Dishonoring God In Worship

For Bibles, Malachi chapter one is where we're going to be at, and we're going to read verse six through fourteen. We preached on the first four verses for first five verses a couple of weeks ago, and then Braden did a great job preaching for me last week. And we're going to go to part two of chapter one. We're going to be working through the Book of Malachi throughout the summer.

And I trust this will be a blessing to you as it has been to me already. And so the Bible says in Malachi chapter one, verse six, a son on earth, his father and a servant, his master. If then I be a father, where is mine honor? And if I be a master, where is my fear, saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priest that despise my name? And you say wherein have we despise thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And you say wherein have we polluted thee and that you say the table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil?

Offer it now unto thy governor. Will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person, saith the Lord of hosts? And now I pray you, beseech God, that ye will be gracious unto us. This hath been by your means. Will he regard your persons, saith the Lord of hosts?

Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for naught? Neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for naught. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For from the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles. And in every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye have profaned it in that ye say the table of the Lord is polluted and the fruit thereof even his meat is contemptible. Ye said also, behold what a weariness it is, is it, and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts, and ye brought that which was torn and the lame and the sick, thus ye have brought an offering. Should I accept this of your hand, saith the Lord? But cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and valeth and sacrificed unto the Lord a corrupt thing.

For I am a great king, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen. Father, we do praise you tonight for your word. We thank for its truths. We ask that you would open our hearts and minds and ears up to what you have for us tonight. I pray that you would bless all the classes and the studies that are going on tonight. And I pray that the word of God would just come alive to our hearts. Lord, may we worship you in sincerity and in truth.

We ask all this in Jesus name and God's people said, men, you may be seated tonight. By way of context, the Book of Malachi was written around 430 BC by the prophet bearing the name Malachi. I've heard some people call him Malachi, whatever you would want to refer to him as, I guess. He is the last Old Testament prophet of God.

After Malachi, there would be a 400 years of silence. And in that time, as you've heard of the Apocrypha, the Book of Maccabees and some of those were written in between that period, those 400 silent years. The Apocrypha is not scripture. It was never quoted in the New Testament one time. The book that's quoted in the Book of James is not from the Apocrypha.

Some people misguided try to think that is. There's a book that was mentioned there. But the the the it contains history, but it's not infallible. The scriptures ended in the Old Testament at Malachi and and they picked back up again with the next prophet of God, which is who Isaiah 40 proclaimed in Isaiah 40 said there would be one crying in the wilderness.

Prepare you the way of the Lord. And we know that to be John the Baptist. And he came in the spirit and power of Elijah, which we find Malachi 4 will come to later on this summer and look at what that means. But Malachi was written about a hundred years after they had returned from the Babylonian captivity. If you remember, three young teenagers, Hanani, Azariah, and Mishael were taken captive.

Their names were changed to the Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And that happened around 170 years before this because of the sins of the nation. God gave them over to Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. And and so this was about a hundred years after they had returned from that Babylonian captivity. About 80 years after the temple had been rebuilt in about 10 years after Nehemiah had finished building the wall around the city.

If you remember that great accomplishment, 50 days they had built that city walls. But what was the purpose of Malachi? God had sent Malachi to be a prophet to the nation to call them to repentance because they had religion, but they didn't have a relationship with God. They even in that time in the Old Testament had externalized religion. They had they had become a people who were going through the motions. It was an empty faith. It was a it was a dead faith.

It was it was external, but again, no internal reality. That's why the words of Christ were so rich because he invades the heart in Matthew Chapter five with the words. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

He begins to work inwardly instead of outwardly. They had fulfilled the words of Christ in Matthew 15, eight when he says this people draws nigh to me with their mouth and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me and and that's a dangerous thing that can happen to people in the faith. But what you find in Malachi is God calling out not with anger and bitterness and rage, but but God reaching forth in love. I would direct you back to verse one and two. Notice how God presents this plea to them in verse one.

He says the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. So God comes to them with a plea of love. He begins by declaring love for a rebellious nation.

Anybody you don't have to raise your hand tonight, but has ever had a raised a rebellious child. You know, and you're like, listen, I love you. But you know, but you come to them and you want to warn them. You want to bring them to a place of sober mindedness, clarity, humility, being right with God and you and doing what's right.

