There were many in Israel in the days of Malachi who thought they knew God and did not. There were a few who feared the Lord.--The former demanded that God do something. The latter waited patiently for him to act.--In his closing address, Malachi reminds his hearers that God is acting and will act, in the coming of the day of the Lord. With this day in view, Malachi issues a warning, a promise, and closing counsel.--As the faithful in his own day, believers now must live in obedient faith and wait in expectant hope, trusting in the God of love, justice, mercy, faithfulness, and majesty to bring about all his glorious purposes.

At the climax of his sermon, Christ presses home the importance of a proper union between how we appear and who we are. He describes those who are coming to him either as those who hear and do, or as those who hear but do not do.--Two figures are used to describe them.--The first - coming, hearing, doing - is like someone who digs deeps to build his house upon a rock. In the time of testing, his house stands firm.--The second - coming, hearing, but not doing - is like someone who builds their house, perhaps quickly and attractively, but without any foundation. In the time of testing, this house falls, and great is its ruin.--Thus Christ establishes the nature of the true and healthy disciple- one who hears and obeys the Lord Jesus.

As Malachi reaches the climax of his book and the conclusion of the Old Testament, he pushes home the issue of a right knowledge of God and all that flows from it.--On the one hand, he describes the faithless, who bring hard accusations against God, and conclude that it is pointless to serve him. On the other, he describes the faithful, who are revealed in terms of their attitude -they fear the Lord-, their speech -they talk to one another, presumably words of faith and truth-, their witness -the Lord taking note of their activity-, and their confidence -that they will be spared when judgment comes-.--In that day, the character of God will be gloriously revealed, and the confidence of his saints fully vindicated.

Christ provides a framework for self-examination and self-evaluation regarding the truth and the health of our profession to be disciples of Jesus Christ. With a series of contrasts and comparisons, pressed home by way of colourful illustrations and penetrating questions, he sets before us the life and love of his true followers.--There are questions here concerning sight - a three-part parable asking whether or not we see clearly, follow closely, and look humbly.--There are questions here concerning speech - a two-pronged picture, asking what kind of fruit we bear, whether or not our speech reveals a heart that belongs to the Lord Jesus.--Am I a true disciple- Am I a healthy disciple- Do I increasingly life and love like Jesus of Nazareth-

Malachi speaks on behalf of the covenant God of steadfast love to a people who do not know him or themselves, calling them back to God to obtain the blessings that he is only too ready to give.--This portion reveals the changeless God who speaks, the faithless people who doubt or deny him, the godless living that results, and the matchless promise which the Lord holds out to all who return to him.

Christ exhorts us to a distinctive love that reveals those who are sons of the Highest. In this passage we see Christ's shocking commands about love- Christ's painful contrasts regarding love- Christ's pressing call to love- Christ's encouraging connections concerning love.

Paul writes to the sons of light, the sons of the day, to give them the grounds of the hope that they enjoy, rooted in the sovereign mercy of a saving God. He reminds them that Christians are spared the wrath of God- that Christians are granted the salvation of God- and, that Christians are saved by the Son of God.

Christ preaches a sermon that shows what it really means to belong to his kingdom. It is a sermon that demands that we consider our values and priorities, that makes us ask what we think about the now and the then of our lives.--To answer this question, we look first at the blessings Christ describes- the kingdom of God for the poor, filling for the hungry, laughter for the weeping, and joy for those hated for the Son of Man's sake.--Then we turn to the woes of which Christ warns- the rich have already received their consolations- the full will be hungry- the laughing will be mourning and weeping- and the condemnation of God for those who seek the applause of men.--So, is yours the kingdom of heaven- Are you a true disciple of Christ-

As the work develops and the opposition increases, our Lord gives himself to a night of prayer to God, seeking the direction and the blessing of his Father on the next steps in the progress of the kingdom of heaven.--Having prayed, he chooses out twelve disciples to be apostles, sent with his authority to extend the kingdom in accordance with truth and righteousness. They are 'ordinary nobodies,' yet they will be taught, trained, tested and transformed by the Lord Jesus.--Then he gives them an immediate object lesson in the character of the King and the constitution of his kingdom, as the people gather to hear him teach and to be healed in body and soul.--We too need to learn these lessons about the way in which the kingdom of God advances in the earth.