POLLUTED SACRIFICES
MALACHI 1:6-14
INTRODUCTION:
Every year Americans leave in their wake
20 million tons of paper
26 billion bottles
and 3 million gallons of water
In our scripture for today, the prophet, Malachi was also talking about pollution because the effects of pollution had hit home .... Israel, the chosen people.
But it was not air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, or ground pollution ..... It was SPIRITUAL POLLUTION.
In fact the prophet was aiming his attack at the top, the leaders, THE PRIESTS and he was saying that the pollution went from top to bottom.
In fact, he would be a man after Ronald Reagan's own heart because he was talking about "the trickle-down theory."
The pollution had started at the top ... THE PRIESTS, and had trickled down to the laity, the common man ... the average Joe in the street.
God leveled a severe and scathing reproof of the priests in verse 6 saying ''It is YOU, oh priests. who show contempt for my name. "
He was saying that they had profaned the things which He, God, had trusted into their hands, into their care .... THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM!!!!
It was the crime of the Priests ... BUT. ... it had become the shame of the people ... they had been infected with it.
The priest had a two-fold responsibility ...
1] to represent God to the people
2] to represent the people to God
They had failed in both but especially in the former.
As Christians, a members of God's family, we too have those same responsibilities
represent God to men teaching
represent men to God prayer
The question that you have to ask yourself today, as we investigate God's claim against the Jewish priests is .... ARE YOU JUST AS GUILTY OF THE SAME SINS??????
God's charge against them was that they were guilty of offering polluted sacrifices.
AND GOD TAKES THAT STUFF VERY SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!
He started off by saying ...
It goes without saying that a child should honor his father
you don't doubt it for a minute
in fact, there is a commandment... Ex 20:9
the punishment is death Matthew 15:4
society depends on it
It goes without saying that a slave should honor his master
everyone knows that
There is a command
Punishment was death
society depends on it
And then God's point is SURELY!!!!!!!!!!!!
If a son is expected to honor his father...
A MAN IS EXPECTED TO HONOR HIS GOD!!!!!!!!!'!'!!!!!!!
If a master can expect his slave to honor him.......
SHOULD NOT GOD EXPECT HONOR FROM HIS SERVANTS?
No answer was required or needed ... it was open and shut. .. common sense.
And if God should expect his people to honor and obey Him... does it not make sense that He could, to a greater degree, expect honor and obedience from his priests????????
SHOW ME THE HONOR
SHOW ME THE RESPECT
I DON'T SEE ANY
IN FACT....... what I see is CONTEMPT FOR ME... FOR MY NAME..
FOR EVERYTHING ABOUT ME!
Now don't miss this to have contempt for someone means to loathe, to despise, to abhor, to hate, to treat with repugnance, to have an aversion for them.
God pointed his finger straight in the face of the priests and said ... YOU HATE ME!!!!
YOU TREAT ME LIKE SOMETHING VILE THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO TOUCH.
They were flabbergasted, floored, astonished, bewildered.
They got that silly "Who-Me?" look on their faces, pointed at themselves, looked at someone to their side and said ... "Contempt... for God ..... ME??????
God saw straight through their show, their acting, their pretense and said,
"Cut the surprise garbage." "You know exactly what I'm talking about I When you say that the sacrifice is contemptible, a burden. "
And again they took that stupid "Who? ME?" pose.
Listen, this sermon is not about a handful of unfaithful old Jewish guys.... it is about you!!!!!!!!!!!
I want you to know that God is pointing his finger straight in YOUR face today and saying to you ... YOU HATE ME ... DESPISE ME ... LOATHE ME ... ABHOR ME!
And most of you are sitting there looking left and right and wondering which one of those "sinners" I am talking to.
TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TO EVERY ONE OF YOU!
God invented the sacrificial system
God laid down very specific rules about sacrifices in Lev. 22: 17-24
without defect, without blemish, without deformity
DO NOT BRING ANYTHING WITH A DEFECT BECAUSE IT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED ON YOUR BEHALF ... v20
There were always those who tried to get by with shoddy sacrifices .....
offering sick animals that would die anyway
injured animals that could not reproduce
lame animals that were useless
They were offering things that did not call for sacrifice ... WERE NOT A SACRIFICE!!!!
It was the job of the Priest to examine the animal closely and REPRESENT GOD TO MAN ...
He should say of the polluted sacrifice…
“This is unacceptable, bring acceptable sacrifice “
But the sacrifice had become a burden to them
just ritual, senseless waste, hundreds per day .... too difficult to screen.
