Malachi 1:1-5: Christ the Ultimate Expression of God’s Sovereign Love

INTRODUCTION:

Good Morning:

Stand with me to read the Word of the Lord to us today.

Romans 5:8 NASB95

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Today we start a new series through the last book of the OT Malachi.

Last book of the OT - last prophetic word /400 years /then John the B and Jesus.

Written during the same time frame as Ezra and Nehemiah.

The author is given to us as Malachi - which means messenger or where we get the english term angel.

This could be the authors name or it could simple be an unknown prophet calling himself - the messenger.

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THE HOPE OF THIS SERIES IS TWO FOLD

To help us recall and place our full hope in the love of God in Christ.

To help us rightly bring glory and honor to God in our lives and in our corporate worship.

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WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT.

This is a book about a people who have forgotten that God truly loves them.

It is a book that shows us how far off we can move when we no longer believe God really loves us.

This is a love letter from a father to His children / A letter of discipline for sure.

But a discipline that calls His children back into covenant relationship so, they may expereince the love and grace of God.

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HAVE YOU EVER FORGOTTEN OR DOUBTED GOD’S LOVE TO YOU?

Have you ever looked at the world and thought if you really loved us, why would you allow ……

Have a problem or life situation that has caused you to ask… Do you really love me God?

MY STORY:

Saved money for Bible college

IBC / Money ran dry / No jobs / can’t pay for school or rent / Did you bring me here to abandon me?

Life can hit us hard in unexpected ways..

The enemy will try to use the tragedies and pain of life to get us to doubt the Love of God.

WHILE THIS BOOK ADDRESSES MANY SINS ISRAEL HAD COMMITTED, THE FIRST 5 VERSES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT.

IT IS HERE THAT GOD DEALS WITH THE SIN THAT ALL THE OTHER SINS GREW FROM.

THE SIN OF DOUBTING GOD’S LOVE TO HIS COVENANT PEOPLE.

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THE WORD OF THE LORD

Malachi 1:1–5 NASB95

The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi. “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the Lord of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever.” Your eyes will see this and you will say, “The Lord be magnified beyond the border of Israel!”

In the garden Satan whispered, “did God really say?

At this time, the enemy had whispered, “Does God really love you?”

When we doubt the love of God, our hearts turn inward / selfish / we chase other means of care and provision - idolatry / our worship becomes cold / careless / disengaged / our eyes move towards other gods.

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HOW HAVE YOU LOVED US?

This is the question Israel and in paticular the priests were asking.

In these 5 verses God reveals how He has demonstrated His love.

As we will see these three ways are still how you and I can know for certain, God does indeed loves us.

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The Lord Declares His Love

I HAVE LOVED YOU!

Ahav - Love and is used in the perfect tense.

A completed action with continual ramifications.

Malachi 1:2 GNB

The Lord says to his people, “I have always loved you.”

God Chose Israel based on His love and His continued Love based on His own desire and pleasure.

Deuteronomy 7:7 NASB95

“The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,

THIS BRINGS US TO HIS SECOND EXAMPLE OF HIS COVENANT LOVE FOR ISRAEL.

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THE LORD DECLARES HIS LOVE BY REMINDING ISRAEL OF THEIR ELECTION AND ESAUS REJECTION.

Malachi 1:2–3 NASB95

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”

Love/Hate language scares us but when used as covenant language it makes sense.

Love = chosen to fulfill my promise with Abraham.

Hate = not chosen, rejected to be the covenant carrier.

Romans 9:10–13 NASB95

And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

THIS ELECTION AND REJECTION WAS NOT BASED ON THE MORALITY, RIGHTEOUSNESS, OR GOODNESS OF ONE BROTHER OVER THE OTHER.

Easu despised His birthright.

Jacob was a deceiver and liar.

Both boys based on their own merit deserved to be rejected.

But God out of His love Chose Jacob and rejected Esau.

God’s love was based on His own good pleasure not merit of one or the other.

GOD CHOSE ADAM BEFORE ADAM WAS EVEN CREATED

GOD LOVED ABRAHAM AND CHOSE HIM BEFORE ABRAHAM EVEN KNEW THE LORD.

ISSAC WAS CHOSEN BY GOD BEFORE ISACC WAS BORN

None of these men were chosen by Go based on deeds or their own righteousness.

They were chosen / loved based on God’s own desire.

GOD ALSO PROVED HIS LOVE BY REJECTING ESAU AND EDOM.

Jesus / Herod the great / Antipas / Agrippa

The linage of Jacob rules the nations for eternity.

The linage of Esau was eaten by worms.

Acts 12:23 NASB95

And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

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JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF GOD’S COVENANT AND SOVEREIGN LOVE.

John 3:16 NASB95

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

GOD HAS DECLARED IT IN THE PERSON OF JESUS AND IT IS HISTORICAL!

Romans 5:8 NASB95

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Not based on our righteousness but on His own love.

Does God love you? Yes, even when we were sinners He was making the only way back to Him.

God’s love in Christ is an electing love.

NOT ELECTED BY OUR MERIT BUT ELECTED BECAUSE OF HIS LOVE.

Colossians 1:21 NASB95

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

Ephesians 2:1–2 NASB95

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Romans 3:10–18 NASB95

as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

YET GOD SAW OUR CONDITION AND INITIATED OUR ELECTION IN CHRIST.

Ephesians 1:3–6 NASB95

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

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GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU IS HISTORICAL / HE HAS ELECTED TO SAVE YOU AND CALL YOU HIS / HE ELECTED TO MAKE AN ETERNAL COVENANT WITH YOU IN JESUS.

NOT BASED ON YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS / GOODNESS / WORTH / VALUE

BUT BASED ON HIS OWN DESIRE FOR YOU!

Romans 8:28–31 NASB95

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Romans 8:35–39 NASB95

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

———————————————————————————— GOD LOVES YOU,

HE DECLARES IT THROUGH THE DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS.

HE HAS ELECTED YOU IN CHRIST NOT BASED ON MERIT BUT BASED ON HIS LOVE FOR HIS SON AND YOU.

HE HAS PROVEN TIME AFTER TIME THAT HIS LOVE FOR YOU IS ETERNAL.

FIX YOUR HEART ON HIS LOVE

TURN BACK TO YOUR FIRST LOVE

FOR THE MOMENT WE DOUBT HIS LOVE IS THE MOMENT THE ENEMY HAS A FOOT IN YOUR HEART.