in the book of Malachi. Malachi
chapter 1. Malachi chapter 1. And I would
like to read the first five verses of Malachi chapter 1. We notice
in that first verse that Malachi was given a true burden of preaching
the gospel. And this burden was from the
Lord. and this burden was from the
Lord through Malachi to Israel. There was a message sent, there
was a messenger to take it, and there was a people that God intended
to hear that message. I have loved you, saith, in verse
two, I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet ye say wherein
hath thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord, yet I loved Jacob,
and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste
for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, we are impoverished,
but we will return and build the desolate places. Thus saith
the Lord of hosts, they shall build, But I will throw down,
and they shall call them the border of the wickedness, and
the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever. And your eyes shall see, and
ye shall say, the Lord will be magnified from the border of
Israel. These are quite the words. that the Lord shares here. He
says, I have loved Jacob and I have hated Esau. God took Jacob
into covenant relationship. not because of anything that
Jacob had to give or that anything that Jacob had. This entrance
into covenant relationship was before Jacob was ever born. Long in eternity past did God
enter into a covenant relationship with Jacob's and his family. And we find that every believer
could be called a Jacob. Everyone that God loved before
the foundation of the world could be called Jacobs. In fact, they
are. This blessing was poured out
upon Jacob and on his, his family, his people that resembled him. Loved by God before the foundation
of the world, entered into a covenant relationship before the foundation
of the world, and then spoken of in time that God would demonstrate
his love to him by bringing the gospel to him. Now we don't know
the messenger, we don't have that record, but there is no
one that is ever in covenant relationship that is outside
of the gospel. And Jacob heard the gospel, God
brought fruit in Jacob through the gospel, and he is a child
of God. Now, we also find here, but he
refused and rejected Esau. When we conclude our lesson tonight,
we want to just say this, the sheep are on the right and the
goats are on the left. And that's the separation. We must never second guess God. We must never get to the point
of saying, why God? There are three verses of scripture
in the book of Isaiah alone that teach us some things about questioning
God. And would you turn there with
me? First one is Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40. Isaiah chapter 40, we find that
God brings up this subject of questioning God, he only makes
mention of it in this manner. Isaiah chapter 40, twice in this
chapter does he mention this. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 18. Isaiah
chapter 40 and verse 18, it says, to whom then will you liken God? We're so used to comparing ourselves
with ourselves. We're so used to comparing ourselves
with another nation, another people, another nationality,
and yet God says here in this passage, to whom will you liken
God? Now the problem that we find
with Israel so often was that they liken God to a bird or to
an idol of some sort. And he says, to whom will you
liken God? Or what likeness will you compare
unto him? So he's sharing with us in so
many words, Don't try to second guess what
I'm doing. Don't try to find the answers
in what I'm doing. Now if we are shown why, thank
God. And there are times in the scripture
he says, I do this because. If he shares with us the why,
let us thank God. And if not, let's praise him
because he does not do things wrong. He never does anything wrong. So as he calls on us in the book
of Isaiah, what do you compare me to since I never do anything
wrong? And we're used to being around ourselves and others that
we notice their error, but God never does anything wrong even
though he is blamed for doing wrong. So Isaiah brings us out
in that same chapter, Isaiah 14, verse 25, to whom then will
you liken me, or shall I be equal, saith the Holy One? Who do you
make me equal with? And if we're comparing Him and
saying, Lord, we want to know, we need to know why, or we're
not going to have much fellowship, we're comparing Him to someone
that's in our own life, someone that we already know. And God
is far above that. God is God, and beside Him, there
is no one else. No one else. He is the only God.
So he's saying here, don't second guess me. Don't try to figure
me out. But I want you to know this. All I've ever done is good for
them who love God to the called according to His purpose. That
is His reason to us. Now, in Isaiah chapter 45, would
you just turn a couple pages there, Isaiah 45? And in verse
5, Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 5, to whom will you liken me
again? Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 5,
I am the Lord and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I
girded thee, thou hast not known me. I am God. I am the Lord, there
is none else. There is no one to compare me
with. So when we read in Malachi chapter 1, Jacob have I loved,
we read that same thought over in the book of Romans chapter
9, Jacob have I loved, we read in Malachi chapter 1, Esau have
I hated and I get over to Romans chapter 9 and the Apostle Paul
is led by the same spirit that caused Malachi to write this.
