A Perilous Voyage Ends in Shipwreck ~ WOW the Bible in 7 minutes

Acts 27; Psalm 135:13-14; Proverbs 25:19

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care. When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.

When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.

Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, saying,

"Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives."

Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there.

When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon. So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands. Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.

But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said,

"Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island."

Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms. Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come. And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers,

"Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."

Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.

And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying,

"Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you."

And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.

And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.

Acts 27

WORSHIP

Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your fame, O LORD, throughout all generations. For the LORD will judge His people, And He will have compassion on His servants.

Psalm 135:13-14

WISDOM

Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.

Proverbs 25:19

Extravagant Love ~ Mike MacIntosh

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said,

"Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me." - Mark 14:3-6

Don't be shocked when people condemn you for being a Christian. Here, Mary made a beautiful and loving gesture to Jesus by anointing His head with expensive oil, but many people around her became very upset. She did an amazing thing for Jesus, but they criticized her. And who helped lead the instigation against her? According to John 12:5, it was Judas Iscariot.

Judas was the guy who knew the price of everything, but who didn't fully grasp the value of anything. He knew that the oil was worth a worker's entire year of wages, but he failed to see the value in Mary offering it as a sacrifice of love and worship to Jesus. "What a waste," he thought. And there are a lot of people like that--people who have devalued Godliness and obedience.

But Jesus stood up for Mary, saying, "Let her alone!" You see, He valued not the monetary value of the oil, but Mary's offering of extravagant love.

And today, the greatest offering of love that you can give to Jesus is your very life.

When you totally give your life over to Him and let the Holy Spirit work through you, you are showing extravagant love.

When you live a life of worshiping Him and serving Him, you are showing extravagant love.

When you are in fellowship with other believers, you are showing extravagant love.

And the devil hates when you get out of your box, out of your shell, and show this kind of reckless abandon. When you go way beyond the call of duty; when you walk up to someone and ask them, "What can we do to make life better for you," the devil absolutely hates it.

Do you grasp the significance of Jesus Christ telling every naysayer and critic who ever lived to "Back off" of His kids? Jesus loves you so much that He's saying that very thing to the devil and his henchmen right now about you:

"Leave him alone!"

"Leave her alone!"

"Leave my child alone!"

Jesus is on your side. He wants the very best for you. You're a royal priesthood belonging to God (1 Peter 2:9).

And despite what the world is telling you about what to believe and how to live your life, put your complete faith and confidence in Jesus Christ this day.

The Destiny and the Journey ~ Mark Balmer

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. (Psalm 39:4)

Relative to eternity, our lives on this earth are but a breath in God’s timing (Job 7:7). As we grow older, we become increasingly aware that the years we have already lived are directly related to how fast time goes by. One Christmas is barely over when the next one arrives. Our children are having babies of their own and our grandchildren quickly become the age our children were just yesterday!

As Christ followers, we become increasingly aware that our time on this earth is limited, and we recognize that the time will come when we will go home, for eternity. Yet, we rarely give much thought to heaven, much less the path we are taking to get there. It is possible that more people come to Christ out of fear of going to hell than out of the desire to go to heaven. Satan lies to us about heaven. As we learned in this week’s teaching, he uses many deceptions. He alters the truth about our eternal destination, to both non-believers and believers alike. Satan also deceives us by keeping us so focused on our earthly lives that we may not think about heaven at all, much less our journey to get there.

Pastor Mark raised a question that we were asked to think about this week, a question we could ponder for the rest of our lives and still not fully arrive at an answer. It is related more to the journey than it is to the destination. The question is,

“Are you using your time on this earth wisely?”

As Christ followers, we cannot just breathe a sigh of relief after we come to salvation and coast for the rest of our lives; we have an obligation to become more like Christ. Paul was so overtaken by his brief view of heaven that he was unable to describe it in words. In spite of his desire to be with Christ in heaven, he was torn because of his desire to continue his “fruitful labor” on this earth (Philippians 1:22-23).

We are commanded to go out and make disciples as Christ followers. However, in doing so we cannot forget that our journey to heaven is not limited to evangelism. God gives us salvation through grace. We are given passage to heaven, but we have things prepared for us to do while living here (Ephesians 2:10).

As Christ followers, we may look forward to being reunited with loved ones when we arrive in heaven, but what will happen when we meet those who have hurt us or disagreed with us along the way?

God grants salvation to murderers, drug abusers, rapists, abusive parents, prisoners, homeless people, lazy people, and people who don’t like cats. There is no sin He excludes, except the one of refusing to believe in His one and only Son. He forgives all who call on His name (Romans 10:13). Do we live to serve, or live to be served? When God calls out to us to work for him, do we answer with a yes or a “maybe”? Are we living as Jesus lived?

We will all come before Christ, and He will judge our deeds (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-14). There are many questions that we need to ask ourselves when we consider eternal life in Heaven. Belief in Jesus Christ as Savior is an active belief, and salvation is not of earthly proportion but of heavenly proportion. It must be more meaningful to us than an utterance of words. Heaven is a place where we can never arrive while we are of this world, but we must keep it in our sights and commit to the journey!

(Additional Reading): Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 13:22-27

Jesus is continually revealing himself ~ Jon Courson

Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Revelation 1:2

Revelation was entrusted to John because he bore record of the testimony of Jesus and of all the things he saw.

People who say, ‘I just don’t seem to be getting any revelation from the Lord; I don’t seem to be growing,’ must understand that when it comes to revelation, information, or inspiration, the Lord has a very definite prerequisite:

Are we going to personally receive it in our heart and freely release it to others?

After visiting with Abraham, the Lord said to His angels, ‘I’m going to tell Abraham what is going to come down in Sodom because I know he will receive and share it’ (Genesis 18:17-19).

Jesus put it this way: take heed how you hear, for the one who has shall be given more (Mark 4:24-25).

In other words, if you come to Bible study or your morning devotions saying, ‘Entertain me,’ or, ‘I’m just kind of curious about prophecy,’ you won’t receive.

But if you are hearing, studying, learning, praying, and reading for the purpose of embracing it personally and sharing it with others, then the Lord will give you continual revelation, continual inspiration.

What is your family's priority? ~ Jack Graham

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:15

Many parents today are reading all the latest books and magazines on parenting so they can preserve their family relationships and equip their children for successful living. And I’m all for that kind of insight and instruction. As parents it’s essential that you and I invest ourselves in our children.

