Longing for Change

Have you ever argued with God?

Background

Jesus has come to bring change to YOU.

Malachi 3:1–5 (ESV)

1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

The Longing for Change (2:17)

Agent of Change (3:1)

Process of Change (2-3)

Result of Change (4-5)

The Longing for Change (2:17)

Takes place nearly 100 years after their return from exile in Babylon.

about 80 years after Haggai and Zechariah encouraged the rebuilding of the temple.

Zechariah 1:16–17 (ESV)

16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. 17 Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’ ”

They are waiting for the change for the good that God promised but do not see it.

not many miracles recorded during this time.

Malachi records 6 arguments the people have with God.

Have you ever argued with God?

Ever felt he’s withholding the blessing you thought was coming?

Ever felt like God has been silent in your life for 400 years?

Not fair what has happened to you?

Malachi 2:17 (ESV)

You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

In the middle of their longing for change God tells the people through the prophet, Malachi (whose name means “messenger”) about the coming:

Agent of Change (3:1)

Three different people listed here:

1)”Behold I send. . .” = “Says the Lord of Hosts)

2)”my messenger. . . prepare the way”

John the Baptist

Matthew 11:10 (ESV)

10 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’

3)”Lord whom you seek”. . . “messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming.”

This is the agent of change they are longing for.

They have been longing for God’s presence to return to his temple.

Who is this person?

He is called “Lord” (Adone) - greater than John the Baptist

The temple belongs to him - Who can own God’s temple?

Almost interchangeable with God who is speaking - takes the place of the word “me”

The agent of change is none other than Jesus.

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus - the One whom John claimed was greater than he:

Matthew 3:11 (ESV)

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus arrived at the temple and it was recognized as the presence of God and that it was his temple

(Simeon)

Luke 2:27–32 (ESV)

27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

30 for my eyes have seen your salvation

31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel.”

(When Jesus was “lost” on the way back to Nazareth and parents find him at the temple):

Luke 2:49 (ESV)

49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Jesus is the agent of change

Jesus is the one who makes God’s work in us possible

Ephesians 2:1 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

Ephesians 2:4–5 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Interesting:

The Jews were religious yet still longed for change.

ILLUST - “I need a change” “I’ll get religious”

The Jews had the edifice but not the presence.

Religion doesn’t save! Coming to church doesn’t save. Being “religious” doesn’t save.

“I’ve tried God but he didn’t come through” - I haven’t seen the change. I don’t feel any different.

The problem: You didn’t try God, you tried religion. God doesn’t offer a trial service.

You don’t “try” a heart transplant. Once you recognize you have a bad heart you need a transplant.

You can try to exercise, eat right, and it will help some, but you’ll still need a change.

Religion may change some of your actions but it can never change your heart.

Your actions are not the real problem - your heart is. From your heart will flow all of your actions.

Process of Change (2-3)

2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

The implied answer to verse two is NO ONE. The Jews are complaining about the change (justice) that needs to happen around them and God says the One who is coming is going to also change them!

“Day of his coming” = code word for judgment.

Takes an interesting turn.

On the Day of the Lord it is not a question of whether or not God is on your side; the question is whether or not you are on God’s side.

How is Jesus said to be coming? What is the process of change? two descriptions:

Refiner’s fire

Fuller’s soap

Both describe a cleaning or purification.

Fuller’s soap cleans - then they would beat or scrub the clothes.

ILLUST - Ever see one of the gold-hunting shows? Ever see how they refine the gold?

Heat it

melt it

dross bubbles up

This is what God was saying — There is a day when God will judge all the things wrong with this world, and He will start with you.

The Jews were shiny with their religion - but they were only gold plated.

Here in the Midwest there is a horrific lie that we don’t always see in other areas of the world.

The lie is that you can be gold-plated with religion: Come to church, say “Amen,” even raise your hand during worship, while just below the surface you’re really verse five:

5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, (lustful) against those who swear falsely, (liar) against those who oppress the hired worker (cheater) in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, (uncaring toward the immigrant) and do not fear me, (self-centered) says the Lord of hosts.

Jesus (IN HIS LOVE) will refine you.

How does refining work?

By burning away anything that is not of Jesus.

The more thinly plated you are with religion, the more will burn away.

Fire is not fun.

ILLUST - my bacon burn.

Being burned by bacon is stupid, but Christ’s refining fire is fueled by love.

The way it works:

God uses the difficult things in our lives - the pain we feel, to burn away anything that is not a part of how we were made to be as the image of God and followers of Christ. What is left, then, true value, like gold.

Sometimes we view the problems in our lives as dumpster fires when, in reality, they are the refiner’s fire.

health problems - dumpster fire or refiner’s fire? Our anxiety, our pain call it a dumpster fire; however, our faith will call it a refiner’s fire.

Traffic jam burning away my irritation and refining my patience.

The family member that drives you crazy is refining your love

The person at work that takes all the credit is refining your humility

This is how Paul can say:

Romans 5:3–5 (ESV)

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

or James:

James 1:2–3 (ESV)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Result of Change (4-6)

and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

True Worship

In Chap 2 God rebukes the priests for

1. syncretism

God calls them faithless even though they were religious. Why? Because they were relying on other gods and not God alone.

Malachi 2:11 (ESV)

11 Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.

2. half-hearted worship

Malachi 2:13 (ESV)

13 And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.

Worship doesn’t end on the other side of the church doors.

What is keeping you from true worship - worship in righteousness? What does God need to remove for you to have:

Right Relationship

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord

What do we do?

Change your desire for change.

Align it to God’s desires.

How badly do you want God the change God wants?

Are you willing to ask for fire if it means refinement?

Not pain for pain’s sake, but a prayer that echoes, “break my hand if I won’t let go”

Would you take on suffering if you knew it was to refine you? If you know Jesus than that’s the only way he does it!

1 Peter 1:6–7 (ESV)

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXVII (The Sitting of the Refiner (No. 1,575))

Did you ever notice that the branch which feels most of the knife, and gets most of the pruning, is not the dead branch? Not that withered, crooked branch does the husbandman wound with the knife. No, the best branch, that bears most fruit, is most worthy of the gardener’s visits and shall be most favoured with them. That ore which has the most gold in it, in proportion to the quartz, is the likeliest to get into the fire. He that has most of refinement is he on whom Christ will carry out his refining work. “He shall purify the sons of Levi.”

Allow God to change you.

It may hurt, but it is

How do you allow God to change you? Two words:

1)Through Surrender

Surrender is the act of opening your hands to release whatever you’ve been holding on to that is not God.

“I want you more than I want __________”

My job

recognition

health

safety

“God, burn out of me by any means necessary, the attitudes and desires that are not like Jesus, that my faith might be pure and my life pleasing.”

2)By His Spirit

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXVII (The Sitting of the Refiner (No. 1,575))

After all, the Holy Spirit is the great fire that burns in Zion to purge believers from the love of sin. It is he that makes use of the Word, and makes use of fellowship, and makes use of everything else, to sever sin from the saint, and take away the dross from the silver. He is the immediate agent of our sanctification, all else we must regard as only the means in his skilful hand. To him be our love and our praise evermore.