He causes the Apostle Paul to bring this into his message to
the Romans concerning God. He says Esau have I hated. Please
don't try to second-guess God because Paul goes on to say led
by the Holy Spirit. Is there unrighteousness with
God? Does God ever do anything bad?
And Paul finishes that as he's led by the Spirit. No way. No, there is no unrighteousness
with God. So we keep this in mind as we
look at the subject, to whom will you liken me? We must bear
in mind that with God, anything arbitrary is inconceivable. And that means he never reacted
to a situation. He has never reacted to a situation. He's always been proactive with
every situation. He doesn't react to what is happening. He is in charge of what is happening. Now we don't understand very
little what's going on in our own lives, not as well as the
lives of others. But we can count this, we can
take this to the bank, that our God is righteous and he never
does wrong. People will share with us, God
is good. My God is good. Well, he's never been bad. We
don't have that. It's not part of. So that's just
another way of comparing God. And I have to be careful in comparing
God to what's going on because there's nothing to compare him
to. He is God. In the book of Matthew chapter
20, the Lord uses an illustration about hiring
a bunch of laborers, people to work. And at the beginning of
the day, he hires some folks. And then he hires some more folks
later in the day. Then he hires some more folks
later in the day. And then he hires some more folks.
And then he hires some folks an hour before the day is over. So when he starts with the last
of them, the ones he just hired an hour before the day is over,
an hour's worth of labor, he gives them a penny. Now that
word penny comes to us from the price of 10 donkeys. That's what
that word means, but it is an illustration of a day's labor. That's how much you could get
paid in a day. And he gave him a penny. Well,
the next group came along and he gave them a penny. And the
ones that were hired at the very beginning of the day, they're
kind of sitting back on their haunches and say, well, this
looks good for us. We're going to get more than
anybody because we worked the longest. And the Lord brings
this up when they have a little fit with him. You paid everybody
a penny. He says, didn't I pay you what
I promised you? A penny? Well, look with me here in Matthew
20, verse 15. Matthew 20 verse 15, it is not lawful for me to,
excuse me, is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my
own? Don't I have the right to do
what I want to do with my own? We all believe in property rights.
I used to take kids on walking field trips and one of the things
I had to instruct them is to stay off of other people's property. It belongs to them. So we kind
of have this feeling about our property. What are they doing
on our property? They shouldn't be there. And
yet God brings us up concerning spiritual things and he says,
is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? I have
the right to do what I will with my own. Don't second guess me. Who will you compare me with?
I am God that created the heavens and the earth. I am, well, the
word awesome is really good when it's not wore out. And then he goes on to say, is
thine eye evil because I am good? I gave you exactly what I said
I would pay you." Now, this just reminds me of working under a
legalistic, religialistic system when people are working for rewards. Oh, they're getting that much.
I've been faithful for so much longer. Really, I'll get more. Well, if we're saved, Thank God. Laborers are paid a penny. You
know what? The thief on the cross will be
blessed in glory as much as Paul. There will be no shortness to
the thief on the cross. We don't even know his name.
Because God, through his son, said, today thou shalt be with
me in paradise. And Paul said, to be absent from
the body is to be present with the Lord. He gets the same pay. And I hate to use that word,
but that's it. The very same. All of God's children will get
exactly the same. And we say, well, Paul should
get, no, Paul wouldn't say that. Paul said, to win Christ, to
have Christ, that is, oh, that's it. So, in Luke chapter 10, Luke
chapter 10, the Lord is praying here in Luke chapter 10. He's
praying to his father. Luke chapter 10, verse 21. It
says, in that hour, Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, Luke chapter
10, verse 21. In that hour, Jesus rejoiced
in spirit and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent. Spiritual things, glorious things,
wonderful things about God. I've withheld them from Esau's,
and I've revealed them unto Jacob's. I have revealed them unto my
children, these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed
them unto babes. Now look at this part. Even so,
father, for it seemed good in thy sight. This is good in the
sight of God, and the church must agree. When we see the glory
of God, we will agree that God will do what seems good in his
sight. Now God has demonstrated a number
of times in the scriptures, and he gets directly involved in
the decision process of mankind. A number of times in the book
of Exodus alone, he demonstrates what he said to Pharaoh. And
Paul quotes this over in the New Testament, in the book of
Romans. For this purpose have I raised
thee up, that I might show my glory in you. Now how did he
do that? Well, there are a number of times
in the book of Exodus alone that he demonstrates to us, and to
the children of Israel, and to Jacob throughout the world. That's
why he could say in Malachi chapter one and verse two, Jacob have
I loved, because I get individually involved in the decision making
process of mankind. And the world will tell us God
never does that, and God says I do it all the time. The world
says, he doesn't get involved with our free will. And the Bible
says, I get involved with it all the time. And I did it with
Pharaoh a number of times. I remember in a conversation
with a lady that was a dear friend of mine, and she said that God
never hardened Pharaoh's heart, he hardened his own heart. Well,
there's only about 14 times that God said, I hardened Pharaoh's
heart. And then Pharaoh just went along
with it. But would you turn with me to the book of Exodus chapter
9 and verse 16 to begin with? In Exodus chapter 9, God is God
and we are not to question him where to market, as he will always
do good for his people. He will always, he worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will, and when he said, Jacob
have I loved, the Jacob's rejoice, and Esau have I hated, and the
Jacob's don't question it. It may be our very own family, But Jacobs don't question it. We pray for our family. We talk
to them about the gospel. But when they leave this life,
their life is in the hands of God. All right. In the book of
Exodus chapter 9 is that passage of scripture about Pharaoh. Exodus
chapter 9 verse 16. Exodus chapter 9 and verse 16,
and we read these words. And in very deed for this cause
have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power, and that
my name may be declared throughout all the earth. Can you imagine
a representative of God Almighty coming into the face of a king
and saying, you're on the throne for one reason. that I will show
my power in you." Now, how does he do that? Just back up to Exodus
chapter 4. Exodus chapter 4, the innumerable
times per day that God gets involved in the very decision process
of humanity. Exodus chapter 4 and verse 21, And the Lord said unto Moses,
when thou goest to return into Egypt, now remember he is in
the backside of the desert. God has appeared to him through
the burning bush. He's beginning to talk to him
about your ministry. I have a ministry for you, and
you're going to do it. And you're going to go down,
see that thou do all the wonders before Pharaoh, which I have
put in thy hand. In other words, You preach all
the gospel I've given to you. Don't leave anything out. Don't try to make it more palatable. Well, we find out with Moses
that he went down there and he had been instructed by God in
what to say and what to do in front of Pharaoh, and God leaves
this at the end of the instructions. Now, if Moses had not seen the
glory of God, he would have had a big question mark. Notice this. See that thou do all those wonders
before Pharaoh which I have put in thy hand, but I will harden
his heart that he shall not let the people go. God interfered. God interjected. God became personally
involved in this one king that he had raised up. He had made
sure that this man was going to be born at the right time,
of the right parents. He would ascend to the kingdom,
become the pharaoh of Egypt at the time that 400 years would
be concluded. He's on the throne. He has great
power and influence. And this peon comes to him and
said, God said, you're gonna do what I say to do, and then
God said, I'm gonna harden his heart. Now this happens one,
two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11 times
in the book of Exodus with Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Now would
you jump ahead with me to the book of Exodus chapter 14. Exodus
chapter 14. Exodus chapter 14 and verse 8,
and it says, the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of
Egypt. Now, this king had decided to
let him go. That's the best way. That he's just suffered the death
of his firstborn son, he's just suffered the death of the firstborn
throughout the land, and it's enough, we've had enough, we've
seen enough, we're gonna let him go. And then God, one more
time, gets involved in this man's life. And in Exodus chapter 14
and verse 8, the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of
Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel, and the children
of Israel went out with a high hand. This man has said, we've
had enough, and God comes and hardened his heart and says,
we're gonna bring him back. Exodus 14 and verse 17. And behold,
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow
after them, and I will get my honor upon Pharaoh. and upon
all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the
Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten
me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen."
