Malachi 3:13-18

Transcript

GR 53
3/23/1975
Malachi 3:13-18
Gil Rugh


Malachi chapter 3. Last book in the Old Testament. Malachi chapter 3. I’d like to begin reading with the 13th verse as you follow along in your bibles. ''Your words have been arrogant against Me, says the Lord. Yet you say, 'what have we spoken against Thee, You have said it is vain to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept your charge that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of Hosts. So now we will call the arrogant blessed. Not only are the doors of wickedness built up but they also test God. Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord gave attention and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and esteemed His name.
And they will be Mine says the Lord of Hosts and the day that I prepare My own possessions. And I will spare them as a man spares His own son who serves Him. So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. Between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him.’’

Sometimes you say you can’t hear me when I put my head down so I’ll try to. I don’t see how you can hear me with my head down. So maybe that will help.

Sometimes we’re asked if we have any special services through the week, during Easter week and other holidays. And we do not. So this week there will be no special services on Good Friday here at the church. If you we’re wondering about that why will have our regular Wednesday night service as we usually do, a time of prayer together, and then our Sunday service.

The book of Malachi in your bibles. We are studying the book of Malachi on Sunday morning. Perhaps you’re visiting this morning and I do not plan to take a break from the book for our study, either this week or next. Because the passage we deal with next week has to do with the second coming of Jesus Christ and that's what I plan to speak on for Easter Sunday anyway. So we're simply deal with Malachi chapter 4 centering on the second coming of Jesus Christ and the first coming some 2000 years ago.

Malachi and the third chapter. You are visiting this morning often here the book of Malachi deals with the matter of formal worship. The formal worship that was going on in Israel and particularly God's dissatisfaction with formal worship in the nation Israel. The portion we looked at last week verse 7- 12, dealt with the frustration of the nation. They looked for God's blessing but they looked for it in their own way. They thought they could get blessings and benefits by getting for themselves things. And so they did not follow through in submission and obedience to God in giving of their tithes, their offerings and so on and thus God says you're robbing me and that's sure cutting the blessing. Give me what I demand and I'll give you blessings that you will not be able to hold.
There shall be no more need at the end of verse 10.

Picking up with verse 13, we come to what is the last of the eight-fold controversy that God has with Israel. Eight times in the book of Malachi God has said a statement and Israel has questioned the statement. And this is the last of the eight-fold controversy that began in chapter 1:2, ''I have loved
you says the Lord. But you say, 'How have You loved us?’

In verse 6, at the end of the verse, God says, ''0 priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Thy name?

Verse 7, ''You are present defiled food upon My altar.
But you say, 'How have we defiled you.'

Over in chapter 2:14, the end of verse 13, ''the weeping and groaning because God no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, 'For what reason?’1

Verse 17, ''You have wearied the Lord with your words.
Yet you say, 'How have we wearied Him?''

Chapter 3:7, ''From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statues and have not kept them. Return to Me and I will return to you says the Lord of Hosts, But you say, How shall we return?1 * *

Verse 8, ''Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!
But you say, how have we robbed you.' *' And then down to verse 13, the eight and final time, Your words have been arrogant against Me,’ says the Lord, 'Yet you say What have we spoken against You?’

A continual problem that Israel has is the refusal to see themselves as God sees them. God passes His evaluation on them and Israel questions God's evaluation. And that problem is the same problem that we have today. The basic problem that men face today is their unwillingness to accept God’s evaluation of them. God says you're a sinner, man says, 'Who says!’ God says
you're not righteous. Man says I am too. And the unwillingness of men to accept God's evaluation, God's estimation at Sinai. Another of Israel's problem, they had to keep coming back to the question: God says this is your condition but they are not willing to accept it. They are not willing to have His evaluation be final and our problem today is no different. Israel is no worse than we are. We have the same problem in being willing to accept what God's says.

In verse 13 God says, you have been arrogant, or you have been strong against Me; spoken harshly against Me. They lifted themselves up against God in what they say and yet they come back, 'What have we spoken against you?' as though God were a man and they could call Him into question. Now this is not always the words they vocalized but it's the attitude they manifest and this becomes clear as God gives them the explanation.

