Malachi Week 2: The Charade of False Worship
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
So we are in our second week of the Book of Malachi as we finish the year off in this uh last prophetic book in the Old Testament we're going to be in Malachi 1: 5 through 14 which you can turn there and follow along with us as we walk through the text together uh we introduced this last week and we said that Malachi is made up of six different disputations these are six different disputes that God has with his people and we're in the.
Second disputation the second dispute that God has with his people and this one specifically is a rebuke of the sacrifices that the people of God were bringing to the Temple of the sacrificial system that was being practiced at the time now in order for us to understand what's happening in this rebuke you really need to understand the positive version what was actually the ideal version of what was supposed to happen and at times in the history of Israel did happen when it was actually a beautifully worshipful system.
So I want you to to imagine a levitical priest from the tribe of Levi who God has called into by the nature of the tribe that he was in and his Calling On this man's life to be a levitical priest his father was a Le a levite levitical priest his grandfather was levitical Priest he is carrying on this Legacy of being a priest who helps the people worship at the temple and every day he wakes up up and he's joyfully praising.
God to own the calling of being a priest and as he puts on his Priestly garments he's singing Psalms and and praising God that he gets to lead the people in worship and then he puts on his Priestly garments and he Praises Yahweh he Praises God then he walks out into uh the inner part the inner parts of the temple where he's going to facilitate worship where he's lighting incense where he's ready to receive these sacrificial offerings and he's praising God saying I get to help the people of.
God worship I get to help the people of God experience what it means to have a covering for their sin that our sin can be atoned for through sacrifice and he owns that beautifully and wonderfully and then in walks a man who's from the Judean Countryside and this man is a man who has a farm and on his farm he has all types of livestock and one day he looks at his livestock and he sees he's a bull the most wonderful beautiful strongest bull that he could sell on the open market.
For a lot of money and he looks at his Hired Hands and he says that bull right there that's the one that's the best of what I've got and that is what I'm going to take to the temple tomorrow we all go to the temple family work hands all of us are going to the temple to offer this bull as a burnt offering as a sacrifice for our sins and the next day he takes that bull with his family and his and his whole uh his people and they start walking towards the temple and they're singing Psalms of a sense these are the Psalms they would sing as they ascend towards the temple.
For worship and they arrive into the temple and he takes that bull and he brings it to that levitical priest joyfully celebrating this wonderful offering the best of what he has to bring to this priest who's joyfully worshiping saying is this what you've brought for sacrifice and he says yes it's the best of what I have to offer praise God this will be a wonderful burnt sacrifice that is what it was supposed to be and at times in the history of Israel that's what it was.
But that's not what it is when Malachi is prophesying that's not what's happening at the temple so what we're going to see and the second dispute that God has with his people is we're going to take a look at some of the corruption that had really seeped its way into the sacrifices some of the Corrupt Practices that were happening at the time as we look at this and their context we ultimately will see really the root of this corrupted worship and really how that root and I argue that rot still exists even.
Today so let me pray for us and then we'll walk through this together Heavenly Father we thank you for the good news of Jesus that claims us and saves us and sets us apart to worship you and to Delight in you and to glorify you and I pray that you'd help us see the gift that it is to worship our King and I pray that you would expose by the power of the word of God by the power of your word you'd expose the thoughts and intentions of our hearts and that we would receive your word and we'd walk this out in worship and repentance and faith and delighting in you.
Because you're worthy the other we ask this in Jesus name amen all right so verses uh 2 through 5 as we walked through that last week was the first dispute that God has with his people and what we saw if you weren't here last week is that God out the gate before he spends the rest of this book rebuking the people of God that out the gate he reminds them that I love you you are my people I love you oh people of Jacob oh people of Israel I love you that his Covenant Love begins this book and it's the foundation.
For what everything he's going to say next but he needs his people to remember I love you fiercely with this wonderful Covenant Love and out of that love that he has for his people he begins to rebuke him in the second dispute verse six a son honors his father and a servant his master if then I a father where is my honor and if I'm a master where is my fear says the Lord of hosts To You O priest who despise my name.
