FOREVER AND EVER AMEN (pt.3)

"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and thought upon His name. And they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when i make up my jewels and i will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Malachi 3:16-17

FEAR OF THE LORD..the moral dread of being displeasing unto God.

The book of Malachi was written shortly after the ministry of Nehemiah and Ezra and approximately 505 years before Matthew. The new temple was 75 years old. Malachi was showing that God does not want us to doubt his love. God does not want us profane his worship. God says that to dishonor the marriage agreement is to dishonor him. God does not want us to doubt his justice or rob Him of His tithe. He wants us to know that honoring him is worth the wait. God is interested in every area of our lives and is still at work to complete his plan of salvation. Amen.

"For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi 1:11

"But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted and the fruit thereof, even his meat is contemptible. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts, and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering; should i accept this of your hand? saith the Lord." Malachi 1:12

PROFANE....(Piel)

1) to profane, make common, defile, pollute

2) to violate the honour of, dishonour

3) to violate (a covenant)

4) to treat as common

SNUFF....(naphach)

1) to breathe, blow, sniff at, seethe, give up or lose (life)

a) (Qal) to breathe, blow

b) (Pual) to be blown

c) (Hiphil) to cause to breathe out

TORN...(gazal)

1) to tear away, seize, plunder, tear off, pull off, rob, take away by force

a) (Qal)

1) to tear away, rob

2) to seize, plunder

b) (Niphal)

1) to be robbed

2) to be taken away

God is still the same God today, yesterday and forever. God still demands our ALL. Our best sacrifice is our lives. Yesterday it was an unblemished, unspotted animal, today it is us. By the unblemished, unspotted blood of Jesus, we in turn lay down our lives for God, for Jesus, for the unsaved world we live in. i have too much stuff, how about you? i need to lay it ALL down for my King, my Saviour, my Lord and Master, how about you? We all bring stuff to the altar of worship, to the feet of Jesus, and we need to. He demands (Psalm 24:3-4) a clean heart, pure hands, one who has not lifted his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully, (Psalm 15:1-2) that we walketh uprightly, worketh righteousness and speak the truth in our hearts. He still demands Holiness, Truth, Righteousness, Repentance, Love, and to GO make disciples. He tells us what he wants and how to live it in His Word, and in prayer. Don't miss it. Don't gamble on eternity. It is not worth losing eterinity with God for the temporal and temporary pleasures of this lost, dying and sinful world.

VANITY...(shav) as used above

1) emptiness, vanity, falsehood

a) emptiness, nothingness, vanity

b) emptiness of speech, lying

c) worthlessness (of conduct)

VANITY....(hebel) as used in Ecclesiastes 1

1) vapour, breath

a) breath, vapour

b) vanity (fig.)

Life is short. These last two years of my life have been the best ever. i am learning patience and to endure. To guard my heart from evil (Jeremiah, Matthew, Proverbs) and be slow to speak (James). i am learning to lay it all down (John), my whole life. Because to die to this life is to live for all eternity worshiping and knowing the one true God and His Son (John). And we can have it now, amen. That is so awesome. i have so much more to learn from God and will be learning for the rest of my life, but i know when our Lord comes for us i will be ready, wick trimmed and oil in the lamp. Time has no beginning or end with God and when you live that way here and now, with Him, it is pretty freeing. To know i am with Him for all eternity is the greatest knowledge i have to share. i am with Him now and for all time, praise God and to Him be all the Glory, forever and ever, amen. He is my source, my life, my all in all, amen.

i love you my Lord God almighty, my Father, in Jesus, in His name, amen.