Advanced Lesson 3 - Book of Malachi

MESSAGE FOR PEOPLE TODAY FROM THE BOOK OF MALACHI

                                                                    Lesson 39 of 39

Background Information:

ü  In the book of Haggai, the prophet Haggai warned people how contagious sin is, so people would build a temple where they could consider their ways. The governor, the high priest, and the remnant considered their ways by hearing and believing the truth. After hearing and believing the truth, God “stirs up” their spirit to awaken their heart to build the temple.

ü  In the book of Zechariah, the prophet Zechariah said to turn to God and align our behaviors of how we love with The Rock of Faith and the Headstone on a plane that shouts grace, grace, grace. He said the temple should not be built with might or power but by the Spirit of God.

Statement of Faith to Say Amen to for the Book of Malachi:

I can be faithful.

Essential Question:

How is the word of the Lord a burden to love?

Book of Malachi

Have students read pages 46-55 in Turn or Burn.

After students read the information ask them, "What do you want to talk about?"

Remember the Issue:

Because God will bless faithful believers who turn to Him, will a curse fall on people who have lukewarm faith? God will judge the unfaithful wicked people who oppress God’s servants. The word of the Lord is a burden to bear because God’s servants are faithful to Him by witnessing to others that God will judge the world. This is a burden to bear: To be a witness of righteousness to evil people.

We are unfaithful when we question if God will judge the wicked. Today, the unclean spirits, heathens, and unfaithful are pushing out a message of Jesus plus anything equals salvation. They are teaching how to be a witness who seeks prosperity, celebrates pride, believes in lying vanities, is unfaithful, listens to the Jezebel spirit, and is prejudiced against the word of God with self-righteousness. This message excludes the Father and teaches a message that is not a burden to bear because it excludes God’s punishment and judgment. The message teaches people to love sin. It also does not teach that the cost of sin is death. Love is a behavior, and when we love with sinful behaviors, our behaviors will not be righteous.

Remember the Truth Jesus Brought:

Because God loves His servants, the wicked will be judged! The wicked teach a false message of not having to repent for sin. The wicked say (1) “Everyone that would do evil is good in the sight of the Lord and God delighteth in them,” or they will say (2) “Where is the God of judgement” (Malachi, 2: 16-17). Malachi said the ones who fear the Lord were speaking about the people bearing false witness and the Lord had A Book of Remembrance written before Him for people who do “fear the Lord and esteem His name” (Malachi 3:16). They will be mine says the Lord and I will spare them. As it is written in Malachi 3:18, “Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth not.” We are called to be servants.

Remember the Rock God Established:

People need to realize that people are going to be divided into two groups: As it is written in Malachi, we see how God has loved Jacob but has hated Esau. Esau lived a life that refused to witness that God would judge sin, while Jacob lived a life that was a witness to the fact that God would execute justice.

How did Esau pollute his sacrifice? In the way, he treated God, his family, and his neighbors. Esau had his special priests who did not teach God’s commandments or how the relationship between the sacrifice and God’s commandments recognizes the justice of God’s holiness. God told Esau’s priests that they had despised His name. The sacrifice was supposed to teach how to be a reflection of the holiness of God. The people were never taught that blaspheming God was an unforgiven sin. The people never considered their way or turned to God; they were unfaithful to God. God asked the priests the rhetorical question, “Would the governor be happy with this sacrifice?”

Now with the Holy Spirit, the governor is to make laws to control the flesh and the church culture should be influencing the laws governing the flesh. This is a burden to bear when the church is being overtaken by the world’s culture. A Book of Remembrance is a book to distinguish between righteous and sinful behaviors. We are to be servants who are building an internal temple that will bear witness to the world and when the world is taking over the church culture this is a burden to bear.

Malachi gave examples of how our worship is defined by how we love God and our family. Next, Malachi said that our worship is also defined by the way we love and treat our neighbors (anyone we meet). When Jesus was questioned about what were the most important commandments in the law, His response is written in Matthew 22: 37-40, “Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’”

When the church does not teach people how to bear the burden of living among evil people, the number of evil people will increase. When evil sinful behaviors are more prevalent than righteous behaviors, we have to continue to bear good fruit and build our internal temple because Jesus is coming back to judge the Earth.

When we present our living sacrifice with a heart that reflects things of the spirit, God will weigh our heart and measure our spirit and not find us wanting: This is the remanent Jesus will save because Jesus is coming back for His bride. However, when our heart reflects things of the world, God will weigh our heart and measure our spirit, and find us wanting, and that we blasphemed the Holy Spirit. This is an unforgivable sin. When we are found wanting, we will have lukewarm faith, and Jesus will spit us out of His mouth.

Activity:

The activity directions are located in Appendix 3.

Students will play a game called Sin.

Conclusion:

God is going to send His Son to purify, so people can offer an acceptable living sacrifice in righteousness.

Will you turn to God or the world?

We need to sing, sing, sing about God’s grace ~ Melody of Church’s Island