Two Unchanging Truths for an Ever-Changing World | December 14, 2025 AM

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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist

Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us

or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look

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message from God's Word will be a blessing to you.

Let's go ahead and turn. Our Bibles to Malachi chapter #3

No, it's not Malachi. All right, Malachi chapter #3

get. That out of the.

Way right now. OK.

He was not Italian. He was Jewish, as far as I know.

So I don't know where Malachi is.

I'm going to give you a hint. Are you ready?

Go to the book of Matthew. Go back about two pages.

All right, You'll be in the book of Malachi.

It is the last. Book.

Of the Old Testament, and we're going to continue looking at

some of these. Prophecies of Jesus Christ.

Of course we did that last. Week as well and we will be

doing so this morning as well you know we.

In a society today where it seems like.

Truth is subjective, isn't it? You know what I mean by

subjective meaning like you know your truth and my truth.

In fact, I hear that all the time about, well, that's your

truth. And of course, I think what they

mean is that's your opinion, because we can all have opinions

about different things. Last night there was that

dessert table. That Kaylee had laid out.

Like an artist back there, I never seen someone put cookies

and brownies and all these different things in such an

artful way. And then I never saw people just

like, destroy it as quick as it was.

Well, I'm not. I don't have a lot of

compliments. For you that I'm sorry.

About that, no it. Just it was really good.

Wasn't it? But you know we.

Look at all. That and we could say.

You know, what's your favorite dessert?

And you know, I could say it's cheesecake or pecan pie.

You could say brownies, you could say ice cream.

You know, you could say. All kind.

Thankfully didn't have any ice cream on that table last night.

That would have been a little awkward, but could you imagine?

And we? Could all be listen, we could

all be right. About that right I mean, listen,

I love cheesecake and listen, I think it's probably the best

dessert right up there with pecan pie.

But I. Will tell you this that if you

don't agree with. Me.

Well, you're not safe. No, No, that's not what I meant

to say. No, what I meant to say what I'm

that was not in the notes. All right, What I.

Meant to say is this. That's just my opinion, right?

Because you could. Feel that way about cookies.

Or you could feel that way about brownies or ice cream or

whatnot. Listen, we all have an.

Opinion. That's not your truth and my

truth, that's just your opinion and my opinion.

The problem is the world today is taking the idea of truth and

made it like an opinion, like there really is no truth.

Well. That's what you feel about God.

That's your truth. This.

Is what I feel about God this? Is my truth this is?

What you feel about? The Bible, that's your truth.

And this is what I feel about my holy.

Books. And that's my truth.

Well. The fact of the matter.

Is. Well, there certainly are.

Opinions in this? World about certain matters of

things, there is real, substantial truth.

In the world as well, in fact. There is truth that Listen, it's

not my. Truth or your truth?

Listen. It's just God's truth.

And if you don't agree, you don't have to take it up with me

this morning. Sure, I'm the pastor, but you

don't have to take it up with me.

We would have to take it up with God if we had a disagreement

with God's truth. Let me tell you, people have

been trying. To take their disagreements.

To the Lord all these years about how his truth was wrong

and it seems like, well, he's still around and they aren't.

God's truth is well. Truth.

And living in this kind of world, where truth seems to be

so subjective can make us almost like Pontius Pilate.

And I. Don't want to compare ourselves?

To him. But there is.

Something that he said. That reminds me of this

situation where he threw up his hands.

Right as he was in the trial of Jesus Christ and he said this,

What is truth? Not recognizing the truth was

literally standing in front of him, the embodiment of truth,

Jesus Christ. Today we are going to look at

another prophecy of the arrival of.

Jesus Christ upon the scene and the title I message this morning

is this 2 Unchanging Truths. For an ever changing world.

In a world that. Seems to be on shifting.

Sand there are two unchanging truths for this ever changing

world. Would you stand?

Please for the reading of God's Word where Malachi again

chapter. #3 We'll read in verse #1 Behold, I will send my

messenger. And he shall prepare the way

before me. And the Lord whom you.

Seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of

the covenant whom you delight in.

