The people of God have grown weary of waiting. It has been over 60 years since the temple was rebuilt, and the words of Zechariah, the last prophet to speak promises of hope, now feel distant and fading. For this discouraged remnant, life is marked by economic hardship, ongoing drought, and the continued reign of a foreign king. In their despair, they begin to question God’s faithfulness. Their doubts lead them down a path of complacency and compromise.

In response, the Lord sends Malachi, a prophet with a message designed to confront and restore. Through a series of disputes, Malachi delivers God’s truth, each one following a pattern: a divine assertion, a question that the people are asking, and a gracious but convicting response. The first dispute focuses on the Lord’s unwavering love. Despite Israel’s doubts, God’s love has never wavered—it remains steadfast, set upon His people despite of their circumstances.

Main Point of the Sermon:
God has shown His love to us by sparing us from judgment.

Outline:
Four aspects of God’s sovereign love that address our skeptical hearts:

1. The Claim of God’s Love (vv. 1–2a)
2. The Question of God’s Love (v. 2b)
3. The Evidence of God’s Love (vv. 2c–4)
4. The Aim of God’s Love (v. 5)

Study Questions for Groups:

1. Why do you think God begins by reminding Israel of His love? How does this truth encourage a life of repentance and obedience?
2. What circumstances in Israel’s history or present might have led them to question God’s love? How do you tend to evaluate God’s love through your own circumstances?
3. God’s love for Israel is evident in His sovereign grace, choosing them as His people rather than the Edomites. How does the doctrine of election highlight God’s grace? What other Scriptures reveal the beauty of this doctrine?
4. How does the doctrine of election bring comfort to those struggling with assurance of salvation?
5. Who were the Edomites? Knowing we are spared from God’s judgment, how should this deepen our rest in His love? How does it compel us to share the truth of His love with others?

In Malachi 1:6-14, God confronts the priests for offering unacceptable sacrifices, reflecting their lack of reverence and the people’s flawed worship. He accuses them of despising His name by offering blemished animals, a violation of the sacrificial system meant to symbolize atonement and honor. Instead of repenting, the priests respond with defiance and weariness, further demonstrating their disregard for God. This attitude trickles down to the people, who also offer inadequate sacrifices, highlighting how the leaders’ actions corrupted the community’s worship. God declares He will not accept these offerings, emphasizing the need for sincere reverence and obedience. Ultimately, this passage underscores the importance of approaching God with a heart transformed by grace, leading to genuine worship that honors Him.

Main Point of Sermon: Reverential worship is internally and externally concerned with honoring God.

Key Terms to Know:

Reverence – Proud sense of awe and respect.

Worship – see Romans 12:1

Sermon Outline:

1. Reverential worship is grounded in grace
2. Reverential worship is purposeful in its practice (v.6-8a) 
3. Reverential worship seeks the Lord’s favor. (v.8b-10)
4. Reverential worship regards service as a privilege not a pain. (v.11-14)

Study Questions:

1. How does Malachi 1:6-14 demonstrate the connection between internal reverence and external acts of worship?
2. What is the significance of the progression of personas used to describe God in Malachi 1:6-8 (father, master, governor)?
3. How does the sermon connect the Old Testament sacrificial system to the person and work of Christ?
4. According to the sermon, how does Hebrews 13:20-21 support the idea that reverential worship is grounded in grace?
5. What is the role of the church in cultivating and expressing reverential worship, according to the sermon?

Application Questions:

1. How can you cultivate a deeper sense of awe and respect for God in your daily life?
2. In what ways might you be “playing at worship” rather than engaging with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength?
3. How does your participation in the church community reflect your love for God and your understanding of worship as a privilege?
4. What are some practical ways you can offer your “living sacrifice” of service to God this week?
5. How can you ensure that your worship is not merely external observance but flows from a heart transformed by grace?

This section continues the message of Malachi 1:6–14, forming the second part of God’s dispute with the priests over the worship of His name. The priests had abandoned their sacred responsibilities, allowing the people to present blemished sacrifices while pretending they were unblemished. Furthermore, the priests failed to faithfully teach and guide God’s people according to His Word. In response, God directly confronts them for their failure to lead (Malachi 2:1).

Who were the priests? The priests were descendants of Levi, one of Jacob’s twelve sons. Under the Mosaic Covenant, they were responsible for overseeing the offerings and sacrifices of the people. Additionally, they were charged with teaching and instructing God’s people from His Word. However, in this passage, the priests are failing in both roles.

Their failure was not due to inactivity. They were busy performing sacrifices and teaching, yet their efforts were deeply flawed. They had become complicit in half-hearted worship, and their instruction was no longer rooted in God’s law. Their motivation was misplaced, driven not by a proper fear of the Lord but by lesser, self-serving motives.

Main Point of the Sermon – Our love for God’s Word falters when our fear of Him fails.

