God sent His Son Jesus Christ to forgive sin and sanctify us through the Holy Spirit

Malachi 3:1-7

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• God sent Jesus Christ to make us the home of the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus Christ is the purifier of the mind, spirit, and soul.
• Jesus Christ is a witness against spiritual corruption and living for the flesh.
• Return to God through Jesus Christ and He will return to us.

God sent Jesus Christ to make us the home of the Holy Spirit. “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:1

Malachi 1:6-14 describes the reason for Malachi’s prophecy, which is that more honor was given to human beings and human authority than the honor given to God and His authority. Salvation comes in the spirit and soul by the remission of sin through Jesus Christ and is not possible by flattering the esteem, dignity, and respect of human emotions. That is why God sent His Messenger, Jesus Christ, to let us know to repent and believe in the Gospel, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15

While Jesus Christ is the Messenger of God, John the Baptist was the messenger who prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ” Matthew 3:1-3

The message that God wants us to know is that He wants His Spirit to live within us, as His temple, through Jesus Christ, who gives us the Holy Spirit, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 This is what is meant when it is written, “And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant…” The Messenger of the covenant, Jesus Christ, comes to God’s temple, our body, so that we can say, “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 This is the covenant that the Messenger, Jesus Christ, brings to us, “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 3:16

When Jesus Christ breathed His last breath on the Cross, the atonement for sin was made, and it was finished. At that very moment of His death, the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom, which symbolizes our soul being opened to receive the Spirit of God by believing in Jesus Christ. It was torn from the top to allow Heaven to open up and torn all the way to the bottom to allow His Spirit to live in us. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…” Matthew 27:50-51

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul
When at the cross my Saviour made me whole,
My sins were washed away,
And my night was turned to day,
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.
[Church song]

For us who delights in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a new song to sing, Jesus Christ is coming again! We are the John the Baptists of today’s world who are “‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ John 1:23 We have the message of the Messenger of the Covenant [Jesus Christ], which is, “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 3:16

Jesus Christ is the purifier of the mind, spirit, and soul. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years.” Malachi 3:2-4

God is Holy and has absolutely zero compatibility to sin. We are human beings who have inherited sin within our nature as a result of the original sin of Adam. Therefore, God can have no part with us. In that light, who can be saved? God sent His Son Jesus Christ to be the mediator between us and God. Even then, Jesus Christ is sinless and Holy, and has no part in sin, so who was able to endure His first coming? And who was able to stand when He appeared? Those who believed in Him for the forgiveness of sin was able to endure and stand in the presence of God. Jesus is our Priest, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.  Romans 5:12, 15

Our Lord Jesus is like a firewall that protects us from the judgment of God’s Holiness against our sinful human nature. Jesus Christ is our Lawyer who stands before God the Judge on our behalf. By believing in Jesus Christ, our sin is forgiven, and He lives to make intercession for us, but rejection of Jesus Christ exposes us to God’s judgment, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 When God sees His Son Jesus Christ in us, His grace, mercy, and Salvation is poured on us for Christ’s sake.

Jesus Christ came to do the will of God, to give His life as the Lamb of God to atone for sin, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10 Our Lord Jesus ‘…is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver…” By the remission of sin, we are born-again and receive cleansing of mind, soul, and spirit.

The phrase, “He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness” refers to the ministers of the churches being sanctified through Jesus Christ. The ministry of the churches is to be through the Holy Spirit, by the remission of sin through Jesus Christ, and belief in God as the Creator. Even then, the true ministry is not the ministers of the churches but comes through every believer. Jesus Christ would not be a minister of a church if He was on earth today, “For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest…” Hebrews 8:4 That’s because as believers, our spirit, soul, and mind is His Church, as quoted, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” 1 Peter 2:9 That is the true ministry, to proclaim the praises of Jesus Christ who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Sanctification will never come by honoring human beings by flattering their esteem, dignity, and self-respect. Sanctification comes by honoring God and His authority through Jesus Christ.

