Announcement -

God wants someone specific to have the victory today.

Are you ready for the coming of Jesus?

Many of us as followers of Jesus would certainly love for Him to show up.

There is so much confusion, deception, wickedness, injustice and oppression around us.

But are we ready? Prepared?

The people in Malachi’s day were asking God to show up to bring an end to evil in their day also.

They were complaining - “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.”

God is turning a blind eye. God doesn’t care.

Let’s read:

Text:

Malachi 2:17 ESV

17 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?”

Where is God? God answers - I am coming

Malachi 3:1–5 (ESV)

1 “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.

2 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.

3 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.

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

5 “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.

Many times God responds in a way that doesn’t suit us. It doesn’t fall within the box we made for Him. It doesn’t meet our expectations.

His answer may be a surprise or a disappointment - but He is God.

Where is God? He says, “I am coming” but are we ready?

The verses reveal 3 facts about His coming:

1. I will come suddenly

Malachi 3:1 (ESV)

1 “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

The Lord will come suddenly!

There are times in the Scripture when God acts and He does so suddenly

For centuries, Israel awaited the Messiah.

Nothing seemed to be happening, but one night as shepherds were keeping watch over their flock -

“suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God”

as they announced the birth of Jesus

As they waited in the Upper Room, maybe for 10 days, nothing seemed to be happening -

“suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind”

As Paul and Silas were in Roman jail, praying and singing hymns to God into the evening and late night, bound with chain in stocks, nothing seemed to be happening but

suddenly there was great earthquake

This world will experience a sudden, dramatic change of epic proportions

Look at how our lives changed in the last year. This one will be greater.

Mark 13:32–36 (ESV)

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.

35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—

36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.

Are you awake or asleep my brother?

1 Thessalonians 5:1–3 ESV

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

The world wants change. Many of the changes mankind creates have negative consequences.

We want something better. We want peace, prosperity, security but man cannot make this a reality.

Instead with technological advancement today, we are the mercy of hackers.

There was the Solar Winds hacking last year and now another massive infiltration of networks.

God will come suddenly.

2. I will come to purify

when He comes, He comes to purify His people.

Malachi 3:2–3 (ESV)

2 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’ [launderer’s] soap.

3 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.

Ezekiel tells us exactly how God purifies:

Ezekiel 22:18–22 ESV

18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have poured out my wrath upon you.”

Refiner’s Fire

Ezekiel was referring to the ancient process of refining.

Precious metals such as gold and silver went through a refining process to make them valuable and usable

Men will go mining for the raw ore,

the raw ore is crushed to a small pea size

then it is ground into a powder

After that dirt and rock particles were washed away leaving bits of gold nuggets which were then gathered into a crucible.

The crucible is heated to extreme temperatures up to 1000 C to bring the metal nuggets to a fluid state.

It may take up 5 days

The refiner sat next to the molten metal stirring and skimming it to remove the dross that rose to the top or blowing the dross away

The fire will burn off the dross of iniquity

God is saying - I am coming to purify you. To refine you.

He also used another analogy of cleansing - that of a launderer

Fuller’s soap or launderer’s soap

Before Tide and other detergents

the ancient launderer washed clothes using a strong lye soap [strong alkaline solution], after which the clothes would be placed on rocks and beaten with sticks.

A fuller or launderer washes clothing to remove oil and grime so that it can be dyed.

These images of the refiner’s fire and the launderer’s soap, stress both its thoroughness and its severity.

The heat of the refiner’s fire was intense in order to separate the dross from the molten pure metal

The launderer’s soap made the clothing clean and useful again

Both processes involved separating what was of value from that which was of no value.

As a Christian, God will take us through times of refining.

They are not pleasant. Instead of goosebumps of good-feeling you get chills up your spine.

You may even fear for your future or your life and wonder where all this is heading.

But God says, Hang in there. I’ve got you in the palm of my hand.

I am making you, purifying you, cleansing you so I can use you even more.

You may think you are good as it is now but God says for Me to use you even more, you have to come up higher.

I must prepare the vessel.

I prepared Joseph as a slave in the house of Potiphar

I purified him as a prisoner in the dungeon of Pharaoh.

I refined Moses for 40 years in a desert.

Don’t despise what I am doing Rom 8.28

Hang in there!

I will come suddenly. I will come to purify.

and

3. I will come to judge

Malachi 3:5 ESV

5 “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 will draw near for judgment.

There are many today who have no time for God

43% of millennials 'don’t know, don’t believe, don’t care' God exists.

We live in an ungodly generation.

What does it mean to be ungodly? To live without God. Failing to acknowledge Him, obeying Him.

Romans 1:21 ESV

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Many in the world know that God exists but never seek after Him

Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Many are comfortable in religious tradition instead of pursuing the truth of Jesus.

Then we have many who despise the concept of judgment.

Why would God send people to hell?

Don’t judge me!

Jesus said “Judge not.”

After all, isn’t Jesus all about love? not hurting people. Let them be happy.

But the same Bible that declares the everlasting love of God also talks about God’s holiness and justice.

When someone does something wrong against us and hurts us, we cry out for justice

The parents of Brenda Ware are looking for justice

Less than six weeks after Philip Toner finished serving a five-year sentence for raping a 15-year-old girl, he has been charged with killing her

documents showed that the Parole Board was gravely concerned about the risk Toner posed to women given his long criminal history of violence against girlfriends.

But what about when we do wrong, should there be justice also?

God will judge those involved in sorcery, witchcraft, dabbling in the occult, black arts

He will judge those in sexual immorality

He will judge those who swear falsely. They lie.

He will judge those who oppress the poor, widow, orphans, the foreigners, those of another racial group

He will judge those who do not fear Him.

This sounds quite similar to what we read in Revelation

Revelation 21:8 ESV

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Yes He will come. But are you ready?

You can get right with the Living God today

Believer, allow Him to purify your life.