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Bringing Profane Worship
Malachi 1:6-14
November 6, 2022

As you are aware we have begun a study of the book of Malachi.
• Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament
• He preached 400 years before the time of Christ.
• He also preached a century after the Exile was over.

Israel is firmly reestablished in her land
And she has fallen into INDIFFERENCE.

Malachi is raised up to confront the indifference of Israel
And to break the news to them that despite their anticipation,
They are not ready for the Messiah they desire.

He has shown up to deliver GOD’S BURDEN to the people.

LAST TIME we saw looked at the indifference of Israel as seen through their INGRATITUDE.

God opened the book by announcing His love for Israel,
But was hit with the question, “How have You loved us?”

Somehow Israel had been able to grow short-sited enough
That they had failed to remember the sovereign electing love
Which God had shown in choosing Jacob instead of Esau.

Their poor memory had led to ingratitude
And this ingratitude was the root of their indifference.

THIS MORNING we begin looking at the FRUIT of their indifference.

THEIR INDIFFERENT WORSHIP OF GOD.

In our text this morning God is primarily taking issue with the priests
Because of the way they have instructed and led the people.
• They have made a mockery of worship.
• They have made a mockery of the sacrificial requirement.
• And in so doing they have made a mockery of God.

What you’ll see in our text is that
GOD IS TERRIBLY OFFENDED at what is being offered to Him
And the PEOPLE DON’T EVEN SEEM TO CARE.

THAT IS INDIFFERENCE.

SO THIS MORNING WE OPEN WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING WORSHIP.

• What does it mean to worship God as He deserves?
• What would acceptable worship to Him look like?
• Would God consider my worship to be profane?
• Does my manner of worship rightly exalt God or is it an insult to Him?

These are the types of things we must address in our own hearts
As we examine the profane worship of Israel.

Now, we ARE going to study this text in outline form,
But we are NOT going to look at it in chronological order.

I want us to examine it in a way where we’ll grasp the weight of the issue
So we’re going to bounce up and down through the text.

We’re actually going to start with what God says last,
But I assure that even though it is the last thing God says,
It is without a doubt at the forefront of His mind.

4 things
#1 GOD’S EXPECTATION
Malachi 1:6a, 11, 14b

(6a) “A son honors his father, and a servant his master.”

(11) “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”

(14b) “for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

I know that is to jump around a little, but I want you to recognize
In this passage that God identifies Himself with 3 titles.

• He is a FATHER WHO DESERVES HONOR
• He is a MASTER WHO DESERVES RESPECT
• He is a GREAT KING WHO IS FEARED AMONG THE NATIONS

We understand Him as FATHER
• The one who cares for us
• The one who provides for us
• The one who begot us as sons and daughters

We understand Him as MASTER (or Lord)
• The one who guides us
• The one who rules us
• The one we submit to and follow

We understand Him as KING
• The sovereign of the world
• The one deserving all glory and honor
• The one we honor and worship

You understand the basic implications to those titles.
GOD SEES HIMSELF AS ALL THESE THINGS.

And you see that with each of those titles
Comes GOD’S EXPECTATION as to how He should BE TREATED.

As a Father He expects to be HONORED

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”

As a Master He expects to be RESPECTED

Ephesians 6:5 “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;”

As a King He expects to be FEARED (reverential awe)

Jeremiah 10:7 “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”

YOU THE EXPECTATION OF GOD.

Verse 11 is certainly THE HEART of the idea.

“For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”

• That is all people, everywhere.
• That is every knee.
• That is every tongue.

And this is certainly what is coming.

There is coming a day when God will stop all rebellion
And all men will worship God with all their hearts.

Isaiah 66:23 “And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD.”

Psalms 22:27 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.”

Philippians 2:10-11 “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We are currently in a time of God’s mercy
• Where He is redeeming His enemies to Himself.
• He is right now saving men from their sin
• He is transferring His enemies into His kingdom.

But there is a day coming when salvation will be complete.
There is coming a day when God will destroy His enemies.
And there is coming a day when every knee will come and bow to Him.

AND ALL THE EARTH WILL GLORIFY GOD.
• There will be no rebellion.
• There will be no insubordination.
• The day is coming in which all will worship God fully.

• On that day “incense is going to be offered to My name”
• On that day there will be “a grain offering that is pure.”

The day is coming when worship will be the chief priority of all men Their one desire will be to worship God as He deserves.

THAT WILL HAPPEN.
It has already been determined by God.

God says (14b) “for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

There’s just none like God.
• He is destined for glory and He will receive it.
• Some day He will be worshiped by every tribe and tongue.
• Some day He will be glorified forever by all His creation.

That is the FUTURE expectation of God for all nations.

BUT IT IS THE CURRENT EXPECTATION OF GOD FOR HIS PEOPLE.
Someday every nation will bow, but God’s expectation today
Is that those whom He has redeemed will worship Him now.

• Certainly our Father deserves honor.
• Certainly our Master deserves respect.
• Certainly our King deserves reverence and awe.

That is what God expects from His people.

BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HE IS GETTING FROM ISREAL.

God’s Expectation
#2 GOD’S EXPLORATION
Malachi 1:6a

“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is my respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name.”

What we see here is that God is on a search.
He is searching for the honor, respect, and glory that He deserves.

WHERE IS IT?
• God attended the worship service this morning expecting to be honored.
• God attended the worship service expecting to be respected.
• God attended the worship service expecting to be glorified.

WHERE IS IT?
You can see here that God is looking for it.

Jesus told the Woman at the Well:
John 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

God is seeking worshipers.
God is seeking those who worship Him as He deserves.

The problem seen here is that He is not receiving it.
• There is no honor
• There is no respect
• There is no fear

And the ugly problem of Israel has once again reared its head.

300 years prior to Malachi, Isaiah was saying the same thing.
Isaiah 1:2-4 “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.”

And now here they are returning to that same problem.

God is searching for honor, respect, and glory from His people
And the people are not bringing it.

Instead, there is the OPPOSITE.
THERE IS ACTUALLY ENMITY.

God directs His question to the “priests”
Whom God says “despise My name.”

“despise” is BA-ZA in the Hebrew.