But if you really want to make some serious headway on behalf of your family, you need to do what Joshua did in the Old Testament: You need to make God a priority in your life as a family!

This is a decision that will strengthen each person in your family as well as each individual. And after you’ve made this commitment, many of the other decisions that will follow will already be settled because you’ve established your priority.

If your family has been struggling and is in need of revival, then let it begin by making a fresh commitment to the Lord as a family. Give your family a great purpose… the purpose that comes by choosing Christ first and above all else and others.

Declare your priority as a family and live out your faith full throttle for God!

GIVE YOUR FAMILY A GREAT PURPOSE… THE PURPOSE THAT COMES BY CHOOSING CHRIST FIRST.

Knowing When to Speak ~ Joyce Meyer

But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle) talk, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness.
— 2 Timothy 2:16


One of the areas in which I have had to learn obedience to the Lord is in talking—or more precisely, when to stop talking.


If you are a big talker like me, you understand why I say there is anointed-by-the-Holy-Spirit talk, then there is vain, useless, idle talk— the kind the apostle Paul warns about in his letter to young Timothy, cited in the verse above.


There have been times when we have had guests in our home and I have finished saying what the Lord wanted me to say, but then continued talking. We can usually pinpoint the moment when what we are doing switches from being anointed by God to being us continuing on in the flesh—in our own strength. After that point I was rambling, really saying nothing, or repeating the same things over and over.


Sometimes when people left our house to go home, I was exhausted. If I had quit talking two hours earlier when the Lord told me, I wouldn't have been worn out! The special requirement the Lord had for me was to learn to say what He wanted me to say, then stop.


Have you ever been talking with someone about a tender subject when the discussion suddenly takes a turn and becomes a little heated? You can tell feelings are starting to get out of control and that little prompting on the inside of you says, "That's enough. Don't say any more."


That prompting, though small, is very strong, and you know saying one more thing would not be wise. But after thinking for a minute, you decide to plunge on in with the flesh! A few minutes later, you're in an all-out war!


We soon discover how much difference disobeying the "still, small voice" made! The minute the Spirit says, "That's enough," we need to stop. If we keep going, we are asking for frustration and defeat.

Divine Definition ~ Bob Coy

God is love. 1 John 4:8 (NKJV)

How would you answer someone who asked you to define who Jesus is?

If you have an academic background, your mind might grasp for a few of those impressive terms that theologians use to define Him. Well, Jesus is an immutable hypostasis whose infallible kerygma has been universal in its efficacy. Please don't say that.

Or, perhaps if you're not grounded in God's Word, you might make the mistake of describing Jesus according to human feelings and emotions. Oh, I'm so glad you asked. To me, Jesus is like a warm sensation that washes all over me when I visualize a peaceful paradise with my mind's eye. Please don't say that either. Why?

Because there's a better way to define Jesus, a way that people will understand and respond to. The Bible defines Jesus in a simple and succinct, yet powerful and profound, way. Jesus could have given Himself any definition He wanted, one that filled the Bible cover to cover without fully capturing who He is. But in the Bible's breathtaking brilliance, it defines Jesus in a single word-love. It's the Greek word agape, and those familiar with the Bible know that agape is the kind of unconditional love that can only come from God Himself.

Paul defined agape for us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, and by substituting the word love in this area of Scripture with Jesus, we're presented with the perfect definition of our Lord:

Jesus suffers long, and Jesus is kind. Jesus does not envy. Jesus does not parade Himself. Jesus is not puffed up. Jesus does not behave rudely. Jesus does not seek His own. Jesus is not provoked. Jesus thinks no evil. Jesus does not rejoice in iniquity, but Jesus rejoices in the truth. Jesus bears all things. Jesus believes all things. Jesus hopes all things. Jesus endures all things. Jesus never fails.

When the time comes for you to explain who Jesus is, don't be too heady and don't be too touchy-feely. Be biblical. Tell others that above anything else, Jesus is love. Then tell them that they can truly know Him by opening their hearts to receive His love.

Discuss the definitions you have heard others give for God. How have you described Him in the past?

Dig into 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. When you replace the word love with Jesus, what stands out to you the most?

Decide to choose one aspect of love, based on 1 Corinthians 13, and put it into practice this week. If you can, choose a particular person who will be the recipient of this unconditional love. Don’t tell the person what you are doing, but see if you notice an improvement in your relationship with him or her.

The Wrath And The Righteousness Of God ~ Kay Arthur

You know we love to hear about the love of God, don’t we? But we don’t want to hear about His wrath. We don’t want to hear about His judgment. And yet deep inside of us don’t we realize that if God is God, if He is righteous, if He is holy that He also has to be a God of wrath, that He has to set a standard and that there has to be a degree of punishment for those that break the standard?

I know the subject for today doesn’t sound very very encouraging. But you know what, we really need to understand God. And we need to understand if there is a wrath of God that is going to be poured out on men, then we need to understand that so that we can avoid that wrath, because God tells us and we’re going to see it that all men, all men are without excuse.

In other words, whether you believe in Him or not, whether you acknowledge Him or not, whether you honor Him as God or not, some day you and I are going to stand before Him. And when we stand before Him our mouths are going to be shut. We’re not going to have any excuse. Now why?

Well, let’s look at it, Romans, chapter 1. Now as we look at Romans, chapter 1, I want to start in verse 16, and I just want us to catch the flow here because when you study the Bible, context is very important. Context means what goes before and what goes after. Context is the setting in which you discover truth. And God never wants you to take scripture and rip it out of its context because the minute you rip truth out of its context what happens is you get a pretext and so you don’t want that. You don’t want what’s false or what you’re just assuming. You really want to know what God says. And you want to understand it in the context in which He says it. So Romans, chapter 1.

Now as I read, there’s a word that you and I have not marked yet. And that word is “righteousness”. And so when I come to “righteousness”, if you’re just able to listen and you’re not able to look at the Bible for some reason or another, then, simply say “righteousness” out loud, okay, because the minute you do that, it helps you remember it.