Behold, he shall come say at the Lord of hosts, but who may abide

the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth?

For he is like a refiners fire, and like fuller's soap, And he

shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.

He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and

silver, that they may offer unto the Lord, and offering in

righteousness in those three short verses.

We see 2 unchanging truths. For an ever changing world.

That I want us to look at this morning.

Why don't you go ahead and be seated and let's pray together?

Heavenly Father, I do. Thank you for this morning, and

I just thank you for the wonderful weekend we've been

able to have as a church. And I think of the joy.

That we had yesterday. Last night and just being here

this morning, Lord, even with some of the conditions not being

optimal for driving. And I look at the people who are

here today, Lord, so many of them faithful, happy.

Lord, it just blesses my soul. But Lord, today we're not.

Here just to be able to feel good and leave.

Lord, we want to be changed into your image.

Do we want to be more like Christ and to Lord help us to do

that this morning. Let the unsaved realize their

need for salvation. May those of us.

Who are saved realize our. Need to remove the dross from

our life to be put through the refiners fire and be more the

better for your service. Thank you again for this time

and we ask it all in Jesus name, Amen.

The Book of Malachi is written. As the last of the minor

prophets, and we call them minor prophets not because they

weren't as important as the other prophets.

But they were minor in the sizes of their books.

For instance, Malachi just being. 4 chapters.

And just a few pages in your. Bible Malachi was the last.

Of the minor. Prophets, it is the last.

Book of the Old Testament. And he is the last of the

prophets before the Lord was silent for about 400 to 400.

And 50 years, you say? Well, why was the Lord silent?

Well, as you know. As you've been around Liberty

Baptist Church for a little bit and we've preached on this over

and over again, but. The Lord and His graciousness

kept trying to have the people of Israel return.

To him, in fact, he gave them good kings and bad kings during

their divided reign, and then kept.

Trying to work with them. He sent prophets.

They even went into. Exile.

Then some of them. A remnant came.

Back and tried to rebuild, but even despite all of these

different things, you would have thought that somewhere.

Along the line their. Attention would have turned back

to God, but yet in the book of Malachi, God will try to

lovingly correct the people of Israel and they constantly.

Question the Lord over and. Over again.

In fact, the. Book of Malachi in many ways is

a book of questions, not of the. Prophet questioning the people

or God even questioning the people.

But the people questioning God, it's amazing that they're

questioning him about things they're guilty about.

They're like the child who. Took a.

Cookie from the cookie jar. And the father.

Says hey, did you take that cookie and they have it behind

their? Back and they go no.

Like that? That's what Israel is here in

the book. Of Malachi, listen.

God's got them dead to rights. By the way, God knows you.

That's still true today. He knows you, He knows about

you. He knows you better than you

know yourself. That's why when you're saved,

the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you is able to reveal the

deep things of the heart about you so that you can confess

those and make those right before the Lord and the people

of Israel kept saying, are you talking about me?

You mean me? Did I do anything wrong?

The whole time the cookies hidden behind, they're back.

And so God is trying to correct them.

And over and over through this very short book, He tries to do

that. And they are questioning him and

questioning him and questioning him.

And by the time that the book is done, the final 2 words of the

book of Malachi. In essence, the final 2 words of

the Old Testament. Are this a curse?

And for 400 plus years, God is silent.

Did I say God didn't? Exist.

No. God was very much present.

God was very much still at work. Listen, there's never a time

when God is just in heaven, not knowing, not understanding, like

some sort of a spiritual dementia.

Where God doesn't know what's. Going on, you know.

God is very aware of the affairs of men, but because the people

of Israel stopped listening, He stopped speaking.

For 400 years. But yet even in the midst of

their spiritual. Stubbornness even in the midst

of their rebellion towards him. He still here in chapter #3 in

these 3 verses, gives us this incredible prophecy.

Behold, I will send my messenger.

He shall prepare the way before. Me and the Lord.

Whom he seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the

messenger of the covenant whom you delight in.

Behold, he shall come, sayeth the Lord of hosts.

