You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace.
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Quit going to church.
Stop singing.
It's a waste of time.
This place is full of hypocrites.
Yes, maybe you've heard somebody say those things before, but today we hear God saying them.
It's kind of hard to hear those words from the prophet Amos that they just sang, isn't it?
Especially if you're sitting in a church during a worship service.
But they reflect some of the heart of God's message to his people through the prophet Malachi today, too.
We've talked about God's call to repentance, back to relationship with him when we're just playing church.
Right?
Micah told us about that.
And then when we're putting other things first and offering God only our leftovers rather than seeking first his kingdom.
And God sent Haggai to tell his people that and call them back.
And now Malachi comes with some similar words this morning.
Just decades later after these other prophets, because God's people really struggle with this.
We have to hear it over and over because we wander quickly, don't we?
Some of you have told me that you've been convicted by God's word through the prophets over the last few weeks.
And that's good, but have our lives altered drastically?
To borrow an analogy from Pastor Peter, when it comes to our sin, we're often like someone who opens up the door to look into the crawl space of your house and sees mold growing there.
And sees, oh, that's a problem.
But then shuts the door back and walks away and carries on.
It's there, but it won't bother me today.
But eventually it's going to invade everything and have devastating consequences if we don't repent and run back to God for his help.
So I'd urge you to listen again to God's word for his people to call us back to him again.
Malachi has been freshly convicting to me, showing me my mold again this week.
Let's pray, and then we'll read together from God's word.
Oh, Father, these words are not complicated, but they are hard to hear.
And we are slow to have our lives altered, me most.
Holy Spirit, would you soften our hearts?
Make us long to be molded into the image of Jesus.
Speak your truth to us this morning that we might be the people that you created and redeemed us to be.
We ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Malachi 1, beginning at verse 6, let's give careful attention to the reading of God's holy word.
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?
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 and sacrifice, is that not evil?
And when you offer those that are lame and sick, is that not evil?
Present that to your governor.
Will he accept you or show you 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 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.
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, says 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?
Lord, 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.
And now, O priest, this command is for you.
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.
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.
So shall you know that I have sent this command to you,
that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts.
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.
True instruction was found 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.
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.
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.
And so I make you despised and debased before all the people,
inasmuch as you do not keep my ways,
but show partiality in your instruction.
Amen.
May God add his blessing to the reading of his word.
Imagine that someone special you love and respect,
the Queen of England, Nick Saban, Mickey Mouse,
your beloved grandmother,
someone like that was coming over to your house for dinner tonight.
What would be on the menu?
What would you serve to them?
Perhaps steak or seafood?
Maybe a favorite family recipe for really yummy casserole,
something you know about them that it's their favorite, maybe.
Some of us might even hire someone else to come cook
because it's so important, we don't want to mess it up.
But you're probably not going to offer them leftovers.
You know, a slice of pizza and some green beans reheated in the microwave, right?
None of us would even think.
It sounds appalling to us to consider going out
and just spending the afternoon running some errands
and then, you know what, on the way home,
we'll see what we drive by and I'll pick up some roadkill.
You know, that's what, I mean, armadillo is what,
that's what I'm going to give them, right?
No way.
Now that may be cheap and easy,
but it won't honor our special guest.
And yet sometimes we treat God that way.
Our relationship with him is what I'll call roadkill Christianity,
where we offer him something cheap and easy,
costs us nothing, takes us little thought,
because other things are just more important to us.
But hey, at least we had dinner with God, check.
If that sounds extreme to you, it's meant to be.
So were these words from the prophet Malachi
to God's people in Jerusalem.
They're intended to call them,
and now to call us,
back to a passionate relationship with God,
where we're revived to live for his glory
and the extension of his kingdom to everyone around us,
and that's what we're all about.
That's where he's headed,
and he begins this morning by exposing
the false worship of God's people in his day.
They're back at the temple, remember?
They're offering sacrifices,
but they're not honoring God, their Father.
That's what he tells them,
and the people say, what?
Us?
Ow!
Now,
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?
Verse 13,
you bring what has been taken by violence
or is lame or sick,
and this you bring as an offering.
Shall I accept that from your hand, says the Lord?
Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock
and vows it,
and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished.
God has clearly told them not to worship him this way.
Deuteronomy 15, for example.
If it has any blemish,
if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish,
whatever,
you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
Pretty clear?
