Worship Worthy, Malachi 2:10-3:5

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Welcome and Announcements:

(IF VISITORS)

If you are joining us for the first time today, we would like to thank you for joining us. We know you have options, and we are honored that you would choose to be with us today.

We open our Sundays with prayer time at 9 a.m. in the Bryant Center across the street. At 9:30 a.m. we have Sunday school classes, children included. We also typically have a prayer group that meets at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon to pray for the needs shared on Sunday mornings as well as other requests provided. If you have a special prayer need, I would like to encourage you to put a note in the offering plate and we will include it in our prayer time.

Our current Advent series is from the book of Malachi which is the last book in the Old Testament. It was also the last written book before Jesus was born. We get an idea of where they failed, and we inventory our lives today to prevent doing likewise.

If you enjoy listening to your phone, I highly recommend the ap, “Through the Word.” You can do a one chapter a day Bible study in less than 20 minutes. It is a great way to be in your Bible each day, as it helps us to understand how people came into existence and what our ultimate purpose is and our eventual destination.

Before we jump into today’s worship, allow me to share some quick announcements.

• Eileen’s service to come sometime after Christmas and New Year

Check your mailbox cubbie and let me know if your family needs one

Check out Christmas cards on back bulletin board

• Christmas Eve Service @ 4 p.m.

New Year’s Eve Prayer time, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Advent Reading:

THE BLESSING OF HOME

Reader One:

Micah 5:2–5 (NIV)

2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

5 And he will be our peace...

Reader Two:

Luke 1:39–45 NIV

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Reader One:

Sometimes when we are trying something new, or when we are facing a difficult decision, or when we want to celebrate something, or when we just feel lost and alone and uncertain about life, the universe and everything, we need a blessing. We don’t always think of it that way, or word it like that. We say we need advice, or support, or companions, or someone to come along beside and lift us up again so we can see more than the tops of our shoes. We seek a blessing.

Reader Two:

For many of us, we go home; we ask mom; we talk to dad, or brothers and sisters, close friends, those we grew up with, those who know us best. We want them alongside; we want to be in their presence. Somehow, we know that being there, being home, will make all things better. Maybe it won’t be fixed, or solved, or wished away, but at least we won’t be alone. We seek a blessing.

Reader One:

Mary, faced with an incomprehensible burden and gift, ran to Cousin Elizabeth’s house, looking for someone who knew a little of what she was going through, looking for a place to hide until the reality of her condition could become something real. And she received a blessing. The prophet Micah spoke of a blessing coming to an unexpected place, an unassuming town. Yet by God’s grace would become the means through which God would bless the whole world. Bethlehem, the little town of blessing. We seek a blessing.

Reader Two:

We light these candles, the candle of hope, of peace, of joy and of today, love, as a sign that we know blessing and we know waiting for blessing to be felt and lived. We light these candles as a sign that we still seek a blessing. It’s time to go home. Light all four candles in the Advent wreath

Prayer

Worship Set

Prayer

Worship Through the Word:

Worship Worthy

Advent is about waiting. We are encouraged to be waiting and watching for something that is to come. During our Christmas Advent vigil, we are counting down to the day we celebrate Jesus first coming, but are also looking ahead with the expectation of His second coming.

Waiting also calls for perseverance because it is not easy to wait. Our anticipation can wane and we become distracted by other things that are happening now. For this reason, the people we spend time with our crucial. If we spend time with others waiting for the same thing, we help keep each other enthused. We encourage each other and remind each other of the goal we are focused on.

Waiting isn’t easy, however, the longer our wait, the greater the celebration when the time arrives.

Can you imagine how difficult it would be to know something wonderful was about to occur, something people had waited a long time for, and you couldn’t tell anyone? Can you imagine how hard that would be? Well, I know of a case where that occurred.

I was recently reading an account from the book of Luke that made me ponder what it would be like to know something wonderful was about to occur, something people had been looking for and talking about for several hundred years, and suddenly you knew the time and place, and you could tell no one.

