Malachi 2:10-3:6 - Vibrant Faith with People

Here, worship is broken. It is not acceptable. Presence & emotion are not enough! Sunday worship is only as valid as your life all week Worship is either helped or hindered by: how we treat people - possessions - God’s promises Malachi writes with a Chiastic structure: a literary technique working from the center outward. Worship is elevated by… 1) Living and Loving God's Covenant of Marriage (2:10-16) We have ONE Father... One Creator... One Lord that we follow Yet, we profane the sanctuary (worship) of the Lord in 2 Ways: * marrying those who do NOT follow the Lord * divorcing a spouse that DOES follow the Lord * 2) Living and Loving God's Commitment to Mankind (2:17-3:5) The injustice of the people: 1) link with sorcerers (fortunetellers) - dabbling in the occult, horoscopes, 2) lust for the flesh (adulterers) - sing against your spouse or future spouse 3) language of falseness (swear falsely) - life about someone and to someone 4) larceny in finances (oppress wage earner) - stealing from othere 5) lawlessness among families (widow and fatherless/orphans) - oppressing the vulnerable, having no power to protect themselves. 6) liability toward foreigners (turn aside the alien) - people not from here and not like us This list of injustices reveals the practices in Malachi’s time and even our own days. This is not an exhaustive list, but does indicate areas opposed to God’s law Antagonist or apathetic? What’s the difference between indifference to injustice and injustice? Not much! Or perhaps you have been an accuser. Seeing injustice, you accuse God of not caring. Our view and actions with injustice in this world testify our relationship with God God’s answer to the injustice… was to send 2 messengers - 3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger (John the Baptist), and he will prepare the way before - 3:1b “the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This last Messager will set ALL things right! Do you trust God? Is He your ONE FATHER…. ONE CREATOR? How is your worship? How is it displayed in your home? In your life? In your interactions with the hurting and hopeless? Jesus has come… has He come to you? To your heart? Do you delight in Him and demonstrate His love to others?