What's Your Decision

Introduction

What does it mean to go through the motions? It means you’re doing something subconsciously and are in auto-pilot versus doing something intentionally and with meaning. There are lots of times that we can just go through the motions. At our jobs, we can get so used to the repetitive nature of our work that we don’t prepare or study. In our marriages we can get so used to our spouse that we take our spouse for granted. Several years ago, Barbara and I went to a play at the Orpheum so that it was obvious that the actors had done the play for so long that there was not passion to their acting. They were just going through the motions. In sports, well trained athletes can become bored and only exert partial energy to their craft.

In our relationship with God we can go through the motions. As we have seen in Malachi, the passion for God has been lost. Almost 100 years after the rebuilding of the temple, the people had no passion for worship. Older men with no passion abandoned their wives and broke the marriage covenant. The people were no longer passionate about giving to God. Worship, marriage, and giving were all done without the heart. The people excused their dispassionate existence by blaming God. God had not kept his promise about blessing the people. Times were hard; politically they were unimportant; militarily they were weak. Since God had failed them, they no longer felt passionate about God.

We complete our study of Malachi today with a look at God’s final interaction with Israel. Our study today will help us look at the importance of the heart as well as the actions as we renew our passion for God. It is possible to go through the motions. Let’s be reminded who God is and what he has done for us.

Expectations

God’s accusation against Israel in verse 13 is that Israel has spoken arrogantly or terribly against God. In other words, God hears the words of his people. He has heard their words intended to deride God. He has heard their words designed to express that they know better than God; that they have greater insight and wisdom than God. What have they been saying? It is futile to serve God for two reasons. First, the righteous are not rewarded and second, the wicked are not punished.

There is a fundamental belief among the people. If one serves God with gifts, offerings, and obedience then God is obligated to respond with material blessings, political influence and domination. God’s failure to respond appropriately gives reason and license to be less passionate toward God.

But this belief is not new and it still exists. The popular belief is that God is somehow obligated to honor us because we engage in certain behaviors. Going to an assembly is supposed to keep bad things from happening. Reading your Bible and praying are supposed to ward away evil. This sounds like using God as a good luck charm. Our relationship with God is not based on obligation. If we believe that God is supposed to act and react in certain ways if we do certain actions, then our view of God is too small. Either we serve God or God serves us.

The problem is that we have emphasized the external form rather than the heart. There is no love, reverence, or honor. Instead there are demands, expectations, and resentment when things don’t turn out the way we think they should. Listen to our language: I prayed and prayed and God didn’t answer my prayer. I go to church regularly and God didn’t give me what I wanted. God let me down even though I read my Bible all the time. I just thought things would be different. I thought if I tried to live for God that he would keep me from suffering so much.

God’s Promises

So what does God do in response to these arrogant words? God makes two promises. First, he will keep a record of those who belong to him. This book of remembrance has the idea that it isn’t simply a list of names but that God keeps up with the acts of faithfulness and love. It isn’t that God needs a book to remember, but it is an image for our benefit. God has recorded all those who belong to him and the acts they have done to honor him. Why? So that he can act on their behalf when judgment comes.

When we serve God, we do so because of who he is not what he can do for us. And every act he remembers. Every act done to honor him is remembered. We forget but God doesn’t. Remember Matthew 25 when God separates those who belong to him from those that do not belong him, God reminds his followers that they fed, clothed and cared for others. And the response—When did we do these things? We may forget but God doesn’t.

When we speak words of encouragement because we want to honor God, he writes it down. When we act in kind and loving ways out of love for him, he writes it down. When we give for the benefit of others without expecting anything in return, he writes it down. He will not forget and he will bless.

Second, God promises to send Elijah before judgment. This is a prediction of the Messiah. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the Elijah foretold (Matthew 11:14). In Malachi 3:1, God said that he was going to send his servant to judge those who did not follow him. Jesus quotes Malachi 3:1 before acknowledging that John was the Elijah prophesied about in Malachi 4. Here’s the point—if God makes the promise he will fulfill it. 400 years before John came, God prophesied that he would send another Elijah. The people heard him and responded but the religious leaders ignored him and ignored Jesus who followed.

So What?

Two lessons for us. The externals do not prove that you are sincere about who God is. Attending an assembly, reading your Bible, praying, giving—none of these prove that you are honoring God. Religious leaders in Malachi’s day did these things but they were not passionate about God. In the same way we can focus on the externals and not love God. We can love how people respond to us. We can love the appearance. We can love the approval. We may even love ourselves more but the externals do not prove that we love God. Which leads to the second lesson.

The reason for the externals matters. Motives matter. The passionate heart set on loving God will reveal itself in the externals but that heart is set on loving God rather than seeking the approval of others or insisting that God is obligated to bless in a certain way. We do not insist on certain blessings or anticipate that God will respond in a certain way. Instead with a heart set on honoring God; with a heart that loves God more than life itself; we find our passion.

Where does passion for your job come from? The satisfaction of doing the job well. Money. Reviews. All are possible and all can motivate. Let me suggest that if you see your boss as Jesus rather than Satan, you will be more motivated. If you understand that you work for God and not the corporation then your motivation changes.

Where does passion for marriage come from? Sex. Feelings. Or do you look at your spouse and see them as a person to study for the rest of your life? Do you see that our spouse somehow loves you with all your faults, flaws, and flimsy excuses and you are motivated to love more?

Where does the passion for God come from? Blessings? What he does for you? Or does it come from understanding that he is the holy one and that he keeps his promises? Doesn’t this passion come from understanding that God is far greater than our words, thoughts, and actions? Where do you think Jesus’ passion for God came from when confronted by the cross? What motivated Jesus to go to the cross when he was going to suffer? I am suggesting to you that his motivation and our motivation are the same.

We can go through the motions. We can take God for granted. We can be disappointed that our expectations are not met. We can look for motivation in how we feel about God today knowing that our feelings change. Or we can find our motivation in knowing that God is God. He remembers our heart. He keeps his promises. And his Son was the answer to our sin problem.

Follow Jesus

If you’d like to respond to this message or learn more about following Jesus, please reach out.