Be Mine

16. SCRIPTURE

Malachi 3:13-18 (NKJV) [13] "Your words have been harsh against Me," Says the LORD, "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?' [14] You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the LORD of hosts? [15] So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.' " [16] Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. [17] "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him." [18] Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.

Malachi 4:1-6 (NKJV) [1] "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch. [2] But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. [3] You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts. [4] "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. [5] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. [6] And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

INTRODUCTION

Today's sermon is titled 'Be Mine'...on account of Valentine's Day which is this week...Husbands...now don't forget!

According to 'Yahoo Answers': This day, normally celebrated on Feb 14 is named after two men... Both Christian martyrs... Both named Valentine???

It is a day when lovers typically exchange love notes later called Valentine cards

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The Greeting Card Manufacturer's Assoc estimate that this year 1 Billion such cards will be mailed and/or exchanged.

In the USA, this day is often called 'Hallmark Day.'

In France, in 1400, a court was established called the Valentine's Court...and those that abused their wives were tried and often sent to prison.

As a side note, the judges were appointed by women!

On the evening before Valentine's execution as a Christian... He passed a note to the jailer's daughter asking...Will you be mine?

In the third century, a blind priest gave his life for a woman who was to be executed and took her execution which was carried out...

15B ILLUSTRATION #1

God wants us all to be His...but not just for Valentines Day

In 1980, around Valentine's Day, the temperatures in Minnesota had dropped to almost 20 below zero. A girl by the name of Jean Hilliard was having car problems during the night and decided to walk to a friends house... rather than freeze to death in her car on a lonely country road.

She made it as far as the driveway of a neighbor of her friend

There she collapsed and lay for six hours until discovered at 7:00am...totally frozen...with her eyes open

The man put her into his car almost diagonally for she was frozen in a pone position with one arm and hand in the air as if reaching for something...Hmmm...who could that have been?

She was so frozen, she could not be moved, she could be given a shot, she could not have her temperature taken, and so the doctor ordered warm cloths to be placed all over her body and replaced hourly until the body was seen as thawing out.

Her doctor told the parents that she was alive...even though her heart rate had dropped to 8 beats per minute....the BAD NEWS...If she lived...she would most likely need her legs and arms amputated.

Forty-Nine days later, Jean walked out of the hospital with her arms and legs in tact. It was a medical miracle...A Valentine's gift from God... Praise God!

16 THREE POINTS

BE MINE

BE HIS

BE LOVED

THE THREE POINTS EXPLAINED

#1

BE MINE

As we read in today's passage...and saw in our Video... God wants nothing more than for you and I to be HIS...Be Mine is what He said...Be Mine is a request...for you and I to love Him As much as He loves us...or some smalll portion of that Love that only He can give...Amen!