SERMON TITLE: A Warning To Church Leaders
SCRIPTURE: Malachi 2:1-9 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Nick Kyro
DATE: 10/11/2026
Sermon Discussion Guide
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Good morning, Gateway Church! Whether you’re at our County Road 9 Campus or at our North Main Campus or online, I’m so thankful to be in God’s Word with you today. If we haven’t met yet, my name’s Nick Kyro and I’m a Pastoral Resident here at Gateway Church. I’m honored and excited to be bringing the Word to you all today!
Today we’re continuing our series in Malachi. The sermon today deals with God’s rebuke of the Levitical Priesthood in Malachi 2:1-9. The Levitical Priesthood were the church leaders of the Old Testament, and while this rebuke was directed at them, there’s a warning and a standard in God’s rebuke that can be applied to church leadership today. That’s why this sermon is titled “A Warning To Church Leaders.”
The people in Malachi were worshipping poorly in large part because they had poor leadership. Something to take note of here is church leadership issues aren’t something new.
Today, it seems like every year we have a new controversy with a church leader here in America, either something that’s happened over decades finally coming to light or a church leader is blatantly misusing their role for their own gain. If any of you keep up with what goes on in the church in America, there are many pastors, current or former, who come to mind. This poor leadership has caused many in America to stumble in their own walks with Jesus. This isn’t good.
For those outside the church, this has given them all the evidence they need to distrust the church. Or, on the other hand, bad church leadership has given people all the power they need to deconstruct their faith and believe in something contrary to what the Bible actually teaches. We have churches and whole denominations that are like this because of bad leadership. A few bad apples can end up ruining the whole bunch.
As we dive into this passage, we’ll learn that there’s a standard of living God sets for all of his children, which especially applies to church leadership. Leaders, pay attention to the standard in this passage.
For those who aren’t leaders, this standard still applies to you. Maybe you desire to become a leader, pay attention to the standard of what good leadership is in this passage to understand what would be required of you if you feel called to lead.
And for those who aren’t Christians in this room, first of all, thank you for being here. It means so much that you’re here today. I understand that some of you may have been hurt by a bad church leader, or you may have distrust for the church. This message speaks against those who have misused their responsibility and speaks to how a church leader responsibly leads. I pray this brings healing to the trauma you have from poor leadership.
Overall, today we’re going to focus on the truth that God’s people need godly leaders.
Follow along if you have your Bibles ready, again we’re reading Malachi 2:1–9.
Malachi 2:1-9 (ESV)
“And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”
When reading the Old Testament, it can be easy to say to ourselves, “Why does this matter to me?” This is a valid question to be asking yourself. I ask this all the time. This passage in Malachi is a rebuke for a specific group of people in the Old Testament. We’re the New Testament Church, which doesn’t have a Levitical Priesthood, as Jesus himself is our High Priest, as we can see in Hebrews 5.
Hebrews 5:5–6 (ESV)
“So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus wasn’t a Levite, the tribe where the priests were from, but a part of the tribe of Judah, that simply explains how he’s a priest in the order of Melchizedek, who also wasn’t a Levite.
So Jesus is our High Priest. He’s the one who is the mediator between Christians and God the Father. He’s the one who fulfills the role of the priesthood in the church today. He perfectly fulfills this role that no other could do before him, as he does so without sin. While these priests led the people to sin, Jesus leads his people to righteousness, holiness, and freedom. However, Christians still have a role to play.
1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
While Jesus is our high priest, everyone who professes faith in Jesus, Christians, are all considered priests. See how incredible this is? This means that the priesthood’s been opened up to all who profess faith in Jesus. All believers share in a spiritual priestly role, having direct access to God through Christ rather than needing a human intermediary tribe. This role involves Christians proclaiming the Gospel to all nations.
This is the reality for all who give their lives to Jesus, that we have priestly access to God. Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the dead gives us this ability. This happens when someone gives their lives to Jesus in faith. So for everyone in this room who does not know Jesus, whether this is your first time at church or if you are still unsure about this whole Christianity thing, this is what’s offered to you when you give your life to Jesus. So without Jesus, you don’t have access to God. Yet, through faith in Jesus, you can. All it takes is giving your life to Jesus in faith, understanding that you are a sinner who can only have your sins paid for by Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection.
Every godly leader in the church today was someone who, at one point did not believe in Jesus who saw they were a sinner and gave their life to Jesus in faith. Everyone starts from the same place, and that’s humbly giving their life to Jesus in faith, knowing that through Jesus we have access to God and we have access to him forever. Consider doing so today if you haven’t done so yet.
Let’s get into this passage. We’re going to begin with the rebuke and then focus on the standard God sets for leadership later on. Here’s the start of the stern rebuke from God to the priests:
Malachi 2:1–3 (ESV)
“And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.”
