Founders Baptist

Introduction: 
The Prophet Malachi is addressing a disobedient people, but a disobedient people who are very active in religion. 
And this may be the most spiritually dangerous condition for a person or for a people. It’s when they are blind to their offenses because they are so busy in religious activity. 
Seven times God puts the attitude of post-exilic Israel into their mouths. He gives expression, through Malachi’s prophecy, to what is in their hearts through a series of questions. He voices how the people thought, and how they spoke (3:13). 
In each case, He also gives voice to their ignorance. 
With each question that exposes their guilt, they question their guilt. 
And, in each case they think that God must give an account for the charges that He brings. God owes an explanation — not them. 
In their blindness they refuse to accept God’s evaluation of them at face value. They require explanations. They require proof. And they require this because the charges seem so out of place — from their point of view. 
The question and answer format not only demonstrates what God knows, but also demonstrates that the people are blind to what God knows. 
As you read the prophecy, along with Ezra, and Nehemiah, it becomes clear that conditions since the return to Jerusalem have been a disappointment to the people. 
Conditions have been difficult (2:1-2; 3:9-11). 
And despite all these difficulties, they believe they have still carried on with the things that have been required of them. 
-They are still putting offerings on the altar (1:7). 
-The priests are still functioning in their office, both in their duties related to sacrifice and in their duties related to instruction (2:7). 
-They are still speaking in the terms of justice (2:17). 
-They are still engaged in a form of giving (3:10). 
-They have claimed to keep God’s commands and to walk in humility (3:14). 
This is how THEY see it. 
It is very much like the church at Laodicea in Revelation chapter 3. 
ESV Revelation 3:17 aFor you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, bblind, and naked. 
And now God has come, by the hand of the prophet Malachi, and He’s confronting them. He’s reproving them. 
And as God is revealing their true condition, they are resisting Him. 
And the first sinful perspective that God addresses might surprise us. 
He begins with their blindness to His love. 
He begins with the people’s utter disregard for His love. 
He begins with their denial of His love. 
He begins with their ungratefulness for His love. 
GOD IS SPEAKING (vs.1) 
The first thing we should recognize is the seriousness of the message that Malachi delivers. It’s referred to as an oracle. The Hebrew word is (מַשָּׂא). It could be translated burden. It’s often associated with messages of judgment. It reflects the heaviness of the message that is impressed upon the messenger. But what it really amounts to is a prophet’s awareness that the message he delivers has been communicated TO HIM. He carries it. 
This is not a message that has its origin in him. This message has come from God. He is responsible to give it to the people. 
That is, the word oracle practically amounts to revelation. The burden is the word of Yahweh.

Introduction:
The Prophet Malachi is addressing a disobedient people, but a disobedient people who are very active in religion.
And this may be the most spiritually dangerous condition for a person or for a people. It’s when they are blind to their offenses because they are so busy in religious activity.
Seven times God puts the attitude of post-exilic Israel into their mouths. He gives expression, through Malachi’s prophecy, to what is in their hearts through a series of questions. He voices how the people thought, and how they spoke (3:13).
In each case, He also gives voice to their ignorance. 
With each question that exposes their guilt, they question their guilt. 
And, in each case they think that God must give an account for the charges that He brings. God owes an explanation — not them.
In their blindness they refuse to accept God’s evaluation of them at face value. They require explanations. They require proof. And they require this because the charges seem so out of place — fro

Sins Against God’s Love - Malachi 1:1-5

If you pay attention, you will notice that this world operates every day according to a false hope. There’s a narrative. There’s a striving. There’s a goal put forth in moralistic terms. 
You never stop hearing about it. You hear about it in song, you hear about it through politics, you see it depicted in the movies, you hear about it when people express their goals and ambitions and wishes. It is a hope expressed in modern education. 
That false hope is the idea that one day the world is going to get its act together. 
Not getting its act together as the Bible would define it, but in the terms that this world would consider paradise. 
A world of complete peace. 
A world with complete harmony. 
A world without all the things that Jesus told us will be in the world until He returns. 
*No wars 
*No natural disasters 
*No diseases 
*No need for false Christs, or persecutions, or family betrayals, because we could all agree that there is no God. Or, we could all agree that if there is a God He can’t really be known. Or we could all agree that the differences in our beliefs about God really amount to nothing. That is this world’s version of religious utopia. 
 
