The Consistency of God In An Inconsistent World
Malachi 2:1-9
1. God is about the heart, v. 1-2
“ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations.
-Ezekiel 36:25-31
“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
-Deuteronomy 11:18
2. God is consistently constant, v. 2-3
3. God is a God of reciprocity, v. 4-5
Two things you will see when God makes a covenant with someone:
a) He always goes first
b) He always keeps his word
v. 5- “The covenant 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."
4. God holds those in ministry to a standard, v. 6-9
Here are some of the things you should expect from your pastors…
a) right doctrine
b) speaks the truth
c) an intimate, peaceful integrity
d) consequential
e) knowledgeable
f) helpful
g) messenger
Mental worship…
Has God ever exchanged your old heart for a new one?
In your relationship with God, do you focus more on what you have to do or and what He has done?
What motivates you to listen to God and what motivates you to avoid listening to God?
What do you think God sees when he looks upon your heart? How does that question comfort you and how does it cut you?
What one thing, good or bad, has been true about you the longest?