If you've got a Bible, if you need a church Bible, grab one at the door. It will really help you go through. It's on page 801. Mark Twain was a very famous American novelist.
He was the author of books like Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. And I have no idea whether Mark Twain was a Christian, but I can tell you that he had a healthy respect for the Bible.
He knew that the Bible was no ordinary piece of literature. He once said, most people are bothered by passages of the Bible that they do not understand.
But the passages that bother me are the passages I do understand. Let me say that again. Most passages, most people are bothered by passages of Scripture that they do not understand.
But the passages that bother me are the passages that I do understand.
And this morning in Malachi chapter 2, we come to a chapter that isn't very hard to understand at all.
But it may certainly bother you if you're serious about it.
You may have noticed when Reuben read to it that the word covenant keeps coming up.
It's repeated several times.
And the covenant is a solemn and a binding agreement between two parties.
We talk about the covenant of marriage.
And in these verses, God refers to several different covenants.
Binding and solemn agreements.
That's how we're going to divide the passage in.
Verses 1 to 9, you'll see the first one.
You might remember from last week that Malachi is specifically addressing the priests.
The religious leaders of the people of God.
And they continue to be the focus of the next session.
You see it in verse 1.
And now, O priests, you lot, you priests, this command is for you.
And what follows is an admonition or a rebuke or criticism of some sort.
And again, just like we saw last week in chapter 1, verse 6,
the issue continues to be the failure of God's priests to give God the honour that he deserves.
So look with me at verse 2.
If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name,
says the Lord of hosts, then I will send curse upon you.
And I will curse your blessings.
Indeed, I've already cursed them because you do not lay it to heart.
You can hear the heat in those words, can't you?
God is angry with the priests of Israel.
So angry, he says in verse 3,
Behold, I will rebuke your offspring and I will spread dung on your faces,
the dung of your offerings, and you will be taken away with it.
It's very, it's a polite translation.
What he's saying?
That when the Israelites made their animal sacrifices,
the dung or the offal, it was the inedible part, the internal organs,
that was to be taken away from the sacrifice and burnt separately.
It's not a pleasant image at all.
But whatever has stirred God to be this angry,
it must be, mustn't it?
Very serious indeed.
And from verse 4 onwards, God makes it clear what the problem is.
So if you look in verse 4,
and then you look at verse 8,
God refers to the covenant that he made with Levi.
Levi was the founding father of the tribe of Levi.
They became known as the tribe of the Levites.
And it was the Levites, wasn't it,
who were chosen out of the 12 tribes of Israel to be the priests.
They were to be the religious teachers.
They would represent God to the people and the people to God.
And the covenant he made with them outlined the obligations that they had.
And so Malachi recalls them.
Look at verse 5.
He says,
It says,
The priests were to be God's mouthpiece.
They were to be God's messengers.
They were to instruct God's people.
And they were to do it truthfully.
And if they did their job properly,
then the people of God would turn away from their sin.
But the priests in Malachi's day weren't doing their job properly.
They'd completely drop the ball.
And so instead of calling people to turn from their sin,
they've actually caused people to stumble into sin.
In fact, they themselves as priests had turned away and become corrupt.
Look at verse 8 and 9.
But you, you, O priest, you have turned aside from the way.
You've caused many to stumble by your instruction.
You've corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts.
And so I will make you despised and abased among the people.
Inasmuch as you do not keep my ways, but show partiality in your instruction.
God says, you've violated, you've broken the covenant, the agreement,
the binding solemn agreement that I made with Levi.
With Levi's descendants.
And you've broken it.
And what God is very serious about, they have treated with contempt.
They've not honoured him, and so he is angry.
What are we to make of it?
Since Jesus has come,
we don't have priests anymore like they did in the Old Testament.
Jesus is our priest, our perfect priest.
I and Reuben are not your priests.
Jesus is the one who represents God to us,
and us to God.
