Today our Pastor, John Meador, started into a series on Malachi. I was encouraged and challenged by the "introduction sermon" he shared this morning as it brought a timely reminder to my life about the tendency to stray from true worship, the gracious love and rebuke of the Lord, what He requires in response to His Word, and the consequences of not returning to Him.
If you have opportunity I encourage you to read through Malachi this next week (it's a short book - only 4 chapters). I have included below the sermon notes from this morning and the things which especially stood out to me as we looked at the over-all theme of this book. These are the last words spoken to Israel for 400 years. For 4 centuries, until the time of Christ, God's people didn't hear another word from Him. How important are these last words?!?!
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Background to the book of Malachi:
- Even after all the incredible things God has done for the nation there is an incredible indifference to Him on the part of the people.
- These are the last words spoken to Israel for 400 years, until John the Baptist comes on the scene. For 4 centuries, God's people didn't hear another word from Him! How important are these last words?!?!
- Malachi is God in quotes - it is Him speaking very directly to the nation of Israel.
- Malachi shows what God has to say about spiritual life, worship, relationship (Historic Israel becomes a picture for us today).
"From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of hosts. "But you say, 'How shall we return?'"
----- Malachi 3:7-----
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This is the foundation on which this book is written and upon which Israel's relationship with
God exists.
He loves them with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3) - "everlasting" = eternal, unchanging
Why this introduction?
He wants them to know that the hard things He is about to say to them (His rebuke of
them) is encompassed by His love - this is the basis for His rebuke.
In reality, they cannot experience this love of His fully unless they heed the hard things.
The Response Is...Indifference (1:6)
God: "I have loved you." Israel: "How have You loved us?" (1:2)
God: "You have despised my name." Israel: "How have we despised Your name?" (1:6)
God: "You are presenting to me defiled food." Israel: "How have we defiled You?" (1:7)
God: "I do not accept your offering." Israel: "For what reason?" (2:13-14)
God: "You have wearied Me by your words." Israel: "How have we wearied You?" (2:17)
God: "You have robbed Me." Israel: "How have we robbed You?" (3:8)
God: "Your words have been arrogant." Israel: "What have we spoken against You?" (3:13)
God's rebuke is meant to humble the people and show them what to turn from in order to come
back to Him.
God knows when His people's heart is not really His - when they are just going through
the motions. Israel questions whether God's judgement is true (forgot His
omniscience and perfect ability to judge) demonstrating their indifference, but
ultimately their pride in saying that they are more accurate evaluators than
God, Himself.
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."
Israel: "It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge..." (3:14)
Why do we serve God? For what gain? For what purpose?
The example of Job - will a man still serve God for nothing?
Serving God isn't about our gain, it's about who He is.
Our actions and passions reveal the reality of our love for God (what's in the heart eventually
shows).
God's Continual Call Is..."Return to Me" (3:7)
Israel: "How shall we return?" (3:7)
2 Cron 2:14 - REPENT
The tragedy of not heeding: We know from both Israel's response in this book and also
from future historical records (particularly the New Testament) that Israel did not
heed the Lord's warning. It was the descendants of the recipients of this book who
rejected Christ. This was the ultimate tragedy of not heeding the rebuke of the Lord.
Warning to us: If we do not heed the Words of the Lord, if we do not heed His discipline
and rebuke, we risk the great tragedy of also missing the most important things.
"He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?"
----- Micah 6:8 -----
"Return to Me, and I will return to you."
-----Malachi 3:7-----
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