2. Introduction All Christians know that they are supposed to serve God. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Eccl. 12:13) Man’s duty is to obey God. God provides salvation to those who obey Him. What are some ways in which we can serve God?

3. Introduction Let us realize that there are right ways and wrong ways to serve God. Obviously, the right ways will please God, and the wrong ways will upset Him. To illustrate, let us look at Malachi 3, and notice some facts pertaining to serving God.

4. Malachi 3:1 The promise of the Messiah and His announcer. Notice that a clearing away will take place. What must be removed? Everything that will bring about a pure heart receptive to God and His word. Jesus is coming to God’s temple.

5. Malachi 3:2-3 The day of the appearing of the LORD will be awesome and terrifying. God/Jesus will remove all filth (sin) from the temple of God (the heart where He dwells). God will start with Levi’s family/tribe. They were responsible for the worship of the Lord, and worship to God must come first in our lives.

6. Malachi 3:4 The offering is equated with service. It will be pure and offered with pure hearts and motives. This is the way God commanded it way back when He instituted this form of worship. Jeremiah 6:16 seek the old paths, stand in the old ways, and it will be good for us.

7. Malachi 3:5 God will come near once again. God will judge everyone. The sinners for wrath, And the righteous for eternal life. Whether one believes in God or not does not matter, because God is still going to judge them in righteousness through Jesus.

8. Malachi 3:6 God does not change. PERIOD. Men try to change the image of God into something that He is not. God is true to Himself, and God is faithful to His words. God cannot lie. His words from the Bible must be respected without compromise.

9. Malachi 3:7 God’s people have turned away from Him for generations. A renewal and revival is needed all the time. We must encourage others to be faithful to God all the time. If we will repent and turn to God, God will restore blessings far above what we desire or can possibly imagine.

10. Malachi 3:8-9 We rob God when we fail to serve Him properly. We rob God when we follow the precepts of men and their doctrines. We rob God when we do not support His followers. We rob God when we go through the motions of worship without putting our hearts into it.

11. Malachi 3:10-11 God issues them a challenge. A test. If you will bring your tithes I will bless you right away, and you will know it. Upon seeing the response of God, the children of Israel should have pursued a greater righteousness, because greater blessings would come. God would protect His children once again.

12. Malachi 3:12 Once, the nations hissed and despised the ruins of Jerusalem and Judah. The other nations knew that such a calamity could only fall upon a people who turned their back on their God. Once the people started serving God properly again, the other nations would know it, and as a result would glorify God.

13. Malachi 3:14 The people have complained that they appear to be wasting their time by serving God. Their attitude of arrogance says: “why doesn’t God bless us?” Yet they should have known by listening to the prophets that to receive blessings they would have to depart from their sins. This, they were not willing to do.

14. Malachi 3:15 The ones who were supposed to receive blessings had not done what they were supposed to do. They are accursed, while the wicked nations around them have the appearance of blessings, because they are in better shape than the Israelites. Seems like the wicked ones are getting away with their wickedness, while God is punishing the Israelites by making them do things they do not want to do.

15. Malachi 3:16 Though the majority failed to serve God properly, there were a few who decided to serve God from the heart. God wrote their names into a book of remembrance. This will be one of the books opened on the great judgment day as we read in Revelation 20. Don’t forget there is also a book of those who reject God.

16. Malachi 3:17-18 God’s people will be His and they will serve Him from their hearts and in truth. If this happens, people will know the difference between right and wrong. These days, we wonder if anybody knows the difference. The righteous will have a reputation of serving the Lord, and the wicked will not.

17. Conclusion There might be several ways in which we can serve God. Some ways are negative and certainly God would not be pleased by our attitude. Yet if we serve God, and keep His commandments and do our best to serve Him in humility and (His) righteousness, we can be saved. How have you served God?