The New Testament teaches, in a sense,
we are all priests.
All of us who have trusted in the Lord Jesus,
we are all in him,
we are all priests.
We are to represent God to the world.
Your elders are not priests.
But nevertheless, God still appoints leaders in his church.
He appoints men to lead his church,
and to teach his people.
He has laid a responsibility on those preachers and teachers,
on elders and ministers.
But he also, doesn't he,
gives that responsibility from time to time,
to Sunday school teachers,
like you were taught this morning,
to youth group leaders,
to those who instruct our children,
to those who teach Bibles.
And it is a,
a Bible study,
it is a very serious business.
So look at James chapter 3, verse 1,
or let me read it to you.
You can turn there if you want.
And these words are really sobering.
And the Apostle James writes to the church,
and he says this,
Not many of you should presume to be teachers.
Not many of you should become teachers,
my brothers,
for you know that we who teach
will be judged with greater strictness.
Lots has changed since Malachi's day,
and our day,
but one thing hasn't.
And that is this,
that God is still very serious
about people turning away from their sin.
And those who are his messengers,
his mouthpiece,
must take that responsibility very seriously.
You must demand of those who preach to you
that they teach you the truth,
and nothing but the truth.
Nothing false ought to be on their lips.
And James reminds us, doesn't he,
that when we speak for God,
we are accountable to God.
There will be a special judgment for us.
It's a chilling verse.
For those of us who teach and preach God's word.
So it's not something,
and we do for fun,
it's not something we do as an adrenaline rush.
It's not something that we do
simply out of obligation.
Instead, it must be something, isn't it,
that the preacher must work very hard at.
They put time into it.
They should take great care.
And the implications for us as a church family
is that it's far more important
how the Bible is taught
than what games and activities we do
in the youth group.
It's far more important, isn't it,
that the Bible is taught clearly and faithful
than that our children think
they've had a wonderful time in our kids' clubs.
And so our preparation
as leaders of youth groups,
Bible studies,
in whatever context in the church,
is to reflect what is most important to God.
And so that's a great thing, isn't it,
for those of you who are serving in ministries,
to think about the different ministries
in church life
and think,
are we reflecting
what is most important to God?
Whether it's in the youth group
or Little Stars
or the language class,
whatever context
we're teaching God's Word,
God is very serious indeed
about how His Word is taught.
Speaking God's Word
is a very serious business
and we ought to treat it
as seriously as God does.
Malachi turns his attention then
to what he calls
the covenant of our fathers.
And he's talking there
about the solemn binding agreement
that he made
with the whole nation of Israel.
And so,
at this point he addresses
the whole nation,
the whole people of God,
not just the priests.
Look at verse 10.
Have we all not one father?
Has not one God created us?
Why then are we faithless
to one another
profaning the covenant
of our fathers?
The covenant God made
with our forefathers,
with their ancestors,
has been violated,
snapped, broken.
Because they've broken faith
with one another.
And that is they've broken
the bonds of commitment,
of trust,
by which God's people
are bound to.
How have they done that?
Look verse 11.
Just glance down.
He uses Judah and Jacob
as synonyms
for the people of Israel.
Now, Judah's been faithless
and an abomination
has been committed
in Israel and in Jerusalem.
For Judah has profaned
the sanctuary of the Lord,
which he loves
and has married
the daughter
of a foreign God.
May the Lord
cut off
from the tents of Jacob
and the descendants
of the man
who does this,
who brings an offering
to the Lord of hosts.
The issue is here.
This is the issue.
The issue is
they have
intermarried
with those
who are not Israelites.
That's what God means
by marrying
the daughter
of a foreign God.
And some of you
might be sitting there
thinking,
what's the big deal
in that?
Is God racist?
Of course not.
As in everything
we've seen
in Malachi so far,
the problem is
that they have broken
God's clear commands.
So let me read to you
from Deuteronomy chapter 7.
It's from earlier on
in the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy chapter 7,
verse 1.
