Malachi 3:6-18

1. The same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

• The Lord does not change, he will keep his promises and his precepts never go out of date. Malachi 3:6 
• We must not follow our culture, when it departs from biblical principles. 
• The prophet proclaimed that the people robbed God when they withheld their tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8 

2. Tithes and offerings

• Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. “Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room for it.” Malachi 3:10
• Your crops will prosper; the pests will not take them nor will they cast their fruit. Malachi 3:11 
• Even from a distance people will be able to see that you are blessed! Malachi 3:12 

3. A future and a hope

• Those who fear the LORD will belong to God, and he will teat them as beloved children. Malachi 3:16-17 
• There will come a day when there will be a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. Malachi 3:18 
• In God We Trust.

1. Two things the Lord despises

• Those who call evil good. Malachi 2:17
• Those who complain about the Lord. Malachi 2:17

2. The coming of the Lord

• Suddenly, unexpectedly the Lord will come, but on that day those who think themselves upright will not be able to stand before him. Malachi 3:1-2
• The Lord will refine us removing our sin as fire removes the impurities from gold and silver. Malachi 3:3
• The Lord creates in those he purifies, clean hearts. Malachi 3:3

3. Judgment

• The Lord will judge against all forms of wickedness. Malachi 3:6
• “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” Job 28:28
• In God we trust

1. A Misunderstanding.

• The disciples did not understand Jesus. John 16:18
• Because they did not understand they thought they had lost when in fact they had won. John 16:20

2. We win in the end.

• Just as there is pain in childbirth that is swallowed up in the life of a healthy baby, so will our future be.
• John 16:21-22 “In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

3. God loves His people.

• God loves the ones who follow Jesus. John 16:27
• God hears the prayer and is eager to answer the prayer of the one who follows Jesus. John 16:23

• Sometimes it is necessary for bad things to happen. John 16:7
• Grief can turn to joy. John 16:6-7
• Death is not the final word. John 16:16

2. The Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit will convict the world of guilt. John 16:8
• The Holy Spirit will expose sin, show righteousness and bring judgment. John 16:8-11
• The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. John 16:13

3. Father, Son and Holy Spirit

• The Sprit is able to come to us because Jesus has removed our sin.
• The Spirit gives each of us a connection with the Father and the Son. John 16:15
• Jesus is glorified by our receiving all the Spirit has for us. John 16:14

• As Jesus was treated, so shall His followers be treated. John 15:20
• Persecution will come to the follower of Jesus. John 16:2
• As some listened to Jesus so some will listen to those who follow Jesus. John 15:20

2. We have been chosen out of the world

• Let us not live worldly lives, for we have been chosen out of the world. John 15:19
• Jesus followers are attacked because people do not know Jesus or His Father. John 16:3
• Our calling is to help people know Jesus and His Father; that they might be chosen out of the world. John 15:27

3. Jesus promised that the Spirit would come

• The Counselor comes from the Father, and is the Spirit of truth. John 15:26
• The Spirit testifies about Jesus. John 15:26
• We are called to testify about Jesus as well. John 15:27

• Trust in God, trust in Jesus, no matter what the difficulties, Jesus will take care of us. John 14:3
• Jesus goes from life to death to life to provide a permanent solution to our difficulties.
• Jesus provides the only way to be in relationship with God the Father. John 14:6

2. God the Father and God the Son

• To see Jesus is to see God. John 14:9
• God the Father lives in Jesus Christ. John 14:10
• The words Jesus spoke come from God the Father.John 14:10

3. Greater things than Jesus.

• Faith in Jesus is the key to success like Jesus had. John 14:12
• While walking in faith in Jesus, we can ask for anything and know that it will be ours. John 14:14
• What path are you walking?

• Jesus was glorified by being obedient to the rule of His Father. John 13:31
• The Disciples were unable to be obedient to follow Jesus. John 13:36
• But Jesus held out the promise that there would be a time when they would follow, bringing glory to God. John 13:36

2. Human strength.

• Peter promised Jesus that he was ready to die for Him. John 13:37
• Jesus told Peter that he could not follow him, and that he would deny Him three times before the dawn. John 13:36-38
• Human strength will always fail us in the end.

3. Love conquers all.

• At this point of failure and brokenness, Jesus points the way forward; Love one another as I have loved you. 13:34
• It is the love of God that moves us to follow Jesus.
• God’s love transforms us from the inside out. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:8

1. The Chosen.

• Jesus said, I know those I have chosen. John 13:18
• But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
• “The Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” Revelation 17:14

2. Reasons to Believe.

• What happened to Jesus was foretold in scripture. John 13:18
• They are given precise information so that they might believe that Jesus is the One. John 13:19
• Jesus foretells his betrayal. John 13:21

3. Judas’s journey.

• Judas Iscariot was a thief; as keeper of the moneybag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. John 12:6
• The devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. John 13:2
• Satan entered into Judas. John 13:27

1. If you love me.

• Jesus turns the old adage “If you love me you will let me…” on it’s head.
• Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; John 13:3
• Jesus showed them the full extent of his love. John 13:1

2. The Servant King.

• Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:5
• Jesus tells his friends that as he has served them so they should serve one another. John 13:14

3. Knowing and doing.

• Jesus promised that in knowing the truths that he has taught, blessing comes form doing them. John 13:17
• The blessing is only possible if we put Jesus teachings into practice.
• There are thousands of people in our area who do not “know” and so they see no reason to “do”, and so blessing eludes them.

1. Belief in Jesus.

• Jesus had done many miraculous signs in their presence yet many refused to believe in Him. John 12:37
• Others believed, but they feared the Pharisees so they remained silent. John 12:42
• The prophet Isaiah foretold all of this. John 12:38

2. What will people think?

• Peer pressure kept many from proclaiming their faith in Jesus. John 12:43
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Psalm 111:10

3.Jesus, the light of the world.

• I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:46
• Jesus did not come to judge the world but to save it. 12:47
• God’s commands led to eternal life. John 12:50