Faithfulness in the Story of God's Justice

Welcome

Kids

Online family

We are ending our series on Malachi today. We have been seeing what it is that God told Malachi to share with his people some 2600 years ago and how he might as well have written this directly to us here in Leaf River in 2024. It’s amazing to truly see how there is nothing new under the sun and how people have been just as godless as they are today. So, we’ve looked at Malachi for a reason. That reason is, like I said, Malachi might as well have been written for us today. As a matter of fact, author Roger Ellsworth says it clearly…

Malachi’s message is dated, but it is not out of date.

Roger Ellsworth

But why did Malachi write all of this that we have been talking about the last few weeks? Well…Malachi spoke to the people of Israel this way because because they so clearly exchanged the glory of God for the glory of the culture…they chose to exchange their worship of the Lord for the worship of themselves, and that is why Malachi wrote these words…and that is why we have looked at these words because we have that exact same potential as the Israelites did all those years ago.

So…what have we seen so far through this series? Well, we have seen that God loves us, and we have seen what that means that God loves us. We saw what it means to give God his value, and what it means to live faithfully, and finally last week we discussed the blessings of faithfulness, specifically talking about being faithful with our financial resources. Well, this week is taking a bit of a turn. You see, this whole book we have been listening in on a conversation between God and the Jewish people. Well…now we are coming to an end, and the prophet Malachi is taken to the end where God explains what will happen on that day when things come to a conclusion. we are also coming to the end of what God has to say to the Jewish people until Jesus is born in another 400 years…so there’s a bit of a cliffhanger coming up here.

However, this morning I want you to imagine watching a movie or reading a book where the characters face a dramatic moments of tension. In every story, certain characters stand out: the complainers who question everything, the faithful ones who stay true no matter the cost, the villains whose actions cause destruction, and the heroes who step up to make a difference.

Think about Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, persevering through trials; Lucy in The Chronicles of Narnia, whose faith in Aslan never wavers; or Judas in the Gospels, who betrays Jesus for personal gain. Each character serves a purpose, shaping the story's direction and outcome.

Now think about Top Gun: Maverick, one of the biggest films of the last few years. The story hinges on characters who fit these molds:

The complainers—like the younger pilots who question whether Maverick’s methods and leadership are still relevant.

The believer—like Maverick himself, who holds onto his mission and the principles he’s learned through his career, even when others don’t understand.

The villains—the external threat they’re training to face, but also internal struggles like arrogance and fear that could undermine the mission.

The heroes—again, Maverick, as he becomes the mentor who teaches others to rise above their limitations and trust in something greater than themselves.

You see, each character plays a part in shaping the story as a whole, and its ultimate resolution that so many people found uplifting and enjoyable.

Today in our passage, Malachi 3:13–4:6, we encounter four distinct "characters" that reveal profound truths about living in expectation of God’s justice. As we explore these roles…these characters, I want you to think about which one represents you today? And which one God might be calling you to be?

This morning let’s go ahead and read our passage and then take a look at our characters in our story.

Malachi 3:13–4:6 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.’ ” 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. “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Wow…thats a bit rough…You see, as we read this passage, we see that the conversation is wrapping up—but not before God addresses a group we might recognize too well: the complainers. These are the ones whose hearts are revealed through their words, as they question God’s justice and purpose.

The first group that we see are

1. The Complainers (Malachi 3:13–15)

Just like in Top Gun there was this young group of pilots that were questioning Maverick and his leadership and methods. Look at what the leaders of the Jewish people are doing? They’ve been complaining and questioning God from the very beginning of this encounter, and they haven’t stopped now, even after all that has been said. There are a couple of really important things that we can learn about the complainers though. First of all: Their words reveal their hearts You see, complaints about God’s justice really are more than a complaint against God’s justice…it shows a lack of trust in God’s character. Do you trust who God says he is…or do you only trust yourself? Are you truly willing to submit to the Lord?

There’s something else we can learn from the complainers. They measure faithfulness by worldly outcomes. See these complainers were guilty of saying “harsh things” against the Lord. They felt like serving the Lord was a chore, it was useless to be his servants. They would says something like this…“We’re not getting anything out of it anymore!” I’ve told ya’ll that Ive been a pastor a long time, and this is a phrase I’ve heard alot of people say about their churches. “We’re not getting anything out of it!” Here’s the thing though…Church is like a bank…you don’t get anything out of it unless you put something into it. WE serve God because it’s the right thing to do…not because we get a prize. You see, this transactional view of faith ignores the eternal perspective of God’s glory and God’s justice. Are you tempted to doubt God’s justice when life doesn’t go your way?

Who’s another character in this story of justice this morning?

2. The Believers (Malachi 3:16–18)

In a massive contrast to the complainers, we find this other group that God treasures: the believers. While the complainers measure faithfulness by worldly outcomes, these believers fear the Lord, showing us what true faith and devotion look like.. That’s what we see with these in Malachi. Those whose names are being written in the Book of the Remembrance. Which is pretty cool by the way. The Book of Remembrance wasn’t written about anywhere else but here. However, through context we can pretty much see that this is an equivalent to the Lambs Book of Life, simply pre-resurrection. So this is the book that had the names written of those men and women who remembered and feared the Lord. You know, their neighbors may have laughed at them, their coworkers may not have understood them, but God was pleased with them.

