You are listening to the podcast of Richland
Hills Baptist Church. We are located in Richland
Hills, Texas. Our desire here is to believe,
live, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As you're listening to our podcast today, if
you have any questions, you can find us on the
web at RichlandHillsBC .com. God bless you. All
right, well, if you have your Bible with you
this morning, you can open to the book of Malachi
chapter one. And you can always use the pew Bible
in front of you or your phone or device or however
you have God's word. But we'll look at Malachi
chapter one. We'll start at verse six and then
we'll go through the end of that chapter. When
I was in high school, I learned a special skill,
I'll call it, or a special art. Maybe some of
you did too. It was the art of doing just enough.
Does anybody remember that? In high school, you
know, you learn pretty quickly if you pick up
on things. What do you need to do to just pass
the class, right? And you learn pretty fast,
right, if you do the assignments, if you do the
homework, maybe if you pass a test or two, that
you'll get pretty good grades in high school,
won't you? It wasn't that difficult. I did just
enough, just enough to not get trouble from my
parents, just enough to maybe even get a squeak
out of B, just enough. Now, as you progress in
your educational life, you learn that just enough
is not good enough. But I look back now and I
sort of shake my head because I realize how much
did I leave on the table, so to speak, in high
school by doing just enough? May have left money
on the table in terms of scholarships or opportunities.
It was just enough. Then I realized that this
just enough mentality wasn't just a me in high
school problem. It seems to be a universal weakness
of people, a temptation, if you will. We are
people so often of just enough. Just enough work
to not get fired. Just enough in our marriage
to not make our spouse mad. Just enough in our
finances to not go broke. Just enough in our
health to not have to go to the doctor too much.
Just enough. Like we figure out in life what
is required of me, what is expected of me, and
I'll do just enough. Now it's funny because the
things that we enjoy, our hobbies, we do far
more than just enough, don't we? But the things
that we're required to do, the duties, the things
that were expected, so often there's a temptation
to do just enough. But then we become Christians
and we're excited and we love God. And maybe
you become a Christian later in your life. And
I love God and I want to serve him. And you go
all out. But then that sort of just enough mentality
begins to creep in, doesn't it? Just enough praying.
Just enough Bible reading. Just enough worship.
Service. Just enough. But this morning I want
us to consider this idea. As we look at Malachi.
This idea of just enough or I'm going to call
it half -hearted worship. Half -hearted worship
is nothing less. than wholehearted disobedience.
Half -hearted worship is nothing less than full
-hearted disobedience. Let's read in Malachi
chapter 1. A son honors his father and a servant
his master. If then I'm a father, where is my
honor? And if I'm a master, where is my fear?
says the Lord of hosts to you. O priest who despise
my name, but you say, how have we despised your
name? By offering polluted food upon my altar,
but you say, how have we polluted you? By saying
that the Lord's table may be despised. When you
offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not
evil? And when you offer those that are lame
or sick, Is that not evil? Present that to your
governor. Will he accept you or show favor? Says
the Lord of hosts. And now entreat the favor
of God that he may be gracious to us with such
a gift from your hand. Will he show favor to
any of you? Says the Lord of hosts. Oh, that
there were one among you who would shut the doors.
that you may not kindle fire on my altar in vain.
I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts,
and I will not accept an offering from your hand.
For from the rising of the sun to its setting,
my name will be great among the nations. And
in every place, incense will be offered to my
name in a pure offering. For my name will be
great among the nations, said the Lord of hosts.
But you profane it when you say that the Lord's
table is polluted and its fruit, that is its
food, may be despised. But you say, what a weariness
this is. And you snort at it, says the Lord of
hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence
or is lame or sick. And this you bring as your
offering. Shall I accept that from your hand,
says the Lord? Cursed be the cheat who has a
male in his flock and he vows it and yet sacrifices
to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great
king, says the Lord of hosts. In my name will
be feared. Among the nations. Father may you
honor. Lord the reading of your word. The preaching
of your word. May it not be my words Lord but
your words. Through me. May your words speak.
Directly to where we are. May it speak to our
hearts. And father may we not hear this and.
Think. Oh, I wish so and so would hear this.
