Jesus: Our Perfect Priest | Malachi 2:1-9

So, if you've been with us for the last couple of weeks, you might know that we're in a series

in the book of Malachi. Now, just to get your bearings if you haven't been with us, Malachi

was a prophet which we saw was like an inspired theological lawyer that was sent to God's

elect people Israel who had rebelled and had been exiled but was now back in the land that

God had promised them. As we've seen, they were disheartened people because the promises

that God had given them by prophets such as Haggai and Zechariah weren't playing out like

they had thought. They were living in the land, they had a restored temple, they had

a restored priesthood just like God said would happen but they weren't yet living in the

golden age of messianic rule. And so you might say that they were disappointed people because

they felt like God didn't love them anymore, like he'd forgotten them. And we know all

of this because it was showing in the way that they practiced their worship of God.

He was half-hearted and hollow. And so God sent his prophet to remind his people that

they weren't forgotten by any stretch of the imagination. They were his covenant people

and he was still completely dedicated to them in every way. First, we saw this by God telling

them that he loved them and that he continues to love them no matter how they felt and that

he had in no way forgotten all the promises made to them because out of all the people

of the world he had elected them through their descendant Jacob. Then second, last week God

rebuked the priests because they weren't leading the people to the truth of God's love because

though they were giving sacrifice they were showing by example that sacrifice was something

that didn't really need to be your best, which was preaching to all God's people that half-hearted

efforts towards God was totally acceptable, something God identified as completely offensive.

This morning we're continuing with the same theme of God still speaking to the priests

and we're going to see again that the ministry of the Word is intrinsically connected to

the health of the people. That's what God wants us to see here in the big picture. If

the spiritual leadership goes off track there will be ramifications in the community or

as someone once wisely put it, as goes the pulpit so goes the church. And so in one

sense like last week we have to hold two things in tension. The priests are being directly

addressed here, nevertheless because of the subject matter that we're looking at in this

passage it deals with something that every single Christian has a vital and compelling

interest to pay attention to. The health of the ministry of the Word is directly connected

to the health of the people of God. So if you have your Bibles with you there this morning

we're going to be in Malachi chapter 2 verse 1, in chapter 2 but look with me at verse

Malachi 2:1

1. These are the words of God and now you priests this warning's for you. Now I want

to briefly address who God is speaking to here again because like we saw last week the

priesthood they were the spiritual leaders of the nation and they were failing and that

was no small matter. For spiritual leaders to go off track there would be serious ramifications

for those involved. In fact there's an event that occurred earlier this week that I think

serves as a helpful picture to the message of Malachi and what we're looking at this

morning. Indian National News has been reporting that a passenger train was travelling from

Bengal to Kolkata when a goods train hit it from behind resulting in the deaths of nine

people and seriously injuring 41 others. Now it seems that this happened because when automatic

systems fail in India their protocol allows written authority to authorise train drivers

to pass all the red signals that are broken provided they obey stringent safety measures

in which the drivers must stop for one minute at each broken signal and then proceed at

a maximum speed of 10 k's per hour. The investigators of the crash site said in this instance the

driver of the goods train indeed had written authorisation to cross all the signals though

didn't obey the instructions of stopping at each defective signal and flew right through.

That's resulting in the tragic events that happened earlier this week. 41 seriously injured,

nine dead. To put it plainly this all happened as a result of someone not obeying instruction

and that church it's a useful picture of what Malachi is addressing in our passage. The

priests their task was to lead God's people and give instruction and they were failing

to obey the word of God themselves. As we heard last week the result was leading people

into a spiritual train wreck and so God again points these things out and calls the priesthood

to repentance by first warning them. You may have noticed as Hannah Lee wrote read our

passage out this morning that the whole section is bookended with warnings. It's bookended

with these warnings to the priests verses two and three. If you don't listen, if you

don't resolve to honour my name says the Lord Almighty I'll send a curse on you and I will

curse your blessings. Yes I've already cursed them because you've not resolved to honour

me because of you I will rebuke your descendants. I'll smear on your faces the dung from your

festival sacrifices and you'll be carried off with it. In other words God warns that

he was going to shame the priesthood and that they would be taken away and made unclean

like the filthy things that they were offering to him in the first place if they didn't listen.