Apathy. This is the word that comes to mind when reading this section of this passage. The priests have become apathetic to God. Them not “laying it to heart” is another way of saying they just don’t care. They don’t care that they’re leading the people to worship God in the sinful ways we read in chapter 1. The worship of the people has gotten so bad that it’s as if the people are cursing God, so God is cursing the leaders in return since they led the people to do so.
God’s going to curse their blessings. If you didn’t know, priests are treated pretty well. Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell us they receive things like material provision, honor, and privilege. These blessings have lost their intended value and become sources of frustration, emptiness, and judgment. Much like these priests, the blessings that come with a relationship with Jesus can become a curse when that relationship is abused. There are benefits with leadership, yet when someone misuses their role as a leader, what’s meant as a blessing ultimately will become a curse, a burden for the leader.
God isn’t just going to curse the priests, he’s going to do the same to their offspring too. God will rebuke their offspring because this generation of priests is teaching their children to not care about honoring God with their duties. They may not be telling their children to dishonor God with their lips, but their children are still learning from their parents. They’re seeing how their parents dishonor God, so they’ll end up doing the same. God knows this, which is why he’s promising that he’ll also rebuke their children. Parents, you know this all too well. Kids pay more attention to you than you think and pick up habits that you had no intention of teaching them. God is making sure to let these priests know that he sees the damage of their behavior in the ways they never even intended, and their actions have consequences not only with this generation but the next one to come.
The one part that’s the most jarring is God telling the priests that he’ll spread dung on their faces, the dung of their offerings, taking them away with it. Because the Levitical priests have defiled their leadership and corrupted the people, they’re going to be treated the same way as the dung of the offerings. According to standard sacrificial laws found in Exodus and Leviticus, the internal waste, the dung, of sacrificial animals was considered completely unclean. It was never to be placed on the altar; instead, it had to be carried away and burned entirely outside the camp completely away from God’s presence.
Because the priests treated God's altar with contempt, God uses this harsh metaphor telling them what their punishment will be. He tells them that instead of accepting their corrupt offerings, he will take the most offensive part of those sacrifices, the dung, and smear it across their faces.
We see what this practically looks like in the last part of the rebuke in verses 8 and 9:
Malachi 2:8–9 (ESV)
“But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.”
Again, the priests have led the people to worship God in a sinful way. We read this in chapter 1. Compromise in their leadership has led the people to stumble. The people are sinning from the instruction of the priesthood. The covenant of Levi has been corrupted. We’ll get into this in more detail later. Just understand right now that this covenant is sacred, and it was based on deep loyalty to God.
The priests are going to go from being loved and respected to a group who aren’t just despised but also abased or humiliated. The dung on their faces symbolizes their embarrassing downfall. The people that once were looked up to would now be hated, and their humiliation would be seen on their faces.
If God sees unrepentant, sinful leadership with his people, trust he’ll not let that stand. He’ll either bring you to a godly leader or replace that poor leader with someone who is godly. God cares too much about his children to let them be led by someone who leads his children to sin.
This is why God’s people need godly leaders. God takes leadership seriously since leaders have great influence over how people honor God with their worship of him. What’s helpful in this passage today is right in the middle, in Malachi 2:4-7, God lays out what he expects of his royal priesthood. This is a standard that applies to every follower of Jesus today, and especially to church leadership. While this all sounds good, this standard can be convicting if a leader isn’t living up to them.
Now, as a royal priesthood, Christians still have a responsibility. While we aren’t offering animal sacrifices in our priestly worship like the Levitical priests, we’re still called to sacrifice. Paul in Romans 12:1-2 says this:
Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
So there’s a sacrifice we as Christians offer to God, it’s us, fully open and willing to do whatever he calls and leads us to do. The problem is we’re fickle, easily swayed by the cares of this world, so we fail. We mess up. We find ourselves living in a way that’s not pleasing to the Lord. H.B. Charles Jr. puts it this way, “The problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar.”
Romans 12 also serves as a reminder that the only way a royal priest can live verses 4-7 out is through God transforming the person inwardly. We, as living sacrifices having the tendency to crawl off the altar, means that we need God’s transforming power. That’s why Jesus being our high priest is so important, because his leadership is the means by which one can live up to his godly standard. So godly leaders, in turn, are those who exceptionally live out transformed lives found in Malachi 2:4-7. Let’s get into these verses:
Malachi 2:4–7 (ESV)
“So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
The covenant the Levites had with God isn’t talked about much in the Bible. Early on, Levi and his descendants were a people where they’d shown great loyalty to God. Through their loyalty, honor, and respect of him, God set them up to be the mediators between him and the people as they honored their priestly duties and were rewarded with life and peace from it.