So he's speaking in terms that were very crystal clear to the people of God that would have absolutely understood this language and really the force of what he is saying he says Israel I am your father oh people of God I'm your I'm your father you are my son you are my child where's the honor that is due to me like they they understood the fifth commandment in ways that we just don't the type of Honor that a parent is is deserved he said where is my honor as your.
Father he used the language of servant and master which is language that was really uh familiar to them as an ancient near Eastern World they built into the very fabric of their economy and all the economies was this servitude system and he says Where is My Honor where's my fear where's my obedience where is this o Israel what you have shown is that you don't fear me you don't honor me you actually despise me which is a a sharp rebuke I mean.
If we if we received a rebuke like that like if your boss called you in the office and if your rev you laid out all your work for the year and then said you know by your work what I can so clearly see is that you hate me that you despise me that's what your work shows if you if you heard that I mean that would be the start of a very scary moment it's like oh okay you've got my attention.
Now let's talk like that's a strong rebuke and he says what you have shown is that you despise my name and this is ratcheted up even more for a culture that understands honor and shame more than we do so he calls them to account and it continues in verse 6 but you say how have we despised your name so he gives their their rebuttal wait wait how how have we despised your name they're incredulous wait you're saying that we don't honor we don't fear we don't how how have we despised your name oh.
God and then God continues in verse 7 by offering polluted food upon my altar but you say how have we polluted You by saying that the Lord's table may be despised verse 8 when you offer blind animals and sacrifice is that not evil and when you offer those that are lame or sick is that not evil so he answers them you've polluted the worship you've polluted the offerings and specifically you've done this by offering blind and lame animals for sacrifice now that's rooted in the Old Testament law right.
So Leviticus or Deuteronomy 15:21 says talking about sacrifices but if it has any blemish if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God Leviticus 22:22 says animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar so clearly in the law and you might wonder okay it's in the law sure.
But why why is that a big deal I mean it's a blood sacrifice it's an animal what does it matter what condition it comes in because it's going to be slaughtered the reason this is important and anytime we're approaching the Bible anytime we're approaching teachings it's try to understand why those teachings are in place in the first place okay and what is clear here is that it shows the heart behind the sacrifice what they are bringing shows the heart behind their worship.
Because sacrifices are supposed to be and this is going to blow our minds sacrificial it's supposed to cost it's supposed to cost you something and and this isn't costly worship at all I want you to imagine we get closer to Christmas and there's end of your Christmas parties I want you to imagine that your your boss says you know you guys have had a stellar year it's been a great year for the company I want to reward y'all with a Christmas party like the most epic Christmas party we've ever had.
And then you show up and it's a Christmas party that has wonderful food and wonderful drink it has a great band I mean it's just a night that you are certainly going to talk about in the office for years to come this I mean he's he's he's giv out Christmas gifts and bonuses all kindes of stuff this a wonderful Christmas party and he just tells them it's because I love youall we're taking some of our our profits this year and we're blessing you this is what you've earned congratulations.
And then the next week you get your paycheck and you look at your paycheck and it's about $1,000 left and you're like wait what you go to the accountant you say Hey listen I'm I'm short $1,000 and the accountant says oh yeah that's for the party it's it's everyone came out of their paycheck this year it's for the party your joy for for that gift that was being brought to you in the party is now wrath because you've been robbed you would have just taken the, that that's what's happening here it's it's the presentation of a sacrifice and it's not a sacrifice a blind animal is not sacrificial at all it's not a gift at.
All because that blind animal could not be sold for anything on the market it's worthless I mean if you try to go and take that blind animal and sell at the marketplace the moment that Ram like just rammed its head into the wall and fell over homeboy trying to buy it just lifts it up looks at his eyes and says it's blind this is worthless you're trying to Def me this means nothing it would be a deep dishonor and the people deep down they know this you know how they know this.
