This past week I was reading in the book of Malachi. Malachi was the last prophet before the coming of Jesus. I was reading about how the Jews had become very lazy in their devotion and sacrifice to the Lord. It says they were bringing sick and blind animals as sacrifices, offering polluted food, and offering things stolen. They began marrying outside of God’s people and were not keeping their covenant of marriage.
As I read these first couple of chapters I could not believe what God’s people were doing? How dumb could they be to bring blind, lame animals as an offering expecting God to not care that it was not their best. How could they forsake the Lord and His commands to take the Word and Promise of God so lightly? And then I read Malachi 2:17.
“You have wearing the Lord with your words (Covenants/vows/promises that were broken). But you say, “How have we wearied him? By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.”
I realized, we are that generation.
Yes, I believe God’s Kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4), but, believers, we cannot use God’s grace as an excuse to keep sinning (Romans 6:1). The people were minimizing their sin, telling each other they were “good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them”. Does that not sound like us? Dietrich Bonhoeffer says,
“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate”.
Receiving God’s grace must change something in us. To repent is to turn away from our sin. I think we are guilty of asking for forgiveness too often and not repenting. We are not receiving real grace. We do this when we ignore our own sin or the sin of those around us. We get fearful that we will offend a believer who is backsliding, so we do not address the sin. We then decide to encourage the good in them, boosting their ego, and dismiss the evil in them, belittling the issue. I think we do this all the time! I by no means, am trying to say we ought to not encourage one another, but we must take sin seriously, because God takes it seriously! God sent Jesus to die for us, because of SIN!
1 Corinthians 5:13 says “God judges those outside (unbelievers). “Purge the evil person from among you.” We must do this! We must do this not only because it’s Biblical, but because when we don’t, we are disgracing the Lord. We serve a God that is loving, holy and merciful! How can we take Him for granted? But we do it all the time.
In Joshua chapter 7 we read about the Israelites being defeated by the Amorites. In the midst of Joshua’s mourning over their defeat God informs him that they failed, due to the hidden sin of the people! We too fail, because of our sin! God tells them to consecrate themselves which is a fancy word meaning to be set apart or to be holy! God again tells Joshua that they will be victorious once their sin is dealt with. And I think we too often, face defeat because of our own hidden sin.
I want to end with looking at Philippians 3:17-21. Paul shares sad news with the people of Philippi that many have turned away from Jesus and “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ”. He says “their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthy things”. BUT then Paul reminds God’s people that “our citizenship is in heaven”. That is truth. Do you believe that? Do you live like that? I know I have lately been examining my own life to find all the areas where I do not live a life that reflects that truth. What sin, what doubt, what unbelief, what areas of control, areas of greed to you need to deal with? I pray that you will! I am tired of God’s people “wearing the Lord” and I hope you are too!