In verse 14, You have said, 'It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts?' '' It is vain or empty to serve God. What is the profit that we have kept His charge; that we have walked in mourning. And the problem is that Israel is still going through the religious motion. They still have the external of their religious activity. They have the mourning, the sack cloth and ashes. It is a visible manifestation of sorrow. They have kept His charge; they have been obedient to a degree as manifesting certain externals in their religious life. And yet they have not gotten the blessing that they expected. So their conclusion
is that there Is no profit in serving God. Look how religious we are? And Yet we are not getting as much blessing as some of the wicked are. There are people who don't go to church as often as I do and yet they don't have as many problems as I do. That kind of attitude. 'But you know, I've gone through all this religious activity, God ought to reward me somehow. He ought to meet my physical needs. He ought to provide so much. Look at my neighbor, he has darkened the door of the church in twenty years and yet nobody in his family is sick. He drives a new car and on and on. This is Israel's attitude exactly. We've gone through all this trouble and it hasn't benefited us anything. We might as well have been in enjoying life and forgotten all the rest. But that's not taken in by the externals and that's the thrust of the whole book of Malachi. It doesn't matter about the externals but there is nothing more basic behind it.

Look over Isaiah in chapter 58. Isaiah chapter 58 that's page 1036 in the New American Standard Bible. One thousand and thirty six, Isaiah chapter 58! For God speaks to the issue of true worship and the contrast between the true and the false. Picking up with verse 3 of Isaiah 58, ''Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice? There's the same question that we have in Malachi.*' Look we have fasted, we've humbled ourselves and You're not paying any attention.' ''Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers.'' What God is going to driving at here, is that your religious activity you've done for yourself not for Me. For your own benefit and not for Mine.

Verse 4, ''Behold you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed, and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? Is this not the fast which I chose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bonds of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke/ Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see them naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light will break out like the dawn and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer.''

God wanted righteousness within and without. There still righteousness as a flight. You cannot begin with external righteousness and work back. Israel could not begin with fasting, with religious rituals and be accepted before God. Israel had to begin with internal righteousness and then manifest that internal righteousness in their conduct. When Israel was looking for a king and Saul been rejected Samuel was looking for the man to replace him. And he went to the friends of Jesse and as these friends came and Samuel looked, lo and behold here they giant of a man who was handsome, who is an obvious leader and he said surely this is the man I’ll anoint him and God said to Samuel, 'Not him!’ In I Samuel 16:7 because man looks at the outward appearance but God look at the heart. And the issue is the same in worship.
You can go to church week after week after week after week, after week, and it looks fine, but God’s not looking at you going to church. He’s looking at your heart. And walking through the back doors of this auditorium did not change your heart one bit. Your heart is the same as when you got out of bed this morning. You ended up scared some of you.
No difference by coming to a certain building. We’ll pass the offering bag pretty soon and it won’t matter if you don’t put anything in it--if you put a 1000 dollar bill in it; that won’t change your heart. On the inside will be the same as you were before you put it in. Because again,
God’s not looking at that. He’s looking beyond that to the inside. Because He looks at the heart. And this is always the issue.

Just a couple of verses. In I Chronicles, first of all. 1st Chronicles and that is page 615. I Chronicles 28 as we carried away giving you to chapter title and forget to give you the page number and forget to give you the chapter. I Chronicles 28:9, here Solomon is the one addressed, 'As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts; and understands every intent of the thoughts.’’ So you note, God Is not looking at the activity, He is looking at the thought and the desire behind the activity. He's not looking to see whether you came to Indian Hills Community Church this morning, but why you came. He's not looking to see whether Israel was offering sacrifices or not, but why they were offering sacrifices. The condition of the heart is the thing that God is concerned about.

Another verse in the Psalm. Psalm 19, page 777 and verse 14, where David speaks (Psalm 19:14), ''Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, 0 Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.'' And here David puts the two together. External his conduct and his internal condition. The words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart must be acceptable in God's sight and try to get the words that I speak to be acceptable without having a heart that is acceptable before God is to do nothing. So both are true—my conduct as well as my character. My conduct is to be a manifestation of my character. Not as a (?) to hide my character and that is often what religious activity often becomes. It's a sod that hides the true character, the wicked person that I really am.

Hebrews chapter 10 for a verse in the New Testament. Hebrews in the back of your bible, page 343 in the New Testament, near the back of your bible, Hebrews 10 verse 22. Page 343. Picking up with verse 19, ''Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is (to say), His flesh.'' In other words Jesus Christ makes possible access into the presence of God by the offering of Himself. His death that we will remember this Friday was the means that opened the way into the presence of God for you and I. Right! Reading on. verse 21, ''and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.’’ And the symbolism involved in verse 22, 'our heart sprinkled from and evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water,’ is such as the internal cleansing and the external cleansing. Writing to Jews where these figure of speech would be meaningful. Draw near to God having been cleansed on the inside, your heart, and on the outside, it has to do with your body. So both are important but one, the external without the internal is of no value. And if the internal is there then the external will become evident, the character of God will manifest itself in the lives of His children.