But I think all of this is made clear as we look at verses eight and nine. God says you've

turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble. You violated the covenant

with Levi says the Lord Almighty so I've caused you to be despised and humiliated before all

the people because you haven't followed my ways but shown partiality in the matters of

the law. What are we to make of this church? Well let's put it together. There's four warnings

that I actually want to bring to your attention this morning. First the priesthood had strayed

from God's instructions. We see that there in verse eight. They've turned from the way

of the law. To put it plainly the priests own lives were marked by a failure to obey

the word of God themselves. And that's so often the root of the failure on the pulpit.

The truth isn't proclaimed and upheld because the life of the minister has turned from the

truth itself. We've seen this all throughout the history of the church again and again

and again. Error and desertion from the word revealed is usually preceded by error and

a failure to obey the word of God in the life of the minister themselves. To put it plainly

godliness matters for an effective preaching ministry. And Malachi was warning that they

were straying from the path. Secondly they were causing many to stumble. Again if we

go back to our illustration this morning that the driver he had instructions but he simply

didn't follow them. It was an accident waiting to happen. That's what Malachi is saying here.

He's saying to the priest because you've turned from the way you're causing others to turn

from it as well. Which thirdly makes them violators of the covenant with Levi. Which

is to say, we'll look at this in a moment a little bit more, but this is to say that

the objective pastoral ministry that was given to the Levitical priesthood in the law was

being distorted and pushed to the side by these guys. They twisted the word of God to

justify their rebellion and disobedience which fourth caused them to practice things that

were unjust and stewiff. Or as God says here in verse 9, they showed partiality in the

matters of the law. To put it plainly church, the spiritual leaders of Israel were inconsistent

and they distorted the pattern that God had revealed to them through the law to lead his

people. And the result of that was that the ministry of the priesthood that was given

by God was held by the people in low regard. People were going off track. So God says,

I will cause you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, verse 9. I don't know

about you brothers and sisters, but this is such a warning in our own time, isn't it?

I mean with the rise of the internet, with different vlogs and blogs being so accessible,

there's widespread and worldwide suspicion of preachers and religious teachers. And unfortunately

much of it is a failure that deserves to be pointed out. I don't know if you've seen

the extensive work that's been done recently on calling out certain prosperity preachers,

but it's shameful that so-called Christian teachers have been shown to have been robbing

God's people on the back of desperately wicked doctrines. It's a horrible thing to see high

church officials redefining what God has revealed about marriage and what the family is. As

others have thrown in their high calling for a political soapbox or social agenda, while

yet others who formally proclaim the truth have publicly come out and said that they

don't think the Bible's God speaking, but man surmising. Devastatingly, not just unfortunately,

but devastatingly, people have been made to stumble. And the result, the world sees the

pulpit and the preaching of the word of our risen Christ in low regard.

18th century pastor, Matthew Henry once said, nothing profanes the name of God more than

the misconduct of those whose business it is to honor it. The brother of our Lord James

comes to mind here. Not many of you should become teachers because you know that we who

teach will be judged that much more strictly. Church preaching and teaching, it's not just

public speaking or social influence. It's a divine calling and those who have been called

to serve the people of God in this way really do affect the health of the people of God.

And so God warns the spiritual leaders by his prophet of what will happen when there

is a failure to keep and obey the ministry of the word because his precious people are

in danger. That warning still stands today. The bride of Christ, the church is in danger

of spiraling into a moral and spiritual decline if the ministry of the word is twisted, skewiffed

and abandoned by her ministers. That's why we say a hearty amen to the prayers we heard

this morning by Ben that, Lord keep the pulpit pure. It's a sobering picture of the failure

of the ministry of the word that we see here this morning. That's first. There's real warnings

in our passage here this morning. If the ministers of the word won't listen, the dung of their

sacrifices, it'll be wiped on their faces and they'll be carried away in like manner

and they will be publicly shamed. But in the midst of all of this, there's actually a wonderful

promise given by our Lord. And it comes by way of a covenant promise that he was still

completely dedicated to. We see it there in verse four. You know that I've sent these

warnings so that my covenant with Levi may continue, says the Lord Almighty. What does

he mean by that? Well basically, God had committed to act to maintain and give his people a faithful

priesthood. Faithful ministers that would uphold the biblical revelation that was first

given in the law. Now just to make things clear, to get a bit of historical perspective,

Levi or the tribe of Levi or the Levites as they came to be known, was a tribe that

was specifically segregated and set aside in all Israel to act as mediators between

