Sermon Tone Analysis

Where is He?

Ladies, do you remember that one date you had.

You know the one I am talking about.

It is the one often depicted in some movies where the girl is promised a great and fabulous date by her boyfriend or the one she dreams of having.

She gets dressed in her best outfit for winning the guy, slathers on her war paint, or as you call it make up, just kidding, then she arrives 20 minutes early at the restaurant because she wants to make sure it is just right.

She orders her drink and then waits, and waits, and waits, and waits some more.

Initially she is thinking, “Is He Coming or Not,” until finally she decides he ain’t worth the effort and goes about her life as she pleases.

Maybe yours wasn’t quite like that.

Nonetheless, you get the idea of a promise that appears to never happen.

I have my own personal experiences of such.

I can recall several weekends that my dad would promise to come get me for my weekend at his house, only to show up hours later or call the next morning.

Each time I would ask my mother, “Is he coming or not?”

I never doubted my father’s love for me.

It was just frustrating having to wait for the coming.

That is where we begin our study of the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi.

The book is about 2/3 of the way in your Bible.

If you get to Matthew in the New Testament then take a few steps back because Malachi comes right before.

The Setting

The Jewish people of Malachi’s day had returned from the 70 year exile in Babylon, and many of them were possibly the next generation after the return.

During his time here an older generation lead by example for the ones under them what it meant to be God’s people, or so they thought.

Nehemiah had returned to lead the people to rebuild the wall then returned for awhile to Persia where he had been cupbearer to the King.

Malachi preached his message to the people during that time frame.

This prophecy also comes almost a century after the messages of Haggai and Zechariah .

Someone described the state of affairs during this time as disenchantment, disillusionment, disappointment and decay.

(Fred Wood) Doesn’t sound to good.

Not a lot of hope in those feelings is there?

Malachi has an answer to all of them.

Today we will set the scene for those answers.

Disenchantment:

The temple had long been rebuilt and was heavily in use again, yet the promise by Ezekiel of God’s returning glory, no one had seen yet.

No more days of miracles and wonderful workings of God to give testimony about.

God’s people were content in their drab existence thinking “Is He coming or Not?”

Disillusionment and Disappointment:

Over two millennium prior to this, came God’s promised to Abraham a Savior for His people and the world.

Now, preacher after preacher and parent after parent had passed that promise down.

Yet, for these people, that Glorious day had not arrived yet.

God’s people were “doing” all God said they should “do.”

They were coming to Temple, going through worship, and doing it again the next sabbath.

God didn’t seem to be living up to His promise.

The “good ole days” or “the golden era” of the city and the Temple, their church if you will, were long gone.

Now this 2nd temple and Jerusalem were just small insignificant places of despair.

Decay:

God’s people appeared to “Worship” and and give sacrifices every Sabbath.

The decay however was a result of their dishonor of God in many ways.

Dishonor came greatest during their worship since it was only pretension and performance void of any integrity and spirit.

(John 4)

See, less than 100 years after the people’s return and after a few years of being regular in the Temple, these people were deeper in sin than the prior generations that God sent into exile.

This sin crept into their lives because of spiritual apathy, spiritual carelessness and spiritual neglect.

The Message

In these 4 chapters you will not find anytime where Malachi proclaimed a need for political change or renewal.

This came from his knowledge life conditions happened not because of politics rather of spiritual problems.

He preached the need for spiritual renewal or return which is seen in Malachi 3:7.

His message came during an uneventful and frustrating period of waiting.

Many seemed to live as if God didn’t care, so they didn’t care asking how can we return to you?

In the beginning of the Chapter 3, Malachi answers their question of “Is He Coming or Not?”

This promise of the heavenly Father could be trusted, unlike those guys who stand you up or my human father, because He had fulfilled every other promise, including the exile and the return.

In Chapter 3 we also find the reason to trust Him:

Malachi 3:6

There is Hope

Don’t despair when reading this book.

God’s love pervades this book, so don’t miss that The Messiah was sent and is coming again because of God’s love.

But, He says before He comes we have to talk.

Before God comes to comfort us, He convicts us.

Before Malachi could talk to them about God’s arrival, he had to talk to them about His accusations.

We find those in the beginning of the book.

I. His Accusations (Chapters 1-2)

A. Spiritual Sins of God’s People (1:1-2:9)

Denying God’s Love (1:1-5) - Even though God had for centuries displayed His love the people were denying that He love them.

Malachi’s message focused on the relationship between God and His people, which appeared okay, but God’s accusation is the lopsidedness.

Despising God’s Name (1:6) - God called the priests to be a Holy example to the people of God and to the nations around them.

They disgraced god in their actions of betrayal and deception.

Defiling God’s Altar (1:7-14) - The people offered and the priest accepted defiled food and offerings.

They gave what they did not want or could not use for themselves in the forms of blind, crippled and sick animals.

Disregarding God’s commandments (2:1-9) - Moral degradation was at an all time high.

God wanted outward obedience coming from an inward love for and acceptance of His Holy Word.

Traditionalism became more important than God’s word and following its intentions.

B. Special Sins of God’s People (2:10-17)

Detestable Worship by God’s People (2:10-13) - Malachi confronts their complacency in many areas that always begins with wrong worship.

Their zeal for the Lord had been replaced by a desire for comfort.

Their humility had been replaced with arrogance.

Deserted Wives (2:14-16) - These were not ordinary divorces which God would even rather not see.

These men and priest left their Jewish wives, after years and years of marriage.

They were divorcing them to marry younger women from other nations, literally worldly women being unequally yolked.

Distorted Words (2:17) - As other prophets had accused the other generations, the same is true here for Malachi against these people.

As Paul warned centuries later of even our current times the same is true here against these people.

The world and often even God’s people call evil good and good evil.

Preacher tell us what we want to hear not what we need to hear.

Now that the Accusations had been discussed in a style like no other, Malachi could discuss something of Hope in the Arrival of God in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

II.

His Arrival (Chapters 3-4)

In 3:1 and 4:1-6 he first speaks of a forerunner in the likes of Elijah, one of God’s first prophets to the nation of Israel during the reign of kings.

We see in NT that is John the Baptist.

So Malachi says that Jesus will come, but notice the word Behold, or in other translations Suddenly, this word speaks more to the second coming than to the first.

This prophecy is mingled with a telling of the first coming.

Much like the other prophets, Malachi viewed the 1st and 2nd comings like looking at mountain peaks in a straight line.

If you are not careful you can think two mountain peaks on a single ridge are only one, but if you move slightly to the left or right the peaks can be seen separated.

That is the advantage we have now with the New Testament, we can see both peaks as they are intended.

verse 1 the suddenly also alludes to His coming to the temple as a baby being brought by his earthly father, and later coming to the temple just before his crucifixion, being brought by the Heavenly Father.

verse 2-6 alludes to the 2nd coming as both Judge and Deliverer.

The Judge brings: