Difference between revisions of "Malachi 1:1-1:14 Honor God"
| Line 7: | Line 7: | ||
==Need: == | ==Need: == | ||
==Subject: == | ==Subject: == | ||
| − | ==Preview: == | + | ==Preview: God is fully worthy of honor, yet we fail to show him proper honor. Nevertheless, God has chosen to love us and so we should strive to show God honor.== |
| − | ==Text: | + | ==Text: Malachi 1:1-14== |
==Setting the Stage:== | ==Setting the Stage:== | ||
| + | ===The historical setting=== | ||
| + | ====In 539 BC Cyrus gave the decree allowing the Jews to return to Judah and begin rebuilding the temple.==== | ||
| + | ====In 520 BC Haggai entered the scene and called upon the Jews to resume building the temple after 16 years of stagnation.==== | ||
| + | ====The work on the temple was completed in 515 BC.==== | ||
| + | =====Life was not easy, Persia dominated the political scene, hearts were indifferent, even resentful to God, and the people's hope in God had waned.===== | ||
| + | =====Sometime between 45 BC and 430 BC a prophet, Malachi appeared on the scene.===== | ||
| + | ===Malachi 1:1=== | ||
| + | ====The first word in the book of Malachi is the Hebrew word מַשָּׂא (massa which means burden), this word is threatening by nature.==== | ||
| + | ====The burden is that there is a דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה (word from Yahweh) to Israel spoken through Malachi.==== | ||
| + | ====In other words, the people need to listen because God has something significant to say, something that is a burden for Malachi.==== | ||
| + | ====I am not saying that today's sermon is a burden, but I do want us to pay attention to the words that God had for the Jews==== | ||
| + | =Body (Malachi 1:2-14)= | ||
| − | + | I am going to take a slightly different approach to this passage and start not with verse 2 but jump ahead to verse 6. | |
| − | ==Principle 1: When you offer anything less than your best you fail to show honor. ( | + | ==Principle 1: God is worthy of ''honor'' and his people regularly fail to show that ''honor''. (6-9)== |
| − | === | + | ===Showing honor to God is a natural, expected, response to the God of the universe. (6a)=== |
| − | ===Image: === | + | ====There are natural honor relationships and anything outside of this natural order is an exception.==== |
| − | === | + | There are certain relationships that have a natural order to them. Sons are supposed to honor fathers. Yes there are exceptions but those exceptions are just that, exceptions. In the society in which this was written there were master slave relation ships and again a slave was to honor the master. The point that Malachi is making here is that there is some type of natural expected honor in certain relationships. |
| + | ====The people had failed to show God the honor do to a father or master, an exception or a problem?==== | ||
| + | Based on this sort of natural or expected honor Malachi asked a pointed rhetorical question. If God is Heavenly Father, master, then why is the honor or respect missing? Is this an exception or a bigger problem. | ||
| + | ====Obviously, this is not an exception. God is a good master, a good Father, so, there must be a problem.==== | ||
| + | ===When you offer anything less than your best you fail to show honor. (6b-7)=== | ||
| + | ====Malachi holds no punches: the problems start at the top, failure stems from failure on the part of the priests.==== | ||
| + | This is significant. After returning from exile the priests should have taken the lead with the people. Instead, the priests we responsible for leading the people away from honor shown to God. | ||
| + | ====A question: "how are we failing to show you honor?"==== | ||
| + | =====Image: Have you ever played dumb when you knew you were wrong?===== | ||
| + | I kind of think this is what is happening here. The priests ask the question "what do you mean?" The have been doing right when in fact they had not. The priests were either in denial or completely insensitive to their sin. In either case the problem is significant. These individuals who should have been the leaders among the people were in fact leading the people astray. | ||
| + | ====The answer: the priests were offering defiled sacrifices - food==== | ||
| + | =====Leviticus 22:17-30 included specific stipulations on sacrifices: unblemished, i.e. the best===== | ||
| + | ====Another question: how have we defiled you?==== | ||
| + | =====Interestingly they do not say "we have not" instead they say how===== | ||
| + | The priests knew they were not innocent, they knew the law. | ||
| + | ======really what they are doing is daring God to spell out their sin.====== | ||
| + | ====The reality was that the priests were simply going through the motions of sacrifice, the ritual, and even then they were not doing it properly.==== | ||
| + | ===Image: Growing up a PK and getting old food=== | ||