And from this rich and incredible prophecy, we find 2

truths, 2 unchanging. Truths.

About God that are comforting in today's society, in the ever

changing rather world. That we live in.

So the first that I want us to. Look at this morning.

Is this God never forgets? His promises.

Listen to me, you want truth this morning we'll start here.

God never forgets his promises and in.

Verse #1 we see. Two things that are.

Promised to mankind. A messenger and a Messiah.

There were two things that are promised in verse #1A messenger

and a Messiah. Who is this messenger?

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare

the way before me. That would be none other than

John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the one.

Who was? Going to prepare the way of the

Lord, to make the path straight for his appearing.

He was the messenger, a messenger, right?

A herald in old times would go before the King.

He would announce to those who are along the way, the King is

coming, the King is coming. And everybody who was on the way

that heard the voice of the messenger was to stop what they

were doing, to cease all activity.

And they were to be there in the presence of the King when he

passed by. What was John the Baptist job?

What was his mission? What was his ministry, if you

will? It was simply to announce this,

that the Messiah is coming, be ready, and then we see that

Jesus is that. Messiah, who is shown to us to

be God. What I love about this is that

not only is there the Messiah that is being spoken of, but

this Messiah is God. And the fact of the matter is

Jesus wasn't just a good man. He wasn't simply a good teacher.

He wasn't just a model for us to live by.

This verse here tells us of the deity of Jesus Christ.

Behold, I. Who is I?

God, I will send my messenger, John the Baptist.

He shall prepare, Prepare the way before me.

Who is me? Well, Jesus.

Christ, hold on a second. That choked up I God will

prepare the way, and the messenger before me, Jesus

Christ, well, who is me God, who is Jesus Christ, and the Lord

whom he seeks, shall suddenly come to his temple well, when

did Jesus Christ. Come to the temple well, we can

think of when he was an. Infant we can think of when he

was a 12 year old, we can think of during his earthly ministry.

We could see that he went to not just the temple.

Whose temple did he go? To his temple meaning.

What? That Jesus Christ was God and it

says this that. He was going to come suddenly to

his temple, you say? Well, Pastor, Well, hold on a

second. Well, I don't know that he came

suddenly, because it seems. Like this is a 400 year old

prophecy. We looked at even older prophecy

last week. You're telling me that?

That it's sudden but. It seems like it wasn't so

sudden at all. Well, there is a.

Difference between something happened suddenly, suddenly,

suddenly, but with there being warning, meaning this Mount

Saint Helen. Some of you will remember the

eruption of Mount Saint Helen some years ago.

All accounts, it happened suddenly, people happen, people

did not know what was about to take place, did not take heed of

what was going to take place, and many died in the very sudden

eruption. But there were a lot of warning

signs and there were people that ignored those warning signs and

when it happened. It did not happen.

Slowly it happened quite suddenly.

Could I tell you that the quote UN quote warning signs of the

Messiah coming are all over the Old Testament?

You can go from Genesis chapter 3 all.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

The way here until the end of the.

Book of Malachi and what do you see?

The warning signs. And what happened when he came?

He didn't come suddenly. They didn't expect him.

They didn't know we saw last. Week that, Herod said.

Who is? This king and that the the the

Pharisees had to look up the prophecies to be able to

understand that would be born in Bethlehem and they just didn't

quite understand but when it happened it happened and so we

see here that there's a messenger that's going to

prepare the way and then there will be a Messiah he is the.

One who is going to go and he is the.

One who is going to preach and is coming in verse #2 and 3 is

going to be unlike anything that has ever been seen before and it

will be like anything. That has never been seen again.

God. Promises and when God promises.

Something he does it, he promises, say well, it seems

like it took a while, but he did it.

By the way, he's promised to come back, so it seems like it's

been a while. He's going to do it.

Say, why is that? Well, because he always keeps.

His promises. That's the first unchanging

truth. God always keeps his promises.

Look at any fool can make a. Promise anybody can make a

problem. Listen, even a well intended.

Person can make a promise. You could.

