scripture: malachi 1:1-1:5

When it feels like God's promises are not being fulfilled and there's temptation to call it quits, what is there for believers to hold on to? At the start of several proclamations through Malachi, God testifies to His unfailing love for Israel, as the sure hope for Israel, as the sure hope for Israel and all nations.

God's Word is a burden in the sense that if what He's saying is true, then everything changes. The burden of Malachi is communicating the unfailing love of God to His people. Make no mistake - it all starts with God (Detu. 7:6-8). God’s faithful love was declared ("I have loved you"), His love was doubted ("How have you loved us?"), and now His love is demonstrated through the nation of Israel and particularly through Edom ("Is not Jacob Esau's brother?") Malachi shows us a God whose goodness will make us tremble with reverent fear (1:6 & 14, 2:5, 3:5).

God's Word is a burden in the sense that if what He's saying is true, then everything changes. The burden of Malachi is communicating the unfailing love of God to His people. Make no mistake - it all starts with God (Detu. 7:6-8). God’s faithful love was declared ("I have loved you"), His love was doubted ("How have you loved us?"), and now His love is demonstrated through the nation of Israel and particularly through Edom ("Is not Jacob Esau's brother?") Malachi shows us a God whose goodness will make us tremble with reverent fear (1:6 & 14, 2:5, 3:5).

Sermon on Malachi 1:1-5, where the LORD tells His people that despite what they may have thought due to their present circumstances, He has loved them. The proof of His love was to be found in His gracious election of them as his people as well as His destruction of Edom.

Sermon on Malachi 1:1-5, where the LORD tells His people that despite what they may have thought due to their present circumstances, He has loved them. The proof of His love was to be found in His gracious election of them as his people as well as His destruction of Edom.

We are moving from the introduction of the book of Malachi into the first part of the study. Malachi begins his rather upsetting conversation with the people of his day by reminding them that God has always loved them. They retort aggressively with him by asking "how has God loved us?". This begins the back and forth dialog with the people that characterize this entire book. Malachi goes directly to the Word of God to give them his answer. He doesn't mix God's Word with his feelings and emotions. This is great advice for us when we're doubting God's love for us as well. The whole theme of the Old and New testaments is God's love. There's so much to discuss, so I hope I can do justice in helping us understand how God loves and how we should love God back...

We are moving from the introduction of the book of Malachi into the first part of the study. Malachi begins his rather upsetting conversation with the people of his day by reminding them that God has always loved them. They retort aggressively with him by asking "how has God loved us?". This begins the back and forth dialog with the people that characterize this entire book. Malachi goes directly to the Word of God to give them his answer. He doesn't mix God's Word with his feelings and emotions. This is great advice for us when we're doubting God's love for us as well. The whole theme of the Old and New testaments is God's love. There's so much to discuss, so I hope I can do justice in helping us understand how God loves and how we should love God back...

We start a new series on the Book of Malachi. Malachi has the distinction of being the last book of the Old Testament and the last “word” from God before 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments. The common phrase we see throughout the book is “says the Lord of hosts" as God addresses His concerns about empty religious activity, unfaithful priests, and yet, His faithful love and plans for His people.

This week Pastor Alan takes us through a series on Malachi. This is the first in a series of five messages.

Written over 2,500 years ago, the book of Malachi has much to say to the culture of today. It speaks of half-hearted worship, allowing sin to become normal, divorce, and the difficulty in remaining faithful to God when it doesn’t seem beneficial – all things that need attention in our time. The book, a dialogue between people and God, offers people in all ages clear guidance on how to live out a real and vibrant faithfulness. We hope that you will listen to these sermons on Malachi and develop a distinct faith.