Malachi 1:9-14 (Their love has grown cold)

A) They Doubted God’s love (Mal 1:2)

B) God reassures His love and His blessing upon the people (1:2-5)

C) God rebukes the priest for offering defiled sacrifice (1:7-8)

The problem is their heart has grown cold toward the Lord and their service to Him has become a burden

(V9) In rebellion, yet they seek His favor

A) Doing something wrong, yet praying and asking God to bail you out of the situation

2. (V10) God would rather no sacrifice over worthless sacrifice

Rev 3:16 “But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”

A) God desires the true seeker anything less is disrespectful in His eyes

Jer 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

3. (V11) The priest and the Israelites dishonor God, but other nations honor His name

4. (V12) The priest are God’s representative and they are bringing dishonor to His name

A) Christians are God’s representative as well

Molly’s work (Aren’t Christians not supposed to lie?)

5. (V13) It’s to hard to serve the Lord

A) The priest love for God has grown cold, thus it has become too difficult

6. (V14) Cursed is the cheat who does not keep good on his promises

Lev 22:18-20 ““Give Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites these instructions, which apply both to native Israelites and to the foreigners living among you. “If you present a gift as a burnt offering to the Lord, whether it is to fulfill a vow or is a voluntary offering, you will be accepted only if your offering is a male animal with no defects. It may be a bull, a ram, or a male goat. Do not present an animal with defects, because the Lord will not accept it on your behalf.”

A) The Lord made a covenant with Israel, in which they agreed to obey

Deut 28:1-2 ““If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:”