Well, what we have here is the Lord of all creation telling us about the future of the planet. And what he makes clear is that this world is not evolving. It is NEVER going to get its act together. It isn’t going to get better. In fact, its going to get worse. And before He returns it will reach a point where it has NEVER been worse. Never in the history of the world.

If you pay attention, you will notice that this world operates every day according to a false hope. There’s a narrative. There’s a striving. There’s a goal put forth in moralistic terms. 
You never stop hearing about it. You hear about it in song, you hear about it through politics, you see it depicted in the movies, you hear about it when people express their goals and ambitions and wishes. It is a hope expressed in modern education. 
That false hope is the idea that one day the world is going to get its act together. 
Not getting its act together as the Bible would define it, but in the terms that this world would consider paradise.
A world of complete peace.
A world with complete harmony.
A world without all the things that Jesus told us will be in the world until He returns.
*No wars
*No natural disasters
*No diseases
*No need for false Christs, or persecutions, or family betrayals, because we could all agree that there is no God. Or, we could all agree that if there is a God He ca

Unsurpassed Tribulation - Mark 13:14-23

The inner circle of Christ’s disciples asked Him about what they had just heard. Jesus had just told them that the temple would be destroyed. They connect that destruction of the temple with the ushering in of His rule, of His kingdom, of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). 
 
They do not foresee two advents of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a time gap in between. So, sitting with Him on the mount of Olives, looking down upon the temple mount, THEY ASK TWO QUESTIONS. 
 
They had a when question. When would these things be? 
They had a what question. What will be the sign? 
A timing question, and a recognition question. 
 
Jesus answered both. And in answering both, He also gave us an outline of future events. He told us of the time leading up to a great tribulation (vs.3-13), and He told us about that great tribulation (vs.14-23), and He told us about what follows that great tribulation, namely His return in glory (vs.24-27). And He gives us signs for the great tribulation, and for the second coming.

The inner circle of Christ’s disciples asked Him about what they had just heard. Jesus had just told them that the temple would be destroyed. They connect that destruction of the temple with the ushering in of His rule, of His kingdom, of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). 

They do not foresee two advents of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a time gap in between. So, sitting with Him on the mount of Olives, looking down upon the temple mount, THEY ASK TWO QUESTIONS.

They had a when question. When would these things be?
They had a what question. What will be the sign?
A timing question, and a recognition question.

Jesus answered both. And in answering both, He also gave us an outline of future events. He told us of the time leading up to a great tribulation (vs.3-13), and He told us about that great tribulation (vs.14-23), and He told us about what follows that great tribulation, namely His return in glory (vs.24-27).  And He gives us signs for the great tribulation, and for the second com

How to Live in the Last Days - Mark 13:3-13

The revelation that God has given is not just for our believing — it’s for our living. 
Doctrine results in duty. Truth is meant to be learned, to be believed, and to be practiced. There’s a way of life that accords with the gospel. 
The responsibility of elders is not just to instruct, it’s to exhort (1:9). 
That’s the emphasis in this section. Titus is not just to teach sound doctrine, he’s to teach what accords with it. That is, what agrees with it, what matches with it, what is in step with it. His teaching is not just for the mind, it’s for the feet. The focus of his teaching is not just cognitive, it extends to behavior. 
What would God have women to be? How are Christian women to be taught? What kind of instruction are they to be given so that their lives honor God’s Word?

The revelation that God has given is not just for our believing — it’s for our living. 
Doctrine results in duty. Truth is meant to be learned, to be believed, and to be practiced. There’s a way of life that accords with the gospel.
The responsibility of elders is not just to instruct, it’s to exhort (1:9).
That’s the emphasis in this section. Titus is not just to teach sound doctrine, he’s to teach what accords with it. That is, what agrees with it, what matches with it, what is in step with it. His teaching is not just for the mind, it’s for the feet. The focus of his teaching is not just cognitive, it extends to behavior.
What would God have women to be? How are Christian women to be taught? What kind of instruction are they to be given so that their lives honor God’s Word?

What Would God Have Women to Be? - Titus 2:3-6

The best lessons in how to study the Bible are learned by studying the Bible. 
 
