Mal. 1:1 MALACHI, GOD’S MESSENGER
Introduction:
We know only three things about Malachi: (1) He was called “Malachi,” which means “My Messenger.” God called him this when He called him to be a prophet; (2) He wrote the book which is called “Malachi;” (3) He lived and prophesied after the Babylonian captivity and after Haggai and Zechariah.
I. The burden of Malachi’s message
A. His was a joyous, inspirational, uplifting message, V. 1. (Yet he did not praise the people nor pat them on the back.)
B. Rather he reproved and rebuked the
people. (He especially reproved the
priests and other leaders of the nation of
II. The brevity of the book
A. It contained only 4 chapters.
1. The longest chapter had only 18 verses and one chapter had only 6 verses.
2. Yet if he had delivered it all word for word as it is written he could have delivered it all in 2 messages and then retired.
B. But actually he spent a lifetime preaching these truths.
C. Then near the close of his ministry he condensed and summarized into one brief record what he had spent a lifetime preaching.
III. The authority for his message
A. Malachi was not at liberty to speak what he would choose to speak, but he was to carry God’s message to the people.
B. Therefore, when he reproved and rebuked it was really God who reproved and rebuked.
IV. Some things which we learn about God’s preachers today
A. We learn that God does call men to preach.
1. Malachi was an Old Testament prophet whereas God’s preachers today are New Testament preachers.
2. A list of New Testament preachers would contain the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul and me.
B. We learn that God wants His messengers to preach His message.
1. In Old Testament times God gave the prophet the full message verbatim, II Peter 1:21.
2. In the days of the New Testament apostles He taught them personally the things they would be preaching.
3. But in our day we are to preach the written word of God, the Holy Bible. (Any preacher who claims that God has spoken directly to him giving him some new message is a liar and speaks not the word of God.)
C. We learn that is not always easy to deliver God’s message.
1. It is, indeed, a pleasure to deliver the gospel message. (The word, gospel, means “good news.” It is the good news about how to be saved, how to go to stay out of hell and how to go to heaven.)
2. But it is not easy to reprove and rebuke.
3. It may be easy to rebuke little children, but it is not easy to rebuke grown men and women.
4. It may be easy to reprove and rebuke one lone person, but it is not easy to reprove and rebuke an entire congregation. (Or any other large group.)
5. It may be easy to rebuke a new convert who is seeking to be corrected, but it is not easy to reprove long-time Christians.
6. It may be easy to correct followers, but it is not easy to correct leaders.
D. We learn that is not the responsibility of God’s messenger to try to please the people.
1. It is nice to hear compliments, but that should never be the objective.
2. Even though a church calls a pastor and pays his salary, yet it is not the pastor’s responsibility to seek to please the congregation. (It is his responsibility to please God.)
3. A congregation may think, “We will seek a pastor or evangelist whom we will enjoy hearing.” (But they should seek a preacher who will tell them the truth whether or not it is pleasant to hear.)
E. We learn that God wants the people to hear His word and to be obedient to His will.
1. A preacher holds no absolute authority over a congregation. (He can present the word of God and he can seek to lead the people to do the will of God, but that is as far as his authority goes.)
2. But God holds absolute authority over all. (He holds authority over the preacher and He holds authority over the people.)
3. God holds the preacher responsible for preaching the truth of His word.
4. God holds everybody responsible for being obedient to His word.
Conclusion:
1. It is very likely that each and every Christian present needs to change some of his ways in order to become more obedient to the Lord. Are you willing to change?
2. There may be some Christian who needs to unite with this church because you are convinced that this is the will of God for your life. If that person is you, will you come?
3. There may be someone who yet need to get prepared for eternity by repenting of your sin and trusting Jesus Christ to save your soul. God had commanded that all men everywhere repent and He has invited everyone to trust Jesus. Will you do it? Will you do it now?
4. There may be someone who hears this message whom God is calling to preach. If that person is you, will you answer God’s call today?
Mal. 1:2-5 GOD’S MESSAGE OF LOVE
Introduction:
In verse 1 we learned that Malachi was God’s messenger and that the message was a burden to deliver because it was a message of reproof and rebuke. In this text we learn that even the message of reproof and rebuke was a message of love. It spoke not of Malachi’s love for the people, but of God’s love for them.
I. Love declared, V. 2
A. Here is an amazing thing.
B. These people had sinned grievously so that God would need to take drastic action to stop it.
C. But what was the first thing He said to them?
1. Did He say, “Stop that! If you do not straightened up you are headed for trouble.!”
2. No. He said, “I love you. I love you!”
II. Love doubted, V. 2
A. God knew their thoughts that they questioned His love.
B. They thought: “Wherein hast thou loved us?” (In other words, “If God loves us then why are we in such trouble?”.
C. “Where is the evidence of His love?” (Where are His blessings?”)
III. Love proven, V. 2-5
A. God had already proven His love by His blessings on the descendants of Jacob.
1, Jacob he had loved and Esau He had hated, V.2-3
a. That is, He had loved Esau less. (He had withheld His greater blessings from Esau.)
b. That is, “If you think I have withheld my blessings from you then take a look at Esau and his descendants.”
2. Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?
a. Was he not a descendant of Abraham and, thus, by birth in line for covenant blessings?
b. Was he not also the older of the two and, therefore, in line for a double portion of inheritance and blessings?
3. Yes, he was a descendant of Abraham and he was older than his twin brother, Jacob, but he had sold his birthright to Jacob and , therefore, not in line for a double portion of the inheritance.
4. Furthermore, God had cut him out of the covenant blessings which God had promised to Abraham.
B. God had further displayed His displeasure
against Esau’s descendants by laying waste the
C. Yet God would further display his favoritism
toward Jacob by hindering Esau’s efforts to rebuild ,
V. 4. (Whereas, He was
helping the descendants of Jacob to rebuild in
D. Thus, the Jews should be able to see the evidence of God’s love toward them, V. 5.
IV. God’s message today, primarily a message of love
A. God warns the unsaved of the
1. This is a literal lake.
2. The inner core of the earth is a lake of molten lava. (Melted stone. Four giant pieces of land float on the lake.)
3. Evidently the inner core of the new earth will also be a lake of molten stone.
B. God warns the saved of chastisements, Heb. 12:6.
C. But primarily God’s message is a message of love.
1. Some may wonder: But if God loves me why am I in the mess that I am in? Where are God’s blessings? Where is the evidence of His love?
2. Look yonder to
3. Even when God chastens His children, it is in love. (To keep them from getting into more trouble and to help them get the greater blessings.)
Conclusion:
If I were to ask God: “As your messenger, what would be the one thing more than anything else that should I tell the people?” God’s answer would be: “Tell the people that I love them.” Lost sinner He would have me to say to you: “I love you. I do not want you to go to hell. I want you to be with me in heaven.’ I want to share all the good things of heaven with you.” Wayward child of God, God would have me to say to you, “I love you, my child, and that is the reason that I whip you. I chasten you for your good --- not for your hurt” To every child of God He would say to you, “I love you and I have a very special place of service for you to do for me. Then when your work on earth is finished, I have a very special place for you in glory.”
Mal. 1:6 GOD’S MESSAGE OF REBUKE TO THE LEADERSHIP
Introduction:
In our
previous text we learned that God loved the people of
I. An exposition of the test
A. God sets forth some commonly accepted truths.
1. A son honors his father.
a. Not that every son does, not that anyone does as much as he should, but generally a son does honor his father.
b. This will cause him to obey his father.
2. A servant, likewise, honors his master and obeys him.
B. The point that God is making is that He should be honored and obeyed.
1. The word “if” in this verse does not cast
doubt that God has been a Father to
2. Nor does the “if” cast doubt that His is the Master.
3. But it raises the question: Where is the honor and obedience on the part
of the people of
C. Another point is that the priests should have set an example for the people to follow. (But even the priests had honored and obeyed the Lord.)
D. The Lord pointed out the real reason the priests had not obeyed Him.
1. They despised the name of the Lord. (Not just one nor just a few, but virtually the whole nation.)
2. These were the people who represented God to the nation and who interpreted the Word of the Lord to the people.
3. And yet they despised the name of the Lord!!!!!
II. Lessons for the church today
A. God wants a people who will honor His name. (It is suitable for a son to honor his father, but how much more important it is for us to honor our Heavenly Father!.)
B. God wants a people who will obey His word. (It is fitting for a hired hand to obey his boss, but how much more we are to obey our Heavenly Master!)
C. God looks into the motive of the heart.
1. In their hearts the priests despised the name of the Lord.
2. A lot of people profess to love the Lord, but in their hearts they despise Him. (That is why they seldom attend His church, do not regularly give to support His cause, do not study His word and do not regularly pray.)
