Malachi after giving some fairly stern words finishes with the fact that the great Day of the LORD is coming. We Jesus has come and He will come again. Be blessed as we celebrate His first arrival this Sunday.
Malachi 3:
1 "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
5 "Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
Robbing God
6 "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, 'How shall we return?'
8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions.
9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.
12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
13 "Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, 'How have we spoken against you?'
14 You have said, 'It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts?
15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'"
The Book of Remembrance
16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.
17 "They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Malachi 4: The Great Day of the LORD
1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.
4 "Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
5 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."
Things to think about…
1. Malachi 3:1-5 speaks of John the Baptist’s ministry and the ministry of Christ that would follow. The Lord whom you seek will come to His temple – vs 1. Jesus’ body is His temple, the church is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Continue to pray for Jerusalem and the Jews that they would see the true Messiah – Jesus Christ and be part of this true temple.
2. We know as Christians we can forget the great gift that Jesus is for us and be ungrateful for the Lord’s provision. As such we can hold back tithes and offerings, as the ancient Jews did, Mal 3:6-15. But does this passage of scripture still have any relevance for the Jews of today? Is it just by living moral lives and tithing that will facilitate the Lord’s blessing upon the Jews? Unfortunately, many modern Israelis are more secular than they are spiritual. Tithing is only of benefit if there is an acknowledgement of the Saviour. Many modern Jews are seeing Jesus as the Messiah, but they are certainly still very much in the minority. Only 2% of Israelis are Christian.
3. The book of remembrance, Mal 3:16 and is referred to in Revelation 21:27. Note that it says you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. It’s a tragedy when there is no clear distinction between the church and the world.
4. When we think of Christmas and the arrival of the Saviour, we do not think of judgement but blessing, peace, goodwill to all men. But here Malachi is saying there is a day coming that will burn like an oven. This is also connected with the advent of Christ. Clearly this will be the second and not the first advent. This day will blaze against all those who have rejected His ministry of salvation. But for those who love the Sun of Righteousness Mal 4:2 – that day shall be like a healing and be one of immense joy. Like calves released.
5. Elijah will come first, Mal 4:5. Jesus said that this was John the Baptist. Certainly we will see an Elijah (and Moses) type figure arrive before Christ comes again, see Rev 11:6. Remember both Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration Luke 9:30. The second arrival of Christ will be the ‘awesome day of the Lord’, vs 5. Amen. Awesome indeed.
6. We know in the gospels that Jesus said He had come to bring division. He says in Luke 12:52, 53 “For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." But here in Mal 4:6 Elijah, ‘John the Baptist’ will prepare fathers and their children to receive the message of Christ. Luke 1:17 confirms John’s fulfilment of John the Baptist’s ministry by saying “and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." He certainly did this. I believe at the end of the age there will be another Elijah type man mentioned in Rev 11:3-6 who will do the same and prepare the way for Christ’s return “before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes”, Mal 4:4.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sunday’s message – “Prayers of faith that work” – James 5
a. What do you think about the gift of healing and why the Lord heals sometimes and not at others?
b. James brings out a number of requirements when we ask for a prayer of healing. What are they and why are they important?
c. Discuss the mention of Elijah the prophet and his nature and the relevance of James mentioning this man.
d. The greatest healing needed is healing from sin through the sacrifice of Jesus. Pray for our outreach on Sunday and the family fun day as well as our Easter services.
Prayer Points
1. QB Conference at SeaWorld this week. Jarrod and Jay will be attending.
2. Pray the CBC reaches our into our community and we see many coming to Christ and added to the church. Please come along and invite others to the Palm Sunday outreach this Sunday and Easter services.
3. That our Kids@Church and Chuwar Youth group grow beyond anyone’s expectations.
4. Pray for Chuwar Youth and Jarrod for Friday’s. Pray as he meets with youth at Westside, Ipswich and Bundamba high schools.
5. How you can serve in ministry this year.
6. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
7. Pray our internet streaming issues get sorted out.
Praise Points
1. Dan and Melinda’s wedding on Saturday. Pray for the Lord’s blessing over our dear friends.
2. A good number of visitors on Sunday. Pray this increases over time.
3. Kids@Church and Youth ministries are a great blessing. Keep praying for Rosie and Jarrod.
4. Turf laid in the café area – pray we can continue to finish off this area.
5. Thankyou Ashley, Brian and worship team. Thanks Bec, and Trent for looking after words and sound. Thankyou to all those who serve – you are appreciated and essential for Christ’s work at CBC.
6. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Palm Sunday outreach on the 2nd April – please invite people over these next few days. Potjie and food, rises and fun for the kids.
2. Chuwar Youth Friday nights – 6:30-8:30pm. Grades 7 to 12. Chat to the Youth Pastor Jarrod for more details 0478 845 123.
3. Easter Sunday service – Good Friday 9am, Easter Sunday 9:30am as usual.
4. Remember to check your duty rosters.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for March...
Q. 7. In how many persons does this one God exist? A. In three persons.
