The Importance of Reverence for God

1
The Importance of Reverence for God
Themes in Malachi

• Malachi 16-11

2
Introduction

• Last book in the OT
• The Restoration period
• Malachi at the end of this period
• Problems of the people
• The trumpet call of Gods judgment
• Importance of fear My name

3
What Reverence Means

• Expressions in Malachi
• Where is My honor? . . . Where is My reverence?
  (16)
• Despised My name (16)
• My name shall be great among the nations . . .
  But you profane it (111,12)
• Give glory to My name (22)
• Do not fear Me (35)
• Those who feared the Lord (316) . . . fear My
  name (42)
• Reverence to hallow God, treat Him as holy

4
One Reason for Reverence

• Gods honor must be upheldamong the nations
  (Malachi 111,12)
• How are we doing today?
• Giving real reverence to God is the most
  evangelistic thing we can do! Ezekiel 3623

5
Some Things We Cant Do

• Be indifferent to God
• Accommodate God to ourselves
• Confine God to one compartment
• Mock God

6
Why Reverence Is So Important

• Irreverence is the cause of most other sins
• At the root of our problems is the fact thatwe
  just dont honor God as we should
• Overcoming sin involves two things
• Gaining a proper concept of Gods character
• Relating ourselves properly to Gods character
• Ecclesiastes 1213 2 Corinthians 71

7
Difficult to be Honest

• Malachis people were not atheists
• We can be out of touch with the fact that we out
  of touch with God
• How honest are we willing to be?

8
Conclusion

• Inner spirit needed rebuilding
• Last word in the Old Testament
• The Lord will defend His own honor
• Going to heaven requires a serious approach
• Wonderful blessings await those who will truly
  treat God as holy - Malachi 316 - 42