The Proof Of Love - Malachi 1 Actions speak louder than words A. Why Did God Send Malachi? (1:1) 1. Burden = Judgment 2. Violating God s word brings judgment 3. Malachi = my messenger B. Do I Love You? Jeremiah 31:3 1. A disingenuous question (1:2) Let Me Prove My Love 2. I chose you over Esau (1:2-4) 3. There is no doubt (1:5)
The Proof Of Love - Malachi 1 Actions speak louder than words C. Do You Love Me? (1:6-14) 1. You do not respect me (1:6) 2. You violate my law (1:7) Leviticus 22:20-23 3. You give me second best (1:8) 4. You give me only lip service (1:9-10) Isaiah 29:13 5. You do not glorify me (1:11-12) 6. You find Me boring (1:13) 7. You think that I am not worthy (1:14)
Be Thou My Vision Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, Save that Thou art-
Thou my best thought, By day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, And Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee And Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son, Thou in me dwelling, And I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, Nor man s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, Now and always;
Thou and Thou only, First in my heart, High King of heaven, My Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, My victory won, May I reach heaven s joys, O bright heaven s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, Whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Corrupted to The Core Malachi 2 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I. Corrupt Priests (2:1-10) A. Called out (2:1-2) Malachi 2:1-2 1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. 2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. 1. They were to be the spiritual examples 2. They were to glorify God 3. They had no desire to be priests
I. Corrupt Priests (2:1-10) B. Consequences of being corrupted (2:3-4) Malachi 2:3-4 3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. 4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 1. The epitome of being unclean 2. Worthless effort
Numbers 25:10-13 10 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
I. Corrupt Priests (2:1-10) C. Call to do what you should (2:5-7) Malachi 2:5-7 5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. 6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. 7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Ephesians 4:22-24 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
I. Corrupt Priests (2:1-10) D. Condemned before God!! (2:5-7) Malachi 2:8-10 8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. 10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 1 When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
Deuteronomy 7:1-4 - continued 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
II. Corrupted Land (2:11-13) A. Violating God s command (2:11) Malachi 2:11 Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.
II. Corrupted Land (2:11-13) B. Violators will be cut off (2:12) Malachi 2:12 The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.
II. Corrupted Land (2:11-13) C. Vain actions will not restore (2:13) Malachi 2:13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. What is wrong is wrong, regardless of your actions to make things right
III. Corrupted Families (2:14-16) A. Violated your vows (2:14) Malachi 2:14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
III. Corrupted Families (2:14-16) B. Violated your own conscience (2:15) Malachi 2:15 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
III. Corrupted Families (2:14-16) C. Violated God s institution (2:16) Malachi 2:16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
IV. Corrupted Individuals (2:17) Malachi 2:17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? A. Beware of indifference B. Beware of ignorance
IV. Corrupted Individuals (2:17) C. Are we grieving God? Hebrews 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.