When the Lord,
your God,
brings you,
the people of God,
into the land
that you are entering
to take possession of it
and clears away
the many nations
before you,
the Hittites,
the Girgashites,
the Amorites,
the Canaanites,
the Perizzites,
the Hivites,
the Jebusites,
seven nations
more numerous
and more mighty
than you.
And when the Lord God
gives them over to you
and you defeat them,
you must devote them
to complete destruction.
You shall make
no covenant with them
and you shall show
no mercy to them
and you shall not
intermarry with them.
Giving your daughters
to their sons
or taking their daughters
to your sons
for they would
turn away
your sons
from following me
to serve other gods.
Then the anger
of the Lord
would be kindled
against you
and he would
destroy you quickly.
Do you see,
God not only
gave the Israelites
a command,
I think you should be
willing to see that,
not to intermarry
with those who didn't
follow the God of Israel.
He gave them the command
but he also gave them
the reason for it.
that when you marry
outside of the people
of God,
when you marry
those who do not
worship me,
who worship other gods,
God is concerned
about that
because the Israelites
would turn away
from serving him
to worship the idols
of the other nations.
And that is
in many ways
the story
of the Old Testament.
That when they did
marry outside Israel,
when they did
turn away
from worshipping God
to worshipping,
when they did
into marriage,
they turned away
from worshipping God
to worshipping idols.
King Solomon
is the great example,
isn't it?
It's the classic
and tragic case.
His heart
was turned away.
But they're still
doing it
800 years later.
And God says
through Malachi,
you've profaned
the covenant.
That means this.
It means that
they've treated
something holy
as if it was unholy.
And they've shown
no seriousness
about what God
is serious about.
And again,
this is still
an issue
that God
is serious about.
In 2 Corinthians
chapter 6,
the Apostle Paul
is writing,
talking about
how Christians
are to live
in the world.
He says
that he wants
them to live
in a way,
in a world,
he wants them
to live in a way
that is pure.
And this is
what he says.
Hear these words.
He says,
do not be
unequally yoked
with unbelievers.
For what
partnership
has righteousness
with unrighteousness?
or what
fellowship
does light
have
with darkness?
And Paul
is urging
Christians
like you,
if you've trusted
in the Lord Jesus,
like me,
to be
uncontaminated
in our devotion
to the Lord Jesus.
To be
uncompromising
about our
devotion
to the Lord Jesus.
believers.
And to that end,
he urges us
not to bind
ourselves
to unbelievers
in any sort
of irreversible
partnership.
Now,
I presume
that that
applies to things
apart from marriage
too.
But it certainly
does apply to
marriage.
Whatever form
the yoking
together,
joining together,
takes,
Paul urges us
to be pure
and to maintain
undivided loyalty
to Christ
by avoiding it.
You might feel
this morning
that you are
strong enough
to avoid
being distracted
or contaminated.
But that
doesn't give you
permission,
license,
to disregard
God's command.
And God
says to you
this morning
that you should
be loyal to him
above everything
else.
that we should
love him
more than
anybody else.
And it seems
clear to me
that the teaching
of the Bible
is that Christians
should not
consider marriage
to an unbeliever
an option.
It's not an option.
And so if you
are looking for
a husband or wife
even,
or if you are
looking for a
girlfriend or
boyfriend,
the Apostle Paul
would urge you,
would command
you,
look for
someone who
shares your
commitment to
Jesus Christ.
Let me speak
to our young
people,
to our
teenagers.
Let me
plead with you.
Let me plead
with you as
your minister
that if you
are looking
for a
relationship,
if you are
looking to get
married,
hear these
words,
look for
someone in
the Lord.
God,
I cannot
tell you
the untold
harm and
pain that
it causes
to disregard
that clear
command from
God.
I realise
that this
morning,
this is not
an easy issue
for some of
us.
In fact,
I know for
some of you,
this has been
excruciatingly
hard.
