1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,800 So today we are starting a series in Malachi and we're 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,200 going to dig deeper in it. If you don't know where it is in 3 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,840 your Bibles, open up to where the New Testament starts. 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:12,080 You know that that break between the two and skip back a page or 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,520 two. If you're on a digital device, 6 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,080 you open up your Bible app and you go the book before Matthew. 7 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,720 That's how you find it. Malachi is the last book of the 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,760 Old Testament and the last of a group of books called the Minor 9 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:31,000 Prophets or the 12. And as these books tend to be 10 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,280 pretty short, they can be easy to miss, but they're still 11 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,280 important enough for God to include. 12 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,720 And so I'm going to, as I unpack the word of the book of Malachi, 13 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:45,040 let us just ask God to help us to understand what he has for us 14 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,200 here. Let us pray. 15 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,360 Father God, thank you for your word. 16 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,280 Thank you that the words that you spoke through the prophets 17 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,920 in generations past are still relevant for us today. 18 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,120 Please give me wisdom as I teach from the book of Malachi and 19 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:08,840 give us all ears that are ready to hear what you want to tell 20 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,760 us. Make us ready to apply these 21 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:16,800 truths to our lives and hearts that are devoted to you in Jesus 22 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,440 name, Amen. So as we look at the book of 23 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,760 Malachi, I'm going to break it down into three main sections to 24 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:28,320 make it a bit easier to follow and just to make it a bit more 25 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:29,640 fun. We're going to be sponsored by 26 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,120 the letter C today. First, we're going to look at 27 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:37,080 the context of Malachi. Then we're going to look at the 28 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:40,560 concerns of Malachi as a as a whole. 29 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,320 Then we're going to dig deeper into the first few verses and 30 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:47,080 we're going to look at the core of Malachi. 31 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:49,000 So you're already you found the book. 32 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:53,240 Let's jump in the context of Malachi. 33 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:58,000 Malachi is the last of the prophets in the Old Testament, 34 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,360 and while some scholars disagree about exactly when it was 35 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:06,240 written, it's very likely it was written about 100 years after 36 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:11,280 the Israelites returned back to their land from exile under the 37 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:15,520 Persian king Cyrus. This means it has probably been 38 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,720 written to people who had been back in the land for more than a 39 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,040 generation, maybe two or three generations. 40 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,680 And while the exile and the return from exile would have 41 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,320 still been a a corporate memory, it would no longer be a lived 42 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,960 memory. Most of the people living at the 43 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,280 time would not have been in exile. 44 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:37,800 They would have been in the land again. 45 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,280 After Cyrus's decree to allow the people to return to their 46 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,480 homeland, a small and unimpressive remnant came back 47 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,760 to Israel. Spurred on by the ministries of 48 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:52,400 the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, they constructed a 49 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,640 new temple. But this temple had fallen far 50 00:02:56,640 --> 00:03:01,040 short of the glorious temple that was built by Solomon, and 51 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:05,000 so everyone was somewhat disappointed with the result. 52 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,680 Then under the ministry of the prophet Nehemiah, the people had 53 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,680 rebuilt the walls of the city and Nehemiah had also come to 54 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,120 return something of the old way of life to God's people. 55 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,480 Ezra came next and he brought the people back to the Word of 56 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,840 God and he was stressing it's importance for their daily 57 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,680 living and calling them to repentance where they had gone 58 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,160 away from what God had commanded. 59 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,720 But when he called them out for specific sins, the response of 60 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:39,480 the people was half hearted. There were times that were 61 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:44,240 characterized by a neglect of the temple, characterized by 62 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:48,440 improper worship practices. There was no tithing happening, 63 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,720 and defiled offerings were being given to the Lord. 64 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,280 They were careless about the Sabbath, they had intermarried 65 00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:00,360 with the idolatrous neighbors, and injustice and poverty were 66 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,400 just as prevalent as they had been before the exile. 67 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:08,280 Now, I'm sure the exile of God's people from the Promised Land, 68 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,360 first by Assyria, then by Babylon, had been a shock to the 69 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,360 nation. Their whole identity had been 70 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,839 built on the events where God took them out of slavery in 71 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,360 Egypt and brought them into this land through many miracles and 72 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,080 provision. And so throughout their time of 73 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,280 exile, it would have been hard for those who wanted to return 74 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:33,040 to cling to the promises that God had said he would bring them 75 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,880 back. And alongside those promises of 76 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,560 a return, there were also promises being made about a 77 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:43,680 Messiah who would lead them. So you can understand how those 78 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,560 two ideas would become very much intertwined with each other. 79 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:53,440 In their minds, God had promised to send a king who would deliver 80 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,120 them from their enemies. And this king would rule over a 81 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:00,880 once again united Israel, and the nations would bow the knee 82 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,800 before him. This Kingdom would be marked by 83 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:07,320 peace and justice. So when God seemed to be moving 84 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,040 the hearts of their captors to allow them to return home, it 85 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:15,400 looked like he was finally going to come through and deliver them 86 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,120 and begin to fulfil these prophecies. 