Malachi Sermon - 8

Malachi: Did it Work?

Malachi 3:13-18

1. Introduction – This morning we come to the last disputation in the book of Malachi.

a. Remember that Malachi is structured around this statement-objection-evidence format.

i. And God uses these statements, he uses the objections from his people to show his people that they have lost the ‘awe’ of who he is…

1. Of what he has done for them…

a. Of what it means to be God’s chosen people.

b. We’ve studied 5 disputations so far, and quite honestly, they have packed a punch.

i. And the question we’ll explore today is this…were they successful?

1. God confronted the apathy, indifference, sinfulness of his people…

a. He took them to task on it, he faced it head on…

ii. I have loved you…but you turn away, You profane my name, you rob from me, your worship is useless to me…you have wearied me…

1. God confronts the sin of his people…out of his love for the.

a. He loves them too much to leave them in the state they are in.

i. He confronts them, not to berate them, but to lead them to a place of repentance…

1. To lead them to a place of confession…

a. To lead them to a place where they regain the sense of ‘awe’ that accompanies God.

c. And as we near the end of the book, the question is…did it work? Did Malachi’s message accomplish its goal? Did the message work for Malachi’s original audience?

i. Has it worked for us? In studying this book, we today are confronted with the very same feelings…

1. Apathy, indifference, carelessness of worship…the same traits that marked the people of Malachi’s day, are present amongst God’s people today.

a. So, does studying Malachi bring us to a place of repentance? Has studying this book brought to a place where we see our sin, feel genuine sorrow for our sin, were we confess our sin and change our ways?

i. Is the message successful for us?

d. So, what’s the last charge God’s brings against his people?

i. Hear the word of God – Malachi 3:13-15.

2. Harsh Words – The charge God now brings against his people is this – you have spoken harsh words against me.

a. Now just to be clear, it’s not that God can’t handle hard words or hard questions, but when questions turn in to accusations, and when statements are made that are directly contrary to God’s nature and character…those are the harsh words God is speaking about here.

i. God says, “Your words have been hard against me…”

1. And instead of believing God, confessing their and repenting, once against there’s an objection.

b. So, for the last time we hear “Objection! How have we spoken hard words against you?”

i. And again, in response to the objection raised, God provides the evidence. And he does so with great detail.

1. Starting in v.14, the people say, “It is vain to serve God. There’s not profit in keeping his charge.’

a. ‘They call the arrogant blessed, not only to evildoers prosper, but they escape punishment.’

i. Each one of these statements is a direct assault on God’s character, each on has serious ramifications, and each on seems to escalate from the previous.

c. Remember, these are bitter objections by people who have lost their way. It begins, it is vain to serve the Lord. In other words, it is futile – it doesn’t produce the expected results.

i. The harsh words continue – what profit is there is keeping God’s charge…in keeping his commands.

1. The word ‘profit’ here is used 39 times in the OT, and it’s a technical term for when a weaver cuts a piece of cloth free from the loom.

a. But there’s a negative connotation to the word here in Malachi.

2. The people are looking for their profit, for their ‘cut’ their percentage…as if it pays financially to serve the Lord.

a. They want their ‘cut’ – they sound like mobsters who want to get paid for their work.

i. They say mourning serves no purpose either.

d. And as they continue, the statements start to escalate – they think the arrogant are blessed.

i. I can help but think of the words of Jesus, when he says, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek…in God’s kingdom, the arrogant and prideful aren’t blessed, but those who are poor in spirit, those who are meek and humble are the ones blessed by God.

1. And at the end of v.15, this reach a fever pitch…

a. In the eyes of the people of Malachi’s day, evildoers prosper.

i. Not only that, they seem to escape punishment. This is about as bad as it gets…here’s why.

e. Remember back a couple weeks ago in Malachi 3:10 – God said to his people – bring me the whole tithe…and then he said these words…Put me to the test on this.

i. Do those words sound familiar? Here in the people’s objection they allude to this statement.

1. They say, “We don’t need to put you to the test, God – the evildoers already have tested you.

a. They’ve tested your judgment and your punishment of sin…and you know what???

i. They escape every single time.

1. The evildoers test you, God, and from our perspective, you’re powerless to do anything about it.

a. This statement speaks volumes about the state of the relationship between God and his people.

f. What these statements boil down to is this…the people claim there’s no difference between good or bad…

i. They claim that its all the same – good or bad, righteous or unrighteous, God-fearing or God-denying.

1. And if we’re really honest – who of us here hasn’t at some point thought this way?

a. Whether it was when we were first exploring faith in God…whether it was when we reached a crisis in our faith…who hasn’t asked this question before???

i. And the question is this…is it worth it to follow God?

g. We explored this question a lot when we studied Revelation. The people of John’s day were persecuted.

i. They were seeing the rich and wicked prosper…and they asked, “Is it worthy it be faithful to Jesus, even to the point of death?”

1. The people of Malachi’s day…they were small and insignificant, a far cry from where Israel used to be on the world stage.

a. They were poor, had no political influence, only a small plot of land…while the rich and wicked were prosper…so is it worth it to follow the ways of God?

h. And us today, sometimes we feel like Asaph in Psalm 73. We see the way of life for the ungodly…the relative ease in which they live…and we wonder.

i. We see the carefree and guiltfree existence of our friends and we wonder.

1. They do what they want, and seem to get away with it.

a. But here we are, we struggle, we read and study our Bibles, we talk to God in prayer. We strife to live a life of moral integrity and purity.

i. I’m honest about my finances and taxes, yet those who cheat seem to get away with it.

2. Is it worth it to live a life of integrity, purity, a life of repentance and confession, a life following the ways of God? Is it worth it to follow in the footsteps of Jesus?

a. I think you know my answer to this – absolutely it is!

ii. Look at v.18 for the answer. Then you will see.

