Good leadership includes humility.

• Exodus 4:14-16; 6:13; 7:1, 8-13, 19; 8:6, 17 – Aaron was in an active leadership role. The first three plagues were done directly through him.
• Aaron was the first high priest. Exodus 28:1
• Numbers 12:1-9 – Even as a leader, you can’t do anything you want.
• Leviticus 10:1-3 – Aaron’s sons were killed by God because of their sin.
• There is always someone above you!
• I Peter 5:1-4 – Elders can’t lord it over the flock! They must lead with humility.
• Ephesians 6:5-9
• Ephesians 5:22-25 – Husbands and wives.
• Ephesians 6:1-4 – Parents and children.

Don’t compromise on the important stuff.

• Exodus 32:1-6 – The golden calf. Aaron may have been trying to pretend that in worshiping the golden calf, they were worshiping the one true God, but he should have never compromised on this point.
• Don’t try to be the cool parent that compromises on what is important for your children!

I can serve God despite past sin.

• Numbers 16:20-22 – Good leadership from Moses and Aaron!
• Numbers 20:23-29 – The death of Aaron.
• Aaron did a lot of wrong, but also served God in many good ways.
• Psalms 106:16
• Hebrews 5:1-4
• We can move past our sins just as Aaron did.
• Galatians 6:1

Malachi

Introduction to the book

• Malachi’s name means “my messenger.”
• The book was most likely written around 435-432 BC.
• The general message of the book was for the people to clean up their lives and worship!
• The style of writing is more like a debate between the people and God.

Notes on the text

• Malachi 1:1-5 – God declares His love for Israel.

• Malachi 1:6-10 – The people offered unacceptable sacrifices. They people questioned the charge, but God listed their offenses in Malachi 1:7-8. They had worshiped according to their own desires.

• Malachi 1:11-14 – Israel had profaned God’s name (Malachi 1:12), but it would be great among the Gentiles (Malachi 1:14). This prophecy was fulfilled in Christ.

• Malachi 2:1-4 – Priests would not repent, and they were hopelessly cursed by God. See Exodus 29:14

• Malachi 2:5-9 – The priesthood as God ordained it is compared to the actual state of the priesthood at that time. They had turned out of the way and caused people to stumble (Malachi 2:8).

• Malachi 2:10-17 – The people had not respected God’s marriage law.

  • Matthew 19 – God’s marriage law. God hates divorce!

  • Galatians 5:24-25

• Malachi 3:1-7 – God’s messenger (John the Baptist) would come before Christ.

• Malachi 3:8-15 – They had robbed God with their tithes.

• Malachi 3:16-18 – God’s book of remembrance (looking forward to Christ). Compare Nehemiah 5:19.

• Malachi 4:1-6 – The ultimate destruction of the wicked and triumph of the righteous.

  • Malachi 4:5 – Elijah here is referring to John the Baptist (Matthew 17).

Lessons for us

• Honor God as a good son honors his father (Malachi 1:6).
• God will not accept an offering of scraps.
• We must be regulated by what God likes.
• God hates divorce.
• God writes the faithful in His book of remembrance.
• Those who walk not with God will be destroyed, but the righteous will enter the joy of their Lord.
• All acceptable preaching must have a “thus sayeth the Lord.”

• Do I shut off the kingdom of heaven from people?

  • Matthew 23:13

  • John 7:45-53 – Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but honestly sought truth.

  • The Pharisees assumed they were right and others were wrong without honestly seeking truth.

• Am I selfish?

  • Matthew 23:14

  • Do I look like a Christian, but avoid the work a Christian should be doing?

• Do I bind tradition instead of truth?

  • Matthew 23:15

  • The Pharisees converted people to their own traditions – not to God’s law.

  • II Corinthians 4:5

  • Acts 8:35; 17:2; 18:28

  • There is no such thing as “church of Christ doctrine.” There is Christ’s doctrine and that’s all!

• Am I dishonest?

  • Matthew 23:16-22; 5:33

• Do I neglect what’s important?

  • Matthew 23:23

  • Details are important, but don’t forget the big things!

• Do I pretend to be what I’m not?

  • Matthew 23:25-28

  • Titus 1:15-16

  • James 2:15-17; I John 2:4

• Do I think I would have been a better child of God in some other time or place?

  • Matthew 23:29-36

  • Amos 7:14-15

  • We can’t make excuses. We have to serve God the best we can in our present circumstances.

• Themes and take-aways from 1 and 2 Thessalonians:

  • Compliments / indications they’re doing well

    • I Thessalonians 1:2-3, 9; 2:19-20; 4:1, 9-10

    • II Thessalonians 1:3-4; 3:4

  • End of the world

    • I Thessalonians 4:15-17

    • II Thessalonians 1:8

    • Acts 24:24

    • We need to know about the end of the world and teach our children about it!

  • Example / imitate / model

    • I Thessalonians 1:5-7; II Thessalonians 3:7-9

    • Follow good examples and be good examples!

  • Non-Christians (others / outsiders, contrast to converts in Thessalonica)

    • You are not like this anymore!

    • I Thessalonians 2:14-16

    • II Thessalonians 1:8

    • I Thessalonians 4:4-5, 13

  • Word / instruction / gospel

    • I Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13; 4:2; 5:19-20, 27

    • II Thessalonians 2:15; 3:14

    • God’s word is the instruction in your life.

  • Prayer

    • I Thessalonians 1:2; 5:25 – Prayer beings and ends the letter.

    • I Thessalonians 5:17; 3:9-10

    • II Thessalonians 1:3, 11; 3:1

  • Persecution

    • II Thessalonians 1:6; 3:3-4; 1:4-6

• Help! We’re in a crisis of Bible illiteracy!

• We just don’t know what the Bible says.

  • Hosea 4:1-2, 6; 8:12-14 – Hosea was one of the prophets who pointed out that problem.

  • Survey after survey indicates that our knowledge of the Bible is going down.

    • Albert Mohler – The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem

    • Ephesians 3:4-5

• Therefore, we need to read it!

  • II Timothy 3:14-17; II Timothy 1:5

  • I Timothy 4:13 – All churches need to preach and teach it!

    • Dan Kimball – How Not to Read the Bible

  • The Bible is NOT being taught in many pulpits.

    • Malachi 2:4-7

    • Matthew 23:13-15

• We also need to make the effort to understand it!

  • II Timothy 2:15

  • II Peter 3:15-16

  • A.J. Jacobs – The Year of Living Biblically

• Psalms 119:105