But I need
to tell you
that this is
something that
God is very
serious about.
And so we
should be
serious about
it too.
Thirdly,
and finally,
let's look at
the third
covenant in
verses 13
to 16.
In Malachi 2,
Malachi explains
why God is not
accepting Israel's
offering.
He's not
accepting their
religious devotion.
Do you remember
last week he said,
I'd rather you
shut the doors,
I'd rather you
didn't bother.
And it's because
of the third
covenant violation
in verse 13.
He says,
this is the
second thing
you do.
You cover
the Lord's
altar with
tears.
You come
and you cry.
You love
the music.
You cry
your eyes
out.
And you
weep
and you
groan.
But he
no longer,
God no longer
regards your
offering with
favour from
your hand.
But you say,
why does he
not?
Because the
Lord was
witness between
you and the
wife of your
youth,
to whom you've
been faithless.
though she
is your
companion
and your
wife by
covenant.
Notice again,
it's the dispute
structure.
Do you remember
we saw that
last week?
God says,
this is how you
behaved,
and the Israelites
say,
no,
how have we
done that?
How have we
broken faith?
Here,
it's about the
bond of a
commitment
between a
husband and
a wife.
And that
bond between
a husband and
wife is a
covenant.
And on this
occasion,
God takes the
Israelites back
to creation,
to the
covenant of
creation.
And in the
book of
Genesis,
he reminds
them that
marriage is
two people
becoming one
flesh.
Verse 15,
look at this,
did he not
make them one
with a portion
of the spirit
in their union?
And what was
the one God
seeking?
Godly offspring.
So guard
yourselves in
your spirit.
Let none of
you be
faithless to
the wife of
your youth.
For the man
who does not
love his wife
but divorces
her, says
the Lord,
the God of
Israel,
covers his
garment with
violence,
says the
Lord of
hosts.
So guard
yourselves in
your spirit
and do not
be faithless.
Because of
the oneness
intended for
marriage, God
calls on his
people not
to reverse
that.
Not to
reverse the
oneness
into
two-ness.
By divorcing
their marriage
partner.
Or being
violent to
their marriage
partner.
Because that
could incite
God's
hatred.
And this
too is
something that
God is
serious about.
And again,
the New
Testament,
the teaching
of the
Bible is
telling you
and I,
God hasn't
stopped being
serious about
this.
When Jesus
was quizzed,
you remember,
on the topic
of divorce,
his answer
was really
clear.
Let me read
you from
Matthew 19.
Religious
leaders came
up to him
and they
tested him
by asking,
is it
lawful to
divorce one's
wife for
any reason?
And he
answered them,
have you not
read that he
who created
them,
Genesis 1 and
2,
from the very
beginning made
them male and
female?
And said,
therefore a man
shall leave his
wife,
his father and
mother and
hold fast to
his wife and
the two shall
become one
flesh.
So they are
no longer two
but one
flesh.
What therefore
God has joined
together,
let not man
separate.
Now of
course,
this isn't
all that the
New Testament
says to us
about divorce
and about
marriage.
Even in
that passage,
Jesus goes
on to
recognise some
of the
complexities
that are
involved.
But God's
view is
not complex.
God still
hates divorce.
And that is
a hard word,
isn't it?
I suspect
some of you
listening to me
might be able
to identify
with Mark
Twain because
passages like
this bother
us.
And what
bothers you
and I is
how black
and white
they are
when we
know that
the world
is full
of grey
so much
of the
time.
And so
particularly
when it
comes to
divorce,
for example,
there is
pain and
complexity in
broken
relationships.
So
complex that
no two
situations
ever see
the same.
And
sometimes
passages
like this
bother us
because we
find it
hard to
see why
God
wants
things
this way.
Sometimes
they bother
us because
what the
Bible says
is so
different
from what
the world
says all
around us.
And
indeed,
what the
Bible says
about some
of the
things we're
looking at
this morning
is incredibly
unpopular
in the
world,
isn't it?