Promise that you're going to do a certain thing on a certain

day, but perhaps you get ill or perhaps the weather turns bad,

or perhaps you don't have the money that you thought you had.

It could have been anything that you were well-intentioned even

in making your promise, but yet you couldn't fulfill it Because,

listen, there are things that happen that are out of your

control, but God can keep his promises.

And the way that we know that God can keep his promises is

because there's nothing that's out of his control.

And. That's.

That should give comfort to us. At this time of year.

That should give comfort to us for the other. 11 months of the

year. That God always keeps his

promises. Listen because God is always in

control. That Go to Mark chapter 1 very

Mark 1 · chapter mention

quick, just a couple pages away. Go to Mark chapter #1.

I want you to see that, you say, well, you're.

Connecting some dots about the John the Baptist and Jesus and I

just. Don't know that that actually

there. Well, let's go to Mark chapter

Mark 1 · chapter mention

1, Or Mac Either way, you know, if we can do Malachi, we can do

Mac, right? So come on, Mac.

All right, verse #1 the beginning of the.

Gospel of Jesus. Christ, the Son of God as it is.

Written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy

face, which I'll prepare the way before me.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare you the way

of the. Lord make.

His path straight. Well, what Prophet spoke of

that? Well, that would have been

Malachi chapter #3 as it. Is written there it is

confirming this isn't just some wild eyed independent Baptist

preacher who's trying to make connections that aren't there.

The very Word of God confirms. To us.

That that messenger was John the Baptist, verse 4.

John did baptize in the. Wilderness and preach the

baptism. Of repentance for the remission

of sins. And look at what it says.

And then verse #5 there went out with him all the land of Judea,

and they have Jerusalem, and we're all baptized.

Of him in the Jordan River confessing their sins, and John

was. Clothed with camel's hair and

with a girdle. Of a skin of those loins.

And he did eat locust and wild honey.

Well, I mean, he wasn't perfect, but anyway, the locust part kind

of kind of weirds me out, but verse 7.

And he preached. Saying there cometh 1.

Mightier than after I after me, the latchet of whose shoes?

I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

I have indeed baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you

with the holy. Ghost and it.

Came to pass in those days that Jesus came for.

From Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized of John in the Jordan.

What are we saying? There's the messenger and

there's the Messiah. The messenger made prepared the

way and he announced the coming Messiah.

We see in other passages that when he.

Sees Jesus Christ says behold the Lamb of God, which taketh

away the sin of the world and Jesus asked to be baptized of

him by the way, showing us the process as well.

Did Jesus quote UN quote need to be baptized?

No, but he was showing us the process of which we go through

after we are saved that we are baptized and then we grow in our

faith. This is what Jesus is showing us

here and then he's submitting himself to this and John says

no, I can't. I'm not even worthy to unbuckle

your shoes. Because he understood who Jesus

was, God never forgets his promises.

Listen, God kept his promises. To Israel.

Despite their unfaithfulness, I think of it the dedication of

the temple. Saul dedicated the temple in

First Kings. Chapter 8.

1 Kings 8 · chapter mention

Verse 50. Six he says this.

Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people

Israel. According to all that he.

Promised there has not failed. One word of all, His good

promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

God will keep his promises despite listen our own

sinfulness. You ever make a promise to

somebody and they kind of make you mad and they kind of say,

you know what? All bets are off.

You know what? You're not faithful to me.

I. Don't have to be.

Faithful to you Well that's kind of the human condition isn't

that's the flesh that wants to feel that way, but God despite.

The fact that we have. Been very unfaithful to him, has

been very faithful to us. God never forgets his promise.

He promised a Messiah. It looked bleak, but he came by

the way. He's promised salvation through

that Messiah and it is available for you today through his

precious blood. People will fail us.

I wish it wasn't true. People will fail us.

God will never fail you. So I'm tired of.

In fact, I'm tired of church pastor because, you know, I'm

just, I'm just tired of, of the church scene.

I'm tired of the whole issue. I'm tired of all the different

things. Listen, it wasn't.

Church that failed you as. People.

