Scripture Reading: Mal. 1:2; 2:7, 15-16; 3:1-2, 7-12; 4:2

Ⅰ　

Malachi prophesied at the time of Nehemiah; at that time the priests and the remnant of God's people were in the darkness of self-deception, which is obsession—1 John 1:8; Acts 9:1-2; John 16:2; cf. Phil. 3:3:

A　

The symptom of a person who is obsessed is that what he thinks and does are totally wrong, yet he thinks and believes that he is totally right—Isa. 5:20.

B　

Malachi shows the degraded condition of God's obsessed, self-deceived, people who are under Satan's authority of darkness—Mal 1:2, 6-7; 2:13, 17; 3:7-8, 13-15; Col. 1:12-13; cf. Acts 26:18.

C　

The reasons for obsession, self-deception, are loving the darkness rather than the light (John 3:19-20); pride (Obad. 3); not receiving the love of the truth (2 Thes. 2:10-11; Prov. 23:23), and not seeking the glory that is from the only God (John 5:44).

D　

The way to be saved from obsession, self-deception, is to live in the light—Isa. 50:10-11; Psa. 36:9; 1 John 1:5, 7, 9; Matt. 6:22-23; John 7:17; Col. 1:12-13.

Ⅱ　

The healing Christ is the Messenger of God and the living message of God like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap to purify and refine the degraded remnant of God's people—Mal. 3:1-2:

A　

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all"—1 John 1:5; John 8:12.

B　

We need to be infused with Christ as God's Messenger and as God's message to be His messengers, those who have a fresh message from God to infuse His people with Himself—Mal. 2:7; Rev. 1:20; 2:1; Amos 3:7; cf. Luke 2:26; Heb. 8:5; 11:7.

C　

We must be reporters of God's economy, prophesying to speak Christ for the building up of the church—1 John 1:3; 1 Tim. 2:7; 1 Cor. 14:31; Jer. 15:19; 1:8-9; Psa. 73:28; 25:14; 73:17; Acts 6:4; 1 Thes. 5:16-20; Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:18.

Ⅲ　

The center of the book of Malachi is the healing Christ, the One who purifies and reconstitutes His people with Himself, healing them by shining as the divine light in their entire tripartite being, to make them the glorious masterpiece of the Triune God, His unique expression, for His second coming—Mal. 4:2; 3:1-2; Exo. 15:22-27; Eph. 2:10; 5:26-27:

A　

In His first coming, Christ was the dawning Sun to the dark age; in His second coming, Christ will return as the Sun of righteousness in His kingdom—Luke 1:78; Mal. 4:2; cf. Matt. 17:1-8.

B　

The overcomers who are reconstituted with Christ as the Sun will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father—13:43.

C　

As the Sun of righteousness, Christ is our enjoyment for our growing in life, in the dispelling of darkness, and for our healing in life, in the effacing of unrighteousness—John 1:4-5; 8:12; 2 Cor. 4:6; Acts 26:18.

Ⅳ　

To be healed is to be saved, to be made whole; Christ will heal us, but we must give Him the freedom to use His wings to fly above us, around us, through us, and within us—Mal. 4:2; cf. Exo. 15:22-27; Rev. 2:7; 1 Pet. 2:24:

A　

We must see God's great love for us and keep ourselves in the love of God— Mal. 1:1-2; Eph. 1:4-5; Rom. 9:11-13; 2 Cor. 5:14; Jude 19-21; 2 Thes. 3:5.

B　

We must enjoy Christ as the dawning light every morning—Prov. 4:18.

C　

We must contact Christ as the reality of the "third day" to be purified by His blood and reconstituted with His life—Hosea 6:1-3; Heb. 9:14; 10:2; Titus 3:5.

D　

We must take heed to our spirit, exercise our spirit, not grieving or quenching the Spirit—Mal. 2:15-16; Eph. 4:30; 1 Thes. 5:19; Rom. 8:6; Luke 9:55:

１　

A seeking saint should be poor in spirit and pure in heart—Matt. 5:3, 8.

２　

A repentant believer should have a steadfast spirit, a willing spirit for the things of the Lord and the things of the church, and a broken spirit—Psa. 51:10, 12, 17; Acts 24:16; Phil. 1:8; 2:20-22.

３　

We need a contrite and lowly spirit and a meek and quiet spirit—Isa. 57:15; 66:2; 1 Pet. 3:4; Gal. 6:1; 1 Cor. 4:21.

４　

A normal believer should have the Spirit of joy—Heb. 1:9; Acts 13:52; Rom. 14:17; Psa. 43:4; Neh. 8:10; Jude 24.

５　

A God-fearing person should have the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah—Isa. 11:2-3.

E　

We must honor and fear God by bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse for the need of the church, the advancement of the gospel, the supply of the Lord's servants, and the supply of the needy saints—Mal. 3:7-12; Deut. 14:22-23; Phil. 1:5; 4:15-16; 3 John 5-8; Rom. 12:13; 1 John 3:16-18:

１　

Although the word concerning the tithe was spoken to the Israelites in the Old Testament, in principle it applies also to the New Testament believers—Mal. 3:10; cf. Heb. 7:1-3; Matt. 23:23.

２　

If we would be faithful to live for God's administration in caring for money and material matters, there would be no financial needs in the recovery— cf. Neh. 13:10-14; Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; Matt. 6:1-4.

F　

We must remain in the healthy teaching of God's economy to be inoculated against the disease of different teachings; we must keep a rich deposit of the Lord's healthy words in our being to be inoculators for the purification, education, reconstitution, separation, and protection of God's people that they may be fully healed by the healing Christ to become His corporate expression for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose—1 Tim. 6:3-4, 20-21; 2 Tim. 1:13-14.