Outline

1. God’s Loving Caution (vv. 1–3)
2. God’s Longstanding Covenant (vv. 4–7)
3. The Priests’ Dishonorable Corruption (vv. 8-9)

Study Questions

1. Who were the priests? Use Scripture references to aid your response. Why are they held responsible for the worship and instruction of the people?
2. What does this text suggest about God’s intention for His Word to be declared rightly? How should this shape our understanding of preaching and teaching?
3. Why are the priests failing to rightly worship and instruct the people?
4. Define the fear of the Lord. What Scriptures come to mind to help you understand this concept?
5. How can you cultivate a heart posture of reverence and fear of the Lord daily? How can this posture be nurtured during corporate worship?
6. How does Jesus perfectly fulfill Malachi’s picture of the ideal priest in vv. 5–7? Find passages from Hebrews to support your answer. How is this good news for us?

Malachi 2:10-16 is a challenging passage because it involves God using the prophet Malachi to confront and correct His people for sins within their marriages. No one likes to be confronted about sin, especially in the context of marriage. The primary sin God addresses here is faithlessness—faithlessness to His design for marriage by marrying those who worship other gods, and faithlessness through divorce.

This faithlessness is significant because, as God’s people, we are called to represent Him as His image-bearers, and God is faithful. When we are faithless, we fail to reflect Him accurately. Marriage is a beautiful tool God uses not only to sanctify us and make us more like Jesus but also to reveal Jesus to a lost and dying world. God demonstrated His faithfulness to His covenant by sending His Son, Jesus, to be the perfect sacrifice.

Because of Jesus, marriage can once again reflect God’s faithfulness. This happens when we center our marriages on Christ and His work, remain faithful to our spouses, and sacrificially love one another as Christ gave Himself up for us.

As the new year approaches, I pray many of you will take time to sit down with your spouse—or, if you are not married, to pray for your future spouse—and make a plan for marriage that is filled with joy as you bear the image of God together.

Main Point – God is Faithful!

Study Questions

1. How does faithlessness in marriage misrepresent God’s faithfulness?
2. How does the world’s view of marriage differ from God’s? Why is this view so damaging to the true meaning of marriage?
3. How does your relationship with God influence your relationships with others?
4. How do your relationships with others impact your relationship with God?
5. How does Jesus transform your relationship with God? How does Jesus shape your relationship with God’s people?
6. Are there any sins you need to confess? Are there any sins you need to forgive someone else for?
7. If you are married, have you taken time to sit down with your spouse and make a plan for your marriage for the next year? If not, when will you?
8. What are some practical ways you can better reflect God’s image—whether individually or with your spouse—in the coming year?

This passage marks the fifth of six disputes in the book of Malachi. Following God’s confrontation with His people about His execution of justice on the unrighteous, He shifts the focus with a profound declaration of His unchanging nature—His immutability (v.6). God’s steadfast and unwavering mercy is the sole reason the stubborn Israelites have not been destroyed. If not for His unchanging faithfulness, their sins would have long warranted their destruction.

Through Malachi, God calls Israel to repentance and a return to Him (v.7). Yet, in their arrogance, they claim to have nothing to repent of, blind to the depths of their sin. God, however, sees their hearts clearly. He exposes their failure to be generous and their lack of trust in Him as evidenced by their withholding of tithes and offerings. By not giving Him what is rightfully His, they are enslaved to their possessions and guilty of robbing God Himself.

Through the prophet, the Lord addresses this heart issue of faithlessness. The dispute is not merely about money but about their trust in Him and their willingness to honor Him with all they have. God desires not just their obedience but their hearts, urging them to break free from their greed and return to a life of faithful dependence on Him.

Main Point – God’s grace towards us fuels our faithful trust in him.

Outline

1. God’s Merciful Plea (vv6-7)
2. Israel’s Faithless Problem (vv8-9)
3. God’s Abundant Provision (vv10-12)

Study Questions

1. Discuss God’s immutability
   • What does it mean that God is unchanging in His character and nature? How is this good news for us?
   • What other Scriptures highlight this attribute of God?
2. God’s Immutability and Israel’s Repentance
   • How does God’s unchanging nature serve as the foundation for His call to Israel to repent in this text?
3. The Tithe and New Testament Giving
   • What was the purpose of the tithe in the Old Testament?
   • How does giving a portion of our income apply to New Testament believers? Support your answer with Scripture.
4. Barriers to Faithful Giving
   • What prevents us from faithfully giving our resources to support the work of the gospel?
   • How do these obstacles reveal deeper issues in our hearts?
5. Giving as a Gospel Issue
   • Why is giving a reflection of the gospel?
   • Are there Scriptures that connect financial giving to gospel truths?
6. Faithfulness in 2025
   • In what areas of your life—time, talent, and treasure—can you strive for greater faithfulness in response to God’s faithfulness to you?