Malach

Good afternoon, can you please open your Bibles in the book of Malachi and I was praying after lunch about this message because we don't say too much about the minor prophets and My brother just opened the book of Zechariah say wow, that was my answer and if you notice and a special accent on my English is because I'm not from Scotland or Europe. I'm from Chile South America and My name is Pablo If you remember my name, it's okay. If you don't it's okay, too but My wife and Cheryl my wife Cheryl and I we are living in Illinois and gathering with the Saints in your Lennox And I have a couple of good friends here in Blue River, that's why I'm here I want to read with you in this book chapter 1 There's one The burden of the word of The Lord to Israel by Malachi The name Malachi means my messenger The Hebrew word is very similar Actually some scholars think that Malachi is not a proper name that maybe is just a way to express that the Lord is delivering his message through a messenger the same expression very similar appears in in chapter In chapter 3 when the Lord said behold I will send my messenger It's exactly the same Malachi is that's the name in Hebrew for the Prophet and sounds exactly the same for my messenger but it's just a matter of interesting study This doesn't affect the message of the book at all the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi I Have loved you said The Lord Yet you say Wherein hast thou loved us? This is the Lord's response was not Esau Jacob's brother Yet I loved Jacob and I hated Esau And laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness Whereas Edom saith we are in Poverished but we will return and build the desolate places Thus saith the Lord of hosts They shall build they shall build but I will throw down and they shall call them the border of wickedness and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever and you and your eyes shall see and ye shall say The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel a son on earth his father and a servant his master If then I be a father where is mine honor and If I be a master Where is my fear saith the Lord of hosts and to you? That despise my name and you say we're in have we despised thy name to offer pollute bread upon mine altar and you say We're in have we pollute thee in that you say that the table of the Lord is contemptible and If you offer the blind of sacrifice, is it not evil? And if thee offer the lame and sick is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor Will will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of hosts? And now I I pray you beseech God that he will be gracious unto us this hath been By your means will he regard your persons saith the Lord of hosts Who is there even among you That would shut the doors for not Neither do ye kindle fire on my altar for not I have no pleasure in you saith the Lord of hosts Neither I will neither will I accept an Offering at your hand.

These prophets are called minor, but they don't have nothing of minor It's because they message. It's short is shorter than other prophets mess and message. That's the only reason but they're very important and I agree with my brother that we read and we preach not too much from these books and And this is a Wonderful and at the same time It's a burden It's interesting how the book starts the burden of the Word of the Lord And there is some Controversy Because this word burden Can be also translated as Oracle or message from the Lord But I think that we can That we can join both ideas The word can be can mean both burden or Oracle But the thing is that the message is heavy The message is heavy The message is a burden for the Prophet's heart And It's going to be heavy for the addressees for the people who's going to listen the message It's the burden the Prophet Jeremiah said that the word of the Lord was like fire in his bones Because what the people is about to hear is it's not a Nice message from the Lord It's a message it's a message that has the purpose to provoke an answer in these people This is the generation that Already built the temple.

My brother helped me giving some information about the setting of the book. Thank you very much but Malachi Is sent by the Lord to deliver this message message to this generation And if you read Throughout all the book you will see that there's many questions here, it's very interesting how the Lord is Delivering this this message to the people. There's many questions and There's some Disputations There are at least six disputation that you can see here The Lord's love that the Lord loves Jacob and chapter 1 verse 2 to 5 That Israel's that God God is Israel's father and he desires honest worship chapter 1 verse 6 to 9 He is a father of all Israelites and expects true faithfulness chapter 2 10 to 16 God wants honesty not words because he is just chapter 2 verse 17 to 3 to 5 Verse 5 God is faithful to his word and desires genuine genuine worship chapters 3 6 to 12 and again God desires honesty, so there's a several of indignants throughout the book but before To start any Indignant toward the people The Lord start speaking through the prophets by these words I have Love you.

Those are amazing words. I Have loved you said the Lord and in the way of How the Lord is saying this He's saying I have loved you And I still love you. And this is very important for the rest of the message.