The man’s name was Zechariah. He was the priest who was chosen by lot one night to go and make the prayer supplications before God’s altar of incense. All the people were gathered outside the temple praying and Zechariah went into the temple, lit the incense and lifted his hands and began to pray. Suddenly, just to the right of the altar of incense and in front of the Holy of Holies curtain, an angel appeared. How frightening this must have been for Zechariah. This was a most unusual thing to happen.

The angel then shares a very important message with him.

Luke 1:13–17 NIV

13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah understood that this angel was talking about the messenger that the Old Testament prophets told about. However, it was difficult for him to believe it. He doubted it and was struck mute until the birth of his son. It is difficult to know when it all became real for him. Perhaps as fast as he was struck mute. Or perhaps it was when his wife, who was old and barren declared she was pregnant. Either way, it was month’s before he could share the news. The messenger was coming, which meant the Messiah was coming! They had been waiting four hundred years for this moment and he could not tell anyone! How frustrating that must have been for him.

Today, we get further details on the ways that Israel was dishonoring God and we find one of the Christmas prophecies that still brings hope to us today. It is a call to Israel to persevere in doing right as God will come to them. It is one of the very prophecies that would have come to Zechariah’s mind in that moment at the altar.

Malachi 2:10–3:5 NIV

10 Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another? 11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove him from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings an offering to the Lord Almighty. 13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. 14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. 15 Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. 16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. 17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” 1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. 5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

Father, please bless this Word which you have provided and which we now receive. Amen!

I. Learning to Persevere. Malachi 2:10-3:5

As we get deeper into this book of Malachi, we find further details of what is happening in Israel and we find that it is not only the people’s relationship with God that eroding, but it is family relationship as a whole. There are four levels of relationship and they are as follows.

Our relationship with God.

This is our first and most important relationship. It also has an important impact on every other relationship we have.

2. Our relationship to our immediate and extended family;

wives first, children second, parents, siblings, extended family following in that order.

3. Our relationship to our church family.

The church is a family. We are the family of God. God is our Father. Jesus is related to us as a brother, but also our King. Other Christians become our brothers and sisters. Those in our church family are our next priority outside our blood families.

John 13:35 NIV

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

4. Our last relationship is our call to seek and save the lost.

We reach out to those with spiritual, physical, or financial needs and we lend a hand all the while sharing with them God’s love and message of salvation.

In Malachi, we find that Israel was failing at both of the first two; their relationship with God and their relationship with family. They were failing their wives and children, as well as their extended family by the bad example they were setting.

God addresses them reminding them that they are family (all Israel). That means, when they behave in wrong manners, it harms and misleads their whole family.

Malachi 2:10 NIV

10 Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?

The rest of Malachi 2 is a breakdown of...

A. Israel’s Offenses, Malachi 2:10-17

In this passage we quickly find foundational issues that continue to plague and erode their relationship with God. It also strains and damages the family structure and that in turn over time, harms the nation. These offenses were not new to this generation of Israel, but if you follow their story through from the beginning of their time in Israel, you will find these same offenses occuring repeatedly.

1. They married idol worshippers. Malachi 2:11

Malachi 2:11 NIV

11 Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god.

What is the sanctuary the Lord loves? The home. God designed and created a family structure. That structure functions in a healthy way when God is worshipped and is the center of those who live in that family. But when Israel married people who were of another faith, how could they expect to serve God and keep him first? When their is religious differences, it causes conflict in the home. It prevents us from serving God as we should because we have someone else to consider and they refuse to comply with our call to serve God in various ways (time/tithes).

I personally think this goes further today than just being a Christian. I know that there are no two people who will completely agree 100% on any issue, even on scriptural interpretation. However, some differences do not affect anything in your home while others do. Some denominations are similar in their understandings of Spiritual things. Others may be a lot different and bring conflict into the home. (Lance & I-definition of submission)

When a Christian marries, it is extremely important to marry a another Christian and one whose doctrinal leanings are closely joined. This means, you need to understand the various doctrines and you need to take time to make a choice of the doctrine that fits your understanding best, then marry someone with similar understanding. Our marriage partner has a lot to do with our ability to persevere and serve God as God is calling us to do. Too often people do not think this is important, but it really is if God is the first priority in your life.

