Accoutrements in the House of God – Malachi 3:16-18

As Christians we love what the Lord tells us in John 14. “Let not your heart be troubled (you disciples): ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I...

Divine Defamation – Malachi 3:13-15

Charles Spurgeon, in volume 59 of his Metropolitan Tabernacle sermons, said, “I believe that it is anti-Christian and unholy for any Christian to live with the object of accumulating wealth. You will say, ‘Are we not to strive all we can to get all the money we can?’...

Has He Come or is He Coming? – Malachi 3:1-6

Most people, especially when they get to be my age, look at their lives as a series of connected units. For some people it is a series of years or decades. Their 40th birthday was celebrated with the color black, as though life is down-hill from that point. But to a...

The Critical Sin Theory – Malachi 2:17

If you listen to certain segments of the news these days, you have heard the words “Critical Race Theory.” The Liberals love this idea, the conservatives hate it, and most of us are stuck somewhere in the middle. One of my first problems with the Critical Race Theory...

Squandered Squash and Wasted Watermelon – Malachi 2:11-13

A few of you are familiar with the “God Father” movies. I won’t point any fingers. I can’t point any fingers. In the midst of much disturbing material in that series, there was one which particularly bothers me. The leaders of the Corleone family were outwardly very...

The Absolute Most Important Thing – Malachi 2:1-2

Speaking through Malachi, God has been correcting and criticizing both Israel’s priests and her people. Those priests, as part of the leadership of the nation, should have been setting a godly example. But they were accepting and offering corrupt sacrifices from the...

Do You Despise the Holy Name? – Malachi 1:6-14

If you were going to define “salvation” according to Biblical terms, what words would you use? If you need some help, let me give you some suggestions. When Zacharias, the father of John Baptist, had his voice miraculously restored, he began to praise God. One of the...

The Sallow, Shallow Sacrifice – Malachi 1:6-14

Before we get into the application of this scripture, please remember the historical context. Malachi, the last of God’s Old Testament prophets, served the Lord after Israel returned from Babylon. Some commentaries place his ministry during the days of Zerubbabel, but...

Wherein Hast Thou Loved Us? – Malachi 1:2-5

The threat of questioned love is often used as a tool for evil. For example, have you ever heard a child, with a whine in his voice, say to one of his parents, “If you loved me, you’d let me do this or that”? “If you loved me you wouldn’t enforce a curfew on the...

It is Better that I Die – Jonah 4:1-11

This message may sound very morbid, but it doesn’t have to end that way. I am taking my title from Jonah’s words to God – “It is better for me to die than to live.” We shall see similar sentiments from Paul, Job, Moses, and others, and there was Elijah’s death-wish at...

The Capstone of God’s Attributes – Exodus 34:4-8

I believe, and have often said, that the foundational attribute of Jehovah is His holiness. Holiness underlies all the other attributes of God; they are all built on that foundation. And that is why we must “kick off our shoes” when we come into His presence. We must...

No Greater Love – John 15:13

I trust that you are familiar with the sacrifice Abraham made of his son Isaac – in Genesis 22. God chose to test the faith and devotion of the that man, by asking him to make him a special burnt offering. And I hope you realize that event so many hundreds of years...

Love, Perseverance and Joy – John 15:9-11

According to a number of sources, 47,500 people took their own lives in the United States in 2019. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in this country – 2½ times higher than the homicide rate. Among people up to 34, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death. In...

Office of Deacon (#4 – THE Qualification) – Acts 6:1-7

As we have seen, the Jerusalem Church was having problems. Like a teenager growing too quickly, its bones and muscles weren’t keep pace with one another. There were so many new converts – many of whom were extremely poor – that some were being missed in the daily...

Adopting the Prodigal – Luke 15:11-24

Most of you are familiar with the Lord’s parable of the prodigal son. This morning, I would like to apply that story in a slightly different way than usual. And ultimately, I’d like to consider the Biblical doctrine of ADOPTION. One of the books I am currently reading...