Turn back to Malachi chapter 3. Picking up with verse 15. 'So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and escape.’ ’’ Again you see something of the basic motive in their religious activity. Why God said in Isaiah 58, that you’re not fasting for me at all. Your doing it for yourself. You know what the evidence of it was? When they looked around and saw others so they thought who were more wicked than themselves who were prospering, they got angry. And what does that say about their religious activity? They were doing it for personal gain. They were doing it expecting that God would reward them materially and externally. And you note the characteristic of Israel here: their whole emphasis is on external. Their religious rites consists of externals. Their total worship concept was one of rituals and rites. One of activity, that's as far as their concept of worship went anymore. What I do, my external activity, and this is was the basis then on which they evaluated God's blessings. Do I have more than man who doesn't fast? Do I have more the man who never gives an offering? And that's the basic offering that we operate on today. A person religious rites is totally in the realm of external. People in churches in Lincoln this morning, would think they are worshiping because they went to a building. Perhaps they had certain rituals connected with their service and they'll think they're worshiping. Because they are going through certain planned rites. That has nothing to do with whether they are worshiping God or not. And many people have are or will go through a kind of frustration as tragedy comes into their homes and into their lives and they wonder, 'why does this happen to Me? I've been religious. I've been good and they begin to blame God that He hasn't been fair. Because more tragedy has come to them than has come to the man who never goes to church. He never does religious things and they don't understand that is of no value no purpose before God at all.

You should make a note here, it's possible for you and I, even as true believers, to slide into this type of perspective.
Once you begin to focus your attention on externals then this type of attitude will begin to manifest itself. You cannot focus your attention on externals and not begin to develop this kind of attitude. In other words, even as a Christian you can begin to question God, 'why does this happen to me? I’ve been faithful to Him. Look at what all I have done. Look all the time I’ve given to the church. Look how faithfully I’ve taught Sunday school. Look how faithfully I’ve done this.’ And then something happens and we say it’s tragic or we cannot see the purpose of it. And we’re overwhelmed and then we begin to question God. Here's a problem that keep coming out through the Old Testament. In Job is an example of it. David brings it up often—Psalm 73, maybe you could turn back to that Psalm, the 73rd Psalm. It's page 826, Psalm 73 and we won't read the entire section; where David questions in verse 3, ''For I was envious of the arrogant, as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death; and their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men;
Nor are the plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace. The garment of violence covers them. Their eyes bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot, they mock and wickedly speak oppression; They speak from on high...'' and so on. Down through, you can keep on reading down through these verses. And then verse 13 David said, ''Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence; For I have been striken all day long and chastened every morning.'* You know what David is saying? The wicked have prospered and look at me. I have had nothing but problem after problem after problem. Some of you are relatively new Christians. Some of you have talked with some of the New Christians lately and you remembered what it was like soon after you became a Christian. Some of you have been in to talk to me about it, that's why I know it still happens. And you say, 'you know I had less troubles before I became a Christian. I have more problems now that I am a Christian than I did before. And sometimes it seems that way. So what good is there in being a Christian and following God? The wicked are better off than I am.' What are we looking at? The sinner, what they are, what their physical condition is and often the wicked are better off externally speaking. But you must keep you attention focused on the internal matter as Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4, ''that we don't look at things which are seen. Because the things which are seen are temporary. But we look at things that are not seen. For the things that are not seen are eternal.'' And he goes on in chapter 5 to say, 'that we walk by faith not by sight.’
And if I walk on that basis then I see as God sees. And I realize what is really valuable and truly worthwhile. True peace, true satisfaction is something I have. You cannot see that; you cannot touch that. But it does not depend upon what I have or do not have. So if you're not a child of God and you don't have the peace and happiness that I have, even if you're a millionaire ten times over. Because satisfaction and pleasure comes from God. You can't see it—you can't touch it. But it is real. The goodness that I have, the personal relationship I have with Him I can't see. The eternal destiny is laid before me in His presence I can't see--but it is mine. I can't touch it, but it's mine. The fact is I have my attention focus on what I can't see not on what I can see. But in my religious life there is the same basic relationship,

Back to Malachi chapter 3. Seem like there's much repetition in the book of Malachi. Perhaps the whole Old Testament but evidently there is not enough repetition because we still haven't got the message. But externals in religion are of no value. All have no purpose or no real function except as they come out of a basic relationship with God.

