Malachi 2:5-7 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear with which he feared me, and was afraid before my name.… The covenant which God made with Levi now belongs to all men. The benign purposes in every ancient covenant find their fulfilment and enlargement in Christ. I. THE BLESSINGS HERE SPOKEN OF. 1. Life. Physical life is a great possession. Physical life should not be wasted nor abused, but used as the basis of a higher life. Man has a higher life — the intellectual and the spiritual, in which the moral faculties and the consciousness of God reside. The spiritual life must be — (1) Quickened by the Holy Ghost. (2) Stimulated to struggle against the body of sin and death. (3) Grow in Christly beauty and symmetrical fulness. (4) Find its sustenance and satisfaction in God. (5) Untouched by physical decay and death, and perfected in heaven. 2. Peace. There is much that is called "peace" that does not come from God; as the apathy of religions indifference, the forced calmness of self-deceit, the spiritual death of absorbed sensuality. Divine peace is preceded by conviction, repentance, and prayer. True peace arises from — (1) A consciousness of God's favour. (2) An approving conscience. (3) Firm reliance upon the promises of God.This peace "passeth understanding," for it comes from the depths of God's infinite love, is unshaken by the varied incidents of life, and is eternal. II. HOW MEN MAY POSSESS THE BLESSINGS HERE SPOKEN OF. Men fall to obtain these blessings because of their wrong conceptions of them; or, if they have right conceptions, they seek them in wrong directions. They try to find them in carnal pleasures, secular pursuits, circumstantial creations, and delusive virtues. These blessings can only be found in God through Jesus Christ. He is "the life," and "our peace." 1. Men must accept the view which Christ gives of the folly of seeking "life and peace" in fleshly indulgence and worldly good. He discloses to men's visions those life-giving energies and solid resting-places which the natural eye does not perceive. He stands as the living fountain of invisible realities. The great facts in the universe are the soul and God. 2. Men must accept, of Christ as a living presence in their inner life. The Spirit of Christ was in God's ancient saints. He must dwell in men now if they are to be blessed in Him. He enters every willing heart, bringing "life and peace." 3. They must obey the voice of Christ's Spirit within them. Obedience will stimulate vitality and consolidate peace. Many suffer spiritual paralysis and unrest because they do not follow the leadings of Christ's Spirit. We must not only receive Christ, but live under the influence of His presence. To have a spiritual life glowing with energy, and a peace flowing like a river — broad and deep — through our souls, we must listen for the voice of Christ's Spirit and follow it. III. THE IMPORTANCE OF POSSESSING THE BLESSINGS HERE SPOKEN OF. 1. Because of their intrinsic value. 2. Of their adaptation to our condition and needs. 3. Because they are freely offered by a Being who understands our necessities, and who has made great sacrifices to bestow them upon us. 4. Because they have been eagerly sought for by the wise in all ages. 5. Because, without them, we shall wander in the realms of death and disquietude for ever. (W. Osborne Lilley.) Parallel Verses KJV: My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. |
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