Malachi 3

Malachi 2:17-3:18

Intro

I had afternoon cigar with an old friend this afternoon. He reached out to me yesterday. i just thought he wanted to reconnect but actually, He was feeling convicted. HE told me as we caught up about How his life has been a series o struggles an he was so burdened by his conviction the only person he knew he could talk to was me.

I shared the Gospel with him, and gave him counsel and surprisingly but also not surprisingly we went to the book of Malachi.

Background

We have been studying the book of Malachi these past 2 weeks in a series we’ve been calling “Does it matter how I worship”

We’ve seen timeline and the structure of Malachi and we’ve see how God through his prophet speaks directly to the remnant that has returned to the promised land and lets them know that their worship is defiled.

to Sum up the major sin of the priests and the people: is that their Disobedience is grounded in their discontentment and then excused by circumstances.

So they look around at their circumstances, they’re not happy with What God has given them, and they start shirking their responsibilities in the temple, and then they blame it on the perceived fact that God isn’t blessing them

So He sends a word through Malachi and he does so through six disputations or six charges that he’s reading off.

Because God’s desire is that Israel would return to their covenant fidelity instead of remaining in their religious hypocrisy.

We covered the first 3 disputations in chapter 1 and 2

and in Chapter 3, we’re going to cover the rest!

The title of this sermon is: What are you seeking with your worship?

and through these last three charges we’ll see that yes, it does matter how we worship because Worship is your affection turned towards God to serve Him and be blessed by receiving more of Him.

Read the text

Pray

as we look at this text the natural divisions are the three disputations and God’s responses. the outline of God’s responses we see are The promised redeemer, a Penitent call, and then possession, not profit.

The promised redeemer

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?”

so then he tells them

Malachi 3:1 ESV

“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.

God says The promised redeemer, His messenger is coming and the timeline that he gives them is suddenly.

so the priests are going to turn around and then bam! suddenly the messenger is going to be there in the temple. And what is he going to do when he is there?

Three things:

purify

cleanse

judge

Malachi 3:2–5 ESV

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. 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. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. “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.

I worked at a jewelry shop last year and it was so interesting to see the jewelers work with gold and silver. they would take these large magnifying glasses, and tiny acetylene torches and slowly and meticulously melt the gold spot by spot to remove any and all impurities so that the finished product was a pure gold ring

To think about the fuller’s soap is an older illustration. what a fuller was was a person who would clean sheets and blankets. What they would do is take raw wool and soak it in a mixture of alkali and literally tread or stomp all the oil and stains out of the raw material and then hang it to dry and beat the rest of the imperfections out so that the product was totally white and clean.

the only other time a fuller is mentioned in the new testament is when Jesus peels back his humanity to reveal the divine nature on the mount of transfiguration. where it says his clothes were whiter than any fuller could make a garment.

So there’s this promise, that when the messenger comes into the temple he’s going to purify and cleanse so that in the future, the son’s of Levi can offer pure offerings better than they ever were in the past.

but also, He shows exactly where to god of justice was because He’s going to judge all the wicked. and not just arbitrarily judge. but he knows exactly what their crimes are. He’s bringing judgement against those that are practicing this list of lawlessness. and this gets them a little nervous.

These are all the thing the Israelites are doing.

So there’s this question in the text: who can endure the day of his coming?

and the answer is: NO one.

no one can be in the presence of the redeemer of Israel. God’s true messenger and not be the same. IF you love God, then all the impurities of your life will be removed. but those that curse God, will themselves be cursed perfectly by the God of justice.

and then that leads directly into a message of instruction. because or in light of the sudden coming of the redeemer - what are you supposed to do?

we see here:

A penitent call

Malachi 3:6–7 ESV

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

God says return. return to me.

I don’t change. I’m not going to cross my fingers. I’m not waiting with a record of your wrongs. I won’t pull the rug out from under you. IF you return to me, I will return to you.

that closeness, that identity, that relationship with me will be restored.

So then how are they to return?

Malachi 3:8–12 ESV

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

This is probably one of the most misused verses in the old testament.

I can’t tell you how many times i’ve heard this preached from the pulpit as a way to shame people into giving their money to the church.

we are called to give to our church. regularly and cheerfully. we’re called to support the ministry of the church. both biblically and in our church covenant. but that’ not what this verse is saying.

The full tithe is the call to restore their worship to the full amount that they were supposed to give.

remember when Jesus was questioned about taxes? what did he say? give to caesar what is caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.

God says i want you to give me what is mine. the full surrender of your hearts to me.

and then he gives this promise: if you return to me? everything that you need? i will gladly give you that and more. I will provide for you.

everything that you’re lacking now, will be something I give you out of my abundance.

Everything that you need is found in the presence and person of christ.

Possession not profit

but we see that’s not what they’re looking for.

They are looking for mere profit and recognition

Malachi 3:13–15 ESV

“Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’ ”

and then we see a section of people that are looking to return.

Malachi 3:16–18 ESV

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

they are the ones who seek to serve The true God and God not only calls them servants he calls them sons.

so how is that they return?

The remember - they remember the goodness of God in their lives

They repent - its this idea that the fear of the Lord is back in their minds after hearting his call. they remember his goodness and they repent

and they are restored - He calls them his treasured possessions

Application

Maybe you’re here because of what you think you can get from Jesus.

and not because you want Jesus himself.

if that’s you today, there is no true difference between you and the wicked priests. and the warning for you is that The God of justice will come suddenly. and his call is for you is not to return but to repent.

but if you are here today and are in christ, I would ask you where are your affections presently?

Our hearts are fickle things. and they may drift to daily tasks, lingering worries, or even idle daydreams. Our hearts are prone to wander, and as Jonathan Edwards noted, these inclinations reveal much about our true affections. They can guide us toward the good, the true, and the beautiful, or they can lead us astray.

if your affection placed in God’s messenger? Jesus Christ.

are you waiting the day He will suddenly appear and purify you and cleanse you totally from this remnant of sin

That is something worth lifting up our voices towards, giving our heart expectantly. not because of what we will get as a blessing. but because of who we get as a blessing.

Worship is your affection turned towards God to serve Him and be blessed by receiving more of Him.