Half-hearted Worship (Malachi 1:6-14)

You are listening to the podcast of Richland

Hills Baptist Church. We are located in Richland

Hills, Texas. Our desire here is to believe,

live, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As you're listening to our podcast today, if

you have any questions, you can find us on the

web at RichlandHillsBC .com. God bless you. All

right, well, if you have your Bible with you

this morning, you can open to the book of Malachi

chapter one. And you can always use the pew Bible

in front of you or your phone or device or however

you have God's word. But we'll look at Malachi

chapter one. We'll start at verse six and then

we'll go through the end of that chapter. When

I was in high school, I learned a special skill,

I'll call it, or a special art. Maybe some of

you did too. It was the art of doing just enough.

Does anybody remember that? In high school, you

know, you learn pretty quickly if you pick up

on things. What do you need to do to just pass

the class, right? And you learn pretty fast,

right, if you do the assignments, if you do the

homework, maybe if you pass a test or two, that

you'll get pretty good grades in high school,

won't you? It wasn't that difficult. I did just

enough, just enough to not get trouble from my

parents, just enough to maybe even get a squeak

out of B, just enough. Now, as you progress in

your educational life, you learn that just enough

is not good enough. But I look back now and I

sort of shake my head because I realize how much

did I leave on the table, so to speak, in high

school by doing just enough? May have left money

on the table in terms of scholarships or opportunities.

It was just enough. Then I realized that this

just enough mentality wasn't just a me in high

school problem. It seems to be a universal weakness

of people, a temptation, if you will. We are

people so often of just enough. Just enough work

to not get fired. Just enough in our marriage

to not make our spouse mad. Just enough in our

finances to not go broke. Just enough in our

health to not have to go to the doctor too much.

Just enough. Like we figure out in life what

is required of me, what is expected of me, and

I'll do just enough. Now it's funny because the

things that we enjoy, our hobbies, we do far

more than just enough, don't we? But the things

that we're required to do, the duties, the things

that were expected, so often there's a temptation

to do just enough. But then we become Christians

and we're excited and we love God. And maybe

you become a Christian later in your life. And

I love God and I want to serve him. And you go

all out. But then that sort of just enough mentality

begins to creep in, doesn't it? Just enough praying.

Just enough Bible reading. Just enough worship.

Service. Just enough. But this morning I want

us to consider this idea. As we look at Malachi.

This idea of just enough or I'm going to call

it half -hearted worship. Half -hearted worship

is nothing less. than wholehearted disobedience.

Half -hearted worship is nothing less than full

-hearted disobedience. Let's read in Malachi

Malachi 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. A son honors his father and a servant

his master. If then I'm a father, where is my

honor? And if I'm a master, where is my fear?

says the Lord of hosts to you. O priest 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 favor? Says

the Lord of hosts. 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 may 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 in a pure offering. For my name will be

great among the nations, said the Lord of hosts.

But you profane it when you say that the Lord's

table is polluted and its fruit, that is its

food, may be despised. 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? Cursed be the cheat who has a

male in his flock and he vows it and yet sacrifices

to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great

king, says the Lord of hosts. In my name will

be feared. Among the nations. Father may you

honor. Lord the reading of your word. The preaching

of your word. May it not be my words Lord but

your words. Through me. May your words speak.

Directly to where we are. May it speak to our

hearts. And father may we not hear this and.

Think. Oh, I wish so and so would hear this.

Father, may we hear it for ourselves. And may

you do a work in us. In Jesus' name, amen. Malachi

is prophesying to a people, to a people that

had been brought back from captivity in Babylon,

a people who, now had the temple. They could

worship God. And yet these were also a people

who were disillusioned, disgruntled, disobedient.

These were people that had a just enough mentality.

Now, depending on when this was written, some

of them may have grown up now outside of Babylon.

Maybe they weren't in Babylon. Some of them may

have grown up back in this area. Some of them

may have come, but they are a just enough people.