1. In this verse God skips ahead to the day of reckoning, the day of judgment.

a. And God says, on the day you will see the distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous.

i. On that day, you will see the distinction between those who serve God and those who don’t… Between the God-fearing and the God-denying.

i. We love labels in our world – we come up with a different name for different groups of people all the time in our world – but God says on the day of judgment there’s only 2 labels…

i. Those who serve God and those who don’t. The righteous and the wicked.

1. This has always been the case. At the end of time, it doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank or how good a person you were.

a. At the end of time, the only criteria for judgment is based on how you responded to God…particularly how you responded to Jesus.

i. Did you accept Jesus as your Saviour – asked for your sins to be forgiven by the power of his blood?

1. Did you live your life following in his footsteps and becoming more and more like him? Or did you ignore Jesus and do your own thing?

ii. Those who accept Jesus, who counted the cost and followed him anyway will be welcomed into eternal life in the presence of God.

1. But those who rejected Jesus in this life time will be rejected by God in the next. Those who didn’t respond to Jesus in will be sent to eternal punishment in hell.

j. Is it worthy it to serve God in this lifetime? Is it worth it to count the cost, take up your cross and follow Jesus?

i. Absolutely. In this lifetime it is worth it to follow Jesus in order to bask in his glorious presence in the next.

1. God’s people were thinking there’s no difference between the righteous and wicked…a feeling that we sometimes have too.

ii. But God’s answer is this…Yes, there’s a difference. You will see that difference on the day history ends. Live with that day in mind.

3. A Success? – And since this is the last disputation, the last charge laid against God’s people, I’ll ask this question…was the message successful?

a. Malachi was written to God’s wayward people…written to show them the error of their ways with the hopes of leading them to repentance and a renewed vigor for God’s ways. Did it work?

i. Look at v.16. Then…perhaps this is the best word in the whole book. The best phrase, then those who feared the Lord…

1. There’s so much to unpack from verses 16-17 that they really deserve a whole sermon their own…these verses are the TSN turning point.

b. But let’s explore what they mean and how they apply to us today.

i. Then those who feared the Lord…was this successful? Yes, it was.

1. Because the God-fearers, whether newly converted or recently awaken and shaken up… doesn’t matter.

a. The God-fearers rallied together…they were shaken up out of their indifference and apathy and they banded together.

i. I want us to take note of 2 aspects of these verses…see how the people responded to God’s message…and see how God responded to their response.

c. First, we’re told that they feared the Lord. Fear, not cowering in the corner away from him, although there are some elements of that to it…

i. Fear as in hallowing God’s name, honouring it, respecting it, putting God and his name in its proper place.

1. Next, we’re told that those who feared the Lord spoke with each other.

a. What they said isn’t recorded for us, but perhaps they recounted the great acts of God throughout history.

i. Maybe they talked about how God moved and work in their own personal lives.

1. Whatever it was they talked about; they main thing is this…those who feared God no longer remained silent about God.

2. And finally, we’re told that they esteemed God’s name.

a. This means that God and God’s name was their most valued possession.

i. In spite of being physically poor, they were rich because they valued God’s name high above anything else.

d. There are lessons for us in these verses.

i. Fear God – hallow his name. give his name the honour it deserves.

1. Talk with each other.

a. Recount with each other the mighty acts of God. Share stories with each other about God’s moving and working in your life.

i. Small things, big things – talk with each other. Those who feared the Lord spoke with one another.

ii. And esteem God’s name. hold God up as your most treasured and valued relationship and possession.

4. God’s Response – So God brings charges against his people…and it works. Some are brought into a renewed relationship with him. There’s a model we can still follow today.

a. So how does God respond when his people come back to him? Look at v.17.

i. How does God respond to his people responding to his message? In crazy and lavish ways!

1. Back to v.16 for a second. When God’s people responded, a book of remembrance was written. A heavenly ledger.

a. We studied the idea of a heavenly ledger when we looked Revelation.

i. The idea is that the names and actions of God’s people are written down – never to be erased and never to be forgotten.

ii. God permanently writes down the names of those who respond to him in faith.

b. Next, his is probably the most astonishing act. God says, “I will make them my most treasured possession.” Dwell on that for a second.

i. God – who owns the earth and everything in it. God, who knows every star by name. God, who owns the cattle on 1000 hills. God, who holds the whole world in his hands…

1. Says that people – his people – are his most treasured possession.

c. If I were choosing a most treasured possession, I would choose something a lot fickle than human beings.

i. But look here – people – specifically those who fear God’s name, those who esteem his name…

1. And the NT tells us that we must come to God the Father through Jesus…

a. So those who come to God through faith in the saving blood of Jesus Christ…

ii. They are God’s most treasured possession. Not silver or God or jewels, not whales of lions or dogs…

1. Not Jupiter or anything galaxy…but people. His people. You. If you have been saved by the blood of Jesus, you are God’s most treasured possession.

d. And finally, God says because the righteous, his people are his most treasured possession, he will spare them. And that goes back to what we looked at earlier about judgment day.

5. Conclusion – I asked two questions this morning. Is it worthy it to be faithful God? The answer is Yes!

a. Yes…you will walk the hard and narrow path in this life, but it will lead to a glorious eternal existence in God’s presence.

i. And, was Malachi’s message successful? Historically speaking, the answer is yes, some in his immediate audience responded to his message.

1. But as we close this morning, I’ll ask the question, “How do you react to Malachi’s message?”

a. It’s hard hitting and confrontational? Do you respond with skepticism and objections?

b. Or will you fear God and esteem his name? The charges and evidence have been laid clear, how are you going to respond?