What Is Your Motive? Series

Sermon Series on Malachi #8

What is your motive?

Malachi 3:13-15

Have you ever watched crime scene investigation shows? The very first question they try and answer is what was his motive. People all around our lives are watching us wondering what is his/her motive?

In the beginning here in verses 13-14 we see another dialog taken place between God and Israel. God says “you have spoken strong words against me” and the people reply “how have we spoke against you?”

Why do you serve the Lord? (Verse 14)

1. Do you feel that it is useless? (Israel was saying it is useless) We have all at one time or another felt that way. But we must keep our eyes on why we do it. We must do it because of Love. We love Jesus.

2. Do you do it for profit? Do you serve the Lord to gain something? Are you sure? Have you ever said, “Lord if you will do this then I promise, I’ll do that.”? Do you serve the Lord because you love Him or do you expect Him to compensate you for your good deeds? Do you have a form of worship but your heart is far from Him?

3. Do you do it for show? “Walked mournfully” They wore clothes as someone in morning sackcloth and ashes, the emblems of penitence; they forgot Isaiah 58:3-8, where God, by showing what is true fasting, similarly rebukes those who then also said, Wherefore have we fasted and Thou seest not? etc. They mistook the outward show for real humiliation. I feel most Christians today have done this for so long that they don’t even notice that they do it anymore.

4. We have called the proud blessed (verse 15) “Ohh, yes! I’m serving the Lord”, “Ohh, Yes I pray for them every day!” “Ohh yes I read my bible every day!” are things that we here many Christians say, but sad to say many of them speak out of pride and don’t even realize it.

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. James 4:10 says “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up.” 1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time.” Notice that every one of those verse say to “humble yourself” it is the one of the few things in the scripture that God tells us to do. All through the scriptures we see God working through people but yet he says “humble yourself” God cannot work through us the way he wants when we are full of pride. (repeat)

Proverbs 8:13 let us read together

How about it do you hate your pride? It stands in the way of you serving God the way He wants you to. That is the problem with pride. Pride says I’ll serve God my way. Humility says Ill serve God His way.

Which way do you serve Him?

Is that the way God wants you to serve Him. If not you are not serving Him.