to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet you say, wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord, yet I loved Jacob. And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons in the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, we are impoverished, but we will turn and build the desolate places. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, they shall build, but I will throw down, they shall call them, and that you shall call them the border of wickedness and the people against whom the Lord hath the indignation forever. And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, the Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel. Verse two, I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet you say, wherein hast thou loved us? Let's pray. Father in heaven, Lord, we do want to stop again tonight and to thank you for this day and for your blessings and for your goodness to us. And Lord, thank you for the opportunity we have to be in the house tonight. Lord, we thank you for the, Lord, the ones in the prayer request that we've seen you answer, and we thank you for that. Father, we thank you for the privilege of prayer, and Lord, help us never come accustomed to such a great privilege that we have. Lord, help us tonight just to stop here for a little bit and to look at thy word. Accomplish your will, we ask in Christ's name, amen. I don't know if I turned my mic on or not, but Abel's looking at me. Timeline of the book of Malachi. I need a I need I need Alex you even sick you're tired. You don't feel good. Come on up here Alex. Come on up. Yeah Here's Alex. We're gonna start with he is the rubable first remember what we saw back in the book of Ezra that is a rubable led 50,000 men out and He led a group of 50,000 without captivity, and then they went back down to Jerusalem, and there they built the altar, and they laid the foundation of the temple, and then the work stopped. And then who can tell me, who did the Lord call in to preach to them after the work stopped? Anybody remember? H? Haggai and Zechariah. Okay. Here's Zerubbabel. They came in. They built the altar. Come over here, Zerubbabel. And they laid the foundation of the temple, and then the work stopped, and then the Lord called in Haggai and Zechariah to preach to the people. They had a little revival, and they finished the table. They finished that, and then Who came down from Babylon after Zerubbabel? Who came next? There's a book of Babylon named after him. It starts with E-Z. And he's sitting... No, not Ezekiel. He's sitting in the back with the beard. Ezra, okay. It's after that. Ezra came down. And then who came after Ezra to rebuild the walls? Nehemiah came and he rebuilt the wall and then so I'll give you a time frame of Haggai and Zechariah and then we're from 50 to 100 years after that era to Nehemiah is when Malachi came on the scene. Thank you, sir. You feel better? Good, I'm glad. So we see the book of Malachi is about 50 to 100 years after Zechariah, and you hear the people again, their hearts have got cold, and you're going to look at a couple of things that the Lord rebukes them for. We see the first thing here in verse 2, we've already read the Lord said, he said, I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet you say wherein hast thou loved us? We used to hear that people had lost the love of God. You know, in our lives, you know, here's these people that, you know, it's probably the grandkids or the great-great-great-grandkids of people in the desert, in Nehemiah, and they had great expectations of what Jerusalem would be, and it's not quite there yet. You know, they got all these things, you know, they probably had a vision for their city and for their town and all that, and then they look up, and it's not there. And we're going to see they begin to get cold hearted. The Lord comes to talk to him. He says, I've loved you. And they said, wherein hast thou loved us? They questioned the love of God. In our lives, I think there's something that we can learn tonight that if the devil can get us, to question the love of God in our lives, he's won a great victory. In our lives, some things were the devil attacks. He only attacks when we're the weakest. Here's these folks here, they've seen this, and they got cold and complacent, and they begin to, God's love, you know, they had to allow the situation to determine, you know, how they thought God felt. There are times in our lives when Satan wants to step in and whisper, God don't love you no more. And he comes to us when we're tired. and we're weary, and we're distressed, and we're perplexed, and things aren't the way we think they ought to be. And if he can get us to doubt that God loves us, he's won most of the battle. I said before, there's a song that all the kids sing that I think adults ought to sing every day. It reminds us of a simple truth. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but Jesus strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. When I know that God loves me, what storm can overwhelm me? When I know that God loves me, how can I not serve Him? When I know that God loves me, how can I not keep on going? Lady, come up here real quick. I'll give you a friend who waits. Today, I've been married 36 years. 