There is, in Malachi 3:1, a prophecy which has two parts -
John the Baptist, Jesus the Saviour. When Jesus comes to us, He makes us
new (Malachi 3:2-3). This purpose of God - to make us holy - is in
fulfilment of His plan, which has been spoken of in "the past, as in
years long ago" (Malachi 3:4). In His coming, there is salvation, and
there is also judgment (Malachi 3:5). When we speak about prophecy and
fulfilment, there is something we must never forget: "I, the Lord, never
change" (Malachi 3:6). When we read God's Word, we must pray that we
will see the continuity that comes from the character of God. In Old
Testament times, in New Testament times and today, He calls us to
"return" to Him. He promises that He will "return" to us. as we are
faithful in committing ourselves to Him, He will send His blessing to us
(Malachi 3:7-10). This blessing is described in Malachi 3:11-12. if we
are to enjoy His blessing, we must learn to stop speaking against Him
(Malachi 3:12-14). It is a good thing to seek God's blessing. We must
never take His blessing for granted. That is arrogance (Malachi 3:15).
The better way is the way of fearing the Lord and serving Him (Malachi
3:16,18). When we give ourselves truly to the Lord, we will draw
strength from this: "They will be mine, says the Lord of Armies. On that
day I will make them My special possession" (Malachi 3:17).
"The Son of Man came to save the lost" (Matthew 18:11). In Matthew 18:12-13, Jesus speaks about sheep. He's really speaking about us. He is the Shepherd. We are His sheep. Sheep wander away from the shepherd. We wander away from the Lord. The shepherd looks for the lost sheep. Jesus has come to seek for us and find us. He brings us home to God, our Father. Through His saving grace, we receive new life - a life in which we rejoice in our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He delivers us from the condemnation, which our sin has brought upon us. He brings us into the knowledge of His forgiveness. This Gospel of salvation changes us. It teaches us to live in the power of God's love. Jesus speaks about "the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:12,23), "the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:14,24) and "eternal life" (Matthew 19:29). Jesus' way of thinking and living is so very different from the world's way of thinking and living. He chall...
Comments
Post a Comment