So he stirred up the Egyptian army to follow after the Israelites
and said, they will know that I am God. Now it isn't enough
to know him as God, because the demons know, and fear and tremble,
but they will know that he is there, is all powerful. He was
the one that stirred them up. And in the book of Joshua, chapter
11 and verse 20, Joshua chapter 11 and verse 20, we find out
as Joshua takes the children of Israel into the land, Joshua
chapter 11 and verse 20, As they recap, as they look back
on what has happened, as they take a sense of what has happened,
how is it that they were able to take the land and lose so
few? The only ones we have record
of is at AI. and the rest it appears that
there was only some sweat. But God won the battles for them
and there was no one lost in battle. Here in the book of Joshua
chapter 11 and verse 20, for it was the Lord to harden their
hearts that they should come against Israel in battle that
he might destroy them utterly and that they might have no favor
but with but that he might destroy them as the Lord commanded Moses. What he has done to the Edomites. We read that over in the book
of Malachi chapter one and verse three, that their land will become
desolate. And we find that happens so much
spiritually that they will not be able to see any spiritual
blessings. They'll harden their heart against
God because their heart is that way. And we read here as it happens
with Joshua as they enter into the land, it was God that stirred
them up and brought them against us and caused us to overwhelm
them and destroy them completely. We stand in awe. God is the one that has protected
you and me every day. It is he that has a wall of fire
about us. It is he that has sent his own
army, my arm against the enemies of God. Now they for a season
might be able to inflict pain upon us. But the ultimate outcome
is, and it was interesting to find out about the other Lazarus
that's mentioned in the New Testament, he's taken to the glory, the
rich man dies, the rich man is in hell and he lift up his eyes
being in torment, says, you need to go warm my brothers, and he
says, just remember, in your life you had all the good things.
Providentially, God provided the sun and the rain for that
rich man that lift up his eyes being in hell, and Lazarus had
nothing good. He didn't have any physical blessings
in this life, but he's in Abraham's bosom. He's a Jacob, and you're
down here, you're an Edomite. I never ever had any love for
you. I gave you all the blessings,
didn't do a thing for you. I rained on you, didn't do anything
for you. I sent you food, didn't do anything
for you. I let you build barns and store all your goods, but
that didn't change you one way. You never looked at me with one
thought of who is blessing you. But that man out on your doorstep
knew who he believed on. In the book of John chapter 12,
would you turn there with me? John chapter 12. Now this is
a quote from Isaiah chapter 6. This quote is found six times
in the New Testament. There must be something to it.
We need to look at this as we think about Jacob have I loved
and Esau have I hated. In John chapter 12, this subject
is brought up. John chapter 12, verse 37. This was brought to my attention
on Sunday. And I said, oh boy, this I need
to bring. John chapter 12, verse 37, and
it says, but though he had done so many miracles before them,
yet they believed not on him. that the saying of Isaiah the
prophet, now this is mentioned in Isaiah chapter six. Do you
remember what happened in Isaiah chapter six? The year that King
Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up and his train filled
the temple. And the seraphims cried, holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Now down through that chapter
towards the end, he says, when I saw his glory, This is what
was given to me. He says, I've called you to preach.
I've called you to testify. I've called you to preach the
gospel. How long? Until there's nothing left. But
I'm going to have you preach, and this is what's going to happen.
The prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath
believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the
Lord been revealed? Now that's what happened to Isaiah. He was able to believe the report
and something had been revealed unto him, the person Christ.
Therefore they could not believe because that Isaiah said again,
he has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they
should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart
and be converted and I should heal them. These things said
Isaiah. When? Oh, when he was in his
desperate moment, when he was depressed, when he was down,
when he couldn't find anybody else that believed just like
him. No. When he saw the Lord high and
lifted up. When he saw His glory and spake
of Him. When God showed him His glory. It was revealed to him that all
the preaching that he could possibly do would not convince one person. That was going to be God that
did that. He must reveal himself. Don't
get depressed over this because I'm doing exactly as I have purpose
to do and I've never done anything wrong. Don't second guess me. When I have a message that goes
out, don't second guess me and try to make it more palatable.
Leave it alone. And we find that he saw his glory.
Now, there are several other places here, but would you join
me back in John chapter one? John chapter one. Verse 14, and the word was made
flesh and dwelt among us. Now notice this, and we beheld
his glory. The glory of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Now this is what Isaiah
got to see, his glory. The glory of God is the Son,
the Lord Jesus. And when he saw him and he was
given this message to preach, the message of Christ, the message
of the gospel, the message, God said, don't get upset when people
don't believe you because I'm the only one that can reveal
it to them. And if I don't reveal it, they'll
never see. They will leave this life without
it. But Jacob's have I loved, and they will see it. They will
be shown the glories of the Son of God. They will be shown the
glories of Almighty God. And they will rejoice in it.