It is the same word for what Esau did to his birthright.
Genesis 25:34 “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

It wasn’t that Esau didn’t want an inheritance it is that he valued it so cheaply.
To Esau, his inheritance wasn’t worth as much as a bowl of lentil stew.

That stew was more valuable than his inheritance.
In comparison, he despised his birthright.

That is what God says to these priests.
You “despise My name”

The way you treat Me in your worship is despicable.
YOU VALUE ME SO LOWLY.
The manner in which you worship is despicable.

IT IS THE PICTURE OF A PEOPLE
Who come to worship and bring their gifts or offerings or songs or whatever to God.

God looks at it and says, “Is that all you think of Me? You must really despise Me to bring Me such an offering.”

I think we can agree this is getting serious.
• God came looking for glory and what He found was disdain.
• He is seriously offended by what His people brought Him.
• Their worship as profane to Him.

God’s Expectation, God’s Exploration
#3 GOD’S EXPLANATION
Malachi 1:6b-8, 12-14a

(6b-8) “But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.’ “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

(12-14a) “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ “You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the LORD of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the LORD. “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord”

Here is where
• God chronicles their indifference.
• God lays out their offense.
• God specifies the profane nature of their worship.

God told those priests that they “despise My name”

And in utter arrogance and disrespect they immediately respond to God, “How have we despised Your name?”

It’s as if they don’t believe it.
It’s as if they think God is being too nit-picky.
So God is about to break it down for them.

To understand it best, we need to break it down too.
Let me give you 4 aspects which God outlines about their profane worship.

1) DEFILED FOOD (7a-8)

“You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.”

Leviticus 2:1-3 “‘Now when anyone presents a grain offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it. ‘He shall then bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and shall take from it his handful of its fine flour and of its oil with all of its frankincense. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke as its memorial portion on the altar, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD. ‘The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons: a thing most holy, of the offerings to the LORD by fire.”

• A grain offering was very simply a voluntary expression of devotion to God.
• It was not to atone for sin; there was no blood involved.

It was just an offering given to God on His altar as a soothing aroma
To express your love and devotion to Him.

And the SIMPLE COMMANDS were
• That it had to be “fine flour”
• If it was a cake it had to be “unleavened”

And instead of bringing “fine flour” they were “presenting defiled food”

That word “defiled” can also be translated “polluted”
It wasn’t pure, it wasn’t clean.
Perhaps it was even rotten.

You see the similar expression down in verse 12, “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.”

It was just bringing something defiled and less than pure to God.
It wasn’t a fine meal, it was a plate of rotten leftovers.

Defiled Food
2) DESPISED OFFERINGS (7b)

Here again the priests are challenging God’s right to be disappointed.
They say, “How have we defiled You?”

And God responds, “In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.”

This is what the PRIESTS ARE SAYING.

Some commentators note that most likely it is what they said in their hearts
Which makes more sense for to say this out loud would be incredibly shocking.

But whether in their heart or on their lips,
God hears it just the same and He sees their disdain.

• They say that “The table of the LORD is to be despised.”

• We see it again down in verse 12, “you say, “The table of the LORD is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.”

There’s that same “despised” like what Esau did with his birthright.

WHAT IS THIS?

It is priests who have a very low view of what they bring to God.
To put it another way: THEY DON’T CARE WHAT YOU BRING.

IT MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN that
They ENCOURAGED the people to just bring whatever.

The verb tense there indicates them saying
“The table of the LORD IS TO BE despised.”

They encouraged the people to bring whatever because it didn’t matter.
They encouraged the people that their junk was enough.
• Don’t bother with the fine flour.
• Do you have any old flour?
• Do you have any flour with weevils in it?

Just bring that, it doesn’t matter.

Only it’s NOT JUST the grain offerings that they do this with.
It’s with all of them.

(8) “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

God had been extremely clear about this as well.
Leviticus 22:20-25 “‘Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. ‘When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. ‘Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the LORD. ‘In respect to an ox or a lamb which has an overgrown or stunted member, you may present it for a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. ‘Also anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the LORD, or sacrifice in your land, nor shall you accept any such from the hand of a foreigner for offering as the food of your God; for their corruption is in them, they have a defect, they shall not be accepted for you.’”

God was extremely clear about the type of offering He would accept.
But clearly the priests didn’t care about such rules.

They saw the sacrificial system as a good way
To get rid of your old sick and crippled livestock.

Just bring it to God, it doesn’t matter.
They crippled cow is gonna die anyway, might as well make an offering out of it.

(This is a sin offering, and the GOSPEL IMPLICATION
Is to bring something less than the righteousness of Christ to God)

To which God says, “Why not offer it to your governor?”
• Why not take it to the sale?
• Why not give it to pay off your debt?

WHY? Because it’s not worth anything!
And yet you bring it to God.

I hope your starting to make some connections here
Between acceptable worship and profane worship.

You bring God what no one else would accept and say,
“Well it’s good enough for God.”

My how you must value Him!

Defiled Food, Despised Offerings
3) DISDAINFUL ATTITUDE (13a)

“You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the LORD of hosts,”

“sniff” there is a word that simply means “to breathe; blow; sniff at; seethe”
It is the word used when God “breathed” life into man’s nostrils.

Here it is a mocking gesture of disdain.
IT’S A MASSIVE SIGH.

• It’s a priest in the temple charged with offering the sacrifices,
• But when the person brings something in to offer he’s all put out,
• And he rolls his eyes and sighs.

“I can’t believe you’re gonna make me go through this whole offering procedure before God. I’m tired, I want to go home.
Do you really have to bring it now?”

ARE YOU PICKING UP ON THE INDIFFERENCE?
• Just bring whatever, it doesn’t matter.
• Who cares what shape it’s in, only bring it tomorrow,
• I don’t feel like doing it now.

That is the attitude of their worship.
It’s too hard
It’s too tiring

4) DELINQUENT VOWS (13b-14a)

“and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the LORD. But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices as blemished animal to the Lord…”

• This is a guy who vowed to God to bring some animal or some offering.
• But he doesn’t want to give God one of his,
• So instead he goes and steals someone else’s and takes that.

• Or he told God he’d give him a male,
• but instead he sees the opportunity to off load some crippled old one instead.

