Sermon Snippets with Max Taylor

Malachi 3:7-10   We’re covering questions six and seven in our episode today. And we are learning that when we are not close to God, we are often confused, accusatory of God, and stubborn in our ways. Rather than resorting to these reactions, we should return to the Lord, and we will find that in humble and simple obedience to Him, He will richly bless us with spiritual sustaining grace.

Malachi 3:1, 4-6   This is the first of two times we will look at John the Baptist in our study through the book of Malachi. John is really a near type of messenger of God and Christ is the ultimate messenger sent from the Father. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, John was subordinate to Him in every way, shifting the focus and the attention onto Him. That is exactly how we should be.

Malachi 2:17-3:3   After a quick recap of the Lord’s accusations against the Israelites, we zero in on the weariness of God with the people. It is important that we properly understand the indifference and apathy as the backdrop against which God gives hope in the coming prophecy. Jesus shows us God’s faithfulness, justice, and His ultimate desire for restoration. God’s desire is for us to be made...

Malachi 2:14-17   We close off the chapter by looking at God’s purpose and the beautiful spiritual picture of marriage to represent our union with God made possible through Christ. There are some good lessons on marriage from these verses that we should glean, as well as a warning about divorce or viewing marriage too loosely. Then Malachi closes out with a description of God’s weariness at the pe...

Malachi 2:10-13   We see two sad realities concerning the children of Israel in today’s verses, their callousness towards each other and their lack of commitment to God. They took awful advantage of one another and they arrogantly refused God’s love and instead pursued a strange woman as it were. These acts were not taken lightly by God. He denied their offerings and did not regard their cries to...

Malachi 2:10-11   Today we are just beginning to look at these verses, and we are seeing that how we treat one another is directly linked to how we treat God, just as New Testament books like 1 John teach. Their cold treatment of their brethren (brethren in a spiritual sense) was connected to their abandonment of God to pursue their own selfish desires. We will continue to unpack these thoughts ne...

Malachi 2:7-11   This rebuke is relevant for us because as New Testament believers, we are all priests. We have been dedicated to God just as the Levites and the firstborn of the Israelites before them. So when we read this indictment, we ought to read it from the viewpoint that it could be addressing us as priests. What are we doing with the covenant of Levi that we have inherited?

Malachi 2:1-7   I love that God’s Word is personal, its messages are directed to us individually. And it is also sufficient to meet our deepest needs and speak into our deepest problems. The question is, will we take His Word to heart? The Levites of this time failed that question, but it didn’t have to be that way. We can take God seriously. We can share Him with others and be a mouthpiece for tr...

Malachi 1:12-14    In the final verses of Malachi chapter one, God contrasts the sad condition of Israel with His own greatness. The people are described as defiling and destroying God’s name, calling the table of the Lord marred, and counting God a weariness, and God will not accept their offering. But then we get a glimpse of Him. Perfect, exalted, loving, holy, a great king. May we fix our thou...

Malachi 1:10-11   As we continue to unpack accusations two and three, God traces the root of their problem to covetousness. It is our love for other things that creep in and redirect our love for God that causes us to offer unworthy service to Him, profane His name, and ultimately question His love for us. God shows His people here that their greed and desire for gain is what caused contempt for t...

Malachi 1:6-9   We cover the next two questions against God today. The people’s offering showed what they really thought about God’s name. Their thoughts of God corrupted their service for God. Because they didn’t appreciate His love, they didn’t view Him as a loving Father, and therefore they did not offer Him their best. Are we offering God less than we would offer someone else? We need to stop...

Malachi 1:1-5   When God describes you as having a certain attitude, you do. It is so important that we realize it is only by being near to God that we can actually discover ourselves. We must spend time with Him, not only to know His thoughts towards us, but so that He can reveal our true thoughts towards Him. If you are struggling with knowing God loves you (and you might not have even realized...