So in Romans, chapter 1, verse 16, Paul says,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

So he says this message that I have is not a message that brings me shame. And the reason it doesn’t bring me shame is because it changes a person’s life. It saves them from the power of sin. But then he goes on to say this, “For in it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God …” that’s right, righteousness. Now how are we going to mark it? Well, purple is a royal color and so I use purple sometimes for God, but I also use yellow. So what I did, since God is righteous, then I colored it purple and I boxed it in in yellow. You can simply put an R over it if you want to. The thing is that it’s always better when you’re marking your Bible to color code it, rather than to use a lot of symbols, because otherwise the symbols can overcome what you’re reading.

So in verse 17 it says,

“For in it, in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”

Now remember we marked faith like a little, like a little Bible. So righteousness of God is revealed from faith. In other words, we receive it by faith and we live it by faith, from faith to faith. It’s all of faith, nothing else. As it is written and then he tells us why it’s from faith to faith, “… because the righteous man shall live by faith.” In other words, the way that you and I live every single day should be according to what the Word of God has to say. That’s to order our steps. That’s to show us what we’re to believe. That’s to show us how to respond. So we live by faith.

Then he says, “For the wrath of God …,” Now remember, wrath has a red slash like that.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.”

You say, well that’s unrighteousness. How do I mark it? Mark it the same way that you mark righteousness, but put a slash through it. So you take unrighteousness, color it the same way and then put a slash through it. Okay.

He says, “For the wrath of God is revealed ….” Now let me explain something to you. And I told you this last week. But the word “is revealed”, the verb “is revealed” is in the present tense in the Greek language. Now the present tense in the Greek language means continuous or habitual action. In other words, what he’s saying is the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven. In other words, right now, do you know what? “God’s wrath is being revealed on this earth. And it is being revealed from heaven against …,” now watch what he says, “… against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.” Now this word for ungodliness is “asebia”, “a-s-e-b-i-a.” And what it means is this, just think of un god like. Ungodliness means I am far away from being like God as I can be. I, I’m the opposite of God. And so what God is saying is, look a man can be righteous. A man can be like God. God’s a righteous God. And a man can live by God’s standards. But when men refuse to live by God’s standards, when they suppress, when they suppress the truth of God in their ungodliness, in their unrighteousness, God’s wrath is coming out on them.

You say, but I didn’t get struck from heaven and I know that I’m not living like God would have me live. And I know you haven’t gotten struck by heaven. There was day when men would say, oh don’t say that, lightning will strike you. Why? They knew that God would judge. They knew that God had standards. And that if we didn’t hold those standards he would judge and so they’d say, oh I hope lightning doesn’t strike me.

We have such of a lack of fear of God and by fear of God I mean a reverence of God, a trembling of God. We don’t respect Him anymore. We don’t even think about Him striking us with lightening. We just think that God’s a God of love. He’s a mamby pamby God. You can manipulate God. You can get away with it and nothing’s going to happen.

But, just look around you. Look at your life. Look at your relationships. Look at what’s going on. Look at the things that you’re caught in and enslaved in and you know that they’re wrong and you feel trapped. All right, what is that? That’s the wrath of God. You say, whoa, whoa, you mean that God’s wrath is seen in some of the hard things that I’m going through? Un huh. You say, explain that to me. I will in just a minute, but first I want you to see this.

I want you to see that His wrath is being revealed against two things, against all ungodliness and against all unrighteousness. So unrighteousness is when I deliberately do not do what God says is right. Unrighteousness is when I choose to say, listen don’t set my standards. Don’t tell me what’s right and what’s wrong. I will do what I think is right and what I think is wrong. All right. So it’s being revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. So you want to mark unrighteousness again.

Now that word suppress means this; that you’re literally going to hold down the truth. In other words, the truth is not going to be seen. The truth is not, is not going to be visible at all because you’re suppressing it. Now that word suppressing is also in the present tense. So it means this; that you keep on suppressing truth. How? By your unrighteousness.

You see when God made you, when He made mankind; He made us in the image of God. He made us so that we could reveal to all of creation what God was like. But then remember sin entered into the world. And this is the segment that we’re in in the book of Romans. We’re dealing with a segment that has to do with the issue of sin. So we’re looking at sin and we’re about to see what God is going to do with sin. But as we look at sin what I want you to understand is that when sin entered into the world then all men are born as sinners. Romans 3 is going to tell us this.

“All have sinned and we’ve all come short of the glory …,” the correct estimate, the opinion that the world should have, “… of God.”

But when you and I just in flat out rebellion, in flat out, just digging our heels in and saying, listen, I’m going to live the way I want to, then you can know that as you keep suppressing truth, as you keep disobeying God, as you keep defying God, then God’s wrath is being poured out on you. What is the Greek word for wrath? And you want to write it down that the word for wrath is “o-r-g-e”, “o-r-g-e” it is an anger that is a building anger. It builds and it builds and it builds and it builds until finally, finally it’s expressed.

And so what he’s saying here is that this wrath that he is pouring out this wrath, is really a wrath that says, okay, you want to live that way, you want to act like that, you want to behave like that, you want to think like that, you want to talk like that, you want to do those things, okay, go ahead. You want it, you’ve got it. You do it and I’m going to stay out of it and you know what? You’re going to reap the consequences.

I want to ask you a question. Have you looked at our society lately? Are you aware of all the changes that have come in the past thirty some, thirty plus years? It’s a result of us suppressing the truth of God in our unrighteousness. It is the result of us saying I will do what I want to do. Get your hands off of me. Don’t tell me what to do. I’ll live the way I think is right. And you know what? What man thinks is right is not right according to God and he gets and reaps the wrath of God.

Oh Beloved, oh Beloved, what you have to understand is another important factor in all this. That important factor is you. It’s me. It’s anybody that does not believe, that does not respond to the evidence that there is a God. So, can I erase your name because you have responded? I can erase my name because I have responded.

When you sow a seed, the minute that you sow that seed, you don’t get a product. It takes a while for that product to come up, for that seed to fall into the ground and for it to open up and then that little shoot begin to come out and for a long time you don’t necessarily see it come out of the ground until later. And you think, oh you forgot that you sowed that seed. Oh what is that? Oh that’s what I put in the ground some time ago. You see, we don’t stop and think.

So God says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, against all ungodlikeness, against all unrighteousness, of men who suppress, men, women, who suppress down, hold down the truth, of God in their unrighteousness because …,” look at the next verse, “… because that which is known about God …,” now watch, “… is evident …,” where? “…within them, within them.”

