“Bored With Grace” Malachi 08/20/2006 Dr. Dane Boyles

“Bored With Grace” Introduction Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. After Malachi God did not speak prophetically to his people for some 400 years. It wasn’t until the coming of John the Baptist, who preached in the wilderness of Judea.

“Bored With Grace” In post-exilic Jerusalem the spiritual conditions confronted by Malachi were distressing. It’s the Restoration period which began with the famous decree of Cyrus in 538 B. C. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah spurred the people to complete this great work!

“Bored With Grace” It’s about 100 years after the first Jews had returned from Babylonia exile and the people no longer knew God. They asked God, “How have you loved us?” (1:2) Had they become so “bored with grace.” It looks like when one loses his perspective, everything falls apart.

“Bored With Grace” A General Lack of Respect for God The people were irreverent. The priests were negligent. They refused to fear God and despised his name (1:6). They offered blind, lame, and sick sacrifices (1:7-8). The were ashamed of the altar (1:7-12)

“Bored With Grace” To serve God was wearisome drudgery (1:13). They refused to take God’s warning to heart (2:1-2). They corrupted the priestly covenant of Levi (2:4, 5, 8). They departed from the way of the Lord (2:8-9).

“Bored With Grace” They caused the people to stumble over the law (2:8). They showed partiality in their priestly functions (2:9). 10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.” (Mal 1:10)

“Bored With Grace” Their worship was empty. Their worship had already become stagnated and vain. Little by little their worship became mechanized.

“Bored With Grace” They imagined that performance of the bare act itself was sufficient to produce the desired result, regardless of the character, attitude or intent of the worshiper. In fact, they calculated that even the outward act could be trimmed and reduced to a convenient minimum (1:16-24; 3:8-12).

“Bored With Grace” They offered God leftovers. Worship was a matter of mere convenience, not true sacrifice. 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. (Mal 3:8)

“Bored With Grace” They were offering animals that were blind, lame, sick and stolen. 5 They had a form of godliness, but denied its power (2 Tim 3:5).

“Bored With Grace” Is it because we can become “Bored with Grace”? Is it possible to become so far removed from God that people have no way of conceiving of who God is or what He wants? They didn’t know right from wrong.

“Bored With Grace” 17 “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them.” (Mal 2:17) 15 Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’” (Mal 3:15)

“Bored With Grace” Among other things Malachi teaches us: to never forget how important it is to remember God! to never forget how important it is to fear God!

“Bored With Grace” The Church Can Learn Four Principles from Malachi To fear God is taught rather than caught. There is a vital connection between acceptable worship and godly character.

“Bored With Grace” 15 “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22)

“Bored With Grace” 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (Rom 12:1)

“Bored With Grace” 3. To offer God our leftovers is a sin. That’s in terms of “self”. That’s in terms of “time.” That’s in terms of “service.” That’s in terms of “money.” 4. There is a radical difference between right and wrong, good and evil.

“Bored With Grace” Conclusion God chose Israel and God has chosen the church. The church like Israel is to make God known among the nations.

“Bored With Grace” 11 My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty. (Mal 1:11)

“Bored With Grace” The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth. When people become bored with grace, the grace that cost God the Father his Son, becomes cheap grace. And when it becomes cheap grace, it means almost nothing.

“Bored With Grace” The result is what we see in Malachi. Irreverence Neglect Empty worship Giving God our leftovers

“Bored With Grace” But when people become “bored with” grace, the grace that cost God his Son, becomes cheap grace. And when it becomes cheap grace, it means almost nothing.

“Bored With Grace” But God is calling us to a radical form of discipleship. 23 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. (Luke 9:23-24)

“Bored With Grace” Only those who in following Christ leave everything they have can stand and say that they are justified solely by grace. And this is the grace Jesus is calling us to today. Blessed are they who by simply following Jesus Christ are overcome by this grace.

“Bored With Grace” Blessed are they who, in the knowledge of such grace, can live in the world without losing themselves in it. Blessed are they who in this sense have become Christians, for whom the word of grace has been merciful.

“Bored With Grace” Malachi 08/20/2006 Dr. Dane Boyles