Father, may we hear it for ourselves. And may
you do a work in us. In Jesus' name, amen. Malachi
is prophesying to a people, to a people that
had been brought back from captivity in Babylon,
a people who, now had the temple. They could
worship God. And yet these were also a people
who were disillusioned, disgruntled, disobedient.
These were people that had a just enough mentality.
Now, depending on when this was written, some
of them may have grown up now outside of Babylon.
Maybe they weren't in Babylon. Some of them may
have grown up back in this area. Some of them
may have come, but they are a just enough people.
And God is writing to them. God is prophesying
to them. He's saying, listen, you're half -hearted
in your worship. they weren't offering their
very best to God. They were cutting corners.
They were doing what they thought was required,
but God says, no, that's not what you're supposed
to be doing. They're just enough. And I want
us to see this morning again that this half -hearted
worship, this half -hearted worship was nothing
less than fool -hearted disobedience. This was
not what God One of the first things that we
see is that they were offering worship that was
polluted. Worship that is polluted. Now, the
system of worship in the Old Testament was remarkably
clear. I mean, God laid out exactly how they
should worship him. God even laid out, these
are the people that are going to lead you in
worship, the priests. Here's where you're going
to worship me, in the tabernacle, in the later
of the temple. Here's what you're going to offer
me in worship. And God, if you've read in Leviticus,
you know that God laid it out very clear, right?
Here's what you do. I mean, it was not a mystery.
It was not something that they had to figure
out on their own. God said, here is what you
do in worship. But God has a complaint. Remember,
in the book of Malachi, it's listed as six different
disputes that God has with his people. And this
is the second. And he says, listen, a son honors
his father, a servant his master. In that time
period, it was expected a son would honor his
father, a servant the master. That was the proper
order of things. He says, listen, if a son does
that, if a servant does that, and if I'm the
father, then where is my honor? He says, I'm
your father, and you're not honoring me. I'm
your master, and you are not honoring me. He
said, you are not doing what is right. Where
is my honor? Where is my fear, he says. And so
often when we talk about fearing God, we understand
that it's that full respect. It's understanding
who God is. They're not respecting God. They
have no fear of him. And then he says, you despise
my name, oh priest. I want you to make note that
right away God is speaking directly to the priest.
The people that were for God, the people that
were supposed to lead people in worship, these
priests were ordained to lead people to worship
a holy God. He said, where's my honor? Where's
my fear? You despise my name? Whenever you see
that idea of the name of God, you understand
that a name is more than just a name. The name
of God represents his character, his position,
his work. And so when it says you have despised
my name, he's saying you have despised me. You've
despised me. You have no fear of me. You can
hear the people kind of bristle at this. They're
offended. How have we done this, God? How have
we despised your name? How have we done this,
God, the priest or saint? He says, you offer
polluted food. You bring polluted food. He said,
how have we done that, God? How have we brought
polluted food? He says that you say that the
Lord's table may be despised. You bring blind
animals. You bring animals that are blind and
lame. Is that not evil? You bring animals that
are sick. Is that not evil? Now, some of us may
see that and say, well, you know, what does it
matter if what sort of sacrifice they bring,
right? As long as God says bring a sacrifice.
Well, it matters because in the book of Deuteronomy,
it says this. Speaking of your sacrifice. But
if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind
or has any serious blemish, whatever, you shall
not sacrifice this to your God, to God. He says
if it's blemished, lame, blind, don't do it.