And the
temptation
to simply
say what
people want
us to
say is
very,
very great.
a friend
of mine
I was
with this
week
attended a
wedding
recently
and he
heard a
marriage
sermon.
He was
just there
as a
kind of
punter,
as a
guest.
And the
marriage
sermon
had two
main
points.
The first
point,
point number
one in
this,
he was a
minister,
the point
number one
was there's
a lot of
paperwork
involved in
getting married
these days
and in
marriage.
Point number
two was
some marriages
work and
some don't
so we've
got to
hope for
the best
in this
case.
Here is
a man
who was
entrusted
with God's
word to
these people
and he
thoroughly
undermined
God's word.
Even
Christian
leaders
sell out
on the
truth of
God's
word.
My friend
found out
actually this
man had
been married
twice before
and he
was saying
these things
wasn't he
to justify
his own
existence.
They say
things people
want to
hear and
the temptation
to do so
is so
very great
but that
is simply
not the
right way
to respond
to the
epidemic
of broken
marriages
in our
country
and amongst
your friends
and amongst
mine.
We as
Christians
need to be
people who
are willing
and prepared
to be
unpopular.
Who are
prepared to
be bothered
by the
Bible
but who
will remain
loyal to
God and
to God's
word.
Who won't
change it
and won't
ignore it
and won't
water it
down but
will obey
it.
Now listen
to me
here.
Particularly
if you're
a little bit
upset by
what I've
just said.
Maybe you're
a little bit
angry but I
want you to
listen to
this.
Malachi is
not saying
God hates
people who've
been divorced.
Malachi is
not saying
God hates
people who
are divorced.
He's saying
he hates
divorce.
And I
think if
you have
been divorced
this morning
you will be
the quickest
to understand
this truth.
I agree with
it.
Because you
will know
won't you
if you've
been through
a divorce
how gut
wrenchingly
awful it
is.
But this
verse is
actually not
directed
towards those
who've been
through the
tragedy, the
grief of
divorce.
It's directed
to those of us
this morning
who are
married or
who one
day will
be married.
And the
message for
you and I
is this.
Take the
covenant of
marriage
seriously.
Marriage is
for life.
Anything
else is
destructive
of people
and heartbreaking
to God.
Marriage is
not to be
entered into
lightly.
Marriage
requires hard
work and
deep
commitment
no matter
what the
cost.
And so if
you've made
a covenant
like that
already or
will one
day do it
do whatever
it takes
to keep
your covenant
no matter
what.
No matter
what.
because if
we are
serious
about
loving
God
we will
be as
serious
as God
is about
obedience
in this
area.
And I
hope you're
seeing this
morning that
God is
serious about
covenants and
the keeping
of covenants.
And that
really is the
big theme of
Malachi chapter
2.
And I
want you to
notice this
profound thread
that runs
right the way
through all of
these three
issues that
Malachi tackles.
you see
whenever
Israel
the people
of God
disobey
God and
break
covenant
it's got
implications
for the
greatest
covenant.
It's got
implications for
the greatest
relationship of
all.
Look at
verse 8
of chapter
2.
When the
priests break
their covenant
with God
other people
are led
astray
from God.
They cause
others to
stumble.
Look at
verse 11.
when the
Israelite
marries
non-Israelites
it desecrates
the sanctuary
God's temple.
It's an insult
to God
personally.
Verse 13.
When the
Israelites
break their
marriage
covenant
God is
no longer
pleased with
their offering.
He's
personally
offended.
Because when
God's people
betray their
covenant
when they
betray his
word
they betray
him.
And that's
what Israel
has done.
They've
betrayed
God.
And that's
a pretty
bleak picture
this morning
isn't it?
What hope
did Israel
have?
What hope
is there
for you
and I
this morning
feeling guilty?
What hope
is there
when we
disobey
God's
word?
