Introduction:     These offerings that were repudiating to the Lord were also offerings that were rejected by the Lord. Malachi challenges them with two applications to show that the Lord rejected such offerings. 

I.          A PRESENTATION UNDESIRABLE TO THE GOVERNOR (V.8)

            A.        God Is Deserving Of Complete Surrender

In verse 8 Malachi asks, "Is such offerings not evil? If you don't think so, why not make such a presentation to the Governor. Do you think he would be pleased with this kind of offering? Do you think that he would accept such an offering?" The answer is obvious. Of course not! The argument of Malachi is, "If the governor would not accept such an offering then why do you think God would be pleased with this kind of offering?"  God demands the best and God deserves our best.

            B.         God Is Deserving Of Competent Service

An analogy that we might better relate to would be concerning our jobs. Do you think your employer would be pleased with work that is inefficient? Do you think your boss would be pleased if you halfway did your job? Do you think your employer would be happy if you showed up part of the time or only came to work when you felt like it? Do think that your employer would tolerate indifference and slothfulness. Why do we think that God feels any different and deserves anything less? If we treated our work like we treat God's work, we wouldn't last a week. 

II.         A PRAYER UNACCEPTED BY GOD (VV.9-10)

Our prayer life is affected + or – by our attitude and approach to God.

            A.        Affected By Conduct (v.9)

Malachi was saying, "Why don't you call on God that He will be gracious and bless you. Do you think He will regard you and answer your prayer?" Again the answer is obvious. Why do we think that we can do anything we want and live anyway we please and think that God is going to overlook it all and bless us as if nothing was wrong and everything was right?  Reasons for unanswered prayer:

·        Lack Of Fellowship With God And His Word

(John 15:7) "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Unanswered prayers are sometimes a result of absence from fellowship with the Lord and His Word. Jesus promised that if we would remain in His fellowship, and allow His Word to remain in us, this would produce results in prayer.

·        Not Seeking To Please The Lord

(1 John 3:22) "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." Answers to prayer come when we seek to keep His commandments and please the Lord with our life. This is not to suggest that we “earn” answered prayers, any more than we can earn salvation which comes only by faith (Eph. 2:8-9). He answers our prayers from his “grace” and “mercy” (Heb.4:16), not merely from our good deeds. However, keeping His commandments and pleasing the Lord is a product of our obedience to His word, which is faith in action (James 2:20).

·        Improper Motives

(James 4:3) "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." Our motives in our prayer requests are of concern to the Lord. God is not obligated to answer prayers which will merely feed our carnal, worldly appetites and (lustful) pleasures. Our motives and desires can be corrected by humbling ourselves, and drawing near to God (James 4:8-10).

·        Not Asking In God’s Will

(1 John 5:14-15) "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: {15} And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." God will only answer those prayers that are in “His” will. When we ask anything that is in His will, we can have assurance that those “petitions” (requests) are granted to us. God’s Word is His will, and we can be confident that He’ll honor our prayers based on His Word.

·        Unconfessed Sin In One’s Life

(1 Pet 3:12) "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." There is no doubt that sin will disrupt the flow of God’s blessings and answers to prayer. The psalmist, David wrote, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psa.66:18). All acts of rebellion and disobedience to God are considered sin. The remedy for all sin is to confess it to God, forsake it, and ask Him to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Our prayer life is also…

            B.         Affected By Commitment (v.10)

As far as God was concerned it would be better that the doors of the Temple were shut and the fires on the altar put out, and the whole system stopped than offer such as they had been offering. 

·        God said, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand"

God was saying, "I will reject that which is not your best." They were giving, but they were not giving their best. God said this would not do. He deserved the best and accepted nothing but the best. 

·        God will not accept our offerings to Him if they are not our best.

An ill-prepared, half-prepared sermon does not please God. A Sunday School lesson that has not be thoughtfully, carefully, prayerfully prepared will not be acceptable to God. A song that has not been practiced, rehearsed, and learned will not be acceptable to God. A position that that is not fulfilled, served, and done properly and well will not be an offering that God will accept. 

Conclusion:       A ministry that is not been given the best by those who serve is not acceptable to God.