A Message about a Messenger
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Malachi 4:1-6
Long ago, as time began, God planted a garden for the man and woman He had created. It had everything they needed, and God would walk and talk with them in the cool of the day. But there was one restriction, only one. The Deceiver came and convinced them that something that looked so good surely could not harm them...and so, they hungered for what God had forbidden, and ate. Sin always comes with a consequence and so the ground was cursed with thistles and weeds, and the man and woman with toil and hard labor. And to the Deceiver, God said, “the offspring of the woman will crush your head.”
He’s coming.
Isaiah, the prophet of old, told us a Son would be born, and His name would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”
He’s coming.
Malachi tells of a forerunner, a herald, (every King has one) who will come in the spirit of Elijah and his message will be “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Zacharias declared a benedictus after the birth of his son, John, and prophesied, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways to give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high shall visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.”
He’s coming.
In Malachi 3, we learned that the Lord who is coming is like a “refiner’s fire and a fullers’ soap.” These are not meant to destroy, but to purify and cleanse. In Matthew 1:20-21, an angel appeared to Joseph and said, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. This child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. She shall give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS for He will save His people from their sins.”
He’s coming.
The last words to Israel, before 400 years of silence, is about the judgement of the arrogant and every evil doer. But for those who fear the Lord’s name, the “sun of righteousness” will rise with healing in its wings. How does one escape this terrible judgement of the Lord? Malachi 4:4 says “Remember the law of Moses, My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.” Yes, we now live in a dispensation of Grace, but that doesn’t negate the need for us to obey the commandments of God. I read on Facebook – there are a few good posts – that the reason we have 17,000 pages in our law books is because we cannot follow ten laws on a tablet made of stone. How true! And God knew we couldn’t consistently keep them on our own, so He sent His Son to pay the ransom for our sins, and sent the Holy Spirit to help us in our weaknesses. Our part is to confess our sins and believe in Him as our Savior.
Because of His bountiful, tender, merciful love, God sent us warnings through the prophets and the writers of the Word. Malachi’s prophecy points to John the Baptist who came before Christ preaching repentance, saying that after him was coming one whose shoe John was not worthy to untie, the one of whom he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
It was all God’s mercy. Over and over He shows His love, over and over he forgives, over and over He warns and sends messages for us to draw close to God and purify ourselves through repentance.
He’s coming.
Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of His coming to earth to teach and give us the good news; and to suffer and die and rise again to defeat sin and the grave. But that isn't the end. In Acts 1:11 after Jesus ascends to heaven, two angels stood beside them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
He’s coming.
Hebrews 9:28 says, “To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
He’s coming. Are you ready? Are you eagerly looking for Him?
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Waiting for Jesus,
Jo