Sermons by Ken D. Trivette from The Living Word
The Book of Malachi
TALKING
ABOUT GOD BEHIND HIS BACK
1.
A lady known for her constant complaining and criticism, once visited her
preacher and said to him, "pastor, there is something about you that
offends me." He asked, "What am I doing that offends you. I don't mean
to be doing anything that offends you." She said, "It's the way you
wear your tie. You wear it way too long." The pastor reached into his desk
and pulled out a pair of scissors and handed them to her and said, "If that
is what is offending you cut it off to where you think it should be." She
reached over and cut about 3 inches off his tie. Then the pastor said,
"Since we are talking about being offended, there is something about you
that offends me." She asked what it was. He replied, "It's your
tongue. Stick it out."
2.
As you read the book of Malachi we see several things about the people that
offended God. One was their tongue. On two occasions Malachi states that God was
offended by their words:
(2:17) They were ANGERING God with
their words. They were pushing Him to the limits.
(3:13) They were ASSAILING God with their words. They were making accusations
against God.
3.
The word "'stout" means "hard, mean, terrible." They were
saying terrible things about God. The verb "spoke" suggests that these
words were not so much spoken to God but about God. The word is descriptive of a
group sifting around and gossiping. In this case they were gossiping about God.
We would say, "They were talking about God behind His back."
4.
Yet, God knew all about their "gossip sessions." He new every word
they had said about Him. Now he confronts them over the things they had been
saying.
5.
Thomas Edison was once introduced at a dinner. The toastmaster spoke of Edison's
many inventions, dwelling at length on the talking machine. The aged inventor
rose to his feet, smiled, and said gently, "I thank the kind gentleman for
his kind remarks, but I must insist upon a correction. God invented the talking
machine. I only invented the first one that can be shut off.
6.
Malachi's words indicate judgment was about to fall. God was about to shut up
and shut off those who were talking behind His back. Now notice what they were
saying about God. In their normal fashion they asked, "What have we spoken
so much against thee?" That is, "We do not remember saying anything
against or about you."
1.
THEY SAID GOD'S WORK WAS UNFULFILLING!
1.
[VS.14a] . . . The first thing God says they had said was, "It is vain to
serve God." The word "vain" means "foolish, insignificant,
fruitless, or unprofitable." They were saying that God's work brought no
personal fulfillment in their life.
A.
This Was A Flatulent Claim.
1.
This was a claim that they had actually been serving God. They were saying,
"We have been serving God and it has not been an fulfilling
experience." It was a boast on their part of involvement in God's work.
Nothing could have further from the truth. It is obvious all through the book
they had not been living for God and there had not been a serving of God.
2.
There are many believers that could not truthfully say they are serving God. God
DESERVES to be served, He DESIRES to be served, and He DEMANDS to be served.
3.
Many Christians are like the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea was formerly known as the
Salt Sea because of the unusual amount of salt that is found in its water.
Normal seawater weighs about 10 1/4 lbs per gallon and contains about 1/2 lb of
salt. But the water from the Dead Sea weighs about 12 1/4 lbs and contains
approximately 3 1/3 lbs of salt. Because of its heavy content of salt, there is
very little life form in the sea. One of the reasons it has such a heavy salt
content is that it has 6 main inlets but no outlets. It is always taking in but
never giving out.
4.
Someone has said that service is the paying of interest on the life that has
been loaned us.
B.
It Was A False Claim.
1.
It has been said that one cannot expect to reap a harvest if they have not put
the seed in the ground. They were claiming that serving God was unfulfilling
when they hadn't served God to start with. How could they know it was fulfilling
or not. The truth is, there is nothing as fulfilling as serving God.
2.
I think of:
Isaiah
65: 14 "Behold, My servants shall sing for joy."
Isaiah
32:17 "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of
righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. "
3.
I have met many that regretted they did not serve God, but I have never met
anyone that regretted they did served God. The happiest people in this world are
those who have given their life to Jesus and are serving Him!
4.
There were once three women traveling on a train from Kansas City to Chicago. One
was a preachers wife, another a well-dressed lady of culture and obvious wealth,
and the other a young girl in a gaudy dress and filthy mouth. The women talked
freely on their trip. The young girl told them how she was going to Chicago to
spend the weekend with a soldier and told of how she only lived for pleasure.
The preacher's wife talked about how happy she was to be a Christian and to be
in God's work. At one point the young girl told the wealthy lady how she would
be the happiest woman in the world it she had such jewelry, mink coat, and money
like she had. The lady replied, "My dear, you say you would be happiest
woman in the world if you only had my rings, my mink, and my money. I have these
and a great many more things. But instead of being happy, I believe I am the
unhappiest woman in the world. From our conversation today I have found where my
trouble lies. The preachers wife has found the secret of a happy life."
5.
Knowing Jesus is a resource for a fulfilled life. Serving Jesus is the road to a
fulfilled life.
1.
They Said God's Work Was Unfulfilling!
2.
THEY SAID GOD'S WILL WAS UNREWARDING!
1.
[VS.14b] . . . The second thing they were saying about God was, "What
profit is it that we have kept His ordinance?" They were saying, "We
have done what God wanted us to do, but it has not profited us." It was a
claim that doing God's will was unrewarding.
A.
We See A Wrong Attitude About God's Will.
1.
The word "profit" as a technical term used for a weaver cutting a
piece of cloth free from it's loom. As used by Malachi the word had a negative
connotation of men expecting their cut or percentage. They were saying, "We
have done what God wanted, but we haven't got our cut out of the deal."
