Healing Love

Jamie, let me just ask you what does God get from you is you get your first in your best artist to get your leftovers, you might make offerings all the time.

Does it cost you because you're giving to God.

Inconvenience or lifestyle. The gospel centered Bible teaching ministry Judy Greer, pastor of the stomach church in Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina. As always, I'm your host Molly that events poster Jenny challenges us to look at our hearts to see what motivating our religious activity because quite frankly, people consider themselves religious based on their checklist and busy schedule to go to church on Sunday tied maybe even read their Bible during the week. That's not necessarily the same thing happened real relationship.they were in the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi for message Pastor Janie title brother-in-law always rolled to one of his goals is always to point me to at least one new app that he thinks will improve the quality of my life and this time he pointed me to an out that gives these really well done 15 minute audio highlights of popular books already. I love it because I love to read, but I also love efficiency which drove my wife crazy because she reads for sheer pleasure. That woman can get deeply engrossed to the point of tears. But what is written on the back of a cereal box which I admire but I will frequently get the BM of a book.yet I was good but I probably learned about 20 minutes but I say all that because you might think of the book of Malachi is the 15 minute summary of the entire Old Testament. Now, I'm definitely not saying that you should read about the rest of the Old Testament, but just that you will find almost every one of the primary Old Testament themes in the book of Malachi, Malachi 37 is what sums up the message of the whole book, and for that matter sums up the entire Old Testament. Here's what it says.

Since the days of your fathers you return for my statutes all the way back in Genesis going all the way back to Bob Abraham your program. I statute you have not kept them returned to me, says the Lord, and I will return to you. Furthermore, Malachi's book is the last thing that God says to Israel for 400 years after this time Israel is going to enter. Historians call the silent years where they're going to receive.

No word from God at all. The very next time God speaks to them is when Jesus comes.

So what Malachi says in this book is going to reverberate in Israel's harsh 400 years. Malachi is what they are thinking about his message, when Jesus shows up on the scene in this book will give us the first the charge against Israel then really see. Secondly, the problem of Israel's persistent unfaithfulness and then lastly were to see God's solution.

The first of these is the media sections… But jump right in the charge against Israel is got four components to it. Let me give you the contacts before I spell them out for you is been about 170 years since the Israelites have been exiled in the captivity in Babylon because of their sin. God had promised them that this captivity was not permanent and so, after 70 years he kept his word and return them home again to the promised land. Well, when they came back they underwent this national revival and they made all these reforms under the leadership of two guys named Ezra and Nehemiah within a generation. However, those promises of reform had worn off. What did not wear off. However was their external commitment to religiosity.

Historians say that Israel would never again lose that commitment to the external religious devotion they became permanently and irrevocably hyper religious. This was the time.

Malachi's day was when groups like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, firstborn, with all their emphasis on external behaviors. These were the groups.

Of course, that because Jesus so many problems. The group that he referred to as whitewashed tombs who look perfect and pretty on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones battle begins in Malachi's day, so these are for charges to bring against religiously active people who look great on the outside but hearts are actually pretty told cold toward God in the inside now to give you a warning as if you needed to hear it after the other prophets. These are to be a little painful to be a little painful.

Most of them are really close to home for us.

In fact, some of them are downright offensive because Malachi is going to get all up in our business.

I usually get personal. I hope you make it. Honestly, all the way through this message.

I was a little afraid of going through this, like walkout one of a campus pastor said this week. People actually walk out during sermons.

I told him it happens all the time.

You just can't see something appear in youngish or not, but if I can remember it was one lady said in the second row and I see I was you deny what I was saying and eventually she just stood up and made a couple scene and she was getting all well and she was out the side of their worst part was about performance later. I guess you like she forgot her keys so she comes back in the house and went back to bacon. So maybe if you're if you're back. We welcome you back to the cemetery for glad you're here.

Please don't forget the giver describes are here but anyway. Anyway, these are I hope you make it through. These are the good they are. They were these people were religious but they were self seeking the religious but they were still self-seeking. In chapter 1, Malachi's going talk about their offerings and say to them you make all kinds of offerings are always in search, but secretly in your heart when you're making these offerings secretly you say what a burden, and you bring stolen lame or sick animals you bring this as an offering.

And I can accept that from your hands.

I am a great King says the Lord of armies and implication is I deserve a great offering and my name will be feared among the nations.