Well if
Israel
were going
to take
Malachi
seriously
they were
prepared to
take God
and his
covenant
seriously.
Well they
might also
remember a
promise
that God
had made
about 150
years earlier.
It was a
promise that
came through
the prophet
Jeremiah.
It was
our assurance
of pardon
that we read
earlier in
the service.
And it was
God's promise
for the future
for the people
of Israel.
Behold the
days are
coming
declares the
Lord when I
will make a
new covenant
with the house
of Israel
and the house
of Judah.
not like the
covenant that I
made with
their fathers
on the day
when I
took them
by the
hand to
bring them
out of
the land
of Egypt.
My covenant
that they
broke
though I
was their
husband
declares the
Lord.
For this
is the
covenant that
I will make
with them
the house
of Israel
after those
days declares
the Lord.
I will put
my law
within them
I will
write it
on their
hearts
and I
will be
their
God
and they
shall be
my
people
and no
longer
shall
each
teach
his
neighbour
and each
his
brother
saying
know
the
Lord
for they
shall
all
know
me.
From the
least of
them
to the
greatest
declares
the
Lord.
And then
here's
the
great
news
for I
will
forgive
their
iniquity
and I
will
remember
their
sin
no
more.
God
said
the
problem
of the
!
covenant
which is the
problem
that we
see in
Malachi
chapter 2
is that
Israel
broke
it.
They
violated
it
by
persistent
deliberate
willful
obedience
disobedience.
But God
says I
am making
a new
one and
it
will be
totally
different.
In the
new
one he
says my
law will
be on
the
people's
hearts.
In the
new
one my
people
will
all
know
me.
In
the
new
one I
will
forgive
my
people's
wickedness
and I
will
remember
their
sins
no
more.
And
that
was
Israel's
only
hope.
They
couldn't
repair
the
old
covenant.
No
amount
of
repentance
would
make
it
right.
They
wrecked
it.
They
needed
a
new
one.
They
needed
a
new
one
that
only
God
could
make.
That's
precisely
what
God
has
promised
to
do.
As we
read
in
Hebrews
chapter
8.
It's
not
just
what
he's
promised
to
do,
is
it?
It's
what
he's
done
because
on
the
night
before
he
was
betrayed,
Jesus
took the
bread and
said,
this is
my
body.
He
took
the
cup
and
said,
this
is
the
cup
of
the
new
covenant,
which
is
shed,
which is
my
blood,
which is
shed for
the
forgiveness
of
sins.
It's
what
he's
done
in the
Lord
Jesus.
He's
seen the
disobedience
of Israel,
he's
seen all
of my
disobedience
too,
he's
aware
this
morning
of your
brokenness
and your
frailty
and your
rebellion.
He knows
that we
would probably
wreck the
new
covenant
if it
was up
to us.
And
he's
brought us
into a
covenant
with his
son,
the Lord
Jesus.
The
perfect
priest
has made
us
clean
and it
is a
covenant
that we
cannot
break.
And
so we
do not
stand
this
morning
before
him
as
covenant
breakers.
And that's
an incredible
truth,
isn't it?
We come
to the
table
as those
who are
in Christ
washed,
perfect,
spotless,
blameless,
holy.
And that
is
God's
covenant
with us.
And while
we break
covenants,
he doesn't
break covenant
with us.
And this
is a covenant
that God
is very,
very serious
about.
I suspect
that Hebrews
chapter 8
was a
chapter that
Mark Twain
wasn't
bothered by.
It's
black and
white though.
It's
crystal
clear.
It's a
word from
God, a
word of
great hope,
a word of
wonderful
reassurance
and true
freedom.
For those
who've
called out
to the
Lord Jesus
this morning,
who
recognised
their guilt
and their
brokenness
and have
asked him
to forgive
them.
God says
this to
you,
he has
forgiven
your
iniquities
and he
remembers
your sin
no more.
Let's
pray.
Let's
Thank you.