Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It
Is To Men As They Are
"Preach The Word"
When God Says Good-Bye
Text: Mal. 1:11
Introduction:
Israel had rebelled against God. The priests and people alike rebelled. The Lord told them in v.11 that He was going to turn to the Gentiles. Praise God he chose a Gentile bride. God literally said good-bye to Israel. Following were 400 years of darkness between the Old and New Testaments.
Illustration:
I have often gone to cemetaries and seen gravestones that said, "Gone but not forgotten." God here was saying your are here but I am forgetting you. I am taking my hand off of you. If God takes His hand off of us we’re done.
I. The Source of Their Problem
Verse 2 tells us they had a love problem. They were questioning the love of God. He gave them :
A. The Scriptures
B. The Savior (Jn. 1:11)
C. Spiritual Blessings
How can we question the love of God? We know He loves us because:
1. Cross- Jn. 3:16
2. Call Us- Rom. 8:29
3. Claims Us- Jn. 21
4. Corrects Us- Heb. 12:7
5. Cares For Us- 1 Pet. 5:7
II. Symptoms Of The Problem
A. Lack of Honor- (v.6)
How do we honor God?
1. Giving- Prov.3:9-10
2. Respect for the man of God- Heb. 13:7
B. Half Hearted Service (v.7-10)
III. Seriousness Of The Problem (v.11)
It is a serious thing to have God take His hand off your life.
It will affect you at your home and the house of God.
Illustration:
Upon the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, the first voice that was heard was that of Allen Naismith. He said, "We’ve had a major malfunction." Today, we’ve had a major malfunction in our churches and our homes, when and if God ever removes His hand from us.
IV The Solution To The Problem
There was no solution for Israel. God literally removed His hand off of them. They are still blinded today.
In the church at Ephesus, they had the same problem, as the priests of Malachi’s day. They had a love problem. They left their first love (v.4). The solution for them was found in verse 5. They needed to:
A. Remember (5a) "whence thou art fallen"
B. Repent (5b)
C. Repeat (5c) "do thy first works"
SERMON FROM DR. JOHN SMITH
PASTOR TEAYS VALLEY BAPTIST-- HURRICANE,WV-USA
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