But it's tempting, isn't it?
It's tempting to give God roadkill,
to invest our time and resources and energy
in our own kingdoms and the things that matter so much to us
and squeeze his worship in where we can
on the margins of our lives.
The great British preacher,
Martin Lloyd-Jones,
told the story of a farmer who came in one morning to his wife
with good news.
He said,
our cow has had two baby cows.
Here's what we're going to do.
We're going to raise them,
grow them up.
Eventually, we're going to sell them for a good profit.
We're going to give the money from one to God.
We're going to keep the money from the other for our family.
That's how it's going to work.
And she said,
that's a wonderful idea.
Which one is God's?
And he said,
oh, we don't have to worry about that.
We'll decide that when we get there.
The next morning,
he came in with his wife.
He had bad news.
God's cow died.
Figured out which one was which, didn't he?
Didn't take him long.
Worship that costs us little
is false worship.
And so is half-hearted worship
that is merely external.
Verse 13 again.
Here's what the people are saying.
What a weariness.
And you snort at it.
What a drag.
This is so dull.
Does that ever happen at your house?
Do we have to wake up and go to church this morning?
I'm so tired.
Well, listen, darling.
I mean, I know it's not the most exciting thing ever,
but we have to go to church.
I mean, it's one of those things you have to do.
Or maybe you've had your own conversation.
God, these neighbors are just such a pain.
They're messy.
I'm tired of dealing with them.
I'm just not sure I'm going to have time for them this week.
Sorry.
Or maybe in your own mind,
it's just getting a bit dull
following God's laws for my sexual purity.
I mean, I've been pretty good for a while,
but it's not a huge deal anyway, right?
Just one time.
I'll still go to church Sunday.
Yes, we will.
We'll sit in pews just like these.
We'll be there.
But in the meantime,
we're coming to a worship service,
but all the rest of the time,
we're telling God that He's not worthy of our worship,
that He's not our first love.
We may attend worship services,
but our hearts aren't worshiping God.
And that's the real problem
that God has with false worship.
So the fact that we give Him roadkill
that costs us nothing,
that takes little consideration from our hearts,
dishonors Him.
That's the problem.
It says that He is worth little.
It tells your friends He's unimportant.
It tells your kids He's a box to check,
but not a God to love.
Listen to what He says here.
This is all about His greatness and glory.
He says things like,
where is my honor?
You despise my name.
You profane my name.
My name will be great among the nations.
I am a great king,
and my name will be feared among the nations.
Do you hear what He's saying?
Then, just like serving roadkill to the queen,
communicates that you think very little of her.
So worshiping God with occasional leftovers of your life
communicates you think very little of Him.
See, the problem with God impacting only one hour of your week
when it's convenient to you,
where many of us live sometimes,
is that it says to your neighbor who doesn't know Jesus
that Jesus is not gloriously worthy
or eternally essential.
And it leaves the nations who've never heard of Jesus
without the hope of the gospel.
That's why God's so upset, isn't it?
This is a huge deal.
Verse 10, He says,
Oh, there were one among you who would shut the doors
that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain.
I've no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts.
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.
You're not making it that way.
And in every place,
incense will be offered to my name,
a pure offering,
for my name will be great among the nations,
says the Lord of hosts.
The glory of His name is so vital to God
that He would rather have empty churches
than empty worship that doesn't display
the worth of His great name.
Yikes!
That's not exaggeration in a song.
I'm not stretching the truth.
It's what He tells them.
Somebody shut the doors!
That's what He's all about, isn't it?
This grand story that He's telling,
that Malachi shows up in for a few decades,
that you and I get to live in for a few decades,
is about His glory filling the earth
so that all nations will know Him and worship Him.
He will see to it.
He says that true worship happens
among the Gentiles themselves
if the Jews won't get on board.
That's the promise.
And y'all, we're here this morning
because that promise of His name being made great
among the nations
has actually been coming to life for centuries now.
That's a big reason that we're gathered here.
Could Malachi have even imagined Gentiles like this
from the rising of the sun,
think where they started on this Sunday, for example,
all the way to its setting,
magnifying God's name.
It's what He's talking about,
but could He have even imagined
what it was going to become?
That's true worship in every place in all of life.
True worship makes the name of God great
because we give the best of all we have to Him
from the bottom of our hearts
with all that we are.
