“Worship that Dishonors God” (Malachi 1:6–14)

“Worship that Dishonors God” (Malachi 1:6–14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, June 30, 2019

Malachi 1:6–14 (NIV)

6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty.

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

7 “By offering defiled food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.

9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. 14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.

1. When we bring worthless things to the Lord in the name of worship, we dishonor him (vv. 6–8).

a. God is worthy of honor. He deserves our adoration and reverence (v. 6).

i. He is our Father.
ii. He is our Lord.
iii. He is the ultimate authority over all earthly authorities.

b. Offering worthless gifts to God shows contempt for God (vv. 7–8).

i. Worthless worship dishonors God’s name.
ii. Bringing God our leftovers (instead of our best) is worthless worship and dishonors God.

2. The only proper response for God’s people when guilty of worthless worship is to repent and seek the Lord’s favor (v. 9).

a. God desires our obedience (1 Samuel 15:22).
b. God desires our hearts (Psalm 51:17).
c. When we fail to give God our best, we may find forgiveness through the all-sufficient life and sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

3. If we don’t worship God in a worthy manner, He will remove his blessing and find others who will worship him rightly (vv. 10–14).

a. God’s Name will be honored.
b. If some refuse to honor God, He will turn to others who will glorify Him.

* God turned his attention away from the hard-hearted Jewish people and turned to the Gentiles (Luke 13:28–29; Romans 11:11).

c. The full realization of God’s worldwide honor is still to be fulfilled in His future kingdom.
d. There is only one “Great King” – the Lord our God.

Main Idea: God graciously saved us to worship him. As our Father and Lord, he is worthy of the very best that we can offer to him, but he is dishonored when we give him our leftovers.