And and then that's really what's going on here. It is a wrong and foolish sin to to do what they do in verse number two. If you notice after God says, I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet you say, wherein hast thou loved us? They immediately question the love of God that that God you say you love us, but where have you loved us? And here's a nation that was in nothing. They were the weakest and smallest nation and God brought them out of bondage and captivity of 400 years and in Egypt that they would have been destroyed under God delivers them, brings them into the promised land, gives them a kingdom and prosperity. They have rebelled against him over and over sent them to captivity for 70 years, but then delivered them out of that captivity brought them back into their land. And like what have you ever done to show as you love us?

And I'm sure we've all probably said that to our parents at some point in our life and then we rose into the place of being a parent at one point in our life and realized how foolish we were. But he says in verse number two, the question there and and I think it's so foolish for us to ever question God's love because God didn't just declare his love. He proved his love and and we know in Romans 5 chapter 8 verse 7 and 8. It says for scarcely for a righteous man one would die but heard venture for good men some would even dare to die. But God proved or commends his love toward us that why we were sinners Christ died for us. I mean, he didn't die for us when we were good. He died for us when we were bad.

And so that's that's the evidence of his love. God uses Malachi then to call this nation to repent to turn to God and God would then return and pour out his blessings upon the nation once again. So the main theme of Malachi is God's love for rebellious nation and the nation that just is hardened in their rebellion against God and and it just grieves you to read these things. But what I find myself doing is I watch a nation raging against God. And by the way, I'm going to preach on abortion this Sunday. I don't know if I hit on it enough this last Sunday, but I think it's there's a lot of things to discuss with that. And so I want to just really lay down some truths from God's Word. So I'll try to limit myself from getting into that sermon this evening.

But but I think it needs to be addressed. It's such a national issue at this point, but tonight I want to look at a message that is entitled dishonoring God and worship and really the question to ask yourself. What kind of offering have I brought to the Lord? What kind of offering have I brought to God after God declares his love for the nation? They question that and and they and then God continues to reason with them. He continues to dialogue with them if you would in such a gracious way.

It's just so so amazing that God would stoop and such humility to seek to persuade such a rebellious people to come to himself. And so let's look at first first thing that we find here is in verse 6 through 8 is God's charge against the priests. Notice who God brings this accusation against in verse number 6. He says this a son honoreth his father and a servant his master. If I then be a father, where is mine honor?

And if I be a master, where is my fear? Say the Lord of hosts unto you. Oh priest that despise my name and you say where and if we despise thy name. So what I find interesting here is is God first brings this accusation against verse 6 tells us. He's talking to the priests and who were the priests? Well, they were the ones who performed the religious duties of God in the temple. They were the religious leaders of the people and why does God first address the priest of the people? Well, it's because they were the ones in charge. They were the ones that God was holding specifically accountable for the bad influence upon the nation. The so go the priest so go the people they were they were really the influence like we wouldn't think of like a preachers in some sense today to be a great the great influence of a nation. But in in a religious nation like Israel that the religious leaders were the influence. And so I think it's important to point out that leadership will always face the first examination from God.

You need to know that if God came to lighthouse, you know who he's going to first address going to talk. Do you know why sometimes I'll say I'm not so concerned what you think about how I preach. I just want to get it right with God. I mean that like I really do and and I never want to be offensive for the sake of ever being offensive. I don't want to come across rude by saying those things but you just need to know where my heart is because I think as parents we should say that as well. Listen son or daughter. My my goal is not to just simply be a friend to you. My goal is to be a godly father or mother to you right that I want to get parenting right with God.

First of all, so I think parents would come to that same conclusion. But but you see in James chapter 3 verse 1. It says my brother and be not many Masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

What he's saying there is they're going you're going to face this the most strict judgment from God. And that's important to understand. I think our president and government leaders have no idea. They I know they don't they have no idea. They're like the people of acts to remember when when Peter says you you killed the Prince of Life you did not understand it. They didn't get it and the things that are going on among the leadership of our country. They just don't understand what they're saying and at least I pray they don't but I know that they're they're going to face judgment for how they're leading things.

And I know that for sure. But what was what was the problem with the leadership there? Well in the nation of Israel, they were giving lip service to God but not life service to God. They were good at professions.