True worship delights in the presence of God
when His people gather together,
especially as the new temple
where He dwells among us.
And true worship moves outward
because we long for the nations to know
not how great we are,
but how great and awesome our God is.
That's true worship.
He is indeed a great King.
And our job as we experience His glorious grace
is to express that grace to every neighbor,
to every nation that they too might live their lives
for the glory of King Jesus.
Is that what we're really all about?
Because that's why we're here.
But is it actually what we're about?
Y'all, we've got to ask ourselves those questions
and have those conversations.
How are we?
And how are we not?
All about that great story
and that great mission
that God has put us here for.
I hope you'll take the time
to talk about that with your family
or your connect community
or your connect community in a few minutes
or your small group.
What does that look like in your life?
We're not getting into a lot of particulars,
but we need to.
Remember how it worked in Malachi's day.
The holy presence of God,
at that time dwelling particularly in the temple,
was mediated to his people through the priests.
The priests were the go-betweens, right?
This one tribe, the Levites,
out of the 12,
those were the priests
and they were the ones who went before God
and they were the ones who represented him
to the rest of the nation of Israel,
to all God's people.
But that was only the beginning
of the priests going on then.
God also called the whole nation
as a kingdom of priests.
All 12 tribes were to be a kingdom of priests
who would represent God
and carry his holy presence
to all their neighbors and to all nations.
Just as he calls every Christian today.
To mediate his presence dwelling in us
by his Holy Spirit
to all our neighbors
and to all nations.
1 Peter 2, if you need a verse for it.
We are to know him
and to make him known,
not just in this place,
but everywhere.
That's true worship.
Friends, that's why God has given us breath today.
It's what his word tells us.
It either is what we're about or it's not.
That's why we're here.
I read this week the story
of a young new believer in Africa.
Having met Jesus,
she was excited to go to worship services
at her local church.
And she did.
And sure enough, during the service,
this time came for the offering.
And a plate started being passed
through the congregation.
Being unfamiliar with this practice,
she watched and noticed
that people would reach into their pockets
and put money in the plate.
And that seemed to be the thing to do.
Except,
she was poor.
She didn't have any money.
She got the plate
when it came around to her
and didn't really know what to do with it.
So she put it on the ground.
And then she stood in it
and said in a loud voice,
God, I don't have any money,
but you can have all of me.
That's true worship.
Because it happens
not just in these walls, right?
She wasn't bringing to God
something that would happen
just while she was here
for a little bit.
But when all of us
is living all for Jesus,
that's true worship.
Amen?
How about our lives?
Roadkill Christianity?
Or
stand in the offering plate Christianity?
There you go.
We'll call it that.
That's something.
It is now.
Roadkill Christianity?
Whatever I can find
at the end of the day?
Or all of me?
All the time?
Everywhere?
This call to true worship
is for all of us.
But to be faithful
to Malachi's message,
I have to point out
that he targets this message
at those called
to lead God's people,
particularly to minister
his word to them.
They are especially responsible
for the true or false worship
of God's people.
Look how he starts chapter 2
after already in chapter 1
addressing the priests.
Now he's reiterating
his focus in chapter 2.
Now, O priest,
this command is for you.
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.
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.
So shall you know
that I have sent this command to you.
Even when you pronounce
a benediction, a blessing,
it will actually be a curse
because you're not honoring my name.
See, there's a profound connection
between those called
to represent God to his people,
to minister his word to them
and the hearts of his people themselves.
Whether or not they worship him appropriately
and passionately with all of their lives
is really connected to those priests.
I got to be honest with you,
I've been feeling the weight of that this week.
How does my relationship with God,
our pastor's ministry of the word,
our elders' shepherding of this flock
impact all of us?
God says it's huge
one way or the other.
We need to be praying
for our leaders, don't we?
I asked you that personally
in my last pastor's note
and I'm really thankful for y'all.
So many of you pray for me.
So many of you have come to me recently
and said I'm praying for you.
I always have been
or I'm starting now.
I'll take it either way.
I need it so much.
I feel that need more and more
and this passage will help you briefly
know more about where to pray
and where to push us
as leaders of God's people.
See, these priests in Malachi's day
are false priests.
They're actually encouraging God's people
in their roadkill Christianity.
Not speaking the truth of God's word
clearly into their lives
and so God starts with them.
