Malachi- Keeping the Wonder in Your Worship 1:6-14

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“How to Keep the Wonder in Your Worship.” We’re talking about giving God glory, and I believe one of the worst things in this world is half-hearted worship.

One man had been missing church for a long time. The pastor went to see him and call on him. And, the man began to give an excuse after excuse. He’d been out of work. The children had been sick. He’d had difficulty with the farm animals. But then, he said, “It’s been raining and raining and raining every Sunday.” The pastor said, “But, it’s dry at church.” He said, “Yeah, and that’s another reason I haven’t come.”

Oh, what do we do about these dry services?Let’s start by reading this section of scripture...

Malachi 1:6–8 ESV

“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 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 you favor? says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 1:9–11 ESV

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, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 1:12–14 ESV

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 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.

The key is in vs. 13- look at it again...

Malachi 1:13 ESV

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.

I looked it up in the Living Bible in a paraphrase, and it says, “And you turn up your nose at it.” Weariness in worship “ Are we going to church again?

Are we going to have sit there and be bored again?” What happens when the joy, the wonder, the thrill, the enthusiasm goes out of our worship? I hope that never happens to me. when the joy goes out and the love goes out like some marriages. It’s like a couple going before the marriage counselor. The counselor says to the man, “What do you think is wrong with your marriage?” “Well,” he said, “old what’s-her-name says, ‘I don’t love her anymore.’” Have you gotten that way about your love for the Lord?

Now, notice he’s focusing on a priest in this chapter.

Malachi 1: 6

Malachi 1:6 ESV

Well, you say, “Adrian, that doesn’t apply to me. I’m not a priest.” Wrong! You are a priest. First Peter chapter 2, verse 9: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9).

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Look at yourself sometime in the mirror and say, “Hello, priest,” or, if you’re a woman, “Hello, priestess.” We are priests.

Not only are we priests; we’re kings. And, we’re to offer to the Lord sacrifices, day by day, holy sacrifices, and whole sacrifices we are to offer unto the Lord. And, we’re to do it with enthusiasm, not weariness. You know what the word enthusiasm means? It means en theos—“in God,” or, “God in you.”

Now, what I want to do is talk to you about how to keep the wonder in your worship. how to keep the fire in your faith, how not to let it become weary, how not to snuff at it, how not just simply to come and sit. What is that? What cools us down? Why are we not thrilled about the things of God? How can you keep the wonder in your worship? Three ways.

1. Recognize the Nature of God

Malachi 1:6 ESV

A. God is Our Father, and we are His Sons/Daughters.

God is our Father, and we are His sons. And, fathers are to be honored. The word honor comes from a word which means, “weight; giving weight to.” It means, “to be taking someone seriously.” Do you take God seriously? I mean, are you serious about your worship? That’s the reason the Bible says, Jesus said, in Revelation chapter 3, verses 15 and 16, to the church at Laodicea, “Because thou art neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16). G. Campbell Morgan said that “lukewarmness is the worst form of blasphemy.”

Jesus had rather have you cold than lukewarm. He’d rather have you out-and-out against Him than lukewarm. Why? At least a person who’s against Christ has the respect enough for Him to be against Him. But, a person who is lukewarm says, “I believe. I’m just not excited about it. Lord, You don’t move me.” We come to church sometimes and yawn in the face of God. God says, “I’m a Father. Where is My honor?” That’s the reason when Jesus taught us to pray, how did He teach us to pray? How do we begin our prayer? “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). So, God is a Father. That’s one way that we recognize the nature of God.

B. God is a Master, and We are His Bond-Servants.

Malachi 1:6 ESV

Now, God is a Father; He deserves honor. And, if God is our Master, He deserves fear. Many don’t fear God. The word servant there is the word bond-slave. It’s someone who was bought in the marketplace. You and I were slaves of sin, and we’ve been bought by the Lord Jesus, and we have become His slaves. Some people say, “I don’t believe in a religion built on fear.”

Psalm 19:9 ESV

the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

Listen to Exodus 20, verse 20: Now, what is that? What he’s saying is that there is one fear that removes all other fears.

Exodus 20:20 ESV

Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

Now, what is that? What he’s saying is that there is one fear that removes all other fears.