Who enjoys purchasing something online with the promise of it being what you need only to receive a broken piece of junk in the mail?
That’s what was happening to God.

(Let Ananias and Sapphira come to your mind here)

You put it all together and it just resonated
How little honor, respect, and reverence they felt toward God.

He sure must not be worth much to them
If that’s all their going to give Him.

CHURCH we must evaluate our worship under this analogy.

We know what it is to give and receive gifts in our culture.
• Christmas is right around the corner and there will be a lot of gifts exchanged.

Perhaps you’ve bought your wife something for an anniversary
Or a daughter something for a sweet 16.

There are ways to look at a gift we receive
And through that gift assess our value to the person who gave it.

Was it quality?
Did they give me something nice or was it a piece of junk?

How much effort did it require?
It may not be something purchased, it might be something made or searched for. How much effort did it take, or did they just pick something up at a convenient store on the way over?

How valuable is it?
Sometimes we measure by what it actually cost. That they would spend such a high price on you certainly speaks to how they value you.

We think of David acquiring Onan’s threshing floor.
1 Chronicles 21:22-24 “Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the LORD; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained from the people.” Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all.” But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”

Or we think of Mary breaking that alabaster vile and pouring it on Jesus’ feet and that it was so valuable that the disciples actually scolded her for wasting it on Jesus.

Or we think of Abraham offering his son, whom he loved to God.

Or we think of the widow who gave all that she had to live on.

Or we think of the sinful woman who loved so much that she wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.

You understand how a gift can make you feel loved.

Well it can also make you feel disdained
And that is what the worship of Israel was doing to God.

BUT WHAT ABOUT OUR WORSHIP?

How much effort did you put into that Sunday school lesson?
• Would you have studied more if your class had 200 people in it?

How much time did you put into that sermon?
• Would you have worked harder if John MacArthur or Steve Lawson were attending?

Was the song service an afterthought?
• Would you have worked longer if a group of worship leaders was coming?

The special music was it rehearsed as though it was for a King?

How about those who simply participate in the service?
WHEN WE SANG,
• Who were you most concerned about hearing you?
• Were you more concerned about what God was hearing or the people next to you?

WHEN WE GIVE,
• Is your offering a reflection of your love for God?

HOW ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF COMING TO WORSHIP AT ALL.
• Is it tiresome to you?
• Is it wearisome to you?
• Is it too long?
• Is it too boring?
• Is an hour to long to have to sit and contemplate the word of God?

• Is Sunday school too much?
• Is it too much to ask to return and worship on Sunday night?
• Is worship on a Wednesday night just unnecessary?

We tend to gravitate towards what is easiest for us
And then just tell God, “Here take this, it’s good enough.”

I wonder if that’s how you proposed to your wife?
“Here’s a ring I found in a cracker jack box, it’s good enough.”

Or how about when you have to pay your rent,
“I’m not going to pay what we agreed, here’s $100 that’s good enough.”

Or go to your boss and say,
“Work is too tiresome, I’m only going to work half of the day from now on.”

Those are things we would not consider doing to people
And yet we tend to offer it to God.

How do you suppose your worship today made God feel?
How do you suppose your preparation for worship this week made God feel?

Should He feel honored and respected and revered
By the way you worshipped or should He feel disdained?

DO YOU GET THE POINT?
• How about a real effort?
• How about a real sacrifice?
• How about we don’t just take the easy rode?

How about we show God through our worship how important He is to us?

Matthew Henry said:
“If we worship God ignorantly, and without understanding, we bring the blind for sacrifice; if we do it carelessly, if we are cold, and dull, and dead, in it, we bring the sick; if we rest in the bodily exercise, and do not make heart-work of it, we bring the lame; and, if we suffer vain thoughts and distractions to lodge within us, we bring the torn. Is it not a great affront to God and a great wrong and injury to our own souls?”
(Henry, Matthew [Matthew Henry’s Commentary; Zondervan; Grand Rapids, MI; 1961] Pg. 1195)

So God has an expectation, but that expectation was not being met.
And when God’s people said, “What do You mean?”
God gave them the explanation.

But there’s one more point to be made.
#4 GOD’S EXASPERATION
Malachi 1:9-10, 14a

Here is God’s response to what they brought.

And allow me to break this one down a little more as well.

1) EVIL (8)

God says a broken sacrifice like that isn’t just indifferent, it’s evil!

• It isn’t close…
• It isn’t the thought that counts…
• It is evil.

It is nothing less than a pathetic offering from a selfish heart
That cares nothing for God.

I heard a story once
• About a man who traveled and every time he came home he would bring his
wife a gift.
• Upon coming home one time he had bought his wife a watch out of one of
those 25 cent variety machines at a truck stop.
• When he gave it to her she was so upset she immediately slammed the watch
on the ground and crushed it with her foot.

Does she just hate plastic watches?
No, she hated what that watch said about the way he valued her.
TO HER THAT GIFT WAS EVIL.

That is what God says.
You bring Me what no one else would take.
THAT IS AN EVIL OFFERING.

2) USELESS (9-10)

Here God squashes any notions of effectiveness.
“But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us?”

Really?
You’re going to bring me a blind, 3-legged goat and then ask Me to bless you?

“With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

What do you think the answer is?
NO!!!

To which God goes on:
(10) “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you.”

God would rather close the door of the church
Than to receive worship like that.

Isaiah 1:11-14 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”

God is not pleased!
Your worship is useless!
God wont’ accept it.

You’re not going to receive a blessing for such an offering as this.

3) HARMFUL (14a)

“But cursed be the swindler…”

Instead of receiving a blessing, you’re going to receive a curse.

I’m sure after that woman crushed the watch the man likely realized
He would have been better off bringing nothing home than that watch.

These people offended God by disdaining Him so greatly
And despising Him so greatly as to bring Him worship
Of such little cost and of such little effort.

CHURCH, IT’S WHAT WE CALL INDIFFERENCE.

We are forced to ask how valuable God is to us?
We are forced to ask what He is worth?

These people brought God junk and God was offended.
• He said, “I am a great King”
• He said, “My name will be great among the nations”
• How could you treat Me so disdainfully?

AND THUS WE SEE AGAIN,
THEY WERE NOT YET FIT TO STAND BEFORE HIM.

