Malachi- Week 6

Malachi 3:13–14 ESV

“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?

Malachi 3:15–16 ESV

And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’ ” Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.

Now what is happening here? The people were speaking against God, and God replied to them and said, “Your words have been stout against me.” And what were they saying? I’ll tell you what they were saying. They were saying, “It doesn’t pay to serve the Lord.” What they were saying is this: that worship, what we’re doing this morning, is a colossal waste of time. Worship is a waste. It does no good to serve God. What profit is it? They said, “We’ve been looking around. The best crowd to be in is those in the fast lane, the shakers, the movers, the proud, the self-sufficient and the self-serving. What good does it do to serve the Lord?” That’s what they’ve been asking. “It really doesn’t pay,” they were saying.

Well, the title of our message today is this: “It Pays to Serve Jesus.” It pays to serve Jesus. It pays every day. It pays every step of the way. Now they challenged the Lord, and they said, “It doesn’t pay.” And Malachi answered and he gave three thoughts, three wonderful truths,. Three things in case sometimes when you look around and it seems like everybody is having a big time and that you’re left out, and that if you wonder sometime, are you really doing the right thing when you love and give and sacrifice and pray and serve the Lord Jesus, whether you wonder, is it really worth it, then I want you to keep these three things in mind. Three basic reasons that Malachi gave to show that it truly pays to serve Jesus.

I. Our Lord Remembers His Own

look at vs. 16

Malachi 3:16 ESV

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.

Some were fearing the Lord! Not everyone was saying it doesn’t pay! and God was