MALACHI | What Your Worship Reveals About You | Malachi 1:6 - 2:9

We're going to look at Malachi chapter one, beginning in verse six, reading through chapter two, verse nine.

Remember, if you don't know where Malachi is, I sometimes find it helpful to find Matthew or there in the new the Gospels, and then just turn back. There, Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. Also, if you didn't happen to bring your own Bible, the Church Bible, it is found on page 801 of the Church Bible. Before we read Malachi, let's go to the Lord in prayer, recognizing we need the Holy Spirit. We need God to open up our hearts and minds, lest we are here in vain. We're wasting our time unless God is merciful to work by the power of His Spirit. So let's pray, Our heavenly Father, we thank you that you are God, that you are not far, but that you are near by the power of your Spirit, and that you speak to us, Lord. The heavens are declaring your glory, but Lord, we come to your word, and in it, it is revealed salvation in Christ and your covenant faithfulness. Lord, I do pray again that you would soften our heart and hearts to receive your word, that the word, as it goes out, might it be sown deep into our hearts, and that it might bear a hundredfold today. Lord, I pray that you will open up our blinded eyes more and more to see the beauty of Christ. That you would unstop our ears to hear of Him who was crucified for us. Stir gratitude and love and affection for you as we come to your word. We thank you that your word will not return void.

We thank you that it is powerful. We thank you that it is sharper than any two-edged sword. And Lord, have your way with us. Be merciful to your people, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

People of God, hear God's word for us this morning from Malachi one, beginning in verse six.

[6] “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?’ [7] 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. [8] 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. [9] 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.

[10] 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. [11] 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.

[12] But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food, may be despised.

[13] But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord.

[14] Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.

[1] “And now, O priests, this command is for you. [2] If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. [3] Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. [4] So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. [5] My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him.

It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. [6] True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. [7] For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. [8] But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, [9] and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.” He who has ears, let him hear the word of God. Please be seated. Imagine it's your wedding anniversary. Your wife kindly reminded you a few days, in fact, ago that the anniversary was coming, and but now it is the day of your anniversary. And it's not that you haven't forgotten; you haven't. But it's not you really don't care. When you first got married, you used to buy your wife almond blossoms because they were her favorite, and you would go out of your way to find them and bring them to her. But now, as you arrive home from work and you step out of your car. You have nothing, but as you step out of your car, you step on a flowering weed that has poked its way through the driveway. You lift your foot, and you plucked the smushed weed, and you walk in, and you gift it to your wife. She's obviously heartbroken at such a gesture, but you see tears welling in her eyes, and you say, "Why are you so upset? At least I got you something. I'm not giving it to other women.

I'm giving it to you. You should be happy. Here I am. You should love me. Now that's not love, is it? It's an insult. No gift would have been better than that gift, because we instinctively know and we understand why the wife would be hurt by such an action, the problem was not so much the flower. The problem is the heart behind it. The weed simply exposed what was already true. He no longer treasures his wife. He no longer thinks much of her and their covenant relationship, and that's. that's exactly what's happening here in our text with Malachi between God and His people. Israel is still bringing sacrifices.

They're bringing something.

They're showing up, but their worship has become like giving weeds to God. Their sacrifice reveal that they no longer treasure God. Remember, God begins this book of Malachi with that wonderful statement, "I have loved you. But you remember what the people say back? We love you too, God. Is that what they say? No, they don't say that. They say how? Yeah, right.

They argue back. You haven't loved us at all, have you? And if you think God really does not love you, or cares for you, or has your best interest in mind.

How do you think that would affect your worship? How do you think that would affect your attitude here in worship? If you really distrust God, if you really think maybe He's out to get me, if you really think He doesn't love me, don't you think that would affect your worship?

Well, it's certainly affecting theirs. God required spotless, unblemished sacrifices to be brought to Him, but the people are bringing blind, lame, sick animals. They are bringing their leftovers to God rather than bringing their best. We also find a priesthood in chapter two that is unwilling to instruct and correct the people as it relates to the things of God.

God will say something here in this text that no priest really expected to ever hear from God.

He says, "I rather have the doors be closed. Close these doors; they rather be closed than have a worship service that takes my name in vain. This is not an easy text. This is not your your your light, fluffy summer text. This is an uncomfortable text. Because it hits very close to our hearts.

Because many of us know what it's like to come to church, and in church feels like a chore.

And maybe that was you this morning. Many of us know what it's like to take your hymnal and stand and mouth empty words in song. Many of us know what it's like to check out during prayers. Here's my opportunity to catch up on a few minutes of rest and sermons, and to just completely check out. We're here. Shouldn't God be happy?

