Malachi, Malachi chapter one. Malachi chapter one, and I'd
like to read four verses that are connected. Three of them
are one after the other, and then the other one is found in
verse 13. But verses six, seven, eight,
and 13 of the book of Malachi chapter one. As we continue our
study here, We find over and over that the Lord certainly
does make a difference between Jacob have I loved and Esau have
I hated. Verse six of this passage of
scripture, a son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I be a father, where
is my honor? And if I be a master, where is
my fear, saith the Lord of hosts unto the priest that despised
my name? And ye say, wherein have we despised
thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon
mine altar. And ye say, wherein have we polluted
thee? In that ye say, the table of
the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for
sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you are for the lame and
sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor.
Will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person, saith the
Lord of hosts? And then would you drop down
to verse 13. Ye say also, behold, what a weariness
is it, and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts,
and ye have brought that which is torn and the lame and the
sick. Thus ye have brought an offering.
Should I accept this in your land, saith the Lord." As we
look at this passage of scripture, we must conclude that these priests
were not doing these great acts against Almighty God, not because
of lack of instructions. These folks had been instructed
since their very youth about what to do. They were doing this
not because of lack of instructions in the Old Testament on the subject
of what was to make a proper sacrifice, but because they really
didn't care. Now, sinners do not believe God's
word because it is not explained enough, or the words are not
defined well enough. or because the preacher is not
educated enough. Sinners do not believe the word
of God because of the hardness of their heart. And that's brought
out over in the book of Romans. Would you turn with me to Romans
chapter 8 for just one verse of scripture that covers so much
when it comes to dealing with why these folks, these priests,
did not offer the proper sacrifice, why they did not keep the law,
at least in this area. In the book of Romans chapter
8 and verse 7, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Now it was not because of lack
of instructions that these folks were offering the sacrifices
that they were offering. They were offering the blind,
the lame, the halt, and the Lord, through his prophet, through
his preacher, Malachi, he brings it to their attention. He points
this out to them. We find that in the Old Testament,
there are numbers of times in the book of Exodus, Leviticus,
and Numbers, that the instructions of what to offer was explicit. They were to offer that which
was without blame, without spot, without any of those outside
imperfections. Now we realize that these folks,
these priests from the very beginning when we look at what Abraham
offered, when we look at what was given as the Passover, we
find that they could only observe what was on the outside. Now
when we find what this all pointed to, we can examine his heart
and we find him as pure as God because he is God, the Lord Jesus. But the scriptures teach us and
tell us and share with those folks so long ago as they were
priests. Would you turn with me to the
book of Numbers? I'd like to read just a few verses. Six times
in the book of Numbers, it mentions without spot when speaking of
the sacrifice. And here in the book of Numbers
chapter 28, without spot, there was not to
be a blemish or spot on these sacrifices and the Lord is bringing
it up through Malachi to these priests that what they were offering
and how horrific it was and how terrible. It wasn't because they
had lack of instructions, it's just they did not care what they
were doing. Here in the book of Numbers chapter
28 and verse 3, and thou shalt say unto them, this is the offering
made by fire, which ye shall offer unto the Lord, to lambs
of the first year without spot. day by day for a continual burnt
offering to lambs without spot. It was explicit and they understood
these words. It wasn't because they did not
understand the definition of without spot. It was because
they had no heart for it. We also find as we go through
the scriptures that 39 times in the Old Testament, the words
without blemish are used. And most of them are found in
either Exodus, or Leviticus, or Numbers. And I'd like to read
there in the book of Exodus chapter 12, when the Passover was instituted,
that there was explicit instructions. And those folks did not have
a problem with the definition. They had a problem with God.
The book of Exodus chapter 12. Back here in the book of Exodus
chapter 12, we find the institution of the Passover. This Passover
was to be carried out year by year on an appointed date. 10th
day of the month they were to separate this sacrifice and 14th
day of the month they were to slay it and have a Passover.
