Exposition by Max A Forsythe
The
Reformer's Fire
Exposition by Max A Forsythe
A few years ago I wrote some candid remarks describing one of my students on a mid-term evaluation. I thought I was rather tactful in describing the mean-spirited, coniveing deceit practiced by that particular student. However, our guidance people were more upset with me than they were with the student. Good grief, I had failed to be positive. I had failed to comprehend that it was my job to always see the good in each and every individual. Never mind the truth that this young person was developing an attitude problem that could lead to prision! He and his parents deserved to be told! That was not to be, I was "shown how to rephrase my comments so as not to ruffle any feathers!
Well, perhaps I had acted rashly. That was about the time that Professor Kingsford appeared on Network Television in a brief series called: The Paperchase. I had just seen my favorite show in that series, where Kingsford took a dime out of his pocket and told one of his lazy law students to call home and tell mother that he probably not graduate! That series, like my comments was not popular with the powers that be. However, even after cancellation, The Paperchase was renewed in syndication and more episodes were even filmed. The series even gained some brief public popularity.
Why is that? And why are we afraid to tell the real truth about people in this age of Positive Stroking? Primarily it is a problem of our society. Ever since Dr Spock's book popularized an ongoing trend, it has become more difficult to deal effectively with our children. Why in Sweden, it is now against the law to scold or spank your own child! And several organizations in this country are moving to make that enviroment our own. But, any time that I have been blunt with one of my students, I have usually gotten an equally honest reaction and sometimes even positive improvement in behavior. Of course, not all students respond well to truthful criticism. I have to be careful, after all a dissatisfied student can call upon the united powers of every "educational" organization in the country!
We had one young man who has been a constant source of irritation for the two years. Continually, he created emotional and educational havoc. Of course, as in Sweden, he was protected by the system.
His basic problem was that he would not accept criticism or discipline of any kind.
Whenever someone tried to teach him by requiring him to act in a way that he did not want, he went into a fit. And the system rewarded him by temporaily removing him from the threat, and coddling and protecting him from finding reality. He was so well protected by the system that we couldnot remove him from our school! That would be breaking the law and denying him his opportunity for an education. This is where we fail in most of our public institutions today. We fail to discipline, we fail to criticise! And yet, our worldly institutions are more and more seeking escape from any concept or application of discipline and criticism. Unless of course, it be the President or anyone or thing that tries to exist apart from their system.
Even within the Church, discipline has been removed to the sidelines of possibility. Our social and theological games are played without much opportunity for a referee to even call foul! Is this the way that God wants us to live, love and worship? Well, I have good news for you this morning. It is refreshing to leave behind the cupidity and duplicity of our own society and to turn to Scripture to see what God intended.
Let's turn to our Scripture for the morning: In Malachi 2: 1 The Lord begins with the spiritual leaders of Israel. And it is important to understand why he begins here. You see, it is very rare for the spirituality of a group of Christians to exceed that of its leaders. Therefore, if Israel is to be revitalized, it must begin with the leaders of Israel! The spirituality of Israel was at a low ebb precisely because their leaders were bored and contemptuous. Instead of their leadership having a positive affect upon their people, it was actually negative. Their own attitude and behaviour caused the people to be cynical rather than devoted.
So the Lord steps in with words of admonition. Will it work? We have to know that one of the great marks of spiritual maturity is being able to take admonition and rebuke! This matter of being able to admit faults and seek to correct them is a mark of maturity. We all have to grow up sometime and learn how to become adults in a difficult world. And this willingness to accept admonition is a key! I remember an article in a News Magazine about the difference between dogs and wolves. The author wrote that the essential diffence between the two is that our domesticated dogs have been arrested in their development.
While, puppies are allowed to chew and play, they are never trained to use those skills as they would in the wild. Domesticated puppies never grow up to hunt and kill! This fact does something to their personalities! They have been conditioned for the rest of their lives. This conditioning is practically total. During World War Two, the Russians experimented with training police dogs for combat. The dogs were thoroughly trained to crawl under tanks to escape the noise and shells of combat. That did not take too long to accomplish. Now, the purpose of this training was to strap a magnetic mine on each animal's back, so that when they ran under a German tank, it would explode and destroy the enemies vehicles! In the great battle of Kursk, hundreds of dogs were set loose upon the German Panzer divisions. The Russians sat back to enjoy the spectacle.Unfortunately, the dogs began searching for Russian tanks underwhich they had been trained. Instead of causing the Germans problems, entire Russian units were demoralized and literally chased from the field! Reluctantly, the Russians turned their guns upon their own animals and abandoned the experiment!
