Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 Messiah: Fulfillment of the promise.

Malachi 3:1-6

V 1 The Lord almighty answers, “ I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.”
 

 We are sinners in need of God's intervention to keep us from receiving the just wages of our depravity. Prophet Malachi in this text explains Christ's expected incarnation. Lord God is clearly telling the people of  Israel of the impending arrival of a messenger of the covenant.V.1 talks about two messengers. The first one to go before and to prepare the way – is John the Baptist. The second one is the messenger of the covenant – the Lord Jesus Christ. Malachi's sarcasm toward the hypocrisy of the Israelites is evident when he says, “the Lord whom ye seek”. The fulfillment of the promise is well described by Malachi in these few verses when he tells: the suddenness of His entry to their midst, Ownership of the messenger, Well pronounced nature of the messenger, and it coincides with the comment in Luke chapter 2 – the fulfillment of the Lord's presence in the temple of God by His parents. God's eternal covenant of salvation is proclaimed by Jesus Christ through His incarnation and the subsequent atonement on the cross. The blood he shed on the cross was God's intervention for the just wages of humanity's transgression of the divine law.
         Let us keep the doors of our hearts open to the coming King, who would like to enter your hearts without trumpet or heralding. Unlike Malachi's day, we are under the grace of God which will cleanse our sins, to make us righteous in the sight of the Lord. It will help us to live our lives with the power of Christ, which enables us to present ourselves without shame or guilt at His second coming. Prophet Malachi asked,” who may abide in the day of His coming”. The messenger Lord Jesus would come and purify the Jewish nation, priests, and people alike and bring swift justice to the sinners who arrogantly disobeyed His law. He would purify the way a jeweler purifies the precious metal in a furnace.
           In the light of God's everlasting righteousness and our sinful darkness, the only hope is His compassionate mercy through His atonement on the cross.

Prayer

 Lord our great messenger, you are our hope for eternity and salvation, cleanse us, purify us in the furnace, and make us your sons and daughters out of your mercy and compassion. Amen.

Thought of the Day

 Christ is the answer to our need for forgiveness and salvation.

Dr.JohnK.Thomas  Tabor MTC

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
Read more