But we sometimes we check out, don't we? Have you brought a smashed, pulled weed from the parking lot on your way in the door this morning, or have you brought a heart sincere and ready to worship the Lord? Well, what this text also calls us to is to repent, to turn from our sin, and to turn to Christ, to rest in Him, to remember Christ again in faith. Well, let's begin here. God opens this text with an analogy that would have

a son honors his father, a servant his master. This is one of the 10 Commandments, right? Honor the honor your father and your mother. Honor those who are in authority over you. Shouldn't you do that, children. Shouldn't you honor your your fathers, your dads? Is isn't that expected? Isn't isn't that what the Lord calls us to do? I mean, even non-believers know that that they should honor those in authority over them to to some way because those in authority can really kind of affect how you live for good or bad, so I'm going to show honor to them because maybe I'll get some favor. Well, God says, "If I am a father, where is my honor? And if I'm a master, where is my fear? Says the Lord of hosts, "O priests who despise my name, you are willing to honor parents.

You are willing to honor your bosses. You are are willing to to honor people in positions of authority over you. But he says you are not willing to honor God. And what God also says here

If you are not honoring me, you are despising me. Remember, there is no neutrality with God. There's no ambivalence with God. There's no middle ground. He says, "If the priests, if you are not honoring my name, you are despising me.

Remember, there is Jacob I loved and Esau I hated. There is no one that God has this in between. You know, I'm not sure.

We'll have to wait and figure it out. There is love, or there is hatred. Now the people respond,"Come on, you're being a little harsh here, God. I mean, how have we despised your name?

Right? We are here. We do the stuff. We have we've stood a few times. We've sat a few times.

We've said a few words. Isn't this what you want? Aren't we doing what you want us to do?

Isn't that what you require of us? And just notice again how, as we work our way through Malachi, any time when God makes a charge against His people, the immediate response of the inner lawyer of defense. No, I don't.

And maybe that's you know maybe that rings a bell to you too. If someone you know a spouse or a close friend brings something and immediately he's like going to defense mode, they Israel is in defense mode here. Remember, God sees not only the men's actions but also our hearts. But God responds to them with a very tangible charge there in verse seven by offering polluted food upon my altar. And then there's this interruption again by how are we doing that? Verse eight: When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is is that not evil?

And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Remember, if we look back at the Levitical system, back in Leviticus chapter one, God required an unblemished animal, the best of the flock, because the sacrifices represented something.

It represented that God is worthy of our best, acknowledging that God deserves nothing less from us. It also is a reminder that God is perfect, and it was to be a reminder that God is holy, holy, holy, and we are to come to Him, bringing our best. The people started bringing blemished sacrifices, though, and you can imagine how it happens. One person says,"I'm going to do it. I'm going to bring that blind goat to the priest, and the priest he took it. He didn't turn me back and said, 'No, God will not accept that. Bring something else. But he took it, and and you know what? I didn't get hit by lightning, I didn't struck down dead. So maybe you you you do it too, because then you can sell your healthy goats, and you can get more money, and you can eat eat for your family, and all that stuff that you can't eat, and or you can't sell. Just bring it to the Lord. I mean, just go ahead. And so you see, over time, it's probably been 70 to 100 years since the people have been brought back into Jerusalem, and the temple's been built. And now they're just, you know, over over time, everyone's just bringing. They're they're lame and they're sick. And some even made vows, Lord, if you do this for me. I will give you my best. I will, and then when the prayer is answered, they show up with something far less valuable than what they promised to God.

Have you heard anyone do that before? They they say, God, you know, if you hear my prayer, if you do this about this job or this relationship or this and that, I'm going to be at church, and then maybe they show up to church one time, and then you never see them again, or they never come at all, or something along those lines. Again, we see that happening here, and God gives them an illustration. He says, "Present this to a governor. Will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of Hosts, I'm in verse eight, verse nine, 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.

Again, you show up to a governor desiring a hearing from someone important, and you put before him a diseased and dying animal, when he knows what you possess, and what you possess is healthy and good livestock, how do you think he's going to respond?

He's going to say, "This is an insult. How? Why would you show up and present your trash and not your best? You wouldn't insult someone with earthly power. Why would you insult God, who has all power? And then the people go on. What a weariness this is! Ugh! Got to go to church again. Do these things again, stand up again. We got to wear pants and not shorts again.

Isn't this tiresome? And this is what God is saying to them that they're showing up, and in their hearts, and maybe even in their speeches that this is weary. How much longer is this sermon going to be? Is it lunchtime already?

When can we get the stuff we actually want to do, God? How weary! I hate doing this. That's what God's people are saying to God. Verse 10 is the hinge of this passage, and it should stop us cold in our tracks. God says,"O 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. The Lord is the Lord of the temple, the one in whose presence the whole sacrificial system was was put in place to approach Him.