Because the God of the Church. Is not the one who failed you

Listen. God will never fail.

Why He? Always remembers how he never

forgets his promises #2 Here's the other truth.

First of all. God never forgets his promises,

but #2 God is always willing to forgive.

He is always willing to forgive. Go back to Malachi chapter #3 if

you would. Malachi Chapter 3.

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

Let's look at verses #2 and 3. One of God's.

Promises to us is that there would always be a means of

forgiveness for our sins. In the Old Testament, that was

the blood of bulls and goats. Hebrews 10, verse 4.

Hebrews 10:4

But here's the problem. Hebrews 10/4 is not.

Possible that the blood of. Bulls and goats should take away

sins. The sacrament.

The sacrificial system. Could only cover the sins of the

people, but they can never truly be forgiven.

You say well. How could that possibly?

Be true because if could forgive sins, then Jesus Christ would

never have come there'd be no need for him to come and we.

Would still be having sacrifices.

Today, the closest we have to. Sacrifice our church BBQ.

That we have once a year, all right.

And that has nothing to do with the religious.

Right, that's just the fact that.

You know, we like to eat, you know, that's what I'm saying.

But we don't have that happen today.

Why? Because.

There was a more perfect sacrifice in the New Testament.

Hebrews 10 verses 10 through 12 by the which we are sanctified

Hebrews 10:10–12

through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all,

and every piece standeth daily, ministering and offering

sometimes or often times the same sacrifices which can never

take away sins. But this man, after he had

offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat.

Down at the right hand of God. It wasn't a sacrificial system,

that said. Again and again and again and

again and again. And you never will be clean from

your sins, it'll only be covered for a year.

But yet we realize that when Jesus Christ came that He always

forgives those who come to Him in repentance.

What does that mean? That He is the one that

forgives. Sins.

And that's why he came. That's why he lived.

That's why he died, by the way. That's why he rose again.

Because he is the perfect sacrifice.

He lived a life. For 33 years.

Where he never sinned during that time he was tempted.

So I remember he was tempted 3 times in the wilderness.

Well, he was tempted 40 days in the wilderness, not just three

times. And no doubt he was tempted

throughout his entire life. He's tempted all points like we

were, the Bible says, yet without sin.

Why? To be the perfect sacrifice?

Because here's some bad news. You're a Sinner.

Say, who do you? Think I am a Sinner.

I just said it. Why are you asking that?

Why would you ask me that? Just I literally.

Just said it, you are a Sinner. I'm a.

Sinner, everyone. Who's ever walked this Earth?

Has been a Sinner except for Jesus Christ, which is why only

he could be the sacrifice for sins, but he's always willing to

forgive and it says in. Verse #2 look at.

What it says, But who may abide the day of His coming, and who

shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a.

Refiners fire and like fuller soap.

Now let's consider. These things because Jesus.

Is like a refiners fire and he is like Fuller soap.

Now, these are two things that maybe aren't right at the.

Forefront of our minds that are part of our.

Day-to-day life, a refiners fire and a fuller soap, but a

refiners fire. Is in ancient metalworking.

Where a refiner. Would heat silver and gold

until. It melts as it did.

So is that ore was melting in that?

Very high heat, the Imperial. Would rise to the top.

What the refiner would do would then skim all the impurities.

Off allow it to cool. And then go through the process

again and again. Sometimes it was said up to

seven times. That a perfect.

Amount of as the number. 7 is often represented as perfection.

In the word of God. We see that it was.

An amount of. Heat that came that purities

were removed, impurities were. Removed and when.

You were done. You were.

Left with something that was. Pure and that was ready for use.

It was said that the refiner trainer knew that the OR was now

what it needed. To be when he could see his

reflection in what was melted in front of him and isn't that what

Jesus Christ is to us he is the refiners fire listen that he is

the one that purifies us from sin.

By the way, when you're saved, but then that day-to-day sin

that we have in our. Life as well when we don't.

Follow him. Hey believer, we don't always

follow after. We get saved like we.

Should And sometimes he puts us through the fire and it's not

because he hates us. Do you know why?