1980, it's 36 years, been married 36 years today. You know what? If the devil could get me to doubt that she loved me, we probably wouldn't have made 36 years. Along with the doubt, we begin to see things. Well, you know, this happened, so, you know, I guess it's true she don't love me, but because I know she loves me, 36 years, and it's been great years, but there's been some heartaches. There's been some mountains, and there's been some valleys, and there's been sickness and poverty. I'm still waiting on the wealth part. But all of those things, I can't complain, God's good to me. But in our lives, because we knew that we loved each other, when things happened, we didn't pull away from each other. We pulled close. I said before, when she had cancer, the doctor gave us that speech. And we just stood there and hugged and cried. But we knew God was in charge and God was in control. If the devil can get us to doubt God's love for us, when hard times come, we're going to begin to back away from God. So I encourage us, the Bible says to keep yourself in the love of God. It doesn't mean that we keep God's love. It doesn't mean we earn it, we work for it. It's to always know that God loves me. I think every day, I mean, you guys can tell I can't sing. I can't talk, I can't sing. But if I really would remind myself that God loves me, When the heartaches come, it's okay. He loves me. It hurts, but he loves me. You know, our lives, I think it's important that they hear that the first thing we can learn from these folks here is that we ought to have kept ourselves in the love of God to remind ourselves because the Lord reminds them what he's done in their lives. I think it's good for us to stop and think how good God's been. All of us here tonight, God's been good to us. I don't care what situation we're in now, God's good. In our lives, tonight, would anybody like to sit down and tell us that God's good, and maybe something God's done great in your life? Or maybe you're going through a hard time, but you know God's good, and it's good to know that. Anybody? Impromptu? Lydia. Amen. He's good. He answers our prayers. We praise God for that. Okay, anyone else? Who wants? Miss Napier. Because God loves us. We can get through hard times and trials. Anyone else? Yes, ma'am. God's good to us. Anyone else? Okay, now that thought in mind, let's all stand. A little bit different tonight, I know. I'm not tired like last week, so I'm kind of... ♪ Jesus loves me, this I know, for... ♪ Sing it out! ♪ The Bible tells me so, gentle ones to Him belong. ♪ Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so. Thank you. Good. Good. Good. Good. Have a seat. And then look back at our Bibles the next time they question God. We're going to get a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, forget that God loves us and then we just despise His name and we no longer give God reverence. When I forget He loves me and then when things happen, I can't believe God did that. I can't believe God allowed that. What's God thinking? And then we get to the point where when we mention God's name, it's not in a good way. And we become conditioned to using God's name almost as a byword or a word that's Do I really realize that God is a thrice holy God? Do I really realize how important that the name of God is in my life? And folks, I think it's important in our lives that we never forget that God is holy, and God is just, and God is righteous, and we need to make sure that we don't get so used to his name that we use it so frequently and out of context. I'm told that when the scribe used to copy down God's word, when they get the name of the Lord or God, they would take and they'd get a clean quill, they would use that quill to pen that word, and then they'd put that quill away because it was such a special name. This week, how many times have we listened to someone use God's name in vain, and it didn't make us flinch. We got so used to a world that would take God's name and we use it in vain, and we become conditioned, and because we accept that, I've always heard that one generation accepts in moderation, the next generation accepts in excess, and when we get so used to God's name that we don't flinch when we hear it spoken, What will our kids and grandkids do about God's name? They will know what we think is holy, what we think is right. It's important that we always reverence God's name and reverence Him. So we see first of all, they doubted God's love. Secondly, they despised His name. And then on the next question, verse seven, He said, you offer polluted bread upon mine altar, and you say, wherein have we polluted thee? In that you say, the table, Lord, is contemptible. The first thing that the priest did, he said, if you offer the blind for sacrifice, it's not evil. If you offer the lame and the sick, it's not evil. offering it now to the governor. Will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person, saith the Lord of hosts? And now I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us, that this hath been by your means. Will he regard your person, saith the Lord of hosts? Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for not neither to kindle the fire of mine altar? For I have no pleasure in you saying that, saith the Lord of hosts." They took and the priests had began to give God Second best, you know, they take and you know, they take basically bring a sacrifice and they would accept when they accept the sacrifice and take the sacrifice, you know, and they'd offer it. And then they get to go out, you know, they shut the doors and they build a fire for the altars. And they would do all this, and they was doing, they was going through all the motions, but they was giving God second best. They opened the doors of the temple, and they've stoken the fires, and they did all the things they were supposed to be doing, but they was given God as the second best. Now, I'm now thinking, in verse 14, we see how other people, what people would bring, if they had an animal that was a good animal, they would take an animal that was sick or something, and they would bring that animal in, and the people would do the same thing. And my thought was this, you know, God said, you offer me second best, but you try to do the chores of the temple? How many times in our lives do we get so busy doing what we do, but we're still giving God second best? He never accepted their chores because the sacrifice was wrong. All the chores he was doing was just mundane, and they wouldn't bless, you know, they wouldn't bless because they went off