Now you say, wait a minute. Wait minute, I wasn’t raised in church. Wait a minute, want a minute, what about all those people in those dark countries and those Aborigines that have never heard? Listen, listen to me. God made man. God created man and God created every man with a God shaped vacuum so that man knows that something is missing and man knows that there is a God. Do you know that they have studied every tribe practically on the face of this earth and they have never found anyone that did not worship something outside themselves? We know that there has to be a God outside ourselves, that we’re not God. Many of us think we’re God today. But he says,

“Because that which may be known about God is evident within them…,” Now listen, “… for God made it evident to them.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, God’s attributes that you cannot see are His eternal power, His divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through that which has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

In other words, listen, if you are listening to me and you do not believe what I’m saying or you’ve never bowed the knee to Jesus Christ and you would never bow the knee and you would never say, okay, God, Your Son is going to be my master, He’s going to be my Lord, I’m going to accept Him as my Savior and He is going to direct my life, if you would refuse to do that, then you know what? When you stood before God at the Great White Throne judgment of God, and the books were opened and they went down and they saw your name and then they looked at all your deeds, all your deeds, they would say, you’re going to spend eternity in the lake of fire. You’re going to live forever and ever and ever because you’re eternal. Once man’s born he’s eternal. You will live eternally in the lake of fire with the devil, with his angels, “where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched.” That’s where you’re going to live forever. And you know what? It’s a sad moment for you. It’s a horrifying moment for you.

But it is also a grievous moment for God because He doesn’t want you to perish. He doesn’t want you to spend eternity in the lake of fire. You say, well then why did He make it? He made it for the devil and his angels. The end of Matthew 25 tells us that. That’s who He made it for.

But listen, Precious One, you will not be able to offer one single excuse, not one single excuse because God says, look at verse 20.

“So that they, they, these who have suppressed the truth of God in their ungodlikeness, in their unrighteousness, those who have held it down, those who have walked in rebellion to God, they’re without excuse,”

absolutely without excuse. Why? Because we just read it. God makes the truth of God evident in here and He splatters out all creation, the sun, the moon, the stars, the night, the day, the oceans, stopping at the seashores and never coming over them, all these things testify that there is a God, that there is an Elohim, that there is a Creator and that there is an order to this universe, that there is a power outside of man.

You say, “I don’t believe it.” Listen, if you don’t believe it, it’s because you’ve suppressed that truth. It’s because you have ignored this gnawing within. But I want to tell you something, the reason that you’re listening, the reason that you’re listening is not the reason that you may think. The reason that you’re listening is because God wants to bring you to Himself, because God loves you, because God does not want you to perish, because God does not want you to experience His wrath, because God wants to come inside of you, as we’re going to see in the book of Romans, and shed His love abroad in your heart, because God wants to take you and gather you in His arms and bring you to his all sufficient breast.

His name is El Shaddia, the all-sufficient one and He wants you to be His. He wants you to be His. So listen to me very carefully. God has brought you and me together on this program and whatever else you’re seeing that tells you the same thing, that the Word of God says. God is bringing you to Himself. Don’t resist, because as long as you resist, you’re experiencing the wrath of God. Let me take you to the gospel of John, John chapter 3, verse 36. And this is what he says;

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life. But he who does not obey the Son …,” you see obedience and belief are synonymous. If you really believe, according to God’s definition, then you respond. There’s an act obedience. So it says, “… but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God.”

If you’re in your Bible and you’re looking at it, mark “wrath” again. “But the wrath of God abides on him.” And abides on him means it’s right now. The wrath of God is abiding on you right now and God wants to remove that wrath.

And that’s why Paul says; “I am a debtor to the gospel. I am under obligation. I am not ashamed of this good news because, it is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believes, to everyone that believes, to the Jew first …”

If you’re Jewish and you’re sitting in Israel or you’re sitting in the United States of America or in Europe, wherever you’re sitting and you’re listening to this, just know this, that to believe this does not deny the fact that you’re a Jew, but it proves as you’re going to see as we go on, that this is what Judaism is all about. Judaism is all about the Messiah. It’s all about the changed life that the Messiah brings. So just know that, Precious One.

Going Fishing ~ Chuck Swindoll

Acts 7: 17

Billy Wilder, the great movie producer, openly admitted: "I have a vast and terrible desire never to bore an audience." With tacit agreement Jack Parr once declared: "The greatest sin is to be dull."

Those two statements ought to haunt anyone who regularly practices the fine art of communication. Communication is a competitive field. Like it or not, the teacher, writer, speaker, or preacher contends with ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Rush Limbaugh, magazines, paperbacks, CDs, the theater, the cinema, the thrilling excitement of sporting events, and a zillion other attractions. 

Pity the missionary whose mimeographed letter arrives in the same mail with Sports Illustrated or Newsweek. God help the Sunday evening services across America that do battle with 60 Minutes and Masterpiece Theater.

Today's communicator faces a stiffer challenge than ever before. This means that we who communicate Christ must work especially hard at winning and then maintaining a hearing. This doesn't mean we need to put on a better show or shout louder or attack our competition. What it does mean is that we must meet at least three demands.

We must be prepared.

Basically, it necessitates doing our homework. But it also means we must determine what ought to remain behind the counter, held in reserve, and what ought to be placed on display. It's the art of verbal economy.

We must be interesting.

We must paint verbal pictures for the uninitiated, preoccupied mind to see. To do this we need energy, subtlety, relevance, and changes of pace.

We must be practical.

Communicating the Scriptures is more than dumping out a truckload of biblical facts; it means using those facts to meet practical, everyday needs. Communicating is like fishing. We need to provide the right lures and bait to attract our listeners.

Check out Paul's address on Mars Hill (Acts 17) or Stephen's defense before the Council (Acts 7) or Jesus' great sermon on the mountain (Matt. 5-7) or His conversation with Nicodemus (John 3). Not a rusty hook in the bunch! Funny thing about fish: They keep their eyes open even when they're bored and sound asleep. 

Myopic communicators tend to forget that.

When we communicate Christ, we are like GE: 
We bring good things to life.

Are you building a career or a legacy? (97-4) ~ Barry Werner

Leaders will leave a legacy.

The question is will it be viewed as positive or negative by those who follow behind?

Read 1 Kings 2:5-6 and 28-34.