When we study the Bible carefully, we recognize how the biblical writers dealt with Scripture. We also see how those who are recorded in Scripture teaching Scripture communicated Scripture. And, the result is that we gain help in understanding how you and I should deal with Scripture. 
 
We noted, last week, that Mark makes use of intercalation (a sandwiching technique) to connect two events in a way that allows us to rightly interpret their significance together. 
 
Christ curses a fruitless fig tree, and Christ cleanses a temple that currently represented fruitless worship.

The best lessons in how to study the Bible are learned by studying the Bible. 

When we study the Bible carefully, we recognize how the biblical writers dealt with Scripture. We also see how those who are recorded in Scripture teaching Scripture communicated Scripture. And, the result is that we gain help in understanding how you and I should deal with Scripture.

We noted, last week, that Mark makes use of intercalation (a sandwiching technique) to connect two events in a way that allows us to rightly interpret their significance together. 

Christ curses a fruitless fig tree, and Christ cleanses a temple that currently represented fruitless worship.

The Faith That Trusts in God - Mark 11:20-25

The difficulties found in ministry were clearly set before us at the end of the first chapter of this book. 
 
An elder must hold fast to the faithful Word that is in accordance with the teaching so that he may be able to instruct in sound doctrine and to rebuke those who contradict it. 
 
This is no hypothetical scenario. It’s real. As it was for Titus, so it is for us. There are MANY who contradict sound teaching.

The difficulties found in ministry were clearly set before us at the end of the first chapter of this book.

An elder must hold fast to the faithful Word that is in accordance with the teaching so that he may be able to instruct in sound doctrine and to rebuke those who contradict it.

This is no hypothetical scenario. It’s real. As it was for Titus, so it is for us. There are MANY who contradict sound teaching.

The Contrast of Healthy Teaching - Titus 2:1-15

Hannah's Song of Praise - 1 Samuel 2:1-10

We have seen that Titus is to lead in the appointment of elders in every city on the island of Crete. He was to do so making use of the qualifications that we are given in these verses. The qualifications represent the examination of a man's life in three areas. 
His family life. 
His personal character. 
His ministry devotion.

We have seen that Titus is to lead in the appointment of elders in every city on the island of Crete. He was to do so making use of the qualifications that we are given in these verses. The qualifications represent the examination of a man's life in three areas.
His family life.
His personal character.
His ministry devotion.

The Elder's Personal Character, Part 2 - Titus 1:6-9

Salvation, viewed from the standpoint of personal experience, means nothing less than a spiritual transformation. 
 
We once were a people living a non-stop life of selfishness that led to all kinds of strife.

Salvation, viewed from the standpoint of personal experience, means nothing less than a spiritual transformation.

We once were a people living a non-stop life of selfishness that led to all kinds of strife.

Gentleness - Galatians 5:23

Pastoral leadership in the local church is crucial. Paul and Titus worked together to establish the gospel on the island of Crete. 
 
Now those churches need qualified leadership for the long term. Primary among the things that Titus is to set in order in his ministry to believers on this island, is the establishment of elders in every town.

Pastoral leadership in the local church is crucial. Paul and Titus worked together to establish the gospel on the island of Crete. 

Now those churches need qualified leadership for the long term. Primary among the things that Titus is to set in order in his ministry to believers on this island, is the establishment of elders in every town.

The Men Who Lead The Church - Titus 1:6-9

Salvation is God’s doing. All of it is God’s doing. God saves sinners. 
The work is Christ’s. 
 
His death answers for our sins. 
 
His righteousness answers for our right standing with God. 
 
His life, and presence, and intercession, explains our preservation. 
 
His power explains our new life and liberty. 
And it is regeneration, it is the new birth, that explains our reception of all these gifts. 
 
God determined to save sinners in a way that they must believe to receive salvation. There is no salvation apart from faith in the Son of God.

Salvation is God’s doing. All of it is God’s doing. God saves sinners.
The work is Christ’s.  

His death answers for our sins. 

His righteousness answers for our right standing with God. 

His life, and presence, and intercession, explains our preservation. 

His power explains our new life and liberty. 
And it is regeneration, it is the new birth, that explains our reception of all these gifts. 

God determined to save sinners in a way that they must believe to receive salvation. There is no salvation apart from faith in the Son of God.