I can remember one day when a friend of mine was sitting at lunch with me at work and I bowed my head and prayed over our food and he simply said, “You know that doesn’t do anything, right”. He and I were able to talk some more after that because he saw that I was serious.

There’s a couple things we know about the believers though. First of all, Their fear of the Lord defines them. True believers are marked by reverence and faith that unites them as a community. And also, God treasures them. God assures His faithful people that they are valued and remembered forever. Don’t pretend to be a believer when you are really a complainer…get your heart straight with the Lord and allow your fear, and your reverence to the Lord define who you are and what you know to be true…both in this life, and in eternity. Really, are you living in such a way that reflects your identity as God’s treasured possession

There’s still a couple more characters to look at this morning though. You see them in Top Gun, but next let’s look at

3. The Villains (Malachi 4:1–3)

While the believers find themselves treasured by God, there’s another group whose story ends quite differently: the villains. These are the ones who reject God’s justice and face the full weight of His judgment. Here in Malachi we see that the Lord has turned his attention to these sinners who will be punished on that day that burns like an oven. Just like the other characters there are a couple of things that we see are true about this group as well. First of all we see that Their judgment is inevitable. God’s justice will not delay and will not wait for another day or another chance. Evildoers will face the Lord’s righteous judgement. “for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet”

However, Their fate contrasts with the joy of the righteous. While the evildoers become stubble under the feet of the righteous, did you catch the imagery for the righteous? “You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall” Wow! What a stark contrast showing God’s ultimate vindication of His people. You say that today it’s not fair that the wicked seem better off that you do? That’s because you have a temporal view and not an eternal view. You should feel sad for the wicked no matter how well they live today. You know what’s coming and it’s heartbreaking. Are you urgently warning others about the reality of God’s coming judgement?

We proclaim that God is just, and so it follows that God will bring his justice one day.

Let’s take a look at the last character we see in the book of Malachi who will prepare us to wait for Jesus to arrive.

4. The Heroes (Malachi 4:4–6)

But God doesn’t leave the story on the note of judgment. Instead, He points us to the heroes—the ones who call His people to remember His Word and prepare others for the ultimate restoration through Christ. In Top Gun, Maverick became the hero as he became the mentor he should have been. He taught this new group of pilots to stretch farther than they thought they could and trust more than they realized they could…to trust in something greater than themselves.

Now, in Malachi is a little different isn’t it. I mean, Malachi isn’t fighting a war, is he? Well…I guess he kind of was wasn’t he. Malachi was fighting the same sinful culture that we are fighting today. A culture that is filled with the unholy spirits that come from the enemy. So this is Moses and Elijah, as well as all who proclaim God’s Word. Although these heroes have certain characteristics as well. You see, first of all, They call God’s people to remember His Word. Faithfulness requires us to ground ourselves in God’s word. I’ve talked about it before, but you really should be spending more days with God’s Word than without God’s word. So if there are 7 days in a week, make sure at least 4 days are spent in God’s word…do you think you can do that? Besides that, They prepare others for Christ’s coming. Malachi anticipates John the Baptist’s ministry, you and I are still called to proclaim repentance and hope to all we connect with. You and I have been sent out…we have talked about that before. We have been sent out to go and tell…to preach the Word by pointing others to Christ. How are we accomplishing that particular task?

As we consider the heroes in Malachi’s story, it’s a reminder that God is calling each of us to step into that role—preparing our hearts for Christ’s return and leading others toward Him. So as we close this series, let me ask: where do you see yourself in this story?

This morning we are going to close out and we will be closing out this series and preparing for Thanksgiving this Thursday as well as preparing to return next week for the start of the Christmas season. As we close out this conversation with Malachi I hope you will not simply close your Bible this morning, but you will take his warnings to heart. His warnings about giving God your best, and not your leftovers. Malachi’s words about how God loves us with a love that calls us back to submission to him. How Malachi reminds us what worship actually is and that we have never been called to worship God based on our own personal comfort level, but according to God’s comfort level and God’s commands. We aren’t here to worship ourself or each other, but to worship the living Son of God and we should give him the honor and devotion he deserves. Remember Malachi’s words that were written to remind us that a partial gift is not good enough to the Lord. The Lord calls us to give the Lord what the Lord has told us to give him. That’s it…anything less is stealing from him.

As we close this morning I want you to think about which character best describes where you are today. Are you the complainer, believer, villain, or hero? Wherever you are, let me challenge you this morning to live like the believer and hero that God has called you to be. Faithfully waiting for God’s justice and sharing his hope with as many as you come into contact with. Listen, God’s justice is certain…God’s promises are faithful…Christ’s return will bring the ultimate restoration for the world.

This morning, I urge you not to leave here unchanged. God’s justice is certain, His promises are faithful, and Christ’s return will bring ultimate restoration. Let’s not argue with God as the Israelites did, because… God will always have the last word.

(Pause)

So for you, will that last word be salvation or judgment?

Let’s pray: