I, Yahweh, Do Not Change

Preaching through Malachi twice has given me a great deal to think about. When I read the sermons on Malachi I preached the first time, I felt that I had truly lacked courage back then.

I came to realize that in my sermons on offerings and tithes, my own fear had been greater than the will of God. I was afraid that church members would stumble after hearing a sermon about giving. But more than ten years later, when I preached on Malachi a second time, I set aside all my own thoughts and focused on what God wants from his people. For I had come to see that God was not simply telling us to give offerings; he was making clear the purpose, the reason why we should give.

The prophet Malachi rebuked the people who had strayed from God’s will, and at the same time he prayed with an earnest heart that they would return to God. Through these sermons on Malachi, I have come to understand more deeply that faith and life shine when we act according to God’s will.

To restore our relationship with God, we must first deal with the problem of sin. Faith that does not fully believe in Christ is formal and pretentious, however zealous it may be, and so God does not accept it. Because the sacrifices the people offered could not solve the problem of sin, Jesus became incarnate. If, as we know, after death we are divided between heaven and hell, receiving eternal life or eternal punishment, then there must be a sure standard that divides the two. That standard is faith in the precious blood of Jesus, who bore the cross.

Dear friends, God has already accomplished everything needed for the salvation of souls, so now it is our faith that will determine our salvation. Because Jesus rescued us from the curse, Satan can no longer block the salvation of believers. Even so, Satan is at work until the last day to make even one more person stumble, so I pray that you will be sure to remain in Christ.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This is because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made you, who have confessed your faith, free from the law of sin and death. In this world racing toward its end, I pray that you will become holy believers who look only to the righteous God and hope for the eternal kingdom.

August 2026
Pastor Cho Chun-sook, Watercourse Church