Message topic: Return unto Me, and I will return unto you.
Malachi 3: 1-7
There are generally six types of people mentioned in the bible: namely disciples, Apostles, Prophets, major and minor prophets, believers and unbelievers.
This morning we are going to listen to a message from one of the minor prophets by the name of Malachi, who is the last of the minor prophets. You may be asking what is the difference between a minor prophet and a major prophet?
The difference is not in their importance or status, but solely in the length of their books within the Old Testament. Major prophets have longer writings (like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), while minor prophets have shorter ones (like Jonah and Joel). Both groups are equally inspired by God and are considered to have vital messages.
We know that Malachi is the last of the twelve minor prophets whose name is the last book of the O/T. The names of the twelve minor prophets are: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
Today we have a message from God through Malachi which is recoded for us in Malachi chapter three verses one through seven and we want to focus on verse seven, which says.
Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of host, but you said, where shall we return.
Many years before Malachi came on the scene, the prophet Jeremiah had warned the Israelites of their neglecting of the true worship which the Lord required of them, and if they did not turned from following the worshipping of the false gods, He would have them as captive in the land of Babylon for seventy years, but they payed no attention to his warning, and so God kept His promise to them, so they were led off to Babylon for seventy years.
At the end of seventy years, they were allowed to return to their home land, for this they were happy, and began to worship God as their fore parents did, they rebuild the old temple and the old city walls were rebuilt.
It is known that Malachi appears on the seen one hundred years after the return of the Israelites from Babylon, by then they had returned to their hedonistic way of worshipping many difference god’s and had forgotten the true form of worship which was required of them by the one true God of Israel.
His message from God to the people was, that they cease their sinfulness in every form and return to the true form of worship as it was before they turn to worship false gods.
His main message to the people was, even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But you said, where in shall we return.
The prophet spoke out against the unlawful marriage and divorces, he addresses the Jewish men who were being faithless to their wives in two specific ways, divorcing their wives in order to marrying foreign women, which is treachery against their covenant wives to God.
This was not the only thing which grieves the heart of God, many of the people had turn to worshiping other false gods whom God had forbidden them to do.
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 host that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Has that warning from Malachi has anything to do with mankind today? Does God has one set of rules for the people of the past era, and one for us today?
Lets reflects back on verse six of Malachi three and hear what God who cannot lie, is saying to us today: for I am the Lord, I am the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.
We today are required to fallow all the teachings of God recordings for us from the book of Genesis and the weightings of the prophets, and those Apostles of the New Testament which leads fallen mankind back to God’s forever kingdom.
Jesus said, follow me, I am the only way, and my words stands for ever, are you willing to follow Him?