The Day of the Lord

Intro

Why has God allowed these things to happen?

Need: Why has God allowed this to happen to those who place faith in him? What’s the plan here?

Main Idea: God has a plan for the righteous.

Malachi 4

God is addressing their lack of holiness in worship. Not offering unblemished lambs. Syncretism. Uses father/son imagery for intimacy. The day of the Lord.

Truth #1: The righteous will be victorious (1-3)

Exp. Malachi does not say, “Israel.” Those who have faith. Verse 1. Arrogant = opposition. Stubble = chaff. What surrounds wheat. Falls off and dies. Set them ablaze. Nothing left. Destruction will befall them. Not refining, but annihilation. Verse 2. Healing will be for those who fear his name. Beautiful poetic language. Go out like calves leaping from the stall. Represents the joy they will have.

Ill. Winning the World Series. The team goes crazy on the field. That’s the elation he is speaking of.

Exp. Beyond healing, there’s another part. Verse 3. Tread = press, crush. They will be ashes because God burned them. You will walk victoriously over them. He’s speaking about God’s enemies, but ultimately this is fulfilled in Christ.

Christ - Our victory is not over human enemies, but over the enemies of sin and death. That victory only comes through Christ.

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Christ - Sin, death, and Satan are the enemies, but we were guaranteed victory in Genesis.

App. What do we do? Express joy.

Express joy in future healing. God will heal from this disaster.

Express joy in future victory. God will bring victory over death eventually.

Truth #2: The righteous remember God’s works (4)

Exp. Malachi is going to give them instruction here. Verse 4. They struggled with worshipping properly. This is a call back to his covenant. In that law, you see to fear me. Horeb is known as the mountain of God in Exodus 3:1. This is also where God spoke to Elijah. Remember so you can worship properly.

Ill. Muffins on Saturdays. I always check the recipe to make sure I get it right. God is calling them to look back so they will worship properly.

Arg. Let’s look at Psalm 1.

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Arg. Righteous dwell on God’s Word. The wicked neglect it. Righteous are like a tree. Wicked are chaff.

Christ - We look back to the covenant God made through Christ. Last Supper. Jesus said his blood represented the new covenant.

App. What do we do? Look back at God’s covenant.

Look back at God’s Word. God’s all sufficient, inerrant, infallible Word.

Look back at Jesus’ blood. We must remember what he has done for us.

Truth #3: The righteous will be restored (5-6)

Exp. He reiterates the sending of the prophet. Verse 5. He mentioned this in verse 3. Not literal Elijah, but prophecy for John the Baptist. He would prepare the way for the Lord. Verse 6. Fathers and children imagery to simply mean that Israel was at war with itself. Generations fighting. The new Elijah, Jesus, will restore this.

Christ - Our restoration comes through Christ. Jesus not only restores us to the father, but he restores us to each other. If Jesus died with our sin on his shoulders, then he also took the sins of others as well. We find hope and forgiveness in Christ and are restored to each other.

Ill. Splinter in my finger. Wouldn’t heal until splinter was removed. That’s sin. We will not be restored with sin still reigning in us. We must allow Christ to remove that sin.

Arg. Restoration only exists because things need to be restored. They’re not right.

Ill. Nathan in hospital. He’s fighting. Would his physical healing prove he’s righteous? No. Jesus healed plenty who didn’t believe yet. It’s his ultimate restoration that will be the fruit of his faith.

Restoration is bringing back to its former glory. He was doing that with Israel. God does this with us. Bringing us back to the Garden.

App. What should we do? Find restoration in him.

Await restoration in the end. Revelation 21. We will be restored there.

Seek restoration among brothers and sisters in Christ. Value: Intentional community.

Let’s pray