Use and Abuse of Ministry Malachi 2:1-9

Sermon Nuggets Mon Jan 16- 

Verses- Mal 2:1-2 ¹ “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. ² If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

The Use and Abuse of Ministry

   Unfortunately we regularly hear in the news reports of priest, pastors, and youth pastors who abuse their position with illicit affairs, greed, power, and misuse of funds. It is an embarrassment not only to the churches but to the body of Christ.

    Popular TV evangelists are still fighting to keep hidden their finances saying it is no one’s business and churches would not to be investigated by the government. Indeed what they do with their money is between the ministry and it’s donors unless there is evidence of tax evasion and use of money for non ministry relate expenses. Many of the prosperity gospel leaders live very extravagant lives in keeping with their message that God blesses the faithful with riches and good health. How their live their lives is no one’s business. Practices of use of money leave many skeptical of the message of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Does this include ministers?

            Is it any wonder people have lost trust in churches and their leaders?  When I was in Jr. High school my pastor preached against dancing encouraging us to get a signed a statement releasing us from that school physical educational requirement. Yet, while I was gone at church youth camp he ran off with our church secretary leaving his wife and family. I thought of the many sermons he preached some left the church never to return to any church.

    After addressing the problem let me put this matter in perspective.

What portion of the clergy would you guess fall into those type of scandalizing public sins?  Probably less than 1-2%. If the Minnesota Iowa Baptist Churches of 250 were to reach 1% that would be 2 or 3 pastors every two years, not counting all the assistants and youth that would have to face some scandal. The fact that it might even be .5% compared to the 99.5% makes me want to remind the news media the problem is not an epidemic, and indeed 99.5% are sacrificial, moral committed people desiring to be truly servants of God and the people. That would be the worst case scenario.

    However the Bible is clear we need to be aware of the false teachers and leaders and recognize how God’s warnings directed toward leaders affect us all. Malachi also gives good guidelines from God to evaluate ministries and the standard to which those in spiritual leadership but abide

     Pray for all pastors, church officers, Sunday School teachers, Club workers, and laypeople who do ministry at Stanchfield. Pray we live the life that is honoring to the Lord and an example to others.

            As so many of the recent candidates for Presidency are being scrutinized publicly what would be revealed of your life if people were looking for dirty? More importantly what changes would God call you to make? What warnings apply to us all?

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Tues Jan 17 

Verses Mal 2:1-2 ¹ “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. ² If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the LORD Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

Discerning the Motives of the Ministry.

    The priest of Malachi's day were going through the motions but not honoring the Lord in their hearts or actions. They were supposed to be set apart for God, seeking his rule and his reign in their lives and for the nation of Israel. As I discussed last week, in the New Testament understanding we are all priests so even though many comments may be directed to the full time Christian ministers the principles are applicable to all of us in lay responsibilities. We must evaluate our motives for service. Who really knows our true motives but God?

    Some desire to be ministers for the sake of wanting to help other people. They have a concern for society or for individuals and truly are desirous to make life easier for others. Many fight for noble causes of justice, and against political and social oppression. Some become the national conscience for social concerns and civil rights. There are those who get into the ministry to feed the poor, and cloth the naked and see people in the world get clean water and health care. There are many who go out in the name of Jesus with compassion for the people. But let me also say that just because some are doing a good work doesn't mean they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Just because some are kind and generous doesn't mean they are saved.

    Some ministers who enter the pastorate for the purpose of earning salvation, thinking, if they are serving in Jesus name they will go to heaven. Do you know what Jesus says in Matthew 7:23 "Some will come and say, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers."?

      There may be noble causes for ministry, but they are still false.     There are many who minister because it is expected of them. This would be true of some of the O.T. priest. There were people who were born into a priest family and because of their birth they too were expected to carry out the job of the tribe of Levi. They were designated as priests even though they may not have a heart for God.