3. These would not mind being Christians if God would not meddle in their lives, but God wants them to change their conduct.
D. God wants leadership in this church who will set the right kind of example. (It is my obligation to set the example in attending, in giving, in godly living and in honoring God.)
E. God wants a people who will follow the leadership in doing the will of God.
1. God does not send His preachers and other church leaders to church on Sunday and then turn the rest of His people foot-loose to lay out of church for every flimsy excuse, Heb. 10:25.
2. The same goes for all other New Testament commandments. (We are all under the same obligation to do the Lord’s will.
3. God has been good to all of us and our love and gratitude should constrain us to seek to do His will. (But if not out of love, then the fear of God’s chastisements should constrain us to be obedient to His word.)
Conclusion:
1. I am asking you to do three things:
a. Pray for me that I will be the kind of leader that I should be .
b. Follow me and other godly leaders as we seek to serve our Lord.
c. Even when we who are leaders fail in some way you be faithful to God. (He is still your Heavenly Father. He is still your Lord and Master.)
2. I am asking you who are saved and in need of a church home to consider this church. (This church can help you spiritually and you can be a help to this church.)
3. I am asking you who are unsaved to put your faith and trust in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christians may fail you, preachers and other church leaders may fail you, but the Lord Jesus Christ will never fail you.
Mal. 1:6b-10 UNACCEPTABLE WORSHIP
Introduction:
In our previous text we heard the Lord accuse the priests of despising His name. Today we hear their response.
I. An exposition of the text
A. The priests responded with wounded innocence: “Wherein have we despised thy name? V. 6b (That is: “Have we not been faithful to perform our duties? Have we never gone off into idolatry?”)
B. The Lord answered: “Ye offered polluted bread upon mine altar...,” V. 7.
1. The Hebrew word here for “altar” means a place where sacrifices were made to the Lord.
2. The word, bread, here does not refer only to bread made of grain. (It refers to bread in a broader sense. It includes the meat of sacrificial animals which were sacrificed to the Lord. Many times in Scripture the word bread refers to food other than that which is made of grain.)
3. What the Lord meant was that some of the animal offerings which the people presented to the Lord were polluted. Some were blind, some were crippled and some had other blemishes)
C. The priests still reacted with wounded innocence: “Wherein have we polluted thee,” V. 7.
D. The Lord pointed out that they had offered blind, crippled and sick animals in sacrifice to Him, V. 8.
1. The Law of Moses prescribed that animals sacrificed to the Lord should be without spot or blemish.
2. These were not only blemished, but worthless.
3. It was the duty of the priests to reject such offerings, but the priests were accepting them and they thought that God ought to accept them.
4. God said in effect, “Try giving such animals to the governor and see if he will accept them as payment for taxes.”
E. The Lord said ( and I paraphrase), “Go ahead and pray to me and ask me to be gracious to you and see if I answer your prayers,” V. 9. (He would not.)
F. God called for someone to shut the doors of the temple courtyard and stop the priests from kindling the sacrificial fires for naught, V. 10. (The people were bringing their blemished sacrificial animals to the Lord and the priests were kindling the sacrificial fires and offering those blemished animals to the Lord,. but it was for naught. The Lord did not accept those offerings.)
II. What this text suggests
A. It suggests that not all worship today is acceptable to God.
1. Obviously Satanic worship is not acceptable to God.
2. Nor is any kind of idolatry.
B. It suggests that not all worship which is done in the name of the Lord is acceptable to God. (Many cults have sprung up which use the name of the Lord in their worship services, but their worship is not at all acceptable to God.)
C. It suggests that not all which is done within Christian religion is acceptable to God. (Not all , so-called “Christian religions” are really old time Christianity.
Some preach and teach what the Scripture calls “damnable heresies and doctrines of devils.”)
D. It suggests that true worship to God is not just an outward performance, but it is a matter of the heart. (One must get his heart right with God through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus, Luke 13:3,5; Heb. 11:6.) saved. (Thus, his worship is not acceptable to God. He is not acceptable to God.
F. It suggests that one can be truly saved and be an active member of a true New Testament church and yet his acts of worship may still be unacceptable to God because he refuses to surrender his daily life to the Lord. (God sees his acts of worship as hypocrisy when his life is not yielded to God.)
Conclusion:
1. Do you really want your worship to be acceptable to God?
2. Do you think that God should approve of you just as you are?
3. Are you willing to make the changes that are necessary for God to approve or your worship?
Mal.
Introduction:
We will need to look back to verse 10 for the setting for this text.
I. The setting, V. 10
A. God asked, “Who will shut the doors of the temple?”
1. The words “for naught” were not in the question.
2. The general idea is: “Who will shut the doors of the temple so that the priests will no longer kindle the fires at the altar for naught?”
B. God no longer accepted the Jewish worship and He clearly said so.
C. This question was prophetic of 70 A. D. when the Roman army would stop the sacrifices at the temple. (They did not merely shut the doors. They tore down the doors of the temple. They tore the whole temple down.)
D. A second reason why God allowed the destruction of the temple was because it was no longer needed to point to the coming of the Christ.
II. The prophecy of the text, V. 11
A. The Gentiles would turn to the worship of Jehovah God. (They would do so about the time the sacrifices at the temple would be stopped.)
B. This would be a marked change for the Gentiles.
1. Shortly after the flood the Gentiles had turned to idolatry.
a. Secular history
traces Gentile idolatry back to the
b. Paul spoke of this in Romans 1:21-23.
2. So it was throughout the Old Testament
times. (
C. But the prophecy has been partially fulfilled.
1. The first major change came when Philip
preached the gospel in
2. The first recorded conversion of a full-blooded Gentile under the gospel dispensation was the Ethiopian Eunuch, Acts chapter 9.
3. Then the Apostle Peter preached the gospel to the household of Cornelius, Acts chapter 10.
4. Paul and Barnabas were the first preachers to devote their lives to preaching the gospel to Gentiles.
5. Today most conversions are among Gentiles, not Jews, even though the gospel is still for both Jew and Gentile.
6. They make the perfect offering --- the blood of Jesus Christ.
III. Some things worthy of note
A. It was no coincident that the Romans
destroyed the temple at
B. It was also in keeping with God’s plans and purposes to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
C. We should rejoice that God was so loving and so patient with the Gentile races.
1. For hundreds and thousands of years the Gentiles had persisted in the worship of idol gods.
2. But God never closed the door of grace to the Gentiles.
3. Those of us who are Gentiles should be glad for if God had closed the door to Gentiles we could not be saved.
D. Now that we have been saved, we have the responsibility of carrying the gospel to others.
1. There are yet millions without the Christ.
2. Let us support missions which carry the gospel throughout the world to both Jews and Gentiles..
3. Let us personally carry the gospel to neighbors, loved ones, fellow workers and to as many as we can.
E. The unsaved who are present in this church service have an opportunity to be saved.
Conclusion:
1. Come and trust Jesus Christ and be saved.
2. If you are saved, come and serve the Lord.
3. Christians come and join with us.
Mal. 1:12-14 A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD THE WORSHIP OF GOD
Introduction:
Again God charges the priests. This time He places emphasis on their wrong attitude toward His worship services.
I. The priests’ complaint, V. 12-13
A. The priests complained that the offerings were polluted. (This seems strange in view of the fact that they were the ones who had polluted it.)
B. The general idea is that they just complained about the whole worship service.
1. They said, “What a weariness it is” and they “snuffed at it.”
2, The words “snuffed at it” means a quick exhaling. (Thus, “Huh!”)
3. Can you imagine a priest when asked about the worship service responding, “Huh”?
4. They were tired of making the sacrifices, singing the hymns, reading the Scriptures, and explaining the meaning to the people.
C. They did not care whether or not the Lord got glory from the services.
D. They made no effort to conduct the services according to the will of God. (They offered torn, lame, sick lambs in disobedience to the expressed will of God.)
II. A bad attitude in both the people and the priests, V. 14
A. Both the priests and the people became deceivers.
1. The “vow” offering required a male sacrifice.
2. Yet the people would make a vow and bring a female sacrifice pretending not to have a male.
3. To make the matter worse the female which they would bring would be “a corrupt thing.” (That is, it would be blemished. It would be lame, blind, crippled, sick or have some other blemish. They would keep the good animal for themselves and give the Lord one which they would cull out anyway.)
B. The priests knew that what the people were doing was against God’s instructions, but ignored God’s will and sacrificed the polluted animals anyway. (It was their duty to turn down any animal that had a blemish, but they preferred to please the people rather than God.)