WE MUST BE A PEOPLE WHO
Worship Him like the King He is!

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Facing Slander
Psalms 140
October 16, 2022

Tonight we return to our study of the Psalms
And we come across Psalms 140.

As you see by our title, tonight we are talking about “Facing Slander”
That’s what David is dealing with here.

Only, it’s not just David.
We see that this Psalms is “For the choir director”

That is to say that this wasn’t simply a Psalm David sang in private,
But song that God intended for the entire congregation to learn.

And I think the reason would be obvious.
1. Because we will in no way get through this life without being a victim of
slander.

2. Because it is highly likely that at some point you will be tempted to
participate in slander.

This Psalm gives us great insight into the sin itself,
And also HOW TO HANDLE IT.

But more than just a Psalm on dealing with slander,
(as is true with all the Psalms,)

It is a testimony to our Lord Jesus Christ
And yet another way in which He proved Himself to be
“the author and perfecter of faith”.

SO TONIGHT, let’s examine this 140th Psalm and allow the Lord to deal with our hearts.

We’re going to break this Psalm down into 4 points; really just an outline,
And see what God would teach us.

#1 DAVID’S PLIGHT
Psalms 140:1-5

David’s plight is obvious, he is a victim here of evil men
Who have set out to use slander in order to destroy him.

(1-3) “Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men Who devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.”

• David calls them “evil men”
• David calls them “violent men”

And it is because they are doing their best
To use their tongues to stir up evil against David.

THEIR OBJECTIVE is to bring him down from the throne and ensnare him.

(4-5) “Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men Who have purposed to trip up my feet. The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set snares for me. Selah.”

This is no mild game.
These are not innocent discussions.
We have men here who are using their tongues to ruin David’s life.

If you look at verse 9 David says they “surround me”.

That is the basics of what is going on.

And just the words that David uses here
Gives us quite an indicator about the nature of slander.
• Words like “evil” in verse 1 and 2
• Words like “violent” in verses 1 and 4
• Words like “wicked” in verse 4

In verse 3 we see an analogy of David:
“They sharpen their tongue as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under the lips.”

David compares them to snakes
Whose threat comes from the poison in their mouth.

YOU LIKELY RECOGNIZE the last line of verse 3 as one of the famous verses Paul used in his testimony to the fallen nature of humanity.

Romans 10:13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”

The “poison of a viper” is lethal poison.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT LETHAL DANGER HERE.

SLANDER IS NO INSIGNIFICANT SIN.

James 3:8 “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.”

It is no wonder then that God condemns slander so vehemently.
Proverbs 6:12-15 “A worthless person, a wicked man, Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth, Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, Who points with his fingers; Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife. Therefore his calamity will come suddenly; Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.”

Solomon says a man with “a perverse mouth” will be broken with no healing.

In the very next verse in Proverbs is familiar to you:
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

I don’t know if you picked up on it but the sin of slander there is included in 3 of the 7 things God hates.
• “a lying tongue”
• “uttering lies”
• “spreading strife”

That should tell you something
Of what God thinks of men who use their tongues for evil.

But it’s NOT JUST the tongue that is the issue.
Jesus taught us:
Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”

And David certainly agrees.
For even though it is the slander that he hears
David knows it didn’t originate in their mouth.

(2) “Who devise evil things in their hearts…”

Men who slander are men who devise evil.
They are men who carry within them the malice of murder.
The tongue is merely the weapon of choice to commit that murder.

Remember what Jesus taught us?
Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

I hope this is painting a clear picture for you of the sin of slander.
It is a man with a murderous heart
Who uses his tongue to destroy his neighbor.

AND GOD HATES IT.
Proverbs 10:18 “He who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.”

Proverbs 16:28 “A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends.”

Furthermore we know that men will give an account for all their words.
Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”

And thus slander is expressly forbidden for God’s children.

Psalms 34:13 “Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.”

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

Now that is a quick rundown of the sin of slander.
It is when you spread a lie about someone else
With the intent to cause them harm.

• It is when you say something untrue about someone so as to ruin their
reputation.

• It is when you speak something untrue with malicious intent so as to put them
in negative consequences.

THAT IS SLANDER AND GOD HATES IT.

And here we find that David has become a victim of it.

MY GUESS IS THAT
At some point in your life YOU HAVE ALSO been a victim of it.
And if you have then you know it is a painful thing to endure.

• It will make you want to go on a global campaign to set the record straight.
• It will make you want to track down the spread of lies and cut out their tongue.

We live in a day where
• Bad news is printed on the front page and retractions are buried in page 12.
• An accusation can ruin a career, split a family, and even put someone in
prison, whether it is true or not.
• Even when the truth comes out many times the damage is already done and
the reputation is already irreparably stained.

And if you’ve been a victim of that
Then you understand where David is coming from here.

Evil men are trying to ruin him with lies.
That is David’s plight.

#2 DAVID’S HOPE
Psalms 140:6-8

Here is where we can certainly learn a thing or two from David.

When David catches wind that lies are being told about him,
• He doesn’t run to the paper.
• He doesn’t run to the source of the lies.
• He doesn’t get on social media and try to defend himself.

David goes one place.
He goes to God.

WHY?
(and this is great!)

(6) “I said to the LORD, “You are my God;”

Now, notice the verb tense there.
David is speaking past tense here.

• “You are my God” is NOT a declaration David is making today.
• “You are my God” IS a declaration that David has made years ago.

THIS ISN’T NEW.
David declared YAHWEH to be His God way in the past.

Today he merely acts on it.
(He puts his money where his mouth is)

For the second line we move into the present.
“Give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.”

I hope you’re picking up on what we’re seeing here.

I think on a Sunday night we might say that
• Most everyone in here has at some point in our past made the declaration that
God is our God.
• Most in here have said Jesus is Lord! You are my God!

The problem is that when trials or troubles come our way
It is to our shame that we seem to forget our confession
And we try to go fix the problem ourselves.

DAVID DOESN’T.
He has God on his side and so that is where he goes.

And incidentally,
God has a track record of saving!
(7) “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation”

David remembers God as the One who saved him.
• God is the One who saved him from sin.
• God is the One who delivered him from is wickedness.
• God is the One who saved him from wrath and hell.