Now we find, I believe there's twice, and I was going to have
that in our lesson tonight, but I believe it's twice that in
the scriptures that the priests and the people were not prepared
to take it on the proper time. God said, move it. We'll have
it here. But he never, ever allowed them
to offer a broken, a halt, a lame sacrifice. They did not come
to God and say, well, that's all we have. They offered without
spot and without blemish when they were following the instructions
of God. Now, it might be a month's late. but the sacrifice was to
be appropriate. Here in the book of Exodus chapter
12 and verse 5, we find these instructions given and these
priests that Malachi is writing to, this is their textbook. This is what they read. This
is what was read to them. And these priests, in preparation
for what they were to do, were given the facts about what God
required out of the Scriptures. And when it came time for them
to participate in the priesthood and offer these sacrifices, we
find them not following the instructions. And God was upset about it. Exodus chapter 12 and verse 5,
the scripture says, your lamb shall be without blemish. A male
of the first year, ye shall take it out of the sheep or from the
goats. He gave liberty, sheep or goats, but the rest was explicit. A lamb of the first year, without
spot, without blemish. Now, I don't know, well, I do
know, 17 verses, different verses in the
book of Leviticus. And when we went through the
book of Leviticus, we noticed this time after time after time,
that when there were specific offerings, sacrifices to be offered,
the instructions on the first part of that offering was always
the same, without blemish. without blemish, no exception. Because these sacrifices were
pointing in a direction. These sacrifices were pointing
to a person. And when we get wrong on this,
we are saying that the end result, the one that it's pointing to,
is also corrupt, blind, halt, lame. So this is the problem. Leviticus, join me in Leviticus
chapter one and verse three. Leviticus chapter one and verse
three, right there at the very beginning of that study that
we made of the book of Leviticus, we had this verse of scripture
come up. The very first offering that
was made out of these five that were listed here in the first
seven chapters. Leviticus chapter one and verse
three, if his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him
offer a male without blemish. There was some inspection to
be taken care of. And it wasn't, they weren't to
offer that which they could not sell. That's what we're having
over here. Don't offer, you offer the very
best. You offer the best of the herd. You offer the male without blemish. As it goes on to say, without
blemish, he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.
And time and time again, as we go through the book of Leviticus,
these words are again brought up that it should be, must be,
we cannot alter on this point. We want the fulfillment of this
shadow, of this type, to point to Christ. And we'll find that
verse over in 1 Peter, 2 Peter, that that's what it pointed to.
Well, in the book of Numbers, in the book of Ezekiel, we have
those verses of scripture time and time again. So the textbook
was there, and they had a copy of it, and they were instructed
out of it. And then, when it came time to offer the sacrifices,
it was much like them saying, We'll not have this man rule
over us. We'll do what we want to do.
And natural man is accustomed to doing that. We'll do what
we want to do. So they offered the lame, the
blind, the halt. And God brings it up through
this man Malachi, this preacher. Now it wasn't an easy task that
God gave Malachi to do, to go out and point the very fact Bring
up the truth before these folks that were priests. He's just
a preacher. They're the priests. And yet
he is given the commission by Almighty God, the burden of God,
to go to these guys, to these priests, and tell them, put it
on record in writing before them that you're doing this wrongly. Now I want to go clear over to
the New Testament, 1 Peter chapter 1, and we find here, this is why, the why of why they're to offer that
which is without blemish and without spot. This is the why. Now believers in the Old Testament
understood the why. Believers in the age between
the Old and the New Testament, they knew why. Believers during
the time of Christ. They knew why. Now it's written
down for us that we can rejoice in it, and it's found here in
1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1 and verse 18, the scriptures
share with us here that we're not redeemed. Now, we've mentioned
in the past that this word redeem or redemption has the implications,
or the beginning of that word is buying someone out of slavery. Redeeming them. They are in slavery. I have the wherewithal to bring
them out of slavery. Well, in 1 Peter here, chapter
1 and verse 18, the apostle Peter brings up, as he's led by the
Holy Spirit to write, that we're not bought out of slavery physically. That's not the issue. Anybody
that had some wherewithal could buy a slave, could redeem them,
and give them the paper of freedom. We will make you a free person,
male or female, by buying you out of slavery. 1 Peter 1, verse
18, it says, for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things as silver and gold. That was the common
redemption price, silver and gold. All right, slaves. For $20 worth of gold, $20 worth
of silver, we can buy him out of slavery. He says, I want you
to know I'm going on record. The Holy Spirit went on record.
This is not how God saves his people. This is not how he redeems
his people. And all of those Old Testament
sacrifices pointed to this one person and to this verse, 1 Peter
1, verse 18. For as much as you know, you
were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold." Now,
we wouldn't think silver and gold are all that corruptible,
but they are. Value rises and falls. I just
heard today that in two years, five years, gold's going to be
at $5,000 an ounce. They're trying to get me to buy
some. It rises and falls, rises and falls. It's corruptible,
but it goes on. But this is what we are, this
is who we are redeemed by. But with the precious blood of
Christ, as a lamb without spot. Excuse me, without blemish and
without spot. That's our Redeemer. That's how
we are redeemed, and that is the redemption price, and it
far surpasses the corruptible silver and gold. This is God's
required redemptive price, and that's the blood of Christ. The
priests had grown dull, and they had become so familiarized by
their dereliction of duty that they saw no wrong or violation
of the law. That's sad. Now, there's a great
difference between seeing no wrong in violating the law and
knowing that we have violated the law and yet have a substitute
that was perfect in every way and he took care of the redemptive
price, our substitute who kept God's law completely, and this
is what I found interesting as a thought came in, without effort.