III. A bad attitude the worship of God today
A. Many preachers perform their duties as though the ministry is a profession.
1. A God pleasing ministry is not a profession; it is a calling.
2. Any preacher who is not called of God would do himself a favor and do all concerned a favor if he would quit the ministry.
B. A preacher may preach with the wrong attitude toward the people.
1. He may preach strong bitter words just to vent his anger toward the people.
2. He is to reprove and rebuke, but not for the purpose of venting his anger; he is to rebuke with the aim of correcting them and helping them.
3. He may care more about pleasing the people than he does about pleasing God.
4. He may even fear to displease the people more than he fears to displease God.
C. Both the preacher and the people may ignore God’s word and make substitutions of their own. (They may substitute another plan of salvation, another mode of baptism or make some other doctrinal change. One may say, “I know that the Bible says, but here is what I believe.”)
D. Some complain ---- complain --- complain. (They have nothing good to say, but they always have something to complain about.)
E. Some are bored with it all. (They are bored with the singing, the preaching and the praying, but they piously pretend to worship God.)
F. Some care not whether God gets glory from the services. (They talk, pass notes, look at pictures, clean their finger nails, etc.)
G. Some deceive with regard to their offerings. (They pretend that they cannot afford to give more, but they can afford to spend huge amounts on luxuries and pleasure. Some pretend to tithe when they give nothing near the tithe. A tithe is a tenth.)
H. Some pretend to love the Lord and love the church, but they seldom ever attend the worship services. (Yet they can do almost everything else.)
Conclusion:
The place to start is getting your attitude right toward the worship of God is to get right with God:
1. Repent, trust the Lord Jesus Christ and get saved.
2. Love the Lord. Let your love for the love for the Lord grow. When your love for the Lord will grow your attitude toward the worship of God will improve and you will be happier in your service to God. .
Mal. 2:1-3 THE SENTENCE OF GOD ON THE PRIESTS OF
Introduction:
In our
previous text we heard God charge the priests of
I. The sentence pronounced, V. 1-3
A. The word “commandment” in this verse speaks of the sentence which would be given them, V. 1.
B. There was still opportunity for them to repent and avoid this sentence, V. 2.
C. If they would not repent, there would be a curse , V. 2. (Hardships, calamities and suffering upon the priests)
D. There would also be a curse upon their blessings, V. 2.
1. The priests would pronounce blessings upon the people. (Normally God would honor such priestly blessings and bestow the pronounced blessings upon the people.)
2. But now God would turn their blessings into a curse. (God would send hardships and suffering upon the people instead of blessings.)
E. The hardships had already begun, V. 2b. (Yet the hardships would become more severe if the priests and the people did not repent.)
F. God would extend the sentence upon their offspring, V. 3. (“Corrupt” here means “rebuke.”)
G. The priests would suffer great humiliation, V. 3. (Dung from their sacrificial offerings would be smeared in their faces.)
H. The greatest threat was that they would be carried away, V. 3
1. Normally the priests would carry the dung away.
2. But instead they would be carried away with the dung..
I. This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A. D. when
the Roman army captured and destroyed the city of
II. Lessons to be learned
A. We should learn that there is a penalty for sin.
1. Sin is the transgression of God’s law and it always carries a penalty.
2, The penalty will be executed without favor on priests or preachers or kings or presidents or dictators whoever may be guilty.
3. Lighter penalties may come as a warning.
4. Heavier penalties will come if one does not heed the warning and repent. (Very severe.)
5. Judgment can be very humiliating. (Dung in the face; public exposure of sin)
B. We should learn that God is long-suffering wit sinners.
1. God still extended to the priests of
2. It was more than 400 years before the fall of
3. Even today the Jews have opportunity to repent.
4. Even so God is long-suffering with lost sinners today. (Some of you first heard the gospel several years ago; some of you have already experienced some of the suffering which serve as a warning.)
C Let us learn that judgment will finally come.
1. After 400 years the priests of
2. And after may years God will finally call the unrepentant sinner before Him in judgment.
D. Suffering for sin lasts a long long time.
1. For near 2000 years the priests of
2. The unsaved who do not repent will suffer forever and ever.
Malachi 2:4-9 THE CORRUPTION OF THE MINISTRY OF THE PRIESTS
Introduction:
In our last text we heard the Lord sentence the Levitical priesthood. Today we hear Him explain why the sentence was given. The reason is because the priests had corrupted their ministry.
I. The difficulty in Verse 4
A. Most versions read, “That my covenant might be with Levi;” some read, because my covenant is with Levi.”
B. As far as the Hebrew grammar is concerned it could be correctly translated either way.
C. As far as the context is concerned it means “because my covenant is with Levi.” (The idea is that the covenant was not made with these particular men, it was made with Levi. Therefore, he could punish them without breaking His covenant with Levi. They had corrupted the covenant and dishonored Levi and , therefore deserved to be punished.)
II. The kind of covenant which God had with Levi, V. 5a
A. Aaron was the head of the priestly family, but Levi was the head of the Tribe. (Thus, the covenant was with him.)
B. It was a covenant of life and peace.
1. The law ceremonies were types and shadows of Christ.
2. The Law pointed out the sin of the people and the blood of Christ which could cleanse from sin.
3. Thus, the law properly administered, properly explained and properly understood led sinners to life and peace with God. (Salvation of the soul)
III. The early priests, V. 5b-6
A. They feared (reverenced ) the Lord, V. 5b-6.
B. They spoke the truth without perversion, V. 6a. (Unlike those of Malachi’s day, who twist the truth in order to get personal gain)
C. They walked in truth and equity, V. 6b. (Unlike those of Malachi’s day, who favored only the rich.)
D. They turned many from iniquity, V. 6c. ((By faithfully presenting the Christ, His word and by their own reverential fear of God)
IV. What all the priests should have been, V. 7
A. Every priest should have been the guardian of the truth, V. 7a.. (Not a perverter of truth)
B. God, intended His priests to be His representative to the people, V. 7b.
V. What the priests were in Malachi’s day, V. 8
A. They had departed out of the way,
B. They had caused many to stumble.
C. They had corrupted the covenant. (They had, at least temporarily, nullified the covenant.)
VI. Therefore, the sentence, V. 9
A. The priests corrupted the law and, therefore, God pronounced a sentence upon them.
B. The Lord would make them base.
1. He does not say how He would make them base.
2. But in keeping with this sentence the Romans came in 70 A. D. and destroyed the temple and stopped their sacrifices and shut down the office of priest. (The office will not function again until the temple is rebuilt in the end-time.)
VII. The corruption of the so-called “gospel ministry”
A. Our text is one of the saddest scriptures in the Bible.
B. It is equally as sad when so-called “gospel preachers” corrupt their ministry.
1. It is sad when men who are to be guardians of truth are the ones who pervert the truth.
2. It is sad when men whose lives are to be examples of godliness instead set examples of moral corruption.
3. It is sad when men who are to represent heavenly things are interested only in temporal things.
4. It is sad when men who are to give want only to get.
C. Many preachers today have corrupted the gospel ministry.
1. One preacher said that he expects that the bones of Jesus will yet be found in a grave. (Thus, he denied the resurrection of Jesus.)
2. One preacher wrote that Jesus was conceived by a German soldier.
3. One said, “God is dead.” (He denied the very existence of God.)
4. Many preachers have perverted the gospel by declaring that salvation must be obtained by one’s works.
5. Some television evangelists bleed the people out of millions of dollars. (They claim to be able to heal people of their ills, but even after the people give have been pronounced healed, they live and die still with their ills.)
6. Hundreds and thousands of spiritual leaders only lead people astray,
Mt. 23:15.
VIII. A few true to the word and work of God
A. Thank God for Malachi and for the brothers today who are true to God.
B. They need the prayers and support of God’s people.
C. Their message should be believed. (Not because these particular men preach it, but because it is the word of God..)
Mal. 2:10-16 MARRIAGE PROBLEMS IN
Introduction:
Malachi had
spoken only of the sins of the priests.
Now he speaks about the sins of the men of
I. The first charge, V. 10-12
A. Three questions introduce the charges, V. 10.
1. “ Have we not all
one father?” (Does not refer to Adam,
nor to Abraham, nor to
2. “Hath not one God created us” (Not “us,”
referring to mankind, but “us,” referring to
3. “Why do we deal treacherously with the brother by profaning the covenant?”
a. The covenant forbade intermarriage with other races. (Because of the false gods which other races worshipped)
b. To break the covenant was to wrong the others in the nation because all of the nation would be punished.