God and his people. Now these mediators didn't need to guess what that process looked like

because God had given it to them in his word. That they were a specific tribe of people

that was set aside for a specific ministry to God's people. And their whole aim in life

was to be faithful to the revealed word of God. And so by God saying that he's committed

to the covenant that he had made with Levi, he was saying that he wouldn't leave his people

in the situation that they found themselves in. That he wouldn't leave them without a

way to know and be obedient to his words. Or to put it plainly, he wouldn't leave his

flock without faithful shepherds to lead them in the way that they were to go. Church this

should give us such incredible comfort. God despite the disobedience and despicable behaviour

of some ministers past and present, God Almighty is always committed to maintaining and providing

faithful ministers of the word for his church. Malachi's picture is horrible. The priesthood

had abandoned and played down and twisted divine revelation and the people were being

misled. Sacrifices, yeah they're important but they don't really matter. Give what you

can. But it's also comforting that we see that God saw it and that he reveals that he's

committed to preserving and advancing his kingdom by always providing for his people

faithful shepherds. Church our God is a covenant making and keeping Father. He has promised

his people to never leave nor forsake his church. He will always provide for the body

ministers who will equip the saints for the work of the ministry and who will build up

the body of Christ. We heard it before in Ephesians 4. Christ gave his life for you

and me. He gave his life for the church and he ascended to the right hand of glory and

his promise is that there would always be faithful ministers, faithful pastors and teachers

to feed the flock of God with his word. Church our God is radically committed to his people

by covenant to always provide for his people, to make a way known for them, to them by the

faithful ministering of his word. So no matter what we see with these celebrity preachers,

these high church men or liberal lenience, God desperately loves his people and he will

never leave nor forsake us in this world. He's committed himself to providing faithful ministers

throughout all generations. That's some good news. It gets better. But first let's ask

what might these faithful ministers do? What might they say? What does it mean to be a

faithful minister of the word? Well, faithful ministers will pretty much do the opposite

of what we're seeing here in our passage this morning. First, they'll listen to what God

has to say. That's what God was calling these ministers, these priests to do. Listen so

as to bring honour to my name among the people. We see it there in verse 2. Church is so important

that those who are in any position of ministering to others in whatever capacity you might find

yourselves in, that they would first be hearers of the word. That's why the WPC, the denomination

we're part of, takes great measures in educating our elders and ministers. That's why Matt

Vanderveld was nominated when he was nominated from Among Us for Eldership, that he's now

going through serious training to be a student of the word, so that he might be able to lead

and guide the people of God through their Lord and Saviour. But this isn't just for

elders. We're all called to listen. And so I might ask, is the word of God having its

way in you, that it might find its way to the lives of others around you? Faithful ministers,

they must be hearers of the word. Second, faithful ministers won't just hear the word,

but they'll live the word out. You might know the famous saying by James, don't be just

hearers of the words, my brethren, but be doers. Malachi alludes to this in verse 5.

My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him. This called

for reverence, and listen to this, he revered me, and he stood in awe of my name. Notice

that. The blunder of the priesthood in this context of our passage this morning was that

the priests hadn't stood in awe of God's name. Because yes, they were giving sacrifice,

but again, it was half-hearted, it was a hollow effort, and as a result, it was preaching

to the people and they were stumbling. Cyprian of Carthage, a third century pastor, once

said, there's no advantage in setting forth virtue by our words, but then destroying the

truth by our deeds. How true that is. The ministers of the word, they have a calling,

but because they weren't living that calling out, they were becoming a stumbling block

to those in the church underage. And so, faithful ministers won't just hear the word, but they'll

obey the word so that when they share with others, it won't just be a theological truth,

but will come from a life which by grace, with confession, by repentance, from a life

that is living with God, a life that loves God, a life that is tasted and is ever by

grace becoming what they are calling others to. To simply put it, they'll practice what

they preach. So, faithful ministers of the word, they'll hear it, they'll do it. Third,

they'll share it. Look with me at verse six. Malachi says, true instruction was in his

mouth and nothing false was found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness

and turned many from sin. That's what faithful ministers of the word will endeavour to do

for the people of God. They'll endeavour to be accurate with what God has revealed and

wants his people to know so that they might turn from sin. A faithful minister of the

word won't twist what God has to say so that people will end up downplaying sin or abandoning

holiness altogether. The faithful minister of God will endeavour to communicate the word

of God as it's given. When sin must be confronted, it will be preached black and white. That's

why gospel faithful preaching churches take the approach of looking at the whole council

of scripture and looking at what God has to say so that the sheep are fed with our Lord's

words. Sometimes the words are going to say hard things to all of us, to all of us. But

it's our responsibility, particularly here at Grace as your elders, to preach, to give

you God's words in season and out of season so that you, the people of God, might be reproved,

rebuked and exhorted with complete patience and teaching as the apostle Paul commanded

