{"id":30478,"date":"2024-03-26T22:00:20","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T05:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/malachi-3_1-15-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-03-27T19:27:26","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T02:27:26","slug":"malachi-3_16-4_6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/malachi-3_16-4_6\/","title":{"rendered":"You Are God\u2019s Treasured Possession"},"content":{"rendered":"

Malachi 3:1-16-4:6 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Malachi 3:16-4:6.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Malachi\u00a03:16\u00a0(NIV)<\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse\u00a016:\u00a0 Here\u00a0Malachi\u00a0describes how those who feared God \u2013 that is, worshiped, revered, and honoured God \u2013 talked to each other, and God not only heard them but also took notes about them.\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0God not only listens to how we talk to Him.\u00a0 He also listens to how we talk to each other.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0When we talk to each other in ways that honour His name \u2013 when we encourage one another in the Lord \u2013 God takes notice.\u00a0\u00a0 Just as it pleases a parent to see his or her children getting along and encouraging one another, so it pleases and honours God when we speak in ways that encourage one another and lift up His name.<\/p>\n

Malachi\u00a03:17 (NLT)<\/strong>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cThey will be my people,\u201d says the LORD of Heaven\u2019s Armies. \u201cOn the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 17:\u00a0 God has a special place in His heart for His people.\u00a0 He calls them \u201cmy own special treasure\u201d and spares them from the wrath He would otherwise show toward those who disobey Him.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0You are God\u2019s own special treasure.<\/strong>\u00a0 2,000 years ago God proved how special you are to Him when He sacrificed His Son Jesus on the cross for you.\u00a0 Ironically, Jesus was the obedient child, but God punished him like a disobedient child.\u00a0 We were the disobedient children, and God spared us as if we were obedient.\u00a0 What an incredible thing God did when He punished His Son and spared us.<\/p>\n

Malachi\u00a03:18-4:3 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.<\/em><\/p>\n

On\u00a03:18 to 4:1-3:\u00a0 In\u00a0Malachi\u2019s time people questioned why they should serve God and put Him first since they didn\u2019t see how those who served God prospered any more than those who did not serve God.\u00a0\u00a0 They even considered those who didn\u2019t trust and serve God \u201cblessed\u201d (see\u00a03:15).\u00a0 Such was the spiritual climate of\u00a0Malachi\u2019s day.<\/p>\n

But in these verses God makes it clear that the outcomes will be very different for those who trust and serve God compared to those who do not.\u00a0\u00a0 On one hand, those who do not trust God will perish in the fire of God\u2019s wrath, such that \u201cnot a root or branch will be left to them.\u201d (v1)\u00a0Meanwhile, those who do trust God and who revere God\u2019s name will be blessed with \u201cthe sun of righteousness\u201d (v2).<\/p>\n

What is this \u201csun of righteousness\u201d?\u00a0 The sun of righteousness is God Himself.\u00a0 Elsewhere in Scripture, God is described as \u201ca sun and shield\u201d (e.g. Psalm 84:11), one so majestic that He wraps Himself in light (Psalm 104:1-3).\u00a0 So when the Lord says in verse 2 that \u201cthe sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings\u201d, He\u2019s saying that those who trust God will personally experience God and His healing.\u00a0\u00a0 And with that healing come great joy and freedom (\u201cyou will\u2026leap like calves released from the stall\u201d \u2013 v2) and victory over your enemies (\u201cyou will\u2026trample down the wicked\u2026under the soles of your feet\u201d \u2013 v3). \u00a0\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0When we encounter Jesus, the Son of Righteousness, and the healing He brings, we experience joy, freedom and a new level of victory in our lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Malachi\u00a04:4 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 4:\u00a0 Why is it good to remember the law of Moses?\u00a0 It\u2019s because, as Paul says, the law of Moses points us to Jesus Christ.\u00a0 As Galatians\u00a03:24 says, \u201cthe law was put in charge to lead us to faith in Christ that we might be justified by faith\u201d.\u00a0 So\u00a0don\u2019t assume that the law of Moses is bad, evil or useless.\u00a0 No, the law of Moses has a purpose: to show us how high God\u2019s standards are and how far we fall short of them, and ultimately to lead us to the Saviour Jesus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Malachi\u00a04:5-6 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 5-6a:\u00a0 Elijah had already left the earth many centuries before\u00a0Malachi\u00a0wrote this verse.\u00a0 So when would God once again send Elijah as\u00a0Malachi\u00a0predicted?\u00a0 The New Testament depicts John the Baptist as the fulfillment of verses 5-6.\u00a0 For example, Jesus says that the second coming of Elijah was fulfilled by the ministry of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14 and Matthew 17:10-13).\u00a0 It\u2019s as if John the Baptist served in the same power and spirit as Elijah and fulfilled the same purpose as Elijah: to prepare people for their Messiah, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 \u00a0Also, when an angel announces to Zechariah and Elizabeth that they would give birth to John the Baptist, the angel says, \u201cAnd he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous–to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17).<\/p>\n

It would be another five centuries before John the Baptist would be born, but here we see that God already had a plan for John the Baptist\u2019s life. In the same way,\u00a0long before you were born, God had a plan for your life.\u00a0 You are not an accident or a mistake.\u00a0 God planned to use your life for His glory.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Malachi\u00a04:6b (NIV)<\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u2026or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 6b:\u00a0 This is the last verse in the Old Testament.\u00a0 Notice that\u00a0the Old Testament ends talking about a curse.\u00a0 In contrast, the last verse of the New Testament ends talking about grace<\/strong>\u00a0(\u201cThe grace of the Lord Jesus be with God\u2019s people. Amen\u201d (see Revelation 22:21).\u00a0 The overall story of the Bible is how God\u2019s grace in our lives overcame the curse on our lives.<\/p>\n

That ends our look at the book of\u00a0Malachi.\u00a0 This last book of the Old Testament points to our failures.\u00a0 The New Testament will point to our hope.<\/p>\n

Father, thank You that because of Jesus my life is no longer defined by a curse, but by Your grace.\u00a0 Thank You that Your healing brings joy, freedom and victory to my life.\u00a0 How awesome it is to be called Your treasure.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today’s passage is\u00a0Malachi 3:16-4:6.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Malachi\u00a03:16\u00a0(NIV)
\n16\u00a0Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.<\/p>\n

On verse\u00a016:\u00a0 Here\u00a0Malachi\u00a0describes how those who feared God \u2013 that is, worshiped, revered, and honoured God \u2013 talked to each other, and God not only heard them but also took notes about them.\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0God not only listens to how we talk to Him.\u00a0 He also listens to how we talk to each other.\u00a0\u00a0When we talk to each other in ways that honour His name \u2013 when we encourage one another in the Lord \u2013 God takes notice.\u00a0\u00a0 Just as it pleases a parent to see his or her children getting along and encouraging one another, so it pleases and honours God when we speak in ways that encourage one another and lift up His name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30478"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30690,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30478\/revisions\/30690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}