with the right sacrifice. In our lives, what place does God have in our lives? If God would require something of us, are we willing to give Him what He asked for? Have we got so busy in the mundane things of life? that we forgot to stop, we forgot to stop and give God second best. They were priests and then the people had begun to give God the second best. They just went through all the rituals and that's how it become a ritual because of the lack of a proper sacrifice. So we see that number one, they doubted God's love. We see they despised his name. And then when we see that they had Then let's look over to chapter 2 verse 17. The next thing that they did, chapter 2 verse 17, it says, you have wearied the Lord with your words, yet you say wherein we have wearied him. When you say everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them, or where is the God of judgment? Another example of that is turn back to Psalm chapter 73. They had worried the Lord with words. Psalm chapter 73. The people had begun to complain. Psalm chapter 73 verse 12. Says this, behold, behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world. They increase in riches. Really, I've cleansed my heart in vain. I've washed my hands in Hennessy. In Hennessy for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning. If I say I speak thus, behold, I shall offend against a generation of children. So it goes on here, you know, they get to a place in their lives where they look around and they say, listen, we're doing right. And we're not being blessed because so and so is doing wrong and thanks for them is good. And then the Lord said, I'm getting worried of your words. How many times do we fall in the trap? We look around at others and we see what they have and what they're doing and how it seems like even though they're doing things that are wrong, that they have been blessed of God. And we look at ourselves and maybe we think that we're trying to do what's right. You ever feel like you take two steps forward and one backward, two steps forward, one backward, two steps forward? And after a while, it gets tiresome. But when I doubt God's love, when I despise His name, and when I begin to offer Him second best, it's easy to stop and look around and say, woe is me. I mean, I've served God all these many years, and now look at me and look over at so-and-so that lives an ungodly life, and they have this and this and this, and I wish I had this and this and this. And it's easy sometimes, if we're not careful not to guard ourselves, it's easy to get our eyes off Him and on the situations of our life. Because I promise you in life that the hard times will come to all of us. There'll be times of sickness, there'll be times of health, there'll be times of poverty, there'll be all these things in our lifetime. And we're not careful, we fall in the trap that the children of Israel did here. They looked around, they said, man, the ungodly prosper. And look at me. Let's be careful. Instead of looking at what we don't have, Let's look at what we do have. If I would just stop and look around, the person that has the least, that has God, has so much. I think Mark chapter eight says, if one should have a perfect man, he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul. If all we have is salvation, And we're homeless, and we have no shelter, and we have no food, and yet we're saved. If we're saved and have nothing else, we're far better off than the man over in Indian Hill in a nice home with a four-car garage and all these things. But sometimes our eyes get misconstrued and off God, you know, and onto things, and we get our values messed up, as the children of Israel did here. So look on down to the next question, Malachi 3, verse 7-8. I've combined two questions here. Malachi 3, verse 7-8. Malachi chapter three, verse seven, even from the days of your fathers, you are gone away from minorities and have not kept them. God says, return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But you said, when shall we return? They wouldn't return. Verse eight, then God says, will a man rob God? You have robbed me, but you say, wherein have we robbed thee? you know, in Ties and Offerings, you know, it's easy in life to, you know, people get away from God. I think of several, several, several years ago, there was a boy in our school that his dad, we went by to talk to his dad, and his dad was, he claimed to be saved of church, you know, he gave him a good testimony of salvation. You know, he even had a small Bible he got when he was in Sunday school because he got saved. He said, I know I'm saved. And I said, well, why don't you just get right with the Lord, get back in church, and watch what God can do in your family. He said, I won't do it. I said, what? He said, Pastor, you remember who I'm talking about? And I said, Mr. So-and-so, I'm telling you that God wants you to be right. He said, I won't do it. And I said, what do you mean? He said, God can't make me get right. I'm telling the truth, Arnold B. Burke. I thought, well, what's going on? He said, I will not get right. And that's what these folks here hate, was saying, we won't get right. I said, would you please care? He said, no. He said, God can't make me get right. So I left his house. And then within, I think it was a matter of weeks, I went over to his house, saw him again. I heard he was sick. He went to the doctor. And he had a very rare cancer. And I said, would you get right now? I said, it looks like, I said, things are bad for you. Would you get right? He says, no, I still dare God to get right with God. Within a week or two. But it's at the time, Pastor, you remember the timeframe there? It wasn't very long. It wasn't very long. He was in intensive care. The cancer had multiplied so quickly that they couldn't stop it. They couldn't do nothing for it. He needs intensive care. I went to intensive care that evening. And I said, are you