Tuesday, 14th March 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
The Book of Malachi was written at the same time as the Book of Nehemiah; Nehemiah recorded the history of the people of God, Israel, whereas Malachi recorded the Word of God spoken to the Israelites. God saved Israel from the enemies, but the Israelites soon forgot about God, they became religious people, they knew there was a God, but they did not have any relationship with God. We call ourselves Christians, but do we really have a relationship with Jesus Christ? Or do we only have knowledge from the books, from the movies, from other people…?
During the time of prophet Malachi, it was the end of an era, God stopped talking for 400 years after the Book of Malachi. What a darkness it was? People only saw how strong their enemy was, and they did not recognise how Great their God is! Today is also the days of darkness, people don’t see God and don’t seek God. People don’t really experience God, they don’t have a relationship with God, and they don’t seek God.
Section One V1-5 God is Faithful
V1 ‘The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.’ The burden of the word is the Word of God, and Malachi was only a messenger. When we hear the Word of God spoken on the stage, do we believe that God is talking through His messengers? Or do we just think that they are some kind of teaching from people? God is faithful, we must take God’s Word seriously.
V2-3 ‘“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, in what way have You loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness.”’ The Israelites were doubting God’s love, they did not see God’s love, they only saw the powerful enemy, the Persians. God has shown His love for us, but we don’t see God’s love. We only see the troubles and challenges ahead of us, and we only see our own strength or the strength of those who help us. Do we really know that God loves us?
V4 ‘Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places,” thus says the Lord of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; they shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.’ God is faithful, do we know that in this end days? We must repent from our prideful ways, do not be like Edom, who relied on their own strength, but be like the Israelites, to humble ourselves and pray. We must admit our weakness, come closer to God, be under the fragrance of the Tree of Life, humble and obey, deny ourselves and benefit others.
Section Two V6-10 God Knows Everything
V6 ‘A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honour? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’’ God knows everything, do not think that God will not know what we are thinking or what we are doing. Do not think that God will not notice, He knows every single thing inside our hearts, and He takes notice of every little thing we do. We are the royal priest and the holy nation, we have this authority, but we don’t know that this authority has great responsibility.
V7-8 ‘You offer defiled food on My altar, but say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘the table of the Lord is contemptible.’ And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favourably?” Says the Lord of hosts.’ We all want to receive benefits, but we don’t want to take responsibility. We become selfish people, we look around to seek the power, the authority, the blessings, and the benefits. Yet we don’t listen to the teaching of God, and we don’t follow the instructions given by God. Do we really give our best to God? Our time, our money, the works of our hands… are we giving our best to God? We have given ourselves too many excuses, only we know what is inside our hearts, only we know if we have already offered the best for God.
Why do we serve God? Is it because someone told us to do? Is it because there is no one to serve God in the church? What is really inside our hearts? Do we really give our best? We are drawing a line as a boundary with God, we don’t want to walk the extra mile. God is telling us today that we must not perform to the best according to us but according to Him. We must be willing to suffer ourselves to give the best to God. The Israelites kept the lambs not for food but for offering, what do we have in our hands that we can offer to God? God knows everything, and He is waiting for us to return to Him.
Section Three V11-14 God Will Repay
V11 ‘For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts.’ The Israelites thought that only they were the holy ones, but God said to them that He would rise up the Gentiles. What is our attitude as the people of God? Do we take God’s grace for granted? Do we see how serious it is when we defile the Word of God and the teaching of God?
When we follow God and read the Word of God, we are not here to judge if this is necessary or if this is religious or not. We follow God to learn if we can do whatever God calls us to do. We must not eat the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, we must not judge whatever God tells us to do through our authority and through our church. God wants us to love one another, to love our neighbours as ourselves, but our hearts slowly grow cold, we don’t want to walk out of our comfort zone, we don’t want to offend people, and we have gradually lost this love.