And God is writing to them. God is prophesying

to them. He's saying, listen, you're half -hearted

in your worship. they weren't offering their

very best to God. They were cutting corners.

They were doing what they thought was required,

but God says, no, that's not what you're supposed

to be doing. They're just enough. And I want

us to see this morning again that this half -hearted

worship, this half -hearted worship was nothing

less than fool -hearted disobedience. This was

not what God One of the first things that we

see is that they were offering worship that was

polluted. Worship that is polluted. Now, the

system of worship in the Old Testament was remarkably

clear. I mean, God laid out exactly how they

should worship him. God even laid out, these

are the people that are going to lead you in

worship, the priests. Here's where you're going

to worship me, in the tabernacle, in the later

of the temple. Here's what you're going to offer

me in worship. And God, if you've read in Leviticus,

you know that God laid it out very clear, right?

Here's what you do. I mean, it was not a mystery.

It was not something that they had to figure

out on their own. God said, here is what you

do in worship. But God has a complaint. Remember,

in the book of Malachi, it's listed as six different

disputes that God has with his people. And this

is the second. And he says, listen, a son honors

his father, a servant his master. In that time

period, it was expected a son would honor his

father, a servant the master. That was the proper

order of things. He says, listen, if a son does

that, if a servant does that, and if I'm the

father, then where is my honor? He says, I'm

your father, and you're not honoring me. I'm

your master, and you are not honoring me. He

said, you are not doing what is right. Where

is my honor? Where is my fear, he says. And so

often when we talk about fearing God, we understand

that it's that full respect. It's understanding

who God is. They're not respecting God. They

have no fear of him. And then he says, you despise

my name, oh priest. I want you to make note that

right away God is speaking directly to the priest.

The people that were for God, the people that

were supposed to lead people in worship, these

priests were ordained to lead people to worship

a holy God. He said, where's my honor? Where's

my fear? You despise my name? Whenever you see

that idea of the name of God, you understand

that a name is more than just a name. The name

of God represents his character, his position,

his work. And so when it says you have despised

my name, he's saying you have despised me. You've

despised me. You have no fear of me. You can

hear the people kind of bristle at this. They're

offended. How have we done this, God? How have

we despised your name? How have we done this,

God, the priest or saint? He says, you offer

polluted food. You bring polluted food. He said,

how have we done that, God? How have we brought

polluted food? He says that you say that the

Lord's table may be despised. You bring blind

animals. You bring animals that are blind and

lame. Is that not evil? You bring animals that

are sick. Is that not evil? Now, some of us may

see that and say, well, you know, what does it

matter if what sort of sacrifice they bring,

right? As long as God says bring a sacrifice.

Well, it matters because in the book of Deuteronomy,

it says this. Speaking of your sacrifice. But

if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind

or has any serious blemish, whatever, you shall

not sacrifice this to your God, to God. He says

if it's blemished, lame, blind, don't do it.

This is not an acceptable sacrifice. This is

against God's law. I mean, that's as clear as

you can get. And God says, this is how you polluted

the offering. This is how you've brought worship

that is polluted. And the people, perhaps he

knows that they need more proof. He says, okay,

think about it this way. And he lets us think

about it. Imagine here at Richland Hills Baptist

Church, we were honored to have a very high -ranking

official. Maybe a government official or some

very important person. And we were going to have

a potluck, as it were, that day. And imagine

we come and we sit the official down and I say,

Earlene, will you heat up the leftover Little

Caesar's pizza? scrounge up what we have? Can

you dust the crumbs off the table there? We would

never do that, would we? We would never treat

someone that deserves honor and respect. And

God's saying that to these people. He says, listen,

you try doing that to the governor. And this

was the Persian governor, the governor that would

be over the area. He says, imagine doing that

to your governor. Imagine bringing to the governor

what wasn't the best and just giving him the

leftovers, if you were. Imagine giving him the

leftovers. Do you think that he's going to accept

that? Do you think that he's going to think that

that's really good? He goes, no. But he says,

that's what you do. You're offering this half

-hearted worship. And now he's saying, you need

to treat 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? And the answer is

