Malachi 4:1,2

The Indictment  and The Deliverance

The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.  The Sun burns bright and hot.  The same sun that burns the wicked up like stubble is the same Sun that brings healing to those who are in Christ.  We need to be aware of both the indictment and the deliverance that comes through Jesus Christ our Lord.  His perfection demands holiness, but His grace grants forgiveness.  May God bless the preaching of His Word.

Malachi 4:1  The Indictment. 

“For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts, that is shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

The day of judgment is coming!  The day when the wicked will be turned into hell is near.  Let’s look at the indictment why we are guilty before God and what can be done about it.

Exodus 20:1-17   Let’s look at God’s Law and see how we measure up.  On the Internet this test is a good person test.

            Verse 3.  “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”  When you got up this morning what was more important to you?  Getting everything ready, your clothes, your food, your appearance, etc. of getting your heart prepared for worship of God?  This week what was more important to you?  Your job, TV shows, Internet, the Newspaper, Family, Friends, your Spouse, etc. or  the time you spent with God in His Word?  What did your life center on this week?  Have you perfectly kept the first commandment to not have any other “gods” above God?

            Verse 4.  No graven images – We say that we don’t have idols, but do we?  Do we have artist renditions of our Lord Jesus Christ?  That is a likeness of the One Who is in heaven above.

            Next, have you taken the Lord God’s Name in vain?  Ever?

            Next, Have you perfectly kept the Sabbath day?  Always been to church when healthy, always never worked or went fishing or golfing? 

            In your life, have you perfectly honored your father and your mother?  Did you ever break that commandment even once?

Notice with the Law of the Lord we must have kept it perfectly otherwise we are under its condemnation.

            Verse 13.  Have you ever killed anyone?  How about with your tongue?  Gossip kills more people’s reputations and shows the abundance of our hearts.  We may not kill with a gun, but many times we allow our mouth to kill with our tongue.

            Verse 14.  Have you ever committed adultery?  Have you ever looked with lust?  Lust is adultery in the heart.

            Verse 15.  Have you ever lied?  Everyone that is honest will admit to lying at least one time in life.  One lie makes us a liar.  If we are liars then we aren’t honest. 

Without going any further we can see by our own actions we are indicted.  We are guilty before God of having broken His Law.  Romans 3:23  We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  We are guilty!  We have earned the penalty for sin.  Malachi 4:1 All that do wickedly will be scooped up like stubble and cast into the burning oven of hell.  Psalms 1:4-6  The way of the ungodly will perish.  Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death.”  We by our sins have earned eternal death in hell.  A place where “the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.”  Romans 6:23b “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Aren’t you glad Romans 6:23 doesn’t stop at the “wages of sin is death.”?  There is relief from our just impending judgment.

John 3:15-20  God sent Jesus the Only One Who has ever lived a perfectly sinless life to pay the penalty for our sins in our place.   Jesus kept the Law of the Lord perfectly, the same Law that indicted us.  As the spotless Lamb of God, He paid the price for our sins in His Own body on the cross of Calvary.    God now offers us the free gift of salvation.  We are told to make our calling and election sure.  Today, where does your hope of eternity lay?  Is it in something that you have done or is it in what Jesus Christ has done for you on Calvary?  Are you living as if your salvation depends on you or on Jesus Christ?  If we are not depending on Jesus Christ we are already condemned John 3:18.  If we have repented of our sins and accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can claim the promises of being one of His own. 

We need to take a good honest look at ourselves.  We are indicted by the Law of the Lord.  We all are sinners.  Have you ever truly repented of your sins and asked Jesus to save you?  Does your salvation hinge on you and your decisions or is your eternal destiny hinging on the Lord Jesus Christ?  Are you truly saved?  We must make our calling and election sure.  The consequences are more important than life or death, it is heaven or hell.

II.  The Deliverance.

If we are truly saved, then Malachi 4:2,3 applies to us.  There is a great promise to those who do belong to Jesus!  He paid the penalty for our sins and now we have promises to us.  We don’t deserve God’s love, but He loves us anyway!

When Jesus Christ returns to claim His church this will be a day of blessing for all those who are in Christ, but it will be a day of separation for those who are lost.  Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousness.  When He returns He will rise with healing in His wings.  The time to accept Jesus offer of salvation is now!  Now is the accepted time.  God offers us freely the gift of salvation.  The healing of our souls diseases is more important than the healing of our physical diseases.