What Every Christian Should Recognize About Salvation - Mark 10:28-31

Guest preacher: Dr. Nicolas Ellen 
Expository Counselling Center 
www.mycounselingcorner.com

Guest preacher: Dr. Nicolas Ellen
Expository Counselling Center
www.mycounselingcorner.com

Guarding the Heart - Proverbs 4:23

Much attention in Matthew 19 has focused on the 9th verse. The reason for that is because of the presence of what has been referred to as the “exception clause.” 
As we noted in our last sermon, Christ’s emphasis in the passage, when it comes to the question of marriage, is not on how to get out of a marriage, but the mandate to maintain marriages. 
Christ’s emphasis in the passage, when it comes to the to the question of remarriage, is not on getting remarried, but the fact that adultery occurs when people get remarried after a divorce. 
What Jesus emphasized in the passage, is woefully underemphasized in the church. 
The church of our time does not emphasize the lifelong permanence of marriage. 
The church of our time barely mentions the reality of adultery when remarriage follows an unlawful divorce. 
All parties who take the Bible seriously should be able to agree, and must agree, that a remarriage that follows an unlawful divorce results in adultery. And yet, is that really emphasized, and are remarriages carefully examined in light of that reality? 
Sadly, Christ’s emphasis is not His church’s emphasis. 
But, having noted where Jesus placed His emphasis, we do have these words, “except for immorality.” 
We find the same exception in Matthew 5. 
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 
In Matthew 5 and in Matthew 19 there is the mention of this exception. 
But what does it mean? 
The majority view, when it comes to the matter of divorce, usually takes the exception to refer to adultery. Sexual unfaithfulness after two people are married results in the nullification of the marriage covenant and sets the innocent party free to remarry. 
Tonight, I will contend that that is NOT what the exception refers to.

Much attention in Matthew 19 has focused on the 9th verse. The reason for that is because of the presence of what has been referred to as the “exception clause.”
As we noted in our last sermon, Christ’s emphasis in the passage, when it comes to the question of marriage, is not on how to get out of a marriage, but the mandate to maintain marriages. 
Christ’s emphasis in the passage, when it comes to the to the question of remarriage, is not on getting remarried, but the fact that adultery occurs when people get remarried after a divorce.
What Jesus emphasized in the passage, is woefully underemphasized in the church.
The church of our time does not emphasize the lifelong permanence of marriage.
The church of our time barely mentions the reality of adultery when remarriage follows an unlawful divorce.
All parties who take the Bible seriously should be able to agree, and must agree, that a remarriage that follows an unlawful divorce results in adultery. And yet, is that really emphasized,

The Exception Clause - Matthew 19:1-9 (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)

One of the ways that we insure that we handle God’s Word accurately — one of the ways that we insure that we are truly arriving at the truth (instead of fortifying our own thinking with bits and pieces of truth) — is that we examine what we emphasize compared to what is emphasized in the text. 
 
We consider the matter of emphasis. If we are really arriving at the truth, our emphasis will match Scripture’s emphasis. 
 
Good interpreters of Scripture place foreground matters in the foreground, and background matters in the background.

One of the ways that we insure that we handle God’s Word accurately — one of the ways that we insure that we are truly arriving at the truth (instead of fortifying our own thinking with bits and pieces of truth) — is that we examine what we emphasize compared to what is emphasized in the text. 

We consider the matter of emphasis. If we are really arriving at the truth, our emphasis will match Scripture’s emphasis.

Good interpreters of Scripture place foreground matters in the foreground, and background matters in the background.

Marriage or Divorce: Where is Your Emphasis? - Matthew 19:1-9 & Deuteronomy 24:1-4

This morning, Richard Caldwell focuses on specific ways in which we are called to glorify God in difficult marriages. Christians are called to obey Christ, to glorify God, even in a difficult marriage.

Difficult Marriages, Part 1- 1 Peter 3:1-7

We’ve said from the outset of our study that we often begin at the wrong place when we think about marriage and divorce. We want to ask questions about divorce, when one of the great reasons for so much divorce, even among professing Christians, is that our view of marriage is deficient. People divorce each other because they choose not to love each other. People choose not to love each other because they aren’t walking in the love of God. Either they aren’t capable of that love because they are lost, or they have hardened their heart (temporarily) to the love that they know, that they are capable of, and in that way, they sin against their Savior. 
 