This is not an acceptable sacrifice. This is
against God's law. I mean, that's as clear as
you can get. And God says, this is how you polluted
the offering. This is how you've brought worship
that is polluted. And the people, perhaps he
knows that they need more proof. He says, okay,
think about it this way. And he lets us think
about it. Imagine here at Richland Hills Baptist
Church, we were honored to have a very high -ranking
official. Maybe a government official or some
very important person. And we were going to have
a potluck, as it were, that day. And imagine
we come and we sit the official down and I say,
Earlene, will you heat up the leftover Little
Caesar's pizza? scrounge up what we have? Can
you dust the crumbs off the table there? We would
never do that, would we? We would never treat
someone that deserves honor and respect. And
God's saying that to these people. He says, listen,
you try doing that to the governor. And this
was the Persian governor, the governor that would
be over the area. He says, imagine doing that
to your governor. Imagine bringing to the governor
what wasn't the best and just giving him the
leftovers, if you were. Imagine giving him the
leftovers. Do you think that he's going to accept
that? Do you think that he's going to think that
that's really good? He goes, no. But he says,
that's what you do. You're offering this half
-hearted worship. And now he's saying, you need
to treat the favor of God that he may be gracious
to us. With such a gift from your hand, will
he show favor to any of you? And the answer is
implied, no, because they're not offering a good
gift. They're worship. is polluted. Now, as we
walk through this text, I want you to consider,
I want us to consider our own lives, our own
acts of worship. And the book of Romans tells
us that worship is more than just a place, more
than just something that we do. It's our very
lives, isn't it? If you look in Romans chapter
12, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by
the mercies of God, to present your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewal
of your mind, that by testing you may discern
what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect. He says that we're to present our
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable,
our spiritual worship. Are we offering to God
worship that is polluted? Are we offering to
God half -hearted worship? Now, I'm asking first
individually, and then we certainly, we make
that corporately, but are we offering, are you
offering to God in your life what's left over?
Hey, God, you can have the leftover time, the
leftover money, the leftover energy, whatever's
left over, God, you can have it. It's all for
you, God, whatever's left over. It's funny how
There's not usually much left over, is there?
They were offering to God the polluted. But then
we see that this worship is worship that's rejected.
God does not accept this worship. He says, oh,
that there were one among you who would shut
the doors, that you might not kindle the fire
on my altar in vain. I have no pleasure in you,
says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept
an offering from your hand. God's saying, would
you shut the doors of the temple? Just stop.
I don't like it. This wasn't the first time.
Joseph read one this morning in Amos. We see
this in Isaiah and Jeremiah. What's interesting
is that there was one time that a king, he shut
the doors to the temple, but he shut the doors
to pursue idols. God said, shut the doors. I'm
not going to accept what you offer me. It's as
if these people that they... They did not honor
God. They did not offer him the best. It's almost
as if they viewed God as some sort of desperate
deity that was just begging for them to give
them something. Oh, would you please give me
something? Like a teenager that just wants somebody
to love him, please love me. Is God some sort
of desperate deity that just is so needy for
worship? That's how we sometimes view God. But
God does not need our worship. God doesn't need
anything from us. We don't offer anything to
God that he doesn't have already. We don't give
anything to God that, again, that he doesn't
have. God doesn't need us, but God desires us
to live obedient lives of worship. God desires
us to be people that desire to love Him, not
because He needs it, but because when we love
and worship God, we are living in accordance
to really fully being people that are made in
His image. Have you ever thought about that?
When we worship God, When we live and worship
and love for him, we are the most real as people
as will ever be. Because when we worship God,
we are living out really truly what it means
to be made in his image. That's the most human
we can be. And God says, this is what I want.
This is what I want you to do. But he says, I
will not accept it. God does not grade on a curve
like my high school teachers did. I figured that
out too. God does not grade on a curve. God doesn't
say, well, you know, I mean, you know what? He
worked really hard. He had a tough week and,
you know, he gave what he could. If it's not
according to God's word, it's not enough. Half
-hearted worship is nothing less than full -hearted
disobedience. What are we offering to God that
we think is good enough, but God says, that's
not what I want? Are we giving God what's left
over? But then we see that there is worship that
is inconvenient. You see what the people were
saying here? They were, he says, but you profane
the, you profane it when you say that the Lord's
table is polluted and its fruit, that its fruit
may be despised. But you say, what a weariness
this is. Hey, this is very weary and the people
are saying, and you snort at it. The people are.