Psalms 41:4 & 147:3  We need to pray and ask God to heal our souls from our sins. 

Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousness and there is healing in His wings.

He first heals our soul’s diseases.  He came to seek and to save that which was lost.  He turns our destiny from hell to heaven.  What good is it to be healed physically if we were never healed spiritually first?  Say someone is healed of cancer, but never gets saved.  What good is it?  They still burn in hell for eternity.    Why should anyone burn in hell, when Jesus died and rose again to heal our soul’s diseases?  Before looking for physical healing, we must make sure our soul’s diseases are healed first.  Salvation is the greatest miracle of all.  How God would love someone as unlovable as us!

Jesus not only heals our soul’s diseases, but He at His own will heals our physical infirmities.  Isaiah 53:5  In Jesus earthly ministry, He healed people both physically and spiritually.  “Take up thy bed and walk.”  Jesus healed for a reason.  Jesus used the miracles to point people to the cross.  We are told to have the elders of the church pray for us when we are sick.  At the close of this service, we will do just that.  We will have a time of prayer and invitation, for salvation and then for a physical touch from God. 

The word Rapha is used in the text of Isaiah, which means physical healing.  It does infer spiritual healing too, but its literal meaning is physical healing.  Marpe is used in Malachi 4:2  which means healing also.  Jesus Christ is the Sun or Righteousness and there is healing in His wings.  We have a promise in Malachi 4:2,3 that we will go forth as calves of the stall and we will tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of our feet.  When we go witnessing we need not fear, because God has already won the battle.  At the coming of the Lord, the wicked will be cut off, but until then we need to be warning them of the wrath of God to come.  We ourselves at one time were the wicked.  Prior to salvation, we were the lost headed for hell.  That thought should humble us enough to love our neighbors and share the truth of God’s Word with them.

III  Continuation of Healing.  The first healing is salvation and the second is physical, but there is another continuation of healing; it is the one we have to offer.  We must share the Good News of Jesus Christ and His healing!

            First, we must share salvation.  Most people don’t see themselves as sinners, so they don’t know they are sick.  When we witness, Notice when not if.  When we witness we must indict them with God’s Law.  A person must be lost before they will ever be found.  We need to use the Word of God to show them how far they are from God’s perfect standard.  Then people understand that they are sinners and rightly deserve to burn in hell, even as we do.  After the person is under conviction of sin, then we share with them what Jesus Christ did for them on Calvary.   Allow the Holy Spirit to use the Word of God to bring them under conviction.  Don’t use high pressure evangelism and shove it down their throat.  Allow God to open their blinded eyes.  We don’t have the power to open their eyes, only God can do that.  We just use the Word and allow it to work.  The Word of God will not return void without doing what God has set forth for it to accomplish.  Allow the Holy Spirit to lead them in the prayer of repentance.  Don’t give them your words to say otherwise they may end up with only head knowledge.  Their prayer must come from their heart, not our heads.  Romans 10:9,10

            Next, invite them to church.  Follow up.  Bring them to church.  Disciple them.  Promise to pray for them.  If while witnessing someone accepts or rejects, still promise to pray for them.  Of course do pray for them.   Prayer is very powerful.  Prayer unlocks the power of God in our lives.  John 14:14.  When we pray for them, we know that God will answer!  We just claim the Word of God.

            After someone is saved, follow up with them during the week.  Also, get them a Bible and some devotionals such as Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby or The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort.  Invite them to a Bible Study.  Bible Studies in your home is a great way to minister to the lost.  After someone is saved encourage them.  The devil isn’t happy when someone gets saved.  The devil will attack a new Christian, so we need to prayerfully defend them and encourage them.  We, also, need to be honest with a new convert, problems in life are not over when some one gets saved.  “In this world, ye shall have tribulations, but be of good courage I have overcome this world.”  We are promised problems, but we now have Jesus to help us through our problems.  We are not alone anymore!  God is on our side, because of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross of Calvary!

Invitation.

First, if you have never truly repented of your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can do that right now.  Everyone bow your heads.  If you aren’t saved, pray to God and ask Him to save you.  Tell Him from your heart and ask Him to save you.  Click Here

Next, if there is anyone who needs to have the elders of the church pray for their physical infirmities, if you would step out in faith and we will pray for you.

Finally, as a church let’s pray for all those who are dying and going to hell around us.  Let’s pray that God will send forth laborers into the harvest and commit ourselves to being a laborer.  Revival begins in our hearts.

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