Because he's trying to bring out something better within us.

Christ likeness. He wants to see our his image in

US and the world should see his image in US.

And so sometimes we got to go through.

The fire a little bit say, well, pastor, I've been going through.

Some tough times right now it seems like God hates me.

No, he loves you. He's the refiners.

Fire it may be. Hot for a little bit.

It may be difficult for a bit. It may not be comfortable, but

what? Comes out is something the

better that is useful in the master's hands, far better than

what you could have done on your.

Own he is the refiners fire but he's.

Also the fuller's soap. Now, a fuller back in those days

would be someone that dyed fabrics.

That's what that is today. You want fabric that's dyed

different colors while you buy it at the store.

That's the way it works. But what did they do in those

days? You wanted to?

Get fabric that was a different color.

Well, if. Fuller was the one that would go

put the fabric in the dyes and do that type of thing.

But you know that type of dye would.

Really mess with your hands. It would really get it pretty

pretty messed. Up so they need a special type

of soap. This special soap usually

included. Lye or ash the closest.

That we would have today. Something like this would be.

Lava soap they use. Pumice soap, lava soap.

I mean, that's for people that work with their hands.

So someone like me that types all day, lava soap wouldn't

really help me a whole lot. But you know you're changing the

oil, you know, you know you're, you're working on something down

deep in the dirt. Maybe you're even out in the

garden and you got just stuff everywhere all over your hands

and and the regular soap just isn't cutting it.

You pull out that lava soap, and by the way, it'll take off

probably. A good two or three layers of

your skin. But what's left is clean.

I mean, it's thorough. Nothing gets missed that that

lava soap, that Puma soap. And here he says he's not just

the refiners fire, he's the the, the the soap, the fuller soap as

well. Meaning this that he will clean

you better than anything else can clean you.

Listen, you can try to be cleansed by your works and guess

what, there's still be residue leftover.

You can try to be. Clean by just going to.

Church, there's still be residue leftover.

You can try to be clean by just being a nice person.

There'll be residue leftover. You can try to give money to the

church and there'll be residue leftover.

You can just try to pray and there'll be residue leftover.

You can just try to learn as much as you can about God and

the humanities and all those different things, and there'll

be residue leftover. Whatever you try to do to clean

yourself from your sins. The Bible says this.

It's nothing but a filthy rag. You're smearing that which is

already dirty. You're just readjusting the

dirt. The dirt's not really.

Going anywhere? But if you want to be clean,

it's got to be the fuller soap. Who is that?

That's Jesus Christ. Listen, God never forgets his

promises, but he always forgives.

Those who come to him asking for forgiveness say, well, you don't

know what I've done. I don't know what you've done.

And can I be honest? With you, I don't want to know

what you've done. I got enough to deal with my own

life. I don't need to know what you

got going on in your life. Listen if you need.

To counsel things like I'm glad to you understand what I'm

saying, but I don't need to know specifically what's going on in

your life to know this. God will forgive you.

So you don't know what I did. I'll, I'll, I'll counter that.

I do know what Paul. Did and Paul did.

Some pretty wicked things. In the name of God, no less.

You know this, He was forgiven and became one of the apostles,

and you think you're much more? In a worse shape than he was.

Listen. God could forgive the apostle

Paul. God could forgive you.

I remember giving the Gospel once, several years ago, to a

woman. In fact, it was a day much like

this. Diane and I went into Boston.

She was in the hospital actually with a baby that was there.

It was a snowy day, and I remember that she was in a very,

very bad situation and we were trying to give her the gospel.

We had to make clear to her. We want to make sure she

understood that. Listen, we're here to visit you.

We're here to visit the baby. I'm really concerned, ma'am,

about your salvation. But we don't want you to pray to

be saved just because you think that'll make the baby better.

We want to make clear that it just God doesn't.

We're not doing that. That's not what salvation is

about trying to do. Do well, maybe if I can make God

happy and pray this little prayer that my baby will get

better. So we try to make it clear, but

she said this to me and my wife. She goes, well, you don't know

what I've done. And I knew enough to know it

wasn't good. Like there was a reason they

were at the hospital in the 1st place.

