Malachi - Breaking God’s Heart

Have you ever felt disappointed with God? He hasn’t answered your prayer. Your life is a mess and He doesn’t seem to be there for you. Perhaps you’ve even been at the point of saying like the people of Malachi’s day: “It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out His requirements…?” Then you need to hear this message! We all get an occasional dose of self-pity. However, this is the time for us to stop, take a look at ourselves, remember who we are as God’s people, and get some perspective on life. As our passage clearly states, the day is coming when the wrongs of this world will be put right, the arrogant will be punished, and God’s people will be fully vindicated. Will you be ready to meet the Lord on that day?

Have you ever called out in a moment of frustration: “God, that’s not fair!”? Atheists use this argument about the God’s apparent injustice to question His very existence. Christians raise it in times of disappointment when they feel that God has let them down. Perhaps He isn’t good or powerful after all? If you’ve ever felt like this, then this message is for you. 400 years before Christ, the Israelites were accusing God of being unfair. God’s reply to this charge contains possibly the most profound teaching in the whole Bible on this complex subject. Listen in as Pastor Murray takes us through these verses and helps us see that we ourselves are a fundamental part of what’s wrong with the world, and that Jesus is the ultimate answer to all the injustice we see around us.

Where are the leaders today? Leaders in politics, business, civil service, education… and what about the church? There is an urgent need for strong, courageous leadership today. And so there was back in Malachi’s day 400+ years BC. Not only had the priests lost their reverence and awe of God, they were actually guilty of leading the people astray by their poor example and teaching. No wonder God was angry and warned them of His impending judgement against them. Surely there is a warning here for leaders in the church today, and especially those who teach. Join with us as Pastor Murray unpacks this verses in a practical and challenging way.

“Worship” is a word that conjures up different ideas to modern Christians, but to Israelites in 400BC worship always involved the temple, priests and sacrifices. This was how they met personally with God. But God was deeply offended by the quality of the sacrificial animals these people were bringing – the leftovers rather than the best. It was obvious that their hearts were not in their worship. Their worship was mechanical, burdensome and offensive to God. Today our worship doesn’t involve animals and sacrifices. Jesus has offered Himself as that sacrifice for us. But our worship involves the sacrifice of ourselves to God as our only proper response. Are our lives expressing this sacrifice? Are we giving Him our best or the leftovers?

In Malachi’s day the Israelites were very apathetic towards God. Their religion had become a chore instead of a joy, a duty rather than a privilege. And they were doubting whether God even loved them. This would have been very painful for God to hear, especially considering all He had done for them as His chosen and redeemed people. In today’s message Pastor Murray challenges our self-centred attitudes and expectations of entitlement, and urges us to recognise all that God – in His great love – has done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t deserve His love at all, yet He has chosen to love us …. and He continues to love us. If only we realised how truly blessed we are!