Sunrise Tomorrow
Malachi Sermon Series (11 of 12)
Malachi 4.2-6
August 11, 2013 Chester FBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A The Day of the Lord will be a sunset for a sin-scarred world, but it will be a glorious sunrise for new one.
1 Nations, kingdoms, systems will fall; but God’s Kingdom will established.
a Jesus’ reign as King, Lord will be established over a new earth.
b No more sickness, pain, sin, tears, separation.
2 Malachi 4.2-6 exposes us to some wonderful truths of instruction, challenge & comfort.
Malachi 4:2-6 (NASB) 2 "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. 3 "You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the LORD of hosts. 4 "Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. 5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. 6 "He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."
B Malachi mentions two powerful prophets (Moses & Elijah) of the Old Testament whose significance should not be overlooked by New Testament believers.
1 Moses was the giver of the Law
a Given to Him by YHWH on Mt. Sinai (an alternate name for Sinai is “Mt. Horeb.”)
aa Horeb is also where Moses saw the glory of God in the burning bush (Ex. 3.1.)
Exodus 3:1 (NASB) 1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
bb God established the blood covenant with Israel at Horeb
2 Chronicles 5:10 (NASB) 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.
cc Horeb is where God made water flow from a rock
Exodus 17:6 (NASB) 6 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
dd Where Moses prayed for a sinning nation that had bowed before a golden calf
Deuteronomy 9:8 (NASB) 8 "Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you.
b Malachi started his Word with an illustration from Genesis (Jacob & Esau) reminding the priests/people of the need to keep the Mosaic law - - -and he concludes his prophecy with a reminder to keep the Mosaic law.
c The Law was still God’s rule of life the Jews and if they obeyed they were blessed (unfaithful they were cursed.)
aa Believers are not under the Law for salvation, but we under the Law for sanctification.
bb The only way we can faithfully practice the law for sanctification is through the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
2 Elijah was a prophet that set had came on the scene to set things straight; call a nation back to God.
a I believe Scripture tells us that there are three manifestations of Elijah after he was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire.
aa John the Baptist, was said by Jesus to be the prophesied manifestation of Elijah to prepare for His first coming
Matthew 17:10-13 (NASB) 10 And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
bb (Interesting fact) John 1.21,25; John the Baptist denied he carried the mantle of Elijah . . . but Jesus said, “Oh, yes he is!”
John 1:21 (NASB) 21 They asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
John 1:25 (NASB) 25 They asked him, and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
cc We can be instruments of God’s plan, fulfilling His purpose and not even be aware of it, maybe even deny it, but if He said it, then it is so.
b Mal. 4.5, promises that Elijah himself will come again before the Day of the Lord.
Malachi 4:5 (NASB) 5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
aa Revelation 11:3, 6 (NASB) 3 "And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."6 These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
bb They operate in the same kinds/styles of miracles that were present in the ministries of Moses & Elijah before the Day of the Lord bursts open on the world.
c Elijah is a real person, but the spirit of Elijah is a mantle to prepare the way of the Lord.
3 I believe the latter-day church is a part of the Elijah generation!
a We have the privilege of representing our Lord to the ends of the earth.
b There is an important calling upon our lives as members of the Elijah generation.
aa Malachi & Revelation present warnings & we are the harbingers to this world.
bb Both Malachi & John’s Revelation confirm: 1) there is a hell, 2) there is a heaven and 3) an invitation to make a choice.
c We have some truths to herald to the world.
I A New Depth “But for you who fear my name . . .”
A “Fear” here means being afraid, anxious, or reverent: means “God fearer.”
1 One of the commandments is “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Deut. 5.11).
Deuteronomy 5:11 (NASB) 11 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
a We’ve been raised to think this is just cursing out of our mouth, but it means more!
b If we say His name and don’t enter into what He has promised you have made His name empty.
aa We call Him Lord, Healer but we don’t live our lives according to His promises.
bb If the Power of His name is not being manifested, released in our lives, we are taking the Lord our God in vain.
2 There is depth to the name of God! YHWY!
a v.3, “LORD of hosts” Means He is the King of angels, King of the heavenly hosts.
aa If He is the LORD of hosts and all we do is complain about our lives, health, finances, families, churches, . . . then we’re taking His name in vain!
bb v.2, “[He is] the Sun of Righteousness.” (KJV) refers to Jehovah-Tisdkenu. (We have no righteousness outside of Him!)
cc “with healing.” Jehovah-Rophe (Your healer!!!)
b “...And you shall go out And grow fat” Mal 4:2 (NKJV)
aa He’s not talking about size, it is synonymous for prosperity!
bb He is Jehovah-Jireh, your provider; He will feed you!
c “And you will tread down the wicked.” Jehovah-Nissi, Your banner that leads you into battle!!!
B All throughout Malachi, God is calling out to people who will fearfully honor His name!
1 He’s calling to the Elijah generation to understand there is power in His name.
a He is our ONLY righteousness, He is our healer. . .
b He leads us to victory! He is the Lord of Hosts and we are on the Lord’s Side!