Outline of Malachi   There are eight rebuttals against the children of Israel in this short book, and God describes the people as having these views:   “Wherein hast thou loved us?” (1:2) “Wherein have we despised thy name?” (1:6) “Wherein have we polluted thee?” (1:7) “Wherefore?” (2:14) “Wherein have we wearied him?” (2:17) “Wherein shall we return?” (3:7) “Wherein have we robbed thee?” (3:8) “W...

Background to Malachi   Welcome to the last words of God before the coming of the Messiah to the world. These writings precede over four hundred years of silence from God before the He broke the silence with the glorious announcements that the promises of the Messiah (and of this prophecy) were being fulfilled. Today we lay the groundwork for this book and introduce the theme of these special word...

2 Corinthians 1:3-7   The words “comfort” and “consolation” appear ten times in this short passage. In today’s bonus episode, we are going to pause and reflect on Christ’s consolation in the midst of our suffering in this life. And we also remember the imminent rapture of believers which will end all suffering for the followers of God.

1 Peter 5:5-14   Hope is the thread that runs through the entirety of this epistle, and it goes all the way to the end. In the concluding statements, Peter instructs us believers to continue in the daily disciplines listed here, to understand the duration of our suffering, and to keep our eyes on the final destination. May we be able to say as Paul did that none of these things move us when we are...

1 Peter 5:1-4   When it comes to pastoral qualifications, many of us turn to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, however I have grown to treasure this section in 1 Peter 5 as one of the best passages on God’s expectations for a pastor. Unfortunately, many pastors have “cared more about the mission than the people. And they [don’t] realize that the people are the mission (July Roys Report Podcast ‘The Body of...

1 Peter 4:12-19   The end of chapter four and the majority of chapter 5 contains some of the best condensed teaching on suffering, in my opinion. We have already mentioned suffering several times as we have gone through this book, and I think that is one of the major themes God had in mind for this book. Chapter four closes with some helpful reminders and straightforward charges on how to handle s...

We are taking some time to both reflect back and also plan for future episodes. We plan to be back next week with our regular episode as we study through the book of 1 Peter. Thank you for listening to the weekly Bible study! 

1 Peter 4   There is suffering all around us in real, bitter, even sickening ways that make our hearts sink and our stomachs turn. And there are disappointments and hardships and sorrows that we all carry with us. I don’t have the answers to all of the heartaches people face, but I do know that God gives us hope in the midst of all of it. Look to Him in your suffering, He is the source of hope.  ...

1 Peter 4:1-11   Before we get into how to handle and deal with suffering, the text takes a look at some benefits to suffering. This in no way minimizes or marginalizes the suffering and pain that it brings, but it does help us to see that God works all things out for good according to His will. May these verses help our outlook and inspire us to live holy separated lives for the glory of God!

1 Peter 3:18-22   The last several verses in 1 Peter 3 are tricky because they involve some deeper theological topics such as (1) Penal Substitutional Atonement, (2) Christ preaching to Spirits in prison, (3) the days of Noah, (4) the figure of baptism, and (5) the authority and power of Christ. We will touch on each of these only briefly in order to get an overview of how the theology ties into t...

1 Peter 3:13-17    Here we see a compelling case to live for the Lord in righteousness, joy, holiness, and the peace that comes from a pure conscience. As believers, we can expect suffering and persecution, but we can still remain joyful and experience God’s peace through the rough times. Though these trials are hard and painful, suffering for well-doing produces sweet fruit unto the Lord. Our res...

1 Peter 3:8-12    When we come to these verses, it is easy to start with the applications in our relationships with others, however we must be properly aligned with Christ first. Only when He is preeminent in our lives can we truly live out these results towards others. This section actually has much more to do with our standing with God than with others. Ultimately, it is God’s watchful eye that...

1 Peter 3:7    This week we are looking at several ways the husband is to show compassion for his wife. He should (1) pursue his wife, (2) prioritize his wife, (3) protect his wife, (4) be present with her, (5) pray with her, and ultimately picture Christ to his bride. His role should be to lift up his wife, recognizing her calling and gifting, and push her to be the godly woman she is called to b...