Because of how God really puts this into context in the very next phrase he mentions the Persian Governors so they're still ruled at this point by the Persians he mentions really the Persian Governors that were ruling over them he says with that blind offering that you're bringing present that to your Governor will he accept you or show you favor says the Lord of hosts he says try passing off these blind sacrifices try passing off these lame animals try passing that off to one of the governors one of the rulers who you can.
See try passing that off and see if that gift gets you anywhere be like trying to bring your Christmas gift in for your boss like a good a good boss who doesn't like do a bait and switch of the party like an actually good boss you bring in your Christmas gift and it's a half eaten tray of cookies and like a you know half open drank bottle of Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's that's like a week and a half old that's.
Now like not even barely cooking one and it's like here's your gift you'd never do that we'd never present that to somebody who has influence in our life no chance it would be a great dishonor your boss would get that and be like what in the world is this trash and I've got my eye on you it's just we would never he's saiding you would never present this blind animal to a governor to a governing official you would never try to pass this off as a gift how low the people of.
God must have thought of him must have thought of their God that they could try to present these animals with the appearance of sacrifice with the appearance of worship when really they're keeping the best animals for themselves they're keeping the best of what they have for themselves and God the God who brought them out of captivity the the God who's forgiven them the God who loves them sees this and he rebukes it and he continues in verse 9 he says.
Now entreat the favor of God that he may be gracious to us with such a gift from your hand will he show favor to any of you says the Lord of hosts verse 10 oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors that you might not candle fire on my altar in vain I have no pleasure in you says the Lord of hosts and I will not accept an offering from your hand so he continues this rebuke this charade the appearance of godliness and bringing worship.
God just says if just one of you priests if just one of you had a Zeal for me had a Zeal for the law had a Zeal for what is good which next week we'll spend the rest of this disputation we'll spend talking more about the priesthood but right here he's just like if just one of you had Zeal for my law and for me that you would stand up and you would shut the doors of the temple and say no one else comes in here that you D the Flames of sacrifice and say nothing else gets sacrificed in this altar.
If just one of you would stand up for righteousness just one of you had a Zeal to do what is good and would shut the doors but there's none among you that are doing this none of you are standing up to end this charade this farce this Bakery and God continues verse 11 for from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the Nations and in every place incense will be offered to my name and a pure offering.
For my name will be great among the Nations says the Lord of hosts so God reminds them who they're trying to con he reminds them who they're trying to trick I am the God God who amongst all the nations All Peoples from the farthest stretches of the Eastern sky where it rises to the farthest skies in the west where it sets everywhere across the world is what he's saying I will be worshiped incense will be offered that's the picture of worship worship will be offered amongst all the nations do you know who you're trying to con do you understand who you are trying to trick I'm the.
God over all peoples and one day you're going to see me worship among all the nations and you think that you can bring this type of charade before me what a travesty here is what the people fail to see God doesn't need their sacrifices God doesn't need their worship God doesn't need the temple he didn't need any of this God is inexhaustible he will be worshiped amongst the Nations he he doesn't need this worship but they believed they could bring their worst and pass it off as their best they belied they could come to the temple with this charade and it was all going to be good.
God says you don't know who you are worshiping you don't know who you are conning here and he continues in verse 12 but you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted and its fruit that is its food may be despised but you say what a weariness this is and you snort at it says the Lord of post which what he just said was is not only are you doing a charade not only is all this fake you're bored with it you're you're bored what a weary what how weary is this he's like you're bored with this Con and you even picture that like just day in day out the priest who.
Doesn't care about his calling just doing it it's a job just puts on his Priestly garments and walks out there and says all right what you got next um you that animal looks good yep B in there drop your money off of the the offering plate like if just day in day out just bored with it and God is incensed by this you're not only is a charade you're bored with it and then it gets worse he says you bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick and this you bring as your offering shall I accept that from your hand says the.
Lord so not only are these lame and blind animals and they're bringing their worst not only it's everyone just kind of bored with this charade there are even people who are bringing sacrifices that they took by force which means that the kind of people that had a field and they saw their neighbors Ram wander into their field and they said that's a nice one I'll take that for myself that'll be the one that I offer at sacrifice uh at at the next Temple Festival.