implied, no, because they're not offering a good

gift. They're worship. is polluted. Now, as we

walk through this text, I want you to consider,

I want us to consider our own lives, our own

acts of worship. And the book of Romans tells

us that worship is more than just a place, more

than just something that we do. It's our very

lives, isn't it? If you look in Romans chapter

Romans 12 · chapter mention

12, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by

the mercies of God, to present your bodies as

a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,

which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed

to this world, but be transformed by the renewal

of your mind, that by testing you may discern

what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable

and perfect. He says that we're to present our

bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable,

our spiritual worship. Are we offering to God

worship that is polluted? Are we offering to

God half -hearted worship? Now, I'm asking first

individually, and then we certainly, we make

that corporately, but are we offering, are you

offering to God in your life what's left over?

Hey, God, you can have the leftover time, the

leftover money, the leftover energy, whatever's

left over, God, you can have it. It's all for

you, God, whatever's left over. It's funny how

There's not usually much left over, is there?

They were offering to God the polluted. But then

we see that this worship is worship that's rejected.

God does not accept this worship. He says, oh,

that there were one among you who would shut

the doors, that you might not kindle the 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. God's saying, would

you shut the doors of the temple? Just stop.

I don't like it. This wasn't the first time.

Joseph read one this morning in Amos. We see

this in Isaiah and Jeremiah. What's interesting

is that there was one time that a king, he shut

the doors to the temple, but he shut the doors

to pursue idols. God said, shut the doors. I'm

not going to accept what you offer me. It's as

if these people that they... They did not honor

God. They did not offer him the best. It's almost

as if they viewed God as some sort of desperate

deity that was just begging for them to give

them something. Oh, would you please give me

something? Like a teenager that just wants somebody

to love him, please love me. Is God some sort

of desperate deity that just is so needy for

worship? That's how we sometimes view God. But

God does not need our worship. God doesn't need

anything from us. We don't offer anything to

God that he doesn't have already. We don't give

anything to God that, again, that he doesn't

have. God doesn't need us, but God desires us

to live obedient lives of worship. God desires

us to be people that desire to love Him, not

because He needs it, but because when we love

and worship God, we are living in accordance

to really fully being people that are made in

His image. Have you ever thought about that?

When we worship God, When we live and worship

and love for him, we are the most real as people

as will ever be. Because when we worship God,

we are living out really truly what it means

to be made in his image. That's the most human

we can be. And God says, this is what I want.

This is what I want you to do. But he says, I

will not accept it. God does not grade on a curve

like my high school teachers did. I figured that

out too. God does not grade on a curve. God doesn't

say, well, you know, I mean, you know what? He

worked really hard. He had a tough week and,

you know, he gave what he could. If it's not

according to God's word, it's not enough. Half

-hearted worship is nothing less than full -hearted

disobedience. What are we offering to God that

we think is good enough, but God says, that's

not what I want? Are we giving God what's left

over? But then we see that there is worship that

is inconvenient. You see what the people were

saying here? They were, he says, but you profane

the, you profane it when you say that the Lord's

table is polluted and its fruit, that its fruit

may be despised. But you say, what a weariness

this is. Hey, this is very weary and the people

are saying, and you snort at it. The people are.

They see all this, man, we've got to sacrifice

more animals? I mean, this is a bloody affair,

right? I mean, their hands are bloody. I mean,

how inconvenient would that be, really, if you

think about it? I mean, perhaps some of them

thought, we sure could use these animals. I mean,

this is really inconvenient. We could use them

in the fields. We could use them for our own

food. I mean, this is rather inconvenient to

us. I mean, we got to do this all the time. And

I mean, our time could be better used somewhere

else. And in that, they began to cheat God. They

began to make justifications and say, well, you

know, this isn't really, you know, there's some

better things we could be doing. And they began

to cheat God. You see, as the priest, as the

leaders who are supposed to lead God's people

in worship, as they began to profane God's name,

guess what happened? It began to trickle down

to the people. And now the people, they were

out there saying, you know what? Yeah, yeah,

we'll offer you, we'll offer you what we're supposed

to offer you. We're supposed to, we'll do that.