In other words, their worship was consistent. It was frequent it was regular but it was half hearted they gave the lame and the sick from their flocks. Things that didn't really cost them gave them their leftovers things out of their access Haida missionary friends.

You once told me said you know in your missionary. You constantly have people who come up to you and offer you the leftovers of their lives will say things like hey I got a new computer. Here's a 10-year-old when I have and use it a lot thought you could have it. He said you know you always appreciate them.

Thinking of you. You appreciate their generosity. Of course, but you wonder what it says about their heart when they upgrade their houses and their lifestyles first and then offer to God. What has little or no value in their lives anymore anyway so let me just ask you what does God get from you is you get your first and your best artist to get your leftovers, you might make offerings all the time. Does it cost you because you're giving to God. Inconvenience your lifestyle. CS Lewis said that was one of the only ways to know that your giving was where it should be, was that it change your lifestyle until it gets to that point you said you're not giving them faith and you're certainly not giving and worship. If you come into unexpected money.

What is the first thing that it goes to the go first. Upgrading your lifestyle or stocking your savings or does God get the first and the best of by the way, don't just think about this in terms of money. Think about it in terms of time. One of the reasons that the first thing I do when I get up in the morning is spent time with God and his word and prayer is I want God to have the first of the best of my day. I don't want to be talking email the margins when I get to midtier bonnets here when I'm drifting off to sleep at night. I wanted to have the first and the best you offered him the first and best of your career. I often say this, but there are some of you whose careers could be strategically used in the advance of the gospel offered him a psychologist show me where you want it or I guess it is a college students but not exclusively, to them you ever offered your career to say God I want to give to you from the margins of my career I want to give you the whole thing got you show me what you want to do with it. Our offerings toward God ought to make a statement to other people about God's worth to us that I thought of King David this week as those thinking through this about the end of his life. You want to make an offering to God just to say thank you for something and ends so he EEE wants to build a temple for God and he finds a perfect is a property. Builders don't want to go to the got is want to buy this property for the temple and the guys okay I love God, to give us have the piece of property in Davis is no. I want to pay full market value for this because I will not give to the Lord that which cost me nothing. No words.

It has nothing to do with providing some for God that he needs this has to do with me making a statement to God giving to him my first and my best because that's the kind of honor God deserves these people were religious they fulfill their offering quota but they were self-seeking, rather than God honoring.

Secondly, they were religious, but B.

They were self-centered religious were self-centered, rather than God centered. This was demonstrated.

Listen, this is demonstrated by their behavior in marriage. Watch this. This is the second thing you do.

He said you cover the Lord's altar with tears, weeping and groaning, because he no longer regard your offering and you say, why does he not regard her offering because the Lord was with this between you and the life of your youth, to whom you been faithful as though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

Did you not make them one with a portion of the Spirit in their union didn't he put his Spirit in the best one he'd won by Mrs. what was the one God seeking godly offspring. The man who does not love his wife but divorces her says the Lord God of Israel, that man covers his garment with injustice. Here's what's happening. What was happening you read back a few verses earlier in chapter 2 you'll see that many of the Jewish men had taken a fancy to foreign women.

They found them attractive and you ate, but these women they worship other gods and so a lot of these Hebrew men were divorcing. And God confronts them about this in two ways. Listen verse 15 he says. First of all, your marriage was a covenant that you made before me. And that covenant was supposed to reflect my love for you. You see how he used the word, one that he repeats I made you one with your spouse and I was the one God who you I'm one in your sister reflect me your marriage was a picture of my of my nature, my covenant secondly says one of my primary intentions in your marriage was to raise up godly children, but you you he says you have started to look at marriage as if it were all about you. You sort of look at marriage as if it were about fulfilling your needs and wants and desires divorce.

You see, listen, is often the result of a life that has completely turned in the wrong direction. Divorce is a lot of times not the problem it's the fruit of the problem and that problem is a self-centered approach to life that you want in the marriage with people going to marriage looking for somebody to complete them or make them happier in our victors know what romantic dreams come true.

And when that person quits doing that or we make it difficult to live with or you meet somebody that you think might do it better for you then you get divorce that self-centered approach the marriage.

It affects how we think about children they think of it in terms of what they want or what will add enjoyment to their lives as wife in the mind says most people don't want a kid they wanted accessory so they ask questions like to begin a kid or she would get a dog. They're not the same thing, not equivalent or equal. Don't call your dog.

Your first baby is not a human, and do not send me a Christmas card. By the way, with nothing but your dog's face featured on it, as if that dog is a sinner of your family.