They were good at declaring the right things but bad in practice. And wasn't that the case in Jesus's day? Remember what he said to his disciples. He says do what they say but not as they do right follow their words, but not their life. It's a whole lot easier to preach a good message than live a good message.

Anybody find that to be true? Yeah, you know son daughter. You need to be patient with each other and then you go out to the store. Drive down 35. You live on the same place. I do.

I know how you are. Confessions probably good for the soul. I probably shouldn't say this but I will you know preachers human. So I had a guy get up on my tail the other day almost hit me and and come flying around me. So I honked at him. I'm like, you know, this guy needs to just be aware, you know, my wife don't like that. And so this guy gives me the number one finger, you know, and so I gunned it for a second. I thought you're a pastor stop. I was like, what am I doing?

It's like oh my goodness. The old flesh is still there in it, but how dare you I can't go after that guy. I'm a pastor.

Yeah, what might be a member, you know? Hey, let me tell you a true story. I have a pastor friend.

I won't go into the details pastor friend. He was driving down the road and he saw one of his church members is a true story. So one of his church members driving down the highway and so he sped up to get by him. He's going to wave hi to him and the guy sped up a little faster. He's like I he's not going to get away from me. So he sped up a little faster.

He said they were flying on the highway. Finally got up next to the guy and he's waving at him. He's honking at him. The guy won't look at him. He's like, you know, you're a member of my church.

You look over to me, you know, what are you doing? And he said the guy didn't look at him. He just pulled up his finger at him. And right when he did that, he looked over, he's like, oh, that's my preacher. So he said Sunday morning, he walked right over. He said, let me talk to you young man. You know, he wasn't a young man. So he knew the guy.

So. So when you're driving around town, you'd be where better not have been you that got up on me that day. But, you know, God God calls us to not just preach a good message, but to live the right message.

Is that is that right? And so God gives two analogies to help understand, to give them an idea of what their sin is, to understand it. In the first analogy, he gives here in verse number six is the image of a father and a child. How they were treated by their children was a big deal in that day. If you if you understand that Near Eastern culture and how they dealt with their children with father's honors a big deal.

It's it's something that people kill people for it in that part of the world and being dishonored. But he's he brings that up. He says, if if if a son honors his father, if I be a father, where does my honor? The pulpit commentary adds an interesting note. It says disobedience begats dislike and submission strengthens love.

But that was so good. In other words, parents who allow disobedience, who parent with passivity will produce a child that nearly always resents them. If you if you if you parent with passivity, your kids will typically resent you. But those who lovingly discipline their kids will produce children who love their parents.

That will be be submissive. Loving discipline allows. And produces greater love for the parent because loving discipline requires greater love from the parent. It takes more love to lovingly discipline your child than to let them go.

And just free right range and do whatever they want. And so and then he gives a second illustration. It's in verse six as well. He says, if I be a in a servant and his master, he gives a master-servant relationship. And in the New Testament word for for master is the Greek word Koryos, where we have the word Lord often translated. And it's the idea that God is the one who is the ruler of our life. He is the master over our life.

We are we are bought with a price. The Bible says we are owned by God. And apparently the priests had called God master, but their offerings and lives did not reflect a reverence and fear for God. They again gave God lip service, but not life service. They really reflected the words of Christ in Luke 6 46 when Jesus says, Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but you do not the things that I say? Because no servant would do that, that they would obey their master. And Jesus is calling us to be obedient. Jesus made clear not everyone who calls him Lord is entering into the kingdom of heaven. And you need to see how he aligns that in Matthew 7 21. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. And what he's saying is not everybody who gives me lip service is going to heaven.

That's why I say you can pray a prayer and go to heaven and you can pray a prayer and go to hell, right? So he says not everyone who calls me Lord's going to heaven, but notice what he says he that do with and that eth is the idea of a present tense verb. You continue to do it that do with the will of my father which is in heaven.

And what he's saying there is not that works save you, but that works are the evidence of a saved life true living faith always produces true living works. Augustine right wisely wrote let the acts of the offspring indicate similar similarity with the father. And so it was 400 years later that Jesus declared who the true father of the Jewish leaders were in math in John chapter 8 41. He told the Jewish leaders you do the deeds of your father. Then they said to him we be born not we be not born of fornication. We have one father even God Jesus said into them. If God were your father you would love me for I proceeded and forth forth and came from God.

Neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech even because you cannot hear my word and he says he are of your father the devil and he begins to really put the hammer down upon them. And so before we were saved we were all children of the devil.

I mean that sounds pretty strong, but that's the truth. When did we become children of God? Well, John 1 11 says he came into his own his own received him not but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God. Even to them which were born not of the blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God we are born of God. The reason you have eternal life is because you have a father that he that does God doesn't have eternal life. God is eternal life. God is the living one. So life comes from God.

And so if you want to be eternally alive, you must be born again. 1 John 3 1 says behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. And so we are we are children of God. We are he is our master, you know in the Old Testament only about 13 times is God referred to as father in that sense. But in the New Testament, it's like a hundred and sixty plus times that that the that just in the Gospels that Jesus refers to the father. Refers to God as the father and remember how he told his disciples to pray pray.

Thus our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name all said in Romans 8 15 that we don't have to live in fear. We cry out Abba Father the word Abba is Aramaic for Daddy or Dada. It's it's such an intimate term. You remember when Jesus in the garden and he was sweating great drops of blood. He said Abba Father if it be possible.

Let this cut pass for me. It's literally like Daddy Daddy. It's such a you only call your dad your father dad. I mean, it was extremely intimate term and and that's the way we approach God.

It's such a intimate to relationship. And so God seeks to reason with them to show their lack of true genuine worship that they he's saying you're dishonoring me like a like a son is dishonoring their father. You're dishonoring me and not fearing me and referencing me like a servant should his master. And so God concludes in Malachi 1 verse 6. He says a son on Earth his father a servant his master.

If I be a father, where's mine honor and I'd be master. Where's my fear say the Lord of hosts under you O priest that despise my name. How do they respond to the clear statement from God about their sin? Notice how they respond in verse number 6 and he say wherein have we despise thy name?

So what you find in this happens through all the book of Malachi, it happens eight different times. God brings a charge against them a charge of sin against them, but they respond not with repentance not with God. I have done wrong and not confessing their sins, but rather they question God. God questions them.

Why are you sinning? And they say God, how dare you say that I'm a sinner is the idea instead of accepting God's rebuke of their sin instead of accepting his description of their sin. They turn around and question God that what he's saying is not valid. They disagree with God's assessment of them. They counter the rebuke that they do this in Malachi 1 2 God says I love you and they say where and has thou loved us verse 6. How have we despise thy name verse 7? How have we defiled the verse 14 of chapter 2 it goes on all the way through chapter 2 17 3 7 8 3 13. Let me say this to put a question mark at the end of God's statement is an act of extreme pride.

And don't we see that going on across this nation? You know, the Southern Baptist president last year, I believe it was said God doesn't send homosexuals to hell. And he says I know that because heterosexuality doesn't make you go to heaven. And he's the president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

We're not a Southern Baptist Church just so you know, but I'm just I'm thinking how could you be president such a large group and you don't even know 1st Corinthians 6. No you not that no unrighteous person will enter into the kingdom of heaven neither fornicators nor effeminate. It's literally the word that most translation use and translate as the word homosexual.

No one who continues in known. No one who continues in known fornication known adultery continues as a liar continues as a in any sin, including homosexuality is not going to heaven just so you're I mean, I've preached on this so many times I but but in Galatians chapter 5, that's what he says in verse 19 through 21. He says be not deceived.

I told you before and I tell you again, they will not go into the kingdom of heaven is like I've told you before I'll tell you again. And it's like how do you get up and say that? You know, what has happened is people think that they're loving by affirming people. Love is not affirming people.

Love is telling people the truth. If I'm a if I go to a doctor, the most unkind thing the doctor can do is if I have cancer is them to say, you know what? I don't want to make them feel bad about their cancer. So you know what? You're in good health.

Eat drink and be merry enjoy your life and he's in the back of his mind thing and he's got six months to live. I want to know what my condition is medically so I can do something about it. If I don't know there's a disease.

I can't get the remedy. What we've done is we don't want to call it sin anymore. We don't want to point out the infection the disease the cancer that's killing us rather. We just want to affirm people. I can tell you such things open the broad path to hell for people. You know what people on one day at the Great White Throne judgment going to say? I didn't need your affirmation. I needed his truth. So I would go back to the message to put a question mark at the end of God statement.