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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800uggest. free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

I want to take your Bible and turn to the book of Malachi, the book of Malachi. And a few things I want to dwell on just three things. One is about the messenger that is to come. And the second thing is about God who says that he never changes. And third, where he says, you have robbed me. Who in the world in the right mind would walk up to God with a gun and say, stick them up, this is a hold up.

Say, I’m going to rob God. Now who in the right mind would try to rob God? Now I’ve had people breaking into my house, and I’ve had people breaking into our church, and still all our sound system. But who in the world could rob God? And yet people rob God. So we’re gonna take a look at that, but first of all, look there in Malachi chapter two and verse 17, chapter two verse 17.

He said, you have wearied the Lord with your words. Now the people said that they were wearied because of what God has done. So the people were wearied with God and God was wearied with them. When you read the book of Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 14 where he talks about the nation of Israel, he says from the top of your head to the bottom of your foot, he says you’re sick. You have wearied me. He’s like you’re rotten to the core.

Now sometimes we say things like that about certain people. But God said this to his people Israel. And then he says, come on to me and let’s reason together. Let’s reason together, say, after Lord. But he says, we’re in have we wearied him. When ye say, everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighted in him. Oh, where is the God of judgment? In other words, it looks like, and maybe you’ve done this.

Have you ever seen wicked people do wicked things, and it seemed like they get blessed, and you do righteous things, and you get the tar beat out of you? Like he’s always whooping you. And like David says, he says, it’s like the Lord has chastened me over and over and over again. Well, here he says, where in have we wear you. And where is the God of judgment? Because we want to know and we believe that God ought to be fair.

But even God isn’t fair. People are not fair. Life is not fair. But in the midst of this judgment and about us setting in judgment on God, because remember as you read through the book of Malachi, you see that question asked over and over again, we’re in hostile love does. We’re in have we polluted die altar. I mean show us where we’ve been wrong because in their minds they don’t think it’s that bad. Most people don’t believe that what they do is that bad until they see what God says.

Now if we compare ourselves with the Lord we see how far short we have come. So chapter 3 he says, somebody you have been waiting on. There’s somebody that’s written in the covenant that is coming and he is coming. Here is Joseph, verse 1, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple. 400 years later he shows up. And then, if you follow a little bit down lower when he talks about when he comes, he’s gonna be in judgment.

That’s been another 2,000 years. Does he say suddenly come to his temple? Now that doesn’t mean like, you know, a long period of time. He’s not talking about the length of time. He’s all of a sudden, boom! He shows up. So he came right on schedule. Now, I want you to hold your place right here, but just look there in the Book of Isaiah chapter 40, look in Isaiah chapter 40. And you read this in the New Testament also, especially in the Gospel of John, the Book of Matthew, chapter 3 of Matthew where it talks about John the Baptist shows up on the scene and he’s a preaching.

And here in the Book of Isaiah and chapter 40, look there in verse 1, comfort ye, comfort ye my people saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry under her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” In verse 3, and then all of a clear sky just seemed like it’s another subject. The voice of him that cryeth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord.

There’s L O O.R.D. all camps means Jehovah. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough way made plain.” You may have a little trouble trying to understand some of that, but let me just see if I can just make a comment about it. There’s a lot of mountains in Israel. There’s a lot of mountains around the world.

But you know all of those high peaks, those great big mountains, God said, I have placed my temple in my holy heel of Zion. Though there’s mountains higher, there was none as great as this holy heel. And it was like those are exalted, and this one is humble, and God’s chosen a humble place. But Israel, one day, it will be the greatest nation. And so today it’s a humble nation. It’s a little bitty nation. But God’s gonna use this nation to be a blessing to the whole world.

Now you’ll see that if you’re looking in the book of Malachi, just we’re not leaving here yet. Malachi and you’re looking chapter three, look there in verse 12, where it says, and all nations shall call you blessed. For ye shall be a delight some land, Seth, the Lord of hosts. Right now nothing was going right for Israel. The temple wasn’t glorious like the previous one was. The sacrifices God was not satisfied with. He was upset with the priests, the leaders of the people, and he was upset with the people.