Surely if God can save him from hell He can save him from slanderers!
Surely if God can deliver David from His own wrath
He can save him from the wrath of men.

God also has a track record of protecting David even when the danger is lethal.
(7b) “You have covered my head in the day of battle.”

I wouldn’t presume to know exactly what David has in mind here, but in my mind I imagine it to be a reference to when in battle and the enemy fires that volley of arrows at you.

It would be a pretty scarry thing to just stand there and see all those arrows come flying through the air to land in the midst of the crowd and David praises God for protecting him from such dangers.

And if God is able to protect David from men with swords
Then surely God can protect David from men with tongues.

So do you see what David has done here?

As bad as slander is, it is just another giant
That David stretches out next to God.

Just like Goliath got really small when David stood him up next to God,
So does now this slanderous attack.

• David doesn’t have to correct the narrative.
• David doesn’t have to kill the slanderer.
• David merely takes his defense to God.

After all, “You are my God”
You are the One who defends me.
You are the One who saves me.

So here’s a new threat God, deal with it too.

(8) “Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; Do not promote his evil device, that they not be exalted.”

In short, don’t let them succeed.
• Their objective and their goal is to ruin me.
• Don’t let them.
• Save me like You saved me from sin.
• Protect me like You protected me in battle.

THAT IS DAVID’S HOPE.

THAT IS THE BELIEVER’S HOPE.
Do you know that you don’t have to fear the slander of men?

• I know it is painful.
• I know it is irritating.
• But you do not have to fear it.

WE HAVE A PROMISE:
Romans 8:33 “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;”

That is a tremendous promise.

God justified you when He knew the worst about you.
If someone approaches Him and calls you a dirty rotten sinner
It’s not like God is going to be surprised.

Slander may make your life a little more uncomfortable
But it cannot threaten your eternity in the least.

FURTHERMORE it can’t stop the ministry God has for you.

Do you realize how much Jesus was blasphemed?
Matthew 11:19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Matthew 12:22 “Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

Jesus was accused plenty
And still fulfilled God’s perfect purpose in His life.

Think about Paul.
Acts 24:5 “For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.”

If you read 2 Corinthians it is clear that
• The false apostles accused Paul of being a minister for money
• And even for sexual gain.

There is good reason to believe that Paul’s thorn in the flesh
Was in fact one of these character assassins.

Paul calls him “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan”

And yet God told Paul that his weakness was a good thing!
That thorn was a weakness that God could use with His strength.

So I’m not saying that being a victim of slander is an easy thing,
But if God is for you, it’s not nearly the threat it may seem.

THAT IS DAVID’S HOPE.

David’s Plight, David’s Hope
#3 DAVID’S DESIRE
Psalms 140:9-11

Very simply, David desires justice.
• He basically asks that they fall into the pit they are digging.
• He is asking the God who will not be mocked for them to reap what they are sowing.

(9-10) “As for the head of those who surround me, May the mischief of their lips cover them. “May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into deep pits from which they cannot rise.”

• He asks for them to fall under “the mischief of lips”
• He asks for “burning coals” to “fall upon them”
• He asks for them to fall “into deep pits from which they cannot rise”

Let them feel the irreparable sting of slander in their own lives.

NOW THAT MAY SOUND VINDICTIVE.
(And we don’t have a problem when we read David’s imprecatory prayers)

But here it’s NOT so much about David getting revenge
As IT IS about God putting an end to slanderers in general.

(11) “May a slanderer not be established in the earth; May evil hunt the violent man speedily.”

It’s not so much David’s slanderer as it is all slanderers David is after.

He is simply asking God to put an end to anyone
Who would slander with their tongue.

AND IN FACT GOD WILL.

Revelation 21:27 “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

No liar will be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven.

David will get his request.
God will one day put an end to every lying tongue.

Psalms 101:5 “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.”

David wants God to rid the world of tongue-murderers
And one day God will.

And then one final point from David.
#4 DAVID’S CONFIDENCE
Psalms 140:12-13

We always love it when David says, “I know…”

“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted And justice for the poor. Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.”

In other words, It doesn’t matter how dark or bleak it looks right now, I know how this thing ends.

• I know whose side God takes.
• I know who God defends and who God destroys.
• I know who gets to stand with God when this is all over.

Liars and slanderers do not get to stand with God, but the afflicted do.

And so even though the affliction may be painful,
It is actually a cause for rejoicing because it reminds you that
You are in the company of those whom God saves.

Listen to Jesus:
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Slander just puts you in good company.
• Let it be a boost to your hope.
• Let it be a boost to your confidence.

The Bible actually says when you are slandered you are blessed.

1 Peter 4:14 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

THAT’S A GOOD THING.
AND THAT IS DAVID’S CONFIDENCE AS WELL.

But as I told you at the beginning.
This is not just a sermon about slander,
Though there is plenty of application to be made.

THIS PSALM IS ABOUT THE TRUE AND BETTER DAVID.

This Psalm is a picture of the coming Messiah
And how He would be slandered and yet overcome.

• We heard how Jesus was called demon possessed.
• We heard how Jesus was accused of being a drunkard.
• We heard how Jesus was called a blasphemer

1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

What David talks about in Psalms 140 is EXACTLY WHAT JESUS DID.

• When they reviled Him as a demon-possessed blasphemer.
• When they challenged Him to prove He was the Son of God.
• When they mocked Him as a false prophet.
• When they laughed at Him as a phony King.

HE DIDN’T run around trying to set the record straight.
HE DIDN’T lash out at those who were lying about Him.

“but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

He knew how it would all shake out in the end.

But there’s MORE to that than just Jesus’ example of handling slander.

If we keep reading what Peter said:
1 Peter 2:23-25 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

• Jesus was reviled.
• Jesus was blasphemed.
• Jesus was slandered.

WHY?
He was taking the slander that we deserve.

What was false about Jesus is true about us.
• We are the filthy blaspheming sinners that Jesus was accused of being.
• But “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross”

He was being treated as we deserved.
AND YET still did not once lash out at His accusers.

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.”

• He took the sharp barbs of the serpent.
• He took the poison of the viper.
• They purposed to trip up His feet.
• They hid a trap for Him.
• They set snares for Him.