We are media saturated. It’s everywhere we turn. And they have one main goal- create fear.

But, there a fear/a reverence for God in our hearts.

How do we serve the Lord? God is a Father: give Him honor. God is our Master: give Him fear. What a mighty God we serve! So, the very first thing to do, if you want to put wonder in your worship: Recognize the nature of God.

Not only recognize the nature of God, but then, right on the heels of that, you reverence the name of God.

2. Reverence the Name of God

Malachi 1:6 ESV

Malachi 1:12–13 ESV

Now, remember, God’s name stands for His character. What is His character? He is a Father, and He is a Master.

Now, how can we despise God’s name? We can despise God’s name by half-hearted worship. Now, what were they doing? They were coming to the Lord, and in that day they would offer animal sacrifices. We don’t do that in this day. But, in that day, they would offer animal sacrifices. And, they’d go out to the flock. And, if they had some crippled sheep, some lame oxen, some blind animal, something that was worthless, useless, something that had a scar, a blemish, or something perhaps that had even died in the field, they would bring it and offer it to the Lord. Now, the Bible absolutely, totally is against that.

Leviticus 22:17–24 ESV

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord, if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar. You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted. Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the Lord; you shall not do it within your land,

Now, why did these offerings—why were they required to be perfect? Because every one of them was a picture of who? Jesus. And, remember what Peter said about Jesus, in 1 Peter 1, verse 19: “He was a lamb without spot and without blemish” (1 Peter 1:19). He was the perfect offering. And, all these Old Testament offerings were a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, God says, “Don’t bring to Me an offering that is wounded or weak or blind or sick or blemished.”

And, look in verse 8—chapter 1, Malachi, verse 8-

Malachi 1:8–9 ESV

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 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.

Now, if the governor were going to come, and you say, “Oh, Governor, we’re so happy to have you in our city, in our home, in our synagogue, in our temple. Here’s a gift for you,” and you bring out a sick cow; you bring out a scabby animal of some kind; you bring out something that is blind, and you say, “Here, this, governor, is for you.” God says, “Would you offer that to the governor? Would he accept it?” No, you would give your best, if the governor—the king, the prince, whoever it is—might visit.

Now, how does that relate to us? Do we give God less than we give to the government? I mean, do we treat God less? Suppose now when April the 15th comes around you just write the IRS and you say, “You know, I really should pay my income tax, but you know, I’ve kind of had a bad run of luck here lately. And, things are not just what they ought to be, so I’ve decided not to pay my taxes this year.” You know, have you ever heard anybody talk that way about that, making an offering to the Lord? “Well, you know, just, things have happened; and so, I’ve decided that I’m not going to tithe, you know, until I get better on my feet. I’m going to get back on my feet.” Try that on the IRS. All right, let’s try this—try this on your boss tomorrow morning: “No, I didn’t come into work. I had company that came.” Or, “You know, I’ve been going so hard, I just decided I’d sleep in today.” Try it on the boss. Try this on your wife: “I bought myself a 300-dollar suit, and I got you a 10-dollar dress in a rummage sale.” Try that on your wife.

Why is it that we eat the cake and give God the crumbs? That’s what they were doing. They were not offering the best to Jesus. I’m telling you, folks, that God deserves the best, the best of what we have. Don’t give God that which is lame and sick and left over.

It’s like when the scouts or some other group comes and collects can goods, and what do you do? You go thru and give them all the expired stuff or things nobody will eat. Here ya go!

Here’s another interesting verse about that, Ex. 22:31

Exodus 22:31 ESV

“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

He’s saying you are holy men! don’t eat that junk, throw that to the dogs! (Exodus 22:31). Do you know what some folks are doing? I remember growing up, our dogs ate all our leftovers. I’m not sure we had real dog food. They’re giving God dog food, They’re saying, “Here, it’s not fit for us. We’ll give it to God”—offering God that sort of a thing.