B. The charge was given, V. 11. (The men of
C. The penalty is given, V. 12.
1. The guilty man would be cut off from the land.
2. No matter who he may be. (The teacher or the student.)
3. No matter if he still offers sacrifices to Jehovah.
II. The second charge, V. 13-15
A. After breaking God’s covenant with
1. But God was not impressed by their tears and pretense of loyalty.
2. In fact their pretense angered God all the more.
3. God was displeased with the men and their offerings. (He did not accept their offerings)
B. God had witnessed their marriage vows and was displeased when they were broken, V. 14.
C. God wanted only one wife for man; if He had wanted more than one He would have created more than one for Adam, V. 15.
D. God hated their divorces, V. 16.
III. The application to our day
A. Many believers today marry with unbelievers.
!. God does not want believers to yoke up with unbelievers, II Cor. 6:14.
2. Neither does He want good doctrinally sound Christians to yoke up with those who are in heresy.
3. The unbeliever can, and probably will, wrongly influence the believer toward the heresy. (The unbeliever can also have a bad spiritual influence on the grandchildren.)
4. Many Christians marry without any consideration of pleasing God in their selection of a mate. (It is best not to even date a person of whom God would not approve as a mate.)
B. Not only do many marry without considering God’s will in the matter, but many also divorce without considering God’s will in the matter.
1. Many have made up their minds to divorce and never seek the will of God in the matter.
2. But all should know that God hates divorce.
3. By seeking divorce, many are seeking an easy way out of their problems, but they should know that divorce is not an easy way out. (It is a way out of the marriage, but it is not a way out of problems.)
3. The easiest and best way is seek God’s help in solving the problems with the companion. God will help with the marriage problems. He had rather help with your marriage problems than to help with your divorce problems.)
4. God may tolerate divorce, but He never approves of it.
Conclusion:
God is interested in you. He is interested in your total life. He is interested in your eternal destiny. He is interested in your church membership after you are saved. He is your marriage and all of your the problems that may come with it. He is interested in all of your other problems. But you are will be better off if you seek His will and help in the solution of your problems.
Mal.
Introduction:
Malachi first
charged the priests of
I. Two specific things the people had said which wearied God
A. They had said that those who do evil are good in the sight of the Lord.
1. They actually thought the Lord delighted in them.
2. I suppose they thought “There is a little good in everybody.”
3. They may have thought that the sin of the people gives God a chance to show His grace and, therefore, God is pleased with their sin.
4. But whatever they thought they sadly misunderstood the nature of God. (He is a Holy God, Ex. 15:11; Ex. 28::36; Lev. 11:44-45; Lev. 19:2; Psa. 22: 3; Psa. 99:5; Isa. 6:3.)
5. They knew those Scriptures, but disbelieved them.
B. They said, “Where is the God of judgment?”
1. They saw that some lie, cheat, steal, abuse others and even kill.
2. They did not see God move quickly to bring judgment on such people.
3. Hence, they charged God with not bringing judgment upon sinful men.
4. Just because God does not bring judgment immediately, that does not mean that He does not bring it at all.
5. God does often deal severely with wicked men even here in this life.
6. God has also appointed a day in which He will judge all wicked men. (It is not for men to decide when God will judge the wicked. Men cannot avoid that judgment. Neither can man hasten that set time by one day nor delay its coming by one day.)
II. Words which men speak today that weary God
A. Do you suppose that all of the cursing and using God’s name in vain wearies God? (Do not you suppose that it especially wearies God to hear even professed Christians use such language?)
B. Do you wonder if God get weary of hearing all of the dirty jokes that fall from the lips of men, women, boys and girls?
C. Do you wonder if it does not disturb God when He hears people express their disbelief of His Holy word as set forth in the Bible?
D. Do you wonder if God does not get tired of hearing all of the religious heresies
that are being taught and preached in this world today? (Do you not suppose that it is especially wearisome to Him to hear it from the pulpits and classrooms of organizations that claim to be churches?)
E. Do you not suppose that God gets tired of hearing people promise to come to church and then never --- or at least seldom --- darken the door of the church house?
F. Do you not suppose it wearies God to listen to people who never do anything but complain? (You would think that they could find something for which they are thankful? Do you not suppose God would appreciate a lot more thanks and a lot less complaining?)
G. Do you not think that God gets tired of hearing lame excuses? (“I would come
to church, but---.” “I would give, but---.” “I would give., but ---.” “I would visit, but---. “I would teach, but---.”
H. Do you not wonder if the overly pious also weary Him? (They talk so very long about their love for the Lord, but they do so very little.)
I. Do you have any doubt that gossip wearies the Lord? (Think about that the next time you pass along some juicy tidbit of gossip.)
J. Have you ever wondered if God does not get tired of people bemeaning the pastor, the deacons and other church members?
Conclusion:
God is a Holy God. All sin wearies God whether in word, thought or deed. Repent of your sin;. Sin is not acceptable in the sight of God, but those who repent are. It pleases God very much when a lost sinner repents and trusts Jesus to save his soul. It also pleases God very much when a saved sinner repents of his sin and changes his ways to conform to the will of God.
:Mal. 3:1-2a THE COMING OF THE GOD OF JUDGMENT
Introduction:
The Jews had
complained saying, “Where is the God of judgment?”,
Mal.
I. The promise of His coming
A. A special messenger would be sent before Him.
1. God had already called Malachi to be His messenger, Mal. 1:1.
2. Also the priests were intended to be His messengers, Mal. 2:7.
3, God had already
sent numerous other prophets to be His messengers to the people of
4. But this verse speaks of a special messenger who was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, Isa. 40:3.
5. This messenger is well identified in Scripture as being John the Baptist, John 1:22-23; Matt. 11:10.
B. After the special messenger the Lord, Himself, would come.
1. He would be the God of Judgment whom the people had sought.
2. He would come suddenly to His temple.
3. This would not be at His
infancy when He would come to the temple for circumcision nor at the age of 12
when He would amaze the Jewish leaders with His knowledge and wisdom,
but it would take place only after He had been announced to
4. He has now already been announced by John the Baptist and has already appeared at the temple on numerous occasions.
a. In Matthew 21:12 He showed Himself to be the Judge by casting out all those who sold in the temple and overturning their money tables.
b. Just prior to His arrest and crucifixion He sat daily in the temple teaching the great truths of God, Matt. 26:55.
C. In this verse the Lord, Himself, is called “the messenger,” V. 1.
1. He is called “the messenger of the covenant.”
2. This speaks not of the Law Covenant, for Moses was the messenger and mediator of that covenant.
3. He is the messenger of the New Covenant, The Covenant of Grace.
4. Hence, the God of judgment is also the God of grace.
D. The promise is that He would come.
1. The Old Testament prophets seldom distinguished between the first coming of the Christ and His second coming.
2. In view of the New Testament events we can now say that verse 1 refers to His first coming and verse 2 to His second coming.
3. Therefore, the main question in the text is: “Who shall stand when He returns to earth bring judgment? (The Jews cried out for Him to bring judgment on the Gentiles who afflicted them, but would they, themselves, be able to stand in His judgment?)
II. The actual coming of the Christ
A. His special messenger has already come and
has announced Him to
B. As the Mediator of The Covenant of Grace, He have Himself in sacrifice for the sin of mankind. (He offered salvation to all, requiring only repentance and faith.)
C. Having accomplished that purpose He went away. (Back to heaven.)
D. One day He will return to earth.
E. The question for all mankind still remains: “Who shall stand in His judgment?”, V. 2.
1. Not those who go about to establish their own righteousness.
2. Only those who have seen themselves as unworthy sinners and, in repentance, have cried out to the Christ for salvation.
Conclusion:
If that judgment were today would you be prepared? Have you seen yourself as an unworthy sinner? Have you repented of your sin? Have you called out to Jesus for salvation and cleansing.
Hear the promise of Jesus, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life,” John 5:24.
Mal. 3:2-5 THE REFINER’S FIRE AND THE FULLER’S SOAP
Introduction:
The people had
cried out, “Where is the God of judgment?”
In answer God pledged to come and judge.
In the end-time there will be two main judgments: The Judgment Seat of Christ and The White
Throne Judgment. But our text deals with
neither of these. It deals with judgment
for the people of
I. The two illustrations in the text
A. The Lord is said to be like the refiner’s fire, V. 2.
1. The ore of the metal is heated until the metal melts and the metal is drained away from the rock and grains of dirt. (Lots of ore is heated to obtain a little bit of metal.)
2. After the metal is melted and separated it is heated again to burn out the remaining impurities.
B. This is used to illustrate trouble for the Jewish people in The Great Tribulation.
1. Zechariah had prophesied of this.
a. In the Great
Tribulation two-thirds of
b. In that time of terrible distress the one-third which remains will be refined.
c. That which remains will be as pure metal.