If we are to pursue healthy marriages, if we are to view divorce in the way that God would have us to, then we must have a biblically faithful, God-sized view, of what marriage really is.

We’ve said from the outset of our study that we often begin at the wrong place when we think about marriage and divorce. We want to ask questions about divorce, when one of the great reasons for so much divorce, even among professing Christians, is that our view of marriage is deficient. People divorce each other because they choose not to love each other. People choose not to love each other because they aren’t walking in the love of God. Either they aren’t capable of that love because they are lost, or they have hardened their heart (temporarily) to the love that they know, that they are capable of, and in that way, they sin against their Savior.

If we are to pursue healthy marriages, if we are to view divorce in the way that God would have us to, then we must have a biblically faithful, God-sized view, of what marriage really is.

Marriage and the Gospel - Colossians 3:12-19

To understand marriage, we must listen to the one who created it. We must go to the Bible, and we begin at the beginning of the Bible where God tells us what He did.

Marriage By Design- Genesis 2:18-25

In recent days we have seen a revival of interest in and embrace of reformed theology. With that revival of interest, there has also come a renewed commitment to a biblical ecclesiology. Wheras something like Shepherds Conference was rare just a couple of decades ago, now there are conferences all over the country that address local church matters, and there have been many books and blogs written that address spiritual health at the local church. 
 
The result of that renewed focus on biblical ecclesiology has been a revival of church discipline. What is church discipline? Church discipline, defined at its most basic level, is simply the church practicing the corrective love of God in community. In this sermon and the next, we are going to look at 9 Marks of church discipline done right.

In recent days we have seen a revival of interest in and embrace of reformed theology. With that revival of interest, there has also come a renewed commitment to a biblical ecclesiology. Wheras something like Shepherds Conference was rare just a couple of decades ago, now there are conferences all over the country that address local church matters, and there have been many books and blogs written that address spiritual health at the local church.

The result of that renewed focus on biblical ecclesiology has been a revival of church discipline. What is church discipline? Church discipline, defined at its most basic level, is simply the church practicing the corrective love of God in community. In this sermon and the next, we are going to look at 9 Marks of church discipline done right.

Nine Marks of Church Discipline Done Right: Part 1 - 2 Corinthians 13:1-4

The Son of God has just been accused of being in league with Satan. What Christ had done was amazing. A man who was blind and mute due to being demon possessed could now see and speak because Jesus had set him free. When the Pharisees heard of it, they explained it by the powers of darkness. 
Jesus explained the illogical nature of their conclusion. He also explained the blasphemous nature of their conclusion. In fact, He made plain that the Pharisees were in danger of committing a sin that would not be forgiven. 
But why do the Pharisees say what they say? Why do they err in their thinking, err in their judgments, and therefore err with their words? 
Jesus is now going to get to the root of it. He gets to the root of it, but He also explains it in a way broad enough that He is speaking not just to a Pharisee problem, but to a human problem. 
This morning we see three judgments that reveal what our words reveal. There is a judgment that Jesus demands, there is a judgment that Jesus declares, and there is a judgment that Jesus divulges. Those three judgments demonstrate the connection between a person’s spiritual condition, their spiritual conclusions, and what they voice as a result.

The Son of God has just been accused of being in league with Satan. What Christ had done was amazing. A man who was blind and mute due to being demon possessed could now see and speak because Jesus had set him free. When the Pharisees heard of it, they explained it by the powers of darkness.
Jesus explained the illogical nature of their conclusion. He also explained the blasphemous nature of their conclusion. In fact, He made plain that the Pharisees were in danger of committing a sin that would not be forgiven.
But why do the Pharisees say what they say? Why do they err in their thinking, err in their judgments, and therefore err with their words?
Jesus is now going to get to the root of it. He gets to the root of it, but He also explains it in a  way broad enough that He is speaking not just to a Pharisee problem, but to a human problem.
This morning we see three judgments that reveal what our words reveal. There is a judgment  that Jesus demands, there is a judgment that Jesus decla

What Words Reveal- Matthew 12:33-37

Wisdom must think about how to deal with fools. Wisdom considers the fact that sometimes a fool deserves no answer, and that at other times a fool demands an answer. We must decide which situation we’re dealing with. That requires wisdom.

Founders Baptist Videos