I said this, I don't need to know the exact things that

you've done to know this. God will forgive you.

God will forgive you. And that's true of you today.

It doesn't matter if you're a young person.

It doesn't matter if you're in your Middle Ages.

It doesn't matter if you're an older person, say, well, it's

too late for me, are you alive? It's not too late.

It's time to accept Christ. And sure, you say, well.

Wouldn't it would have been? Better if it was earlier.

Listen, don't worry about what? Could have been.

You are here today and what are you going to do with the gospel

is being presented to you today? Listen, He never forgets his

promises, which means this. He's promised that you can be

saved. He'll forgive you.

Just give your life to Christ. Today, Amen.

Why would you try to take this? Is this whole idea of trying?

To to to work your own righteousness out.

Why would you take God's perfect plan and try to?

Improve it. Why do you add baptism?

This plan is perfect it. Doesn't need your baptism.

What? And it requires the Lord's

Supper. His plan is perfect.

Doesn't. Require you taking the Lord's

Supper. Why?

To go through the confirmation. No, no, it's not that I got to

be an altar boy, which, by the way, I was.

And I was still lost as a goose. I don't know what the goose did

to be lost, but I'm just saying that's just I.

I was lost. I didn't know.

I didn't know. Could you imagine someone

looking at the Mona Lisa now they don't let you close to the

Mona Lisa anymore. I've seen as like it's in case

encased in bulletproof glass. And you got to stand like I

think, I think you actually got to look at it with binoculars

from about another about a couple 100 meters away.

But could you imagine someone letting you close to the Mona

Lisa and you say something like this?

I think I can make this better and pull out a magic marker, a

Sharpie, and just start making a little bit of a mark there with

hands that are dirty. Listen, You would have all of

humanity up in arms at you defacing this amazing painting.

At least that's what I've been told that it's amazing painting.

Listen. Why would?

Mankind, try to change the gospel which truly is the

masterpiece of all time. You think you can make it better

with your magic marker in your dirty hands?

Just give your life to Christ today.

Understand you're a Sinner. Understand only Jesus.

Christ can save you because of His.

He said why the Bible says I need to be washed yet not washed

in the baptismal orgy to be washed in the blood of the lamb.

Amen through. Salvation.

That's what salvation is about. First Peter 1 verses. 18 and 19.

For as much as you know that you are not redeemed.

With corruptible things as silver and gold.

From your vain conversation received by tradition.

From your father's. But with the precious blood of

Christ as of a lamb without. Blemish and without spot.

Would you turn just one page over to Malachi chapter?

#4 Remember I said the last two words of the Old Testament were

a curse? Look at verse #5 Despite all of

that, behold, I will. Send you Elijah the Prophet.

Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,

you said that Elijah the prophet who was that?

Well, Jesus revealed in Matthew Chapter 11, verses 12 through 14

Matthew 11:12–14

that Elijah the prophet was John the Baptist, that he was the

one. No, this isn't me saying this

this. Is what?

Jesus Christ, I'm not going to make you turn.

Right now, for the sake of time, write it down and look it up for

yourself later. Matthew Chapter 11, verses 12

Matthew 11:12

and 14. So even in the midst of the.

Very. Darkest moment God is.

Still just telling him. Listen, there's still.

Hope. There's still hope.

Despite everything, go back to verse #1 for behold, the day

cometh. That day shall or that shall.

Burn is then oven and the. Proud.

Yeah, All that do. Wickedly shall be stubble, and

the day that cometh shall burn them up, say at the Lord of

hosts, that is, that shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the sun.

Do you see that word sun there? What's interesting about that

word Sun? Has a capital.

Letter S, doesn't it? It's the SUN, but I'd also.

Tell you it's the SON, the Sun of Righteousness.

Fell arise with. Healing in his wings, and you

shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.

You know it. Talks about the sun of.

Righteousness arising with healing.