Malachi goes on as God speaks through him. He gives the positive side everything is not negative. There is not a total turning away from God. Down in verse 16, ''Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it. There were true believers in Israel, individuals that truly trusted God and were believing Him and they were getting together and talking with another. And Malachi doesn't go on to tells us what they're talking about. Because that is not essential and necessary for what he wants to do. I take it they are encouraging one another in light of the scriptures that they had. And God heard it! They feared the Lord! They revered Him, they trusted Him and God hears what they say as well. ''And a book of remembrance was written
before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.''

A book of remembrance* and I take it that this is written for our benefit. God does not need names written in a book to remind Him. He never forgets! But it is a way of expression to us the personal interest and record that He has made that assures my belonging to Him. It*s been written down in the book, the book of remembrance. It*s not a new idea in the Old Testament. Turn back to Exodus chapter 32. Exodus is the 2nd book in your bible--Genesis, Exodus chapter 32, page 130, Exodus 32. We are a thousand years before Malachi wrote his prophecy, A thousand years. Malachi wrote about 400 years before Christ and the incidences here are about 1400 years before Christ. The problem is still the same. Israel rebelling against God. Only here we have Moses interceding for them. In verse 31, ''Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Alas, this people have committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now if you will forgive their sin—and if not please blot me out from Your book which You have written!* And the Lord said to Moses, 'Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.* '* Then he tells them, you go lead the people and I'll punish them for their sins. There Moses is aware of the record that God has. Moses is so concerned and burdened for Israel, that he says, 'I would have my name taken out of the book for their benefit.* And God says, that's not possible.' In a way He tells Moses stay in his own area--I'll decide who is in my book and who is not. Whoever sins will have no part in the book that I've written.'

Look in Psalm 69...Psalm 69, page 822, psalm 69. And in verse 27. ''Do You add iniquity to their iniquity, and that they may not come into Thy righteousness. May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous.'' And this verse is important because it tells us what it means to be blotted out of the book of life. It means to never be written in the book. Because the way the Hebrews expressed poetry was to say the same thing in two ways. In verse 28 when He says, ''May they be blotted out of the book of life,'' then He says, may they not be written with the righteous. And talking about being blotted out of the book of life is another way of talking about never being written at all in the book of life. This comes up in the book of Revelation but we won't turn there. Christ talks about blotting out of His book and that is another way of saying, not writing them there in the first place. In Daniel chapter 12 and the 1st verse

We're looking at a number of verses more than we usually do this morning. Daniel chapter 12:1. ''Now at that time, (and we'll be talking about this time in the coming week. Because next week and the following week we're going to be talking about the prophetic events in scripture and this is one of those and the time period talked about is the same as that in Malachi chapter 4. ''Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people (Israel), will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time, and at that time your people, everyone who was found written in the book (of life), will be rescued.' Then verse 2 tells us about the resurrection--some to life and some to condemnation and separation from God.

Alright now if you can get back to Malachi quickly and in the third chapter. We'll tie together this book of life in a moment with the rest of what Malachi says. But in verse 17. God says in Malachi 3:17 regarding those who are in the book of life, ''They will be mine says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.'' Now you note the special relationship that these people have to God. They are my own possession I will spare them as a man spares his own son. Those who are in the book of life occupy a special relationship to God and notice who these are at the end of verse 16. ''For who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.'' Now those who primarily go through the religious rites and activity. Not those who are offering sacrifices primarily, but those who fear the Lord and esteemed His name. They have their faith in God. And on that basis they're written in the book of His remembrance. On that basis they become His own possession. King James has it put very directly when the day when I make up my own jewel, my own possession, his own treasure. This is what He had called Israel. We won't turn back at the end of the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Exodus. But they were His own treasure, His own possession. And everyone who is in the book of life by faith in God is God's own special treasure and possession. That's a verse that ought to be an encouragement to you as difficulties come. God says they will be mine. The day that I prepare my own possession I'm going to gather them together.

Look over in the book of I Peter in the New Testament if you would. Back toward the back of your bible we're going to I Peter. There we will go to page 356 toward the back of your bible now in the New Testament. Page 356. First Peter chapter 2. Because you and I occupy this same position in relationship to God that we are believers, that believers in Israel is. We are his own special possession. Verse 9 of I Peter 2. ''But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.'' How did those who Peter was writing to become God's own possession?