This is the positive Starting of the book we could say that the book also finishes in a positive way But the book starts with this positive Tremendous beautiful wonderful statement from the Lord to a people That has been unfaithful To a people that has been doing pretty orthodox things but with a cold heart with Complaints in their hearts this these people You can see their their apathy and how they respond to the Lord Well, as I said, as I said, the first phrase is It's beautiful I have loved you says the Lord I have loved you and I Still love you Even though you are acting the way you are acting And you you can read the book. This is only three chapters Four there are three chapters in the Hebrew Bible, but there's three chapters. It's going to take you like 20 minutes read the whole book And you will be impressed With the language with the tone of the message and how the people answers the Lord What are we robbing to you How how we can despise your name and all that kind of answer the kind of the kind of answer that We gave to our father parents where we were teenagers The kind of answer that maybe you are receiving today From your kids if you are if you have teenagers, I'm a I'm About to enter to that stage.

So pray for me, please That the kind of some insolence in the tone But before to say a word the Lord said I have loved you That is how the Lord opens the book and look at the answer of the people look the people's answer they said Wearing has though loved us In in in what way Another version says how have you loved us? How? Can you show us some evidence of your love? Can you prove in? What way you have loved us? This is the people's answer and this is very interesting Because all the People's action This is this is very interesting to this is people who is involved in Sacred things this people is in he's there's no people. He's living in in in terrible things Worshipping idols they Already passed that time they came back from the exile They learned that lesson about idolatry sort of These people is is serving in the temple. These people is bringing offerings This people is giving tithes to Lord But the Lord said I'm not pleased with you.

I'm not happy with you But the first thing again, and this is very important. The Lord said I have loved you, but the answer is how? How? Remember Lord you said you sent a guy you said Zechariah you you spoke about about Rich about riches about prosperity about peace We still don't see it. Where is it when we? Start to doubt about God's love of Problems come when we start to doubt about God's Faithfulness When we start to doubt about his love All kind of problems will come to our lives.

I mean when I speak about problems I speak about inner problems Contempt complains a lack of faith a cold heart and We are on risk to start to do things Mechanically just because we have to do it but inside there is complaint Inside there is Not joy the absence of joy as my brother Frank told before our hearts Looks more like stone hearts cold Without joy The they said how how have you loved us? So the Lord is going to give them just one example of How he have loved them? And he goes Thousand years ago to make his point the Lord goes to Rebecca's womb to make his point the Lord said do you remember Isa? Did you remember Jacob? Of course, they did. Of course, they remembered The Lord declares yet. I have loved Isa But he's but sorry I'm Changing the doctrine here.

I have loved Jacob But Isa I have hated and I have turned His hill country into a wasteland. What is the Lord saying here? The Lord is saying Do you know how? You can see my love for you. I chose you before Jacob Before Jacob and Isa were born.

I chose Jacob and now here This is I know that we tend to think With words as loved and hate in a very sentimental way But probably here love and hate has To do with the election of Jacob over Isa. I don't think that the Lord hated in a Sentimental way Isa because he blessed Isa as well He made of Isa a great nation. He gave Isa lands and all of that but in God's purposes In God's plans.

He chose Jacob not Isa and Deuteronomy in the book of Deuteronomy we read that the Lord choose Israel Israel not because they were as Better than other people just because he loved them. He loved them all God's purposes go through Israel Amazing right? That's the only people he he he could be he could He the Lord could choose another people in other nations For his plans, but he chose Israel But the Lord then gives another evidence He not only chose Jacob over Isa But he also fulfilled Every everything he said about Isa because if you know the prophet Obadiah You will remember all the prophecies about Edom Edom Isa Seir is the same person is the same people. It's the same land and probably at this time Obadiah's prophecy was fulfilled already The Lord is saying look what happened to Edom I told that Edom was about to be destroyed and that happened and they Would they will not rebuild again their cities Even if they want to do it, that's what the Lord said in verse 4 Edom Edom may say though we have been crushed we will rebuild the ruins But this is what the Lord Almighty says They may build but I will demolish So the Lord is saying look how I have loved you Edom is of your brother He wants to prosper again.

He wants to rebuild the city again, but they won't I Won't allow it Because my plans for them are fulfilled but with you I still have plans for you. I Have not finished with you yet. I'm still working on it.