They see all this, man, we've got to sacrifice
more animals? I mean, this is a bloody affair,
right? I mean, their hands are bloody. I mean,
how inconvenient would that be, really, if you
think about it? I mean, perhaps some of them
thought, we sure could use these animals. I mean,
this is really inconvenient. We could use them
in the fields. We could use them for our own
food. I mean, this is rather inconvenient to
us. I mean, we got to do this all the time. And
I mean, our time could be better used somewhere
else. And in that, they began to cheat God. They
began to make justifications and say, well, you
know, this isn't really, you know, there's some
better things we could be doing. And they began
to cheat God. You see, as the priest, as the
leaders who are supposed to lead God's people
in worship, as they began to profane God's name,
guess what happened? It began to trickle down
to the people. And now the people, they were
out there saying, you know what? Yeah, yeah,
we'll offer you, we'll offer you what we're supposed
to offer you. We're supposed to, we'll do that.
But instead, They don't, do they? They cheat
God. They vow it, and they don't do it. They
say, oh yeah, we'll give you the right sacrifice,
but then they give them what's prohibited. It's
all inconvenient. They began to cheat God. You
see, in our lives, as we begin to... We're not
really growing our faith. We begin to live. The
longer we live, and we begin to cut corners sometimes
or we're tempted. I mean, maybe if you're a Christian
a long time, we say, well, you know, I'll just
do enough. You know, I'll come to church some
of the time. I mean, I'll sacrifice. Some of
my resources. I'll serve. I'll serve you, God,
on some days. God, I'll help people. I'll help.
I'll help some people, though. You see, we become,
we have a sort of some worship. We do just enough.
It's half -hearted. We cut corners. I mean, does
God really expect me to give my whole life to
Him? I mean, I've got things to do, God. And
we cut corners. And our lives no longer look
to be living sacrifices. Our lives are no longer
lived in worship. We begin to see worshiping
God as some sort of Burden or duty is something
that we have to do. There's no joy in it. There's
no desire. It's all a bit inconvenient. But here's
what God is telling them. And there's a passage
even before. And I'll read that and then I'll
read the end. God says, for my name will be great
among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. And
then at the end, for I am a great king, says
the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared
among the nations. There is a true worship that
is coming. Worship that is coming. God doesn't
need... The people. God doesn't need them to
do it. And God says, listen, there I will be
worshiped. My name will be feared. My name will
be made great. My name will be made great through
the whole earth. Everybody will worship me. Now,
I believe this is a prophecy that's going to
be fully fulfilled when Christ comes back. But
we begin to see that fulfilled already through
Jesus Christ, don't we? Through the death, the
burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ, and now
the bringing in of the Gentile people, we see
that God's name, even now, is beginning to be
made great through all the nations. There are
people in every nation on this planet that know
Jesus Christ, I believe. Or at least, if not
every single one, very many. There are people
from tribes and nations and tongues that know
Jesus. But it's still, it's an already, it started,
but it's not fully yet complete. Because one
day, in the book of Philippians, one of the most
beautiful passages in Scripture regarding this,
saying that one day, Therefore God is highly
exalted on him who is Jesus and bestowed on him
the name that is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, every tongue
confess, in heaven and on earth, that Jesus Christ
is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
You see, one day, One day every person will bow
down before holy God. But some people will bow
down as believers and they will bow down as people
that know Jesus Christ and they'll be able to
bow down and worship as believers. But others
will bow down not as believers, but as enemies.
And even those who do not love God, have not
trusted Christ, they too will recognize how great
God is. But it would be too late. God will get
the worship He deserves. But how sad would it
be? For there to be people in our day, for there
to be people in our churches that sit in our
pews that will offer the proper worship to God
too late. All they're offering now is half -hearted
worship. So the question for us, are we offering
God our very, Now, there's a temptation when
you hear a sermon like this where we begin to
think about other people. Or maybe we begin to
think about maybe worship styles or things that
we do here. You see, you're right, Pastor. We
need to do things a little bit differently. We're
not really worshiping God, right, Pastor? But
here's what I want you to do is withstand that
temptation, and I want you to consider your heart
first. Because when there is a church full of
people that love God and want to worship Him,
guess what? It will be a church that God blesses.
If there is a church full of people people that
they just want to honor God and give him the
best. They're not going to be worried about these
little things and this or that. We just want
everything we do to honor God. And yes, people
like myself and Joseph and other people that
lead in worship, yes, we have a very high responsibility.
We have a very weighty responsibility. It's true.
