12-Part Malachi Series: A Shining Glimmer of Hope at the End of an Age
Introduction: A Nation at Sunset (1 of 12)
Malachi 1.1
June 2, 2013 Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker Chester FBC
Introduction:
A In 587 BC, Babylon had destroyed Solomon’s Great Temple & took the nation of Israel into captivity to Babylon.
1 In 538 BC, Cyrus (leader in Babylon) allowed some of the Hebrew captives to return to Israel to rebuild their temple, Jerusalem.
a 50,000 took Cyrus up on his offer and returned to Israel to start the work of recapturing the nations former glory.
b In 515 BC, after much delay, the Temple was rebuilt.
aa With a rebuilt Temple, Priesthood reestablished, sacrifice had once again resumed.
bb Appointed times had once again been observed (Feasts.)
2 In 515 BC, after 70 years of Babylonian captivity, the people who were still in Babylon were released & repatriated to Israel.
a Came expecting/anticipating the former glory, power, prestige of being God’s chosen people to return.
aa Although they had their land, national identity restored, Temple they were far from the their former state of blessing they had enjoyed previously as God’s Chosen People.
bb They realized they weren’t the nation they once were and they got discouraged.
b In 458 BC, Ezra visited Jerusalem & in 445 BC, Nehemiah becomes the Governor of Judah.
aa By this time, the optimism they had at being repatriated had turned to skepticism (Skeptical of the love of God, decrees of God, Worship of God, Service to God.)
bb Their faith had turned to apathy (laziness)
cc Their national fervor/patriotism had turned to indifference.
B Israel was pass her zenith & moving towards judgement.
1 The nation was at a spiritual low.
a The Temple priests were careless; the people doubted God.
b There was a tremendous immigration problem as the Israelites intermarried with foreigners (diluted their national culture & polluted their faith with the beliefs/practices of other religions.)
aa There was no dedication to family, marriage, raising children to being obedient to YHWH.
bb Adultery/Divorce/ sorcery was rampant.
cc Fields didn’t produce= faltering economy.
2 Israel’s sins were not just against God, but also their fellow man.
a Oppression of (injustice to) the poor.
aa Fraud/Perjury was commonplace.
bb Corruption in the government at practically every level.
b Israel desperately needed a word from God ... so He sent them a messenger, Malachi, My Messenger, (Probably around 430 BC), who wanted the same things for the nation that God wanted!
aa A righteous nation, a pure/devoted priesthood.
bb Happy homes, devoted children.
cc A people characterized by truth, integrity, generosity, gratitude, fidelity, love & hope.
c We do not know about Malachi’s ancestry, pedigree, qualifications, call or personal life.
aa The most important thing about messengers is the message they bring.
bb Not who they are, where they come from, but the message.
C The similarities to ancient Israel and modern America are striking, and hopefully, are not lost to you at this hour.
1 The Spiritual river that runs through our nation is 20 miles wide but only about 3-inches deep.
a We have seen a great falling away from God & His Church.
aa What gets passed off as preaching in many places is nothing more than a Dr. Phil lecture with a verse or two from Scripture added on.
bb Leadership & laity alike have abandoned the cause of Christ to take a path of least resistance.
cc God is moving in South America, Africa, Asia, parts of Europe . . . but the West has yet to receive significant amounts of latter-day rain.
dd Military (Chaplins, SBC Website unaccessible)
*Fox News reported in April: The U.S. Military has blocked access to the Southern Baptist Conventions website on an unknown number of military bases because it contains hostile content — just weeks after an Army briefing labeled Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics as examples of religious extremism,
*Military Chaplains are being discouraged from praying in Jesus name, ministering in His name, evangelizing.
b The family & marriage are no longer sacred institutions in America.
aa Partially due in part to its redefinition by the homosexual agenda.
*The ruckus of same-sex marriage, according to the homosexual community is to have same the same legal benefits of heterosexual marriages. In 2011, civil unions for same-sex couples was legalized giving gay couples the same legal standing as traditional marriage.