Every time we try to keep the law, it's a lot of effort. Boy,
it's work to try to, and we can't keep it. Work, work, work, can't
keep it, can't keep it. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ, as
the righteous Son of God, kept the law perfectly and there was
no effort to it. He is the holy, harmless Son
of God. He did it gladly, who for the
joy that was set before Him, so it wasn't a hard job for Him. He could keep the law of God
because He was God. He is God. So there's a great
difference between those rascals that just said it doesn't matter
and a whole group of folks that fall under the title of Jacob
that says, I know it does matter and I can't keep it, but I have
a substitute who has. And he is imputed to me his righteousness. He has kept it. With a heart
of grace and with an eye of grace, everything offered was offered
with an eye to Christ. Those guys that knew grace saw
in every offering that they made, they had an eye towards the Redeemer,
towards the Messiah, towards the Christ. As under the law,
whatever was blemished was rejected, so in the gospel, all offerings
but that one perfect offering of the Lord are rejected. They're
blemished, and that's why our works are of no value. They're
blemished by sin. Our prayers are blemished by
sin. Our righteousness is blemished by sin. Our acts and all acts
of the flesh are blemished by sin. That's why we're no better
than those priests were if we say that I can offer this offering
to God because he'll just say it's blemished and I only accept
that which is without blemish and without spot. I only accept
the Son." One pastor put it this way, who is it that is telling
around that the Lord Jesus Christ ransomed some who are not ransomed? That's a big blemish. telling
people that he ransomed some who are not ransomed, redeemed
some who are not actually redeemed, atone for the sins of some whose
sins are not covered, purge the sins of some whose sins have
not been purged, because a substitute became a substitute for some
who are yet must answer to God for themselves. Now that's the
problem that these priests were bringing up. We don't have a
savior that can do what he said he would do because he's blemished. And when we say that Jesus Christ
died for everybody that has ever lived, and then we read in the
scriptures that people are going to an eternal hell, then he's
a failure. Now that's worse than offering
a blind lamb to say stuff like that. Who does this? The vast majority of preachers.
From the very beginning. Not just our generation, not
just the generation before us, or the generation that is following
us, but almost all preachers have said, it doesn't matter,
we can take these imperfect sacrifices and God will accept them. The
priests in Malachi's day, when they were offering, they were
rebuked. Now it's interesting that when
they were rebuked, They said, when did we do that? When did
we do that? Don't challenge us. We're above
reproach. We got our DDs. We've got our,
we've got our, and he brought up this, he brought it up to
them and they said, where have we despised thy name? Malachi
chapter one, verse six, or where have we polluted thee? You know,
when Esau's are rebuked, we're gonna find this kind of challenge. What are you talking about? The
Lord Jesus dealt with that kind of conversation through most
of his ministry, when he was talking to the Pharisees and
the scribes, that he'd bring up an error, and you know what
they do? We're not born of fornication like you. We're above you. That's what these folks thought
about that. We're above that. We don't have
to follow the instructions, even though it says over 60 times
in the Old Testament, it must be without blemish or it must
be without spot. If it isn't, it's not the proper
sacrifice. He brings it up here and then
he brings it right down to life. I owe you $500 and I'm going
to give you German marks before the war. I have a 10,000 mark bill. My brother gave me. I went down
to the bank. I wanted to trade it in and get
some money out of it. Guess what? It's worthless. I'm
going to give you this. It's all paid, paid in full.
I gave you more than you're expecting. I know it's 10,000 marks and
you're expecting $25, but don't worry about it. It's great. I'll
just, and it's worthless. And that's what these guys were
doing. It was worthless sacrifices. They cared less and they run
their fingers at God. Now, what happens? What happens? Turn with me to
the book of Ecclesiastes chapter eight. In Ecclesiastes chapter
eight, When they were reproved, when
Esau's are reproved, they'll stand upon their own justification. And we find here in the book
of Ecclesiastes. I'll get there. Ecclesiastes chapter 8. You know, Jacob's say, because
of the long suffering of the Lord, it means salvation. God said he will come back at
the appointed time, but as we're waiting for his return, he's
going to save some more of his sheep. And when they're all saved,
it's over. Now the Esau say, where's the
promise of his coming? And since he's not done anything,
I'll just do what I please. Ecclesiastes chapter eight, verse
10. And so I saw the wicked buried,
who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were
forgotten in the city where they had so done, and this is also
vanity. Because sentence against an evil
work is not executed speedily, What could God have done with
Adam and Eve? Executed judgment speedily. Because
judgment against evil work is not executed speedily, therefore
the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil. Since God is such a patient,
loving God, I can do what I want and nothing will happen. Well,
time will come when judgment will fall, but it shall not be
well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which
are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God." So those priests,
they're here, we're just doing what we've been doing all along,
God's never done anything about it, and it just went downhill
from there, and we just think, boy, when is He gonna do something? At the right time, He will do
something. at the right time, He will have
them pay. In the book of 2 Peter, 2 Peter
chapter 2, 2 Peter chapter 2, and there in verse 1, 2 Peter chapter 2, verse
1, Oh, chapter 3, excuse me, 2 Peter
chapter 3. This second epistle, beloved,
I now write unto you, in both which I stir up your pure minds
by way of remembrance, that ye may be mindful of the words which
were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment
of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first,
that there shall come in the last day scoffers walking after
their own lust, and saying, where is the promise of his coming?
