Promised Rewards
Book of Malachi
Chapters 3-4
Have you ever
noticed that the Lord comes right to the point, He does not beat
around the bush as some say, I praise the Lord that He does this!
This also a great
example for every Pastor.
Right is always
right and wrong is always wrong and wrong is sin!
Jas_4:17 Therefore
to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
We cannot fool God
and it is a terrible sin just to attempt to fool God.
God proves this to
us with all these examples in the Old Testament.
God's ears are
always open to what we say.
God's eyes are
always open to see what we do.
God does not look
upon the outside of us to judge us, He simply looks into the heart to
see if we are real Christians!
When we think we can
tell God what to do, we tread on dangerous ground!
We must understand,
God is very strict on our behavior!
*****Mal 3:13 Your
words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What
have we spoken so much against thee?
Mal 3:14 Ye have
said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have
kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the
LORD of hosts?
Mal 3:15 And now we
call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea,
they that tempt God are even delivered.
Mal 3:16 Then they
that 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.
Starting at verse 13
we can see, that these are the ways we can tell that the course of
this world is not following the will of God.
It is obvious today
that our own government has taken the stand that anything spoken in
the Word of God is evil because it does not fit into their agenda.
This is the battle
our President faces, and we all must stand on the Word of God.
It is not vain to
serve the Lord the benefits are immense!
Psa 116:8 For thou
hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet
from falling.
Psa 116:9 I will
walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
Psa 116:10 I
believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
Psa 116:11 I said
in my haste, All men are liars.
Psa 116:12 What
shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
We should ask
ourselves, how are those so full of pride happy. They are only happy
when they are persecuting the people of God!
They tempt God but
He is quiet.
They provoke God and
God is still silent.
They resist God yet
they are still safe.
We should never
forget that those that do these things are already sentenced to
eternal death so they are not improving their relationship with the
Lord at all and why should God say anything when He has already
judged them?
God only pays
attention to what His children are doing and to what His children are
saying because it is God's children who can put a smile on God's
face, and it is these things that are written in God's Book of
Remembrance.
You see when we
speak to one another of our salvation and of the promises of God and
that we are only visitors here, because our home is in Heaven and how
much we love the Lord, these are the things God wants to hear!
These are the things
that are of delight to our God!
*****Mal 3:17 And
they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make
up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son
that serveth him.
How precious are
God's people to Him, we are all like precious jewels! We can serve
God alone, but we need each and every child of God to serve with us
for the Church to do its work!
It is the fear of
the Lord that binds, that fear being reverence for our Creator who
decided He would save all those who wanted to be with Him and to
trust Him.
Every Christian will
be saved from the wrath of God.
When we think upon
the Lord in the way that He approves, we will be with Him in Glory
and this day may not be that far off!
God has promised He
will gather all His jewels before He begins to deal again with the
children of Israel, and He will gather all those jewels so we will
all be together in the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem!
When the children of
Israel think upon these same things, then they will return from their
backsliding ways to serve the Lord!
*****Mal 3:18 Then
shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked,
between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Those who speak and
act against the Lord will not be gathered but will suffer through out
eternity.
We must be able to
discern between evil and the good.
We must be able to
discern between the righteous and the wicked.
We must be able to
discern between the Christian and those who are lost.
When we see just how
evil this world is, we will certainly know that the Word of God
speaks the truth, and this will increase our faith!
There is coming a
day of "judgment", and we should feel a relief that we have
already been judged!
Rom 5:1 Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom
also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
There is a judgment
day coming, for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ!
*****Mal 4:1 For,
behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it
shall leave them neither root nor branch.
It amazes me that so
many who are lost continue to say that a Loving God would never send
anyone to Hell, when it is plainly written in the Word of God, so
many times!
It also amazes me
that so many who preach the Word of God leave these Scriptures out or
never preach on these things when it is so plainly written in the
Word of God!
What do we know
about the Day of Judgment?
It will be a fiery
day that burns as hot as the hottest furnaces!
Look what Malachi
says.
Remember a true
prophet of God must be exact in his prophecies!
We can just imagine
a fiery furnace that is so hot, it will burn even those who come
close to it.
Dan 3:22 Therefore
because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding
hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego.
Dan 3:23 And these
three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the
midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:24 Then
Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and
spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king,
True, O king.
Dan 3:25 He
answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of
the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like
the Son of God.
Dan 3:26 Then
Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace,
and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of
the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
We should notice
this superhot furnace cannot burn the child of God, but only the
proud who reject God, and the wicked who go against the Word of God!
If we cannot love
our families enough to try to show them these facts of the Bible,
then shame on us!
We need to pray with
all our heart to our Father in Heaven that He will send Holy Ghost
conviction to all our family, all our friends, and anyone else we
know that are lost in this dying world. Time will run out when the
patience of God runs out.
There is so much
difference for those who love the Lord!
*****Mal 4:2 But
unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with
healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of
the stall.
There is only one
sun in our solar system though there may be many suns in God's
creation.
The vastness of our
sun is enormous, and we can feel more than its heat and its powerful
light that removes all darkness.
We know that there
is only one Mediator between God and man and He is the Lord of all
God's creation and our sun is just a spec in the path of the Son of
God!
You see if we have
that reverent fear of God, and a certain fear of His enormous power,
then when we cry out to God for His mercy and His "GRACE",
He will hear us.
Remember "GRACE"
is God's Riches At Christ Expense!
