Bringin It.

Malachi 1:6–2:9 NIV

“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty. “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty. “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations. “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me. “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

25 - Introduction: How Can we despise God?

26 - We Bless God by Bringing our Best.

Spouse Love Languages

Stories from Sports and giving 110% - Setting up a tee net in my garage, throwing a tennis ball in my against the brick wall. Having my sister throw digs to for me in my driveway. batting cages. Diving drills in my basement. Studying Baseball Strategy. Playing wiffle ball twice a day with my buddy down the street. When we went inside, playing Baseball Strat-0-matic.

Why Don’t you Do that with me?

27 - We Dishonor God When we do the Minimum.

In the reading from Malachi, God’s people have become lazy and rote in their worship of him. They are bringing him offerings of animals that are tainted, lame, and blind (v. 8). This external offering is a reflection of their hearts. The people of God have lost their passion, zeal, and obedience to the commands of God. What was intended to display grateful hearts of worship and adoration has become the ancient equivalent of week-old leftovers presented to God as if they are a great offering, when, in reality, they only deserve to be tossed out

28 - This humorous video perfectly illustrates humanity’s natural bent toward laziness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FB8kCJMrpk. The people of God are barely obeying his commands and are bringing half-hearted effort to their worship of the God of the universe, just like these people who are taking shortcuts and putting forth minimal effort in everyday life

29 - People often attend church, give, serve, and worship based on what they get out of the experience, hoping that their return on investment is appropriate to their level of commitment. This type of self-focused religion reduces God to a cosmic vending machine. What he offers is so much more satisfying and profound, a life that appropriately places God at the center and offers him the very best of all that we have as an act of worship for all that he has done for us

What makes matters worse, the people are complaining that the act of worshipping God has become wearisome to them (v. 13). They have ceased to enjoy and delight in the worship of God. What was designed by God to bring deep satisfaction and health to the nation has been reduced to religious platitudes and rote obedience, devoid of heart. The people have become self-centered, seeking self-gratification rather than pursuing the worship of God

30 - 33: Tithe Story from New Hope

34 - GIGO - Garbage In Garbage Out.

But is it other areas we are doing this. - Leadership Development - Consistory, Not participating in ministry, letting someone else do it, and then do we make excuses?

35 - Let’s not be like George...

36 - Let’s Bring it.

Malachi implores the people of God to offer gifts to the Lord that are befitting of his greatness (v. 14). Half-hearted responses will never produce the level of worship that is due to God, nor the joy that is meant for the worshipper. However, offering God the best of all that we have, including our hearts, time, money, and energy will bring about a satisfaction that surpasses all other joys this world promises

Bringing it might also mean working smarter not harder - It is about excellence, Not perfection, but excellence. - Chipper Jones talking about dialing it back on hitting - If you swing 75% - 80% effort you will make way more solid connections, then if you swing 100% effort all of the time. Giving your 110% does not always mean working harder, but smarter.

God brought it. He brought the best sacrifice - Jesus, and that is what we offer to God.

From my study notes:

Are we bringing our best to the Lord?

How do we defile our worship to God? Impure heart, non-confession, and unrepentent hearts.

It equips us to cling to Jesus. This is a classic case of how sin, for even the best of us, corrupts even our worship to God. It draws us to our need to be united with Christ who is the true and pure priest as well as the true and pure sacrifice.

And when we cling to Christ's sacrifice then we honor God's name, and make his name feared among the nations.

Ways to bring our best - Making - Worshipping with Energy, Serving with Excellence (Don’t cut corners), Giving in a way that is befitting

Conclusion: Give time for people to pray about their best.

Reference the Reformed Confessions: The Reformed Confessions are statements of faith written to clarify the Gospel at times when the Church was in crisis. Heidelberg Catechism: Q&A 62-64, 86, 91 Belgic Confession: Articles 24 Canons of Dort: Head V, Article 12