I Am Not Leaving You Series

Adventure Christian Church

of North Natomas

Malachi 2 - 3:1 (p. 665)

Series: Before Christ (B.C.)

Title: “I Am Not Leaving You”

“The memory of any stretch of years eventually resolves to a list of names, and one of the useful ways of recalling the past two millenniums is by listing the people who acquired great power. Muhammad, Catherine the Great, Marx, Gandhi, Hitler, Roosevelt, Stalin and Mao come quickly to mind. There’s no question that each of those figures changed the lives of millions and evoked responses from worship through hatred. It would require much exotic calculation, however; to deny that the single most powerful figure—not merely in these two millenniums but in all human history—has been Jesus of Nazareth. Not only is the prevalent system of denoting the years based on an erroneous 6th century calculation of the date of his birth, but a serious argument can be made that no one else’s life has proved remotely as powerful and enduring as that of Jesus"

Source: "Man of the Millenium." Time Magazine, Dec. 6, 1999.

When it looks like things might be falling apart,

the LORD Almighty says…remember (Lam. 3:20)

“I have loved you!”! (Ch. 1)

“I am not leaving you!” (Ch. 2).

A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck. "Where’s Harry?" he was asked. "Harry had a stroke of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail." "You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?" "Well," said the hunter, "I figured no one was going to steal Harry."

Contributed by: TJ Tipton

Read: Malachi Chapter 2:4-6, 10-3:1(665)

Covenant Background-

A promise to Jacob is a promise

to Israel (Genesis 32:28).

A promise to Israel is a promise to the church

(Galatians 3:26-29).

There are promises to Israel and promises to the

church for which we are waiting (Romans 11:25-27).

The LORD is not giving up on His servants (vv. 4-6).

“My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him” (v. 5)

The Levites were the selected tribe among the Israelites designated for service to the Lord. The sons of Aaron distinguished themselves by their willingness to stand up against their brothers when it came to “right and wrong” (Exodus 32:28-29). The N.T. view on leadership is much broader. All believers or church leaders are primarily called- servants (1 Peter 2:4-6). It’s the primary terminology for leadership in the N.T.. However, there are still believers that wish to dedicate themselves to serving full-time.

Christianity has no group primarily dedicated to religious services. We are all servants. So, what was applicable to the Levitical priests, is now relevant to servants of Christ. That is, Christians. Now there is such a group as a clergy who dedicate his or her life to service.

The LORD keeps his vow to His servant leaders…

By giving us life and peace (v. 5).

life- “to be refreshed, quickened, or sustained” (Jn. 10:10).

peace- “contentment and tranquility”

With the expectation of our reverence and awe (v. 5).

reverence- “fear or reverence”

awe- “shattered or dismayed”

Warning: Servants who dishonor His name can

expect humiliation (v. 9).

Personally, what words listed above best describe my relationship with the Lord. (Circle One)

Love and Infatuation: I heard a definition of the contrast between infatuation & love. It says, "Infatuation is when you think your husband is as handsome as Tom Cruise, as amusing as Rodney Daingerfield, as intellectual as Albert Einstein, as devout as Billy Graham, & as athletic as Hulk Hogan." That is infatuation. "Love is realizing that your husband is as handsome as Albert Einstein, as intellectual as Hulk Hogan, as devout as Tom Cruse, as athletic as Rodney Daingerfield, & as amusing as Billy Graham. But you love him anyway." You see, there’s a big difference between infatuation & love.

God not only loves me…He likes me. And He is not leaving me.

Contributed by: MELVIN NEWLAND

The LORD is not leaving me (vv. 10-17).

“Judah has broken faith”`(v. 11).

I am unfaithful in the intimacy of my worship (v. 11)

I break faith with my significant relationships (v. 14).

guard yourself- “watch or take heed” (Prov. 2-3).

[Divorce- I love my mom. I was mostly raised by my mom. I talk to my mom weekly. She is about 4’ 11. She was is the sweetest women I have ever known. Always a bright smile, always positive. But there was a season. A difficult time when she chose to leave my dad. It left all of us in a constant spin. Going from house to house. Wondering if

there was any chance for reconciliation. I remember calling my dad and asking if it were possible things might work out. He didn’t seem very optimistic. Mom remarried.