| + | Growing up my dad pastored a small rural church while raising four growing boys. We could eat and we did eat. I suspect that food was a very large component of our family budget. Thankfully, one family in the church owned a cattle business and so every year they provided us with a cow. It was a wonderful blessing. Now, there was another family, that decided they would give us some food as well. So, they would go to the food bank and take the food the had not been distributed and was well-expired, then they would bring that food by our house and drop it off. My parents were always very gracious but as I reflect on it I am somewhat appalled. Nevertheless, this is exactly what the people were doing here in Malachi, they were taking the old trash and offering it to God. | ||
| − | == | + | ===We know how to give our best so give it to God. (8-9)=== |
| + | ====The problem was so significant that God reminded the priests that even the governor would not accept such payment (v. 8).==== | ||
| + | ====But this example also demonstrated that the people knew what it was to give their best.==== | ||
| + | Instead of offering God their best, the people were offering God what was left-over. Moreover, since the people were expected to give their best in other areas of life (i.e. government) they knew how to give their best to God. | ||
| + | ====In what is nothing short of sarcasm, Malachi calls not he people to beg God to accept their scraps.==== | ||
| + | ===Image: Christian organizations should adopt the Air Force Core Values: Integrity first Service before self Excellence in all we do=== | ||
| + | I am sorry to say that in a lot of Christian organizations I see none of these values. Today I want to talk about Excellence as an example and I am going to pick on Christian Sunday School curriculum because I have been involved in curriculum development a lot. I will be blunt, most curriculum I have seen would not fly in the real world, it simply is not of a high quality. For some reason Christian organizations often fail to demonstrate excellence in all they do. We blame it on low wages and volunteers but that should not change how we conduct ourselves! | ||
| + | ===Image: If we viewed giving like taxes=== | ||
| + | I want you to try something next year (actually I don't want you to do this at all because it will get you in a lot of trouble). Instead of paying your taxes, go out and spend the money first, then after you have enjoyed the little bit of extra money write a quick letter to the IRS and tell them that this year you just don't have enough money to pay your taxes. See how that works! It wont work, you will find yourself in a lot of hot water. Yet, so often, this is exactly what we do with tithing. | ||
| + | ===MTR: Evaluate your own efforts, does it represent your best?=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Principle 2: A wrong heart and anything less than your best is not really any better than doing nothing. (10-14)== | ||
| + | ===Wrong sacrifice is just as bad as no sacrifice and maybe worse. (10)=== | ||
| + | ===God does not need sacrifice to receive honor, after all, He is God! (11)=== | ||
| + | ===Sacrifice with the wrong heart profanes the sacrifice. (12-13a)=== | ||
| + | ===Sacrifice with less than the best is a cheat. (13b-14)=== | ||
| + | ===Image: === | ||
| + | ===MTR: Ask God to soften your heart.=== | ||
==Motivation: God's love makes offering your best worthwhile. (2-6)== | ==Motivation: God's love makes offering your best worthwhile. (2-6)== | ||
| − | + | ===God choses to love. (2)=== | |
| − | = | + | ===God's enemies defiantly resist God but that does not mean God will not act. (3-4)=== |
| − | == | + | ===God is not bound by anything. (5)=== |
| + | ===Image: === | ||
| + | ===MTR: Spend some time praising God for his choice to love you.=== | ||
[[Category:Sermons]] | [[Category:Sermons]] | ||
Revision as of 16:05, 8 June 2023
Theological Proposition/Focus: Honoring God is not about rituals but is a matter of sanctifying God in your heart and that requires one's best.
Homiletical Proposition/Application: We must recognize that honor God does not come from outside but eminates from within the heart of the one who is willing to give their best to their master.
Introduction: Love is a choice
Image:
Need:
Subject:
Preview: God is fully worthy of honor, yet we fail to show him proper honor. Nevertheless, God has chosen to love us and so we should strive to show God honor.
Text: Malachi 1:1-14
Setting the Stage:
The historical setting
In 539 BC Cyrus gave the decree allowing the Jews to return to Judah and begin rebuilding the temple.
In 520 BC Haggai entered the scene and called upon the Jews to resume building the temple after 16 years of stagnation.
The work on the temple was completed in 515 BC.
Life was not easy, Persia dominated the political scene, hearts were indifferent, even resentful to God, and the people's hope in God had waned.
Sometime between 45 BC and 430 BC a prophet, Malachi appeared on the scene.