*Only .45% of the gay population in Illinois sought civil unions in it’s first year and less than that during the second year!
*So why the necisity of “same-sex” marriage? Redefine what a family is, marriage is . . . normalize gay behavior.
bb Partially due to the disposal view of marriage taken by many heterosexual couples.
c Where do I start with corruption in the U.S. Government?
aa I.R.S. targeting conservative groups who teach the U.S. Constitution.
bb Granting amnesty & fast tracking millions of illegal aliens on a path to citizenship & access to this nations resources.
cc Benghzi (Ambassador Stevens)
2 As the clouds of judgement gathered over ancient Israel there is a ray of hope shining through because God was about to send Messiah to redeem His people.
a Like ancient Israel we too are looking for the coming of our Messiah’s Second Coming.
b We need a Word, Open Vision and Malachi’s message is for our nation, who has seen her zenith, on a road leading to judgement.
aa We need the ray of hope!
bb We need to hear the difficult message as a nation that is spiritually connected to Israel.
I The message is a difficult word.
“The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.”Mal 1:1 (KJV)
A Malachi uses the word “burden” for the message he had deposited in his heart.
1 “Burden” is used to describe a donkey carrying a heavy load for its owner.
a The load God gave Malachi was not comfortable, easy, light . . . it weighed heavily on his heart.
b The message was a hard one, but regardless of how hard it was the package had to be delivered.
aa The task of a prophet is not to smooth things over but to set things right.
bb The prophets in the Old Testament were often the only ones in the community who had a firm grip on reality, saw things as they really were, and that’s why they were unpopular.
2 Malachi had no choice on the message he had to preach to the nation.
a He was going to rebuke the Chosen for their sins they were committing against . . .God, each other, & call them to return to God.
b That was the responsibility as a true prophet-preacher.
B A preacher was once reprimanded by one of his members for preaching a message called “The Sins of the Saints.”
1 The Pastor’s critic said, “The sins of the saints are no different than the sins of a non-believer.”
a The Pastor said, “I disagree with you 100%, the sins of a saint are much worse.”
aa When a lost person sins they break the Law of God, when a saved persons sins they break the heart of God.
bb When a believer deliberately sins it’s not like a servant being disobedient to his master, subject being in rebellion against his king; it’s the offense of a child against the loving Father.
b No saint wants to hear they are in error, sin, disobedience, or out of order.
aa It’s difficult for God’s preacher to discharge his burden upon the people he loves.
bb But God has given every called Pastor/Preacher a burden to preach the hard messages to the saints.
2 If the man of God is going to deliver the message of comfort/encouragement effectively, he must also give the message that discomforts and discourages when it’s needed.
a Sometimes the burden the Lord gives His messenger is difficult to deliver, but it does not dismiss the preacher from preaching the message.
b The preacher does not pick the messages he preaches, God picks the messenger to share the Message He wants.
aa A physician who heals must also the surgeon who wounds in order that he may heal.
bb An ax and a scalpel will both upon a wound, a true messenger of God will deliver the message lovingly and honestly.
II The message is divine
“The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.”Mal 1:1 (KJV)
A Malachi references the covential name of God (YHWH) to remind them of the covenant that God entered into with His people in Exodus
“2 Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, “I am Yahweh. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not reveal My name Yahweh to them. 4 I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners. 5 Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant.7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh.” Ex. 6.2-5; 7-8 HSCB
1 6 " 'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect ?' says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?' Mal 1:6 (NASB)
a “Despise” lit. disdain, scorn, despare. (We don’t want to hear His name!)
b The God who had chosen them, delivered them, protected/provided for them, blessed them - - made covenant with them was no longer welcome, taken seriously, consulted, part of the national picture/identity.
aa A covenant is a pact, treaty, agreement, alliance between two parties with obligations on both parts. (Il. Marriage)
bb “The priests had (destroy/spoil) the covenant of Levi”;
8 "But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi," says the Lord of hosts. Mal 2:8 (NASB)
cc “The people had profaned (polluted/wounded) the covenant of the fathers)
10 "Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers? Mal 2:10 (NASB)
c Profaned also means to “prostituted.”
