He Shall Turn the Heart of the Father to the Children

He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children

Malachi 4:5-6

Malachi, towards the end of his prophecy, looked ahead to a day when the fathers and the sons will be restored to one another. Implied in this verse and prophecy is the distraction of the heart. The heart of man was created to centre on the Lord His  Creator and all things good and wonderful. Men, however, sought out other inventions because of its own deceitfulness. The heart says it loves the Lord but it chases after other pleasures. The heart deceives itself that it is right with God but it has left the Lord it should love. The heart is distracted and is unstable because its foundations are not anchored on Christ the Rock: therefore, the foundations are shaky and in seeking to stabilize itself, the heart seeks out other anchors, which are not anchors at all. These distractions draw away the heart from meaningful relationships within the family and it removes the Christ-centeredness in the home.

The solution for the family. He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to the fathers. Both are equally distracted and apart from one another. Both are equally responsible for reconciliation. Yet, it is clear that the pride, instability and deceitfulness of the human heart will refuse the reconciliation God intends for the family.

It has to be facilitated by God’s instrument, not us, but the Lord Jesus. John the Baptist was instrumental in his uncompromising preaching that brought many back to repentance to Christ. The change is not merely an outward reformation but inward change. The heart of the father will be convicted to repent of his wandering away from the children and be turned back to the family. The heart of the children will be convicted to return to the submissive and humble position before His father and the Lord Jesus. There is no solution for family unity without the Lord Jesus. There is no ability in the human strength for bringing people back together in the Spirit without a mediator. There needs to be a quiet revival within the heart of each father and each child for complete family healing and restoration of this is enabled only by the Holy Spirit.

The judgement to come. The forerunner of Christ works to bring people back to Christ and for each brother to be reconciled to each other. A failure to heed the word of God will bring judgement. When God speaks in His word, and where there is a refusal to heed the word, there is a coming judgement. In Proverbs 1:23, 24, God says “I have called and ye refused …” God has to send judgement not because He wants to but because He has to in order to bring us back to Himself. God does not judge before giving warning.

Beloved, what is the state of our families? What is the state of our hearts before God? Is it in humble submission, that we will love God and love people with everything in our hearts? Is the heart of us Fathers, firmly attached to our children, to bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord? Are we, children, bowed in humble obedience towards our father? May Ambassador Baptist Church have strong fathers who will love their children and children who are submissive, who will love their fathers and will honour them.

Written by: Pastor Johnny Tan
Edited by: Timothy Lee
Image Credit: United States Marine Corps, Flickr