    There are some who do church work because of the expectations of other people. Some feel coerced into the job.  Some may have a guilt trip placed on them.  Some don't want to disappoint their parents or their church, or friends. Are they really serving God?

    There are other motives less honest. Those who with gifts and talents can obtain large sums of money and benefits. I knew a seminary classmate of mine who judged every call based solely on the financial packages.

      Beverly Crowley of Wynona responded with one direct mail appeal of a known TV evangelist. He wrote her a letter months after the death of her husband Tom, seeking more money. "God spoke to me this morning specifically about you, Tom, and he's going to heal you".

     Apparently God must have forgotten to tell Robert Tilton that Tom had died.  Many falsely play on people’s emotions and have them give liberally to the Lord's work while the preacher lives in mansions and flies personal jets all over the world.  They justify their lavish lifestyle by claiming Biblical promises of the wealth that is ours in Christ if we trust him and claim it.

     Some are motivated into ministry by their power to lead. It is an ego trip to have people following them. It is said of Jim Jones he helped people.  He influenced people into service and gave meaning to lots of poor people.  His followers were given hope and told him how great he was, and what a help he was to them. His problem was he started to believe them. Little by little God was pushed off the throne and Jim Jones was inched onto it, until people followed Jim Jones into giving all their property, their children, their bodies and ultimately their lives in Guyana.  Many are in the ministry for control.

     What is right motive for ministry?  It is to nothing else than to obey His call to glorify God and honor him. The priests are called to listen to none other than God Himself. They are to serve foremost God Himself regardless if it means poverty or riches, popularity or loneliness, pleasure or suffering, health or sickness, or life or death.

    Malachi speaks God words when he says, "You have not set your heart to honor my name, says the Lord Almighty."  The motive for service in SS class, on the Trustee board, in the pulpit or on the floor of the toddler's room is to honor and lift of the name of God.

   We can't do that unless we have asked God to forgive us of our sins. We can't do that unless we trust Jesus Christ alone to be our savior. We can't do that unless we desire to listen to God, and we can't do that unless we by commitment and offer ourselves unto Him unashamedly and completely,

    Can we pray, "Lord it is for your glory that I desire to serve you, not my glory. I don't serve for the preacher, or for the program, or even for the sake the people, but ultimately the glory must go to God, who raw the people closer to Himself."

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Weds Jan 18

Verses- Mal 2: ³ “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants^[a]; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. ⁴ And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD Almighty. ⁵ “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

Discern the Morals of the Ministry 

    Because of the sinful heart and actions of the priest the warning of Malachi is how God feels and acts. Sin has it consequences. Immorality has a price to pay. When people go through motions to love God but live lives much differently God is offended and rightly so.

     The call to ministry is to show people the intimacy of God as one who loves us and desires life and peace. It is hard to glorify the God of glory in song or in religious acts and live in disobedience and shame. The life of honor is living in truth, in moral lives and leaving sin behind.

It is an embarrassment to the body of believers. I wish it weren't true, but among spiritual leaders are drunks, sexual addicts, adulterers, homosexual, embezzlers, liars, manipulator, cheaters, gossips, back-bitters, hypocrites, slanders. There are those who are in competition with others, seeking personal success, jealous of other ministries.

     I believe Malachi's message is to priests as the ones who minister the spiritual values to the people- if they are full of sin, then what about the people? Is it any wonder there is spiritual inactivity in the hearts of the worshippers?  It is one thing for a prophet like Elijah to call people to God and they refuse, it is another when the prophets and priest do not fulfill their duty and people who seek God and in fact are turned away or led to false faith and eternally lost.

    When I was at Abbott Northwestern hospital visiting a patient I saw Pastor Fred Tuma, from our Ham Lake Baptist church in the hall.  His wife had back surgery. When I stopped in to see how she was doing, she just got off the phone talking with a close friend of hers. Physically she was fine. Spiritually she was troubled. She was told that one of her friends found her husband with another woman.  He was a pastor. He had resigned his church. We cried.