ready yet? He says, I won't get right with God. He died shortly after that. He never, that I know of, got right with God. I think he was saved, but God chastised him harshly for his direct rebellion against the Holy Spirit of God. Folks, in our lives, let's learn this tonight. The next thing he says, well, a man robbed God. We can't get by with trying to rebel against God. We as Christians cannot, we can't say, well, I won't do this, because Galatians 6, 7, 8, God's not mocked. We can't mock God. In our lives, don't think that you can tell God, God, I will not do this, or I won't do this, God, I won't get right, I won't get this area of my life right, Lord, this is mine, you can't have it. Yes, God can have it. Because God always wins. It's important that we not fall into that trap. And then look on down to chapter 3, verse 13. We're almost to my favorite part. Calvary chapter three, verse 13. Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord, yet you say, where have we spoken so much against thee? We used to hear that they had spoken of God and talked about him so much, so long. God said, that's enough. I've had enough. And they never repented. They never got right. And at the end of the book of Malachi, there was no more words of God recorded until Matthew. God had talked to them, to all the other prophets, you know, through Haggai and Zechariah, and God came again, and he warned them here and here with Malachi. And the people had rebelled so much against God, that God said, okay, I've had enough. It all started when they began to doubt God's love. Tonight, folks, let's make sure we keep ourselves in the love of God. If we begin to doubt God's love for us, there's no telling how far down we will go this same path they have made. They made the trip down. It all started with that first step. I started trying to step off the platform, but I had flashbacks, so I'm not gonna try to step off. You know, they start with that first big step down. They begin to doubt God's love, and then everything else fell in place. Tonight, stop for a second tonight and know that God loves you, that He cares for us. and He's there for us. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. If you're tired and weary, Be aware that God's going to, I mean, the Satan is going to attack you and the way he's going to attack is to get us to doubt God's love. And then look on over to chapter three. With all this said, that's a question I want to look at tonight. We saw how people had rebelled against God. Verse 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened, And he heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that fear the Lord, and those that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts. In that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own, and his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth. Chapter four, for behold, the day cometh that it shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day cometh shall burn shall burn them up, and the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of Righteous arise with healing in his wings, and you shall go forth and grow it up as calves on the stall." We see here those that loved his name and spoke often of it, he remembered them, he rewarded them, he recognized them, he rescued them, he revived them. Why? They spoke off of their name, and they remembered God loved them. They kept their self in the love of God, and God did great things in their lives. I have no idea what holds tomorrow, what God does, but I have no idea what tomorrow holds. But this I know, if I doubt God's love, I probably eventually will despise this name. I probably will offer a polluted sacrifice. I'll take the same steps down that the people here did. But this I also know. If I keep myself in the love of God, there's always a remnant that God remembered who they were. It's precious to be remembered. I remember several years ago, I went to a funeral. When I was a kid down there, we rode the bus to a church up in Carthage at the time, and the pastor was Chester Ratliff. His last name was Vivian Ratliff. And I hadn't saw him for years, and I heard he died. So I went to the funeral. I sit in the back, because I figured the family wouldn't know who it was. I hadn't saw him in 10 years. And so, when I went out front, when it was all over, I stood by the roadway, and the hearse drove by and it stopped. I mean, the car behind the hearse stopped, and the window rolled down, and it was Ms. Ratliff. Ricky, it's so good to see you again. I've kept track of you all these years. Somehow love respected and kept track of me all those years. Did we speak often of his name? There's a book of remembrance written. Are our names written in that book of remembrance a lot? Or we stopped and said, God, I know you love me. God, I love you. Or we stood in the church and gave testimony that I love the Lord. I'll make what he loves me. They said, Lord, this hurts, but I know you love me. Do you care? Which side are we tonight? Are we on the side that's begun to doubt God's love? Or are we the remnant there in chapter three that speaks off of his name? How great he is. I know again I can't sing great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God in the mountain of his holiness beautiful for situation the joy of the whole earth is mount zion on the sides of the north the city of the great king if you're here tonight and you're doubting god you're doubting god's love decide tonight to go to the other side speak off of his name speak often of great things he has done in our lives and just give god great glory And we'll be in the chapter three and chapter four of Malachi, and not in chapter one and chapter two. I wanna be the ones that's remembered by God. I don't wanna be the one, the last word in the book of Malachi is curse. I don't wanna be one that's cursed, because I begin to doubt God's love in my life somewhere. Father, Lord,