So I don't have to get rid of any of my own what a a great deal and the ram wanders in he takes it into his fold and his neighbor comes out and says have you seen my Ram it's about Yi it's got spots on it oh there it is oh you found it so oh thank you so much and he says nope it's mine now takes it by force and then thinks that he can go and offer that as a sacrifice to.
God it's like are you kidding me do you know who you're trying to con here shall I accept that from your hand says the Lord the this is how corruption had seeped into the people of God who either did not read the Torah did not read the law or read it and did not care but just said this is what we do we're going to continue bringing these sacrifices that's what we do and God ends this first half of the disputation the.
First half of the dispute in verse 14 he said cursed be the cheat who is a male in his flock and vows it and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished for I am a great king says the Lord of hosts and my name will be feared among the Nations so God calls them cheats you have cheated me out of what is rightfully mine God owns everything everything belongs to God everything I mean we're very individualistic we're very you know capitalistic culture and I earn this no.
God gave this to you you are a steward we are stewards of what God has given us we are co- reigning with God on this Earth bringing Dominion to this Earth but that ain't yours it's God's and he and he's calling this out you've cheated God out of what he so rightfully deserves but I will get by Glory amongst the Nations and the Nations will fear me so that's the first half of this and you got to ask the question like what why why do they think they could do this what's going on in their brain.
When they're in their soul when they're actually doing this because we don't give there's not like further verses that explain exactly why they did this we can tell a little bit from the context and I think you could read into this and kind of see kind of the most plausible reasons but I think one of the big ones is is that bringing a sacrifice is costly it just is it costs money cost time cost the energy of your like it that it's costly.
So I think part of them really just love what they had and they they love this world they love Earthly treasures and being able to pass off a lame sacrifice was just easier I think it's also very possible that really they really wanted to do was to give the appearance of godliness to get the appearance of worship to we give the appearance of what it looks like to be a holy man of God a holy woman of God that they' pass this off.
Because they like the appearance without actual sacrifice without actual worship so next week what we're going to do is we're going to look at really the priests and their role in this but this picture that he ends with here in verse 14 is something we need to sit in because what happens sometimes is that we can read things like this and distance ourselves because it feels foreign to us cuz spoil alert next year between songs we're not going to bring out a ram and cut his throat like that's I know that's going to shock you.
But that's just not what we do here and there's a reason we don't do that first off be wildly weird uh second Jesus fulfilled that entire system so people wonder why why don't you why why does the Old Testament law not continue like it because is Christ Christ becomes the final sacrifice fulfilling that system like that the whole book of Hebrews helps poetically and wonderfully help helps capture this idea the reason we don't offer sacrifices is because Jesus was the final sacrifice that everything in this system this offering of unblemished rams and unblemished Bulls and unblemished uh pure offerings this is all meant to point.
For that was the main goal was a shadow of what was to come it was ultimately pointing forward to the unblemished perfect sacrifice of Christ when Christ comes fulfills this with his death on the cross and his blood is shed for the sins of the people for the rest of time we point back to the Spotless land that died in our place in Christ so that when we read this though it feels foreign because we're so far removed from it because we don't do this it feels ancient feels foreign and it's easy us to read this.
Look at the people of God and even have the mindset of how Wicked is this how broken were the people thinking they could do something like this which honestly is a little bit of a historical historical fallacy that's just what a lot of people do when they look back at history people look back at history and said I would have never done that back then I would have never I would have acted justly I'd have been a warrior for what is good and it's like probably not CU you're Sinner and your heart's Wicked and you're more influenced by the by the culture of the time just like every single human being.
For the last thousands of years so no you're not like some Star Spangled awesome example that would stand out no you're just you're just not and it's and we'll do that sometimes you just read this and just kind of separate yourself from it all and it doesn't do it reflectively we so the way that we should read this is to understand the truth of what's happening in this text and actually look at our own hearts and ask some questions of ourselves of what's happening in our hearts.