Timothy all those years ago. Fourth, look at verse seven with me. A faithful minister

will preserve knowledge among the people. Malachi says, for the lips of the priest ought

to preserve knowledge because he's the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction

from his mouth. How will they do that? How will we preserve instruction among the people

of God? By sharing it. Faithful ministers will preserve the knowledge of God among the

people of God by giving instruction to others. Sixth century pastor and theologian Gregory

the Great once stated, for it's true that whoever enters the life of ministry undertakes

the office of a herald. So he's to walk himself crying aloud before the great and coming day

of our Lord. And verse seven is somewhat tied to what we just looked at before in verse

six, but it goes to show that faithful ministers will have a burden for others to know and

follow biblical revelation. This means they won't be obsessed with their own popularity

or ideology, but will endeavour to have the people of God instructed by any means necessary,

whether in public or in private so the people of God might become mature in their most holy

faith. So as Malachi preached to the church under age here, the faithful ministers that

God will provide will be people that hear and live and preach the word. They'll be people

that are passionate about the truth and want to share it so that the people of God might

come to a greater knowledge of our God and thereby walk faithfully in his revelation.

And this is God's promise. These faithful ministers will come and keep coming because

God wants his people to have these ministers. So God will keep providing faithful ministers

and faithful labourers of his word until we heard it before, until we all reach unity

in the faith in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole

measure of the fullness of Christ. Now I said before there was good news. There is wonderful,

amazing news here. And I want to end on that news on these last few verses. I want to end

by concluding, by bringing your attention to the greatest and final minister of all.

You see Malachi, he's putting his finger on something here this morning and that's the

people of God in his time, these priests and ministers, they were failing. It was a serious

problem. But I don't think the point of the passage is simply to hope for better ministers

or more faithful priests. But for people to look forward to the perfect priest who wouldn't

fail his people in his ministry to them. That's what we're meant to see in this passage this

morning, particularly looking at verses 5 to 7. There would come a day when God would

ultimately fulfill his covenant promise in a great high priest. And I'm of course talking

of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And we're meant to look to him and I mention this because

there's a real danger when the people of God look more to their ministers to be their solution,

look more to their pastors to get them through and to the teachers to grow their numbers

and sustain them in their trials. I want to be crystal clear with you this morning brothers

and sisters, it is a wonderful and God given calling of every minister to walk with their

congregation through the best of times and through the worst of times. But it's not the

task of the pastor to be the ultimate answer to all our problems. That's because to be

honest with you, no pastor in the world can be. No, it's the task of the pastor to lift

our eyes, your eyes and say behold the Lamb of God who takes the sin away from the world.

He can wipe away every tear from your eyes. He strengthens the weak knees and the feeble

hands. He will give you sustaining grace in the darkest valley. He'll satisfy your heart

with an abundance of good things. One better than Levi has come. He is our great high priest.

He is the final and perfect minister of the word. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the

one that we all need. And it's the blessed privilege of God's people and pastor alike

to look to Jesus, to lean on Jesus, to cling to Jesus, to point people to Jesus and to

proclaim Him in all we do. So as we've heard Malachi's message here and even his strong

rebuke on those who are charged with teaching the Bible, let's make sure that all of us,

all of us fix our eyes on Jesus Christ because it is He and He alone who is all sufficient

for us in our weaknesses. He is all sufficient for you when your pastor makes mistakes because

with Him at the helm we can know that we will never be derailed. Let's pray. Father, we

ask that as we have heard your word this morning, that the gospel would cause us to look to

your Son, that your Spirit would keep us steadfast and that you would change us, that you would

make us all faithful heralders and proclaimers of this good news wherever we may find ourselves,

that Grace Christian Church would be used by you as a place of disciples, making disciples

for your glory and your glory alone. Lord, we ask that you would keep this pulpit pure,

that you would guard your people from error and where we do make mistakes and when we

make mistakes, that we would be quick to listen, quick to hear and repent. We ask for this

in Jesus' name, Amen.