Abner and Joab were both military leaders. Both were relatives of the kings they served. Their careers and their characters, however, present a sharp contrast.

Abner was a competent military leader, but his loyalty was to Saul, a ruler whose disobedience to God guaranteed his failure as God’s chosen king of Israel. No matter how hard Abner fought, no matter how skillful his leadership, Abner was on the wrong side.

When Ish-Bosheth acceded to the throne after Saul, one of Israel’s 12 tribes broke away from the others, established an independent nation and appointed David as its king rather than serve Ish-Bosheth.

As a result, the two kings of Israel and their generals went to war against each other (2 Samuel 3:1). Joab was David’s general; Abner was general to Ish-Bosheth. In their one recorded battle, Joab’s forces routed Abner’s troops.

Eventually Abner and Ish-Bosheth parted company.

Abner attempted to join forces with David and promised to rally all of Israel to his side (2 Samuel 3:12). Joab, perceiving Abner as a potential rival, as well as seeking to resolve a personal vendetta, murdered him (2 Samuel 3:27). 

In doing so, Joab not only robbed Abner of his life but also deprived David of a valuable ally. His vicious act also prevented Israel’s reunification.

As these two men’s careers are considered, Joab had the more impressive military record. Joab was associated with Israel’s greatest military leader; Abner had aligned himself with two weak kings. 

As is often the case, those who lead from the middle are judged as much for the success or failure of their superior as for their own performance.

The larger issue in the story of these two men doesn’t involve who had the better military career so much as who was the better person. 

Who possessed the stronger character and reputation and legacy? 

The answer to that question is apparent in David’s actions with regard to each of these men. After Joab murdered Abner, David declared a national day of mourning. David wept at Abner’s grave and wrote a lament in his honor (2 Samuel 3:33-34). By contrast, David’s final instructions to his successor, his son Solomon, was to have Joab executed.

Joab destroyed his own reputation in order to protect his position.

His passion for success as a leader drove him to negate his success as a man. David didn’t attempt to discern which of the two men was a better general. He eulogized the better man and condemned the lesser man. 

The story of Abner and Joab demonstrates that, while career is important, in the final analysis strong personal character and reputation and legacy are what really counts.

Have you determined which you hold in higher esteem – your career and success in your chosen profession or with your integrity?

Wise leaders look to character issues as their measure of success first then career issues.

« How do you successfully replace a legend leader? (97-3)          Is wisdom from experience or direct from God? (97-5) »

This cup of the Lord ~ Greg Laurie

So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, that person is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup.

— 1 Corinthians 11:27–28

Matthew 26 contains one of the most well-known events in human history and certainly the most famous meal ever eaten, the Last Supper.

As the disciples sat together, Jesus said, " 'Take it and eat it, for this is my body' " (verse 26). He then gave thanks and offered them the cup and said, " 'Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many' " (verses 27–28).

Jesus, as He often did, was speaking symbolically. To say He was speaking literally here does not fit with the word pictures He often used. After all, Jesus said He was the Bread of Life. And didn't He say that He was the Door?

So, do we insist that Christ is an actual loaf of bread or a door? Of course not. Nor should we insist that the bread and the contents of the cup are actually Christ's body and blood. There is no evidence of a supernatural process that transforms the cup's contents into Jesus' blood and the bread into His flesh.

Therefore, as we participate in Communion, we don't want to overly mystify what it represents. We don't want to think of the bread as flesh and the cup as containing blood.

On the other hand, we don't want to devalue Communion by thinking it means nothing. Clearly, the Scriptures warn us about taking part in Communion without recognizing its significance (see 1 Corinthians 11:23–30).

The bread and the cup are not holy elements in and of themselves. But they do represent something that is very holy. So it is with great respect and reverence that we come to the Communion table, recognizing it is a symbol of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross.

When God Is Silent ~ Charles Stanley

When God Is Silent

READ | John 11:1-6

When Lazarus was dying, his sisters urgently called for Jesus. 

Imagine how their grief must have compounded when He didn’t instantly respond to their request. 


God’s silence is difficult to accept. We want Him to leap into action when we call, particularly if we are hurting or afraid. But since He promises to meet our needs, we can be sure that a silence from heaven has purpose.

Silence grabs our attention. The disciples knew that Jesus could heal, so they must have wondered why He delayed instead of rushing to His friend’s bedside. But the Lord wanted them to witness something even greater: His power over death. They had been confused by His statements about conquering death, and they needed to understand that He could fulfill His own resurrection prophecies (Mark 9:31-32). The miracle at Lazarus’ tomb was part of their preparation.

Silence teaches us to trust. Mary and Martha sent word of Lazarus’ illness because they anticipated that the Lord would heal him. But would their faith waver if that expectation was not met? Martha answered the question by stating, “I believe that you are the Christ” (John 11:21-27 NIV). The Lord rewarded the women’s trust with a stunning miracle: their brother’s return to life.

At times, the only thing we can hear when we pray is our own breathing. That can be frustrating and frightening. But Scripture says God is always with us, and His silence will not last forever (Job 23:8-10; Heb. 13:5). 


Cling to those promises as you seek the purpose behind His silence.

God of the Impossible ~ Raul Ries

“For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Luke 1:37

George Mueller once said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.”

More than 30 years ago, I was considered an “impossible” case by psychiatrists and society. However, the love of God touched my heart and changed my life radically.


 I have been serving the Lord ever since.

Thought for the Day:

“We have a God who delights in impossibilities.”
--Andrew Murray

Serving Your Generation in Your Time ~ Rick Warren

“After David had served his generation according to the will of God, he died” 

(Acts 13:36 NLT).

My life verse is Acts 13:36, where we’re told David is purpose-driven.

Imagine having that statement inscribed on your tombstone: “He served God’s purpose in his own generation!” “She served God’s purpose in her own generation!” 


In my opinion, you could receive no greater honor than that.

So how do you do that?

“He served God’s purpose…”

God’s purpose for you is to use your life in worship, ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and fellowship. The Church allows us to do it together. We are not alone in serving him.

“…In his own generation.”

The truth is you can’t serve God in any other generation except your own! You may want to—but it’s only wishful thinking. We cannot bring back the past. Whether we like it or not, we must minister to people in the culture as it really is—not in some past form that we may have idolized in our minds.