But instead, They don't, do they? They cheat

God. They vow it, and they don't do it. They

say, oh yeah, we'll give you the right sacrifice,

but then they give them what's prohibited. It's

all inconvenient. They began to cheat God. You

see, in our lives, as we begin to... We're not

really growing our faith. We begin to live. The

longer we live, and we begin to cut corners sometimes

or we're tempted. I mean, maybe if you're a Christian

a long time, we say, well, you know, I'll just

do enough. You know, I'll come to church some

of the time. I mean, I'll sacrifice. Some of

my resources. I'll serve. I'll serve you, God,

on some days. God, I'll help people. I'll help.

I'll help some people, though. You see, we become,

we have a sort of some worship. We do just enough.

It's half -hearted. We cut corners. I mean, does

God really expect me to give my whole life to

Him? I mean, I've got things to do, God. And

we cut corners. And our lives no longer look

to be living sacrifices. Our lives are no longer

lived in worship. We begin to see worshiping

God as some sort of Burden or duty is something

that we have to do. There's no joy in it. There's

no desire. It's all a bit inconvenient. But here's

what God is telling them. And there's a passage

even before. And I'll read that and then I'll

read the end. God says, for my name will be great

among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. And

then at the end, for I am a great king, says

the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared

among the nations. There is a true worship that

is coming. Worship that is coming. God doesn't

need... The people. God doesn't need them to

do it. And God says, listen, there I will be

worshiped. My name will be feared. My name will

be made great. My name will be made great through

the whole earth. Everybody will worship me. Now,

I believe this is a prophecy that's going to

be fully fulfilled when Christ comes back. But

we begin to see that fulfilled already through

Jesus Christ, don't we? Through the death, the

burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ, and now

the bringing in of the Gentile people, we see

that God's name, even now, is beginning to be

made great through all the nations. There are

people in every nation on this planet that know

Jesus Christ, I believe. Or at least, if not

every single one, very many. There are people

from tribes and nations and tongues that know

Jesus. But it's still, it's an already, it started,

but it's not fully yet complete. Because one

day, in the book of Philippians, one of the most

beautiful passages in Scripture regarding this,

saying that one day, Therefore God is highly

exalted on him who is Jesus and bestowed on him

the name that is above every name, that at the

name of Jesus every knee should bow, every tongue

confess, in heaven and on earth, that Jesus Christ

is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You see, one day, One day every person will bow

down before holy God. But some people will bow

down as believers and they will bow down as people

that know Jesus Christ and they'll be able to

bow down and worship as believers. But others

will bow down not as believers, but as enemies.

And even those who do not love God, have not

trusted Christ, they too will recognize how great

God is. But it would be too late. God will get

the worship He deserves. But how sad would it

be? For there to be people in our day, for there

to be people in our churches that sit in our

pews that will offer the proper worship to God

too late. All they're offering now is half -hearted

worship. So the question for us, are we offering

God our very, Now, there's a temptation when

you hear a sermon like this where we begin to

think about other people. Or maybe we begin to

think about maybe worship styles or things that

we do here. You see, you're right, Pastor. We

need to do things a little bit differently. We're

not really worshiping God, right, Pastor? But

here's what I want you to do is withstand that

temptation, and I want you to consider your heart

first. Because when there is a church full of

people that love God and want to worship Him,

guess what? It will be a church that God blesses.

If there is a church full of people people that

they just want to honor God and give him the

best. They're not going to be worried about these

little things and this or that. We just want

everything we do to honor God. And yes, people

like myself and Joseph and other people that

lead in worship, yes, we have a very high responsibility.

We have a very weighty responsibility. It's true.