87 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:23,600 But when they arrived back in Israel, things didn't look so 88 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,160 good for them. Yes, there were some of their 89 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,120 people now back in the land, but Israel was still a people 90 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:35,640 scattered among the nations, and while there was a remnant who 91 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:39,720 had come back, it still wasn't their land. 92 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,760 They were an occupied people under Persian rule. 93 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:48,480 They were broken and poor, and their identity as God's people, 94 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,000 as being special and chosen, had been shaken. 95 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,560 They had come home full of hope and expectation that God was 96 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:00,080 going to deliver them and fulfill his promises to them. 97 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,400 And now that they had been back in the land for a while, it was 98 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,960 clear that many of those expectations had been 99 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,640 disappointed. They were still not free from 100 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:15,160 oppression and it when it came to their hearts, just like their 101 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:20,400 ancestors, they still fell short of a life of faithful obedience. 102 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,120 So this is the context that Malachi is writing into. 103 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,880 This is the people that he was addressing. 104 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:33,040 So what are the main concerns of Malachi? 105 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,280 All right, So what is this message that he had for Israel? 106 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,240 What are the things God wanted to address? 107 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:43,040 Well, First off is the format. Most scholars will agree that 108 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,720 this book is the format of a legal discourse. 109 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:49,280 We're in a courtroom here. We are making charges against 110 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:53,800 each other. Malachi is structured around six 111 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:57,040 disputes or arguments between God and Israel. 112 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:01,560 Each dispute is introduced by a charge or a claim that God makes 113 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:06,120 about Israel, which has been followed by a counterclaim that 114 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:10,960 Israel makes against God, to which God finally responds in 115 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,640 the last section of each part, giving his perspective on the 116 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,560 charges that they made. Now. 117 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:20,280 The questions addressed in Malachi cover a variety of 118 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:22,840 topics. God's love for Israel. 119 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:24,880 The priest. Neglect of their 120 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:30,320 responsibilities in the temple. The corruption of the people 121 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,200 relating to their idolatrous marriages and their divorces. 122 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:40,120 The absence of God's justice. The neglect of the tithe. 123 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:45,360 The argument that it was pointless to serve God. 124 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:50,480 Now in most of these charges, God is confronting Israel's 125 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,680 selfishness and sin. But not only does he confront 126 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,640 their corruption, he also includes, in the midst of all 127 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:00,400 the rebukes and warnings of judgement, a promise of blessing 128 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:02,680 to those who are faithful to him. 129 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,840 In Malachi, we see reiterated the promise of God's coming 130 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,360 messenger and two depictions of the day of the Lord that this 131 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:14,080 messenger will usher in. On the one hand, it will be a 132 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,720 day of reckoning and judgement, destroying all who do not fear 133 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,320 God. On the other hand, it is 134 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:26,000 described as a day of healing and joy for those who do fear 135 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,320 Him. So Malachi is all about God's 136 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:34,400 covenant with Israel and whether he and his people have been 137 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,799 faithful to it. While Malachi is full of 138 00:08:38,799 --> 00:08:42,440 examples of Israel's failure to honour God, their failure to 139 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:46,640 keep their side of the covenant with Him at its heart, all of 140 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,440 that rests against the background of God's covenant 141 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,320 love for Israel. Which is why it is fitting that 142 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:59,320 the very first claim that God makes is I have loved you. 143 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:05,240 And this brings us to the core of Malachi's message, God's 144 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:09,800 covenant love for his people. Let me read the first 5 verses 145 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:14,640 of Malachi chapter 1, The Oracle of the Word of the Lord to 146 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:19,000 Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, says the Lord, 147 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:22,640 but you say, how have you loved us? 148 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,520 Is not Esau Jacob's brother, Declares the Lord. 149 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,760 Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated. 150 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,000 I have laid waste his Hill Country and left his heritage to 151 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,480 jackals of the desert. If Edom says we are shattered, 152 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,240 but we will rebuild the ruins, the Lord of hosts says they may 153 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,680 build, but I will tear down, and they will be called the wicked 154 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:46,560 country and the people with whom the Lord is angry forever your 155 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:49,400 own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, great is the Lord 156 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,440 beyond the border of Israel. So just to get this out of the 157 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,240 way, Malachi starts with a typical prophetic attribution. 158 00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:59,280 This is God's word delivered by the prophet Malachi. 159 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,880 Now, Malachi, according to this formula is probably just the 160 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,440 name of the prophet, though some scholars are sceptical because 161 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:09,080 they haven't come across the name Malachi in any other 162 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:14,280 literature from the times, and technically Malachi means my 163 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:18,120 messenger, so they think that Malachi is not the prophet's 164 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,600 actual name, but just referring to some anonymous messenger of 165 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,240 God. However, this formula is fairly 166 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,520 consistently used with the names of actual prophets, so I see no 167 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,760 reason to think that Malachi wasn't just a very appropriately 168 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,320 named messenger of God to the people. 