2 Too many Christians act like wimps, ashamed of the name of God!
a There is only ONE name that sets the captives free, raises the dead, heals the sick . . . JESUS!
b Rise up oh, Church!
C IL
II A New Day
A “The day is coming” 4.1, for the lost it will be a terrible day, but for the saved that day will be a sunrise!
1 Ps. 84.11 (NASB) “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
a What does it mean when it says “God is a sun?”
b It wasn’t for thousands of years after Psalms was written did man know that the sun was the center of our solor system.
aa Early man thought the sun revolved around the earth and we were the center of the universe.
bb Way before astronomers figured out the sun was the center, God knew.
c He is our Sun of Righteousness, He is the center of our lives.
aa He is the Light of the world
bb Every day with Him is a new day.
cc The same person who is called the “Sun of Righteousness” in the OT is called “The bright morning star” in the NT!
2 In that great and terrible day of the Lord, the fire that consumes the unrighteous will bring glory to the saints!
B Your world may have been dark when you woke up this morning, but He is the Sun of Righteousness & He is the giver of a new beginning.
C IL
III A New Dimension
“The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”
A There are at least three other references to wings that have healing in their wake.
1 Is. 40.31 (NASB) “Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
a If your sick, your Doctor will give you some medicine, drink plenty of fluids, jacked up with vitamin C.
aa However, you aren’t going to get well for 4 or 5 days unless you rest and allow God to heal you.
bb Sometimes His healing is simply a renewal of your body.
b Elijah understood about being physically exhausted and we can see the importance of resting in the Lord.
aa Elijah had fought spiritual battles, fought Jezebel (a wicked queen), and killed 800 prophets on Mt. Carmel.
bb Following these amazing victories, he suddenly felt fear and ran from Jezebel, collapsing under a juniper tree.
cc Reading 2 Kings 19, we find Elijah’s exhaustion wasn’t demonic, but he was simply go through physical & emotional fatigue.
2 There is a healing in waiting and being renewed.
a That’s why we take vacations, sabbaticals.
b No matter how much you love doing what you do, we all need a time to refresh our spirits.
c Mark 6.31, “Come aside . . . and rest a while.”
B Psalms 91 begins, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
1 Vs. 4, “Under His wings you shall take refuge.”
a I believe there is a healing that takes place before we can even get sick.
b IL. Several years ago there was a movie called “Minority Report.”
aa Technology allowed the characters to look into the future and arrest criminals long before he committed a crime, thus preventing the crime from occuring.
bb God can heal us by preventing sickness from coming into our lives.
c Diseases that move in darkness cannot live where the Sun of Righteousness abides.
2 People will say, “I don’t know that I’ve ever had a major healing?”
a When we get to heaven we may discover how many close calls we had, how many times God stepped in to bless us and help us.
b Diseases He stopped before they even happened.
3 In Hebrew, the word “wings” is the same word used to describe the fringes of the prayer shawl.
a They represent the healing that is found in the covering/wings of God.
b When you pray, the wings of heaven cover you!
C There is a new dimension we get the fact that there is a divine promise concerning our health, and that promise is rooted in prayer.
IV A New Dynamic
A God has set a unique system in place that He spreads His wings over for this Elijah generation: the local church.
1 Many Christians never actually getting around to joining a church; float from place to place. . . getting their spiritual food to go.
a They never join a family, never get vested in a local Church.
b If you do not belong to a local church there is no covering for you.
aa What about Baptist, Methodist, Assembly, etc.?
bb It doesn’t matter what label in on the front of the church; if it is a 1) New Testament Church, 2) That believes the Bible is Truth, 3) Embraces sound doctrine, 4) Believes in the life-saving blood of Jesus, then it comes with a promise of God’s covering.
2 The Church is where & how God is going to move in the latter-days.
a This Elijah generation must be under the covering of a local church to be under His promise.
b He’s not coming back for cliques, denominations, but rather, He’s coming for His church.
B We as a church, operating under His wings of promise must become so desperate for souls that we will stand up and reach out . . .
1 Whatever it costs, whatever it takes, we want to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
a We’re not afraid of what man may say or can do to us.
aa We’re not afraid of a militant Islam.
bb We’re not afraid of a dead religiosity.
cc We’re not afraid of scorching paganism.
b We’ve got the good news! Spare them, Lord. Save them, Lord.
2 There is a tomorrow for all who know Jesus; there is no tomorrow for the unsaved.
C IL
Conclusion:
A There is a sunrise coming that will be a blessing for the saved, and a sunset for the lost.
1 This generation is an Elijah generation in the last days that have truth they need to be aware of.
a New Depth: You have complete access & authority through the Name of YHWH to all that God is!
b New Day: Everything in our lives should revolve around God, He is the Sun of Righteousness.
c New Dimension: You have the ability to find healing & rest under the wings of God.
d New Dynamic: The Church is under the Father’s Wing, if you are not under the covering of a local church . . . get under one, quick!
2 IL
B Appeal: Pizza With The Pastor (August 25 @ 3 PM)
1 Taking God’s name in vain?
a Maybe your life is not centered God, the Sun of Righteousness.
b Maybe you talk way more about your problems than His promises.
2 Pray
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