God says they are not focusing
on his name, verse 1,
but rather focusing on their own name.
That's what partiality in instruction means
in verse 9.
False priests fear man more than God.
Boy, that is hard for me.
Then verse 8 highlights these dual realities
that so often go together
and we see it and you've watched it happen.
They, the priests,
are walking away from God themselves.
They're not following his word
that they are to know and love.
They're not living for his glory.
They're not worshiping him
with their whole lives.
And as a result,
they're leading others
away from God too.
Those things go hand in hand, don't they?
It's no surprise,
but it is a grievous tragedy
when that happens.
If my life doesn't display
the greatness and worth of God
and my teaching doesn't exalt
the glory and grace of God,
then those magnificent truths
become small.
In the eyes of those I'm leading.
Just so in our day,
we have many priests
seeking celebrity status
over humility.
Many have crashed on the rocks
of personal moral failure
and hidden sins
rather than honest,
fruit-bearing repentance
and faith in their struggles.
Many have allowed political
and social agendas
to cloud the clarity
of God's word
and the gospel call
because many of us struggle
with fearing man
more than God.
Is it any surprise
that in our day,
God has brought disgrace
and shame
upon preachers
and leaders
dishonoring his name?
He says,
feces on your faces
in verse 3.
He's serious
because I will not allow
one who dishonors me
to continue with my blessing.
Friends,
please pray.
Pray for all of us
as we're all called
to be a kingdom of priests
to the nations
and pray particularly
for your pastors
and elders
and any who minister
God's word to you.
Listen to how it's supposed to work.
Why God gives priests
to represent him
to his people.
Verse 5,
You see what he's saying?
His main concern
is God's name,
God's glory, right?
You hear how he walks
with God himself,
speaking God's truth,
knowing God's truth
and as a result
he leads others
away from their sin
to repent
and turn back to God?
That's the way
it's supposed to work.
These words are describing Levi
whose household
God sets up
as priests
over his people
to point them
toward him.
But who else
does that sound like?
Listen again.
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.
True instruction
was in his mouth.
No wrong was found
on his lips.
He walked with me
in peace
and uprightness
and he turned many
from iniquity.
Doesn't it sound like Jesus?
Our great high priest.
The one whose zeal
for God's name
bleeds through
everything he does.
who always
follows his father's will
no matter what
it costs him.
Who actually
speaks God's
very law
himself
in whose mouth
is no deceit
ever found
at all
and who doesn't
merely lead people
away from iniquity
but actually
delivers them
from their sin
once
and for all.
See,
we get the true priest
don't we?
The one who finally
does all of this
perfectly
and then
comes to those of us
called to be priests
and you know what
he doesn't do?
He doesn't fling
dung at us
and say
get it together
you disgraceful priests
can't you live
for me more?
That's not what he does.
No,
the perfect priest
at the end
of all that perfection
he takes
the shame
the disgrace
the curse
for us
false priests
on himself
hanging
on a cross
outside
the city
beaten
bloodied
buried
in a borrowed
tomb
he takes
that on himself
to rescue
us
false
priests
and to make us
true
sons
that's our great
hope, right?
That's
that's where we find
hope
beloved by the
perfect God
because Jesus
is perfect
for us
and he
remakes us
he does that
indeed
into priests
who even
today
can be a part
of making
the name
of our great
king
glorious
among the
nations
so it's not
as we find
ourselves
perfect
but as we
find ourselves
in
Jesus
that we
find God's
true
blessing
isn't it?
Blessing
now flows
to us
instead of
curse
and the
blessing
of God
then flows
through us
to all our
neighbors
and all
nations
isn't that a
greater and more
glorious purpose
than whatever else
you're living for?
Say yes
it is
thank you
Jesus
for allowing us
to be a part
of that
love
so amazing
so divine
demands
my soul
my life
my all
sing that again
in just a minute
let's pray
and ask him
for his grace
father we do
need it
your love may
demand our soul
our life
our all
but
we'll forget
that quickly
we even forget
the glorious
good news
that we don't
have to make
ourselves
acceptable to
you this
afternoon
that Jesus
has done
that
so would you
remind us
of that
and would you
would you
give us your
grace to be
faithful priests
that's why
we're here
help us
encourage each
other in that
give us your
spirit
that your name
might be great
in this place
and among the
nations
in Jesus
name
amen
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information
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at
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