One man has said that one of the biggest disappointments in his life came when he was a boy. He saw a large tent setup in a field and thought there was a circus inside. He sneaked in under the flap to watch and discovered that he was in the middle of a revival meeting. However he experienced an even bigger disappointment as an adult when he went to a church expecting to find revival and discovered that it was nothing more than a circus. To the people of Judah worship has become nothing but a show. Their hearts are no longer in it; in fact the only reason they still do it is because they have always done it and feel obligated to continue. The word worship has its roots in the thirteenth century and according to Webster’s dictionary it means: reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such reverence or extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem. The Greek word used for worship is proskuneo which literally means “to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand”. So worship is bestowing honor and glory upon God. But as Malachi points out the people have reduced worship to a meaningless ritual that insults God rather than brings Him honor. As we study our text today, I want us to discover the warnings Malachi issues in regard to how we conduct our worship. If we truly take the lessons in our text to heart, our worship will never leave a bad taste in God’s mouth.
I. Worship had become a ritual that dishonored the Lord’s name.
A. The priests regarded God’s altar as polluted.
1. In verse 7 these priests denied that they had polluted God’s table or altar.
2. It was the priests’ responsibility to keep unacceptable offerings away from the altar, how strange that now they were the ones complaining of the defilement.
3. Their actions, however, indicated contempt for the entire sacrificial ritual.
B. The priests complained about their compensation.
1. They regarded the “fruit” of the altar as contemptible.
2. The food, of course, was the cereal and meat offerings the priests put on the Lord’s table.
3. Part of the priestly compensation came from the offerings which were placed on the altar.
4. The priests were complaining because God got the best part of the sacrificial animals while the priests were only getting the leftovers.
C. The priests had begun to view their work as a tiresome burden.
1. In their eyes the material reward was not worth all the trouble.
2. For them the holy service of God had become a bore, a labor of duty rather than of love, a yoke around their necks.
3. Slaying the animals, skinning them, gutting them and cutting them up was a filthy, bloody job.
4. The bottom line was that they felt their job just plain stunk.
D. The priests had sunk to a level that allowed any sacrifice to be accepted.
1. Some of the animals that had been brought had been acquired through fraud and thievery.
2. Some sacrificial animals had been snatched from the jaws of wild beasts, hence mutilated and unfit for sacrifice.
3. Sick and lame animals were also brought to the altar.
4. Rhetorically God asked, “Should I accept this at your hand?” The obvious answer is, No!
E. Influenced by the attitude of the priests, the worshipers were attempting to deceive or cheat God in numerous ways.
1. The situation envisioned is that a worshiper had available that which fully met the requirements of a vow which he had taken.
2. Once the emergency was past, however, they cheated God by offering a less valuable blemished animal instead.
3. The priests failed in their responsibility by not scrutinizing the offerings brought thus deeming anything as acceptable.
4. A curse would rest upon all who brought their blemished odds and ends to God for sacrifices.
F. The priests just failed to recognize the greatness of God.
1. All of the failings of the priests could be traced to one fundamental theological error. Their concept of God did not remotely correspond to the truth about God.
2. First, they did not recognize the position of God: “I am a great King.”
3. Second, they did not understand Yahweh’s power. He was commander of all hosts of earth and heaven.
4. Third, they did not recognize the prestige of Yahweh. One day his name would be “reverenced” among the Gentiles.
II. Malachi announces that a day is coming when God’s name would be honored worldwide.
A. The Lord will vindicate His name among the Gentiles even though His own people will not honor Him.
1. God told his faithless priests that he had others who in different places and in later times would bring acceptable offerings and give him with love and devotion the worship he demanded.
2. Christians do not bring incense and sacrificial animals to the Lord as ancient Israel did. But Revelation 5:8 reminds us that incense corresponds to prayer, and Hebrews 13:15-16 states that "a sacrifice of praise" is "the fruit of lips that confess his name."
3. The worthy attitudes of the Gentiles would be demonstrated in worthy actions.
4. Christians are among those spoken of by Malachi, those of the far-off nations living in the distant future, who in Malachi’s day were thought to be without hope because they had no contact with the religion of Jerusalem and its priests.
B. This prophecy announces that all over the world sacrifices would be offered by sincere worshipers and accepted by a holy God.
1. The implication is that the Mosaic system would be replaced by a new worship system.
2. Certainly no one would try to cheat a king or governor, for fear of being reprimanded and punished by that authority.
3. Why would one think they could cheat the great King, the One whose name is to be feared among the nations.
4. God will not tolerate such reneging. He is an absolute sovereign. If the people he chose reject him, he will choose others—Gentiles, foreigners—who will revere his holy name.
III. God expects His people to take worship quite seriously.
A. Worship does not exist for us, it exists so that we can attempt to give God what is rightfully His.
1. A worship minister in California puts it this way, “How quickly we forget what it’s all about. We can get so strategic that we worship so our church will grow, not because He is worthy. But we’re doing all this because God is worthy and we want to worship Him.”
2. Humble service and a total life submitted to God is the essence of true worship.
3. Like the Israelites in Malachi’s day we can never allow ourselves to begin to worship the methodologies rather than God.
4. Worship is to be a life-style, not just what happens when we assemble in this building, we need to check attitudes and differences at the door so we can truly unite as a body to give God the honor and glory that is due Him.
B. Here is the million dollar question: “When it comes to worship, are you truly giving God your best.
1. I strive to always put my best effort forth in preparing and presenting a message because I realize that what we discuss each week is a matter of Heaven and Hell.
2. What is true of my preaching is true with our praying…when we pour out our hearts to God it should come from the depths of our soul.
3. What is true of preaching and praying is also true of our singing…when you sing you should give it your very best…focus on the words…sing them in such a way that honors God and encourages those around you.
4. What is true of preaching and praying and singing should be true of our giving…we are told that "It is more blessed to give than it is to receive"…"God loves a cheerful giver.”
5. And what is true of preaching and praying and singing and giving should be true with our communion...when we stop and focus on the most important event in history - the death of the Son of God on the cross….we should give it our best.
6. Calvin Coolidge said this in regard to worship, “It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow.”
C. Worship is the time when we come into the presence of God and I would like to leave you with six things to help keep worship in the proper focus.
1. The audience of our worship is God.
2. The bond for worship is community; it is enhanced by the relationships we share with one another.
3. The evidence of true worship is a life that has been transformed by the grace of God.
4. The essence of worship is life-style.
5. The language of worship is culture.
6. Love is the key to worship.
William Hendricks wrote a very captivating book called “Exit Interviews: Revealing Stories of Why People Are Leaving the Church.” As you might expect, people often said they were leaving the church because it was boring, but notice how many of them defined boring. Hendricks writes, “The most common complaint was that worship services were boring. It was not just that these gatherings were not interesting; they were not worshipful. They did little to help people meet God. However, I did not hear this as a call for more entertainment, but for more participation.” The most important benefit of a worship service is the awareness of the presence of God. It has been said that when interaction with God is absent, the church loses much of its appeal. People come to church because the expect to find God there.