169 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,280 But what we really want to know is about this message. 170 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:43,640 So let's move on to verse 2. I have loved you, says the Lord. 171 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:47,760 Well, if that's the way God starts a message to me, I like 172 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,000 where this is going. Maybe I personally would prefer 173 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,920 the present tense. I do love you, but the gist is 174 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,560 there. The opening line is about God's 175 00:10:57,560 --> 00:10:59,600 love for his people. And since it's in the past 176 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,400 tense, it seems to have an element of referring to God's 177 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:07,360 past actions regarding this love and not just a vague feeling or 178 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,280 affection that he has for us. So the first charge, the first 179 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:15,040 claim in this message is that God has loved his people, 180 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,280 Israel. Now, this is not a new idea that 181 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,400 God has loved Israel. He's already expressed his 182 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,040 relationship with them in these terms many times before. 183 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:26,600 In fact, the Hebrew word for love, because there's multiple 184 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,920 words they use, the one used in this text is generally the one 185 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,800 used in the context of God's covenant love. 186 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:41,120 Now this term signifies a deep action oriented covenant or bond 187 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:43,960 of love and commitment rather than just an emotion that may 188 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:46,880 pass. And it is this kind of love that 189 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,640 God has for Israel. Of course, if you're confused by 190 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:52,480 the word covenant, you want a definition. 191 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:54,960 Think of the place as most commonly used in our day and 192 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,680 time, we talk about a marriage covenant. 193 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:02,280 A covenant was the deepest, most binding kind of agreement or 194 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,080 relationship any two parties could commit themselves to. 195 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:09,040 It was personal, it was relational, and it was not 196 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:12,600 something you would enter into lightly or get out of lightly. 197 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:17,000 This is the kind of commitment that God initiated with Israel 198 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:20,080 through Abraham and his descendants. 199 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,560 So let's look at some of the examples where God used this 200 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:25,560 kind of language before the time of Malachi. 201 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:27,840 So you get a bit more of a picture of how they would have 202 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:32,240 heard this word before Israel entered the promised land. 203 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,000 Moses said the following to them in Deuteronomy 7. 204 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:38,760 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. 205 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,360 The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured 206 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:45,600 possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of 207 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,320 the earth. It was not because you were way 208 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:51,520 more in number than any other people that the Lord set his 209 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:55,000 love on you and chose you for the you were the fewest of all 210 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:59,680 peoples. But it is because the Lord loves 211 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:03,880 you and is keeping the oath that He swore to your Father's, that 212 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,320 the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed 213 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,000 you from the House of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king 214 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,840 of Egypt. Know, therefore, that the Lord 215 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,760 your God is God at the faithful God who keeps His covenant and 216 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:19,520 steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His 217 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:21,640 commandments to 1000 generations. 218 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,280 God's love for Israel was expressed at that time in 219 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,400 relation to how God had miraculously brought them out of 220 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,360 slavery in Egypt through mighty signs and wonders, and how He 221 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,160 had begun to bring His people into the land He had promised to 222 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,440 give them a bit later in their history. 223 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:43,000 We see a similar phrase used in the 31st chapter of Jeremiah. 224 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,120 Now this is the book written to Israel, who has already been 225 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,400 fractured, and a large portion of them have already been exiled 226 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,840 to Assyria. And he writes in the time before 227 00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:57,160 and during the exile of the remaining parts of Israel to 228 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,680 Babylon. And this is what God says of His 229 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:03,800 plans for Israel at that time, declares the Lord. 230 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:06,480 I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall 231 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,560 be my people. Thus says the Lord. 232 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,360 The people who survived the sword found grace in the 233 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:14,840 wilderness. When Israel sought Forrest, the 234 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:16,520 Lord appeared to him from far away. 235 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:22,440 I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I've 236 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:24,200 continued my faithfulness to you. 237 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,920 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O Virgin Israel. 238 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,080 Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go 239 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:32,840 forth in the dawns of merry makers. 