What does the
phrase, calves in a stall mean?
Psa 92:12 The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon.
Psa 92:13 Those
that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts
of our God.
Psa 92:14 They
shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and
flourishing;
Psa 92:15 To shew
that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in him.
What do calves in a
stall mean? They just eat grain and drink water and have no worries
of what is happening outside the barn.
*****Mal 4:3 And ye
shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles
of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of
hosts.
We can tread down
the wicked because having "faith" in the promises of God,
then our "faith" can overcome the world.
1Jn_4:4 Ye are of
God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he
that is in you, than he that is in the world.
When God burns all
the wicked and evil, they will be only ashes under the soles of our
feet!
When we by faith
overcome the world, when we suppress our corrupt appetites and
passions, and when the God of peace bruises Satan under their feet,
then we can indeed tread down the wicked.
We will walk with
the Lord after we have returned with Him, as He spreads His wrath all
around this world!
1Th_4:14 For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus "will God bring with him".
There is only one
way to be part of this group and this is to accept the Lord Jesus
Christ as your Savior before the death of your body on this earth.
Those who will return with Christ Jesus are all those whose name is
written in the Lamb's Book of Life!
Rev_21:27 And there
shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are
written in the Lamb's book of life.
Now most people do
not want to hear about "judgment" but God's judgment is
just as true as God's salvation! plan!
In fact most people
do not consider themselves to be a part of God's judgment, but God
has already judged each of us!
Rom 6:20 For when
ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
Rom 6:21 What fruit
had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end
of those things is death.
Rom 6:22 But now
being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your
fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Rom 6:23 For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Once I was saved, I
was still a sinner, but I am no longer a servant of sin, I serve
Jesus Christ!
God has made another
promise to the Jews.
*****Mal 4:4
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him
in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I
will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he
shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of
the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse.
What did the prophet
Malachi teach these Jews to do until it was time for the Messiah to
come, which would happen after the Prophet Elijah returned!
It was easy.
Remember the law of Moses and do them!
What is the truth
for the Christian? We do not give it much thought, but all the
doctrine of God can be found in the first 11 chapters of the Book of
Genesis. By adding all the 5 books of Moses, it would just as good
for us to follow those.
I know the Laws of
Moses were given to the Jews but besides the Law of the Sabbath that
we do not observe, As we serve the Day of the Lord, which is Sunday,
the remaining laws are good guidelines for everyone!
We should understand
that if the Pentateuch fails then all the New Testament will fail!
The writings of the
Apostle Paul are based upon the Laws of Moses.
Gal_3:24 Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might
be justified by faith.
Gal_3:25 But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
The Lord Jesus
referred to the Laws of Moses many times.
If we reject Moses,
then we must reject the Lord Jesus Christ!
Deu 4:10 Specially
the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the
LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make
them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that
they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their
children.
Luk 1:50 And his
mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
As far as the Church
is concerned there is the great possibility that the Church will be
in Heaven before the return of Elijah.
The return of Elijah
is a sign for the Jews!
Elijah will come to
reconcile the families of the world after the rapture of the Church.
This prophecy is not
linked to chapter 3:1 which speaks of John the Baptist preparing the
way for the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Prophecy of the
return of Elijah is true because he will be one of the two witnesses
who will come before the Lord returns.
The other I believe
to be Enoch.
Rev 11:3 And I will
give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand
two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are
the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God
of the earth.
Rev 11:4 These are
the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God
of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any
man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth
their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner
be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have
power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy:
and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the
earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Rev 11:7 And when
they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth
out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall
overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8 And their
dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was
crucified.
Rev 11:9 And they
of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their
dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead
bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10 And they
that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry,
and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets
tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Rev 11:11 And after
three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them,
and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which
saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they
heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And
they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
If this man is not
Elijah, he will be in the power and might of Elijah.
Men like Elijah and
John the Baptist would be hard to miss, because they possess what
most Christians lack today, "BACKBONES". They know what job
they had to do and came to do those jobs loudly.
To be a forerunner
of the Lord Jesus Christ they must be perfectly fearless in this
wicked world!
What is the job of
this Elijah? To turn the heart of the fathers to the children. In
today's world there are so many families who are without fathers and
many of the rest are too occupied with getting an income.
Many children do not
know what to do and they fall in the clutches of Satan who will in
the end, will destroy them!
If these things do
not go as the Lord demands, He will come with a curse.
Now we can accept
what the Lord says is true, or we can go on doing as we do now!
God has already told
us what He is going to do, and He will not waver until it is done,
and He will be King Jesus for 1000 years.
The one thing is
certain. There will not be as many as could have been in Heaven!
Isa 24:6 Therefore
hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are
desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few
men left.
We should
understand, at the close of Malachi there at least 400 years where
Judah and Benjamin were back in Judah and Jerusalem most always under
the rule of a foreign power even though they tried their best to
remain free.
Many were still
dispersed throughout the Persian Empire including the other 10 tribes
as the Old Testament closes out and God did not speak to His people
for those 400 years.
Part of the prophecy
of Daniel was fulfilled then the Lord came the first time and the
remaining to be fulfilled when the Lord returns for the second time!
Dan 9:25 Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street
shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan 9:26 And after
threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy
the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And he
shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst
of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,
and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon
the desolate.
God will do just
exactly what He says, when He is ready to do it!
Amen
Let’s pray!
