Offerings That Are Pleasant Unto The Lord
Jesse M. Hendley
Malachi 3:2
If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Malachi, the third chapter. We are studying about what God is like.
We found in Malachi 3:2 that God is like a refiner's fire and like a fuller's soap "He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver. He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
So God is a Refiner. He is "refining" us for heaven and only as we ARE refined can we go to heaven.
Now notice here that God is absolutely pure and can associate only with "refined" people. If we are not willing for our character to be changed, we need not think we can walk with God, here or hereafter!
God also is like a fullers soap, strong soap that CLEANSES. That suggests washing or cleansing of character. The Lord MUST wash away all that is unclean, dirty, unheavenly, in our lives, if we are to walk with Him. We must have good from evil separated in our lives. We must let God do it, or be shut out of His Presence.
Now God cannot change His Character, His Holiness. "I the Lord change not." Verse 6. His Character is undeviating. He is absolutely HOLY.
Second, God cannot save people who refuse to give up all known evil in their lives. If there is any known evil in your life and you are not willing to give it up, God cannot walk with you. He cannot bless you. He wants to. He doesn't give you up until He sees that you are going to persist in it and you have a hardened heart. But nevertheless God cannot do what He wants to do.
Third God comes to us to refine and purify our lives. That is the object of our suffering. That is the object of our trials. When you go through hard places, remember the words of Peter, "Do not count it a strange thing, the fiery trials that is about to try you. The testing of your faith is more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tr ...
Jesse M. Hendley
Malachi 3:2
If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Malachi, the third chapter. We are studying about what God is like.
We found in Malachi 3:2 that God is like a refiner's fire and like a fuller's soap "He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver. He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
So God is a Refiner. He is "refining" us for heaven and only as we ARE refined can we go to heaven.
Now notice here that God is absolutely pure and can associate only with "refined" people. If we are not willing for our character to be changed, we need not think we can walk with God, here or hereafter!
God also is like a fullers soap, strong soap that CLEANSES. That suggests washing or cleansing of character. The Lord MUST wash away all that is unclean, dirty, unheavenly, in our lives, if we are to walk with Him. We must have good from evil separated in our lives. We must let God do it, or be shut out of His Presence.
Now God cannot change His Character, His Holiness. "I the Lord change not." Verse 6. His Character is undeviating. He is absolutely HOLY.
Second, God cannot save people who refuse to give up all known evil in their lives. If there is any known evil in your life and you are not willing to give it up, God cannot walk with you. He cannot bless you. He wants to. He doesn't give you up until He sees that you are going to persist in it and you have a hardened heart. But nevertheless God cannot do what He wants to do.
Third God comes to us to refine and purify our lives. That is the object of our suffering. That is the object of our trials. When you go through hard places, remember the words of Peter, "Do not count it a strange thing, the fiery trials that is about to try you. The testing of your faith is more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tr ...
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