2. The meaning is that going into the Great
Tribulation
3. Coming out of the Great Tribulation there will be few left, but they will be God-fearing, Christ trusting, morally clean and dedicated to God.
C. The Lord is said to be like fuller’s soap, V. 2.
1. Fuller’s soap was a strong caustic lye.
2. It would eat into the fiber of the clothes and make them clean.
3. The fuller would either stomp the clothes with his feet or beat them with a paddle.
4. This was hard on the clothes, but it would get them clean and white. (The fuller could be proud of his white laundry.)
D. This, too, illustrates the Jews in the Great Tribulation.
1. God will pour the caustic trouble into the
waters of
2. He will trample them with the feet of the Anti-Christ armies and beat them with the paddle of persecution.
3. But out of the Tribulation will come some Jews who are pure, V. 4-5.
II. Some finer’s fire and fuller’s soap at work among Gentiles today
A. Many a lost sinner would never come to Christ except for trouble.
1. It was so with me: Out of a troubled youth I turned to Christ to trust Him to be my Savior.
2. It was so with Paul on the road to
3. It was so with the jailor at
4. It was so with many of you.
B. Yet there are some of you who are unsaved right now who are in the fires of trouble that are designed to awaken you to your need of Jesus Christ.
1. Can you not see yourself as a sinner?
2. Can you not see your need of spiritual cleansing?
3. can you not see that the worst trouble of all would be for you to die without Christ as your Savior?
4. Can you not see that God wants you to repent of your sin and trust Jesus Christ and be saved?
C. There are some of you who are saved who are also in the fires of tribulation and you wonder why.
1. It is because God wants you to be a better Christian.
2. He wants to purge the impurities out of your life.
3. God wants you to be the kind of Christian that He can be proud of . (He wants to proudly show you off to the world as an example of His amazing grace._)
Conclusion:
1. What lost sinner here today is ready to come and trust Jesus Christ to save your soul?
2. What Christian is ready to come and unite with this church for the purpose of serving the Lord?
3. What member of this church needs to come and surrender to the Lord in some special way?
Mal. 3:6 THE UNCHANGEABLE GOD
Introduction:
Our text sets
forth two things: (1) God is unchangeable and (2) it is for this reason that
I. An examination of several words
A. The word “Lord” here is “Jehovah” in the Hebrew.
1. It is composed of two forms of the Hebrew verb which means “to be.”
2. Hence, it refers to One who was and is and will continue to be.
3. The implication is that what God was He still is and will always continue to be.
B. The word “am” is in italics and was supplied by the translators.
1. Hence, He said, “I, the Lord” Jehovah, I change not.” (Literally, “I, Jehovah, I change not.”)
2. By the repetition of “I” emphasis is placed on “I.”
3. This contrasts unchangeable God with changeable man. (Man changes in his thinking, his hopes, his ambitions, his plans, his patterns of conduct. He promises and does not do what he has promised.)
II. God’s absolute perfection
A. God is absolute perfection in power, Gen. 17:1. (Perfection cannot be improved upon. If God’s power were to change He would lose some of His power and someone might possibly become more powerful than He.)
B. God is absolute perfection in knowledge, Isa. 46:10. (If God’s knowledge were to change He would have less knowledge.)
C. God is absolute wisdom, I Tim. 1:17.
1. Knowledge is an awareness of facts; wisdom is putting the facts to their best use.
2. If God’s wisdom were to change He would be less wise.
D. God is absolute perfection in love, I John 4:8.
1. He is totally self-sacrificing, desiring the best for others, willing to suffer untold agony for others.
2. If that were to change, He would be less interested in the well-being of others.
E. God is absolute perfection in holiness, Psalm 99:9.
1. He not only has not ever sinned, but He will not ever sin. (He cannot sin. Not that He is lacking in power, but it is not in His nature to do so.)
2. He not only has not sinned and commit cannot sin, but He cannot tolerate sin (Because He cannot tolerate sin He will see to it that all sin is punished.)
3. If God’s holiness were to change it would mean that He would be a
sinner.
4. If God were to become a sinner then sinful man would be left without a Savior. . .
F. But since God is unchangeable none of His characteristics will ever change.
III.
What this means to
A. It means that God will judge as the
Israelites had called upon them to do in Mal.
B. It also means that God will not totally
destroy the nation of
1. He loves the nation of
2. The nation of
IV. What this means to all mankind
A. God has promised that whoever trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation will not go to hell, but will have everlasting life in joy with God, John 3:16.
B. If God were like men, then He just might change His mind in the judgment.
1. What if God were to change His mind?
2. We would all go to hell; that is what.
C. But that will never happen because God never changes.
Conclusion:
God never changes, but man can change and it is a good thing that he can change. At least it is good that he can be changed. He can be changed by the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse him of all his sin, I John 1:7.
Have you trusted Jesus Christ to be your Savior and to cleanse you of all of your sin? If not then do so now. If you have, then have you dedicated yourself in service to Him?
Mal. 3:7 A CALL TO RETURN TO GOD
This text would be easy to overlook because of verse 8. But it extends a most urgent call from God.
I. The call as it
applied to
A. The call implies a former close relationship with God.
1. This refers to the early years following the
captivity in
2. The people had dedicated themselves to God
and to the task of rebuilding the temple, the walls of the city of
3. They had separated themselves from their idolatrous Gentile wives and sought to dedicate themselves to worshipping and pleasing the Lord.
4. God had given them the covenant blessings.
B. But soon the people drifted from God’s will and after several generations were far out of God’s will.
1. God had not drifted; He is unchangeable.
2. It was the people who had drifted from God.
C. The result was that God had shut off His covenant blessings . (Drought hindered their harvests, insect invaded the fields, diseases plagued the land and Gentile powers persecuted the people.)
D. God called for the people to return to Him. (This was a gracious call.)
E. But the people reacted with an indignant, self-righteous attitude. (They said, “Wherein, shall we return?” They did not see themselves as being out of the will of God.)
II. The call as it applies to God’s people today
A. There was a time when the believer in Jesus Christ was close to God. (He read the Bible, attended church and tried to live for God.)
B. The result was that God blessed Him with spiritual riches.
C. But today many who are saved are far out of the will of God..
1. They have neglected to even try to please God.
2. They may seek to please others, but they do try to please themselves. .
D. As a result God has shut off certain blessings. (The soul is not lost, but the joy of salvation is gone or almost gone.)
E. God is gracious to extend to them an invitation to return.
1. Who could blame God if He were to refuse to restore fellowship with them?
2. But God is gracious and He does offer to restore His fellowship with them.
F. The problem is the backslider. (He often fails to see that he is backsliden and says, “Wherein shall I return?”)
G. The question is a good question for us all. The answer[ is:
1. We need to return to God in prayer. (Constantly, Luke 18:1; James 5:16.)
2. Some need to return to Bible study. (No one knows it all yet), II Tim.
3. Some need to return in regular church attendance, Heb. 10:25.
4. Some need to return in submission to God’s authority submitting themselves to God’s will for their lives. Luke 6:46;.
5. We all need to return to God for strength, Phil. 4:13.
6. We all need to return to God for wisdom, James 1:5.
III. The call as it applies to the unsaved
A. The unsaved person was never close to God in the same sense as the saved person, but, in a sense, he was closer to God in his earlier years than in his later years. (He was more inclined to be convicted of his sin and of his need of salvation. He might even have reached a point when he almost called upon Jesus to save his soul.)
B. But worldly things, worldly desires and worldly pleasures have caused him to drift from that closeness to God.
C. Therefore, he needs to return to the Lord and this time he needs to repent of his sin and trust Jesus Christ to cleanse him of his sin and save his soul.
Mal. 3:8-12 MAN ROBBING GOD
Introduction:
Will a man rob
God? Yes, he will. God said to the people of
I. An exposition of the text
A. The people had robbed God in ththes and offerings.
1. The word “tithes” means “a tenth.”
a. The perople were to give a tithe of all their increase.
b. It was “rent fee” for the use of Gopd’s land.
c. It was to be given to the Levitss, Num. 18:21-24.
d. The Levites were to tithe to the priests, Num. 18:25-28.
2. The word “offeraings” is literally “heave offerings.”
a. The people were to give this offering to the priests.
b. This is not to be confused with which the Levites were to give; this is offerings which the general population was to give.
B. The charge is not that the people robbed the Levites.
1. It was God’s law which they had disobeyed.
2. It was God’s work which suffered.
3. It was God whom they robbed.
C. There was a penalty for their sin, V. 9. (The whole nation was under the curse for the whole nation was guilty of this sin.).
