TAKE HEED TO YOUR SPIRIT
Malachi 2:15-16
The Holy Spirit is a unique part of the union of husbands and wives; just as we saw last week that the Holy Spirit is a unique and dynamic aspect of our relationship to God, our Father. How does Malachi use the phrase in verse 15 “The rest of the Spirit” or “residue of the Spirit” in his argument?
Verse 15 is notoriously tricky to translate. All the various meanings are centered on the same basic theme of men being "faithless" to their wives, through divorce. In contrast, God sees marriage as a joining of spirits, according to His will, which can't be broken without spiritual damage. God desires for His people to portray a proper sense of oneness and grace. God has specific purposes for marriage, which are thwarted by divorce.
Malachi’s challenge to the people of God of old still needs to resonate in the halls of our churches. In our weak and failing churches, in our wholesale succumbing to the perversions of this sex crazed culture, we need to TAKE HEED TO OUR SPIRIT (v.15-16). One of the mighty fruits of the Holy Spirt is SELF CONTROL. I could ask, where is it? We need it. We should pray for it.
Twice in this text we are told to take heed to our spirit. We are told to exercise a life of self-control and maintain a fidelity and faithfulness in our covenant marriages. We must exhibit a life under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and in our sexually perverted world and church, this should be the clarion call. TAKE HEED TO YOUR SPIRIT.
5 very important truths in regard to the Holy Spirit.
1. I believe that we as God’s people, as the Church of Jesus Christ here in Wallowa County or anywhere else in the world, will NOT be left as orphans; BUT will be given the Helper Jesus promised. John 14:16-18 (grace, guard, gift, guide and glorify). Jesus’ high priestly prayer echoes all these sentiments.
2. I believe the Holy Spirit is supremely capable to handle every pressing need in every age of Church history until Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom on earth. The whole armor of God is empowered by the Holy Spirit through prayer.
3. I believe the assistance, presence, and power of the Holy Spirit is available to every single Christian, weak or strong, ignorant or astute, simply upon request. John 14:15 (He must be received). There is no academic requirement, no social status requirement. No liturgical ceremony, no outburst in tongues is needed to unleash His power. We simply need to pray in sincerity (Lk.11:13; Matt. 7:7-8).
4. I believe, however, that Christians can and often do resist the Holy Spirit’s influence - to the degree that we can end up forsaking the grace that could have been ours, hardening our hearts by turning from the living God. Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19; Acts 7:51; Hebrews 3:12 Balance is needed here- We are never to isolate any one member of the Trinity from the other.
5. I believe that we don’t wait to “get fixed” by the Holy Spirit, we don’t get “rebaptized” by the Holy Spirit, we don’t come forward and receive some quantity of the Spirit during a revival meeting. I believe we simply obey. We “walk”, we “keep in step with the Holy Spirit” only because He has commended us to walk, and “Keep in Step”.
Paul used the idea of “walking” six different times in Ephesians- walk in good works 2:1; walk worthy 4:1; walk differently than the world 4:17; walk in love 5:2; walk in the light 5:8; walk wisely 5:15.
ALL this necessary walking that needs so desperately to be done in our churches, in our marriages is only done in, by and through the Holy Spirit.
APPLICATION
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES TEACH
• Peter walking on the water: Matthew 14:22-32
• The woman with the issue of blood: Mark 5:34
• The 10 Lepers: Luke 17:11-19
• The man at the pool of Bethesda: John 5:6-9
We take God at His word and WALK. We take our broken lives and move forward. In doing so, we shall find the needed strength to take the next step. We take our broken marriages, repent and move forward, and as each of you obey God, YOUR MARRIAGE WILL BE HEALED, as you go.
This is set forth all through the New Testament, as well as in the old. Our faith in God, our experience of God’s grace and power in our lives is only available by use. Faith must be at work. We walk by faith; we step into our troubles by faith. We realize the power of God through His word and Spirit only by exercising our faith.