You don’t know the final chapter of your life, but you can be confident of this:


“… that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” 

(Phil. 1:6 NIV).

God finishes whatever he starts. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. There are many factors that influence your life, things you have no control over: your background, nationality, age, giftedness. These were determined by the sovereignty of God.

But there is one important factor that you do have a control over: 


how much you choose to believe God as you serve your generation according to his will.

I commend you to God and to the word of His grace ~ Bob Hoekstra

I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance…receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

(Acts 20:32 and James 1:21)

Paul's exhortation to followers of Jesus Christ was to "continue in the faith" (Acts 14:22). "The faith" (in which we are to continue) is the word of God. Paul later called it "the word of His grace." Since God's word is permeated with His grace, it is able to do glorious things in our lives.

James wrote of "the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." God wants to plant His word into human hearts that the word might bear fruit therein. This is how the Lord began His work in us: "having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:23). 

By communicating His word to us (through preaching, teaching, witness, or evangelism), God sowed the incorruptible, eternal seed of "the word of His grace" in our lives. As we believed on Him, the seed of the word germinated in our hearts unto everlasting life. Now, the Lord wants to continue sowing His life-giving seed into our lives that we might grow, mature, and abound in Him.

Our role involves a humble receptivity of His word. "Receive with meekness the implanted word." We are to continually take in the Scriptures with a sense of urgent, personal need. Such an attitude would indicate agreement with the words of Jesus. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). We cannot truly continue in grace without regularly partaking of "the word of His grace." 

If we humbly and consistently take in God's word, the grace of God at work through the word will demonstrate the transforming power of the Scriptures: "which is able to save your souls." This delivering work of God's word is not limited to justification (that is, saving us from the guilt and condemnation of sin). 

It also includes sanctification (that is, saving us from the tempting and controlling influence of sin in daily living). Jesus prayed for His followers concerning this sanctifying work of the word of God. "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17). 

God's word is able to make our lives all that He wants them to be: "the word of His grace, which is able."

Lord God, giver of life, I thank You for planting in my heart the life-giving seed of Your word. I praise You for the changes Your word has already brought into my life. Now, I long to continue partaking of the word of Your grace, which is able to deliver my soul from all that is diminishing and destructive to all that is edifying and sanctifying, Amen.

Self-Imposed Delusion ~ Bob Caldwell

You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts?

Malachi 3:14

One of the most grotesque proofs of our fallen natures is the power of self-deception that blinds us to our own evil, and arrogantly blames God for the consequences of that evil. 


Malachi's prophetic word to Israel was written in response to their endless whining and blaming. 


Through a self-imposed delusion, they believed God was obligated to bless and prosper every element of their lives simply because they performed a list of religious rituals. 


They blamed God for a lack of love, while at the same time, dishonored Him in every way possible. Rather than offer to God valuable sacrifices, they offered ones that were almost worthless: blind, lame animals and defiled food (1:2-12).

The people willingly chose to be misled by the false teachings of the priests who justified their sins (2:7-9). 


From idolatry to the mistreatment of their wives, it was all justified by the leaders of the Temple (2:10-17). And, added to this, in their own way they "robbed" God. The tithes and offerings were not brought to the Temple as He had commanded (3:8-9). 


Yet as the consequences of their self-deceived, loveless hearts began to fall upon them, they blamed Him rather than take personal responsibility.

We really haven't changed much over these many centuries. We can only thank God that He actually does love us and is faithful to bring His light upon our self-destructive path. He sends us warnings through prophets such as Malachi (1:1); John the Baptist (3:1), and of course, Jesus Christ Himself (3:2-3, 4:16).

All these warnings promise judgment or blessing. For those who cling to their sin and delusion, judgment is what they will reap. Yet for the repentant, blessing is ready to be poured out. Therefore, we are all called to "now entreat God's favor, that He may be gracious to us" (1:9).

For those who will faithfully and obediently bring their tithes and offerings, they are called upon to "try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it" (3:10).

Let us have the courage to live in God's light, for it is our only hope to face ourselves, our self-deception and our sin so that He may remove its cancer and replace it with the riches of His grace.

Malachi 1:1-4:6

1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

Israel Beloved of God

2 "I have loved you," says the LORD.

"Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?'
Was not Esau Jacob's brother?"

Says the LORD.

"Yet Jacob I have loved;

3 But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness."

4 Even though Edom has said,

"We have been impoverished,
But we will return and build the desolate places,"

Thus says the LORD of hosts:

"They may build, but I will throw down;
They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness,
And the people against whom the LORD will have indignation forever.

5 Your eyes shall see,
And you shall say,
'The LORD is magnified beyond the border of Israel.'
Polluted Offerings

6 "A son honors his father,
And a servant his master.
If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the LORD of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
Yet you say, 'In what way have we despised Your name?'

7 "You offer defiled food on My altar,
But say,
'In what way have we defiled You?'
By saying,
'The table of the LORD is contemptible.'

8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you favorably?"

Says the LORD of hosts.

9 "But now entreat God's favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
Whilethis is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?"

Says the LORD of hosts.

10 "Who is there even among you who would shut the doors,
So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain?
I have no pleasure in you,"

Says the LORD of hosts,

"Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.

11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great among the Gentiles;
In every place incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
For My name shall be great among the nations,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

12 "But you profane it,
In that you say,
'The table of the LORD is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.'

13 You also say,
'Oh, what a weariness!'
And you sneer at it,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

"And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick;
Thus you bring an offering!
Should I accept this from your hand?"
Says the LORD.

14 "But cursed be the deceiver
Who has in his flock a male,
And takes a vow,
But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished—
For I am a great King,"

Says the LORD of hosts,

"And My name is to be feared among the nations.

Malachi 2Corrupt Priests

1 "And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.

2 If you will not hear,
And if you will not take it to heart,
To give glory to My name,"

Says the LORD of hosts,

"I will send a curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have cursed them already,
Because you do not take it to heart.

3 "Behold, I will rebuke your descendants
And spread refuse on your faces,
The refuse of your solemn feasts;
And one will take you away with it.

4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That My covenant with Levi may continue,"
Says the LORD of hosts.

5 "My covenant was with him, one of life and peace,
And I gave them to him that he might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.

6 The law of truth was in his mouth,
And injustice was not found on his lips.
He walked with Me in peace and equity,
And turned many away from iniquity.