Malachi 1:1
The first word in the book of Malachi is the Hebrew word מַשָּׂא (massa which means burden), this word is threatening by nature.
The burden is that there is a דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה (word from Yahweh) to Israel spoken through Malachi.
In other words, the people need to listen because God has something significant to say, something that is a burden for Malachi.
I am not saying that today's sermon is a burden, but I do want us to pay attention to the words that God had for the Jews
Body (Malachi 1:2-14)
I am going to take a slightly different approach to this passage and start not with verse 2 but jump ahead to verse 6.
Principle 1: God is worthy of honor and his people regularly fail to show that honor. (6-9)
Showing honor to God is a natural, expected, response to the God of the universe. (6a)
There are natural honor relationships and anything outside of this natural order is an exception.
There are certain relationships that have a natural order to them. Sons are supposed to honor fathers. Yes there are exceptions but those exceptions are just that, exceptions. In the society in which this was written there were master slave relation ships and again a slave was to honor the master. The point that Malachi is making here is that there is some type of natural expected honor in certain relationships.
The people had failed to show God the honor do to a father or master, an exception or a problem?
Based on this sort of natural or expected honor Malachi asked a pointed rhetorical question. If God is Heavenly Father, master, then why is the honor or respect missing? Is this an exception or a bigger problem.
Obviously, this is not an exception. God is a good master, a good Father, so, there must be a problem.
When you offer anything less than your best you fail to show honor. (6b-7)
Malachi holds no punches: the problems start at the top, failure stems from failure on the part of the priests.
This is significant. After returning from exile the priests should have taken the lead with the people. Instead, the priests we responsible for leading the people away from honor shown to God.
A question: "how are we failing to show you honor?"
Image: Have you ever played dumb when you knew you were wrong?
I kind of think this is what is happening here. The priests ask the question "what do you mean?" The have been doing right when in fact they had not. The priests were either in denial or completely insensitive to their sin. In either case the problem is significant. These individuals who should have been the leaders among the people were in fact leading the people astray.
The answer: the priests were offering defiled sacrifices - food
Leviticus 22:17-30 included specific stipulations on sacrifices: unblemished, i.e. the best
Another question: how have we defiled you?
Interestingly they do not say "we have not" instead they say how
The priests knew they were not innocent, they knew the law.
really what they are doing is daring God to spell out their sin.
The reality was that the priests were simply going through the motions of sacrifice, the ritual, and even then they were not doing it properly.
Image: Growing up a PK and getting old food
Growing up my dad pastored a small rural church while raising four growing boys. We could eat and we did eat. I suspect that food was a very large component of our family budget. Thankfully, one family in the church owned a cattle business and so every year they provided us with a cow. It was a wonderful blessing. Now, there was another family, that decided they would give us some food as well. So, they would go to the food bank and take the food the had not been distributed and was well-expired, then they would bring that food by our house and drop it off. My parents were always very gracious but as I reflect on it I am somewhat appalled. Nevertheless, this is exactly what the people were doing here in Malachi, they were taking the old trash and offering it to God.
We know how to give our best so give it to God. (8-9)
The problem was so significant that God reminded the priests that even the governor would not accept such payment (v. 8).
But this example also demonstrated that the people knew what it was to give their best.
Instead of offering God their best, the people were offering God what was left-over. Moreover, since the people were expected to give their best in other areas of life (i.e. government) they knew how to give their best to God.
In what is nothing short of sarcasm, Malachi calls not he people to beg God to accept their scraps.
Image: Christian organizations should adopt the Air Force Core Values: Integrity first Service before self Excellence in all we do
I am sorry to say that in a lot of Christian organizations I see none of these values. Today I want to talk about Excellence as an example and I am going to pick on Christian Sunday School curriculum because I have been involved in curriculum development a lot. I will be blunt, most curriculum I have seen would not fly in the real world, it simply is not of a high quality. For some reason Christian organizations often fail to demonstrate excellence in all they do. We blame it on low wages and volunteers but that should not change how we conduct ourselves!
Image: If we viewed giving like taxes
I want you to try something next year (actually I don't want you to do this at all because it will get you in a lot of trouble). Instead of paying your taxes, go out and spend the money first, then after you have enjoyed the little bit of extra money write a quick letter to the IRS and tell them that this year you just don't have enough money to pay your taxes. See how that works! It wont work, you will find yourself in a lot of hot water. Yet, so often, this is exactly what we do with tithing.
