices to the house of the Lord but they were not bringing their best…The Lord said it was evil for them to bring defected offerings to God.
--They were being obedient to bring an offering but they were only being partially obedient.
A. Partial obedience is disobedience…Saul.
B. Temporary obedience is disobedience…Demas.
C. Delayed obedience is disobedience…Jesus said follow Me…Follow Me now!
D. Careless obedience is disobedience…Prodigal son’s older brother.
3. God says shut the doors.
--Shut the doors if you are unwilling to bring your best, your first, and your all!
--Tonight I felt we must continue this discussion about why God would be so upset with His Church or His people that He would tell them to shut their doors…Bible was not written in Chapters and verses.
Malachi 2:1-9 (NLT)
1 “Listen, you priests—this command is for you!
2 Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart.
3 I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile.
4 Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.
6 They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.
7 “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
8 But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
9 “So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown favoritism in the way you carry out my instructions.”
1 “Listen, you priests—this command is for you!
2 Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart.
3 I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile.
4 Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.
6 They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.
7 “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
8 But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
9 “So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people. For you have not obeyed me but have shown favoritism in the way you carry out my instructions.”
1. God says, “Honor My Name and give Me glory!”
--In verse 1 He calls them priests…wow! I am so glad because I am not a priest…I am just a church attender so this message is not for me. Not so fast, Slick!
1 Peter 2:8-10 (NLT)
8 And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
8 And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
--They stumble because they do not obey God’s Word…they stumble because they do not honor God with their best and with their all.
--God has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light, not so we can give Him tokens or second best, but so we can rule as holy royal priests. Why? We had no identity and no mercy and now we have both!
--The Lord says to make up your minds to honor Him and if you do not, then, there will be terrible consequences…wait a minute, preacher…my name is in the Book so I am good. Really?
--In verse 2 He says…I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart. Consequences!
--Sounds like, to me, that God is serious about honoring Him, trusting Him, and loving Him. It almost sounds like we are either hot or cold with God because lukewarm doesn’t get it.
Mark 12:29-30 (NKJV)
29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
--Love Him and honor Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength…sounds serious. Do we give all? If we need a really good reason to honor God, this would be it:
Malachi 2:3 (NLT)
3 I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile.
--Some think that their personal sin has no effect on their children as long as they do not know what you are doing or the sin you are involved in…wrong thinking…how I live directly affects my kids.
Exodus 20:1-6 (NKJV)
1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
2. God says, “You must fear My Name!”
Malachi 2:5 (NLT)
5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.
5 “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.
--NKJV says that they must fear Me and reverence His Name…where is the fear of the Lord when we have no problem living anyway we want to and still claim to be a Christian?
Isaiah 29:13 (NKJV)
13 Therefore the LORD said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
John Bevere - He said, “Their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” He is saying that the people had reduced the glory of the Lord to the glory of corruptible man. They served God in the image they had created–not by His true image, but by their own standards.
–Ever since I became a Christian I have often been very troubled by how people treat God so disrespectfully ...no fear or reverence. Young man at Central Freight Lines in Texas.
--How can we expect God to open windows, doors, or double doors when we will not give Him honor or glory and when we will not have a healthy fear or reverence for Him?
Psalm 111:10 (NIV)
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
3. God said, “You must honor your spouse!”
--This third thing tonight is in no way to bring condemnation to anyone here but it is to show how far we have strayed from God’s Word and His truth.
Malachi 2:13-16 (NCV)
13 This is another thing you do. You cover the LORD’S altar with your tears. You cry and moan, because he does not accept your offerings and is not pleased with what you bring.
14 You ask, “Why?“ It is because the LORD sees how you treated the wife you married when you were young. You broke your promise to her, even though she was your partner and you had an agreement with her.
15 God made husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit for his purpose—so they would have children who are true to God. So be careful, and do not break your promise to the wife you married when you were young.
16 The LORD God of Israel says, “I hate divorce. And I hate people who do cruel things as easily as they put on clothes,“ says the LORD All-Powerful. So be careful. And do not break your trust.
13 This is another thing you do. You cover the LORD’S altar with your tears. You cry and moan, because he does not accept your offerings and is not pleased with what you bring.
14 You ask, “Why?“ It is because the LORD sees how you treated the wife you married when you were young. You broke your promise to her, even though she was your partner and you had an agreement with her.
15 God made husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit for his purpose—so they would have children who are true to God. So be careful, and do not break your promise to the wife you married when you were young.
16 The LORD God of Israel says, “I hate divorce. And I hate people who do cruel things as easily as they put on clothes,“ says the LORD All-Powerful. So be careful. And do not break your trust.
--Hear me…how we treat our spouses has a direct effect on whether our prayers are answered or not.
1 Peter 3:7 (NLT)
7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
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