When we worship the God in what ways do We Worship the Lord that has the appearance of godliness but in actuality it profanes the name of our God like in what ways do we bear the name of Christ but our actions and the way that we live show something different in a way that God Says by the way that you are living it shows that you despise my name so the question here is how do we worship though not in the same form.
But actually has the same kind of substance and Same Heart that's the bigger question that's at play for us as we read this text now there are a few different words for worship in the New Testament a few different words in the Greek that help capture worship the the two main uses are a type of worship that is praise singing kind of prostrating yourself humbling yourself before God so the main use of worship in the New Testament is that picture this praising of.
God like the songs that we just sang okay that's the first main use of worship in the New Testament you see over and ever again is this humbling joyfully praising the Lord the second main use is service it's the type of Life Worship how we honor the Lord with our lives How We Worship the Lord with our lives and how we live our lives so praise and life and those are the two main uses of worship in the New Testament then we should.
Look at how they worship with the system ask those same questions of our own lives within those two categories and that's what I want to do for a moment I want to look at how we might have the same Folly the same error when it comes to praise worship and Life Worship so first how might we be a people that have the same sinful patterns that the Israelites did and how we praise and bring our praise and worship to God so some of us might worship boldly on a Sunday with hands hands raised singing loudly and what we're really doing is we're more worried about how people.
See us how they see us lift our hands and how they hear our voices that we know the words of this song and and and what we're doing there is we're more concerned about how we look as opposed to actually worshiping God for who he is and that makes us the center of worship this is a really big danger for those who lead in worship because one of the problems is is that when you lead in worship sometimes it can be.
So performative you can so Focus so much on on on the technical aspects and how you sound and if we're on beat and all the different technical aspects of worship it becomes performative that you lose the thread on what it's actually supposed to be helping lead the people of God in all of who Jesus is and worshiping our King for who he is I mean years ago Raz this is a quote that he loved I don't remember where it came from.
But basically the the idea that came out of it was is that if the all the electricity was taken out of the building could we still worship God like we're supposed to and it's like oh that's man so there's a performative aspect that gets in the way that we're not actually thinking and worshiping God like we're supposed to some of us go through the motions of Sunday worship sing the song and we listen to the sermon and the whole time it's happening the whole hour and 15 minutes it's happening or 90 minutes depending on who's preaching how many jokes he's got to tell and the whole time that's happening your mind is elsewhere you're thinking.
About things from the week last week you're thinking about things you got to do today you're thinking about things that are coming up and you go through this just check in the box and sing King of Kings cool pray all right sermon cool all right and then you're out and you're just going through the motions we're just going through the motions check in boxes as opposed to seeing what we have here as a gift a gift that God has given us that we get to come together with the people of.
God and worship him and Enlighten him for who he is because he's wonderful and he's worthy of it it's good for our souls to do that now way this can happen and less can happen in our Church because of how we giving but there can be a little bit of part of worship is I'm bring my offerings and I want to be seen as someone who gives I want to be seen as a giver which the offering plate could make that a bigger temptation.
But we've robbed you of that so you got to do it at these boxes in a way that would be more performative which doesn't happen as much but it's the heart behind it is I I want to be seen as someone who's generous who's seen as someone who brings their offerings before the Lord and it's not about actually sacrificially giving God joyfully this is what we're bringing to you but it's it's about being seen there's a lot of different ways this can play out the heart behind it is all there it's a charade it it it's checking the boxes it's being seen it's not actually worshiping like we're supposed to that.
Second category of Life Worship this honor and worship that we're supposed to have we're supposed to give to God in every aspect of Our Lives that's a bigger one that many of us fall into and it's especially hard because we're in the South and Southern Christianity is just I mean the overwhelming majority of people in the South will claim to be a Christian like people from the north move down here and they're like there are churches everywhere do you not see this this isn't normal and it's not there like more churches per capita in the South than almost anywhere in the world and what happens is is that Christianity is just who we are it's.