I heard of a woman who went into the grocery store and bought a case of dog food, and the grocer said, “What kind of dog do you have?” She said, “I don’t have a dog.” He said, “Well, you’re buying this dog food. Is it for a cat?” She said, “I don’t have a cat.” He said, “Well, what are you going to do with it?” She said, “It’s for my husband.” “Oh,” he said, “lady, no. You don’t give your husband dog food, do you?” She said, “Well, look at the can here. See there. It’s vitamin-enriched. It’s clean. It’s sanitary.” And, she said, “He likes it. I give it to him. It’s very cheap. What’s wrong with that? Why can’t I give my husband this dog food?” He said, “Lady, I don’t know what to tell you. I just don’t think you ought to do it.” But, week after week, she’d come in and buy a case of that canned dog food. One day, she stopped buying it. He said to her, “What’s the matter? Your husband won’t eat that dog food anymore?” She said, “No, my husband is dead.” He said, “See, I told you you shouldn’t be feeding him that stuff.” She said, “It’s not what you think. He was hit chasing a car.”

Now, what was happening was this. Why was their worship a weariness? Well, because they were offering to God half-hearted, unworthy sacrifices. Listen. When you bring your gift next Sunday, if it means little to you, it will mean little to Him. I’m gonna be honest, when I tithe, sometimes I pause, man I sure could use that somewhere else. Ouch. Let me say that again. If it means little to you, it will mean little to Him. Give of your best to the Master.

Malachi 1:12 ESV

But you profane it when you say that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised.

Now, God says, “You profane My name.” What do you think of when you think of profanity? Do you think of someone in a bar room using swear words? Do you know what profanity is? Profanity is when you use the name of God and don’t mean it; when you’re not enthused; when you stand in a church like this and sing about Jesus and your mind is off somewhere in some business deal, or what you’re going to do, who you’re going to eat with after church. The worst profanity happens in the house of God. God says, “You have profaned My name.” How? By half-hearted worship—by half-hearted worship. Think what an insult that is to Almighty God. We’re in business for the King, and we need to keep the wonder in our worship. And, we cannot come and offer to God that which costs us nothing, and offer castaways to God, and then profane His name. His name is to be great.

There is no other name that takes precedent over that name, Jesus. And oh, how we ought to honor the name of Jesus Christ!

A. There Is Salvation in That Name.

There’s salvation in that name. Acts chapter 4, verse 12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must saved” (Acts 4:12).

B. There Is Worship in That Name

There’s worship in that name, for Jesus said, in Matthew 18, verse 20: “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

C. There Is Authority in That Name

There is authority in that name. In Colossians 3, verse 17: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

D. There Is Prayer in That Name

There is prayer in that name. John 15, verse 16: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,”—Jesus said—“and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16).

So, Remember the nature of God. Reverence the name of God: offer a worthy sacrifice; use His name with a sense of awe and wonder. And then, the third and final thing: Respect the nobility of God.

3. Respect the Nobility of God

look in vs. 14

Malachi 1:14 ESV

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.

a preacher out in Arizona. He had some things he wanted done around the church, and the church was kind of getting run down, and so he told his people, “I have received word that the President of the United States wants to come to our church and worship”—this preacher friend of mine. Boy, a buzz went through the congregation. And, he said, “Now, we need to get some things done around here.” He said, “These carpets that are unraveling, they need to be bound up. And, we need these rugs shampooed. And, we want to have some beautiful flowers. And, choir, I want you to be at your very best,” and so forth. And, boy, they were all thinking, “Man, the President, the President, the President’s going to be here.” And, after a while, he told them all these things that he wanted done. And then, he said, “Now, folks, I want to be honest with you. The President’s not coming. All that was make believe. But, you were so excited about getting everything ready because the President may come to our services.” He said, “The King of kings will be here every Sunday.”

Now, why should we get all excited about the presence of some man when Jesus is here? He is the King! And, when we—look, folks—when we remember His nature—He’s a Father, and we’re His sons: we’re to honor Him. He’s a Master; we’re His servants: we’re to fear Him—we need to reverence His name, not to profane His name. Just remember the name of Jesus every time we sing or praise or pray. Again, don’t profane His name. And then, finally, respect His nobility. He is the King, the absolute King. Now, in these verses that I’ve shared with you, here’s what God is: He is Father, He is Master, and He is King. As sons, God deserves our love. As servants, He deserves our labor. And, as subjects, He deserves our loyalty.

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