    There was no place for gossip. There was no desire to run to the phone and call all we know to share a bit of spicy news. There was no sense of pride in thinking he was weak but we are strong.  No. But there is heartfelt grief that once again tore out hearts in grief. A friend of ours had dirtied the name of Jesus Christ and Satan had gained another victory.  How can this happen?

    Who is sinless? None. Who is without lying lips? None. Who doesn't have lust in their heart? None. Who deserve to be punished for we have all fallen short of the gospel of Christ? Does God call pastors to one standard of living, and deacons and lay officer to another standard of living and workers to another and member to another? He calls us all to moral holiness. Where there is sin there is grief to the body of Christ. There are some sins that grossly affect the body of Christ more than others.

     The unchurched people howl and laugh, mock and jeer.  Friends, Satan goes around seeking whom he can devour and does so within the Christian churches and among Christian leaders for there is nothing that he wants more than for the leaders to fall. That is why you need to especially support your leaders, officers and pastors in prayer that the Spirit would strengthen our weaknesses, and protect us from the fiery darts of the evil one. Pray that we have discernment and never think we are above sin, or accountability.  But if you are serving the Lord, Satan will also see to do what he can to disrupt your work. Be on guard. Be alert, be prepared. Pray with humility for there but for the grace of God go I.

    When you discern a ministry discern morals.  Is it there desire on the part of spiritual leaders to walk in holiness? Is it their desire to cover up or confess? Is it the desire of turning people's heart to God and from self, sin and shame?  How do they handle money? Are they people of truth? Do they purposely and knowingly continue in sin without struggle? Do they desire to be pure in all areas of their lives, knowing that we are not perfect, but we neither want to hurt our Lord or others?

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Thurs Jan 19

Verses Mal 2:6-8 ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

 ⁷ “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. ⁸ But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the LORD Almighty. 

Discern the Message of the Ministry

    Another important criterion for ministry is the importance of speaking God's message. In this passage the call of the priest is to have on his lips the knowledge and give instruction as the messenger of the Lord Almighty. The priests have not been teaching the Word and law of the Lord, but other things.

    When God calls people to be His messengers it is because He has a message that the people must hear. That is the means by which they are convicted of sin and brought into the presence of God for salvation. If there is one easy way to discern the truth or falsity of a ministry is it to see if they desire to preach and teach the Bible and principles that are applicable from the Scriptures. Or are they sharing their thoughts and opinions? Are they rightly dividing the Word of truth or are they twisting Scripture to talk about what is popular or false?

    The people had most of the Old Testament in writing at the time of Malachi. Not everyone owned the Scriptures. The scribes and priests and teachers of the law were privileged ones so they taught the people. But instead they taught out of convenience not conviction. They let people continue in the ignorance of their sin. They also spoke a different message.

   We live in a far different culture and I praise God that each of you can have the Bible and check out what is false and what is true. What is consistent fundamental doctrine and what is Scripture twisting?    

   The basic motive of the purpose of preaching class is to address the question how might someone better communicate God's truth? Indeed it is easy to stress the methods of communication than it is the essence of truth. Speaking so people understand is important. But some love to talk and preach and teach and compromise the message.

   If something smells fishy check it out in your Bible. By all means don't just take someone's word for it, read your own Bible. Do you read it in context? That is one of the reasons I desire to speak expository. I like to typically preach through book, like I am with Malachi because we are dealing with the whole message and not just a verse here and there.

   My commitment to God when I went into the pastorate is that as truthfully as I can I want to convey what I understand what God's word is saying.  We have some excellent Bible teachers on the radio, on tapes, excellent Bible study books, many preachers, but you evaluate the message according to the standard of Scripture, not how polished and entertaining the speaker is.  There are many popular speakers, but they preach a false gospel.