One day, we will each stand before God accountable for what we have done and what we do is based on our understanding of God. That means having decided for ourselves what God’s Word is telling us. God will not accept the excuse, “well my spouse wouldn’t let me do that.”

(For those who are married before becoming a Christian, it will be different. However, we still are called to serve God according to His call for us and we are not even to allow a spouse to prevent us from doing so. If God is directing us to do something, He has a way and means for us to do it. EX: Wife who tithed on her egg sales)

Israel’s second offense was that...

2. They blamed God for not blessing them. (Malachi 2:13, 17)

Malachi 2:13 NIV

13 Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.

When God did not accept their offerings, they acted like He was a bad guy for not doing so. They were unwilling to obey the laws of God, yet they expected Him to still receive their offerings. God told them...

Malachi 2:17 NIV

17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

The nation of Israel wanted to marry whoever physically pleased them. They wanted to have their own way and live selfishly. They did not want to follow God, but they wanted God to bless their own plans and indulge them in whatever they wanted. When God did not do so, they accused God of being unjust.

How many times do we see the same thing in our world? Many call themselves Christian and will tell you they pray asking for God’s help. But if we look at their lives in light of God’s scriptures, we find they are living a life contrary to God’s Word. They have not chosen a path of fellowship with God. They may come to church on occasion. They have a Bible in their home and they may even know a few verses, usually the ones that talk about God’s blessings. However, it is all a surface level devotion. “God, bless my plans,” instead of asking, “God, what is your plan for my life?”

God blesses us when we follow His plans, but no where in God’s word does He say He will bless our plans.

One scripture I often hear quoted is Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

People zero in on the “prosper,” “not harm,” “hope and future,” but they miss the part that says, “plans I have for you.” Israel’s offense is clearly the offense of many today.

However, God brought another charge against them.

3. They were unfaithful to their Hebrew wives. Malachi 2:14-16

Malachi 2:14–16 NIV

14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. 15 Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. 16 “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.

There were times in Israel’s history when polygamy was practiced. This was never mandated by God and in time it was not seen as proper. By this time in their history, I believe that was not accepted. However, they did practice divorce. They did have a law that allowed it. When Jesus came He made it clear that this was not approved by God, but it was to satisfy their own hard hearts that were demanding it. God provides us a free will and if we continue to push, He allows us our way. But this does not mean that He condones or will bless our actions.

Since multiple marriages were no longer allowed, the men of Israel divorced their wives to take on new foreign women as wives. When they did this, they harmed the women of Israel in several ways.

It took financial security away from their wives.

It jeopardized their children spiritually who were exposed to these alien influences and financially since their father had a new wife.

It made it difficult for the women of Israel to do what they were called upon to do spiritually. If the men of Israel married foreign women, it put the women of Israel in a place where they also felt forced to marry men of other nations to survive.

We know that we live in a time when many find no fault with divorce. It is a common practice and it feels like more are divorced than are not divorced. It is important to understand that God hates divorce but God loves you even if you are divorced. God hates divorce because He knows it harms you in many ways; financially, emotionally, sometimes physically (working hard to bring in the money), etc… God’s plan was always for a healthy home and family. He knows that is what is best for all of us.

There are reasons stated in scripture when divorce was permitted by God’s law, but I am hesitant to list them here, though I will add that God would never have you stay in a relationship where your safety is in jeopardy. If you are with someone who is harming you, get out! However, for other reasons it is best to seek scripture’s answer. I could give a list but some of them are based on interpretation that are best prayed over. Someone can advise you but bottom line it has to come down to your conviction of what God is showing you in His Word.

4. They hindered their children’s relationship with God. Malachi 2:15

How could their children know God and God’s blessings, when they were being raised by women who worshiped idols. Or raised by mothers struggling to feed them because they were abandoned for more exotic women? Not to mention, there was failure to teach their children right and wrong as God taught it.

So, these were their offenses. Now, lets look at...

B. God’s Response and Expectations. Malachi 2:10-17

We have listed their offenses, but what was God’s answers? How did He respond to these failures?