240 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,040 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria, and 241 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,240 the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit. 242 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:40,880 For there shall be a day when the Watchmen will call in the 243 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,280 Hill Country of Ephraim. Arise, let us go to Zion, to the 244 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,360 Lord our God. For thus says the Lord, Sing 245 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,520 aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief 246 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:52,960 of the nations. Proclaim, give praise and say, O 247 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,360 Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel. 248 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,520 Behold, I will bring them from the North Country and gather 249 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,800 them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind 250 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,040 and the lame, the pregnant woman, and she who is in labour 251 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,600 together a great company. They shall return here. 252 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:09,600 With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will 253 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,480 lead them back. I will make them walk by brooks 254 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,400 of water in straight parts in which they shall not stumble, 255 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:19,520 for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first born. 256 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,840 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the 257 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,280 coastlands far away. Say he who scattered Israel will 258 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,680 gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock. 259 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:34,360 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands 260 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,280 too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud 261 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:39,720 on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the 262 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:43,200 goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, the oil, over 263 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:44,680 the young of the flock and the herd. 264 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,920 Their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall 265 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:51,960 languish no more than then shall the young woman rejoice in the 266 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,200 dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. 267 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:55,960 I will turn their mourning into joy. 268 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,520 I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow. 269 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,200 I will feast the soul of priests with abundance, and my people 270 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,160 shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord. 271 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:08,480 Now I included a whole lot there because it paints a picture. 272 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:11,560 Yeah. God expresses His love for 273 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,840 Israel as an everlasting love in the context of this promised 274 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:17,240 liberation from the enemies that surround them. 275 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:20,400 We see it expressed in the promise that He will bring all 276 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:22,040 the plans of Israel back to the land. 277 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:25,880 And the way He describes this return is in such positive 278 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,400 terms. Streams of water, straight paths 279 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:32,720 so that they don't stumble. They will come singing and 280 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,520 dancing and radiant over the goodness of God. 281 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,480 They'll find comfort and joy instead of mourning, and they 282 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:41,960 will be satisfied by abundance and God's goodness. 283 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,240 This is what God, what Israel, would have understood by God's 284 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,840 claim that he has loved them. So what is their counterclaim? 285 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:56,880 How have you loved us? You've heard their expectations 286 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,200 when you spoke about God's love, what they would have thought of 287 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,240 that. They expected the return to the 288 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,720 land to be triumphant and filled with abundance and blessing. 289 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:09,680 But you get the distinct impression that their 290 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:17,119 experiences didn't line up. Israel is suspicious and doubts 291 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,119 God's love. They ask, How have you loved us? 292 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:25,440 In what way have you loved us? Behind that statement is a 293 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,800 request for evidence. Prove that you love us. 294 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:35,720 Behind that statement is doubt. Have you really loved us? 295 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:40,120 And perhaps, given the context I spoke about earlier, you could 296 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:43,840 understand something of why they might feel this way. 297 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,120 Yes, God had brought them back into the land, but the Remnant 298 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:50,400 was small and weak and struggling. 299 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,360 Probably many had opted to stay where they were, in Babylon or 300 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:56,640 Assyria, because they had settled in and become 301 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:58,880 comfortable in their new homes, the new jobs. 302 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:01,760 And those who did come back were struggling. 303 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,080 They were poor. They were people around them who 304 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,600 opposed them like they did when they tried to repair, restore 305 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:12,360 the temple and the city walls. People who were not happy to see 306 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:15,280 the Israelites come back and claim their share of the land. 307 00:18:16,360 --> 00:18:20,080 And they weren't free. They were still living under the 308 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,240 rule of another political power. They still had to answer to 309 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,680 local governors who reported to the king of another land. 310 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,800 And even after they had been settled for generations, they 311 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:35,120 still witnessed injustice. Wicked people prospered while 312 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:39,040 they struggled to get by enough to make them question if there's 313 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:44,080 any value in serving God. Did serving Yahweh make any 314 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,400 difference when the people following other gods seem to be 315 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,080 living better? I mean, he brought them back 316 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,880 into the land, but was it worth it? 317 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,520 The charge that Israel makes against God is a serious one, 318 00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:01,520 and it's an emotional one, and a one that needs to be given 319 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,160 proper weight even today. Because for many people this 320 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:09,840 question is real and visceral. Israel had been measuring God's 321 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:15,000 love by their circumstances, and they had their doubts. 322 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:18,880 You see, when you measure God's love by your circumstances, it 323 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,800 can be too easy to fall to a position of doubting that God 324 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:28,360 actually cares about you. When life is hard and when the 325 00:19:28,360 --> 00:19:33,200 heart doesn't let up, it can be easy to listen to the lie that 326 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:38,440 God has abandoned you and given the opportunity to stand before 327 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:39,960 God and make a charge against Him. 328 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,080 I imagine many of us could have stood up at one time or another 329 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:49,040 in a position like Israel where we asked God, do you really love 330 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:51,440 me? I know, I've been there. 