7 "For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

8 But you have departed from the way;
You have caused many to stumble at the law.
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

9 "Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown partiality in the law."

Treachery of Infidelity

10 Have we not all one Father?
Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?

11 Judah has dealt treacherously,
And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem,
For Judah has profaned
The LORD's holy institution which He loves:
He has married the daughter of a foreign god.

12 May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob
The man who does this, being awake and aware,
Yet who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts!

13 And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the LORD with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.

14 Yet you say, "For what reason?"
Because the LORD has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.

15 But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.

16 "For the LORD God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one's garment with violence,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

"Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously."

17 You have wearied the LORD with your words;
Yet you say,

"In what way have we wearied Him?"

In that you say,

"Everyone who does evil
Is good in the sight of the LORD,
And He delights in them,"

Or, "Where is the God of justice?"

Malachi 3The Coming Messenger

1 "Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

2 "But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire
And like launderers' soap.

3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the LORD
An offering in righteousness.

4 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be pleasant to the LORD,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.

5 And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
Against perjurers,
Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

7 Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

"But you said,
'In what way shall we return?'

Do Not Rob God

8 "Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
'In what way have we robbed You?'
In tithes and offerings.

9 You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.

10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,"

Says the LORD of hosts,

"If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,"

Says the LORD of hosts;

12 And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,"
Says the LORD of hosts.

The People Complain Harshly

13 "Your words have been harsh against Me,"
Says the LORD,
"Yet you say,
'What have we spoken against You?'

14 You have said,
'It is useless to serve God;
What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance,
And that we have walked as mourners
Before the LORD of hosts?

15 So now we call the proud blessed,
For those who do wickedness are raised up;
They even tempt God and go free.'"

A Book of Remembrance

16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name.

17 "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts,
"On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him."

18 Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.

Malachi 4The Great Day of God

1 "For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,"

Says the LORD of hosts,

"That will leave them neither root nor branch.

2 But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.

3 You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,"

Says the LORD of hosts.

4 "Remember the Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With the statutes and judgments.

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

6 And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

Malachi 1:1-4:6

v.1 The burden of the word of the Lord – This phrase refers to the prophecy of this book; not because the content holds bad news, but because of the weightiness of the word of the Lord from God's prophet.

v. 2 in what way have you loved us? – This is declaring Israel's ungrateful hearts towards God.

Yet Jacob I have loved – The nation of Israel (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) was full of ingratitude, though God had blessed and given them privilege and prosperity.

v. 3 but Esau I have hated – At first glance this verse sounds contrary to the nature of God. The book of 1 John says that God is love, so how could He hate Esau? The word hate in this verse is used to contrast the superior lot given to Jacob and his posterity. Compare the word hate in Gen. 29:30-31 in regard to Jacobs's first wife Leah. The emphasis is on Jacob favoring Rachael, his second wife, not despising Leah. Comparatively speaking, Jacob was given more grace or unmerited favor from the Lord.

And laid waste his mountains and heritage – Esau's descendants were called the Edomites. The Edomites were completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar five years after the captivity of the Jews.

v. 4 we will return – This is a prophecy declaring that Edom would never rebuild no matter how hard they tried, for the Lord had judged their wickedness. In contrast, the Jews who were punished by God through the hand of the Chaldeans would be restored.

v. 5 Your eyes shall see – Even though Israel was judged and punished, they were not utterly destroyed as the Edomites and they would rejoice in God's kindness and magnify Him.

v. 6 Where is My honor? – This question is directed towards the priest meaning: why do you not respect me?

In what way have we despised Your name? – Not only did Israel fail to see God's love, the priests failed to see their own guilt.

v. 7 The table of the Lord is contemptible – The priests were offering blind, lame, or sick animals at the altar, and cheapening the sacrifices. The sacrifice was supposed to be without blemish, a shadow of the perfect sacrifice to come—Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world.

v. 8 Offer it then to your governor – Israel's earthly governor who was a mere man would be insulted if offered this kind of animal to eat. They would not dream of insulting the governor, yet the priests offered these sick animals to the Lord without the slightest hesitation.

v. 9 but now entreat God's favor – This is not a call of repentance, but rather the prophet is asking: Do you think God is actually going to be pleased with what you are offering and reward you while you blatantly disrespect Him and His great love and mercy towards you? Conversely, God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

v. 10 who is there even among you – There was not one honest priest.

Shut the doors, kindle fire – These were duties that the priests were not willing to do unless they received payment for them, otherwise they felt they were working in vain.

v. 11 From the rising of the sun to its going down – from East to West, or everywhere the sun hits the earth

My name shall be great among the nations – Although the priests of Israel had hearts of ingratitude and disrespect towards God, He reminds them that there will be people from every nation who will love Him from a pure heart and glorify Him for His great love and mercy.

v. 12 profane – Meaning to pollute or defile. The priests accepted spoiled fruit offerings from the people for the altar of God. They were more concerned with offending the people than offending God with offerings of worship that defiled the altar.

v. 13 Oh, what a weariness – Or hardship. The priests resented their prescribed acts of worship.

the stolen, the lame and the sick – The priests were offering sacrifices from the people of Israel with blemish, as opposed to a pure sacrifice of worship from a pure heart and attitude.

v. 14 Cursed be the deceiver – See the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1.

who has in his flock a male – The prescribed animal for sacrifice was a male lamb without blemish.

