"SINS OF GOD'S GRANDCHILDREN"

Malachi 1:1-3:18

INTRODUCTION
  1. The title of our study is actually a misnomer...
    1. For God does not have 'grandchildren' per se
    2. He has only 'children', who become such through faith in Christ - cf. Ga 3:26-27
    -- Yet I seek to stimulate your thinking with this title
  2. True children of God do have children, physical offspring...
    1. Who often appear to follow in the footsteps of their parents' faith
    2. Yet it is not uncommon for them to lack the same conviction
    -- It is these 'grandchildren' to which I have reference in this study
  3. In the book of Malachi, we find a similar situation...
    1. The restoration under Ezra and Nehemiah occurred several generations earlier
    2. The descendants of those restored Jews did not have the same zeal and focus in their faith
    -- Malachi was sent to rebuke the sins of this later generation

[There are parallels today, when children are blessed to have Christian parents or grandparents. The sins of the 'grandchildren' of Malachi's day often appear in the 'grandchildren' of today. To see how, let's first review...]

  1. THE SINS OF GOD'S 'GRANDCHILDREN' IN MALACHI'S DAY
    1. THEY DOUBTED GOD'S LOVE...
      1. They evidently questioned His love for them - Mal 1:2
      2. God reasserted His love for Israel - Mal 1:2
    2. THEY DISHONORED GOD'S NAME...
      1. By offering blemished sacrifices - Mal 1:6-11
        1. They offered to God what they would be embarrassed to offer men
        2. The Lord even wished someone would shut the doors so they could not sacrifice
      2. By offering halfhearted worship - Mal 1:12-14
        1. Profaning God's name by saying His service was contemptible and a weariness
        2. Those who continued to bring blemished sacrifices would fall under God's curse
    3. THEY DESECRATED GOD'S COVENANT...
      1. By marrying heathen women - Mal 2:10-12
        1. They dealt treacherously and profaned the covenant made with their fathers by marrying pagan women ("the daughter of a foreign God")
        2. This problem is described more fully in Ezra 9-10; Neh 13:23-24
        3. Malachi prayed that the Lord would cut off from Jacob those who did this - Mal 2:12; cf. Ezr 10:7-8; Neh 13:23-28
      2. By divorcing their Jewish wives - Mal 2:13-16
        1. Despite their weeping, God was no longer regarding their sacrifices
        2. For they had dealt treacherously with the wives of the their youth (i.e., Jewish wives) by divorcing them
          1. Even though they had entered into a covenant (e.g., "Till death do us part")
          2. Even though God had made them one (cf. Gen 2:24)
        3. Therefore God hated divorce - Mal 2:16
          1. For it covered one's garment with violence (e.g., against the wife and children)
          2. It was treacherous to so deal with one's spouse in that way!
    4. THEY DISPARAGED GOD'S PATIENCE...
      1. They tried God's patience, wearying Him with their words - Mal 2:17
      2. Especially by questioning His justice
        1. They said that those who do evil is good in God's sight, that He even delights in them
        2. They asked, "Where is the God of justice?"
      3. God's response was to send His Messenger(s) - Mal 3:1-5
        1. First, the 'messenger' (John the Baptist) who would prepare the way
        2. Then, the 'Messenger of the covenant' (Jesus) who would purge His people
    5. THEY DESERTED GOD'S ORDINANCES...
      1. God charged them with deserting His ordinances - Mal 3:7
      2. Their tithes (the lack thereof) as a case in point - Mal 3:8-12
        1. They had robbed God by their failure to offer their tithes - Mal 3:8
        2. For this reason the whole nation had been accursed - Mal 3:9
        3. They were challenged to bring the tithes, and to see the blessings that would follow - Mal 3:10-12
    6. THEY DESPISED GOD'S SERVICE...
      1. They said it was vain to serve God - Mal 3:13-15
      2. Their words were harsh against God - Mal 3:13
      3. They questioned what profit there was in keeping His ordinances - Mal 3:14
      4. Calling the proud blessed, saying the wicked are raised up, and those who tempt God go free - Mal 3:15

      [Such were the circumstances in the generation or two the followed the restoration of Israel. Today, many of us are a generation or two removed from a similar restoration by our ancestors. Might we be guilty of similar sins...?]