In his wings, it's almost like those wings would be like

sunbeams or rays and there's healing within the sun of

righteousness. It was about couple years ago

Diane and I, for our 20th anniversary, got to go to the

Cayman Islands. I'll tell you, I got a couple

bank accounts there. I got oh, no, nevermind.

No, it's, I just want to check on the balances and it's all

good, you know what I'm saying? But anyway, yeah, so, but

anyway, I I just remember being out there and it's a small

island. It's so small.

I mean, you could drive from one side of it to the other in in an

hour. I remember some of the sunrises

and the sunsets I saw weren't like anything I ever saw.

Diane said one day she goes, we should, we should go see the

sunrise. And I said, you know, we ought

to do, we ought to sleep in. I'm just saying, I mean, it's

sunrise pretty early, you know, and we're on vacation.

Just seems like that's probably not the right thing to do.

But what we went out and we went out.

It was, it was still dark. And I've never seen a sunrise

like this. Before we had our coffee.

And we were sitting down there on the and the on the beach and

our our beach chairs and just watch it slowly come up and it

and it and it and it. All of a sudden the.

Sky starts changing colors and then before you know it, it's

like you. Snap your finger.

And it's morning. The changes happened so slowly

and so subtly, and all of a sudden it's like the Lord just

turns on the light switch. It is morning.

So have you ever seen a sunrise before?

Yes, I've been up that early that I've seen a sunrise before.

I'm just saying all I saw was water and sun.

That that's the idea here. Some of you think, Do you get up

before 7:00 regularly? OK, I have too many children.

To not get up. Before 7:00, all right, But I'm

just saying to be able to see it with that clarity, not a cloud

in the sky, just the water in front of you.

Radiating off the water. The beauty of that was unlike

anything I'd probably ever seen of that type of thing.

But the Bible says the Sun of Righteousness has healing within

his wings. When you think of the beauty of

that sunrise and you've seen probably some very incredible

sunrises and some very incredible sunsets, beautiful,

awe inspiring, jaw-dropping, that the creator of that very

sun is the one who wants to bring forgiveness and healing to

your life today. Life's a mess in this world,

life's a mess. And at this time of year.

Let me tell you, you think everyone got it together.

In fact, I would say things are worse for people this time of

year than the other times of the year because we've been told on

television and on social media and all these things that

everything has to be perfect this time of year.

And most of us are confronted with our imperfect lives and we

feel like we're less than or we feel like we're not enough.

Or if we don't do all the things, we're letting our

families down, we're letting all the people we love down.

If we don't spend enough on gifts and all that, then we're

then, then, then we're losers that what are we even doing?

Why would anybody even care about us?

And listen, there's a lot of discouragement.

There's a lot of depression, there's a lot of anxiety this

time of year. Let me tell you, listen, there

is hope in Jesus Christ. What's the hope for the unsaved?

That you can be saved, That He will.

Purify your soul. And that you can be saved, not

on anything that you've done, but what He's done.

And if you are saved, listen, he'll continue to refine you.

He'll continue to clean you, not so that you can be saved, but

because you are saved. So that you can be more like

Christ in this life and you can reflect Him to a lost and dying

world. So you can be a better

ambassador for. Him to the people.

That need to hear about it. And so you say, well, this time

of year it's got me all worked up.

Hey, remember the Sun of Righteousness?

He's got healing in his wings. Well, that's a beautiful sight.

Well, who created that? And everything else you see

everything you can't see. Listen, God never forgets his

promises. He always forgives his people

when they come to him asking for forgiveness.

Will you take? Care or take?

Heed of these things. If you need to get saved, get

saved the day. And if you are saved, listen,

rejoice and live as a believer, knowing that even in this hectic

time of year, God will help you and God will give you what you

need to be able to be more like Christ.

Thank you for listening to the sermon from the pulpit of

Liberty Baptist Church. If this message was a blessing

to you, or if there's any way we can serve you, please let us

know by contacting us at [email protected].

Or you can visit us this Sunday at 800 Washington St. in Easton,

MA. May the Lord bless you as you

grow in His Word.