Look back at the end of I Peter 1:22, backing up a little bit before that, you can pick up verse 18, ''knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.1' Verse 22, ''Since you have an obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is through the living and abiding word o£ God.'' You become God's own special possession by being cleansed by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Not by following the tradition that you got from your parents. Not by going to church, being confirmed, being baptized taking communion. All of those things have been passed down. Verse 18 says, you were not redeemed with perishable things such as silver and gold received from the futile way of life which you inherited from you fathers. That was the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. That's how I can get into the book of life. That is how you become God's own special possession. Faith in Him. Again not the external. Not doing anything, responding in faith in what He has done in providing His Son Jesus Christ.

I'm going to read the closing verse for you in Malachi 3. At this time the right line will be drawn. There will no confusion of calling the wicked good, and the good wicked. Because verse 18 says, you will then distinguish between righteous and the wicked; between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him. So the parallel idea here distinguish between the righteous, the one who serves God--and the wicked, the one who does not serve Him. But you notice service from God of a personal relationship to Him as a result of faith in Him.

This time of the ultimate distinguishing, carried to the ultimate point will be brought to our attention in Revelation chapter 20, went even writing beyond what Malachi was writing to the end. You can turn there if you would. We'll close with Revelation chapter 20. We'll be studying the order of things prophetically in the coming weeks if you're interested in these series you can come and join us for our Sunday morning studies on prophecy. But what we have at the end of Revelation 20 is the appearance of every person from Adam on down, through who's name was never written in God's book of remembrance. Now they're called to stand before Him. It's called the great white throne judgment in verse 11. ''And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life.'' This is the book of remembrance that Malachi writes about. ''...and the dead were judged from the things which were written according to their deeds.' And you note here. A couple of sets of books. The book that relates their works and the book of remembrance.

Look down in verse 15. ''And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.'' This is called the second death. Eternal separation from God in torment forever! That is what it means to not have your name written in God's book of remembrance, the book of life. To not have trusted in His son Jesus Christ and receive the cleansing of sin.

This passage has special meaning for even some here this morning. Because if you have never come to the point in your life where you recognized you were a sinner, you acceptance of God's estimation and God's evaluation of you: that all have sinned there's none righteous. And that means you personally. When you recognize that Jesus Christ, the one who's death and resurrection we're going to celebrate this Easter in a week. That he died as the savior for you. And in light of those very two facts you're a sinner and Jesus Christ is the savior. And you trust Him as personal savior. If that has never happened to you, you've never done that and you die in that condition of never trusting Him, then you'll be part of this group that we just read about, described, who have no part in the book of life. So this passage becomes very meaningful and important to you. Because it is a foretelling of your future as you will join this group unless your name is in the book of life.
There's no way to get your name in the book of life by being religious, by joining churches, by being baptized and on and on and on. There's only one way to get into the book of life. You're in the book of life on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ. And that's with all of you this morning. Have you ever come to the point in your life where you trusted Jesus Christ as personal savior? You say, 'Well, I'm not sure.' Well it's so important you ought to be sure this morning. You can do it right where you are sitting. No fanfare, no visible response. May you verbalize your desire to God. You ought to realize I'm a sinner. I believe that Christ died for me. I want Him as my savior and I'm going to trust Him right now. That's all--that's simple! And that issue is taken care of. Your name is in His book. Your His own particular special possession and treasure and will be for all eternity. Let's pray together.

Father we thank You for Your love. Lord the Love that we're reminded of as we talk and celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ. Lord the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lord the great Love that was demonstrated in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. lord, pray for those who are here this morning who have not yet trusted You as savior. Even being here in this auditorium, might simply have been a result of their feeling a need to be religious, the need to go to church. Lord, pray that even now they'll see their personal need of faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior and trust Him. Lord, pray that those of us who have we'll be living our life in light of the new persons that we are. Lord, that our attention might not be focused on external but on things that are not seen. That we might walk by faith and not by sight. Lord we're thankful for the destiny that is ours; that we are your own special treasure and possession and Lord, that we'll be gathered to yourself, someday, to spend all eternity in Your presence. Lord as we think of the first coming of Christ, his death and resurrection we pray that we might be rejoicing in the fact that He is coming again to receive us to Himself if we have indeed trusted Him as savior. We pray in Christ name. Amen.