It would be a horrible thing for us to ever offer
to God that isn't our best. It'd be a horrible
thing for us to ever lead you or other people
to not worship God fully. That's a very weighty
thing. But what about your life? Are you offering
God the best of your time? Are you offering to
God the best of your resources? Are you offering
to God the best of what you can offer? Your gifts,
your abilities? Or are you offering just enough?
Are you half -hearted in your worship? You see,
a lot of us have learned the art. Of doing just
enough. In worship. But just enough. Is not enough.
Half hearted. Is full hearted disobedience. And
here's where it all comes together. You see when
you think about the sacrifices. When you think
about the temple. We don't have to do any of
that anymore. We don't have to sacrifice animals.
We've never had an animal sacrifice in this church.
Praise the Lord. We've never done that. We don't
have to do all of these things that God has said.
All of these things, they point forward. They
were a shadow, if you will. They all pointed
forward to Jesus Christ. And now you and I, we
have this privilege, this wonderful thing. The
people, they were worshiping God. They didn't
fully understand. We can now fully understand
because of Jesus. God says, listen, you don't
have to do all these things. All you have to
do is you just have to offer your life to Jesus
Christ. That's worship, really, if you will,
in Romans chapter 12. You give your life. Put
your life on the altar. And that's really what
it means to be a Christian. Is to give our lives
to God. Say, God, you do with my life as you
will. I trust you as my Savior, as my Lord. You
are the Lord of my life. Now here is my life.
You take my life, God. Romans says I'll be a
living sacrifice, which sounds impossible, right?
Sacrifices aren't usually living. But we are.
We offer our lives. That's the full worship we
can offer God. Our lives. And so the question.
Are you offering God your life? All of you. Every
part of you. Are you offering to God, saying,
God, would you say, God, would you just take
my whole life, use it? God, if it changes my
desire, so be it. God, if it requires me to...
to give more or give in a different way, so be
it. God, if it's inconvenient to my life, it
doesn't matter to me. You take whatever it is
in my life and use it for your glory. And God,
if it causes me problems in this world, I don't
care as long as your name is praised. If it's
hard and difficult and it is just tough to do,
God, it doesn't matter to me because This is
what I want to offer you my life. But that's
a lot. That's a lot for us to do. And then God
even, you know what? God in his grace, he knows
that that's even a lot for us to do. And you
know what God in his grace has done? He's provided
his Holy Spirit to help us in that. We don't
even have to do that in our own strength, our
own power. God says, you know what? Here's a
comforter. Here's a helper, the Holy Spirit.
He's going to help you do it. And yet we even
struggle to do that. Are you offering God the
very best? Let us pray. Father, may you. Speak
to our hearts. God, as we consider this passage
of Scripture, as we consider the half -hearted
worship of God's people, may we come to understand
that it is nothing less than full -hearted disobedience.
And Father, I pray that we would consider our
own lives in this moment. Father, if there's
anything in our heart that's holding us back
from full worship, if there's anything that's
holding us back from truly understanding that
Jesus is the Lord of our life, Father, may you
do a work in us. And perhaps, Lord, there are
some people here today that have never put their
faith in Jesus Christ. They've never trusted
in the sacrifice of Jesus. The sacrifice that
was made on our behalf. Father, if there's someone
here that's never put their faith in Christ,
I pray, God, today, would they trust Jesus as
their Savior and Lord? May there be someone today
that would say, I'm ready to follow Jesus. I'm
ready to give my life, my heart, my all. Take
me, Lord, and use me. Father, if there's someone
here that's ready to start that journey, may
you speak to their heart. But Father, there may
be others that realize that they've grown cold
in their worship. They've, Lord, beginning to
cut corners. Maybe not offering all of our lives,
but just enough. Maybe giving him, giving you
some things, God, but not everything. Father,
maybe in this moment, you are revealing things
to our heart. You're revealing those things,
maybe those hidden things in our life, in our
heart that we're holding on to. That we're not
willing to give up. Those little idols that we
keep close. Father, if there's anything that
will hinder our worship, Lord, may we today lay
it down before you. May you be glorified, God.
May we begin to offer wholehearted worship.