The Heart Of A Father Series

“THE HEART OF A FATHER” Malachi 4:4-6

FBCF – 5/15/22

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Heart problems – big health risk for many people. Leading cause of death in men & women in US. I’ve seen results of heart disease many times.

- 25 yrs as firefighter – CPR many times – as recently as this past week

- Vicki’s daddy – quad bypass

- Daddy – triple bypass

- Do everything we can to try to keep heart healthy b/c we know that, when the heart stops, life stops.

Today in “HOMEwork” series, talk about our heart, but not our physical heart – our spiritual heart – specifically, “The Heart of a Father.”

Physiologically, men have a higher risk of a “heart event.” Spiritually, I believe men are at greater risk, too, l due to our place of spiritual leadership & responsibility in the family & in the Church. Men are called to lead their biological families & the family of God. If Satan can infiltrate our lives, inflict us w/ spiritual heart disease, & infect our families & the Church, he’s way down the road toward to doing some serious damage to the cause of Christ in our world today.

EXPLANATION – Malachi 4:5-6

Quick overview of book of Malachi since just doing this one sermon. Need to get a feel for what he said way back in about 520 BC.

Come to end of the OT. End of the prophets. Malachi the last one in a long line. Expect him to make a powerful, meaningful statement to conclude the OT before God goes silent for 400 yrs. Something to be said for last words. Usually carry a lot of weight. Love what Dr. David Jeremiah said about the book of Malachi:

“If you imagine the prophetic books of the OT as personal letters from God to His people, the ‘letter’ known as Malachi was the last one to arrive in Israel’s mailbox for a long, long time. Many weary, empty years would pass as those who loved & revered the Lord went to the mailbox again & again, only to find it empty. And it would stay empty for more than 400 years!” (Intro to Malachi, The Jeremiah Study Bible, p. 1269)

The very name, Malachi, means “my messenger” in Hebrew. So, what was the message that this messenger needed to give to God’s people here at the end of the OT? Written in the form of a dialogue between the Lord & His people, there were some things that God needed to speak w/ them about as His people grew more & more spiritually apathetic & distant from Him. Only 55 verses in Malachi, but a lot said in those verses! 6 subjects that God brought up to them:

- God’s consistent love for His people – 1:1-5

- God’s clear rebuke of the priests for dishonoring Him – 1:6-2:9

- God’s critical assessment of their dishonoring His plan for marriage – 2:10-16

- God’s commitment to justice & His weariness w/ their injustices – 2:17-3:6

- God’s covenant promises about tithing & how they’re robbing Him – 3:7-12

- God’s culminating plan to deal w/ the wicked & the righteous – 3:13-4:6

And the msg throughout the book is God’s call to return to Him. That was their only hope, & that’s our only hope today.

- Our only hope for mothers (last week) – Return to God!

- Our only hope for fathers (today) – Return…

- Our only hope for our kids & grandkids – Return…

- Our only hope for our families – Return…

- Our only hope for our nation – Return…

- Our only hope for all of us here today – Return…!

APPLICATION – God has a plan to turn the hearts of fathers back to their kids.

THE STANDARD: GOD’S REVEALED WORD – v. 4

A big part of our ongoing relationship w/ the Lord is to think back & remember all the ways He has worked & all the things He has said.

- Social media fast & Big DOGS – In the Psalms a lot – Been struck w/ how many times David has remembered how God had worked in his life & gave testimony about it:

- Psalm 9:1b – “…I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” “…I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done.” (NLT)

- Psalm 13:6b – “…[God] has been so good to me.” (NIRV)

- Psalm 18:19b – “…He rescued me.”

- Psalm 66:5a – “Come & see what the Lord has done…” v. 16 – “Come & hear, all you who fear the Lord, & I will tell you what He has done for my soul.”

Here in v. 4, we are reminded to remember what God has revealed to us in His Word. Mt. Horeb is another name for Mt. Sinai – “the mountain of God” – where Moses received the 10 Commandments. Those 10 commandments are the eternal standard by which all of our conduct should be measured. We can’t be saved by keeping the 10 Commandments, but we are to live our lives in obedience to the Lord & His commandments given to us.