Don't doubt about my love Later on we can see other other Questions the first Question that the Lord asked is I mean the first sentence is I have loved you and They doubt about that How have you loved us? How? How have you loved us in our case today? If we doubt about God's love Where we have to look? We have to look to the crop and we will see How much God loves us, but if we stop watching it will stop looking at the cross if we if we start Complaining in our hearts if we start doubting about God's love in our hearts the other Problems will come same as the people of Israel in these times Well, that's why the Lord is complaining against for example the priests The priests They were responsible They were responsible to to guide the people To all make offerings and also to teach this is very it's very interesting. Yes. I want to read in verse 7 of chapter 2 verse 7 of Chapter 2 just to see one of the responsibilities of the of Priests for the priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the law They should seek the law this they refers to the people and They should seek the law at his mouth For he is the messenger again.

The word messenger is here For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts another version says for the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth, but Verse 8 but they are departed out of the way ye have caused many to stumble at the law Ye have corrupt the covenant of Levi said the Lord of Hosts another version says by you have turned from the way and by your teaching Have caused many to stumble you have violated the covenant with Levi says the Lord Almighty the Lord is not happy with the priests The Lord is so unhappy that it were in verse 10 and chapter 1 He says who is there? Oh, oh, I read this before all that one of you would shut the temple doors So that you would know like useless fires on my altar I am not pleased with you says the Lord Almighty and I will accept no offering from your hands This is this is striking This is astonishing this phrase all that one of you will shut the temple doors You know what the Lord is saying I'm not pleased with you priests You know, actually I hope that one of the best thing you could do is one of you go to the temple and Shut the doors. I'm not pleased with you and this is terrible. This is terrible because They think they're doing great and they're doing terrible The Lord is not pleased with them I'm reading this book because I think we should Take a profound a deep look inside of us each believer and examine my own life my devotion my love If my heart is it's a whole hearted God hearted heart for God I I am longing for his presence.

I'm longing for knowing him better I'm suffering because I can't knowing I can't know him more and more I'm suffering because I can I can see because I see in my life so many things that the Lord still has to change Or I'm happy because I I'm from the assembly We do the practice the biblical practice, which is very good but the insight What the Lord would say these people was Complaining they were despising they were doing things for the Lord, but their heart was In another part But the Lord still loved them and You know, why does the Lord still love them? It's because the Lord said in chapter 3 verse 6. I the Lord Do not change. I Do not change. I still love you That's why I'm saying this is because I love you That's why I send my messenger because I love you that this is why I'm sending these words to our you to to make a change in your way of thinking in your way of Loving or feeling about me Says the Lord I Have to finish But I want to finish with a wonderful thing in verse 16 of Chapter 3. This is a wonderful birth You know the words of the Prophet they they Provoked a reaction on the people Not all the people Those who feared the Lord Then they had feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that Thought upon his name.

I read another version that says then those who feared the Lord take talked Those who feared the Lord talked with each other and the Lord listened and heard You know what happened Some of the people listened the message from Malachi They didn't like it. It's It's the same when when we Discipline our child our children our kids They are very angry at the beginning But a few minutes later They come and say they're happy again, right? Because they thought they said daddy you are right. I'm sorry Are you you were right what about you said I made a mistake.

I'm so sorry and Some people Some persons of the of the of the people of Israel that were listening the words of the Prophet Those feared the Lord and they listened and they talked They talked with each other Those who feared the Lord talked with each other I don't know what they did, but they joined in some corner maybe outside the temple I don't know what they did, but they joined they gathered together the guys We are in trouble here We are not we are not acting well We are doing Terrible things here. Look what the Lord said We are not doing what the Lord wants us to do Was the Lord indifferent to that? This is wonderful and the Lord listened and heard Amazing that they used two expressions to speak about listening The Lord the Lord listened and heard a scroll of remembrance was written in his presence Concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. Oh My brothers and sisters in Christ Doesn't matter if there's if it is in America or Canada or Chile We need to listen We need to listen what the Lord is saying through his word and we need to talk and we need to say, you know Yes, the Prophet is right.

The Prophet was right The fact that we are doing things correctly in the outward doesn't mean Necessarily that we are okay in the inward not always is no not always there is a match Sometimes we can do the good things the correct things, but our hearts Our hearts can be distance cold Complaining Against the Lord