Someone brought an animal that was blind and priest said, "This is good enough, I'll accept it."
BUT HE REPRESENTED GOD TO THE PEOPLE
He was saying God accepts this, He will take whatever you will give. "
Someone brought a dying animal, and the priest just wants his cut so he accepts it and offers it to God.
One application is to the church.
There was a time when people offered a polluted sacrifice ..... drunkenness, adultery, foul language, living in any way that was contrary to what God had revealed as acceptable
Someone ... pastor, deacon, parent, friend ... some Christian would come to him and say ...
“You are offering a polluted sacrifice, and God will not accept it. You know you are wrong and you need to repent, stop the sin, and turn back to God in righteousness.”
AND THE CHURCH WAS STRONG!!!!! II
Now churches are plateaued or declining, worried about losing members, hurting feelings, making people mad, making waves.
They are just so glad to have people that they will accept anybody into their church, and will accept any type of behavior from them. Rather than risk making them mad or losing them ...
They just play "SEE no evil, HEAR no evil" .... then they don't have to SPEAK any reproof.
And what has happened? WE HAVE LOST OUR SAVOR.
Why?
Because they see "Christians" go to church on Sunday and play their little "Goodie-two- shoes" game ------and then on Monday they go to work and offer polluted sacrifices.
HOW???
God laid down the standard ... Thou shalt not lie ..... if you layout of work to do something and call in sick. .. THAT is a polluted sacrifice
God said ... Thou shalt not commit adultery .... and you look at a girl at work and tell someone what you would like to do with her... or laugh when he says it.. .. that is a sick goat.
God said thou shalt not stea1. but you work a side job and let them pay you cash so you don't have to pay taxes that is polluted it shows hatred for God.
God said ... Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord Thy God in vain
and you wouldn't dream of saying it. ..... but you pay $8 to sit in a movie and listen to Bruce Willis do it repeatedly .... Or you open the door of your home and invite some Hollywood star to come in your living room and do it in front of your kids THAT IS A DEFORMED
SHEEP
God said Honor your parents ----and you lie to them about where you are going .
call them stupid behind their back. ..
blatantly disobey them to get what you want... and
argue with them. .... THAT IS POLLUTED SACRIFICE
God says ..... You shall have no Gods before me......... and you skip church to go home and cook for family or go to a family reunion ..... THAT IS A BLIND SHEEP
God has laid down the standard ... and He will not accept polluted sacrifices.
Not only did the priests sin ... in offering polluted sacrifices ....
They taught others to do the same.
By offering those polluted sacrifices they were saying.... don't worry, God doesn't care, God is not choosy, God will accept anything....
God is stupid and doesn't know the difference.
And they learn... from us, the priests.... to offer sick animals, damaged goods, crippled animals.
And they don't know better. .. and God is not accepting them.
God said in verse 14 Cursed is the man who promises God a fine ram from his flock and substitutes a sick one ...
He does that because it does not call for a sacrifice... he does not have to give up anything.
He does it because he sees God as unimportant, and not worth a good sacrifice.
He sees the whole requirement as unrealistic, unattainable
Anything, any little thing is good enough for God.
God said ... Try that junk with anybody else
Try telling the bank ... "I know I promised to pay, but I've changed my mind."
Try telling your boss .. "I know you require 8 hours but I think that is unreasonable so I've decided to give you 2."
Try telling your wife ... "I know I promised to be faithful, but that is too hard so I've decided to have an affair. "
Try telling the trooper.. "I know the law says 55 but my friends do 80 so I will too."
Try telling the IRS ... I know you require 7.65% social security ... but that is asking too much and I'll give you what is left over at the end of the year.
And verse 9 says ... "And you think that you can come to God with your requests and that half-dead lamb in your hand? FORGET IT"""""'"
LET'S BE HONEST
Some of you have come here today with lame lambs, diseased doves, and polluted sacrifices.
Do you think you can live like you have lived this past week
polluting your mind, polluting your eyes, polluting your mouth
breaking God's laws, defying His Word, and disobeying His Spirit
Doing it yourself. .. and teaching others to do it too
Do you think you can do that and then be blessed by God
have his Spirit fill your heart and mind
have God's guidance
have your prayers answered
have God's protection
be accepted by God
be blessed by God
Listen to verse 10
I AM NOT PLEASED WITH YOU
I WILL NOT ACCEPT YOUR OFFERING
This altar is open, it is time for you to confess it and repent of it.
