Sunday School Lesson

1. Malachi 1:1-11
True Hope
May 17, 2015
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA
What’s the number one thing?
The Glory of God!
http://eat-art.org/images/uploads/The_Glory_of_God_(1).jpg
Corinthians 10:31 NKJV
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God.
MEMORIAL DAY
Remembrance of American war dead

2. May Memory Verse:
2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV
7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Pray for 2015 FBCJ Committee on Committees
Beth Aldridge
Chris Maddux
Kendall Smith, Chairman
David Gibbs
Elizabeth Rich
Eddy Waller
Sherye Green
Mike Lowe
Jim Merritt, Jr.
Malachi
• Last Minor Prophet and book of Old Testament
• Capstone prophecy of Old Testament
– God’s message of judgment on Israel for their continuing sin
– God’s promise that the Messiah will come
– 400 years of silence from God after Malachi
Malachi’s Ministry 400 BC
The 400 Silent Years
• Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in 530 BC that foretold
the world powers that would rein during this time.
• “Statue” in dream in Daniel 2 represents a prophecy of a timeline of
history.

3. Statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Preview of Malachi 2:1-9
 God exposes and condemns the unfaithful priesthood of Israel.
 Examples of what a priest should be – the example of Levi.
 Application today would be for preachers who teach false doctrine.
Malachi 2:1-2a
1 "And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.
2a If you will not hear,
And if you will not take it to heart,
To give glory to My name,"
OT version of 1 Corinthians 10:31
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Malachi 2:2b
2b Says the Lord of hosts,
"I will send a curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have cursed them already,
Because you do not take it to heart.
It = “to give glory to My name”
Malachi 2:3
3 "Behold, I will rebuke your descendants
And spread refuse on your faces,
The refuse of your solemn feasts;
And one will take you away with it.
(God will “rub their noses” in the internal waste of the sacrificial animals so they
will have to be placed outside the camp and burned)

4. Malachi 2:4-5
4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That My covenant with Levi may continue,"
Says the Lord of hosts.
5 "My covenant was with him, one of life and peace,
And I gave them to him that he might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.
Malachi 2:6
The True Levite Priest
6 The law of truth was in his mouth, (Spoke for God)
And injustice was not found on his lips.
He walked with Me in peace and equity, (Walked with God)
And turned many away from iniquity. (Turned many to God)
Malachi 2:7-9
7 "For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But you have departed from the way;
You have caused many to stumble at the law.
You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,"
Says the Lord of hosts.
9 "Therefore I also have made you contemptible (disgusting) and base
(humiliated)
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown partiality in the law."
Preview of Malachi 2:10-16
• The false teaching manifests itself in the lifestyle of the priests and
followers.
• The breakdown of the institution of marriage reveals the moral collapse of
the culture.
• Marriage is a covenant relationship and is a solemn vow.
Malachi 2:10-16
10 Have we not all one Father?
Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?

5. 11 Judah has dealt treacherously,
And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem,
For Judah has profaned
The Lord's holy institution which He loves:
He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob
The man who does this, being awake and aware,
Yet who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
14 Yet you say, "For what reason?"
Because the Lord has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
15 But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
16 "For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one's garment with violence,"
Says the Lord of hosts.
"Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously."
How does this scripture relate to today’s world?
• It describes our world today!
– False teachings
– Preachers who ignore the Scriptures
– Assault on marriage
• “the Lord’s holy institution which he loves”
– Divorce
– Turning away from God in our society
• “Apostasy”

6. Warnings about Apostasy in End Times
Matthew 24:3; 10-12
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately.
"Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your
coming and of the end of the age?"
10 "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each
other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,"
2015 Survey of Pre-tribulation Study Group
• 17 Prophecy experts who believe that the Rapture will occur before the
Tribulation
• Dr. David Reagan of Lamb and Lion Ministries
• “From the view point of end times prophecy, what do you think is the most
amazing thing going on in the world today?”
Amazing Prophecy Developments
by Dr. David Reagan
1. The regathering of the Jewish people from the 4 corners of the earth
(40,000 in 1900 and 6,000,000 today).
2. The re-establishment of the State of Israel in May 14, 1948.
3. The reclamation of the land of Israel – went from desolation to productive
farmland.
4. The revival of the Hebrew language.
5. The re-occupation of the city of Jerusalem after the Six Day War in 1967
(Jerusalem Day).
6. The resurgence of the Israeli Military.
7. The refocusing of world politics on Israel.
8. Apostasy in the Church- redefining truth, marriage and morality.
- Focus of lesson today
9. Theory of Convergence – signs and events coming together rapidly.
Apostasy in the Church
• Apostasy = “a defiance of an established system or authority; an
abandonment of faith.”
• False teachings that “exchange the truth of God for a lie” Romans 1:25.
The Forms of Apostasy
1. A “falling away” from key and true doctrines of the Bible into heretical
teachings that proclaim to be “the real” Christian doctrine.
- Salvation, Jesus, Scripture, Marriage
2. A “complete renunciation” of the Christian faith, which results in the full
abandonment of Christ. (Begins with a falling away #1)

