Sermons by Ken D

Sermons by Ken D. Trivette from the Living Word

The Book of Malachi
IS THINE HEART RIGHT WITH GOD?
Malachi 2:1-3

1. There is an old invitational song written by Elisha Hoffman that goes:

Have thy affections been nailed to the cross?
Is thy heart right with God?
Countest thou all things for Jesus but lost?
Is thy heart right with God?

Art thou now walking in heaven's pure light?
Is thy heart right with God?
Is thy soul wearing the garment of white?
Is thy heart right with God?

(Chorus) Is thy heart right with God,
Washed in the crimson flood,
Cleansed and made holy,
Humble and lowly,
Right in the sight of God?

2. The passage before us reminds me of this old song. It is like Malachi is asking to all generations of time, "Is thy heart right with God?"

3. The objects of Malachi's words are the priests. We read in verse 1, "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you." Both people and priests were guilty of the same sins, but because of their responsibility as divinely appointed leaders, Malachi arraigns the priests first in sin and judgment.

4. Malachi is very forthright when he declares the consequences of a heart not right with God. He reminds the people, and each of us as well, if certain things of God are to be experienced then the heart must be right.

5. We read in verse 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." Malachi describes 3 conditions necessary to an experiencing of God's blessings. Malachi uses the word "it" to indicate the condition for God's blessings.

6. For one thing there must a HEARING OF GOD. The word "hear" is one of the most important verbs in all the Old Testament. It is used some 1,160 times. It means to hear with attention and obedience. It is to give undivided attention.

7. There must also be a HEART FOR GOD. The heart referred to here is not the organ in our body that pumps blood. The heart is the deepest, innermost feelings. It is our seat of emotions.

8. We must also give HONOR TO GOD. To give "glory" is to magnify God's name. It is to honor, esteem, and exalt.

9. Malachi tells us in statements that follow what will happen if there is not a HEARING OF GOD, a HEART FOR GOD, and the giving of HONOR TO GOD. In other words, what will happen if I my heart is not right with God. Notice carefully the statement in verse 2, "BECAUSE YE DO NOT LAY IT TO HEART."

10. Notice in verses 2-3, what happens when the heart is not right with God.

1. THERE IS A REMOVAL OF GOD'S POWER.

1. We read in verse 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."

2. When Malachi spoke of a "curse" he was not speaking of a bad wish or eerie spell put on them by God. The word simply meant, "to ban." They would be banned from being blessed of God. God is saying, "I will withhold my power from you." It was a ban on:

A. The Personal Experiencing Of God's Power.

1. God was saying, "As priests, you will not experience the blessing of My power in your life." May I say that there is not a greater tragedy that could happen to a Christian, than to lose the power of God.

2. G. Campbell Morgan said, "You cannot grow the tulips of the Kingdom of God except you get the bulbs from heaven. Never forget that."

3. D.L. Moody: "A great many people are thinking that we need new measures, that we need new Churches, that we need new organs, that we need new choirs, and all these new things. That is not what the Church of God needs today. It is the old power that the apostles had; that is what we want, and if we have that in our churches, there will be new life. Then we will have new ministers - the same old ministers renewed with power, filled with the Spirit."

4. I cut my spiritual teeth on a constant challenge to have God's power. I was taught and learned early that I must have God's power. We must have God's power. God's power in our life is essential to spiritual effectiveness, marital effectiveness, parental effectiveness, and moral effectiveness.

5. Listen carefully to what God said in His word:

Gen.32:28 "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince thou hast power with God and with men..."

I Sam.9:1 "Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was ....... a mighty man of power."

Micah 3:8 "But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD..."

Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you."

Acts 4:33 "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus."

Acts 6:8 "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people."

Psa.68:35 "The God of Israelis He that giveth strength and power unto His people."

2 Cor. 12:9 "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Rom. 15:13 "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

7. If my heart is not right with God, I will not experience God's power in my life. It was also a ban on:

B. The National Expressions Of God's Power.

1. Of all nations, Israel had seen multiplied demonstrations and expressions of God's power. God was saying, "I will ban you as a people from seeing My power at work."

2. Remember what God said in Deuteronomy 4:37 ". . . brought thee out in His sight with His mighty power out of Egypt," and in Deuteronomy .9:29 "Yet they are Thy People and Thine inheritance which Thou broughtest out by Thy mighty power..."

3. God led them and fed them. God provision and protection was daily. If ever a nation experienced God's power it was Israel.

4. We Read in Psalm 106:8 "Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, That He might make His mighty power to be known."

5. As a Church, God wants to make known His power. He wants our assemblies to have expressions of His power. But if the heart is not right, there will neither be a personal experiencing or collective expressions of His power.

1. There Is A Removal Of God's Power!

2. THERE IS A REPERCUSSION TO GOD'S PUNISHMENT!

1. God said in verse 3, "Behold I will corrupt your seed." This statement conveys the ideal of God dealing with the condition of their heart not being right. God is saying, "Not only will withhold My power, but I will deal with your sin." When God deals with sin in our life there are serious repercussions.

A. There Is A Firm Rebuke.

1. Notice the word "corrupt." The word does not mean to defile, make dirty, etc. The word that is used here has the ideal of "addressing harshly, to scold, to rebuke." Like a father speaking to a disobedient child, God says He will rebuke them for their sin.

2. I guess I could say it this way and you would get the point: No one has ever had a chewing out like the one you would get from God." This rebuke involves God's displeasure and discipline. GOD DEALS WITH SIN IN OUR LIFE!

3. An example of God dealing with sin in found in I Corinthians 11:31-32 "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged of the Lord, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."

B. There Is A Further Result.

1. Notice Vs.3 again. This rebuke also involves others. The word "seed" used here could refer to both harvests and children. I believe Malachi is referring to the hereditary office of the priesthood. He was saying that God would shut down the office of the priesthood and their children would not be allowed to serve in this office.

2. The point is this. When we are not right in our heart, others are always affected. It could be that the people who are underneath your leadership will suffer. When we are not right it is a hindrance of winning those around us to Christ. It could be that our children's ideal, attitude toward God and spiritual things are affected. When we are not right others are always affected.

1. There Is A Removal Of God's Power!
2. There Is A Repercussion To God's Punishment!

3. THERE IS A REJECTION FOR GOD'S PURPOSES!

1. We also read in verse 3, that God will "spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it."

2. God uses the most degrading terminology possible to express His feelings and the consequences of their heart not being right.

A. There Is A Disclosure Of Their Sin.

1. The word "dung" that Malachi refers to is the excrement; refuse which accumulated in the Temple area during the sacrificial offerings. The law demanded that this refuse be taken outside the city and be burned. The law also stated that if a priest came in contact with the dung he was defiled and disqualified to offer sacrifices.

2. God said that He would smear it on their faces. Now this was not a literal command but a declaration by God that He would disclose their sin. Their faces would show what was in their heart.

3. We are familiar with Numbers 32:23 "be sure your sin will find you out." Somewhere, somehow, God discloses sin in the life of the believer.

B. There Is A Denial Of Their Service.

1. We read, "one shall take you away with it." As I said, they were required to take this dung out and burn it. God was saying, "You are defiled. You are disqualified for service. I will cut you off from usage and cast you aside as unfit and unusable."

2. If the heart is not right, God will not bless us and neither will He use us! We read in II Timothy 2:21 "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work." God will use a clean vessel but God will reject a dirty vessel.

3. Paul expressed his fear of being disqualified in I Corinthians 9:27 "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

4. When the heart is not right with God one with no longer experience of God. One will no longer be employed by God.

5. IS THINE HEART RIGHT WITH GOD?