  2. THE SINS OF GOD'S 'GRANDCHILDREN' TODAY
    1. DO WE DOUBT GOD'S LOVE...?
      1. It is not uncommon for some to question God's existence, let alone His love!
      2. Especially if their faith is not a biblical faith
        1. One that requires a firm conviction in the existence of God - He 11:1,6
        2. One that comes from the Word of God - Ro 10:17; Jn 20:30-31
      3. Without such faith, they do not experience God's love
        1. For faith leads to obedience - Ro 1:5; 6:17
        2. And it is in the keeping of God's commandments that we experience His love - Jn 14:21-23
        -- Without the same saving faith of their parents, the physical offspring of God's children will never experience the love of God, thereby possibly doubt God's love
    2. DO WE DISHONOR GOD'S NAME...?
      1. By attending services and offering spiritual sacrifices, but with little effort?
        1. Today we are to offer the sacrifice of praise to God - He 13:15
        2. Yet the praise of God often pails in comparison to the praise of our favorite sports team, movie star, political leader, etc.
      2. We too can be guilty of sinning by offering halfhearted worship
        1. For we are to sing "with grace in our hearts to the Lord" - Col 3:16
        2. Will God be pleased with 'blemished sacrifices' today?
        -- Can one truly expect to receive God's blessings in their lives if they dishonor His Name by offering anything less than our best?
    3. DO WE DESECRATE HIS COVENANT...?
      1. By taking marriage and divorce lightly?
        1. Though divorce and remarriage are strongly condemned by Jesus - cf. Mt 5:31-32
        2. With one exception provided by the Lord - cf. Mt 19:9
      2. Yet divorce and remarriage for unscriptural reasons has become rampant today
        1. Despite the damage it does to the spouse and children
        2. Despite the damage it does to our relationship with the Lord - cf. 1Pe 3:8
        -- When children of God's children don't have the same faith as their parents or grandparents, we should not be surprised to see a rise in divorce and remarriage
    4. DO WE DISPARAGE GOD'S PATIENCE...?
      1. Questioning His eventual justice by saying "Where is the promise of His coming?" - cf. 2Pe 3:3,4
        1. We may not say it in so many words
        2. But do our lives reflect as much?
      2. We can try God's patience and longsuffering - cf. 2Pe 3:9
        1. If we continue in sin
        2. If we think lightly of sin
      3. God's response will be "the day of the Lord" - cf. 2Pe 3:10
        1. In which Jesus comes again
        2. To judge the world! - cf. 2Th 1:7-10
        -- Living like there will always be a 'tomorrow', many of God's 'grandchildren' give little thought to God's longsuffering and the need to repent
    5. DO WE DESERT GOD'S ORDINANCES...?
      1. Are we guilty of deserting or forsaking God's ordinances in His church?
        1. Such as baptism for the remission of sins? - cf. Mt 28:19-20; Ac 2:38
        2. Such as the Lord's Supper in memory of His death? - cf. Ac 20:7; 1Co 11:23-26
      2. Are we guilty of deserting other commands of our Lord?
        1. Such as the command not to forsake assembling? - cf. He 10:24-25
        2. Such as the command to lay be in store, giving as we prosper? - cf. 1Co 16:1-2
        -- If we take such ordinances and commands lightly, is that not an indication that we may be God's 'grandchildren' instead of His children?
    6. DO WE DESPISE GOD'S SERVICE...?
      1. Jesus would have us seek the kingdom of God - cf. Mt 6:33
        1. To make His rule and righteousness the first priority in our lives
        2. With the assurance that He will provide for our necessities
      2. Do we question the veracity of His words?
        1. Suggesting that it would be vain to serve God first in our lives?
        2. Implicating that those who put jobs or family first will be the blessed ones?
        -- Those who are God's 'grandchildren' will more likely trust in their own strength than in the value of serving God first
CONCLUSION
  1. We can see many similarities in the book of Malachi...
    1. Between those of his day who were a generation or two from the faith of their parents
    2. And many today who are 'second or third generation Christians'
    -- Which is why the OT was written and preserved for our admonition - cf. 1Co 10:11
  2. But notice toward the end of Malachi's message there is hope...
    1. Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another - Mal 3:16a
    2. The Lord took note, and a 'book of remembrance' was written - Mal 3:16b
    3. The Lord promised to make them His 'jewels' and spare them - Mal 3:17
    -- It would become easy to discern between the righteous and the wicked, by their service to God - Mal 3:18

May we likewise encourage one another to serve God from the heart, out of personal conviction, that we may truly be God's children, not guilty of the "Sins Of God's Grandchildren"...!