331 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:57,280 So it is into this hurt, to this charge that God gives the answer 332 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,160 in the rest of the passage. And it's probably not the answer 333 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,600 you expect. It's not Esau, Jacob's brother 334 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,040 declares the Lord. Yet. 335 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:09,240 I've loved Jacob, but Esau I've hated. 336 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,560 I've laid waste his Hill Country and left his heritage to the 337 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,640 jackals of the desert. If Edom says we are shattered, 338 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,560 but we will rebuild the ruins, the Lord of hosts says they may 339 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,680 build, but I will tear down, and they will be called the wicked 340 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,760 country and the people with whom the Lord is angry. 341 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:28,360 Forever your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, great 342 00:20:28,360 --> 00:20:30,600 is the Lord beyond the border of Israel. 343 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:36,040 Now God could have answered Israel by reminding him that it 344 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,680 was He who rescued them from slavery in Egypt in the first 345 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:42,680 place. More recently, it was Him who 346 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,000 had brought them back into the land as He had promised. 347 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:48,920 But instead he goes back even further. 348 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:53,800 He goes back to the story of two brothers and how he chose to 349 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:59,160 make his covenant of love with Jacob the younger of the 2 350 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:01,720 instead of with the first born Esau. 351 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,280 The language of loved 1 and hated another in Hebrew writing 352 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:09,240 would not have been a statement about the emotions involved in 353 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:12,440 love and hate as much as a statement of giving preference 354 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:17,520 to 1 instead of the other. The promises he made to Abraham 355 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,480 to make him a great father of a great nation through whom he 356 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:21,960 would bless all the families of the earth. 357 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:26,640 These got passed on to Abraham's first born son Isaac, and then 358 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:30,320 they get passed on to Jacob instead of his older brother as 359 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:34,280 would have been expected. And so Jacob becomes a picture 360 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:38,920 of God's sovereign choice. This is the outworking of the 361 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:43,400 idea that God expressed to Moses about himself in Exodus 3319. 362 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,640 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show 363 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:51,840 mercy on whom I will show mercy. God's love isn't earned. 364 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,120 It's a gift he bestows on people who have done nothing to deserve 365 00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:58,200 it. Here God is reminding Israel 366 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:01,720 that their position as beloved of God is something that is 367 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,480 theirs by virtue of God's choice alone. 368 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,160 We already saw in Deuteronomy that God's choice of the nation 369 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:12,160 Israel was not because of their size and greatness, but his love 370 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:14,600 was committed to them because of the promise he had made to 371 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,520 Abraham and to Isaac and to Jacob. 372 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,720 Israel finds themselves in a privileged position, being 373 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,960 favoured by God purely because he chose them. 374 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:29,640 And it's the same with us. We don't find favour with God 375 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,720 because of how good we are. The truth is, we are never good 376 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,520 enough and when your doubt of God's love is rooted in a 377 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,960 performance based mentality, the idea that you need to measure up 378 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,880 before God could possibly love you, then this answer should be 379 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,800 reassuring. His love is not based on how 380 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:53,760 good you are, it's based on His sovereign choice. 381 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:57,440 God has chosen you to receive His love. 382 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:00,440 Israel also needed this reminder. 383 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:03,240 They were looking for evidence of God's love in their 384 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,960 circumstances. But God says stop looking at 385 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,560 that. Look at how I chose you, how I 386 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,920 chose Jacob over Esau. In fact, when the rest of the 387 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,960 passage in Malachi starts describing how God actually 388 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:19,720 dealt with Esau, it's very clear there's a distinction between 389 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:23,200 them. God says he has laid waste to 390 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,120 Esau's Hill Country and left his heritage to jackals. 391 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,160 And even if Esau plans to rebuild, God says, I will tear 392 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:34,760 it down again. Whereas Jacob was chosen, Esau 393 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:39,560 was destroyed completely. Now, if at this point you're 394 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,240 thinking maybe God is a little vindictive, he's choosing one to 395 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,520 bless and choosing another one to destroy and ruin. 396 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:48,560 It would help if we remember that some of some of the history 397 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:53,360 between Jacob and Esau. You see, Edom, Esau's 398 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:56,960 descendants, had regularly set themselves up against Israel 399 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:00,680 after the exodus from Egypt. When Israel wanted to pass 400 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:04,800 through the land of Edom, they refused passage and threatened 401 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:08,000 to fight them, forcing them to take a longer route. 402 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:12,960 And when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, the Edomites joined 403 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:16,960 the Babylonians in attacking them and rejoiced at their 404 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:20,880 downfall. Amos 111 reminds us that God's 405 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,960 punishment of Esau was the result of their own actions, 406 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,360 because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all 407 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,880 pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his 408 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,800 wrath forever. Obadiah 10 also affirms, because 409 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:39,360 of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover 410 00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:41,560 you, and you shall be cut off forever. 