How to refocus on God

A few years ago, I went for routine trip to the optician and I left with glasses - but also completely in denial, I was convinced that my eyesight was perfect. So much so, that at the back of church a while later I thought to myself, "I don’t need these glasses – I'll be able to see the screen perfectly!"
But, guess what? The opticians were right. It was a bit blurry at the front of church. And since then this experience (trivial as it was) has been a bit of a parable to me because it reminds me how easy it is to think I see things clearly, but actually, how I see needs correction like weak eyesight needs glasses or lenses.

Our passage in Malachi this morning is about the terrible treatment of God by a half-hearted people. And it'd be easy for us to think, "I'm not like this, I'm not that bad" but I think that's a mistake. I think that these verses are like a pair of good glasses – they correct our skewed sense of reality, even if we don’t want to admit it. And they reveal, if we're really honest – how we often feel about God. And that's our first point this morning:

1. How we often feel about God…

At the time of Malachi, God's people had a begrudging attitude towards him. The evidence of that was the shoddy sacrifices they were prepared to bring to the temple. But you'll notice that the priests are singled out for criticism. That's because as God's leaders they'd completely failed in guiding the people. And here's how, (Malachi 1.6-8):

A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honour? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, 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 you favour? says the Lord of hosts.

Some sacrifices were for thanking God and others were for sin. The people would confess their sins over an offering of an animal, and it would die to symbolise God's removal of their sins, and his forgiveness. The law required that the people provide their very best for sacrifice because that's what God deserves. But here what's being offered is polluted food and sick, and lame animals. Skip to Malachi 1.14, and we see the people actually promise God their best but when it comes to it, they try to cheat God, and they give him their very worst. The worst imaginable! God asks, would they treat their parents that way? Or their boss? What about their governor? The equivalent of the PM or Queen paying them a visit – would they give the same to them? No.

God says (Malachi 1.6) that they despised his name. God's name is his character, his purpose, his presence, who is he, what he's shown about himself. What the people were offering showed what they really thought about who God is. So Malachi 1.9-10 continues:

And now entreat the favour of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, will he show favour to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might 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.

God was, literally, present in the temple. It was his way of being with his people but he'd rather they stay away than come to him with such reluctant hearts. He'd rather they go, than misuse the very means he had put in place for them to be in his presence. God loved his people, and what he wanted from them was the honour he deserved. And that's what he wants from us.

As Christians we're saved by Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross. We're saved by that alone and not by anything we do, but the Christ who saved us, calls us to follow him and to present our bodies and souls, all that we have, as living sacrifices to him (Romans 12.1-12). That means making him number one in our lives and serving him with all of our hearts. That's the least he deserves for all he's done for us. But, deep down, we feel it's a burden. We think, "life is hard. I'm just trying to get my head down and keep going". Life was hard for the people at the time of Malachi too, they were experiencing drought - decent food was hard to come by. The new temple was far less impressive than the original. God's people felt insignificant. Maybe the priests just wondered what the point was. And, in the midst of our hard times, isn't there the danger that we offer God far less than he deserves? Maybe we just think giving God our all is a chore. Life is too busy. "I've too many responsibilities at work, too much on with friends and family…" We know that God is number one, but often we struggle to think about him at all. Other things (good as they may be) occupy our hearts. When we do all we have to do God gets squeezed in – rather than prioritised. We know we're to love, and care for one another, but it's so costly so we just do tiny bits here and there. Surely that'll do?

We know we're to support Christian ministry, but surely if we just try and prioritise coming to church, and being around, that'll be enough? What about your bank account? Does it speak of a sacrificial life? Or your social life? What about how your use your home? What about your prayer life? Do you pray self-serving prayers? Or self-sacrificial prayers for other people, and their needs? Maybe we find ourselves more excited about the start of the football season, or the latest Netflix series, than we are about God? What about us as a church? Are we a sacrificial church? There are many great examples among us of offering our best. Praise God for that! So, we shouldn't feel guilty when we're giving God all that we can.

But God's word here is designed to correct our view of ourselves. To show us areas of life where we're offering God far less than our best. Second-rate sacrifices that look good, but have no substance. Sacrifices that cost us nothing. Living sacrificially means more than being in favour of the idea. It means being intentionally sacrificial despite it being costly, and despite it being all-encompassing because God doesn't want your money, or your time, or your gifts. He wants your money, and your time, and your gifts. And to have any hope of living such a sacrificial life in service of God. We need good Bible teaching. And we need good examples - as we remind each other what God has called us to but, at the time of Malachi, the priests had failed in this too (Malachi 2.8-9):

But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.

A friend's church leader started strongly but over the years his ministry became lethargic. Eventually he stopped proclaiming the truth, and really living it out. The whole church stumbled into a lukewarm faith because their leader failed to model offering God his all. And Malachi 2.1-3 shows us, that God won't put up with this forever:

And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.

If the priests do not take this warning to heart, they will be removed, and thrown out with the dung. But God wants the priests, and all of the people, to listen – and come back to him and that's always what he wants from us. He knows how we can often feel about him but in love, he shows us what he wants us to do about it. And that's our second point:

2. What God wants us to do about it…

And the first thing is this: follow his commands and teach his truth. Malachi 2.4-7, God is addressing the priests:

So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

The Levites were the tribe that God had chosen to lead in the temple. And God says, the priests needed to look back to the example of Levi and his descendants. They feared, and were in awe, of God. As C.S. Lewis puts it, God isn't very safe but he's good, and he's the King. And that means, living and proclaiming, what he says is right and best because that's what honouring a king looks like. Of course, some of us have very specific responsibility to do this but, in one way or another, we all share in the task. And God says it really matters. Good examples help people. Bad examples hinder them. What kind of example do you want to be? We all need to walk the walk, as well as talk the talk. And, if we do, we'll help model, challenge, and encourage each other to give God our best, even when we don't feel like it. Which leads us on to the most important and primary thing he asks of us: to accept his saviour. Because how we often feel about God will not go away. By the power of the Spirit, we will make progress but we will feel like sacrificing things for God is a burden. We will be tempted to offer him our second best. That's why Jesus came. So Hebrews 10.19-22 say this:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

We are no longer being told to stay away from God away because of disobedient priests or because we've failed to give him all that we should. Even if we somehow managed to offer God our all, all of the time, it would never be enough. It could never be enough. That's why the perfect sacrifice came in Jesus Christ. The door to him is wide open and, we're told to draw near, and stay near because we've been forgiven by the final sacrifice for sin - Christ himself. Once and for all! He is the great high priest, who represents us before God, and says "the sacrifice for sin has been paid". So, Malachi 1.11 – from the rising of the sun to its setting, God's name is great among the nations. The great King Jesus Christ (who he is and what he's done) is known throughout the whole world. If you're with us this morning, and you're not yet a Christian – you're very welcome but you need to know that it doesn't matter whether you're a nice person, if you're dishonouring the great King who has given you everything. Your position is unsustainable and God won't let you ignore him forever. The door into God's presence is wide open for you today through Jesus but you need to choose to walk in.

So, let's all of us make Jesus number one and let's keep him there. Because only when we do that, will we be able to give God anything close to our very best. And only when we do that, will we increasingly feel that we want to.