D. Yet there was a way whereby they could escape the penalty, V. 10-12.
II. An application to people of our day
A. Will a man rob God today?
1. Yes, a man will cheat and defraud God today.
2. He will burgulariiz;e the house of God.
3. He will not usually rob the church services at gon point. (Although even that has been done.)
B. Even the most restectabke church members will rob God.
1. They will rob Him by missing church and not giving to the church when they miss.
2. Some rob Him by not giving their fair share when they do attend church. (They free-load on the other church members by letting them carry the financial load.)
3. Some rob God by not giving as much as the tithe plus other offerings. (That is what God required of the Israelites under the Law of Moses and that is what we who are under grace ought to freely do.)
C. Even entire churches can rob God.
1. They can do so by failing to support the preachers well.
a. When all of the poeple gave their tithes and offerings the priests and Levites were well provided for.
b. That was the way God wanted it.
c. Even today God wants His preachers to be well provided for,
I Tim. 5:17.
d. To fail to do so is not to rob the preachers, but rather, it is robbing God. (It is God’s word which has commanded that the people support the preachers and it is God’s work which suffers if the people do not do so. )
2. Church members rob God by not taking care of the other financial needs of the Lord’s cause. (Even other full-time salaried men)
D. There is a penalty for robbing God, II Cor. 9:6.
E. But there is a way out of the penalty, V. 10-12; II Cor. 9:6.
Conclusion:
1. If you do not tithe, start.
2. If you do tithe, give above the tithe.
3. If you are unsaved I want to talk to you about something far more important than your money. You need to give your heart to God. You need to give your soul into the hands of Jesus Christ for salvation and safe-keeping.
4. If you are saved and in need of a church home, we offer you our Christian love, our prayers and opportunity for you to render service to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Mal. 3:13-16 CONTRASTING ATTITUDES TOWARD THE LORD
Introduction:
The complaints mentioned is this verse against the Lord are a continuation of those found in chapter 2:17.
I. The attitude of
the majority in
A. Their words were stout against the Lord, V. 13;.
1. They were strong, severe words boldly spoken against the Lord.
2. They were not spoken under the pressure of extreme grief.
3. They were spoken out of a bad attitude in their hearts.
B. These stout words which were spoken against the Lord were not spoken by the heathen, who did not know God; they were spoken by His own people. (People within His own covenant nation, people of the one nation of the world who had covenanted to worship and serve God.)
C. Yet they did not even acknowledge that they had spoken against Him,
V. 13 (“so much” is in italics; it was not in the original)
D. Note their attitude as explained in verses 14 & 15.
1. They had expected to meet God’s approval on the basis of their outward acts of worship. (God requires and inward change. He requires repentance and faith., Gal. 36; John 3:7)
2. They considered service to God to be a burden, V. ;14. (They walked mournfully before the Lord. Literally “in black, that is, in sackcloth and ashes. If they had repented, as the sackcloth and ashes indicated, they would have found joy.).
3. They viewed the non-worshipers as better off than those who worshipped God. (They thought that they, themselves, would be better of if they did not worship God.)
4. They really wanted to stop worshipping Him and stop going to the worship services and presenting their offerings to Him.
5. What they really needed to do was to repent of their sinful attitude which they had toward the worship of God.
II.
The contrasting attitude of the righteous people of
Out of what little is said about them the following is revealed:
A. They feared the Lord.
1. They reverenced God; they had respect for Him.
2. They did not doubt nor disbelieve His promises.
3. They loved God and trusted Him to guide and bless them.
B. They were faithful to the worship of God.
1. They faithfully met with God’s people in worship to God.
2. They enjoyed the company of others who loved God.
C. They spoke to one another about God.
1. They praised the Lord for His goodness toward them. .
2. They spoke about the truths of God’s word and how that truth should guide their conduct.
3. They spoke about the sinfulness of the nation.
4. They encouraged one another to be faithful and true to God.
III. Lessons for us today
A. This teaches that outward religion does not save the soul.
1. Baptism, church membership, and other religious activities do not save the soul.
2. Only repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ can save the soul.
B. This teaches that the sinfulness of our times is no excuse for our own failure to serve the Lord.
1. Malachi and the righteous people of
(The darkness of the sin about them would not have excused them if they had also become unfaithful to the Lord.)
2. The darker the days in which we live the brighter our light will shime if we remain true to the Lord.
3. The more people there are who forsake the worship and service of the Lord, the greater our need becomes to remain loyal to the Lord.
C. The more outspoken others become against the Lord, the greater our need becomes to speak for Him. (It should disturb us and set our tongues on fire for God.)
D. There is strength to be found by worshipping with others who love the Lord.
1. It is disheartening to face an unbelieving world alone.
2. But when faithful Christians meet together and worship God together then they give strength and encouragement to one another
E. We should not be complainers.
1. A growing number of Jews in Malachi’s day had
become complainers. (They were a great hindrance to the nation of
2. Likewise in our day there are many complainers to be found in the membership of the Lord’s churches. (Some of the most destructive words spoken against the Lord’s churches come from within their own membership.)
3. Constructive criticism given in the right spirit can do great good, but destructive criticism can do great harm.
Conclusion:
1. What is your attitude toward the Christ as your Savior?
2. What is your attitude toward the church where you attend?
3. Is it a great burden for you to attend church or do you consider it a great privilege and a joy? If it is a burden rather than a joy, then perhaps you need God’s help in getting your attitude changed. Worshipping and serving God should bring some of he greatest joys of your life. Stop looking for something to complain about and start looking for things to rejoice about.
Mal.
Introduction:
In
I. What is a book of remembrance?
A. It is a reminder.
1. Did you ever write yourself a note?
2. God writes a whole book of notes. (Scroll)
B. God wanted to be reminded of the good things which His faithful people had done for Him. (He did not want to neglect to properly reward and honor them.)
C. Kings in olden days often had such a book. (Esther’s uncle Mordecai revealed a plot to kill King Ahasuerus. Ahasuerus temporarily forgot to reward him, but later he was reminded of Mordecai’s service and he rewarded him and bestowed great honors upon him.)
D. So it is with the Lord.
1. He had such a book for the people of
2. He has such a book for all who serve Him in righteousness.
3. The Bible teaches clearly that God will
reward and honor His servants, Matt. 5:10-12;
4. But the reward will be according to the service remedied and some will have little rewards Cor. 3:14-15. (One can get to heaven without service rendered, but he will not be rewarded without service rendered.)
II. Why would the Lord need a reminder?
A. Is it not true that God is all knowing and, thus, He would not be forgetful? (Right? Right!)
B. God does not need a reminder.
1. He does not need a book to remind Him; He does not need a string on His finger to remind Him.
2. He did not need the rainbow to remind Him not to destroy the world again with water, but He put the rainbow in the sky for man to see so that man could be reassured that God remembers His promises.
C. So it is with the book; it is an assurance to God’s servants that they will not be forgotten.
1. God will not forge that He saved them.
2. He will not forget that they have served Him.
3. He will not forget to reward them.
III. What would you want written by your name?
A. If you had a choice of what to write would not you want some good things written?
1. Would you want it written there that you were a faithful member of the church where you are a member?
2. Would you not want it to be written that you are a generous supporter of the Lord’s work?
3. Would you not want it to be written that you were an honest and godly person?
4. Would you not want it to be written that you are a kind and loving person?
5. Would you not want it to be written that you were one who stood for truth and righteousness?
6. Would you not want it to be written that you were one whose spiritual light did shine out to the unsaved?
7. Would you not ant it to be written that you were a willing worker for Jesus Christ?
B. That is just the point; you do have a choice as to what will be written by your name.
1. But God is going to record it just like it is.
2. If you want it said that you were a faithful servant of the Lord then you must be a faithful servant to the Lord.
Conclusion
1. Are you saved?
If not, then don’t you think it is time that you call upon Jesus and ask
Him to save you? Call on Him now and ask
Him to save you. Then trust Him to do
what you have asked Him to do. Rom.
2. Are you in need of a church home? Then ask the Lord to decide which church you should join. Keep in mind that it need not be the biggest church around. . 3. Are you doing the kind of things you would want written by your name in God’s book of records: If not, then it is time that you get started doing what God wants you to do. Are you ready to start right now?
Mal.
Introduction:
Our text
speaks about the redeemed of
I. An explanation of the word “jewels”
A. The center reference of many Bibles will define this word as “special treasures.”
B. The word was commonly used to describe the treasures of rich noblemen , rich merchants, rich kings or queens.
1. It did not speak of his total wealth which would include land, cattle and many other items.
2. It might sometimes include ready cash which might be used to make purchases.
3. It spoke chiefly of silver and gold bars and bullion, jewelry, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, ivory and beautifully dyed garments.
