But you Say, "How Have we Despised You?"

Malachi 1:6-8 ESV

 

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.”

 

In a few days in America most Americans will celebrate the 4^th of July, which is an American holiday celebrating the day in 1776 when the 13 North American colonies declared their independence (political separation) from Great Britain. But the American history that most Americans are taught leaves out and/or adds to the truth of the founding of our nation, and so we are given a distorted idea of our beginnings and we continue to be given a distorted and manipulated notion of the USA and who we are in the world.

 

As a child I was brought up to worship my government and my nation, in reality. For I was taught, at least from five years old and up, to put hand over heart and to recite a pledge (vow) of allegiance (fidelity, worship) to my government and to my nation, and I was taught to sing patriotic songs of worship to my government both at home, in school, and in the church. And I was taught to honor our military as our heroes who they said keep us safe from evil people and who protect our freedoms.

 

But as I aged and matured in my walk of faith in the Lord Jesus he began to open my eyes to the truth of the founding of our nation and to the truth of our present form of government, and to the truth of what our government and military are doing across the globe in all these other countries they have been invading, bombing, raping, and stealing from. We were not birthed as a Christian nation, and we are not now one nation under the one true God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – indivisible with liberty for all.

 

So, I don’t celebrate the 4th of July. I celebrate Jesus Christ and the freedom from slavery to sin he paid for with his blood. And so I walk in that freedom that he provided for me by his grace and in his power. And I walk in holiness and righteousness in obedience to his commands by that same power, although I have not arrived at perfection. And I don’t honor the US military as my saviors and my heroes. Jesus Christ is my only Savior and he is my only hero who rescues me from evil men and who keeps me safe.

 

I don’t pledge (vow) allegiance (fidelity) to the US government with hand over heart. My vow of allegiance and fidelity and my heart are given to God, and to no other god, and to my husband and to the sanctity of our marriage. And I don’t sing patriotic songs of worship to my government, but I sing songs of worship to God and to God alone. And I worship God by giving my life to him as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing (acceptable) to him.

 

For God alone is to get our worship, and he alone is our salvation and protector. And the Scriptures teach over and over again that we are not to put our trust in other humans but in God alone, and that we are not to give our worship to other gods (including governments of men). God does not approve of our worship of our government, for that is idolatry, and especially when we learn all the evil our government and military are doing globally. And the only way you are going to learn that is through seeking God’s face.

 

Malachi 1:9-11 ESV

 

“And now entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favor to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”

 

The worship of our government in the USA is not the only form of adultery and idolatry the children of God (or those falsely professing faith in Jesus) in my nation or any nation are guilty of committing. Many are following after the teachings of other humans in place of or over and above the teachings of the Scriptures. And many are buying into a diluted gospel message which removes God’s requirements for repentance, for submission to him as Lord (Owner-Master), and for obedience to his commands (New Covenant).

 

So, many people claiming faith in Jesus Christ are relying on a false gospel and a false profession of faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation from sin and eternal life with God. And even though all humans have had God revealed to them through God’s created works, so that we are all without excuse if we refuse to walk in obedience to our Lord, and even though the Scriptures are readily available to people living in America, and many people do know what they teach, still many people are still living in deliberate and habitual sin.

 

And many of them are professing faith in Jesus Christ, and so God sees their offering to him of a false faith in a false gospel and to a false christ as offering to him what is evil in his sight. For they despise the Lord’s table when they reject his teachings on salvation and when they refuse to repent of (turn away from) their sins to follow Jesus Christ with their lives. And so the Lord wants the doors to these false places of worship shut, for the Lord has no pleasure in them, and he will not accept this false worship of him.

 

For the Lord our God is to be honored above all. And we are to have no other gods before him. He alone deserves our worship and our praise. All glory belongs to him and not to human beings. Our lives are to be surrendered to him to do his will. We are to forsake our lives of sin and now we are to follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands, by his grace and in his power. And we are to walk in holiness and righteousness. For if we walk in deliberate and habitual sin against God, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-11; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15; Eph 2:8-10]

 

Seek the Lord  

 

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

 

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

 

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

 

https://vimeo.com/379408296