And seemed like nobody was pleasing God. And so God was telling them, he says, look, all this can change. And God wanted to show them how much he loves him. But see, God can’t change. He can’t bless this obedience. So here in Isaiah in chapter 40, when he talks about making things right. Like here comes somebody, prepare to meet the Lord. It’s like when you’re gonna have company, you wanna clean up the house and make it look presentable. You don’t want there to be anything that would cause that person to be offended in any way.

It’s people get your lives right. When you read in the book of Luke and talking about John the Baptist, it’s talking about that get things right. And John the Baptist was supposed to take and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. That means then daddy begins to watch what he does, what he says, how he lives, how he thinks, everything. But you see, we don’t have that today. We need the fathers to turn their hearts to the children.

Because see, that’s what changes lives. That’s what changes homes. Trying to set the right example for the kids because you love them. Otherwise parents go astray when they lose the love for their children. But anyway, he says, this is gonna happen. In verse five he says, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And all flesh shall see it altogether for the mouth of the Lord had spoken. So Jesus Christ is going to come and come suddenly to the temple.

Look what he says in verse six. The voice said cry and he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grasped. All the goodness of thereof is as the flower of the field. And then down to the last part of verse eight And the word of our God shall stand forever. And in verse nine, the good tidings are the good news. So John the Baptist came on the scene and he preached and was warning the people, prepare you the way of the Lord.

He’s coming and he says, I baptize you in water, but he that cometh after me shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and that was coming next. So go back here to the book of Malachi now. And when the Lord comes to the earth, even though there’s a little of a gap in here, it says in the last part of verse 2, he is like a refiner’s fire and light full of soap. He shall sit as a refiner and purify of silver.

He shall purify the sons of Levi, because remember the tribe of Levi is the priest. And they’re wicked right now, but he’s coming and he’s going to make things right. This is my righteous servant, the righteous branch. And he says, in verse four, then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the days of old, as in the former years. So this is what’s going to take place. And it’s looking on down the road.

It ain’t happened yet, but it’s going to. Now he did come, but not everything was fulfilled at that time. Some things are gonna be fulfilled later. Now look up there in verse six. To understand, I am the Lord, L-O-R-D caps. I am Jehovah, I change not. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed because God doesn’t change. God has mercy, God has grace. But just like when you play any kind of sports, there’s always rules that you have to play by.

And sometimes you break the road and you get disqualified or you get kicked out of the game, whatever. But there’s rules that you play by. Believe it or not, in the Bible, there are rules that the devil has to play by. He has to go by certain rules. He has limitations put on him. There’s something he can do. There’s something he can’t do. And so when you understand that, you know that he is limited. He can’t do anything he wants to do.

A God can block him here and block him there. He can put a fence around you and protect you and all kinds of things that can happen. But you need to understand there’s also rules by which God has limited himself. In other words, God has his own set of rules. Love has rules. If man loves his wife, it becomes a set of rules upon him. There’s things he will not do. There’s things he will do because of love. Same thing with a woman.

So it has its own set of rules. There’s boundaries. Now with the Lord he says, I change not. Now isn’t it true in scripture that the Bible says in God repented? God repented. Now it seems like a contradiction as though God changed his mind. We say always the you know repent means to change your mind and to reconsider to think differently. So there’s a problem with that. But I do want you to look at a few verses with me.

Now hold your place right here in Malachi and turn all the way over there to the book of Numbers. Numbers in chapter 23. Look there in verse 19. Verse 19 because the more you understand about the ways of God it will help you in your Christian life. It will give you confidence, give you boldness. See in verse 19, God is not a man. Do you understand that? Now Jesus became a man, but God the Father is not a man.

God is not a man. Now He was a perfect God man when He came into the world and born into the world. Now, but we’re not talking about Him. God is not a man. Get this. That He should, what? Lie. So is He saying that all men are liars? I’m afraid so. All men are liars. But what else? She said, neither the son of man that he should repent or change his mind. Have he said and shall he not do it?

Or have he spoken and shall he not make it good? Since God is God and God cannot lie. God can’t do anything wrong. God has never wronged any person. That means he He can’t wrong you. So that means you can trust Him. If He says something and He makes a promise, does He have to keep His Word? I would think so. Because it’s part of His character. See God’s mind, His will, His character, that can never change. It can’t change because of what the Word of God tells us.