But He says, "I would rather the doors be locked than receive one more empty offering, one more empty vain praise, one more person just going through the actions. It's better to shut it all down than keep performing a religious show that means nothing to God. God doesn't want worshipainment. God doesn't want adult vacation Bible school. He also doesn't want mindless rituals or rote prayers.

He wants holy worship of His people. Verse 11: 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 in my name, and a pure offering.

My name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

This is a not only an indictment of the people, but it is also a promise that God. Is going to glorify himself. He's going to make sure it happens. His glory is not dependent on you. His kingship is not dependent on you. He will glorify himself, and the charge that he's giving

I'm going to now take my glory and bring it to a people who do not yet even know me. Those dirty Gentiles over there-they are going to glorify my name. They are going to praise my name. This is also fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. God, this glory is going to bless the nations. This is-we also see God's promise here. But God is saying, "I'm going to take my blessing, and I'm going to take it elsewhere.

Verse 14 pronounces a curse on all those who really are not worshiping God as they ought to; those who who have an unblemished male in their flock, and they vow to give it, and they substitute it with something else. That's not ignorance; it's deliberate. I think here we stop, and are we?

You know, we we are not bringing animal sacrifices to church, but are we bringing God something similar to what Israel is bringing to God? Are we bringing leftovers? Are we just coming distracted? Are we coming tired?

Are we coming resentful to worship? Is it getting in the way? Is worship really getting in the way of what you want to be doing right now? Sleep, sports, just a slower morning, sipping some some coffee, but here you are physically, but mentally, you're emotionally, you're you're checked out. You know we spend freely our money on things we really love, don't we? On entertainment, on comfort, retirement, even. But sometimes, and even often, we give the Lord the things that are just left in the bank account. If I bought everything I want now, and if I have maybe a little extra, maybe I'll give that to the Lord. Do any of you prepare for interviews?

Probably. To prepare for playing in a sports game and practice.

To prepare for a date. I think

Why is it that we often show up to worship God, and the only thing we have practiced and prepared is excuses and defense? A people's boredom with God was not really about God being boring. God is not boring. It was evidence, really, of their idolatry, of our idolatry, of our hearts, the things we eagerly spend time on and money on, and the the things that that we are excited about really reveal what we treasure, what we love, what we adore, what we worship. Chapter two.

Hold on, things aren't getting better yet. It turns directly now more to the priests. Of all the people who should have known, it should have been the priests. They should have known better. They should have led better. God has given them the priesthood, and they had two responsibilities: administer worship correctly, rightly. I mean, if you read the Old Testament, if you start reading some of Exodus and Leviticus, you'll find like this. There's a lot of detail in how God wants to be worshiped. God isn't just simply figure it out, and I'll be happy with whatever you give.

There's, I mean, of all the things God could have put in the Bible, you might have think God couldn't you have at least put a chapter in about you know how much water should a person have when they're baptized? Wouldn't that have been helpful? But now you you give us 2030, 4050, chapters on a Levitical sacrificial system. God cares how He's worshiped, and the priest should know this of all people. They're to teach God's law correctly, truthfully, not what they think, what they what people want, because what they were doing was, you know, I don't want to make this person upset. I want this person to like me as a priest. So you know what?

I'm going to take this dying lamb and put it on the altar, because now they'll be happy with me, and rather than what I care, what my relationship with God is like verse three of chapter two. I will rebuke your offspring and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. This is a very vivid picture, isn't it? A disgusting picture. Isn't it?

It's about as degrading as an image that you could think of.

The waste from an animal, the waste of the the sacrificial animals would be left there, and it would be hauled outside the city and disposed of as unclean refuse. And what God is saying, I'm going to take that and I'm going to smear it on your face, because that's what I think about you and your offering. You will be cast out. You will be rejected. You will be hauled outside. You are the dung and garbage to be thrown out. Verse seven and eight: For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instructions. The priests who were responsible for teaching Israel what faithful worship looked like, instead of guarding that knowledge, they're normalizing, cutting corners. A generation of people are growing up assuming God is fine with their leftovers because men entrusted with the the word of the Lord, in effect, are telling them it's fine, and that's a sobering warning for any of us who teach and lead in a church.

We need to be careful what we might be tolerating, or excusing, or modeling against this failure. God recalls the covenant of Levi, a covenant of life and of peace, one marked by fear of reverence and and true instruction, Levi walked with God in peace and uprightness and turned many from iniquity. It says that was the design and that was a calling. All right, do we stop the sermon here? Do we go from here, and I end the sermon, and say, come back next week and you try harder. Come back next week and have more enthusiasm and get some rest Saturday night. Bring a better sacrifice next week. Don't come back until you're sincere and ready to worship, and if any of you come back, you're actually only going to come back with boastful self-righteousness.

