Bad sacrifices, bad hearts and bad lips Malachi 1:6-2:9

Purpose - Live faithful lives of service for God that flow from faith in Christ and renewed hearts.

Introduction

How should we respond when a Christian leader fails morally?

I heard the sad news yesterday of a well know author and preacher who has recently stepped down from Christian ministry because of unfaithfulness to his wife.

How should we respond as Christians when this happens?

We should feel sorrow. We should pray for their repentance and for healing for all those who have been affected.

We should take their failure as a warning that no one is immune to temptation so we must watch and pray. We need to learn from their mistakes, so we don’t make the same.

But there is something else we must do. When ever a leader fails we need to remind ourselves that Christ never has and never will fail. He is perfect. He is our King. He is our Saviour. He is our great High Priest. He is the one who brings us to God. He is our righteousness.

He is the one we trust in and rely on for salvation. Our hope rests in him alone and not in a sinful man no matter how gifted a speaker or author they may be.

This is also how we should approach this passage. The priests in Israel were the spiritual leaders. They were to teach the law. They were to offer the sacrifices. Yet Here we see that God is calling out the sinfulness of the spiritual leaders in the days of Malachi. How should we respond to what we see here?

Firstly, we need to learn from their mistakes. We need to take what is said to them and use it as a mirror to look at ourselves. Secondly, we also need to look at Christ and as we will no doubt be challenged as we use their failure to test ourselves, we will certainly be encouraged as we see their failure makes the glories of Christ shine all the more brightly.

This is how we are going to approach this passage this evening.

We are going to look at the sins of the priests and what God says about it. Then we are going to hold up our own lives and make sure similar things cannot be said about us. But we won’t stop there. Then we will look at Christ and remind ourselves how Christ is unlike these priests. He is perfect and he is the one we rely on and look to.

In other words we are going to approach this passage in the words of Robert Murray McCheyne “For every look at yourself take ten looks at Christ.”

We are going to look at the priests, look at ourselves then look at Christ.

Let us begin by looking at the priests.

The priests had bad sacrifices, bad hearts and bad lips.

a) Bad sacrifices

i) They dishonoured God v.6-7

God charges them. They deny it. So God shows them.

ii) They offered worthless sacrifices v8

lame, blind, sick

But God’s commanded them to offer a sacrifice that was without blemish. They were expected to bring their best to God.

They were bringing their worst. The animals nobody wanted, God can have them.

God challenges them to offer it to their governor. They wouldn’t dare. Yet they dare offer it to God Almighty.

iii) They were keeping the best for themselves v.14

The people were doing it and the priests were going along with it.

b) bad hearts v.12-13

i) They said what a weariness v.13a

They were weary of it because their heart wasn’t in it. It all seemed meaningless to them.

ii) They sneered at God’s service v.13b

They turned their nose up at it

c) Bad lips ch2 v.1-9

i) God reminds them of a faithful priest ch2 v.4-7

I made a covenant with Levi ch2 v.4

He was faithful ch2 v.5-7

He feared the LORD

He was reverent

He taught the law faithfully

The lived righteously

He turned many away from sin

ii) God pointed out their sin ch2 v.8

BUT YOU...

Have lead many astray- Not taught the law faithfully

Not kept the law faithfully

The priests had bad sacrifices, bad hearts and bad lips.

God took their unfaithfulness seriously-

Look at his warnings.

v.14

ch2 v.2

ch2 v.3

We have looked at the priests. Now, let us look at ourselves.

II. God wants pure sacrifices, loyal hearts and faithful lips

a) God wants Pure sacrifices

The priests offered bad sacrifices. What about us?

Do we offer pure sacrifices?

We are not under the OT law. We do not bring animals to God to be sacrificed on the altar.

How does this relate to us?

Three ways-

Salvation. Service. Song

i) What kind of sacrifice do we bring for salvation?

Are you trying to offer God unworthy sacrifices in the hope he will accept you? Your good works, Your church attendance?

There is only one Sacrifice God accepts on behalf of guilty sinners. The pure offering of Jesus Christ.

Preach Cross.

If you are relying on anything other than Jesus to make you acceptable to God then you are no better than these priests.

ii) What kind of sacrifice do we bring in service?

Are you only giving God the dregs?

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

I’ll give him Sunday. But the rest is mine.

God charged the people of keeping the best for themselves and giving God what was worthless. Are we doing that? With time? Money? Gifts?

iii) What kind of sacrifice do we bring in song?

Do we worship God will hearts of devotion and love? Or do we sing the songs but don’t really mean what we say?

John 4:23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”

If we are honest we often don’t worship God as we ought. We stand us and sing the words but our minds and hearts are often elsewhere.

John Newton expressed this truth when he wrote the hymn

 How weak the effort of my heart, how cold my warmest thought; but when I see you as you are, I'll praise you as I ought.

b) God wants Loyal hearts

The priests had bad hearts towards God.

Is our heart right before God?

John Calvin- The heart is a factory of idols.

Do you love God above all others?

Do you seek his glory above all else?

Or is your heart elsewhere?

A good test- Where is your treasure? Jesus said where you treasure is there your heart is also. Are you spending your time and resources to build God’s kingdom? Are you storing treasure in heaven? Or are you spending your time and resources to build your own kingdom. Are you storing treasure up on earth?

c) God wants Faithful lips

The lips of the priests were unfaithful. They didn’t teach truth. They lead people away from the law.

Are our lips faithful to God?

Do they honour him?

Do the things we say point others to him?

We’ve looked at the priests. We looked at ourselves. Now let us look at Christ.

III. Jesus offered a pure sacrifice, had a loyal heart and faithful lips

a) Jesus Offered a pure sacrifice

The priests offered bad sacrifices. But Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice.

This is pointed to in Malachi 1:11.

The nations will offer a pure offering. Many interpret this to mean they will rely on the perfect sacrifice of Christ to bring them to God.

He offered a perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews 9:14- He offered himself without spot to God

He lived a perfect, righteous life. Then willingly offered himself on the cross to pay for our sins.

Preach Gospel.

b) Jesus Had a loyal heart

The priests had bad hearts. But Jesus heart was filled with undivided devotion to his Father.

John 4:34 “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

Even as he faced the agonies of the cross he prays in the Garden

Luke 22:42 “saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.””

c) Jesus Had Faithful lips

The priests had bad lips but Jesus always spoke the truth and always spoke words that honoured and pleased the Father.

John 12:49 “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”

1 Peter 2:22 ““Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;”

Conclusion

The priests had bad sacrifices, bad hearts and bad lips.

God wants pure sacrifices, loyal hearts and faithful lips.

Jesus offered a pure sacrifice, had a loyal heart and had faithful lips.

As we look at what God says to the priests we are reminded leaders can fail.

We must learn from their failure and examine ourselves in light of it.

But most importantly we need to remember Christ never did and never will fail.

If you look at the priests and know like them you have failed. What should you do?

Let us confess to God. Sorry Father for not honouring you with my life as I ought. sorry for not loving you as I ought.

Let us Repent and resolve to present ourselves to God as living sacrifices.

Let us Trust in Christ’s blood and righteousness. Look to him. Rely on him.