411 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,960 So as far as God's judgement is concerned, Esau is being 412 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,600 punished for their own wickedness. 413 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:52,720 They are simply getting the fruit of their own choices. 414 00:24:53,960 --> 00:25:00,240 God is delivering nothing more than justice, and This is why 415 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,760 they're able to say great is the Lord when they see it come to 416 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:06,560 pass. You see, God doesn't punish 417 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:11,280 anyone unfairly, for all have sinned and fall short of God's 418 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:13,680 glory. But salvation. 419 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:19,440 It's a gift that comes by grace. By drawing this comparison 420 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,000 between Jacob and Esau, God is trying to remind his people that 421 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,960 His love is constant, not because it's based on their 422 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:28,080 performance, but because of his promise. 423 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:32,360 God has loved them because he chose them. 424 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,120 Case closed. There's nothing more to it. 425 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:39,560 And this is important to establish upfront because the 426 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:43,320 rest of the message coming in. Malachi is going to be exploring 427 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:48,200 how Israel have failed to honour their part of the covenant and 428 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,760 so it needs to be on the back backdrop of how God has not. 429 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:57,160 God has kept his end. They have failed to keep God's 430 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,880 command, they have failed to honour God, but God has loved 431 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:03,200 them faithfully and brought them back into the land as he 432 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,720 promised. So what does this mean for us? 433 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,600 What application can we take from this message that God gave 434 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,600 the Israelites as they were struggling to hold on to hope in 435 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:16,720 the land as they waited for God to fulfil everything he 436 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:20,400 promised? Well, for one thing, it reminds 437 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:23,920 us that when we feel like God doesn't care about us or our 438 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:28,080 problems, the problem is not with God's character. 439 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:33,120 More specifically, the problem lies with us and our flawed 440 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:37,160 expectations. There are many things that might 441 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:41,920 make us doubt God's love for us. It could be a pattern of sin 442 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:47,080 that we don't want to give up begins to build up resentment. 443 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,760 It could be that our circumstances are hard. 444 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,160 It could be that we feel like we just don't measure up. 445 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:58,320 But these are all problems in our own hearts. 446 00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:04,240 When we struggle with the lack of a desire to repent, it's our 447 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:06,800 own hearts. When our pride leaves us feeling 448 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:10,480 like God owes us more, that's our own hearts. 449 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:14,760 Or whether we just struggle to grasp the benefit that God could 450 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:17,840 work in our lives by allowing us to suffer for Him. 451 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:23,560 These are all things that can cause us to question God's love. 452 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:28,360 But when we begin to question God's love, our focus gets so 453 00:27:28,360 --> 00:27:32,240 stuck on accusing Him that we can completely miss what He 454 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,360 wants to do in our lives if we would just humble ourselves and 455 00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:38,600 draw near to Him to learn from Him. 456 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,200 Still, I don't want to gloss over the difficulty of the 457 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:45,400 situations that cause us to doubt God's love. 458 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,520 Just this week I was watching one of those Kendrick Brothers 459 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:51,480 movies. Anyone know them? 460 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:52,880 Know which ones I'm talking about? 461 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,240 They typically have a lot of the same cast appearing in multiple 462 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,040 movies, just different characters each time, and a 463 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,160 storyline that often involves a rather cliche type of challenge 464 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:05,800 and circumstances. And then the lead character 465 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:09,200 meets up with someone in the community, an older lady, older 466 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:13,600 gentleman who offers them wisdom, speaks like a pastor in 467 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:17,960 front of the church with faith and conviction, and encourages 468 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:21,480 the lead character to get serious about the Lord, which 469 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:25,120 lead character then does. They begin to pray, and suddenly 470 00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:29,920 things begin to change, and the problem ultimately gets resolved 471 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,160 and wrapped up very neatly with a nice little bow by the end of 472 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,440 the story. Yes, they're often cheesy, but 473 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,320 they're clean and sweet and inspirational as they remind us 474 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:43,400 about the power of God and a life surrendered to Him. 475 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:47,440 But the main problem I have with these movies, and I'm I'm not 476 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:48,920 dissing them, they have their place. 477 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,320 The main problem that I have with these movies that they seem 478 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:56,560 to have little room for prolonged hardship and suffering 479 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:01,040 or situations that never get resolved to our satisfaction. 480 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,920 The losing football team or whatever team or athlete is the 481 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:10,000 protagonist will be victorious or at least end in a respectable 482 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:12,520 second place. By the end of the of the the 483 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:17,040 season, the broken marriage will be restored and back to what it 484 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:19,280 was before. By the end of the school year, 485 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:23,120 the kids will have repented and he will have gotten his life 486 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:25,800 back on track before the seasons even change. 487 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,880 And yes, maybe that's something to be said about movies in 488 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:34,480 particular, because they do need to be concluded within a about 489 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:38,800 two hour period, so there's no time to drag out the challenges. 