II. Some Bible examples
A. The king of
1. 10 talents of silver, II Kings 5:5 (about 1000 lbs)
2. 6,000 pieces of gold (gold coins)
3. 10 changes of raiment (Probably fine linen all dyed)
4, This was but a small part of the items in his treasure house.
B. Solomon was the richest of the rich.
1. From the minefield of Ophir
(
2. This does not count the silver , gold, copper from other minefields.
3. Nor does it count the ivory, pearls and other precious stones.
4. Solomon probably had some of the world’s largest stones. (Today’s largest diamond is said to be 3,106 carats; ruby 1,184 carats; sapphire 1, 200 carats; emerald 1, 350 carats.)
III. The Holy City, The New Jerusalem, a grand display of God’s treasure
A. It will be a fabulous display, Rev. 21:18-21.
B. It is beyond our imagination.
IV. God’s most prized possessions
A. It will not be the new heaven nor the new earth nor even the
B. It will consist of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.
1. The redeemed person will be greatly treasured because he is restored to the image of God. (Even better than the original man because the redeemed man in his new body will never fall into sin.)
2. The redeemed man will be greatly treasured because of the great price that God paid to redeem him. (The blood of Jesus Christ)
3. He will be greatly treasured because of the great contrast with what he once was.
4. He will be greatly treasured because he once was lost, but now is found. ( In the parables the lost sheep and the lost coin were treasured all the more after they were found.)
Conclusion:
1. You are not worth saving as you are.
2. But God sees what He can make you to be. (He sees you as gold or silver ore which is yet unrefined. He sees you as a diamond in the rough.)
3. You cannot bring about those changes yourself and God does not ask you to do what He knows you cannot do. .
4. What He asks you to do is to repent of your sin and trust Jesus Christ to save you.
5. After you are saved He asks you to serve Him.
Mal.
Introduction:
Our text looks to the end-time.
I.
four grave mistakes the people of
A. They thought their outward acts of worsdhip would make them acceptable to God, Mal. 1:6.
1. They did not understand that true worship involves an inward purity.
2. This inward purity comes only through repentance and faith in the Redeemer. (The Messiah, the Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ)
B. They thought they were at liberty to substitute their own ideas for what God had instructed, Mal. 1:7-8. (They had presented polluted bread and sick animals in their offerings to God.)
C. They thought that those who did not serve God were better off than those who did serve Him, Mal. 3:14-15.
D. They thought that God does not punish the sinner, Mal. 2:17.
II. A time when they will learn better
A. There will come a time when the righteous
will be honored aznd rewarded, Mal.
B. There will also come a time when the unrightreous will be punished, Mal. 4:1.
C. Then the unrighteous will know that there is a difference.
1. They will learn that it does pay to repent of sin and be cleansed of sin. 2. They will learn that God richly rewards His people. (It does pay to serve God.)
3. They will learn that God does punish the sinner.
D. But it will be too late.
III. The same mistakes made by the rich man of Luke 16
A. He almost surely had a relligion, but it did not include repentance and faith in Christ.
B. He may have substituted some generous offerings to the temple for repentance and faith in the Christ who had been promised.
C. He surellythought that he was better off than Lazarus, the beggar.
D. He seemed to think that he would not be punished for his sins because he went right on in his sin without repentance and faith in the promised Christ.
IV. The same mistake repeated over and over today
A. Many think they serve God, but in truth they do not. (They have never repented of their sin and trusted in Jesus Christ to cleanse them of their sin.)
B. Many have made tragic substitutions.
1. They have substituted their own works of righteousness for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. They have substituted sprinkling or pouring for baptism (immersion).
3. They have substituted open communion for closed communion.
4. They have substituted other books for the Bible.
5. They have substituted another moral standard for that which God has given.
6. They have substituted a man made church for a true New Testament church.
C. Some think it foolish to serve God.
1. They think they are better off to seek money and pleasure.
2. They think that only the superstitious and ignorant serve God.
D. Many seem to think that they can do anything under the sun and go unpunished. (They commit adultery, lie, steal, take God’s name in vain, use dope, drink themselves to a stupor, and some even commit murder.)
E. They will learn better when God’s saints are in glory and they, themselves, burn in The Lake of Fire and Brimstone. (They will learn, but it will be too late to do them any good.)
Conclusion:
1. I am asking you to learn while it can do you some good to learn.
2. I am asking you turn to God in repentance of your sin and seek His forgiveness.
3. I am asking you to turn to Jesus and call upon Him to save your soul..
4. I am asking you to trust Jesus and Jesus only to save your soul. Do not depend on your own goodness.
5. I am asking that in addition to trusting Jesus to be your Savior that you yield yourself to Him to live a godly life for Him and seek to serve Him as best you can.
6. Those who will do so will never regret it, but those who fail to do so will regret it forever.
Mal. 4:1 GOD’S DAY FOR BURNING THE STUBBLE
Introductions:
This text is a prophecy of the downfall of the wicked.
I. The illustration: The burning of the stubble
A. The word, stubble, here refers to the stub of the stalk of grain, such as the stalk of wheat, rye or barley plants. (After the head of grain is harvested only the `stubble remained in the field.)
B. Before replanting the field, the workers would have a burning day to rid the field of the stubble. (It must have seemed as if the world was on fire.)
C. This event pictures the dreadful day of the Lord.
1. In verse 5 it is called the dreadful day.
2. In Joel 2:3 it is called “the terrible day.”
3. In the Hebrew language the word is the same in both texts. (It means “To be feared.” Thus, will be a day to be feared.)
D. This prophecy seems to portray n not just one, but three separate events which are yet to take place in the future.
II. The first event portrayed ---- Armageddon
A. The burning day portrays the destruction of the wicked that is commonly referred to as “Armageddon.”.
B. At that time the armies of the world will be
gathered to Armageddon for battle, Rev. 16:13-14. (They will battle over the mid-east oil, the
C. God will have a great burning day. (He will destroy the Beast, the False Prophet and the Gentile world powers.)
1. The sword of His mouth will smite the nations, Rev. 19:15.
2. The Beast and False Prophet will be cast
alive into the
3. The armies of the nations which follow Satan will be slain, Rev. 19:21.
D. The destruction of Gentile world powers will be final.
1. There will neither branch nor root to remain. (Text)
2. That is, not a single government will stand.
E. The Great Temptress, The Great Whore, will be destroyed, Rev. 19:1-3.
F. The great Tempter, the Devil, will be imprisoned in The Bottomless Pit for a thousand years, Rev. 20:1-3. .
III The second event portrayed: The final judgment of the wicked
A. After the thousand years Satan will be loosed from the Bottomless Pit for a little season, Rev. 20:7.
B. Satan will lead the nations of the world to rebel against the Christ, Rev., 20:8 .
C. God will destroy Satan’s armies with fire, Rev. 20:9.
D. All of the material elements of the world will burn, II Peter 3:10-12.
E. Then even the Devil, himself, will be cast into The Lake of Fire and Brimstone where he will be imprisoned forever, Rev. 20:10.
IV. The third event portrayed: The Final judgment of the wicked
A. All the wicked of all the ages will be resurrected and brought before The Great White Throne to be judged, John 5:29.; Rev. 20:11
1. Each person will be judged and sentenced according to his works, Rev. 20:12-13a.
2. They will all be cast into The Lake of Fire where each will suffer according his own works, Rev. 20: 13b-15.
B. Those who go into The Lake of Fire and Brimstone will suffer there forever.
1. The Beast and The False Prophet will be cast
bodily into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone and it is said that they will still
be there suffering 1000 years later when the Devil will be cast there, Rev.
19:20; Rev.
2. They will remain there to suffer forever, Rev. 19:20.
3. In Luke chapter 16 the rich man does not burn up, but remains there in torment fearing that his brothers will eventually come there, too.
4. The rich man of Luke 16 is told that there was a great gulf fixed which would prevent his escape.
Conclusion:
This information is put in the Bible so that it will be a solemn warning to those who are not yet saved so that they may repent of their sin and call upon Jesus for salvation before it is too late, Rom. 10:13.
Mal. 4:2-3 THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH HEALING IN HIS WINGS
Introduction:
This is a prophecy of the millennial reign of Christ. V. 1 spoke of the darkest hour the world has seen. All of the wicked will be burned as stubble. Verses 2 and 3 speak the brightest time in history which will follow the darkest time. The righteous who survive the Great Tribulation will still be in their unchanged earthly bodies and will repopulate the earth during the reign of Christ.
I. The Sun of Righteousness (S - u - n ), V. 2a
A. Christ here is called “The Sun of Righteousness” because He is the Light of the world, John, 1:4. (The sun produces natural light; Jesus produces Spiritual Light.)
