Transformed By Malachi

Malachi 1:6–9 The Living Bible

6 “A son honors his father, a servant honors his master. I am your Father and Master, yet you don’t honor me, O priests, but you despise my name.” “Who? Us?” you say. “When did we ever despise your name?” 7 “When you offer polluted sacrifices on my altar.” “Polluted sacrifices? When have we ever done a thing like that?” “Every time you say, ‘Don’t bother bringing anything very valuable to offer to God!’ 8 You tell the people, ‘Lame animals are all right to offer on the altar of the Lord—yes, even the sick and the blind ones.’ And you claim this isn’t evil? Try it on your governor sometime—give him gifts like that—and see how pleased he is! 9 “ ‘God have mercy on us,’ you recite; ‘God be gracious to us!’ But when you bring that kind of gift, why should he show you any favor at all?

pray

Confession of Faith

I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name

Intro:

Many of us praise God for his love and blessings until something goes wrong

When things go wrong, then we need someone to blame, so we turn to God, saying: “How could you let this happen to me?

How could you abandon me like this?

We will say how could you be a a Loving God, if you let these things happen to me!

I don’t think you’re really a good God, because a good God would not let such bad things happen to me?

If I’m going through all of this then -How have you loved me?” In the Book Of Malachi those questions are asked and also answers !

God How Have You Loved Us?

Malachi is a prophet that was proclaiming God’s love to the people of his time!

Malachi means Messenger or Angel

In this case Malachi may not mean a specific name, but a messenger that God use to bring the attention of the people social, political , religious and moral change!

But this is not a Barney the purple dinosaur message! This isn’t the I love You - You Love me message!

When we see God’s love at work in it’s rawest form we often find it’s not what we expected

We are confronted - many time in our face with the weapons of his war against hate

God’s weapons of war against pain

God’s ability to cut deep into our hard hearts

Gods proclamation for us to live our lives for him!

Today, we need to let God show us what his love really looks like

See many of us are under the impression that it’s about the religion, or it’s about the church building, or it’s about the pastor, or it’s about the position

But what if God is fighting a different fight!

What if we are missing the real issues, because we are focusing on our own projects!

God’s love is already at work, but we need to find out what it looks like so that we can join the good fight!

I believe God is using this time to turn his people to live for the true kingdom of God and not just a nation or religion!

God my question is not How you have Loved me, but How can I reciprocate his love!

What Does God Desire from us?

Malachi 1:6–9 NKJV

6 “A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ 7 “You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’ 8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts. 9 “But now entreat God’s favor, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.

In the Book of Malachi beginning with verse 6 we see the start of the second conversation between God and his people

A Son Gives Honor to his father, a servant gives honor to his master, but God is asking us this question

Where is his Honor?

If I am God the Father, where is my honor as a father

If I am your master where is my honor as master?

Then he looks at the priest or the people in leadership in the church and say’s you despise my name!

So the people then question God?

You know how we do it -

I’m in church on Sunday, I Pray, I give my tithe, I’m doing the best I can, what do you mean we are despising your name?

Malachi 1:7 The Message

7 “When you say, ‘The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,’ that’s defiling.

So God say’s when the Worship is not important

When the altar is not important

When you bring fake offering to church

When you are just going through the motions

When you bring hatred and envy, jealousy and backbiting to the offer

it’s the same as bringing blind, crippled, & diseased animals as a sacrifice

Leviticus 22:17–33 NLT

17 And the Lord said to Moses, 18 “Give Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites these instructions, which apply both to native Israelites and to the foreigners living among you. “If you present a gift as a burnt offering to the Lord, whether it is to fulfill a vow or is a voluntary offering, 19 you will be accepted only if your offering is a male animal with no defects. It may be a bull, a ram, or a male goat. 20 Do not present an animal with defects, because the Lord will not accept it on your behalf. 21 “If you present a peace offering to the Lord from the herd or the flock, whether it is to fulfill a vow or is a voluntary offering, you must offer a perfect animal. It may have no defect of any kind. 22 You must not offer an animal that is blind, crippled, or injured, or that has a wart, a skin sore, or scabs. Such animals must never be offered on the altar as special gifts to the Lord. 23 If a bull or lamb has a leg that is too long or too short, it may be offered as a voluntary offering, but it may not be offered to fulfill a vow. 24 If an animal has damaged testicles or is castrated, you may not offer it to the Lord. You must never do this in your own land, 25 and you must not accept such an animal from foreigners and then offer it as a sacrifice to your God. Such animals will not be accepted on your behalf, for they are mutilated or defective.” 26 And the Lord said to Moses, 27 “When a calf or lamb or goat is born, it must be left with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a special gift to the Lord. 28 But you must not slaughter a mother animal and her offspring on the same day, whether from the herd or the flock. 29 When you bring a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, sacrifice it properly so you will be accepted. 30 Eat the entire sacrificial animal on the day it is presented. Do not leave any of it until the next morning. I am the Lord. 31 “You must faithfully keep all my commands by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord. 32 Do not bring shame on my holy name, for I will display my holiness among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who makes you holy. 33 It was I who rescued you from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. I am the Lord.”

See we expect God to hear our cry for mercy

We want God to grant us favor

We are looking for the grace of God when we present these imperfect offerings to God

Many of us want to question God when we see perceived unrighteousness on his part, but we don’t want him questioning us about how we worship him!

Malachi 1:8 NLT

8 When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Malachi 1:9 NLT

9 “Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

God’s expectation is that we give him our absolute best!

He gave his best for us!

Hebrews 9:11 NLT

11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.

Hebrews 9:14 NLT

14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Hebrews 10:5–10 NLT

5 That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. 6 You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. 7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about me in the Scriptures.’ ” 8 First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

What Does God Desire From Us?

Romans 12:1–2 NLT

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Ephesians 5:1–2 NKJV

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

So the question becomes How are you actively offering these types of sacrifices to God in your life?

What Does God Desire From Us?

My Prayer is that the Holy Spirit would show us where God can rule more fully in our life.