Transformed By Malachi - Part 4

Transformed By Malachi - Part 4

Malachi 3:7 NCV

7 Since the time of your ancestors, you have disobeyed my rules and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord All-Powerful. “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

Pray

Confession of Faith

I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name

Intro:

Sometimes we do things that seem to be right and don’t realize that the actions, thoughts, deeds move us away from God!

The challenge is we still attend church service, we tithe, we work in the church, we help others, we do one thing after the other!

So it doesn’t seem like we have left God!

Sometimes we are so far away from God that we don’t realize the true condition we are in!

So God is calling out to us:

But he is doing it his way

Malachi 3:7 The Message

7 You have a long history of ignoring my commands. You haven’t done a thing I’ve told you. Return to me so I can return to you,” says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. “You ask, ‘But how do we return?’

I Believe we must be aware of things we do as rituals!

How do you prepare yourself for Worship!

Here is what I mean: sometimes we give are all to the world and we leave the last bit of time, effort, and energy for God! We barely show up and then in our pride, we think that’s good enough!

2. We like the pageantry of church! Meaning as long as the church building looks good, the choir sounds good, the people dress good, the preacher preach good we think that's power!

3. The other thing we do is allow people who have the vocabulary of the Word of God impress us without having the associated lifestyle!

But we see in the text God is saying return to me!

Come back to me

You have left me!

This is transformative! This makes me think -

This begs thee question “

“Am I Right With You God?”

In this Message God is talking to us - his people!

He is saying return or repent!

To repent is to return to God!

God is saying come back home!

Just like the prodigal son - he knew he realized how far away from his real home he was - he knew he needed to go back home!

Luke 15:17–24 NLT

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’ 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

This is what repentance means - “Come Back To Jesus”

What God is saying to the people in Malachi - the New testament tells us to

Change Our Minds! We were walking in one direction and you realize you are going in the wrong direction and turn around and go the opposite way!

Now one of the gifts that I did not receive is that good sense of direction! You know people who can find out how to get somewhere once and always figure out how to get back that place no matter where they are at

When I am by myself - I have gotten lost many times, and needed to turn around and go back!

But when she is in the car she is like - yes this is the right way, don’t you remember that building? - don’t remember that orange sign over there - If you did not pass the orange sign you are going in the wrong direction!

So she was my GPS , before Google Maps and Waze’s started directing me!

But when it comes to my spiritual and moral compass - the bible has always been my GPS!

I read it and it says, things like

Forgive

Love

be Patient

Be Kind

Don’t Worry

Don’t Lie,

Don’t Kill

Have Faith,

Trust God,

Pray,

Give and it will be given back to you

So when you find your self doing the opposite of the bible, Turn around , change your mind, go back to home base, Repent!

Malachi 3:7 AMP

7 Even from the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My ordinances 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?

Something interesting I see, in the bible! Repentance is always directed at believe’s!

The New testament is telling Christians to Repent!!

We believe or we have the notion to tell only unbelievers to repent, but God is talking to his own!

This is the transformation!

It’s not them - It’s me that must repent!

So this was transformative for me! Maybe the Kingdom of God is not increasing, because of me!

Maybe God is call me to turn back to hi and I think he is talking to the World!

Maybe I am keeping the unsaved from the Kingdom of God, because I have not turned back to God and they are watching my words and my actions!

Transformative!

Now I think God is telling the unsaved to believe in Jesus Christ! That’s the repenting assigned to the unbeliever!

1 Thessalonians 1:9 NKJV

9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

When I was in the world - I didn’t believe on Jesus Christ! - I knew of him, but I did not believe! Once I came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, My mind change was to believe in him!

That is the repentance of the unbeliever

Acts 16:31 NKJV

31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Now that I believe, sin means - I have left the Home of my Lord and Savior and I need to turn around and go back home!

This is why Malachi is talking to the people of God, because we are unaware that we need to repent!

To the unbeliever we Preach Jesus Christ! Whatever they are doing we say

Acts 16:31 (NCV)

31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved

Preaching Repentance is for the Church!

The World needs Jesus!

Our Job is to tell them Jesus Christ died for your sins! No matter what the sin is!

Paul didn’t preach to the world about idolatry -He preached Jesus

Paul did not preach to people about alcoholism, or drug addiction - He preached Jesus

Paul did not preach about fornication or adultery - He preached How Jesus died for our sins!

That’s why we share with the world - “Come as you are” We are only asking you to believe on Jesus

What is transforming is that preaching on any sins is for the children of God to turn back, turn away from that thing and turn back to God!

God is calling his children to repent! But you must be aware that repentance is necessary!

It took the prodigal son - to start eating out of a pigpen before he came to his senses!

As a Christian - a life of sin is not any fun at all , especially the fun we thought it would be!

It is time to get out the pigpen! Only pigs like pigpens!

Don’t deny that you need to repent and return to God! Please don’t act like, just because you come to church God is happy with you lifestyle!

Please don’t pretend that just because you know how to say “Praise The Lord” or “Hallelujah” That you are in right standing with God!

Maybe your heart is far away from God!

He is asking you and me - his children, his people to come back to him!

Why is it so hard for Believers to repent!

Do you know - telling church people to repent will get pastors thrown out the church!

Don’t be like the People in Malachi’s day

Malachi 3:7 (NKJV)

7, ‘In what way shall we return?’

Malachi 3:7 (NCV)

7 “But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

We have a big church and we are good people and we do a lot in the community and we help and we tithe and we give - we don’t need to repent

Now I know Malachi has not been a pleasure to walk through! many Church folks will tune out! But I believe Malachi is talking to us today! I know it is talking to me! I want to transform, I want to change, I want to look more like Jesus everyday! So I must put the work in!

You must put the work in!

We have some members in the church battling diseases like cancer, diabetes etc… But the doctors are trying to cut out or eradicate the thing that is killing the body! Some of the treatments are harsh and hard treatments to go through, but it must be done to live, to thrive, to survive!

It’s the same spiritually! Things that separate me from my life source Jesus Christ, must be eradicated, cut out, I must leave those things and turn back to God!

Next week we will look at how God reveals some specific things that the church was doing and how the people responded!

God Bless you and keep you is my prayer!

If you as a believer are getting beat up by life, You know your life is not the example of a Life to present before God