B. Christ is called the Sun of Righteousness because He is Deity God.
1. He was the Son of God before He was born in human flesh. (He has always existed even as God the Father has always existed, but He has always been in a position of submission to God the Father similar to the position of submission which an earthly son has to his earthly father. Thus, He was positionaly The Son of God.)
2. At the time which the Father appointed He was conceived in human flesh by the Holy Spirit of God and, thus, He became “The only begotten Son of God..” (The only one begotten into human flesh by the Spirit of God.)
3.. He was conceived in human flesh without inheriting the Adamic sin nature. (If he had been conceived by a man he would have inherited the sinful nature of fallen man, but He had no sinful nature.)
4. In the flesh he lived a sinless life. (He never committed one sinful deed nor thought one sinful thought.)
C. He is called the Sun of Righteousness because He will dominate the whole world in righteousness, Gen. 1:16.
1. The daily rising of the sun pictures the future rising of Jesus Christ to a position of power and rulership.
2. During the millennium He will rule the whole world in truth and righteousness, Luke 1:31-32; Rev. 19:15.
D. He is called the Son of Righteousness because He is the source of all life.
1. In our solar system the sun is the source of energy which sustains all plant and animal life.
2. In reality all life is from the Christ. (He is the creator of all living things, John 1:3. He even created the s -u -n, sun. He created all living things: plant, animal and human.)
3. He is the source of everlasting life, John 3:16.
E. He is called the Sun of Righteousness because it is His righteousness which is imputed to a believer.
1. The unbeliever does not on his own have the perfect righteousness which is requited to enter heaven. (All of his righteousness is as filthy rags.)
2. Yet at the point of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to him, Rom. 4:6.
F. He is called the Sun of Righteousness because His ruler-ship over the nations will be a righteous rule. (The first completely righteous rule in all the history of the world)
G. He is called the Sun of Righteousness because He will influence others to live righteous lives.
1. Even now He influences many to turn their lives around and live godly lives.
2. But in the time spoken of in this prophecy all will be required to
refrain from ungodly living and seek to do what is right. (In that day godly living will not be the exception, but the rule.)
II. Healing in His wings, V. 2a
A. Rays of light are here pictured as traveling as though on wings.
B. The world today is in a mess.
1. Drunkenness, lies, adultery, hatred, murder, robbery, false religion, crime, drought, floods, earthquakes, storms, inflation, depression, war and plagues of diseases are common.
2. At the assasination of President Kennedy someone said, “Our nation is sick;” they could have said, “The whole world is sick.”
3. It will not be healed until the coming of the Christ.
C. What this text means is that whatever is wrong, Christ will correct that wrong when He returns.
III. The exaltation of the righteous, V. 2b & 3
A. The righteous will romp and play like the fatted calf released from the stall, V. 2b.
B. The unrighteous will no longer dominate and persecute the righteous, V. 3.
1. God has always instructed the righteous, saying, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” (Thus, He has forbidden the righteous to take vengeance on their persecutors.)
2. When Christ returns the wicked will be burned as stubble, , V. 1.
3. Whatever wicked people who live on earth at that time will not be allowed to occupy a position of power over the righteous; rather the righteous will occupy positions of power over them. .
Conclusion:
You do not have to wait until the millennium to seek the righteousness of Christ. It would be dangerous for you to wait. In fact to delay even one day is dangerous. Seek Christ now an place your faith in Him. Then love Him and serve Him.
Mal. 4:4 A CALL TO TRUE WORSHIP AND RIGHTEOUS LIVING
Introduction:
This verse begins the conclusion to the book. It is a call to remember the Law of Moses, a call to true worship and right living.
The law was given through Moses, but was actually from God. Every statute (rule) and judgment (guideline) of it. Horeb was the mountain range; Sinai was the peak.
I. The law pointed to the way of salvation.
A. It was so strict that none of the people kept the law 100%.
1. Not the priests nor the prophets nor even Moses.
2. Thus, salvation was not by the law, but by grace.
3. Hence the law pointed out the need of salvation by grace.
B. It also pointed out the means of receiving grace.
1. The blood sacrifices pointed to a substitute who would die for the sinner. (The substitute is Jesus Christ.)
2. The sinner was to repent of his sin and trust that the blood of the Substitute would redeem him.
II. The law was to regulate every phase of their lives
A. It was to regulate their religious life. (The temple services, the sacrifices, the Sabbath, the tithes and offerings.)
B. It was to regulate their moral standard.
C. It was to regulate family life, social affairs, legal affairs, cleanliness, capital punishment, etc..
D. It required that they dedicate themselves to God, Duet. 6:5.
E. It represented a covenant between
1. The people pledged to serve God and God only.
2. God pledged to bless the people as they served Him and to punish them when they did not.
III. The call to return to the law
A. The people had forsaken the law.
1. They had missed its message about salvation.
2. They had substituted their own traditions to regulate their worship and their lives.
B. God called for them to remember the law and, hence, to return to it.
IV. The meaning of all this to us in New Testament times
A. It is not meant to call us back to the law, Rom. 6:14; Gal. 2:16; Gal. 3:11.
B. After salvation by grace we are to be governed by the New Testament and not by the law of Moses, Matt. 28::19-20; John 14:15.
C. The teachings of the New Testament should govern the Christian’s whole life.
1. It should govern his church life. (We have no right to substitute our traditions for “Thus saith the Lord.”)
2. It should govern our morals. (Not “Everybody else is ding it.”)
3. It should govern our conduct toward others. (Not “Do unto others as they do unto you” nor “...before they do unto you.”)
D. God’s call for
1. We are to remember that God saved us by His grace.
2. We are to remember that we made a public commitment to serve Him.
3. We are to remember that God has richly blessed us and will do so as we do His will.
4. We are to remember that God chastises His children who are out of His will.
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Mal. 4:5-6 THE COMING OF ELIJAH THE PROPHET BEFORE THE GREAT AND DREADFUL DAY OF THE LORD
Introduction:
The great and dreadful day is the day of burning in verse 1. As the workers burned the stubble before replanting the field, even so the Lord will burn; out the stubble before repopulating the world in millennial times. The prophecy is that before the burning Elijah would come and preach repentance.
I. The prophecy as it relates to John the Baptist
A. Jesus identified John the Baptist as the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy.
1. Elijah appeared on the
2. But he did not remain and this puzzled the disciples who asked Jesus why, Matt. 17:10.
3. Jesus explained that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy, Matt. 17:11-13. (It was not necessary for Elijah to remain.)
B. This may seem puzzling in view of the fact that John told the priests and Levites that he was not Elijah, John 1:21. .
1. John meant that he was not Elijah restored to life.
2. To this Jesus agreed for He meant John was like Elijah and was, in that way, the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy.
3. This was in keeping with the explanation that an angel said about John the Baptist to his father Zecharias, Luke 1:17.
4. The angel also explained what was meant about this special Elijah turning the hearts of the fathers to the sons and the hearts of the sons to the fathers. ((When John’s generation repented at his preaching their hearts were in harmony with their righteous forefathers.)
C. John’s ministry was much like the ministry of Elijah.
1. “Both were men of rugged dress, appearance and speech.
2. Elijah preached in the days of wicked king Ahab; John preached in the days of wicked Herod.
3. Elijah publicly rebuked Ahab and Jezebel for their idolatry; John publicly rebuked Herod and Herodias for their adultery.
4. Jezebel tried to kill Elijah; Herodias tried to kill John.
5. Elijah was fed by a raven; John was fed by locusts and bees.
6. The primary message of both was repentance.
II. The prophecy as it relates to the end time
A. John is not the only prophet who will be like Elijah; in the end-time there will be 2 more, The Two Witnesses.
B. They will be strikingly like Elijah.
1. They, too, will be rough in appearance like Elijah. (Dressed in sackcloth.)
2. Elijah prayed for rain to stop for three and one-half years; The Two Witnesses will do the same, Rev. 11:3,6.
3. Elijah called down fire from heaven on Jezebel’s soldiers who sought to kill him; The Two Witnesses will do the same, Rev. 11:5.
4. Elijah preached repentance to
III. The prophecy as it relates to the Book of Malachi
A. In Malachi’s day the people cried out “Where is the God of judgment?” Mal. 2:17.
B. The answer was: “He will come and He will judge.” (There will be a great and terrible day of judgment.)
C. The prophecy is an appeal to men to repent and, hence, to prepare for judgment.
Conclusion:
1. Have you repented?
2. Have you trusted Jesus Christ to be your Savior?
3. Are you living your life in service to the Christ?