So there’s a few other Scriptures that I wanted you to take a quick look at. Look at James chapter 1. Go to James chapter 1. Now don’t lose your place there in the book of Malachi now. But James in chapter 1, and look there in verse 17. Now the Bible tells us that when a man is tempted, He cannot say, I am tempted of God because God does not tempt a man to sin. God doesn’t dangle bait out there in front of you and try to get you to sin.

Now the devil will, but the Lord will. And you are enticed whenever your sinful nature that you have, your lust desires that which it shouldn’t. So you have an old sinful nature. So you can’t blame everything on the devil because you have one of your own. You can take the devil and the devil and the devil. put him in the bottom of his pit for a thousand years and people still want to do what’s wrong. That’s going to take place one day.

So you look there in verse 16 where he said, do not err my beloved brethren, every good gift, every perfect gift is from above. And comeeth down from the Father of lights, with whom is no veribleness, neither shadow up turning. It means that God doesn’t change. And that’s a good thing to know. But why you’re right here so close, look there in the book of Hebrews in chapter 13, Hebrews chapter 13. Look there in verse 8, you ought to underline this verse.

And look what it says even about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever. So if this is true, how can God repent or change his mind? Or when I pray to God, can I change God’s mind? Isn’t that what prayer is? In other words, I’m not going to get something unless I pray. So when I pray, I change God’s mind. Well, that’s interesting. Have you really thought much about that? Is there a contradiction in the Bible?

In other words, Lord can I have that pink Cadillac? No, you cannot. And we think God is like a parent. So we just stay at him and by our persistent in asking and wearing him down, we finally got God to change his mind and give me that pink Cadillac or that million dollars. Wouldn’t that be great? So all we gotta do is just keep begging and weary him and we’ll get it. Because there’s an illustration in the Bible about something like that.

but he talks about an unjust judge or something, you know. Well, we’re not gonna look at that tonight. But I do want you to know that he says, blessed is the Lord. He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if he doesn’t change, can he change his mind? Well, that’s an interesting thing to know. So it’s an interesting subject. So we’re right here in Hebrews. Look in Hebrews chapter 6. Look in verse 17. There’s two things about the Lord that says that he can swear by no greater so that there’s nobody greater than God.

And then it was impossible for God to lie. So that ought to be pretty sure. So if nobody can override God because there’s nobody greater than God. And because there’s no way of making God change him, can God save you today? and then he changes his mind tomorrow. See, God saved Al, but after 10 years, God changed his mind and decided, I don’t think so. Wouldn’t that be terrible? Because if they can change his mind on any one person, he could change his mind on all of us.

But see, what I know about God is that God can’t change his mind. And the Bible tells us in the book of Romans in chapter 11 that the callings and the gifts of God are without repentance. It means it’s without a change of mind. God can’t change his mind. So how does all this prayer supposed to make a difference? That’s an interesting question. Wish we had a good answer. Looking verse 18, that by two immutable things in which there’s nobody greater and he can’t lie, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us so that we can have sure in our anchor, look in verse 9, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.

Why is our anchor secure because there’s nobody greater than God and God cannot lie and God gave his word? So you and I are supposed to rest in that, and that’s what It gives us our confidence. So whenever we say, I know I have eternal life. I know I’m going to heaven when I die. What is it based upon the Word of God? God said so. And God can’t change it. Boy, I like that. You ought to like that too.

But all of this reveals something that I want you to see looking for 6 in Malachi. For I am the Lord, I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob or not concerned why because God had made a promise. He had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they were going to be the foundation of a kingdom upon the earth that will last forever and that they’re going to have a king over them and a kingdom that will never cease. God gave His Word.

So God can’t let the nation of Israel, the people, He can’t never let them be totally annihilated. Oh, they’ve come close over the centuries, but they’re still going. There’s some people living in our time that would love to just annihilate all of them, but they still keep going. But now God never changes his mind, his will, or his nature. Change involves before and after. Change involves before and after. So here’s God. God is the eternal person I am. Can you have a before and then God changes it?