How conditioned were the priests, how mature were they in the time of Malachi? Would they listen, would they learn? But, more importantly, will we learn to be mature, will we learn to take admonition?
Let us continue with God's Word: In Malachi 2: 2 we see that God's priests, who should have been exercising an influence for good, were leading the people astray. God was very angry with them! One American Church denomination that has begun instructing their members that intimate behavior between consenting adults is completely normal and allowable outside of the bonds of marriage! I guess that is to be expected in our age. But what will God think? Worse, what will God eventually do? We in America should listen carefully to His admonition!
First, He tells the priests that their blessings will turn into curses. Through the outcome of God's workings, the people will know that their leaders are out of touch with God. I remember an evangelist who came to Logan County, he had a drinking problem. His advertisement's proclaimed his name in letters three times the height of the name of Jesus Christ. The first night of the crusade, it threatened to rain. He held up his hands and promised that the rain would pass. God had a sense of humor, it immediately started to pour! There was a man pitifully pretending to be a spiritual leader like the priests of Malachi's time!
What else does God intend to do? Let us continue in Malachi 2: 3 Here we see three punishments from the Lord. Their descendants will be rebuked! One philospher has remarked that God's promise to charge sin over three or four generations is that it usually takes that long for people to begin living completely the personal unfaith of their ancestors! In addition, the offal from the festival sacrifices will be spread on their faces. Yuck, imagine all the leftover animal parts not acceptable for sacrifice and having that spread in your face. God here promises to shame those leaders who have been contemptuous of His service. God says to all of these that he will show them up for what they are. Furthermore, He promises to remove them from their posts. And why does God give the admonition and warnings? We see it in the last line of verse four. He will do it for the sake of the Covenant! We find more details of this covenant in the next two verses:
In Malachi 2: 5-7 We see here the true covenantal obligations of the priests. First, the priests were to remember the greatness of our God, to come before Him with fear and trembling. Verse five tells us that this is how the early priests had responded to God. They, unlike the priests of Malachi's time knew the greatness of our God. They had had a holy seriousness and deep respect towards the things of God.
Second, the priests were to give sound biblical teachings. Verse six tells us that the early priests were careful to be true messengers of the Lord. They were careful to preserve what God had given to them. They were not out to tickle people's ears with fashionable theology. They were careful to give true instruction and nothing else!
Third, these priests lived a holy life worthy of imitation. Verse six also tells us that they practiced what they preached by walking in peace and uprightness. Fourth, these priests through the preaching and teaching of the word were blessed to see people turn away from sin! Fifth, the priests were charged with preserving knowledge. Sixth, the Lord announces that God's people should seek instruction, because these indeed are the messengers of the Lord God Almighty!
These are the attitudes and performance that the Lord expects from His leaders yesterday as well as today! What did the Lord find in Malachi's time? In Malachi 2: 8-9 we see a terrible indictment! These priests were indeed guilty of spiritual and intellectual neglect! It would appear that from Malachi's time on, the priests and people of Israel were more and more allowed to go their own sinful way. What can we make of this message in our own time? How can we measure our effectiveness? From this passage there is on particular evaluation that we can look to.
Certainly, it is good for people to be brought to a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but if that confession of love for Christ does not bring forth a changed life of holiness, then it is a worthless profession and the hopes of the convert are in vain. A true indicator of the success of a church's mission is not the number of people in attendance, but the effect of the church upon moral life! In the preaching and teaching of the Christian faith, there must be a moral change motivated by honest lofe for Jesus Christ.
The most important question before us today is this: Has the tide of sin been turned? This is so important that elders must not be frightened to talk to people about their sins. Leaders are not appointed simply to keep peace in the churches. They are appointed that Christ might truly have a godly church. The leaders are to be involved in turning God's people from sin. That means that the leadership must speak lovingly and tenderly and caringly, but it must speak firmly. Blessed indeed is the Church whose leaders sincerely command enough respect for this work to be undertaken without hypocrisy and whose members are teachable enought to receive such correction.
I wonder, can we turn the tide against sin in our time and place? But more importantly, have you turned the tide of sin in your life? We have spent two weeks, examining the problems of leadership in the time of Malachi. Next week we will turn our attention to the needs of the common believer. Will you be ready to listen? Let us pray so.
Resources Used:
Benton, John. Welwyn Commentaries: Losing Touch With the Living God.
Beechick, Ruth. A Biblical Psychology of Learning.
Smith, George Adam. The Twelve Prophets.
Places Preached:
Jersey Reformed Presbyterian Chruch (PCA) 10 August 86
Trinity Presbyterian Church (PCA) 01 March 87
Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America)
Box 13926 -- Columbus, OH 43213
Mal02a 10 September 89
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