Introduction:
Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament therefore, Malachi is the last of the Prophets of God in that testament. The time of his book is stated to be about 420 BC.
The work of Malachi consisted of a call for repentance that the nation of Israel needed because of their evil practices. This prophet’s message was designed to recall and reclaim Israel unto God, and to assure them that the promise of a messiah was at hand.
Malachi opens with the words: The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?
The key word is burden, not so much what but who’s burden? Burden defined by Webster as: 1. something carried, 2. something difficult to bear physically or emotionally.
Elizabeth Achtemerier in her commentary notes on Malachi allows you to discover for yourself that the love of God has always been a burden to Him because of our rebellious nature, our hardness of heart and our ingratitude.
This problem begins from the very start with man’s disobedience to the word of God. It appears that God’s Love for us has given Him nothing but sorrow and grief over our continued wrong doings.
Listen to what is recorded in Genesis 6: 5-6.
5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Now think with me, can you remember a time in your Childhood life when you did wrong. When your parents were forced, because of your actions and they had to punish you? Stop and remember just before the beatings began you could hear them say "this hurts me more than it is going to hurt you!"
I as a child could not understand that then, when the strap was stinging into my body. I can remember however, in my child like mind saying to myself "well if it is going to hurt you more, then why don’t you just stop!”
Today as a parent, I understand better the concept found in our burden of love,which is established in the relationship of parent and child as it exist over the nature of right and wrong.
It does hurt, right to the core of your heart when you realize that somehow you failed to get across the understanding of right vs. wrong or that your child just continues to choose wrong in spite of all that you do.
Now in order to reinforce just what you meant by doing right, you force me now to do, that which I do not want to do, but I must so that you my child might be able to learn and grow.
How have you loved me?
God has loved us from the very start we have spoken of Genesis but let us look now in Exodus 14:
11. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
12. Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. (Exodus 14: 11 – 12)
Despite the fact that with a mighty hand God delivered them out of the hands of Pharaoh in the land of Egypt. Now look upon Israel in the wilderness with the dusk clouds of Pharaoh’s army marching after them the people became so afraid, they started to cry out in disbelief against Moses and God.
Their disbelief in the ability of an able God to me is unreal. For who was it, that made Pharaoh let His people go!
Just as God in His wisdom, made a way for his people when confronted by Pharaoh and his army. God has promised to make a way for you.
This same type of disbelief is found in the church today. This inability to trust God, to place your faith in him with the cares of this world in spite of all the good things God has already done for us.
One of the biggest obstacles in the growth of ministry in the life of the Church has happened when we as a people have suffered from disbelief.
You know what I am talking about those moments when the idea comes along to reach out and do, and then that long time member(you know who they are) reminds us that we had better not go to far.
We begin to falter, as we look anew upon our own limitations, no longer trusting on and in God for or as the answer.
We become like Peter, asking Jesus to let us walk on the waters of life, and in His answer we begin walking on the waters, only to take our eyes off Jesus, and we started to watch the waves that are coming and that’s when we like Peter also begin sinking.
Just as Jesus reached out for Peter and made away for his safety, Christ has already prepared for you, why will you not trust him?
Disbelief has been one of Satan’s greatest tools of distraction for it fosters lack of trust.
Will you not trust Christ today?
Know this when provoked by disbelief and disobedience God still loves us!
How have you loved me?
Let me take you on another journey into the love of God Mark 3: 1 – 6 tells of a story of a man with a withered hand in the synagogue with Jesus. The restoration of his hand was not the issue this morning.
This cuts much deeper than a single miracle, examine with me just what the scriptures reveal:
Mark 3: 2. "And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him."
The elders wanted a reason to accuse Jesus, not because they needed to shut him up or sit him down for he was out of line and wrong in what he was doing.
Listen to what Jesus asked them who were present. 4. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
Just what do you think was going on there, surely a room full of devote men could answer with easy the question poised? Yet, the word says they did not answer.
