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The Gospel Truth
The name "Malachi" literally means "my messenger." You might say this is a message from the messenger to the messenger. So let's listen to the message of Malachi 1:1-5. What is it like to be a messenger of God? It is a great burden. The word "oracle" (NASB, NIV) is better translated "burden" (KJV). It literally means to be given a heavy load to carry and deliver. I used to work for a trucking company. At one time I had the distinction of loading the heaviest trailer we had ever shipped. It was an export trailer, so regular DOT regulations did not apply. They told me when the crane loaded it on the ship, the bottom almost fell out. I was so proud. Of course, if the contents had spilled, I would have been so unemployed! So you can imagine the pressure I was under until that load was safely delivered. May I use another personal illustration? I'll never forget the first time I ever threw a pass for the Lowndes High School Vikings. It was a perfect strike, right between the numbers of my receiver. It was an easy play, really, with the end only about ten yards from the quarterback. Unfortunately, I was so nervous and threw the ball so hard, that it bounced off his chest and was intercepted by the other team. That football was a burden I tell you. Once I had it, I realized there were other people out to get me. I needed to get rid of it, but in such a way that it helped my team reach the goal. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I failed, but it was always an exciting and excruciating burden. Now, that's some sense of what it is like to be a messenger for God. We have been given the word of God. It is not our message, it is his message. We are supposed to know how to handle it. And we are supposed to herald it, accurately and safely, to help God's people reach the goal. I am sure Malachi found it an exciting and excruciating burden. I think you will, too. So stay tuned. It is a great blessing. It is hard to find a book in the Bible that begins better than Malachi. After the brief introduction, we read these words from God: "I have loved you." There is no greater blessing than being loved by God! The only problem with this blessing is that when messengers get the message that God loves them, they often doubt it. And if you are a messenger who is doubting the message that God loves you, I doubt you are going to get that message of love out to other people. Malachi and the messengers of his day doubted the love of God. This is clear from the context. The Israelites of this period in history were about one generation removed from the Babylonian exodus. They were back in the promised land but the promises of God didn't taste sweet. Don Henley wrote about this stage in life: "Now those flowers in your garden, they don't smell so sweet. Maybe you've forgotten, the heaven lying at your feet." Heaven on earth is living in the light of the love of God. But Malachi's generation had forgotten that, I suppose. Or perhaps they thought that God was loving them with only half his heart. In reality, they were the halfhearted people. In order to pump them up, God's messenger gave them a strong message about God's love. It is a message that needs to be heard today as well. God's love is a sovereign love. God chose to love Jacob and hate Esau. You say, "That's not fair." You're right, God had no reason to love Jacob, but he graciously and mercifully chose him anyway. What a thrill it is to be loved by someone infinitely greater than you. God's love is an unconditional love. Jacob did not have to do anything for God to love him. But God's love transformed him into another man, Israel. What a thrill it is to be loved by someone who accepts you in spite of your great sin. God's love is a saving love. Like Old Testament sacrifices foreshadowed the saving work of Christ, Old Testament wars and wrath offer a glimpse of the utter separation and destruction that await those who reject the lordship of Christ. God's sovereign, unconditional, saving love rescues from the wrath to come. What a thrill it is to be loved by someone who has saved your life. God's love is a permanent love. In the statement, "I have loved you," love is stated in the perfect tense. This speaks of past action with ongoing, permanent consequences. If you are a messenger whom God loves, the message for you is that he will never, never take his love away Romans 8:35-39). What a thrill it is to be loved by someone forever. At the end of the day, there is no greater thrill and no greater blessing than the love of God. And with great blessing, well, comes great responsibility. It is a great responsibility. When the burden of love came to Malachi, it was meant to be broadcast. And the program was not to be limited to local stations, but aired around the whole world. The great responsibility is the great commission to get the great message of God's love, God's provision in Christ, and God's call to repent and believe the gospel to the whole world, beginning right where you live. Messengers are required to send the message. That's why this is a message to the messengers. So just who is the Malachi of our day? Remember I did not say this is an autobiographical sermon. It is not about me, at least not exclusively. It is about you. It is about every Christian. It is a message to the messengers. God loves you. Believe it. Live like it. And go tell others about his love!
"O grant, that having been rescued from the darkness of death, we may ever walk as the children of light, as never to wander from the course of our holy calling, but to advance in it continually, until we shall at length reach the goal." (John Calvin)
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