I listen to The blisters already hate me. I thought it was little people start is that we used to like animals. That's probably fair to you, you better be glad I was not that I would know what if I'd been annoyed pretty much as been in your scenario so you know that it wasn't dogs are great but totally quaint, in which children don't put the value on them that God puts on children that he died to save and that he wants to raise up as a godly generation. His primary purpose for family or one of his primary purpose of his children and he gives children for the purpose of his kingdom now want to be really careful here because I do not want to imply in any way that the number of kids you have is in any way a measure of your godliness because there can be multiple valid reasons why you choose to have a small family or a large family, or even have no children at all, but I will say. Generally speaking, as a society gets more self-centered. They tend to have less children that's happening big time in our generation because kids are inconvenient, they mess up your life you can say amen. Even if your kids are sitting right next to you gives a man they know you arty think that right was that I can't judge your heart but I can ask those of you who are either married or that you are thinking about getting married. I can as you consider what your motive for having kids is it to accessorize and add value to your life. It's a because it completes you and gives you the happy life that you've always thought you wanted to have or is your desire to have kids about God's kingdom. How did you determine the number of kids. You should have was that about you and your wants and desires of wasn't about God's came in this area… Encouraging me on my wife and me.

Here we three had three kids. We were like, will initially have anymore.

You know, we knew the one hand, three felt like an off microphone for one just for the record, but we also knew that having and raising godly children was one of the greatest ministries you have is what the Bible tells us what made was that one more for Jesus and then we do the other option was we could get involved in international adoption and and you know Dick is a such a beautiful gospel picture any kind of adoption and so we set a day to pray and fast. Does that got what he wanted. April 29, 2009 we prayed past the whole day and the end of the day we told before went to bed about 1030 at night what you feel, but it was felt like we were leaning toward international adoption right next morning first thing I'll get this thing rolling out to get the argument set up. We have next morning my wife feels nauseous goes into the bathroom she could buy houses, you will believe this only we've ever had God answer prayer that quickly or that definitively is he just did we were doing all the things you're supposed to do to the upright about the boy was trying to lay this before God and say, God, the shape of our family is not something that we are choosing because it pleases us, or because were trying to accessorize her life. This is about your kingdom even marriage and family are not supposed to be about you when it is about you than divorce becomes a lot more common in kids become a preference when I know it's about God, but I'll stick it out in hard times in my marriage because I know that God's name not my needs is the ultimate thing of importance in my marriage and say I know that God can bring himself glory in my marriage by giving me a peaceful, harmonious relationship, but I also know that God can bring himself glory in my marriage by enabling me to love somebody would grace even when she's difficult because that's how he loves me. Just as in Malachi's day. We've got a divorce problem in the religious community, and we've got one in this church and it's by and large, as we have adopted a self-centered, rather than God centered approach to life. I hear couples all the time you get divorced because they no longer love each other realize we never love each other that, love your talking about. That's a choice what you're saying when you say that is that you encountered things in that person that made them difficult to love what you think you're always easy for God to love. That's all snuggles and rainbows from him to you. God says in Malachi that he hates divorce because it tells the world a lie about his love.

When we divorce because we are no longer getting along. Because you are no longer making me happy. We tell the world that God's love is like that but he loves us based on how sufficiently we meet his needs and not to lie and I were true, we all be and how marriage was supposed to be an earthly picture of God's love we became one with somebody else the way that God was one with us higher of couples you get divorced because of irreconcilable differences. Veronica and I have all kinds of irreconcilable differences, and so did Jesus with me. But Jesus love me anyway and through his persistent grace he changed my heart and now I get a chance in marriage to demonstrate that couples don't fall out of love couples fall out of repentance. I don't falter in their passion for each other.

They falter in their worship of God. Their divorce is not usually caused by difficulties in the marriage is much as it is a self-centered, rather than God's interview of life novice young speaking in generalities here and not jump right in your specific situation and what Malachi did not please have your self-centered match shows up in your marriage. Thirdly, there were religious C there were unbelieving religious but they were unbelieving peers number 17 chapter 2. You have wearied the Lord with your words. You ask how have we wearied him weary and when you say wears a God of justice is spoken arrogantly against me, says Lord. This is chapter 3. You said it's futile to serve God be arrogant or blasting the evildoers prosper after all. They got it done for them all.