2.
Their attitude revealed that they were serving God for what they could get out
it. They served God because they expected to receive something in return.
3.
I'm afraid that many times we do what God asks with an ulterior motive. We give
of our money with the thoughts that God will bless our giving with an increase. We give of our time with the ideal that God will bless and do something
for us. We
attend Church as if it is some kind of spiritual rabbits foot to keep trouble
away. We work in the Church so others will compliment us, brag on us, and think
well of us.
4.
We often treat God like He is the great Vendor in the sky. We drop our coins of
giving, attendance, and service in for the purpose of getting something in
return.
5.
It was this very thing that Satan accused Job. (1:9 "Doth Job fear God for
nought?") The claim of Satan was that if God removed His hand of blessing
and took everything away from Job he would curse God instead of serving God.
6.
That is a selfish motive that God will not bless. Doing God's will ought to be
love-inspired rather than blessing-inspired. We should serve God for one reason:
WE LOVE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEART, AND WITH ALL OUR MIND, AND WITH ALL OUR SOUL.
B.
We See A Wrong Assessment Of God's Will.
1.
Their claim was that it did not pay to do God's will. Again, nothing could be
further from the truth. Ask anyone who has given their life lock, stock, and
barrel to God's will and they have done God's will from the heart and with a
pure motive, if it pays.
2.
George W. Truett: "To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge. To
find the will the God is the
3.
It may not pay off financially, materially, socially, but it will pay off
spiritually and eternally.
4.
Late one night many years ago, an elderly couple walked into a small, third rate
hotel in Philadelphia to rent a room for the night. There was a big convention
going on in town and though the couple had checked with several hotels, they had
been unable to find a room. The young clerk on duty told the couple he couldn't
help because their motel, like all others was completely sold out. As they
turned to walk away, the young man was touched by their weariness and said to
them, "I have an ideal. There is not use to look any further, for there are
no rooms in town. But l have a room in the hotel and I won't get off till in the
morning. It isn't much, but the sheets are clean and you can at least have a
place to sleep for the night. The elderly couple protested that they didn't want
to inconvenience him, but he insisted that they stay the night. The next morning
when the elderly couple left, they thanked the young man profusely. The man said
to him, "You are too fine a clerk to spend the rest of your life working in
this kind of hotel. Someday I will build a hotel for you and let you run
it." The young clerk thanked the elderly man for his words thinking to
himself, "Sure, I bet you will build me a motel." Two years later he
received a letter from the man. The young clerk had forgotten about the
incident. The man was inviting the young clerk to come to New York City to visit
them. Included in the letter was a round-trip train ticket to New York. When the
young man arrived in New York the couple met him. They took him to the corner of
Fifth Avenue and Thirty Fourth Street. The elderly man pointed to a newly
constructed, magnificent building that looked more like a castle than a
building. It was superior in design and construction from the foundation to the
roof. The man said, "This is the hotel I promised you. It's yours to manage
as long as you want it." The young man replied "But you must be
joking." The man said, "No, it isn't a joke. I told you I would build
you a hotel to run, and there it is." The elderly man's name was William
Waldorf Astor. The young clerk was George C. Boldt. The hotel was the original
Waldorf-Astoria.
5.
I'm not saying that God will give you wealth, health, and fame, but I am saying
that if you put God first He will bless you richly!
1.
They Were Saying God's Work Was Unfulfilling!
2.
They Were Saying God's Will Was Unrewarding!
3.
THEY WERE SAYING GOD'S WORD WAS UNRELIABLE!
1.
[VS.14c] . . . The third thing they said about God was, "We have walked
mournfully before the Lord of Hosts." They were claiming that God had not
fulfilled His promise to them. It was a claim that His Word was unreliable.
A.
Their Hypocritical Actions.
1.
The word "mournfully" means black. It was used in reference to the
color of skin, the tents of the nomads, and the apparel of people in sorrow. It
was a claim that they had humbled themselves in sackcloth and ashes, fasted and
mourned for God to bless them according to His promise. Cp. II Chron.7:14
2.
Yet they were not blessed by God. They may have mourned outwardly but they were
inwardly still corrupt. Their internal condition was a black as their external
clothes.
B.
Their Hateful Accusations.
1.
[VS.15] ... They went as far to say that instead of God blessing them as His
people, He blessed the sinful and reward their sins.
2.
They felt that the proud (those who are stiff-necked and rebellious against God)
were the ones that were happy.
3.
They felt the wicked had been set up by God and were blessed and honored of the
Lord.
4.
They felt that those that tempted God to judgment were being excused and spared
judgment.
5.
It was an accusation that God blessed the ungodly with pleasure and happiness
while burdening the godly with pain and heartache. They were saying, "God,
you lied to us."
6.
How foolish to make such a claim. God never lies. He cannot lie. If He made a
promise, He will keep His promises. But we often fail to realize is that many of
God's promises are conditional. Cp. Rom.8:28
7.
God's Word is reliable. A faithful life will always experience a Faithful Lord.
A believer true to God's work and God's will, will find that God is true to His
Word.
8.
The songwriter said, "They that trust Him fully, find Him wholly
true."
9.
When Joshua was dying he said, "And, behold, this day, I am going the way
of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not
one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake
concerning you: all are to come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed
thereof."
10.
God's promises are true! His Word is reliable!