My Home, A Lighthouse

Malachi four is a prophetic passage, speaking about the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet speaks of both the 1st and 2nd comings of Jesus. We find reference to the first coming of Christ in verse 5, for example, with the mention of Elijah coming before the Messiah arrives. Jesus tells us this was fulfilled in John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14).

But this chapter also speaks of the 2nd coming of Christ, when God brings judgment on all who reject Him and blessing on all who accept Him. When Jesus returns, He’ll remove Satan, Satan’s influence, & Satan’s people from this earth as He makes all things new. And God’s people will be left to know only the blessings of God for all eternity in a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). In other words, everything will be made right.

Malachi references this in verse 2, where Christ is spoken of as “the sun of righteousness” who will “rise with healing in His wings.” A reference to the power of Christ’s resurrection and to His making all things new when He comes again. Malachi uses the sun to speak of how the Messiah’s healing will touch everything in the age to come. God’s people will know ultimate spiritual healing (no more sin), but also ultimate physical healing (no more sickness), ultimate emotional healing (no more holes in our hearts), ultimate intellectual healing (the inability to understand will be no more), and ultimate relational healing (no more irreconcilable differences).

But salvation isn’t just about God taking us to be with Him in heaven one day; it’s also about God bringing heaven to us right where we are today. So Malachi ends with a reminder of how God wants the family life of his children to be a piece of “heaven on earth.” (READ TEXT)

A boy asked, “Dad, how do wars begin?” “Well, take the First World War,” said his father. “It started when Germany invaded Belgium.” His wife interrupted, “No, it started when Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated.” The dad snapped, “Are you answering the question, or am I?” Turning her back on him, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard, after an uneasy silence, the son said, “Never mind dad, I think I understand!”

Indeed, as goes the family, so goes society. That’s what Malachi tells us in verse 6. He says a curse comes upon the entire land when God’s people are not living right at home. Often, when God brings a curse, He simply lets our choices to come to their natural end. As someone said, “When we refuse to say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ then God will say to us, ‘OK, thy will be done!’” We’re facing a crisis of fatherlessness in our country.

The US Census Bureau says the percentage of kids living with 2 parents has dropped since 1968, while the percentage living with their mother only has doubled. The National Center for Fathering was created in response to the negative social and economic impact of fatherlessness in America. They tell us that kids from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, be involved in drug & alcohol abuse, drop out of school, & suffer health & emotional problems. Boys are more likely to become involved in crime, & girls are more likely to become pregnant as teens.

Yes, as goes the family, so goes society. So as Malachi speaks about God’s people returning to Him, he speaks of things being as they should be at home. And as He speaks of things being as they should be at home, he mentions the father’s relationship to the family. How can Christian fathers lead their home to be a lighthouse in a dark world?

Fathers must lead their families to love God and obey His Word.

That may seem overly simplistic in light of the complex problems with families today. But I would insist that if we obey God’s Word, we will love Him as we should and others (including members of our family) as we ought. Since God’s Word can equip us for all of life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), the answers we need to turn our homes into lighthouses for God are found there.

Too many Christian men are relationally passive in their homes. They leave the spiritual training of their children to their wives. But if you’re an absent, passive father when it comes to leading your family to love God and obey His Word, you are not providing what they need most.

Faithful Christian fathers are key to seeing their families love God & obey His Word; & Christian homes that are loving God and obeying His Word are key to seeing a culture turned around. So how can