1. God expected them to keep their covenant with Him central starting with who they married. Malachi 2:11-12

This was not an option. It was a command! God made this clear by giving His response to these situations.

Malachi 2:12 NIV

12 As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove him from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings an offering to the Lord Almighty.

God literally wanted them to eject any man who married outside of the nation. Why? Because as long as they got away with it, it would compromise the Spiritual order of Israel. One would start, and others would follow. It was not to be permitted!

God’s second response was that...

2. God would not bless unfaithful behavior. Malachi 2:13

They could not expect God to bless them in their sin. Sin brought harm to them and their families and God would not stand for it. He definitely wasn’t going to bless it, no matter how much they cried and carried on.

I often hear people say that God hasn’t answered their prayers. Sometimes it is because we are asking Him for something that isn’t His will. However, there are times God doesn’t answer because we are not living our lives in accordance with His wishes. God is never obligated to answer our prayers. He does so out of His goodness and His love for us. However, when our behavior brings dishonor to Him, or is harmful to us, or our children, we can bet that God will not answer.

3. God expects us to raise children who know and serve Him. Malachi 2:15

We often have our sites set on what is happening in the moment. However, God is looking into the future. He is concerned with the generations yet to be born. He wants the generations yet to come, to come knowing Him and serving Him. He wants healthy God followers and these come the best through homes with...

a. Two parents who love, honor, and serve each other.

Healthy marriages have a lot to say about how healthy the family will be. Children raised in homes where there is a solid marriage, often have better self-esteem, a sense of self-worth, and usually make better marriages when their time comes.

One of the best ways a good marriage and a healthy family are achieved is if...

b. Both parents love, honor, and serve God.

The reason is because they are going in the same direction and that direction is toward God. A solid marriage is a cord of three.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

There is strength in a cord of three. I think we all understand this. One thread is easily broken. If you place two together, the forces pulling it are divided and weakened and the double thread will resist more before it breaks. There is a synergistic response to three. That is when you place three strings together, their resistance goes beyond tripling the initial force.

God blesses, guards, and protects a marriage that is honoring to Him, but He does something even more. He brings unity to the match. Two people that come together are usually on two different paths that line up together for awhile, but can begin to pull away once again after a time. Each is following their own mind. However, when God is leading and both are following God, they continue in the same path.

I heard an interesting report a couple weeks ago. I do not know all the details so cannot confirm it, but it rang true to what I have witnessed throughout my life. This pastor reported that there are many saying that divorce is just as prevalent among Christians as among non-Christians. He said this is a false report and there are other polls that show this is not true. When they compared how the pollsters got their results, they found that their defining of a Christian came through two different ways.

The polls that said that Christian divorces were nearly equal to non-Christian homes, had only one question that said, “Are you a Christian?” Now, most people in our nation consider themselves Christian. However, people’s definitions of what a Christian is varies. Most Americans believe themselves Christian, even if they just see themselves as “spiritual.” That means they believe in supernatural occurrences and they try to be good people, at least according to their standard of good. However, a true Christian is someone who has put their faith in Jesus Christ, as God’s one and only Son who died for our salvation and then live according to God’s word and God’s will. So, this method of polling was very inaccurate.

However, another poll, asked if people were Christian then followed it up with other questions that would indicate if they really were. Throughout their poll, they asked other very telling questions such as, “How often do you go to church?” “How involved are you in Church?” “Do you tithe?” “Do you read or study the Bible regularly for yourself?” They had a criteria by which it was a series of their answers that truly marked them as Christian. When they did this, they found that divorce was nearly non-existent among these who were more devoted to God.

The unity that God brings helps keeps couples together. It helps individuals to be better spouses and better parents. Not perfect, but working toward a common goal. It brings unity. Parents in this kind of a marriage are then able to set forth a Godly example for their children. Even though it is not uncommon for children to stray away and test things for themselves, they often come back because of the health, and security they experienced in that Godly environment. This in turn, leads to...

c. Generational Godliness.