Now people do get confused when they hear “fear the Lord.” This is not the fear of a child before a volatile, unpredictable parent. This fear is the profound awe, respect, and reverence for God, seeing him as even more good, more wise, and more powerful than we can conceive, and therefore worthy of our trust. As one commentator said, “Take note, those, and those only, who fear God’s name, can expect the benefit of the covenant of life and peace; and those who give proofs of their zeal for God shall without fail be rewarded for their faith.”
Leadership that goes through religious motions without a genuine, awe-filled heart for God leads to spiritual decay within the community. When someone is called to lead, they’re not just responsible for themselves anymore, they have others under their care who are influenced by them. It’s so important to remember this. Godly leaders need to have the character of an awe-filled heart for God.
Godly leaders serve an audience of 1. All royal priests serve an audience of 1. And again, that audience is the only one who can make someone into a godly leader. This isn’t a passage about how you can make yourself into a godly leader, but instead how God makes leaders godly. It first starts with a relationship with Jesus and sacrificial devotion to him. Then, as Paul tells us in Romans, God is the one who transforms the person from the inside out.
It can be hard to live this way without someone directing you to do so. People live a godly life when they’re led by godly leaders. Where will God's people find the faithful priest they need when their priests keep failing? They find them in the leaders who themselves are led by Christ.
So what does this leader look like? Looking again at Malachi, we see what this kind of leader looks like:
Malachi 2:6–7 (ESV)
“True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
There are four qualities of a leader found within these two verses. This is the standard that God calls his royal priesthood to live by, especially the leaders he calls to lead. As messengers of the Lord of hosts, God wants us to be representatives that reflect him. A beautiful thing with this is that God doesn’t just let us figure this out by ourselves, he transforms us to be able to live up to this standard.
Let’s get into what God’s standard is.
1. A godly leader instructs truly. They speak and preach God’s Word correctly. It’s not about what I think the Bible says. It's about what God says through the author in the text. If we focus on what God says in the passage, we are less likely to say something completely wrong about what the Bible is saying. It can be easy to twist the Bible into something that ain’t right.
This isn’t just about saying what the Bible says but also instructing on why it truly matters. The Bible is an old book, but an alive one, having applications that apply to so many things in our lives today. Why are we learning about Malachi? It’s because this book has truths found within that still apply today. Why do we come to church? To gather, fellowship with each other, and also to learn truths in God’s Word that we can apply to our daily lives.
It’s an honor to teach God’s Word, whether it is preaching it on a Sunday morning, evangelizing to your friends and family, or doing a Bible study with your friends. God’s Word matters, and when godly leaders instruct, it’s done truthfully and lovingly.
2. A godly leader walks in peace and uprightness. They live in a way where not only are they not doing evil, but they’re leading others to live honest and peaceful lives themselves. They’re not a hard person to be around, as they bring peace to every person and group they interact with. They don’t just talk about living the right way, they also do it.
Something I appreciate about the world today is that authenticity and genuineness have become some of the most highly valued traits in modern culture, shaping how we communicate, which brands we support, and how we build relationships. People are more drawn to those whose walks match what they say and live genuine lives.
It’s hard to listen to someone who doesn’t back up their words. The whole “do as I say, not as I do” type of leadership does not work. If a leader goes around and tells people what to do and then doesn’t do those things themselves, then their hypocrisy will be their downfall. Their lack of genuineness pushes people away. An honorable life has so much influence, and we don’t realize how much it does. A leader's actions matter just as much, if not more, than what they say.
3. A godly leader leads others away from sin. A core part of leadership is leading people, directing them in the way in which they should go since a leader has the knowledge to do so. This means speaking up when something is wrong. If a person you love comes to you and confesses something that’s sinful, it’s knowing the hard truth is better than allowing the person to continue in sin.
Hard truths are hard because many times we have friends and family who have beliefs or live lifestyles that aren’t Biblical. We can have this hesitation to push back against someone’s way of living because we don’t want to hurt them. It’s so hard seeing our loved ones live in sin, and it can be so hard to call them out on it. Godly leadership includes the ability to step up and be honest with people so that people can be led away from sin.
This also includes being willing to let a person spin a conversation how they want when you confront someone and their sin, and also being ready to explain yourself when confronted after you call the person out. This isn’t something to be surprised by, it’s an ugly outcome of sin in the world, and calling out sin in order to lead people away from it can get ugly.
4. A godly leader guards knowledge. Knowledge is immensely practical because it’s, in essence, what could be called “Godliness,” “wise living,” or “the way to holiness.” Today our culture has moved past the idea that it’s ok for each person to believe their own truth. We have moved into this hyper-dogmatism, meaning an absolute, undebatable truth, where people can become insulated in ideological or social “bubbles,” where they primarily encounter information that reinforces what they already believe. Social media algorithms, selective exposure, and polarization can contribute to this. If you believe anything that counters that truth, you become the enemy. Because of this, many are left asking, “Ultimately, what am I supposed to believe?”