     If you are a S.S. teacher, youth leader, or sharing in devotions if part of your responsibility is teaching, speaking, or conveying information continue to evaluate your content from that which are your ideas and that which is Biblical. Paul tells Timothy to study to show  yourself approved unto God rightly dividing the word of truth. Stability comes from knowledge of the truth. You'll never have progress if you don't study and seek to know the word by which you can judge other ministries and not be lead into falsehood.  Let the Bible be your guide in all truth.  Evaluate other ministries by it.

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Fri Jan 20 –

Verses- Mal 2: . ⁸ But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the LORD Almighty. ⁹ “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

Discern the Manner of the Ministry

    There are four things I want to point out in how we serve God. The first is in obedience. The tribe of Levi represents people called by God to serve Him as priests. They have been set apart to glorify God and draw the people unto Him. It is not a mundane job. There are parts of every job that we do not like, but when we lose sight of our divine call, we serve with our humanness instead of in the Spirit.

   The concept of the church is that God calls some to be prophets, some to be apostles, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph.4:11-12.)

Leaders serve God by helping people into a closer relationship with God so each might serve to build each other up in the faith. In the New Testament the body of Christ each serving with his gift. We don't have the same function, personality, ability, but I believe we are called to carry out faithfully the task according to our abilities. You are to obey in doing what God wants you to do.

    The second thought is the manner of humility. It is the understanding that we are tools of God. He gifts us and calls us by His spirit. We are not to usurp God's authority or draw people unto ourselves. We are but vessels of God and so we persevere. Is it with a sincere spirit and a right attitude toward God that we serve.  Jesus left for us an example when he washed the feet of his disciples. He said, “I come not to be served but to serve.”

    Integrity is another important ingredient in service. The rebuke to the priests was they were not completely honest. They did their jobs with prejudice and influence. The treated people differently if they benefited from it. It is easy to treat the rich differently than the poor, the professional with more distinction than the working class, the one with influence in a different way that one who had none.

            Putting it plainly they bent the rules for some people. It was to their personal benefit to bend the rules for some people and not others. I'm not talking about policies, I'm talking about God's rules.

     The manner of service puts its concentration on integrity, not the reciting of rituals or administering the sacraments, but honesty and righteousness, peaceful relationship with God and others.

     A fourth manner of ministry is love. Do they really love the Lord and love others? Is this demonstrated in their service? I Corinthians 13 tells us that is we have all knowledge, all wisdom, all power to heal and perform miracles and have not love we are a noisy gong and clanging cymbal.

            The problem with some pastors is that love to preach and teach, but they do not like being with people. I'm not talking about loving their sin, or letting the people live they way they want, but in all the Malachi the over ridding them is the love God has for them.

    The prophet warns if the priests don't change they will face the consequences. If they do not have a change of heart then God will remove them from their calling and change their blessings into curses.

            Forgiveness is possible if there is willingness to change. God says that he will rebuke their descendants and spread the dung from their sacrifices all over their own faces that they be found unclean in their jobs.  They are prepared for the dung heap. The crops of the land will no longer produce.

     All throughout the Bible there are false prophets and unjust judges, in all the land there will be people who will pervert the gospel for their own profit, and abuse people in legalistic religion and in manipulative means to accomplish personal ends.

    God will judge, but in the process they are people who will be victims and damaged, and lost, and bitter toward God and the church and people of God. Friends our actions affect each other. God will punish and avenge but in the process we are not people pleasers we are God pleasers. If people are offended for righteousness sake when they see what God's word says then they must deal with God. If they are brought to truth and reject it then they must deal with God. If they see Christ and his love and come to the cross in faith then they deal with God.

     The minister's job is to love the Lord their God and live as examples among the people, to speak as clearly as they can God's truth realize the manner must but be consistent with the ends. We must minister in obedience, in humility, with integrity and with love. God's desire is that His name lifted up.  As you discern your ministry-discern it by the bases of the motives, the morals, the message, and the manners.

Pastor Dale