7. Is Apostasy Happening Today?
• 2014 Pew Research Center Survey results released May 15, 2015
• 2014 results compared with same survey data from 2007
• Sample size was 35,000 participants in United States
Pew Research Sample Center
Sample Questions
• What is your present religion?
– Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, etc…..atheist, agnostic, or
“nothing in particular”
• Do you think of yourself as a Christian, or not?
• Thinking about when you were a child, in what religion were you raised?
Pew Research Center Findings
1. Christians are declining both as a share of the U.S. population and in total
number
– In 2007, 78.4% identified with Christian groups
– In 2014, 70.6% (7.8% decline)
• This represents 5,000,000 souls
2. The decline of Christians in the U.S. has corresponded with the continued
rise in the share of Americans with no religious affiliation (termed the
religious “nones”)
– Includes atheists or agnostics and those who say their religion is
“nothing in particular”
– In 2007, 16.1%
– In 2014, 22.8% (Increase of 6.7%)
– Mississippi’s rate went up from 6% to 14%
 Nearly one-in-five U.S. adults (18%) were raised as Christians or
members of some other religious group, but now say they have no
religious affiliation (“nones”).
 For the age group 18-to-26 year-olds:
– In 2007, 25% were unaffiliated (“nones”)
– In 2014, 34% (Increase of 9%)
3. The share of Americans who identify with non-Christian faiths, such as
Islam and Hinduism, has grown modestly
– In 2007, 4.7%
– In 2014, 5.9%
– Muslim population increase from 0.4% in 2007 to 0.9% in 2014 for U.S.
– 28% of world population are followers of Islam

8. The Characteristics of Apostasy
Jude 1:4
4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for
this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness
and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Apostasy can be subtle (crept in unnoticed)
A. W. Tozer Quote:
“So skilled is error at imitating truth, that the two are constantly being
mistaken for each other. It takes a sharp eye these days to know which
brother is Cain and which is Abel.”
2. “Ungodly people” - those who use God’s grace as a license to commit
unrighteous acts
– Jude describes these unflattering traits: morally perverted, denying
Christ, defile the flesh, rebellious, revile angels, self-destructive,
grumblers, self-satisfying, worldly minded, unsaved, etc.
3. Deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ through their unrighteous
behavior
Titus 1:15-16
15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and
unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are
defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being
abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
How do I recognize a false doctrine?
1. Know the truth – study the Bible.
2. Judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.
3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and studies.
1 John 4:1
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are
of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
How can I recognize a false teacher?
1. What does he/she say about Jesus?
2 John 1:9
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does
not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father
and the Son.
2. Does this teacher preach the gospel?
– The good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection
according to Scripture.
– The complete message of Jesus as the only way of salvation.

9. 3. Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify God?
Jude 1:11
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain (Pride), have run
greedily in the error of Balaam for profit (Greed), and perished in the
rebellion of Korah (Self-promotion).
Question of the day?
Is there a connection between people turning away from God (Church) and
Pastors (clergy) not preaching and teaching the truth of the Scriptures?
Malachi 2 says “YES”
Closing Scripture
Who is behind this turning away from the faith?
2 Corinthians: 11:14-15a NIV
14 … for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15a It is not surprising,
then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.
The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16 NKJV
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 14:6 NKJV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
Romans 3:23 NKJV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a NKJV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
 Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
 Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life to
pay the penalty for our sins.
 The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death explained in
Revelation 21:8.

10. Revelation 21:8 NKJV
8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral,
sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with
fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23b NKJV
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 NKJV
7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be
My son.”
 Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to accept Jesus as our Savior.
Romans 10:9-10 NKJV
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation.
Romans 10:13 NKJV
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
If you have questions or would like to know more, Please, contact First Baptist
Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/