5.26.19 - What God Demands (Kenny Camacho; Story by Aaron Van Schoonhoven)

SCRIPTURE: Malachi 1:6-2:9


God demands honor. In this section of Malachi, God accuses the people, through Malachi, of not respecting him and defiling his temple. The people respond by asking, “How? How have we shown contempt for your name?” In response, God points out that the people are bringing blemished offerings and the priests--who know better!--are accepting them. God provided our ultimate, acceptable sacrifice in Jesus, and we are no longer required to sacrifice animals. Yet, God does demand honor and obedience in our worship and offerings. Do we as individuals, here at Revolution, and in the larger Church honor God with our worship and offerings? Do we show proper reverence to God? Is God pleased with our worship? We honor God by making God the only concern of our worship, rather than our feelings or the opinions of others. As a community of people seeking to honor God together, we interact in vulnerability and honesty to help each other preserve knowledge and maintain proper attitudes of honor in worship.Through Jesus, we are all priests with direct access to God. We all, as collective Christians, have the responsibility to guard knowledge, the ability to give instruction, and the capability to be messengers of God.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. What does it mean to you that God demands honor? How might attitudes be honoring or dishonoring to God?

  2. Why do you think the people were giving blemished sacrifices to God? Why/how do small compromises make a big difference?

  3. Rituals can be a tool for honoring God but there is danger in them becoming empty religious acts. How can we tell the difference between simply doing motions of a ritual and a ritual being part of a faith relationship with God? Are there particular rituals or practices that help you show honor to God? How do we make sure that rituals don’t become empty motions?

  4. God does not need sacrifices or human efforts to be honored. How are acts of worship more for the worshiper’s benefit than for God’s benefit?

  5. How can you show more honor to God? How can you guide others to do the same?

  6. Have you ever thought of yourself as a priest? Where has God given you influence? How is our job similar or different from the role of the priests? (1 Peter 2:9)

  7. What does giving God your best look like today?

Kenny Camacho