What I mean by that is that the Christian faith is carried on with each generation. It can even work in reverse. What I mean by that, is that a first generation Christian family, may lead their parents/grandparents to the Lord. I have seen this happen. A girl I once knew had gone to VBS and accepted Christ. She wanted to continue going to church. Her mother noticed a change in her, so her mother started going to church and was saved. Some years later, her father accepted the Lord because of the change he saw in his wife and daughter. Over time, this had an effect on her brothers and their lives. So, I say this was in reverse because it began with a young girl and worked to the previous generation which was her parents.

In my family, you could say I am a fourth generation Christian. I had great grandparents who were Methodist missionaries. I am a third generation Nazarene. Of my three siblings, two are Christians and serving in full time ministry. I am not sure about my sister, but her husband became a Christian because of my parent’s influence and he leads a Bible study. We are not perfect. We each stepped away from God for a time but because of the influence of our parents, we each returned to the church and have been fully invested in the ministry of the church.

Proverbs 22:6 NASB95

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

4. Men who treat their wives and children with love, and respect, are also providing security for their families. Malachi 2:16

There is something so very peaceful about a family where love and respect rules. When God and His Word are at the center of a home, there is a great sense of security for all who live in such a home. Good relationships make happy, healthy people.

5. God is just and will one day complete justice. Malachi 2:17

Malachi 2:17 NIV

17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

They called God unjust for not providing and taking care of their every whim, however, God is just and one day He will need to take action to fulfill justice. God may not act to instantly strike down every perpetrator of injustice, but one day God will set the books straight and take action against the guilty. However, when we accept Jesus as our Savior, our injustices are cleared from the books. They have been set right by the blood of Jesus Christ. He paid our debt. And here God shifts from the charges He is bringing against Israel, to the reason why it is so important for them to get their act together. They need to repent and clean house because God is coming to town.

C. Judgment Day Will Come! Malachi 3:1-5

God has allowed Satan to carry on for a time. Eventually, that time will end. When it does, God will make things right once again, but to do that, God must judge and remove those who have continually denied His sovereignty. Those days will come and God gives some details for Israel to watch for indicating the time has arrived.

1. John the Baptist Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3-5

Malachi 3:1 NIV

1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

This was nothing new to them. Malachi was reiterating the words of Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:3–5 NIV

3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Jesus will later identify John as the one that these scriptures were talking about. We also see Jesus’ first coming referred to in that same verse.

2. Jesus’ First Coming Malachi 3:1

Malachi 3:1 (NIV)

1 “...Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

This most definitely is talking about Jesus’ appearance during John’s lifetime. However, the following verses may speak some of Jesus’ first coming but most seems to address His second coming which we are still waiting for today.

3. Jesus’ Second Coming Malachi 3:2-5

Malachi 3:2–5 NIV

2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. 5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.

When Jesus comes the second time, He will come as judge and He will put things right.

God does not want people to be taken by surprise. His Word continually gives warnings and points to future events, many of which have already been fulfilled just as the Bible said.

God is alerting Israel as He wants them to clean up their act. They need to put things right and keep their eyes on God, seeking to do God’s will. He wants them to persevere as they wait for His coming. He has a plan. He knows the timing, but our part is to live according to His will until such time as He returns for us.

Conclusion

Waiting and persevering in righteous living was what God was calling Israel to do and that is what God is calling us to do. As we approach Christmas, we are reminded of what it is all about. It is about the Messiah who came just as God said He would. He was born and grew up like each of us. He walked among people and lived as one of us. He most likely worked as a carpenter until His 30th birthday, but then He laid down His hammer. In obedience to God’s call, He took up His ministry among the people. He called fishermen, tax collectors, and a physician to follow Him and they did. He served and taught for three years, then He allowed Himself to be put on trial, falsely accused, and sentenced to the worst punishment known, just so we could be saved.

So as we approach Christmas this year, may we take some time to evaluate our lives. Is there something we need to adjust in our lives? Have we taken our eyes off the goal and allowed them to get focused on other things? Are we honoring God appropriately with our time, our money, and our relationships?

My prayer is that come Christmas Eve, we can lift our hearts and hands in worship to God and freely honor the memory of His Son’s first coming even as we continue to persevere and are watchful for His return.

Prayer

Worship Set

Benediction