And then there’s after. God did this or before God did this, but God had to change something. Is it possible if God cannot change? Interesting thing to think about. The second thing to look at on this is if God changes, is it because God made a mistake? Has he now made a mistake? Because if something changes. Does it change for the better or for the worse? Anything that changes in our understanding is it changes for better or changes for worse.

Isn’t that what we do when we get two people to be joined together in matrimony? We always tell them because even if things change, you’re supposed to keep your vow for better or or for worse, richer or poor, in sickness and in health. Those are changes, aren’t they? All those are changes. But if you give your word, regardless of what changes, better, worse, you keep this. Because see, our vows are supposed to be similar to what God, you give your word.

That’s why you’re supposed to be scared to death, they give your word. Because God hears our vows. and it’s important. So did God do this and then God did it better and God is perfect? Then he can’t change. It can’t get better. It can’t get worse because God is God. God, whatever God does, it’s always perfect. God can’t do any wrong. He can’t do any less than perfection in anything. He can’t change his mind because if he changed mind is because he finally learned something that he didn’t know and he had to make a correction.

Did you tell God something? And God said, I never follow that. And now he changed his mind. For example, remember a guy named Hezekiah? God was going to take his life. So he says, Prepare to meet my God. And as a cayus said, no, wait, wait a minute, not so fast. Lord, if I’m dead, I can’t do anything for you. I can’t praise you from the grave. I mean, let me live. Let me smir. I don’t want to die.

And evidently he had some boils and he was going to die. So God gave him 15 years. So did that prayer change God? Did he change God’s mind? It would appear that God changed his mind. And if he changed his mind, why? Because he prayed and changed God. Oh, I guess interesting. Remember this, when he comes to what the Word of God says, because God says, I changed not. I’m the same yesterday, today and forever. And whatever we do, we base it upon the immutability of God.

Impossible to change. God is not a man. God is God. So are we little peons down here able to get God to change his mind about stuff? Remember this, circumstances change. You change. God doesn’t change. Prayer is getting you in the right place where God can do for you what He always wanted to do for you. God has always wanted to bless Israel, and He’s always wanted them to be a light to the world that hasn’t changed. God doesn’t change.

And so there’s circumstances with people where we either obey. And if we do, God is bound by His Word to keep His covenant that He has to do certain stuff. And if we disobey as the nation of Israel did, then God was bound by His Word that He had to chasten Israel. See, God didn’t change. What happened was the people changed. Circumstances change. Now, in your life and in my life, it is you and I that are growing. You and I are the one that are learning things by which we correct decisions.

God doesn’t have to correct anything. He doesn’t have to repent, change his mind. The Bible talks about when he repented, he grieved because of what man was doing. The Bible tells us in the book of Zechariah in chapter 8 that God says, I fought to do this unto you, but when you correct the problem, I didn’t do the evil that I was going to do. You said, well, then God changed his mind. God was only being consistent with his character because of their change.

He didn’t have to do this. But if they hadn’t corrected the problem, God would have done this. That’s why when you read even in the book of Romans in chapter 9 about the choosing of vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. Can God, the potter, form or shape the vessel the way God wants? Of course he can. Is it God free to use a vessel of rebellion to demonstrate his wrath and a vessel that obeys God and yields to God.

God can use them to show his blessing to him. When I understood this years ago, I knew, I knew that if I serve God, I have got God bound by his word, he must bless me. He, His choice was made before I was ever born. But I know if this book is true and if I obey His Word and walk in His way, do His will, God is bound by His Word, He can’t choose not to bless me, He must bless me.

Remember a guy named Jacob who wrestled with the Lord all night long because he wanted one thing, he wanted God’s blessings. He said, you mean God wouldn’t have bla- no it was Jacob getting right where God could. Did you know it’s kind of like this? Here’s this great big old hole in the sky. And here you are off over there in La La Land. And whenever you get right and God will move in your life and block you here and block you there and lead you and He’s trying to get you one place.

If he can just get you right here, then he is going to unload his lessons upon you. And if not, and you’re rebellion, then you don’t get it. It’s not that God changed. It’s that God got you in me where he wants us. And if you will do what’s right, God must hear your prayer and God must answer your prayer. And when you understand that, that will give you more power in your prayer and not until. He is the king of the Bible.

You have been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of these teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible Line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon. And just keep looking up.