(broken marriage covenant with YHWH.)
14 "Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Mal 2:14 (NASB)
2 The nation had rebuilt the Temple, walls of Zion had been repaired.
a Their relationship w/ God was still in ruins, Israel’s covenant w/ God lay shattered on the rocks of their unfaithfulness.
b Malachi reminds the people that covenant was sacred, violation of the covenant put the nation in great jeopardy.
B God, nor His covenant, have changed. (He is the unmoved Mover, the eternal God)
1 The faithfulness He demanded of His people under the old covenant (testament) is still demanded from us who live today in the new covenant (testament) that is sealed under the blood of His Son, Jesus.
a We as Christians are to live in faithfulness to the covenant relationship.
b Many Christians, in error, say they are no longer under the Law, obligations of the Law . . . however, Jesus says something much different in Matthew 23.23.
aa 23 " Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. Matt 23:23 (NASB)
bb We’re under grace! Right!
c Grace requires more than the Law ever did!
aa Law required no adultery; Grace requires us not even to lust!
bb Law required no murder; Grace requires us not to even hate in our heart.
cc Law required an eye for an eye/tooth for a tooth; Grace requires us to turn the other cheek.
dd Law required love your neighbor hate your enemy; Grace requires us to love our enemy & pray for those who persecute us.
2 We are to live in faithfulness to the covenant relationship under the blood of Jesus Christ!
a Our nation was formed under a covenant, consecrated unto the Lord by George Washington, our first President/father of our nation.
Prayer for the United States of America"Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large.
And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
aa We as a nation are in a covenant with YHWH, The God of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob.
bb We have wandered far from our covenant!
b Failure to be faithful invites personal/national disaster.
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Heb 10:31 (KJV)
T.S.: It’s a difficult message, divine message, & lastly . . .
III It is a declared message
“The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.”Mal 1:1 (KJV)
A “by” means hand, denotes “authority.”
1 The hand symbolized the receiving/discharge of authority.
a When an oath was taken it done with a lifted hand: prayer was often done with uplifted hands.
b Malachi had been given the message AND the authority to declare/release the message to the nation.
2 Malachi spoke to a nation whose sins were very similar to ours today.
a Refused to respond to God’s love;
2 "I have loved you," says the Lord. But you say, "How have You loved us?" "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the Lord. "Yet I have loved Jacob; Mal 1:2 (NASB)
b Refused to honor God even though they were His children/servants who refused to obey their master
6 " 'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect ?' says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?'Mal 1:6 (NASB)
c Ministers who refused to lead their people.
d Divorce/breakdown of the family were common
14 "Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Mal 2:14 (NASB)
e Stewards who refused to tithe
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings .9 "You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Mal 3:8-10 (NASB)
f They were God’s people but all they could do was complain against Him
14 "You have said, 'It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts? Mal 3:14 (NASB)
3 Malachi declared “the day of the LORD” (4.5) was coming soon!
5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. Mal 4:5 (NASB)
a Those right with God would receive glory; those who were away from Him would face judgement.
b The time to repent/return was at that moment.
B If you have spiritual sight at all you can see the comparison of Malachi’s day to our day. . . ancient Israel & modern America.
1 As his nation was coming to a time of sunset, our world is doing the same!
a Our nation does not want to hear about our Jesus, our Bible, our God, our values, our views. (Insensitive to anything that has to do with God.)
b Where do you stand?
aa Do you question the word the God? Doubt it’s authority?
bb Do you complain and make excused for unfaithfulness?
2 In this late hour it is vital we take “the burden of the word of the Lord” to heart and to the nation.
a We have been given the authority to stand as God’s witnesses against unfaithfulness, disobedience, and ungodliness.
b We cannot hesitate, blink, back-down, change our attitude towards sin or His Holiness.
c We cannot stop trusting God, burning with fervor towards Him no matter how sinful the nation is OR how dry we are in this season of our life!
Conclusion:
Notice to Sermon Central Users:
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