They were still looking around the world walk around saying God is not fair. God always just to know that you will really love us got even a bear, keep in mind that God had delivered them from a self-inflicted captivity now. Not once but twice. God's is still, still, you doubt my commitment to you. What more what I have to do. I delivered you from Pharaoh's entire army without a single casualty on your side.

I lead you to the wilderness by cloud and I gave you food and manna, including a water when you're in the wilderness. I defeated enemies three times her size right in front of you and then I explained to you when you do my ways and I like your ways, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. And that means sometimes there's anything that I do that you can immediately understand, but you can always trust in our present and I'm working and you can see that by the mighty way you delivered you in the past.

Still, still, after all that you say. Maybe God, not really good and maybe you're not even there. Some a church. I often tell you that it is okay for you to ask questions of God and it is but a persistent failure to trust God wearies him. I remember the story of a Vietnam soldier, Marine, who was in a foxhole with a guy he you know many men the Army will begin really good friend. There's a foxhole together, not a grenade roles in without even thinking he jumps and looks at his friend. He jumps on the grenade and takes the explosion into his body so that he dies in his friend lives will the survivor after the war was over. When found family of this friend of his who'd been killed and he went to him and he said he went to the families of his will to meet you and tell you how much I cared about your your son how much of a friend he was to me after I talked for a while, shared stories, she said, you know, one thing is is bother me since then, he said. I grew up in a very dysfunctional home mom and dad will really that present in my life it and have any brothers and sisters and your son became like a brother to me as a going family that I had because I know that he had a very healthy family and I just can't help but think that maybe I meant more to him or he meant more to me than I meant to him and it's been this haunting feeling of of maybe the commitment I had to him was only matched when he wrote home to the ever mentioned me and talk about his feelings about about his friendship for me as the story goes, the mother gets really angry and she looks back at this concert. How dare you come into our home and sold the memory of our son, our son gave his life for you.

What more would you have to do to prove his commitment to you. It's like JC Ryle says, in light of the cross.

The greatest insult you could ever get to Jesus is to doubt his love for you. Maybe your doubt never drives you by the way all the way into unbelief, but maybe your second-guessing of God dulls your joy in mutual worship. See all that's often how I have been never going all the way into unbelief, but I've often lack the warmth of knowing and trusting God is a good good father to me and I experience these moments. Sometimes I find it hard to release myself to him fully and worship in my mind and heart to trust him in prayer because I can't understand why you would do were not new, something the way that I think you should do it and then I'll have these moments right here. God say what more what I have to do to prove myself to you. How could you possibly continue to down me and why do you routinely what my character in question. Just because you can't understand something of certainly okay.

Simply, we have to stop and choose to believe that God is who he says he is and he did what he said he would do that in a moment of truth you're listening to pastor JD Greer in a message titled healing live on Senate life will conclude this message next week but in the meantime you can listen again or catch up on previous messages in her teaching series when you visit our website. JD Greer.com so JD.

We spent the past couple of weeks studying a few of the minor prophets. This is a section of the Bible that a lot of us probably aren't super familiar with. So why are you helping listeners will get out of this study.

Okay Molly, here's a little known fact, I was actually dreading the series.

The amount of profits, but I thought people my church or criticize me that I never liked so I got into them and just found what I knew was going to be true, but I just forgot that there was so much rewarding gospel so much about the love of God that just exudes these minor prophets their minor prophets with a major message either major on the love of God see the gospel is not just something that pops up in the first part of the New Testament. It's Jesus said written into literally every single page of the Scripture. That's our whole focus Summit life no matter what the subject is matter what part of the Scriptures were teaching from we want to show that the gospel is they are that the whole Bible is the story of God's relentless love coming after the people that he is saving.

So when you support this ministry financially you're helping us bring that message of the gospel to more people across the country and even really Molly around the world.

We get a monthly partner program called gospel partners to make it easier for you to be a part of this mission, so we want to invite you with the listener to partner with us financially, if you're being blessed by this. If you find yourself growing daily in the gospel and wanting other people to be able to experience this would invite you to commit to a monthly gift that that helps us be able to get these messages in this gospel of people around the country and in another part of the world. You can learn more about that and anything else we talked about today discredit JD Greer.com your regular monthly support makes this all possible are so grateful easy to join the gospel partner team is give us a call and we'll get it all set up for you her number is 863-3550 where he preferred can sign up online. JD is a gospel partner resource is currently five or go online.

JD Greer.com I Molly minutes joining us for another minor right here on my