And while David may have thought himself completely innocent,
CHRIST WAS completely innocent.

And He bore the slander so that we might be justified before the Father.

And God did maintain His cause.
He was raised from the dead and He ascended to heaven.

Jesus is the One who conquered the lies of the enemy.

And now, we are called to follow (not in David’s steps), but in Jesus’ steps.

TO CLOSE TONIGHT:
TURN TO: 1 PETER 2

Read verses 12-21

Did you catch how Peter addressed these people who were being slandered?
(12) “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

They may slander you now, but on the day when the Judge returns
They’ll be forced to admit their lie.

You stay the course.

And you notice then that this is all funneling down to verse 21.
(21) “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps”

I hope you get the point here.
Christ suffered for you.
• Christ bore your reproach.
• Christ bore your slander.
NOW – YOU BEAR HIS

You follow His example and do for Him what He has done for you.

TURN TO: 1 PETER 4:1-6

There it is again.
“since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with same purpose…”

And even when they “malign you” (vs 4) you stand strong
And know that God will judge all these things one day.

And then down to 4:14-16
(14-16) “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

Slander is painful, but slander is part of the calling.
When it occurs just know that
You are walking in the footprints of Your Savior.

• Take their reproach to God who will judge rightly.
• Do not fear their slander or reproach.
• Rather see it as a badge of honor and an indication that you look like Jesus.

That is dealing with slander.

(12-13) “I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted And justice for the poor. Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.”

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God’s Burden Through Malachi
Malachi 1:1
October 16, 2022

This morning we’re beginning A NEW BOOK STUDY.
We’re going to begin working through the book of Malachi.
(We want to spend some time this morning
Really just introducing the point of the book as a whole)

Malachi is a Hebrew word that means “My Messenger”

This book is a message from God through His servant.
It is also the FINAL message God would speak for over 400 years.

THIS BOOK WOULD CLOSE OUT THE OLD TESTAMENT
And there would not be another new revelation
Until an angel visits Zacharias in the temple
To tell him that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son.

This would be the message
That Israel would dwell on for the next 4 centuries.

On the surface it is a message about APATHY or INDIFFERENCE.

In fact, if you look up the word apathy in a dictionary it is defined as
“a lack of interest or feeling; indifference.”

That is what the book of Malachi talks most about.
It is about when God’s people become indifferent
To the desires and glory of God.

And you’ll see it throughout the book.
• Indifference to worship
• Indifference to God’s word
• Indifference to sin
• Indifference to brotherly love
• Indifference to giving

It’s just a people who don’t care if God is pleased or not.

So let’s INTRODUCE this book a little while this morning.

(1) “The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi”

“oracle” is the Hebrew word MAS-SAH
It means “burden” or “load”

Exodus 23:5 “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.”

They called the donkey Jesus rode a “beast of burden”

This book is the “burden of the word” or “the load of the word”
It is God’s burden.
It is the load which God has carried.

It is now the burden or load which Malachi will bring to the people.

This is a HEAVY MESSAGE.
And I want you to grasp that from the outset.

MY PRAYER as we begin this book is that it would LAND RIGHTLY.

• It is never my objective to discourage the righteous by copying the
Pharisees and by laying on people a burden to great to bear.

• Nor do I want to put a burden on you that I won’t lift with so much as a
finger.

• I am also mindful that Jesus came to give rest and His yoke is easy and
His burden is light.

And so it is never my desire to just take God’s word
And grind the innocent under its weight.

• AT THE SAME TIME, it is not my desire to whitewash anyone’s wall either.

• It is not my desire to lessen the weight of what God would say to His
people.

• It is not my desire to disregard what was clearly burdensome to God.

And so you must understand that the book we are studying here
Represents what was burdensome and heavy to God.

THIS IS A GRIEF GOD BORE.
This is what “weighed” on Him.

And as God’s people we must be willing to take seriously
The things which burden God.
GOD’S BURDEN HERE IS THE INDIFFERENCE OF HIS PEOPLE.

Let me put the book in CONTEXT for you.

TURN TO: MALACHI 2:14

You see one of the expressions of their indifference was that they had no problem sending away their wives.

• This was an afront to God since He is a God who keeps His covenant.
• In fact God will tell them “I hate divorce” but it still hadn’t stopped them.

But let me give you the context to this divorce dilemma.

It was 605 BC when the first wave of exiles was carried into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.
The temple was actually destroyed in 586 BC.

But 70 years after those first exiles we get Cyrus issuing the decree that the Jews can go home and rebuild their temple. That was 536 BC

• That is when Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem and started building that
temple.
• Zerubbabel finished the temple 20 years later in 516 BC

Ezra shows up in 458 BC
And Nehemiah shows up to rebuild the wall in 445 BC
Nehemiah goes back to Persia for a time and returns again in 420 BC

Now that’s a lot of dates, but just know that
• When Nehemiah gets back to Jerusalem that second time
• Israel has been back in the land for over 100 years
• Zerubbabel’s temple is 96 years old
• Jerusalem has been a walled city for around 25 years.

Everything had grown comfortable and easy
And the people had settled into complacency.

Listen to Nehemiah explain the scene.
TURN TO: NEHEMIAH 13:15-31

You see in verses 15-18
• Israel had gone right back to profaning the Sabbath.
• The things of God didn’t matter anymore.
• More important was making money and personal satisfaction.
• The people were indifferent to the desires of God.

Even in verses 19-22
• Nehemiah had a difficult time keeping the tradesmen from camping outside the city.

You see in verses 23-31
• They had also returned to the intermarriage that had gotten them in trouble in the first place.

This is what Malachi was referring to.
They were divorcing their wives
So they could intermarry with these foreign women.

READ MALACHI 2:11-12
It was people who were indifferent to the desires of God.

• What God wanted didn’t enter into their thinking.
• They were more concerned with making money.
• They were more concerned with gratifying the flesh.

They were a people who were going through the motions,
But at the end of the day God was anything but a priority.

THIS IS WHEN MALACHI SHOWED UP TO PREACH.
• Again, it is the message that Israel would chew on for the next 400+ years.
• The next prophet who would speak in Israel would John the Baptist who would tell these people it is time to repent.