Guarding knowledge means believing the Bible, and everything in it, is both true and truly God’s Word. It's hearing people talk about or proclaim Biblical knowledge and saying either “amen” or “I’m not so sure about that.” It’s hearing what people say and either supporting it or speaking against it. This is one of the many reasons why I love Gateway Church so much. The leadership here, elders, staff, and deacons, are all leaders who guard knowledge, making sure as a church, we are living and moving towards Godliness all the time.
Take note, this opens the door to where someone can spin the conversation in a way that reflects emotions rather than truth. Calling out false teaching can get ugly, especially in light of today’s culture. Godly leaders know this, which is why they can make questions and being questioned a non-offensible thing, but rather an opportunity to extend grace and teach people about Godliness. Take the emotions out, and many of these conversations become quite cordial.
So altogether, a godly leader is someone who: instructs truly, walks in peace and uprightness, leads others away from sin, and guards knowledge.
This can feel like a lot. This doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, though. I understand some of you may be writing these things down or thinking about them, saying to yourself, “Am I even capable of doing these things?” I just want to give you the assurance that you’re capable, because it’s not all on you to make sure you live up to this standard. A deep love, awe filled, consistent walk with Jesus is the starting point. All of this is about him making you into a leader, rather than relying on human effort in order to lead in this way. For my non-Christian friends, this is something available to you if you consider giving your life to Jesus in faith. Christ transforms all who come to him in faith into a person with these qualities, and he could even call you to lead. It all starts with that first step, giving your life to him in faith.
The elders have been reading a book on church eldership, and in the latest chapter covered, there’s this section that applies directly to this. This is what it says: “An elder’s job involves shepherding by being as well as by doing. Elders pastor churches not only by what they do but also by who they are. And without being, the doing falls apart.”
This is one of the many reasons why I love Gateway so much. The leadership here is trustworthy because they not only do the work of a godly leader, they are godly leaders. I get to see a lot of the behind the scenes stuff that goes on at Gateway, and I see all of the leadership here embody this standard of godly leadership exceptionally. I’m so grateful to be learning under such great leadership in my pastoral residency. People, we’re all under great leadership here at Gateway. Definitely something to be grateful for!
Godly leadership is about the awe-filled, fearful heart for God that leads to one being transformed by God into being the godly leader he calls one to be. Life and peace is available to the godly leader who walks with Christ in deep love and reverence for him.
As we’ve seen in this message today, God’s people need godly leaders. Godly leaders are godly because it’s Christ who makes them godly, not themselves. Christ’s redeemed people need to be led by Christ’s redeemed leaders. Leaders who first engage with their Heavenly Father on a daily basis are ones that will find that relationship pours out into the lives of those they lead.
Malachi 2:1-9 can be a tough passage to read, yet it’s because the priests lost their love for God, and their leadership reflects this. If any leader loses their awe and love for Christ, their leadership is open to this harsh rebuke, and it will come to them. If you have been hurt by God dishonoring leadership, understand that God always has the final say.
God cares deeply about his children and how they’re led because he loves us so much. Leaders, love Jesus deeply and let that relationship reflect how you lead. Everyone else, support your leadership. Help them value truth over charisma, expect integrity from leaders, receive faithful biblical correction, pray for your leaders, and remember that Christ, not any pastor, is our ultimate Priest and Shepherd. The church thrives when godly people lead well, and the people support their leaders.
Heavenly Father, thank you for caring about leadership so much. Thank you for making sure your people are led by leaders who are transformed by you to be good leaders. Bring those who are far off from you to faith in Jesus, for those of us who are yours, Father, build us up in our faith and transform us into the people you want us to be. Call the ones who you want to lead. Equip them so they can lead exceptionally well.
Holy Spirit, thank you for your guidance and your conviction. Thank you for guiding all Christians to live holy lives and for leading our leaders. Help us to live up to the godly standard that is set in this passage we read today. Open the hearts and minds of those who don’t know so they can be receptive to the Gospel.
Jesus, thank you for being our high priest. Thank you for being our high priest who is perfect and does his job perfectly. Thank you for being our Savior and mediator. Thank you for being the example for us on what a good leader is. Lead us as we look to you as the example of what godly leadership is supposed to be.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer teams will be available after service. Take advantage of that opportunity. Hear these words of blessing as you leave today. Trust in the Lord who loves you. Seek him daily. Live and lead out of your faith, love, fear, awe, and reverence you have for our Heavenly Father. Love you all, you are sent.
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