The Malachi Message: Our Times, Our State, Salvation and Eternal Destination
Question: Is it possible for a true Christian who Christ has shed His blood for still end up in hell?
Who was Malachi? What was his message?
What was the context of his ministry days?
OBSERVATION: The Book of Malachi was written by a Priest to Priests.
PURPOSE: To confront people with their sins and to restore their relationship with God.
SETTING: Malachi, Haggai, and Zechariah were post exilic prophets to Judah (the southern kingdom). Haggai and Zechariah rebuked the people for their failure to rebuild the temple. Malachi confronted them with their neglect of the temple and their false and profane worship.
KEY PEOPLE: Malachi, the priests
KEY PLACES: Jerusalem, the Temple
SPECIAL FEATURES: Malachi’s literary style employs a dramatic use of questions asked by God and his people (for example, see 3:7, 8).
HOW? Recall that I had taught here in the past that “a thought is a word unexpressed” and “ a WORD is a THOUGHT expressed”. To make it broader,
An ATTITUDE is really a pattern of THOUGHTS expressed;
A BODY LANGUAGE is a THOUGHT expressed;
An ACTION is a THOUGHT expressed as well; and finally,
A FEELING can be said to be THOUGHTS expressed also.
Malachi’s Vital Statistics
The Burden of his message was,
The love of Jehovah,
The sins of the priests and of the people, and
The day of the Lord.
The Book’s four natural divisions:
I. The love of God for Israel, i.1-5.
II. II. The sins of the priests rebuked, i. 6.-ii. 9.
III. III. The sins of the people rebuked, ii. 10-iii. 18.
IV. IV. The day of the Lord, IV. 1-6.
THE BLUEPRINT
1. The sinful priests Malachi rebuked the people and the priests for neglecting the worship (1:1-2:9) of God and failing to live according to his will. The priests were corrupt;
how could they lead the people?
2. The sinful people They had become stumbling blocks instead of spiritual leaders. The men (2:10-3:15) were divorcing their wives and marrying pagan women; how could they have godly children?
3. The faithful few Their relationship with God had become inconsequential. If our
(3:16-4:6) relationship with God is unimportant; we need to take stock of ourselves by setting aside our sinful habits, putting the Lord first, and giving God our best each day.
The Sins that Malachi condemns are sins of inappropriate worship:
offering blemished sacrifices (1:8, 14),
carelessness on the part of priests (2:7, 8), and
neglecting the temple tithes (3:8-10).
Addressed directly:
contempt for God’s name (1:6),
offering of defiled sacrifices (1:7-14),
leading others into sin (2:7-9),
cleverly breaking God’s laws (2:11-16),
calling evil ‘good’ (2:17),
keeping God’s tithes and offerings for themselves (3:8-9), and
becoming arrogant (3:13-15).
Why would God use a Malachi at this time?
There are three (3) offices that are well known in the scriptures;
A) THE PRIESTS– They are representatives of the people towards God. They go before God on behalf of the nation. The people taken a stance in the wilderness, remember, and believed they did not have direct access to God except through the priest. So when the priest is not accepted by God, the people are also not accepted and vice-versa. When God judge the priest, God has also judged the people.
B) THE PROPHET– The prophet is the mouth piece of God to the priest. He speaks out the mind of God to the priest and the people. He goes to the presence of God on behalf of the priest and the people.
C) THE KING– The king ensures that whatever the prophet speaks is carried out by all with the priest and the prophet guiding him. The king is the enforcer of civil authority.
These three offices are interwoven in the kingdom of God.
Now we can see that a priest-prophet was most appropriate for this time.
So really, as the priest so are the people! The book of Malachi was written to the priests and then to the nation as a whole.
The offices of the prophets and priests are antithetical of each other.
The prophet is God’s spokesman to the people, while the priest is the spokesman of the people to God. God has principles and one can’t approach Him anyhow.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN, NATURALLY, THAT A SON OR DAUGHTER WILL BEGIN TO DOUBT DADDY’S LOVE?
1) Un-understood chastisement, especially scourging.
2) Painful rebukes and reproofs
3) Withholding of things desired.
4) Perceived favoritism towards a sibling as compared to us.
5) Perceived lack of show of emotional attachment or affection or care in moments of despair.
These were the issues that came up in the time of Malachi’s ministry.
These were their unspoken grievances against God. Are these not with us today as well?
Let us note that there is world of difference between the two “C”s.
What are the two Cs? CORRECTION and CONDEMNATION.
Many people get lost in the house today because they don’t know the difference between the two Cs.
1. Correction
2. Condemnation
There is a difference between the two. If Children do not know the difference they end up becoming social misfits.
Correction is to train one so as to become a better citizen. There is hope for someone that is still being corrected.
The demand is HONOUR due to His Fatherhood!
The scripture makes us realize ultimately that God demands of us Honor and Reverence.
God, as a Father and Master, demands honor and reverence from all those who are His.
To maintain that relationship we need to have referential fear.
God’s love does not nullify His terror!
There are two (2) sides to God;
1) THE MERCY SIDE OF GOD
2) THE WRATH SIDE OF GOD