490 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,320 But quite frankly, we'd probably find the extended version a bit 491 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:48,600 boring or hard to watch. That's why movies often skip 492 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,440 those kind of scenes. The time spent training, the 493 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:56,200 time spent praying and waiting, those are normally wrapped up in 494 00:29:56,200 --> 00:30:01,480 a little musical montage, but the reality is typically a lot 495 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:03,880 more messy and a little less pretty. 496 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:07,600 People facing challenges in real life find they're often harder 497 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:10,480 to resolve and wrap up neatly than those in the movies, 498 00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:14,880 especially if the challenges are drawn out over month after month 499 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:20,120 after month, or even years. Yes, we all need to pray more 500 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:22,080 and depend on God more. More. 501 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,640 But what do you do when your attempts at faith have left you 502 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:29,760 disappointed, left you feeling like God? 503 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:33,880 Do you love me? Do you really care about what 504 00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,840 I'm going through? When you're trying to be 505 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,600 thankful that God has given you work, but you put in so many 506 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,440 exhausting hours and the money never seems to stretch far 507 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:44,760 enough? When that relationship you've 508 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,080 been praying about for months just doesn't seem to show any 509 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,640 signs of improving. When the family member or the 510 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,120 friend you've been praying for for so long seems to be 511 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,440 entrenched in a sinful habit that they have no interest in 512 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:01,840 giving up. When the illness that you prayed 513 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:07,640 for healing for so long ends in the death of a loved one, where 514 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:15,240 is God in the midst of that prolonged suffering has a way of 515 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:20,280 eroding your faith and causing you to doubt God's love. 516 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,120 Yes, Lord, I know you have the words of life, and there's 517 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:28,200 nowhere else I can turn but You. But sometimes, sometimes Even 518 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:32,240 so, I wonder if you love me because my life doesn't look 519 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:35,320 like how I imagined it would look if you really cared about 520 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:39,000 me. Because we tend to judge love 521 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:42,320 according to a standard of what we want and what we have. 522 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,400 Look at how much her boyfriend loves her. 523 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,160 He takes our expensive dates and he's always buying her 524 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:53,200 chocolates and flowers. Look how much my daddy loves me 525 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,200 or my husband. I just have to mention that I 526 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,520 want something and he buys it for me, right? 527 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:01,080 Isn't that how we often look at love? 528 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:09,240 How easy it is to translate that kind of thinking to how we 529 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,760 understand God's love? I mean, that's why so many 530 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:16,000 people would love to flock to prosperity preachers, because 531 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,720 you want to hear how God loves us so much that we never need to 532 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:21,960 worry again and money and financial struggles will be a 533 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:26,040 thing of the past. If God's love translates to 534 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:29,760 material benefit, then surely life and faith would be so much 535 00:32:29,760 --> 00:32:32,680 easier. And honestly, this isn't a new 536 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,800 way of thinking. Has anyone read Psalm 73? 537 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:38,480 I just took a few verses out of there. 538 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,200 But As for me, my feet had almost stumbled. 539 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:44,720 My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the 540 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:47,040 arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 541 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:49,160 For they have no pangs until death. 542 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:52,440 Their bodies are fat and sleek. They're not in trouble as others 543 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:53,960 are. They are not stricken like the 544 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:56,880 rest of mankind. All in vain. 545 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:59,720 I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 546 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:03,680 We want to know if there is value in serving God. 547 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:07,320 What does this Christianity thing get for me? 548 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,320 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me 549 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,600 a wearisome task, until I went to the sanctuary of God. 550 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,680 Then I discerned their end. Truly. 551 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:22,400 You set them in slippery places. You make them fall to ruin. 552 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:24,640 Does this not echo with what was said about Edom? 553 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,920 Right. Something happens when we enter 554 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:32,080 the sanctuary. Something happens when we shift 555 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:34,960 our attention from our circumstances and start looking 556 00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:40,520 at God, not for His provision, though He does provide, but to 557 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:45,040 see Him. No, our circumstances don't 558 00:33:45,040 --> 00:33:48,680 typically change the moment we start coming to church the way 559 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:52,880 they do in the movies. But when we keep coming to God 560 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:57,160 honestly and humbly and are open to hearing from His perspective 561 00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:01,400 on things, we may find that we actually start to change. 562 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,680 Maybe the change in US looks like a growing disgust for the 563 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:10,600 sin and the habit that we have been so desperate to hold onto. 564 00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:15,199 Maybe the change in US looks like more gratitude for God and 565 00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:19,960 who he is, and a desire to seek his presence over the things 566 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:23,880 that he he gives us as we realise how good it is to be 567 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:27,520 near the Lord. Maybe the change is simply, as 568 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:31,199 the psalmist discovered, a dose of perspective that puts our 569 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:34,600 troubles in the light of God's eternal plan, so we can see 570 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:37,880 them, as Paul did, as light and momentary. 