Intro:
1. Phillip Keller wrote about a border collie that he bought to herd sheep for him. The collie was inexpensive because it was an ill-tempered and unpredictable dog. The dog was less then friendly and did not trust him. At sometime it had been abused and badly neglected.
He had to keep the dog in a cage, but approached it will words of praise – the dog refused to even eat. He realized that if something didn’t happen the dog would literally starve to death. So he set the dog free and it took off. Phillip figured that was the end of that, but left food out for the dog just in case he wandered back.
The day came with he spotted the dog up on a ridge watching him, and he called out to it but again it ran off. That evening the food he set out was gone, and as time when on that dog allowed him to put his hand on its head and became a constant companion and reliable worker with the sheep.
2. Many of us feel like that dog, living in a Fallen place, among a Fallen race we not only hurt others but get hurt ourselves. We distrust people. But then God comes with unbelievable love, mercy, and grace through Jesus Christ. It takes time but we begin to recover.
3. A Declaration of Divine Affection.
Malachi 1:1-5 (NKJV)
1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved;
3 But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness."
4 Even though Edom has said, "We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places," Thus says the LORD of hosts: "They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.
5 Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, 'The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.'
In the opening of this book we have a Proclamation, the burden of the word of the LORD.” It was Weighty, a burden which can also be translated oracle; It refers to “a prophetical message of a threatening nature.” It was also with Authority, “the word of the LORD.”
The People, “to Israel” a title originally for all 12 Tribes until 931 BC when the Nation split 10 tribes going north called Israel, and 2 tribes going south called Judah. In 722 BC, the Assyrians took Israel captive, and Judah was taken captive by the Babylonians 587 BC, but returned under Zerubbable, Ezra, and then Nehemiah.
Malachi writing between 450-430 BC, once again addressed not Judah but Israel, referring to the entire 12 tribes revealing that he nation was not lost but still in existence.
(Ja. 1:1/Rev. 7)
The Prophet, Malachi meaning “my messenger” was the last prophetic voice of the OT prophets followed by a 400 year silence. We know very little about Malachi.
I. First, we have God’s love Documented. 1:2
I have loved you – a perfect tense in the Hebrew, indicating action finished in the past but continuing in its effects into the present. [Hebrew syntax Davidson]
God had declared His love for Israel many times before this (Deut. 4:37; 7:8; 23:5/Book of Hosea/Isa.43:3-4/etc). God also had documented his love for the Church (Rom.5:8/I Jn. 4:10, 18-19/etc.)
“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Tho’ stretched from sky to sky.
II. Secondly that love was Doubted. 2b
In what way have you loved us? – They were not convinced that God really loved them. Why? They had been back in the land for about 100 years and yet the Messiah the prophet’s spoke of had not yet come. They were surrounded by enemies, dominated by the Persians, and living under difficult economic times.
Some of us have preached about the Rapture for many years now, and it would be easy to get discouraged about His delay; maybe pressure from some boss or family member or a friend; we can undergo what we call a loss of the good times; and God’s love is not shinning too brightly through our circumstances.
We need to take a deep breath and dare to believe that God loves us regardless of what our circumstances are saying. The problem is not with God but us, we pull back from believing God’s Word. Reminds me of one of my dogs, if you throw the ball he will immediately go get it and bring it back. But as soon as you reach for the ball he pulls his head away! God’s love is steady but were not.
III. Last, that love is Defended. 2c-5
A. Past proof of His love. 2c
Jacob have I loved but Esau I hated – these were twins, both were unworthy of God’s love and yet God showed His love for Jacob by electing him and his descendants (Rom.9:10-21).
Even though Jacob, which means “supplanter” and “cheater”, lived up to his name God choose him and his descendants (Deut.7:6-8; 10:15).
How about us Christians? Eph. 1:4; 2:4-9
God’s election is just another proof of His unconditional love. I like the way one old lady put it, “I know God, in love, must have chosen me before I was born because He sure wouldn’t have chosen me afterwards!”
Unfortunately everybody is focused on Esau, why does it say God hated Esau… Griffith Thomas was presented with the problem, “Sir, why does God say that He hated Esau?” To which he replied, “I have problems with that sometimes too, but I have a bigger problem than that – why did God say He loved Jacob!”
B. Present proof of His love. 3-4
Both Jacob and Esau descendents went into the Babylonian Captivity – but only Jacob descendents were restored. God’s love is demonstrated in His refusal to forsake Israel even though she was as rebellious as the Edomites.
The only thing in our day that will not be ultimately rejected and forsaken is the Church of the living God! Heb. 13:5-6
“The entire universe in its totality is cooperating with God in His purpose to select and train His Church as His eternal companion. The entire universe is ordered for this purpose, for ultimately all things belong to the church and are for her benefit ( I Cor. 3:21-23).
God is controlling all events, not only on earth but in all reams, to serve His purpose of bringing to maturity and eventually to enthronement with His Son, not angels but the church. This was the glorious truth revealed to Paul when he wrote: We know all things [entire cosmos] work together [are cooperating] for good to them that love God [the church], t them who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)
Romance is at the heart of the universe! According to this verse the total objective, the single, solitary motive of all God’s creative acts in this age, is preparing the Church as an eternal company for Christ.” [Billheimer]
C. Promised proof of His love. 5
Your eyes shall see – some believe that this future magnification of the Lord, beyond Israel’s border, is reference to the future millennial kingdom, a time when that nation will surely experience God’s great love. Rev. 1:5-6
God’s love is always Defended if we look to our Past election; God’s present sovereignty; and the Promise of eternity. Augustine wrote:
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
Con:
1. Even though God’s love is well Documented and Defended, and yet sadly many of us still have our Doubts. Like that collie dog we just find it hard to believe that anybody can really care about us – But put it down, God really does!
2. Charles Stanley went through a period in his life where he knew there was something between him and God. He fasted, prayed, stayed in the Word, confessed all possible sin but just couldn’t shake the emptiness.
He asked four pastors to come and help him, he shared his life story with them over a period of several days and asked them to honestly share anything God put on their hearts. After several days one man said, “Charles put your head on the table and close your eyes. Now pretend your father just picked you up [his father died when he was only 7 months old]. He has picked you up in his arms, and hugged you – what do you feel.”
Charles said, “It was like the damn broke, without even thinking I just burst into tears, I wept bitterly for about 30 minutes and could not stop. Then the man asked, “Charles what do you feel?” He said, “I felt loved, warmth, and acceptance.” He was asked, “Why do you think you cried so much?”
Stanley said, “Then it dawned on me what happened between God and me was not sin, but something I never felt or had experienced in all my life – I could believe Him for big things, I could trust Him for great things, I would be willing to obey Him in anything – but there was one thing I had never been able to do, there was always this emptiness between God and me, and for the first time in my whole life I emotionally felt God really loving me.
I’d been performing for Him all those years, trying to measure up, doing what I thought He expected of me, trying to be good, better than the best, all to no avail. And the reason there was the gap, wasn’t clear until he asked me that question, and then in dawned on me that I had never experienced the love of God. I had not been able to accept the fact that God loved me just the way I am no matter what. Since that day my life has never been the same, but I lived most of my life without even experiencing God’s intimate personal love and acceptance of me.”
Have we experienced that love? If not isn’t it about time we did?
Johnny Palmer Jr.
www.strugglingthruscriptures.ning.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/strugglingthruscriptures
