BROADCASTS.com

b'In the book of Malachi, we see God\\u2019s chosen people imploring Him to be\\ngracious to them even while they keep disrespecting Him and showing\\ncontempt for His commands.\\n.\\nBy God\\u2019s law, they are to make unblemished animal sacrifices to God for\\ntheir sins. Instead, they sacrifice blind, diseased, and injured animals.\\nEven the priests offer God what they themselves do not want. God tells them\\nHe wants the whole tithe and offering from them, not leftover bits. He also\\ncalls out people who have broken faith by marrying unbelievers or divorcing\\ntheir spouses without reason.\\n.\\nThe actions of the people suggest that what they want is a savior, not a\\nlord. They seek a cosmic genie to do their bidding rather than the ruler of\\nthe universe to rule their hearts. They don\\u2019t want to love God and their\\nneighbor, and so they break God\\u2019s commands, ignoring Him and disregarding\\nthe vulnerable in their midst.\\n.\\nBut God knows what\\u2019s going on in their hearts. In this last book of the Old\\nTestament, He points to the Savior and Lord the people need: Jesus. Jesus\\nwill be the sinless, unblemished sacrifice people need to receive\\nforgiveness for their sins and attain eternal life with God. God will make\\nthis sacrifice because He loves us. Jesus will die for us willingly, and\\nonce Jesus is sacrificed for the sins of all, the old laws with animal\\nsacrifices will be fulfilled. People who put their trust in Jesus,\\nbelieving He died and rose again, will be transformed by the Holy Spirit\\nand be able to lead God-pleasing lives under grace and mercy, not\\nsacrifice. \\u2022 Ronica Stromberg\\n.\\n\\u2022 How does the book of Malachi make it clear that everyone has fallen short\\nof loving God and loving their neighbor? (If you want to dig deeper, read\\nMatthew 22:36-40 and Romans 3:23.)\\n.\\n\\u2022 How does Malachi point to Jesus, the Son of God, who has made the only\\nway for us to have a right relationship with God? \\n.\\n\\u201cFor I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than\\nburnt offerings.\\u201d Hosea 6:6 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nMal.3.6-Mal.3.7|Hos.6.6|Mal.1.7-Mal.1.9|Mal.1.11-Mal.1.12|Mal.2.13-Mal.2.16'