We become the people, who choose the easy way not the hard way. We thought whatever we do is ok, we walk the shortcut, and we give ourselves many excuses not to follow the instructions. Why do we come to learn the Word of God? Because there are too many things in our lives that are wicked, we think God will understand and He will wait for us. But in the Bible, God said that He’s waiting for the number of the saved is fulfilled, then Jesus will come back. He will come back to judge all people, and first is those who claimed to be followers. The Kingdom is near, we must repent, the judgement is coming, are we still being wicked in our own ways? God is the God of the end times, He is faithful, He knows everything, and He will repay.
玛拉基书 1 – 末世的神
2023年3月14日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
玛拉基书与尼希米记是同一时代的记载，只是尼希米记是神子民的历史记录，而玛拉基书则记录神对他子民所说的话。以色列人曾被掳到巴比伦，到了波斯帝国的时代，神施恩让他们回到耶路撒冷。然而以色列人很快忘记了神，他们过着宗教仪式，只知道有有耶和华。我们如今的基督徒也好像他们。我们认识的耶稣都是从别处听到的，并没有与神有真实的关系。神借着今天的经文跟每一个跟从他的人说话。我们要在末世认识神，要知道他是否还在，他是否离我们很远。
一、v.1-5 神是信实的
V1“默示”就是神传给他子民的话，“玛拉基”名字的意思是“神的报信者”。牧者在台上所传讲的不是自己的话，而是从神而来的话。在听道的时候，我们不要以为牧者的信息与我们自己无关，因为那是神在对我们说的话。
V2-3 以色列人虽然经历被掳归回、重建圣殿，但他们看见的是强大的波斯帝国、是人手能做的，却看不见神、看不到他的爱。我们是否也是只看到自己眼前的难处、只看见人的帮助，却不知道神爱我们？
V4-5 人以为自己做的事神不知道，其实神都知道。以东被毁灭了，他们妄想还能靠自己重建。以色列人当初悔改，就被神记念知道如今。我们是否像以东人那样以为可以建立自己的王国，还是像以色列人那样谦卑祷告？神看重的是谦卑痛悔，我们要愿意承认自己的软弱，才能靠近神。
二、v.6-10 神都知道
在末世我们以为神不在了，但神是信实的。我们以为耍小聪明神就不知道，其实他都看到，他都知道。
V6 我们常说自己是“君尊的祭司”，知道自己有听到神说话的权柄，然而我们知道自己作为“祭司”的责任吗？这个世代有很多缺席的父亲、母亲、丈夫、妻子，甚至“缺席的基督徒”，因为我们只想拿某一个身份的好处，却不想留在那个位置负责任。
V7-10 我们没有将最好的献给神，却还跟神犟嘴。我们献给有权势的“省长”、给自己所喜爱的人是什么呢？我们是否有空才把自己剩下的献给神？我们送礼给人的时候是否送别人所需要的？我们眼中觉得自己所献上给的时间、精力、财物是“好”的，但却不是我们所能拿出的最好的，而是有所保留。我们是否愿意将神眼中看为最好的献给他？
三、v.11-14 神必报应
V11 以色列人以为自己是圣洁的，然而神对他们说，他要将外邦人兴起。
V12-14 百姓们觉得祭司的教导太过宗教、太麻烦了，他们还以为自己的错不是那么严重。我们跟从神，不是去论断神要我们做的事是否有意义，也不要根据自己的喜好来做事。耶稣来到世上，亲自去寻找门徒，我们是否效法基督、有爱人如己的心，是否愿意为别人多走一里路，还是抱怨牧者让我们做的事太过麻烦？我们生命中的“我”让我们看不见神，看不见真理，不知道神必报应，还以为神会等我们慢慢从软弱变刚强，其实神等的是得救的人数够了，审判就会来临。神是真的，我们要认识这位末世的主。不要把神的爱当做理所当然，而要即刻悔改，因为天国近了！