What we're supposed to do and what happens is is that anyone claims to be a Christian in the South and what happens if if there is any bit of regularity in Sunday worship that Sunday becomes the Pinnacle of what it means to be a Christian that this is it this is the height of it but it doesn't actually show up in the other aspects of life doesn't show up in the regular repentance and walking this out in community doesn't show up and reading the Scriptures and being convicted doesn't sing up in the prayers and humbling ourselves before the.
Lord and it's this life that says I'm a Christian but the rest of life doesn't back it up at all now the way this happens in the South profaning the name of the Lord claiming the name of the Lord and acting very different it shows up in business practices shows up in using the name of God to gain Social Capital with others or business Capital with others that's why when I see a Jesus fish on a bumper on a a business card I get a little nervous oh boy you know I I used to.
So many of you know this I did Real Estate uh by vocationally I was a pastor and a real estate agent for years and now I'm just full-time here I still have my license but uh for years my license at the same place is at a brokerage um and my brokerage I love like I just I love them it's a Rowdy group of people it's kind of known to be a Rowdy group of people they just they're they're good at what they do.
But they have fun and it's a Rowdy crew and I for years would go to the office and they knew I was a pastor and you know just some jokes that kind of come with that that they're fun but they really I think they appreciated me I'm not a moralist I don't tell people how to live I tell them who to live for I tell them about Jesus but I'm not going to tell them how to live so you can live your life do whatever you want and I and I operated in there.
For years and one of the things that I found incredibly frustrating is that there was uh another brokerage that really built their name off Christ they they kind of built their branding off of Jesus and what was wildly frustrating was they also had a reputation from some of their agents doing some shady stuff and I heard our guys talk about that brokerage and make fun of them oh yeah they're Jesus he real Christian over there and they did some of the most unethical things in the market and it just drove me nuts.
Because I had a bunch of Rowdy group of people but they did things ethically and right and as a Christian I'm there and I'm trying to represent Christ and I got agents across town just doing stupid foolish wicked things infuriates me that mess happens all over the place people that bear the name of Christ that use the name of Christ to advance their career or their their their their resume in a Christian culture and its wickedness and it profanes the name of.
God you must despise the name of God to practice like that so it can happen the way way that we live our lives in the business world how we work it can happen in the offerings that we bring to the Church so the money that we bring to the Church if it's if it's given off of stuff that's stolen from other people stolen from the government and what's owed to the government stolen from from any anyone or anything and we bring that and say.
God here's your gifts here's your offerings that aspect of our life has not been Sanctified it's not Jesus is working it show that's not worship that's a charade it's not breaking your heart to do what is actually good honestly with this category it's just it's anything that claims the name of Christ anything that simply that that simply has the appearance of godliness has the has Jesus slapped on top of it but actually is not backed up at all or maybe it's you're the kind of person that that has the mindset of I'm just I'm doing good.
So I can get into heaven and I'm just getting Kingdom credits through just claiming to be a Christian and doing the things and whatever but it actually isn't backed up by a life where the heart has been so sh so changed and captured by Christ that though we walk sometimes in sin and make mistakes that we're walking that out in Repentance and worshiping and delighting in him if it's not that then you're just going to the motion and you're checking boxes and it doesn't honor.
God there two main aspects of worship but it's praising here in a Sunday or the lives that we live it really shows our hearts that we're not all that much different than the Israelites whether it's we're doing it to be seen as holy I'm checking boxes so I can be seen as one of the good ones or if it's just the idea of of well it's just what we do we're seveners and we're Christians therefore we just we do the things.
When it's actually not a vibrant faith that costs a vibrant Faith where Jesus said says take up your cross and follow me to deny yourself and follow me that the moment that Christianity becomes you having to be someone who's repenting of sin or being obedient to his mission or being sacrificial with your life towards others or the moment There's an actual cost like I don't know about that that's a little overly religiously that's just a little bit too much for me it's just what we do and that's the heart.
But how we approach this and the reality is is our approach to God what what what what's really revealed in how we actually approach life is that sometimes the way that we the way that we that we live our lives earnestly for things that we can see for Governors that oversee us for for for employers that oversee us for the people that actually can bring the the change we can see in our lives that will do more earnestly for those worldly things than we will.