571 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:44,480 You see, knowing God is the blessing, It's the greatest 572 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:48,719 blessing of all, greater than any financial provision, to be 573 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:51,719 able to have a real relationship with the One who made you for 574 00:34:51,719 --> 00:34:54,120 himself. That is the definition of 575 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:58,320 fulfilling your purpose. And everyone who is able to 576 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,480 recognize that Jesus is Lord can respond to this invitation. 577 00:35:02,240 --> 00:35:06,920 And his invitation is to a life of abundance, maybe not in terms 578 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:11,760 of finances or freedom from trouble, but abundance in terms 579 00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:15,840 of joy, abundance in terms of peace that passes understanding, 580 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,560 abundance in terms of fulfilment and purpose. 581 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:22,560 The people in the time of Malachi were still waiting to 582 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,520 see God's fulfilment of of all the promises he had made. 583 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:29,480 They didn't yet see how the story would end, but we've seen 584 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:32,440 it. When humankind continued to fail 585 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,680 honour, to fail to honour God. God came down in Jesus Christ 586 00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:38,480 and showed us the best way to live. 587 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:42,720 And then he became the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, the 588 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,800 purest sin offering, taking the punishment we deserved so that 589 00:35:46,800 --> 00:35:49,880 we could be made new. And then he sent us the Holy 590 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,480 Spirit to live within us, so that we could be transformed 591 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:57,080 within and made holy. And he's promised to come again 592 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:00,360 in glory and to judge all the wicked, and to bring those who 593 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:04,720 trust Him into a perfected creation to live in joyful 594 00:36:04,720 --> 00:36:07,760 harmony and relationship with Him for all eternity. 595 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:12,960 And he offers us all of this without us doing anything to 596 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:16,120 earn it. We can continue, like Esau, 597 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:20,200 reaping the wage of our own sin and rebellion against God, or we 598 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,080 can come to Him and accept his gracious offer of salvation and 599 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:28,520 turn to Him in faith. If you would do that, If you 600 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,080 would accept His gift of love, then I can promise you your life 601 00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:36,440 will never be the same. No, it doesn't mean you won't 602 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:39,400 have troubles. In fact, once God starts working 603 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,080 in you to reject the ways of the world, you may find life gets 604 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:45,040 harder. But you will be going through 605 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:47,520 life with a constant companionship of the One who 606 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:51,200 knows you better than you know yourself, and who wants the very 607 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:55,120 best for you. He will walk through every trial 608 00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:59,120 with you, and He will strengthen you to endure and persevere in 609 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,160 faith. He will create in you a hope 610 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:06,480 that will not disappoint if you fix your eyes on Him, no matter 611 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:10,880 the circumstances, if you will accept His invitation. 612 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:15,520 I'd like to ask everyone just to close the eyes as we go through 613 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:20,960 a few reflections. As I want to wrap up, I don't 614 00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:23,520 know where every single person is, but God knows. 615 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,160 And if He was someone who has not yet responded to God's 616 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,520 invitation, this is your moment to think about it now. 617 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,440 God has loved you. He has called you. 618 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:41,600 He has chosen you to be His. Will you come? 619 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:47,480 Maybe right now, in this quiet of your heart, come to Him and 620 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:50,640 ask Him to help you Trust Him and follow Him. 621 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:59,440 Take a moment to repent of your sinful expectations of wanting 622 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:04,360 to do things your way, and recognise that His way is the 623 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:08,840 best way. Ask Him to give you His Spirit 624 00:38:08,840 --> 00:38:15,520 to guide you going forward. And if you are someone who's 625 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:19,240 already been walking with Him, I want you to take this moment 626 00:38:19,240 --> 00:38:22,120 right now and think about the thing in your life that has most 627 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:27,360 made you doubt God's love. What is that hardship? 628 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:33,760 What is that situation? What is that relationship? 629 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:48,500 And take that to God. Ask God to help you see that 630 00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:53,940 thing from His perspective. Ask Him to give you the 631 00:38:53,940 --> 00:38:57,260 Longview, the bigger picture that you've been missing. 632 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,680 Maybe there's something he's been trying to teach you, but 633 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:16,520 you haven't been listening. Maybe there's a sinful habit 634 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,160 that you've been refusing to give up. 635 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:25,400 Maybe there's something in your life, something you thought was 636 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:28,040 neutral, but it's getting in the way of your enjoying God. 637 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:40,080 Maybe there's a promise or a truth about God's character that 638 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:44,120 you have allowed to be twisted and distorted by your 639 00:39:44,120 --> 00:39:48,000 expectations and your circumstances. 640 00:39:54,450 --> 00:40:00,330 Take a moment to repent of your sinful expectations and to thank 641 00:40:00,330 --> 00:40:03,330 God for His constant and faithful love. 642 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:37,600 Father God, we recognise that you are God. 643 00:40:40,720 --> 00:40:45,600 You see things that we don't. You know the beginning from the 644 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:54,800 end, you know our many sins and failings, and yet you have loved 645 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:59,880 us anyway. Thank you for your generous and 646 00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:05,880 gracious love. Thank you for choosing us, for 647 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:11,440 calling us to the best of all things, to know you, to walk 648 00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:18,400 with you for all of our days. Help us when the days and the 649 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:23,640 months and the years are hard to remember Your love and your 650 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:28,560 faithfulness. Help us to keep on trusting You 651 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:31,720 even when we don't see the things that we would like to 652 00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:38,720 see. Shape us by Your Spirit so that 653 00:41:38,720 --> 00:41:42,320 we may more and more understand the way you are working in US 654 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:47,280 and submit to your leading and keep on trusting even when the 655 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:52,080 end isn't clear to us. Thank you for your goodness to 656 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,920 us in Jesus name, Amen.