Living Faith Christian Church: Messages, Studies, & Stories

Today’s passage has some very clear words from God for us when your heart needs revival. Here’s what I aim to do in our time today: 

First, 3 root causes of losing heart. What produces spiritual decline? There are 3 that I see in this passage. 

·    When your heart needs revival, beware of these three. 

·    They will make your spiritual condition worse! 

·    It is a brief lesson on what NOT to do when you are struggling as a Christian.

Second, there are 3 actions you can take to revive your heart for God. 

·    These 3 will improve your spiritual condition. 

·    You will go from feeling a distance with the Lord to feeling renewed in your Christian life. 

Not instantaneously. These three are not pills to pop with a bit of water for immediate change of heart. 

·    They take effort, consistency, and time. 

·    But they will revive even the hearts that feel the most distant from God. 

Today’s passage, Malachi 1:6-14, has the message from God we need to hear when life is not going as planned.

It contains 3 instructions for us.

* 3 implicit commands about what to do when life’s not going as planned.

* These 3 will give us direction, but also provide us power.

1.  Don’t become callous about sin – You have put your faith in Christ. You are doing your best to live for him. Some part of your life is not going as planned. 

2.  Fight against church fatigue – You have put your faith in Christ & are trying to live for him.  Some part of your life is not going as planned. 

3.  Reorient your life around God’s plan for you in Jesus Christ – Life doesn’t go as we plan, but God does have a plan for this life. 

In "The Message: Hearing from God", 47 of the 55 verses of Malachi contain the first person address from the Lord. God speaking directly to his people. So, the book is a vivid encounter with him that is unsurpassed even in the prophetic books! The Lord talking right to us. 

There is great joy in Jesus at Christmas.

• There is some joy in getting gifts.

• There is probably more joy in giving gifts.

• And there is joy in just being together with the people you love.

There is great joy in the Christian life.

• Being a follower of Jesus results in intense inner delight in God.

• Knowing Christ makes us smile no matter what is going on.

Rejoice in Jesus even when we are suffering.

- The amazing reality of the Christian life is that we can celebrate even through the experience of our pain.

- The distress of the world cannot steal our joy.

The Gospel of Jesus defines God’s love for us.

- The good news about the Lord explains his heartfelt devotion to humanity

- Do you want to know what God’s love is all about?

- Just get to know Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible

Rejoice in what Jesus has done for you!

Let’s celebrate who he is and what he has accomplished.

- May our faces light up and our hearts be lifted up!

- May we exult in the greatness of our Lord and Savior.

Happiness and Joy are related and intermingled, but they are not the same.

- Happiness is inner delight that comes from good circumstances.

- Joy is inner delight that comes from something or someone.

Jesus is the source of everlasting joy.

There’s an urgency to spread the Gospel of Jesus.

The most pressing matter on the planet is the good news.

·    The highest priority in the world is the message of Christ.

·    We are in a state of emergency, that eclipses every other global news story,

·    but not in a negative sense, because the Gospel is truly and always good news in this bad news world.