For God and it reveals what's happening in our hearts and it reveals that any of the practices that we bring here in a Sunday or in groups or whatever is more of a charade brothers and sisters Ecclesiastes is correct there is nothing new Under the Sun we we we repurpose and we repackage the same old practices the same old things we're just like the Israelites and there was a prophet that was raised up to help them see the error of their ways that Malachi is trying to help them.
See don't do this don't do this here don't don't don't engage in these practices and we have a better Prophet a better priest and our great high priest in Christ and a better King in Jesus who came and shed his blood for us and offer sacrifice blood to cover our sins and his perfect righteousness to stand for us and it invites us into that kind of faith we put all of our hope in Christ and then calls us into a worship that Romans 12:1 teaches I appeal you there appeal to you.
Therefore Brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as the Living Sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship though he place all of our hope in the finished work of Christ he changes us and then sets us apart to present Our Lives as a Living Sacrifice to God that we might lay down our lives to follow him and to worship him and to Delight in him and it would show up in all the different aspects of how we sing and how we live and what we do.
But I'll finish back with verse 14 when the Lord says cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock and vows it yet sacrifice to the Lord what is blemished for I am a great king says the Lord of hosts and my name will be feared among the Nations just remember God doesn't need this he do need this he's going to be worshiped amongst the Nations he's going to be glorified every knee is going to bow to him he doesn't need this this.
And if this ever becomes a charade if this ever if we ever the Church that preaches a Gospel and doesn't live if weever a Church that says all the right things but that doesn't actually back it up with our lives if all this just becomes checking boxes and just performative then man let's close the doors let's lock it up I'll go back to selling real estate I mean just we'll lock the doors we'll sell this building off that educational Wing you can make condos out of that thing this could be a nice little bar in and and and music venue I mean let's close up the doors and say move on.
Because God doesn't need a half-hearted people that are just going through the motions he wants a people who laid down their lives because we love him so deeply and we realize eternally what that he's worth it and we be a people that backed that up with our lives not as perfect people because we're going to make mistakes but where we see our sin we're confronted by the good news of the Gospel and we trust in him as our only hope and and we walk this out worshiping him and honoring him.
But if that ain't it we'll close the doors and move on but there are four Elders here that are never going to let that happen first their own lives and then as we lead forward we want to be a people who don't treat this as a charade but take the Lord seriously and the good news is God loves us enough to reveal this to us God loves us enough to be able to reveal what's happening in our hearts Stay With Me loves us enough to reveal what's happening in our hearts.
So that we can go to our community groups this week and confess sin and confess where we're falling short confess where we've treated this like a charade that we can be a people that actually are changed by Jesus and become better worshippers come better people who Delight in him but also there might be some of you where all this has ever been is going through the motions and all this has ever been is checking boxes and I want you to see.
See so clearly this morning God loves you enough to confront you and to call you into an actual real sacrificial faith in him don't treat this like a charade don't treat this as checkin boxes he's actually worth it and he's good and when you truly discover who our God is and you lay your life down for him you'll see that everything that comes after that is wonderful and is delightful and is worth it let me pray heavenly father I pray that you would help convict us of sin I pray that you'd help us.
Remember the good news of the Gospel that saves us so that we can be a people that actually worship you we can be a people that actually lay down our lives for you because it's good because we gain more of you because you died on a cross for our sins and you have a Heavenly home that await says and that's worth it it's worthy of Our Lives May we be a people that worship you not half-heartedly but truthfully in Jesus name amen man's going to come up and as we prepare to worship take a few moments to just breathe and pray.
Remember who this God is remember who he is and that he's worthy he will be worshiped amongst the Nations every KNE is going to conf is going to Bow every tongue is going to confess that he is Lord that is who our God is he's worthy of it so prepare your hearts to respond in worship but if you don't know him the invitation is there for you to actually know him and to surrender him and for this not to be something that you check off.
But to be a means of delighting in him because he's worthy of it.