Let’s continue; 5. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 6. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
The question was not is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days nor was the real question was it lawful to do evil? Neither to save life or to kill life?
Yet, let me poise this question to you as a Church what do you as a Church expect to do with doing good over doing evil with saving verses killing?
Be careful of how you answer for this goes directly to the core of your existence as a Church for Jesus Christ. As I think more on the subject, it addresses the concepts of ministry provided by you through your Church.
Jesus is asking are you doing well or are you doing evil are you about the business of saving lives or are you about destroying?
The life of your Church here sits in the balance. As you reflex upon these questions ask yourself another other question how hard is your heart? Has years of disbelief spoiled your faith in the power of God?
The revelation given by scripture is that none would answer because of the hardness of their hearts and they all sought for a way to destroy him.
This happens in the Church, you will sit still while someone speaks the truth but because it is not what you wanted to hear, or you were not the first to think of the answer.
No really, because of the hardness of your heart, you will not respond and a good goes undone that good dies along with the person who suggested that good for their spirit has been wounded by your hard heartedness.
Let me say this another way, there are people in your Church today that if it does not conform to their will they will not let this program or project happen. They will do everything in their power to backbite, destroy, and corrupt the efforts with lies to impede the progress.
Really how did this story of Jesus end? He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
Jesus just wanted you to know I have loved you, saith the Lord. Even when provoked by your actions, because of the hardness of our hearts, because of your unwillingness of will, God still says I love you.
Yet, the question remains “How have you loved me?”
Paul wrote in Romans 5: 8 these words: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Within this chapter of Romans Paul tries to convey to us the true nature of who we are and just what God has done for us. Think about being a sinner, what does it mean to be a sinner?
Let us start with being an enemy to God, being a hostile force, which seeks to harm.
We also have a deep hatred of self, meaning we not only the enemy of God but of self also. While this sinful state continues, God loathes the sinner, and the sinner loathes God.
Yet, the mind of man cannot understand just why he feels so. Sin is the reason why we are at odds with God and self. This is not a badge that I wear proudly, for it means that as this type of man, I love the darkness opposed to the light.
My deeds are dirty, my actions evil and I just want what I want no matter what the cost. I am self-centered and as such, it is my will that must be done.
If this is the right life then why are their so many lost in despair?
If money is the answer then why can’t it buy happiness?
If being able to do whatever you want is the life, then why are our young people killing themselves with drugs, and alcohol
If being a sinner is so fine, why do our young women have the lowest self-esteem of all others?
If being a sinner is so fine, why do our young men feel that life is hopeless, the system is against them and they cannot achieve?
Then I hear Paul’s words say to me that while I was my own worst enemy, while I was feeling despised and rejected unconcerned about the future just interested in today.
Paul said God loved me. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
God knew just what I needed long before I knew what was going on in my life.
God knew that the day would come when I would not only despise myself but I would despise my situation. That I would hear that out of his love Christ died for us. Let me say it again that out of His love Christ died for me!
That as a sinner I would hear the story, of how an unselfish act of love paid the price for my life. Is this the feeling expressed by Katherine Haney as she wrote:
I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus
and His glory, Of Jesus and His love, I love to tell the story,
Because I know ‘tis true, It satisfies my longings, as nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story! ‘Twin be my theme in glory
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
Just what is that story? Let me tell it just one more time.
I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The story is about a God who loved you so much that, when He should have destroyed us He made a way for us.
He made for himself a body, we call called him Jesus. He healed the sick, He raised the dead, and in the wilderness 5,000 souls He fed. When the storm was raging He spoke to the wind and the waves and they obeyed his will and those present said as I say to you today what manner of man is this?
One who obeyed his calling to the last gasp upon the cross. Hung high, stretched wide, but by his blood, I now have a right to the tree of Life. In spite of my ingratitude, God still says I LOVE YOU!
Will you change your ways and love him Too?