They will be the ones that recognize the fact they do not deserve
this. And it's the Esau's that go around
saying, I deserve this. Look what I'm doing. Look what
I'm doing. So to see his glory. In the book of Romans chapter
9 and verse 14, Romans chapter 9 and verse 14, as we think of
these things about Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
And God has always let us know that he's the one that's in charge,
and that we're not to second guess him, and don't make it
less. I don't know how many commentaries I read that that word really
means he loved him less. That's not the definition of
the word. That is only the application
that people who don't want to believe God put. They will always
make it less. And when we do that, we're going
to have to say, well, eternity is just a little shorter than
we thought, and the blessings of God are just a little shorter
than we anticipated, because those words have to be translated
down. Leave it alone. Jacob have I
loved, and that's with an everlasting love, Esau's. I've hated, and
I've hated with an everlasting hate. It's been that way. That's
just God. Be thankful that he will drop
his blessings on some. Excuse me, Romans chapter nine. Romans chapter nine, verse 14,
it says here, what shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Don't believe it for a moment.
God forbid. God forbid. Verse 15. For he
saith to Moses, I will have mercy. I will have mercy. I will show
mercy. I showed mercy to a whole bunch
of people in Egypt. I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, not who we vote to have mercy, not our family to
have mercy. I will have mercy upon whom I
will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. The Lord hath made all things,
no question, The Lord hath made all things. Well, I believe in
creation, don't you? He's made all things. Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. In 1 Peter 2, 1 Peter 2, don't get haughty over
this. I'll have mercy. First Peter
chapter 2. And verse 8. A stone of stumbling and a rock
of offense. Now who is that? That's a person. He was very offensive to the
religious leaders of his day. He was very offensive. The only ones that really appreciated
Him were sinners. Leopards. Those who are the down and outer
spirits, that's the ones who appreciate Him. A stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word.
We say, why can't they? Why won't they? being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed. 2 Peter 2. 2 Peter 2. Oh, what a wonderful promise here
in verse 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver
the godly out of temptations. Oh, how thankful. We'd be so
much worse off than we are if we didn't have that. Oh, he knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. I'll have mercy
on whom I'll have mercy. And he says here, I know how
to deliver the godly out of temptations. I know how to snatch them out
of the pit. I know how to give them life and life eternal. I
know how to take them from darkness to light. I know how to do all
this. I know how to reveal myself to them. I am the revelation. And yet I also know to reserve
the unjust until the day of judgment to be punished. Romans chapter 9 again. Would you go back to Romans chapter
9? Romans chapter 9 verse 20. Do you think that there might
have been a problem in Rome over this very subject? Paul spent
a lot of time writing to them about this very thing. If you
have seen the glory of God, this won't be near the rub. Who will you compare God to?
Is He just going to be the, oh, my co-pilot? The song, Me and Jesus Got a
Good Thing Going? Or will He be the God of the
Bible that says, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy?
All right, Romans chapter 9, verse 20. Nay, but, O man, who
art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say
to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the
potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel
of honor? Jacob's. Jacob's. Jacob's. And another? unto dishonor, Esau's, Esau's,
Esau's. What if God, willing to show
his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering? Now that was an interesting thought
there. To make his power known, willing
to show his wrath and make his power known, endured with much
longsuffering, the vessels of wrath, He is very long-suffering to the wicked. You know, they'll never be able
to say, well, you didn't show me any grace, you didn't show
me any mercy, you didn't show me anything. No, I rained on
you just like I did those folks. I sent the sunshine on you. And
by the way, most of you had a whole lot more than these over here
that belong to me. You had all of that, and you
never thanked me for it. You were given all of those things,
and you never did a thing about it. I showed much long-suffering
in your direction. Now, another reason I found out
that they do is that some of those folks are the folks that
brought you and I into this world, and they needed to be there.
Yeah, my parents didn't know the first thing about the gospel.
And my grandparents, as far as I know, they didn't either. You
know, one out of generations that God, but God had to have
them there, but he showed much long suffering. He could have
just taken them to hell instantly, but he showed a much long suffering. And then he goes on to tell us
here. the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy,
which he had before prepared unto glory." In the book of Matthew,
the Jacobs that I've loved, he said, the sheep on the right,
come you blessed, come you blessed, to the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. And he said all those things,
and they said, when did we do that? When did we do that? I can't remember that. And then
he said to those on the left hand, Esau, depart from me, ye
cursed. Welcome, you blessed. Depart
from me, ye cursed. Jacob's have I loved, Esau's
have I hated. Don't second guess God, because
he does all things well. Now the Esau's in the next passage
that we're going to look at, they say, well, God said we're
not ever going to build again and we're going to deny that.
We're going to defy that. And God says, I'll just knock
it down again. All this self-righteousness that
the Esau's try to provide, God says, I won't have it. I won't
have it. God bless you and bless you for
the coming part of this week, the rest of the week.