Feared – stood in awe of, had reverence for

Malachi 2

v. 2 I will send a curse – In other words, I will not be good to you.

curse your blessings – Those things which Israel already had been blessed with would no longer bless them.

v. 3 rebuke your descendants – The KJV renders this, "I will corrupt your seed, " meaning that the work of Israel's descendants will not be fruitful. The imagery is of planting seed in the field that won't grow.

spread refuse on your faces – Expose them to great shame and rejection.

v. 4 My covenant with Levi – Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, was the tribe who received the responsibility of becoming priests for the Lord and maintaining the Temple.

v. 6 The law of truth – This verse is still speaking of Levi. He had the law of Moses always in his thoughts and often directed others in following the law.

v. 9 contemptible and base – despicable, vile, and worthless

v. 11 abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem – Directly, this relates to the Jews intermarrying with women who either worshipped pagans or whose family worshipped pagans. This was expressly against God's law for them (Deut. 7:3). This is also viewed as prophecy regarding the future mistreatment and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

profaned – desecrate or make vile

v. 12 The man who does this, being awake and aware – This is the image of a man who knows better, he knows the law and has studied it.

v. 13 You cover the altar of the LORD with tears – The tears are shed by the Jewish wives, who have been put away or divorced while their husbands chase after foreign pagan women.

v. 14 the wife of your youth – In this day, Jewish men married very young, some by the age of 13.

v. 15 take heed to your spirit – Be careful with your affections, and make sure they only go to your wife.

v. 16 it covers one's garment with violence – The violence in this verse is the divorcing of their wives, and the garment is the request for permission to divorce that the Israelites asked for from Moses (Deut. 24:1, Ps. 73:6).

v. 17 Is good in the sight of the LORD, And He delights in them – The Jews had twisted God's mercy to the point that they looked at those who did evil and how prosperous they were and mistakenly thought that God approved of them because He had not sent judgment upon them.

Malachi 3

v. 1 My messenger – This speaks of John the Baptist, who came to prepare the people for Jesus Christ (Matt. 3:3, 11:10; Mark 1:2, 3; Luke 1:76; 3:4; 7:26, 27; Johh 1:23).

And the Lord…will suddenly come to His temple – This is the Messiah, who the Jews were expecting from prophecy in Daniel (Dan. 9:24). Note the pronoun used with "temple"—the temple is His, meaning the Messiah's.

Messenger of the covenant – This also refers to the Messiah, who came in fulfillment of the Covenant with Israel and Abraham as well as to establish the New Covenant (Is. 63:9).

v. 2 who can endure the day of His coming? – This verse speaks straight to the heart of Jesus' ministry while on Earth. He did not come in the method they were expecting; they thought the Messiah would be an political savior who would rule as king over Israel. But Christ showed the religious leaders their own hypocrisy and self-idolatry, sought to forgive sins, heal the sick, injured, and lame, and care for those that society had forgotten.

like a refiner's fire – Refers to the process by which a believer in Jesus Christ becomes more Christ-like. As we seek to know Christ and follow Him, we will encounter trials that serve to refine our faith and rid any impurities (or sinful tendencies) from our lives.

like launderers' soap – which washes things that are dirty and makes them clean

v. 3 He will purify the sons of Levi – Refers to Christ cleansing the Temple, within the priesthood, for the priests had become incredibly corrupt. Some of the Temple priests did recognize Jesus as Messiah and became His followers (Acts 6:7).

purge them as gold and silver – Gold and silver are valuable things, therefore time is taken in the purification process to make them free from blemish or impurity. Likewise, Jesus sees us as valuable treasure and takes the time to make us like Him.

offering in righteousness – The sacrifices that were being performed under the Law of Moses by the corrupt priests were no longer acceptable to the Lord (Mal. 1:7-14). Those whom Christ refines will be made righteous through their faith in Him, thereby making their offerings to the Lord acceptable in His eyes.

v. 5 I will come near you for judgment – This is a response to the question of the Israelites in Malachi 2:17, where they are showing asking where the God of judgment is. The judgment spoken of here refers to the coming destruction of Jerusalem.

a swift witness – God will not only judge their sin, but serve as witness to it as well, so there will be no delay in carrying out their sentence.

sorcerers – those who practice witchcraft

perjurers – those who testify falsely against their fellow Israelites

those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans – This seems to be common behavior for this time period; to take advantage of those who can least afford it.

those who turn away an alien – or turn away a stranger

they do not fear Me – A lack of reverence for the Lord was at the root of all of these sins the Israelites were charged with. They no longer feared the Lord's judgment if they did not follow the law as it had been given to them.

v. 6 For I am the LORD, I do not change – Although the Lord had withheld His judgment upon them and had given the Jews time to return to Him and repent their wicked ways, that did not mean He wasn't going to judge them. The Old Covenant was still in place and the Jews were required to observe the law.

Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob – God will continue to uphold the covenant He made with Abraham because He still loves His people. His longsuffering is not tolerance or acceptance of their sin, but gives them time to repent on their own and return to His ways (Lam. 3:22, Rom. 2:4-10).

v. 7 ordinances – the Laws of Moses

v. 8 Yet you have robbed Me! – This verse refers to Israel's failure to submit their tithes to the Lord as they were commanded to do (Lev. 27:30-33).

v. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse – This was a designated room within the Temple for the tithes to be brought to (1 Chron. 26:20, Neh. 10:38; 13:5, 12).

try Me now in this – Giving to God will never result in a shortage, but in His abundant blessing in our lives.

v. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes – Devourer here refers to locusts, who could decimate a crop in a matter of minutes. God will protect the hard work and labor of those who give first to Him.

v. 16 a book of remembrance was written before Him – This is a reference to the record books that were kept by the kings of the land at this time (Es. 6:1). The Lord does not need a book to remember, for there is no forgetfulness in God.

v. 17 My jewels – This is better rendered, "My proper treasure" or what is God's and is prized by God.

Malachi 4

v. 1 the day is coming – This refers primarily to the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, but also refers to the coming judgment of man on the last day.

stubble – or chaff

v. 2 The Sun of Righteousness shall arise – Jesus Christ

With healing – Jesus came to heal the sickness that afflicted all of God's people.

v. 4 Horeb – Mt. Sinai, where Moses received the 10 Commandments

v. 5 I will send you Elijah the prophet – This refers to John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah (Luke 1:17).

Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD – The coming of Christ. Not the second coming, but the first.

"You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts?'" –Malachi 3:14

This world that we live in, Lord, is full of those who do evil to the helpless in society yet prosper and grow rich. It can be hard to see that there is justice in this world. 


But You, Lord, know that no matter how this world appears to us, Your longsuffering and patience is because You do not wish to see any of us perish. Help us to see the truth and to share You with those who do not yet know You.

Missions Prayer I am never more aware that I am a vital part of the Body of Christ than when I join my heart and mind with others in prayer for the needs presented through missions—this blessing is mine even as my body is failing and my physical world is shrinking. I think the Lord has crafted this time of life for prayer and has led me to it.

Prayer Points for blessing, provision, and protection for those who faithfully lift up our missionaries to the Lord for our missionaries in the field, that the Lord would give them the words to be bold witnesses for Christ in the areas they are serving in