Lord, I thank you that I'm not like other men. They don't know how to worship you, but I do, and here I am. What you should be feeling, and what I have tried to press on to you, which I believe Malachi is trying to press on to you, you should be feeling that picture of Christian in Pilgrim's Progress as he stands before Mount Sinai.

You should see the towering law of flame of of holy fire before you. You should have a sense that that mountain of sin is about to tip over and crush you, because you have fallen short of the glory of God, and if we are all honest, the door should be shut to us. They should. You know, Psalm 20-four says, "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Only he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and who does not swear deceitfully, he will receive blessing from the Lord.

But you know what? Just like Malachi tells us, as Psalm 20-four tells us, that is not us? Is there any hope? Who can enter the presence of God? Who can open wide the doors? Well, Psalm 20-four says an announcement. Listen, lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in.

Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O doors, that the King of Glory might come in. Who is this King of glory, the Lord of hosts, strong and mighty? You know, out of God's mere good pleasure. With the love by which He loved us, sent His Son, sent His Son to be the perfect worshiper in our place.

Every prayer, every word, every action was Christ's perfection of worship before His Father, obedience? Every moment of Jesus's life was one of perfection, even obedient to death. Even as a boy, remember Jesus said, "It is my will. I must be about my Father's business. His life. was never blemished, never half-hearted, but continually fully offered himself as the perfect worshiper, and not only that, but the perfect sacrifice. The doors that should have been shut to us were shut on him. The curse that Malachi announced that you and I deserve falls upon him, not careless worshippers like you and me, but on the faithful Son. The Father turns his face away from the son as if the son were one of Malachi's inadequate sniffling, half-hearted worshippers like dung. It's as if Jesus had dishonored the father, and his cry of dereliction, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Is the very sound of the temple doors closing, and it's not because he deserved it. It's because we did, and he stood where we should have stood, because he is the very Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. He received what we should have received, and he became sin who knew no sin, so that in him, by faith in him, resting in him, we might have the righteousness of God that we need, that we might receive what only He deserved, which is life, and peace, and glory. And then on the third day, you know what our great High Priest does. He kicks open the doors, not only to an earthly temple, but to heaven itself. Hebrews 13 reminds us: through Him, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. What should our worship be continually in?

Through your sincerity, through your emotional intensity, through having a really good week, through Him it says, through Him, through Him, through Him. It is through Christ we are here, and the doors haven't been shut. He is the priest who never calls anyone to stumble. No wrong was ever found in his lips. He is the priest who gives life and peace and gives us fellowship with the Father. And what the Father sees when he looks now at us is not the mess of our distracted prayers and grudging offerings. He sees the perfections of His Son given in our place, covering every lack that we have. Now, does that mean that here we, because of Christ, we can do whatever we want now in worship. That our worship doesn't really matter.

Shall we continue to sin that grace might abound? No, absolutely not. That is not a license to to bring God our scrap still. But it is a reminder that it is the gospel alone that has the power to change your heart. The law will not, the fear of the Lord alone will not change your heart. It is the gospel to to remember Christ, to remember how Malachi begins this book with God's declaration, "I have loved you.

I have loved you, and that ultimate love became flesh, and dwelt among His people, and died on a cross for sinners like you and me, that we might have life, that we might have peace, that we might have fellowship. We might have joy. That we might have worship. So let us repent today. Let us repent anew to turn from our sin and turn to Christ. Put your faith in Christ alone. Might our hearts bubble up and say, "May the name of the Lord be great, not just out there in the nations. Yes, Lord, continue to do Your will in the nations, but here in this church, may the name of the Lord be great. May the name of the Lord be great in my heart, Lord.

Yes, do it now. Yes, now. Let me honor you. Let me revere you.

Let me thank you for Christ, and help us to worship you. Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Our heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a merciful God, or we also praise you that you are a holy God, Lord. We know that we would honor people in positions of authority over us, but Lord, how we have despised your name. We have not honored you as we ought, Lord. I pray that you will forgive us, rather than us so often coming with our inner lawyer to defend our own righteousness, let us repent and rest in Christ. Let us recognize that we don't even see the half of our sin as you do, Lord. Give us a great affection for you.

Let us remember Jesus, the perfect, obedient Son, the perfect sacrifice, the great High Priest. Father, we thank you that that you hear our prayers because of your Son. We thank you for your Spirit, even now, with which is interceding on our behalf, even in our weak prayers. We thank you for giving us the righteousness that we need in Christ, and it's in His name we pray. Amen.