For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were
from the beginning of creation. Well, God doesn't seem to be
doing anything about it. We'll just continue on. And that
was the attitude of these priests. And God sends them a preacher
to bring to their attention what they're doing and how wrong it
is. And they, like sinners, recoiled against it and said, it's not
me. When did we do that? Now, there's a big difference
between Esau's when they are reproved and Jacob's when they
are reproved. And I'm going to bring up a very
heinous crime that's mentioned in the scriptures, and that is
David. Terrible crime against society
and against his family. Terrible. Would you turn over
there with me to 2 Samuel 12, verse 7? A preacher came to him
and brought it to his attention. Now, I read a commentary, and
I didn't check it out, but he said it seemed to be that there's
about a year between the time that he did, he committed adultery with Bathsheba
and had her husband killed and all of that stuff, between then
and when Nathan came. But in 2 Samuel chapter 12, when Nathan came to him and brought
this up, 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 7, Nathan said unto
David, now Nathan brought up parable of sorts and said there
was a guy here that was very wealthy and there's another guy
here that only had one little sheep. And the guy that was very
wealthy took the little sheep and David said, he said, what
should we do about him? He says, kill that man. Kill
that man. Second Samuel chapter 12. And
then This preacher of righteousness,
this man of God, told David, king. Can you imagine the trepidation? You know, Nathan had to get over
that. Nathan had to get over that.
Every preacher of the gospel has to get over that. These are
my friends, what will they say? Get over it. Tell them the truth. And he went to David. Nathan
said to David, thou art the man, thus saith the Lord God of Israel.
I have anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee
out of the hand of Saul. Drop down to verse 13. And David said unto Nathan, this
is what will happen when a Jacob is reproved. David said unto Nathan, I have
sinned against the Lord." Those Esau's, even though they were
priests and had been set aside with the garments, the training,
and the textbook, and offered sacrifices unto God, in their
mind at least, that were broken, and halt, and lamed, and maimed. And the Lord, through his prophets,
says, would you offer these things to your governor? Would you pay
your taxes with these critters? Well, they'd say, of course not.
but you've offered him to me. He's broken, halt and lame. And
in effect, you have really said, my view of God is he is really
weak and he needs all the help we can give him. Well, David
said, I've sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David,
the Lord also has put away thy sin. I just, boy, you run into
that and you say, hallelujah. Hallelujah. David's sin was put
away. The Lord put away thy sin, would
not charge it unto him, not impute it to him, or punish him for
it, but freely and fully forgave it. cast it behind his back and
into the depths of the sea. Cause it to pass from him and
never more bring it against him. Either all his sins are paid
for at the cross or we're going to be in terrible shape standing
before God. Now, in just a few moments that
I have left, would you turn with me to the book of Isaiah 44? Isaiah 44, and the passage that
I would like you to mark, I'm not going to read it all, it's
verses 9 through 20, but there's a long statement here about a
man going out into the woods and cutting down a tree, and
he splits part of it to keep himself warm by, and he splits
part of it to bake his bread over and cook his meat over,
and then he takes a part of it and he gives it to an artisan
and he has him carve out a god. Now in verse 19, Isaiah chapter
44 and verse 19, and none considereth in his heart,
neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say. We just
say, can't they see that? We look at those priests and
say, can't they understand? Sorry, they can't. Neither is there knowledge nor
understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire. Yea, also I have baked bread
upon the coals thereof. I have roasted flesh and eaten
it. And shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall
I fall down to the stalk of a tree?" And they were. And we say, whoa,
we'd never do that. In our religion, we do. By God's
grace, He keeps us from idols. But in religion, and the worst,
worst, worst it can be, is being in a religion and saying, God
has done all He can do, now it's up to you. That's worse than
offering these blind and halt and maimed. Now, Psalm 115 has
something to say about this, but our time is up. But here,
cannot they figure out, no they can't. The fall is so terrific. They should know the difference
between blind, halt, and lame, and that without blemish and
without spot. And yet when they're called on
it, when did we do that? When did, we didn't do that.
We're better than that. And then we find someone David,
king, doing a great crime against God and against society. And the Lord said, I've forgiven
that man. I will not bring that up again.
I will not punish him for it because my son will be punished
for it. These priests, Brought before God by the Word
of God and failed the test