PERHAPS THAT GIVES YOU A LITTLE CONTEXT TO THE BOOK.

That also gives you insight as to why we are studying it.

If I say that “Our culture is one that is marked with indifference toward the things of God”, there’s not a man in here who can argue with me.

We know our culture has reached a place where God’s will is ignored.
There is no fear of God in our culture any longer.

And we know what the indifference of the world looks like.

Asaph talked about them.
Psalms 73:10-12 “Therefore his people return to this place, And waters of abundance are drunk by them. They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.”

• They are people who just dwell in this sort of complacent and apathetic “ease”.
• They are concerned about the things of the world
• They are totally unconcerned about the things of God.

Jesus spoke of the world’s apathy as well.
Matthew 22:4-5 “Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ “But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business,

• It is to be unconcerned about spiritual things

Luke 17:26-27 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”

• It is to be unconcerned about the warnings of judgment

Isaiah spoke of the world’s apathy regarding judgment also.
Isaiah 22:12-13 “Therefore in that day the Lord GOD of hosts called you to weeping, to wailing, To shaving the head and to wearing sackcloth. Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”

God was warning of judgment.
God was calling men to repentance and mourning.
But men were indifferent.

Who wants to repent when we could party?
That is indifference.
That is apathy.

THE WARNINGS AGAINST
THE WORLD’S INDIFFERENCE ARE ALSO PLENTY.

Listen to the writer of Hebrews
Hebrews 2:1-3 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard”

Those are nautical terms by the way.
“pay much closer attention to” is the Greek word pra-SECH-o which means “to bring a ship to land” or “to moor a ship” or “to tie it up to the dock”

“drift away from it” is the Greek word parr-arr-RAY-o it means “to flow by” which speaks of a ship that is allowed to drift past the harbor.

So it’s the picture of an INDIFFERENT CAPTAIN.
He has given no thought to the direction of his ship.
He’s just letting it drift and never giving any thought to bringing it into port.

It’s an analogy of our lives.
Your life is the ship, the port is heaven.

AND THE QUESTION IS:
If you live your whole life disregarding God and His call of salvation, what are the odds that your ship will just one day enter the port of heaven and anchor itself there?

Indifference does not lead to eternal life.
That’s the point.

“we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard”

Listen again to the writer of Hebrews
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

There the indifference is seen in their irreverence for God.
• They “trample under foot the Son of God”
• They “regard as unclean the blood” of His sacrifice
• They “insult the Spirit of grace”

In other words they have heard God’s warning of judgment
But they are totally indifferent to the way of salvation.

THAT IS THE WORLD’S INDIFFERENCE.
• They are indifferent to the holy requirement of God.
• They are indifferent to the saving call of the gospel.
• They are indifferent to the impending judgment.

They just neglect or disregard or overlook such commands
And their indifference most certainly will land them in judgment.

We have no problem seeing or condemning the indifference of the world.

WE KNOW THAT THEIR INDIFFERENCE IS A TERRIBLE PROBLEM.

And yet, the book of Malachi is NOT a sermon for the world.
It is “The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel…”

Malachi was not a prophet to the pagan nations.
This is a sermon for the people of God.

And just to give you a preview:

READ MALACHI 1:10
God was so displeased with the indifference of His people He cried out for someone who would be willing to go and shut the gates so that people would quit arriving to bring Him such pathetic worship.
• He wasn’t pleased with the offerings…
• He wasn’t pleased with the people…
• His request was for someone to close up the temple and call off the service.

READ MALACHI 2:7-8
Listen to God talk to the priests about the way they handle God’s word.
• They were indifferent to what God had to say and had instead settled on some
other authority.
• That is indifference and God promised to make those priests “despised and
abased” because of it.

READ MALACHI 2:17
That is their indifference to the coming judgment.
• They didn’t think God would judge sinners.
• They thought people in sin were fin.

You see God’s burden there don’t you?
“You have wearied the LORD”

Because they tell people that they can do evil and still be pleasing to God.
Their message to sinners is that God still delights in you.

They actually question whether God is even just to judge sinners at all.

Boy doesn’t that sound familiar!

In a world where church after church only has the goal
To make sinners feel comfortable and to assure them that
God delights in them regardless of what they do.

That is indifference and it was wearisome to God.

READ MALACHI 3:13-15

And this is the pinnacle of arrogance.
“what profit is it that we have kept His charge..?”

What’s in it for me?
• Forget the days of serving God for God’s benefit.
• Forget the days of worshiping God for God’s glory.
• Now we just want to know what’s in it for me?

I went to church now where is my blessing?
I gave some money now where is my reimbursement?
I did what you asked so where is my benefit?

Do you see that the people were totally indifferent to what God wanted?

It is one thing when the culture grows indifferent to God,
But Malachi is about when that indifference infiltrates the church.

First just let me ask you
Why indifference is such a grievous problem in the church?

• What is the big deal if we grow a little complacent?
• What is the big deal if we grow a little lethargic?
• What is the big deal if we are a little indifferent or apathetic?

Here is the big deal.
Matthew 22:36-37 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”

If you take the entire book of the Law…
If you take the sum total of all that God commands…
DO YOU KNOW THE MAIN POINT?

LOVE GOD MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!

This is the foundation command for everything else.
• Why should we not have any other gods? (because we are to love God)
• Why should we not make graven images? (because we are to love God)
• Why should we honor the Sabbath? (because we love God)
• Why should we obey..?
• Why should we evangelize..?
• Why should we give..?

BECAUSE WE LOVE GOD MORE!
• More than other gods
• More than our time
• More than our money
• More than our comfort

You know of course that Jesus is quoting the infamous SHEMA
Have you read that passage?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

That command is the very opposite of indifference.
That command is the very opposite of apathy.

Instead of God being the farthest thing from your mind,
He is the first thing on your mind at all times.

DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE?

Indifference or apathy or complacency is the exact opposite
Of the chief command of Scripture to love God
With all your heart and soul and mind and strength.

So you understand a little why God is so frustrated
Why God actually would just as soon that someone would go lock the doors and cancel the service.

And you’d think the people would know better.
For it their indifference that sent them to Babylon to begin with.