It would be a horrible thing for us to ever offer

to God that isn't our best. It'd be a horrible

thing for us to ever lead you or other people

to not worship God fully. That's a very weighty

thing. But what about your life? Are you offering

God the best of your time? Are you offering to

God the best of your resources? Are you offering

to God the best of what you can offer? Your gifts,

your abilities? Or are you offering just enough?

Are you half -hearted in your worship? You see,

a lot of us have learned the art. Of doing just

enough. In worship. But just enough. Is not enough.

Half hearted. Is full hearted disobedience. And

here's where it all comes together. You see when

you think about the sacrifices. When you think

about the temple. We don't have to do any of

that anymore. We don't have to sacrifice animals.

We've never had an animal sacrifice in this church.

Praise the Lord. We've never done that. We don't

have to do all of these things that God has said.

All of these things, they point forward. They

were a shadow, if you will. They all pointed

forward to Jesus Christ. And now you and I, we

have this privilege, this wonderful thing. The

people, they were worshiping God. They didn't

fully understand. We can now fully understand

because of Jesus. God says, listen, you don't

have to do all these things. All you have to

do is you just have to offer your life to Jesus

Christ. That's worship, really, if you will,

in Romans chapter 12. You give your life. Put

Romans 12 · chapter mention

your life on the altar. And that's really what

it means to be a Christian. Is to give our lives

to God. Say, God, you do with my life as you

will. I trust you as my Savior, as my Lord. You

are the Lord of my life. Now here is my life.

You take my life, God. Romans says I'll be a

living sacrifice, which sounds impossible, right?

Sacrifices aren't usually living. But we are.

We offer our lives. That's the full worship we

can offer God. Our lives. And so the question.

Are you offering God your life? All of you. Every

part of you. Are you offering to God, saying,

God, would you say, God, would you just take

my whole life, use it? God, if it changes my

desire, so be it. God, if it requires me to...

to give more or give in a different way, so be

it. God, if it's inconvenient to my life, it

doesn't matter to me. You take whatever it is

in my life and use it for your glory. And God,

if it causes me problems in this world, I don't

care as long as your name is praised. If it's

hard and difficult and it is just tough to do,

God, it doesn't matter to me because This is

what I want to offer you my life. But that's

a lot. That's a lot for us to do. And then God

even, you know what? God in his grace, he knows

that that's even a lot for us to do. And you

know what God in his grace has done? He's provided

his Holy Spirit to help us in that. We don't

even have to do that in our own strength, our

own power. God says, you know what? Here's a

comforter. Here's a helper, the Holy Spirit.

He's going to help you do it. And yet we even

struggle to do that. Are you offering God the

very best? Let us pray. Father, may you. Speak

to our hearts. God, as we consider this passage

of Scripture, as we consider the half -hearted

worship of God's people, may we come to understand

that it is nothing less than full -hearted disobedience.

And Father, I pray that we would consider our

own lives in this moment. Father, if there's

anything in our heart that's holding us back

from full worship, if there's anything that's

holding us back from truly understanding that

Jesus is the Lord of our life, Father, may you

do a work in us. And perhaps, Lord, there are

some people here today that have never put their

faith in Jesus Christ. They've never trusted

in the sacrifice of Jesus. The sacrifice that

was made on our behalf. Father, if there's someone

here that's never put their faith in Christ,

I pray, God, today, would they trust Jesus as

their Savior and Lord? May there be someone today

that would say, I'm ready to follow Jesus. I'm

ready to give my life, my heart, my all. Take

me, Lord, and use me. Father, if there's someone

here that's ready to start that journey, may

you speak to their heart. But Father, there may

be others that realize that they've grown cold

in their worship. They've, Lord, beginning to

cut corners. Maybe not offering all of our lives,

but just enough. Maybe giving him, giving you

some things, God, but not everything. Father,

maybe in this moment, you are revealing things

to our heart. You're revealing those things,

maybe those hidden things in our life, in our

heart that we're holding on to. That we're not

willing to give up. Those little idols that we

keep close. Father, if there's anything that

will hinder our worship, Lord, may we today lay

it down before you. May you be glorified, God.

May we begin to offer wholehearted worship.