- Chapter 7 -
Have You Set Your Heart to Honor Him?

Malachi 3:18)

This admonition is for you and me, “Oh priests if you do not listen and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name, says Yahveh of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; and indeed I have cursed them already because you are not taking it to heart.” (Malachi 2:1-2)

How many of us, can say in honesty before the One who is decreeing this message, “I have set my heart to honor Him?” He is calling us to give our lives on His altar as holy sacrifices, to speak according to His word and testimony, and to act according to His will.

“My covenant with Him (the priests) was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me, and stood in awe of My name.” “True instruction was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity.” “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahveh of hosts.” (Malachi 2:5-7)

Yahveh went on to say, “The priests have shown partiality,” meaning they have picked and chosen what they considered important. Before going to his execution Paul testified, “I am innocent of the blood of all men.” “For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole purpose of Yahveh.” (Acts 20:26) He preached the full gospel, the full counsel of Yahveh’s truth. True instruction is to be on our lips, we have got to preach the whole truth. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the way therein leads to death.” Self-deception leads to death.

“You have wearied Yahveh with your words. Yet the people say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahveh, and He delights in them,”(Malachi 2:17)

This is the issue today, we call evil good and good evil; we do not know what pleases Yahveh. Yahveh has made it very clear, we are not to mix that which is holy with that which is common. Most of us think, to one degree or another, if we have enough holiness it does not matter how much commonness is mixed with it and we call it good. Yahveh says, “Don’t do that, you are calling something good that is evil so that you can justify what you want to do.”

“Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says Yahveh… You have said it is vain to serve Yahveh, and what profit is it that we have kept His charge and that we have walked in mourning before Yahveh of hosts? So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test Yahveh and escape.” (Malachi 3:13-15)

When we look around, we see people giving Him lips service, going to church and living like the world and they are not judged. They say, “What good does it do to go about be holy, it is like being a mourner. I don’t want to be like that, I want to have fun, I want to do what my flesh wants to do, I want to have a good time.” You will have a good time if you want but it will be over when your life is over. Yahveh says, “What will you do in the end?” WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE END? WHEN HE COMES FOR HIS RIGHTEOUS REMNANT, WHEN HE COMES TO JUDGE THE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND WHEN HIS MAGNIFIED SCROLL WITH HIS TRUTHS BROUGHT FORTH IN SUCH CLARITY JUDGE THE HEARTS OF ALL MEN? JUDGMENT BEGINS AT THE HOUSEHOLD OF THOSE WHO PROFESS HIM.”

Are you going to be at peace with Him? Are you going to be praising and giving Him honor and glory because you are so familiar with that countenance and posture? Will you have come out of this world and have your heart set to honor His name? Or are you going to be caught off guard like the five foolish virgins who did not have any oil in their lamps? Will you have been too busy, even though you knew He was coming, saying, “You love Him,” but not take the time to fill up your lives with truth and to walk in His ways?

We started this message, “WHO WILL NOT FEAR YAHVEH AND GLORIFY HIS NAME?”(Revelation 15:4) Now we are reading in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, “Then those who feared Yahveh spoke to one another, and Yahveh gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear Yahveh and who esteem His name. “And they will be Mine,” say Yahveh 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.” So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves Yahveh and the one who does not serve Him.” (Malachi 3:16-18)

There is hope eternal that is full of glory for those who fear Yahveh and speak one to another, because Yahveh listens and hears, and He delights in it. “Choose you this day who you are going to serve.” Are you going to serve Him and be spared or are you going to serve yourself and give Him only lip service? Yahveh will not be mocked, if we sow according to this flesh, it is all in vain and we will reap destruction. Those who do the will of Yahveh will live forever. Did you hear what the spirit of Yahveh has said? The scroll opened, it is getting to 15 by 30 feet so that you can hear, you can see, and perceive, lest it enter your house and pull down every stone, timber, and fall upon you in destruction.

Flee from that destruction; it is coming. In Ezekiel’s day the people said, “It is going to be in a distant time,” but Yahveh said, “Clap your hand, stamp your foot, and flash that sword and let the people know it is coming! (Ezekiel 6:11)