Amos 6:1-7 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, The distinguished men of the foremost of nations, To whom the house of Israel comes. Go over to Calneh and look, And go from there to Hamath the great, Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their territory greater than yours? Do you put off the day of calamity, And would you bring near the seat of violence? Those who recline on beds of ivory And sprawl on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall, Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves, Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils, Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, And the sprawlers’ banqueting will pass away.”

You see their desire for the things of the world
And they cared so little for the things of God.

Is it any wonder that God ripped away their worldly comforts and sent them into Babylon?

Perhaps Jeremiah had the best definition of those who are indifferent.
Jeremiah 12:1-2 “Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You; Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease? You have planted them, they have also taken root; They grow, they have even produced fruit. You are near to their lips But far from their mind.”

Jeremiah said “You are near to their lips but far from their mind.”

They’re God’s people, but God is not on their mind at all.
Everything else is more important.

Do you see that sort of indifference in the spiritual community today?

If you don’t, then come help with the youth
And next year I’ll let you pick the date for Disciple Now.

You’ll learn real quick where the things of God rank.
(and it’s not just the kids, it’s their parents who value the things of the world more)

I CAN TELL YOU.
• Friday Night Football – that’s #1 (it’s unthinkable that anything unseat that)
• Anything that links to football – that’s #2 (Band, Pep-Rally’s, Cheerleading, Practices, etc.)
• Any other sport – that’s #3 (cross country, travel ball, etc.)
• Then there’s any family get together (weddings, birthdays, reunions, etc)
• And finally just human tiredness (it’s too early, it’s too late, etc)

And if you can get past all of those, then maybe
You’ve got a shot at scheduling something people will attend.
(That is as long as something doesn’t pop up at the very last minute.)

WHAT’S MY POINT?
• Everything matters more than church today.
• Everything matters more than worship.
• Everything matters more than ministry.

That’s not to say that football is sinful or birthday parties are bad,
But their idolatrous preference in our lives over the things of God
Is a horrible expression of indifference to God.

I’ve talked to my kids about this recently because they’ve been so disheartened as they invite friends to disciple now.

But I talk to them about THE LITTLE BATTLES.
Our Christian culture has an absolute blind spot about themselves
That if push comes to shove that they’ll stand with Christ.

You know
• If they make Christianity illegal…
• If someone tells me I have to die for my faith…
• Then I’m standing with Christ!

By in large the American Christian community genuinely believes
That if it ever came to that, then they’d be faithful.

This from people who won’t even let their kid skip an athletic practice
For fear that the coach won’t start them in the game.

Very few people face that ultimate giant battle
• Of Christ or death in some great martyrdom decision.
• There are some who do,
• But the Christian life is not marked by this one giant “do or die” moment.

The Christian life is marked by thousands of little battles every day.
That’s what I remind my kids.

It’s the little everyday decisions that mark your priorities
That show where your allegiance truly lies.

Jeremiah nailed it in Israel,
“You are near to their lips but far from their mind.”

People make their schedules with no thought at all
Regarding their responsibility to gather with the saints in worship.

Don’t tell me indifference doesn’t exist in the church today.

Israel was actually judged by God for it
And sent into Babylon for 70 years.

But it wasn’t just their time management.
It was also their indifference to the commands of God.

Ezekiel compared the people to Sodom and spoke of why God destroyed her…
Ezekiel 16:49 “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.”

Ezekiel’s point is that you are just like her.

• It was to not care for the things that God cared about.
• It was to store up goods for oneself and ignore the poor.
• They didn’t care that God commanded them to feed the poor.

That’s another kind of indifference.
It’s just not to care about what God has commanded you to do.

Let’s leave the issue of church attendance aside for a moment…
• When is the last time you helped the poor?
• When is the last time you shared the gospel?
• When is the last time you confessed your sin?
• When is the last time you taught someone about God?
• When is the last time you gave sacrificially?
• When is the last time you prayed?

Hopefully you do those things, but you must agree that
There are many who claim Christianity who don’t do those things.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
The indifference of God’s people to the things of God.

And God sent Israel into the exile for those things.
And so the people of Malachi’s day should know better.

The problem is that they are now over 100 years removed from the exile.
The people alive now don’t even know what it was like.

To them it was nothing more than history.
Like when you or I read about WWII or the holocaust

It is really easy to slip right back into the indifference
That once plagued a previous generation.

That is God’s burden in the book of Malachi.
It is when God’s people grow indifferent to the desires of God.

NOW LET ME SHOW YOU THE MESSAGE OF THE BOOK

The people of Malachi’s day were content and happy and all they waited for now was Messiah to come and lead them to prominence.

But God had a message for them.

READ MALACHI 3:1-4

These people thought they were ready for the Messiah.
To which Malachi says – NO YOU AREN’T!

• If He were to show up you wouldn’t like it.
• You are not ready to stand before Him.
• You can’t “endure the day of His coming”

So Malachi says before God sends the Messiah,
He will first send a “messenger” and “he will clear the way before Me”

• He will come and preach repentance!
• He will come and make the crooked ways straight!
• He will come and make the uneven places smooth!

READ MALACHI 4:5-6
• You know who this is.
• It is John the Baptist.

NOW WHAT IS THE POINT TO ALL OF THIS?

WOULD YOU REALLY ASSUME THAT YOU CAN
• Present broken sacrifices on God’s altar..?
• Gripe and complain about service to God..?
• Vow a good sacrifice to God and then give Him a broken one..?
• Ignore God’s word and preach your own instead..?
• Disregard God’s commands regarding marriage..?
• Tell sinners that God delights in them anyway..?
• Rob God of the tithe He commands..?
• Call the wicked blessed..?

AND THINK THAT THE MESSIAH WILL BE PLEASED WHEN HE ARRIVES?

“You are not ready to meet Him”.
That is the message of Malachi.

That message is not totally invalid in the New Testament.

Did we not just finish 1 John?
1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

What was John saying?
• Walk in righteousness so you aren’t ashamed when Jesus arrives.
• That’s not so different than the message of Malachi.

And for those of us who are living in the last days,
Being ready to meet Jesus should be at the forefront of our minds.

Let me leave you with one parting verse to ponder on this week.
Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

We’ll get into the book of Malachi in a couple of weeks.