Sermon Tone Analysis
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The theme of our message this morning is on the idea of honor or reverence.
This past week I was accosted with two ungodly examples of honor and reverence.
1).
An add popped upon on my screen this week that told me it was pride month, and that I needed to “honor” pride month.
What a contradiction of terms!
Our society has strayed far from the path of giving honor to God!
They have instead created a world where we are supposed to honor sin!
2).
The second example came yesterday as I was watching coverage of the Warriors winning the NBA finals.
Sports commentators were talking about how the victory of the Warriors (their 4th NBA title) might damage the legacy of other NBA superstars.
One commentator said this about a player, “I don’t just respect him, I reverence him.”
I shook my head in disbelief that we are now using terms like “reverence” in relation to other people- even if they are NBA basketball players.
The truth is we are all designed by God with the ability to show honor and reverence.
He hard wired us to be creatures of worship.
The problem is that honor and reverence is too often misdirected.
That was the problem in Malachi’s day.
The Jewish people no longer showed God the honor or the reverence He deserved.
The book of Malachi not only comes at the end of our OT in terms of book order, it is the end of the OT in terms of chronological order as well.
That means, this is the last revelation given by God before a 400 year period of silence.
We know very little about the prophet Malachi other than his name- which means “my messenger.”
Malachi wrote to a post-exilic people shortly after the historical events and ministries of Ezra and Nehemiah.
In 458 BC you had the second major return from captivity to Jerusalem under Ezra.
Ezra brought about a significant spiritual reform.
Then in 445 BC the final major return of exiles happened under Nehemiah.
Under Nehemiah, the broken walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt and again the people underwent a significant spiritual reformation.
Apparently those spiritual revivals under Ezra and Nehemiah did not last long, for when Malachi enters the scene the people are once again living in sin and covenant unfaithfulness.
The primary message of Malachi is “God rejects empty and half-hearted religion.”
He begins his preaching by addressing the spiritual emptiness of the priests.
They had lost their love, their fervor, and their reverence for the Lord.
The priests of Malachi’s day should have been like Levi-
Instead of fearing God and standing in awe of His name, the priests of Malachi’s day were despising, defiling, and profaning God’s name.
Thus, in Malachi 1, the prophet’s message is this:
Propositional Statement: Our great God deserves our genuine reverential awe!
Sermon Question: How do we revere God and stand in awe of His name?
I want to look at three ways we can revere God and stand in awe of His name.
I.
We must be overwhelmed by God’s gracious love (1:1-5)
If we are going to have authentic fear for God, if we are going to stand in awe of His name, then we must be overwhelmed by His gracious love for us!
Malachi 1:1–2 (ESV)
1 The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.
But you say, “How have you loved us?”
Dwell on the wonderful declaration of God to His people- “I have loved you.”
How would you respond if God personally told you, “I have loved you.”
How would you feel?
How did the Jews of Malachi’s day respond?
“How have you loved us?”
90% of communication is non-verbal.
I don’t think this was a sincere question.
This was not, “Oh, really God you have loved us in the past?
How exactly did you show your love for us?”
I think there is some disbelief in the voice of the Jews in their response!
“Really, how have you loved us?”
The idea being- God your don’t really love us!
How could they say that?
What is going on in their hearts that would make them questions God’s love for them?
A. We question God’s love for us when we become fixated on everything we don’t have
What happened to Judah in 586 BC? Exile to Babylon.
Did Judah remain as exiles forever?
538 BC what happened?
Decree of Cyrus
Jews begin to return from captivity to Jerusalem and they begin to rebuild.
516 BC what significant structure is rebuilt?
The temple!
Then you have spiritual reforms under Ezra and Nehemiah, and the walls are rebuilt.
You have several occasions where the people to a large degree repent of their sin and turn back to the Lord.
What major event did the Jews expect to happen next?
The coming of the Messiah!
The Kingdom of God was supposed to come.
Their enemies were supposed to be vanquished, they were supposed to enjoy unparalleled blessing.
Instead what did the Jews of Malachi’s day have?
They were living under the thumb of Persian domination.
There was a meager sense of autonomy, but it was nothing like what they wanted.
God, where is the prosperity!
God where is the kingdom?
Where are your blessings?
Then, Malachi comes along and says to them, God told me to tell you this, “I have loved you.”
But you say, “how have you loved us?”
“No prosperity, no wealth, no kingdom!
God you don’t love us at all!”
This is the essence of a greedy heart!
They were fixated on everything they did not have.
Illustration: How easy is it to fixate on what we don’t have?
Why do I have to live through inflation?
Why can’t it be like the good old days?
Why do I have to put up with such and such a governor or president?
Why can’t we have good leaders for once?
Why didn’t I get that promotion at work?
Why did I have to live through a pandemic?
Or they could be very serious questions?
Why didn’t God give me another child?
Why didn’t God give me any children at all?
Or a spouse?
Or why did God let me go through such a painful trial?
It is very easy to fixate on what we don’t have!
That is a dangerous place to be, it comes out of a heart of greed.
Greed is the lusts in our hearts that wants what it does not have.
I deserve more!
Instead of having a greedy heart that can cause us to even question God’s love for us, what should the attitude of our heart be?
B. We become overwhelmed with God’s love when we remember everything He has already given us
Malachi 1:2–3 (ESV)
2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.
But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord.
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