Seven Qualities of True Servants of God
A true servant of God must possess seven essential qualities: reverence for God, concern for God's name, preaching all of God's truth, hatred for sin, walking with God, living uprightly, and turning many from sin.
Zac Poonen emphasizes the seven qualities that characterize true servants of God as outlined in Malachi 2:5-6. He highlights the importance of reverence for God, a deep concern for His name, and the necessity of preaching the whole truth without compromise. Additionally, he stresses the need for a hatred of sin, a consistent walk with God, upright living, and the responsibility to turn others away from sin. Poonen calls on modern believers to reflect on these qualities and align their lives with the example set by the early Levites and apostles.
Text
In Malachi 2:5-6, Malachi compared the Levites of his time with the Levites of old. And today the Lord reminds us of how the first apostles were, how they left everything to follow the Lord. "Compare yourself with them," He says to us. The Lord says, "The purpose of My covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace. This was what I gave them; and this called for reverence from them - and they did greatly revere Me." Notice in verses 5 and 6, seven qualities that characterised those early Levites - characteristics that should be true of every servant of God.
1. They reverenced God.
Reverence for God is the ABC of wisdom.
2. They had a concern for God's name.
Our Lord taught us to pray, "Hallowed be Thy name." We must have a great longing for the name of Jesus to be honoured and respected in our land.
3. They preached all of God's truth.
Many preachers do not preach the whole counsel of God, because that would make them unpopular. So they become compromisers. I was once invited for meetings to a place where I was to be the sole speaker. A week before the meetings were to commence, the organisers wrote to me requesting that I not speak on the topic of water baptism at any of the meetings, lest it offend some of the people. I wrote back saying that in that case they would have to find another preacher. I told them that I could not accept an invitation to speak anywhere, if I was going to be told what to speak and what not to speak. As a servant of the Lord, I would have to speak whatever the Lord laid on my heart.
4. They hated sin.
They did not lie or cheat. There was a hatred for sin in their hearts.
5. They walked with God.
They safeguarded their daily walk with God.
6. They lived uprightly.
In everything in their life - the way they handled money, the way they conducted themselves, etc., - they were upright, without any crookedness.
7. They turned many from sin.
In those two verses, we have a beautiful description of what a true preacher should be like.
"The priests' lips should guard knowledge, and people should go to them for instruction, for the priests are the messengers of the LORD" (Mal 2:7). We must go to the Lord first and receive His Word and only then go to the people and give them His Word. A messenger must have God's word in his mouth. But those Levites, like many today, had left God's paths, corrupted His covenant and caused people to stumble by their preaching (Mal 2:8,9).
Sermon Outline
- I. Reverence for God
- A. The ABC of wisdom
- B. Importance of reverence in our relationship with God
- II. Concern for God's name
- A. Longing for the name of Jesus to be honoured and respected
- B. The importance of prayer and reverence in our worship
- III. Preaching all of God's truth
- A. The importance of speaking the whole counsel of God
- B. The dangers of compromise and partial truth
- IV. Hatred for sin
- A. The importance of a holy and righteous heart
- B. The dangers of sin and corruption
- V. Walking with God
- A. Safeguarding our daily walk with God
- B. The importance of spiritual discipline and devotion
- VI. Living uprightly
- A. Conducting our lives with integrity and honesty
- B. The importance of moral character and ethics
- VII. Turning many from sin
- A. The importance of evangelism and sharing the Gospel
- B. The role of the preacher in leading people to Christ
Key Quotes
“Reverence for God is the ABC of wisdom.” — Zac Poonen
“The priests' lips should guard knowledge, and people should go to them for instruction, for the priests are the messengers of the LORD” — Zac Poonen
“Compare yourself with them” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We must prioritize reverence for God in our lives, recognizing its importance as the ABC of wisdom.
- As preachers, we must be committed to speaking the whole counsel of God, even if it makes us unpopular.
- We must safeguard our daily walk with God by prioritizing spiritual discipline and devotion.