We live in a world where an atheistic entity exists that has power over physiology and is able to give us what to feel, think, do, and say. This entity wants us to feel like we are far from living a sanctified life through Jesus Christ, but we are indeed living by the grace and mercy of God, which is a free gift. The atheistic entity detests belief in God and Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit says to only believe that Jesus is alive and confess that He is Lord. The atheistic entity wants to enliven the image of the beast to live and speak through us, but the holy Spirit says to let the image of Christ live in what we say and do. Today’s culture is global and are the majority of the population as they are groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are the faithful few walking on the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

“Why me Lord? What have I ever done to deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known?
Tell me, Lord what did I ever do that was worth lovin’ you for the kindness you’ve shown?
Lord help me, Jesus I’ve wasted it, so help me, Jesus I know what I am.
But now that I know that I needed you so, help me, Jesus my soul’s in your hands.
Maybe, Lord I can show someone else what I’ve been through myself on my way back to you.
Jesus, my soul’s in your hands.
[“Lord Help Me Jesus”]

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

Jesus Christ is a witness against spiritual corruption and living for the flesh. “And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien—because they do not fear Me,” says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:5

God’s judgment comes near to us against those who oppress the Holy Spirit and reject the remission of sin through Jesus Christ. God does not see Jesus Christ in sorcerers, adulterers, perjurers, exploiters of employees, exploiters of widows and orphans, and those who turn away an alien/foreigner. These do not give reverence to God, they scorn the forgiveness that comes through our Lord Jesus, and they see the Holy Spirit as something for them to take advantage of.

While human beings can form laws and policies against the abuses mentioned in the above paragraph, human efforts cannot change the mind, soul, and spirit of those abusers. Human laws and mandates have the tendency of suppressing bad behavior that creates a human bomb waiting to explode. In a sense, this explains what happened when the law of the Old Testament came in, before the grace received through Jesus Christ, “The Law came, so that the full power of sin could be seen. Yet where sin was powerful, God’s gift of undeserved grace was even more powerful.” Galatians 5:20 “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” Romans 6:15

The Holy Spirit is He who restrains lawlessness, and without Him lawlessness abounds, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 Click here for a post on the “lawless one”.

Many of us have been born-again through Jesus Christ, washed, sanctified, and justified, but before having lived an unrighteous life filled with terrible behaviors. Some of those behaviors are listed in the verse above and some listed here, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our Salvation, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 We are the “purchased possession”, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ that He shed on the Altar of the Cross to atone for our sin. Our inheritance is the eternal New Jerusalem in the new heaven and earth.

Return to God through Jesus Christ and He will return to us. “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’” Malachi 3:6-7

The phrase, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed…” is mirrored in the New Testament where Jesus Christ is seen as the Lord God, as a member of the Trinity. The Godhead is three-in-one, including God the Father, God the Son [Jesus Christ], and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We are not consumed by strange teachings and teachings of humanism because our heart is established by grace, not by human needs, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.” Hebrews 13:8-9

The sons of Jacob/Israel have the Twelve Tribes of Israel named after them, but more than that, those who follow Jesus Christ are the sons of Jacob. We have been adopted into the house of Israel/Jacob, the family of God, by our faith in God to believe in Jesus Christ, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed…Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” Romans 9:6-8, Galatians 3:16

The Jewish people have gone away from God by rejecting Jesus Christ, but if they return to Him through His Son Jesus, God will return to them. Our Lord Jesus wants to return the Jewish people to the flock of His Father, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Matthew 23:37-39

Today, there has been an enormous falling away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Churches have abandoned His Gospel to join with the atheistic community culture, government lawmakers no longer include the values of the Bible in their laws and policies, the educational system does not allow the teaching of the Bible in classrooms, and Christianity is not welcomed in any sector of society. Click here for a post on “the Great Falling Away”.

In what way shall we return to God? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

“…let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11