Is it Worth it to Follow God

Please turn to Malachi 3:13....

Today, we finish our Malachi series—this is week 7.

and the prophet Malachi has confronted trending issues in his culture, issues that we struggle with.

I want to read the first 3 verses to show you the issue.

Malachi 3:13–15 NIV

13 “You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ 14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’ ”

What is their issue?

look at verse 14--

Malachi 3:14 NIV

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?

The issue is the question all of us have struggled with or maybe struggling with—Is it really worth it to follow God? What’s the point? What are we gaining by doing so—?

look at verse 15 again

Malachi 3:15 NIV

15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’ ”

Is it worth it to follow God b/c it seems like the wicked prosper, and get away with it.

so here I am trying to follow God, but I am not seeing any tangible benefit, where it seems like all around me the wicked are prospering—they don’t follow God, and they get away with it.

Is it really worth it to follow God?

You can understand why the Israelites might have asked this.

Israel was under foreign rule—the Persians. Why were they, a pagan nation allowed to rule over them? That’s not fair.

have you ever asked this question—is it worth it to follow God?

Now, this is a really good question…worth asking,

but we see they had a couple problems here in the way or the heart:

They had arrogance or pride (3:13)

Malachi 3:13 NIV

13 “You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’

your translation may say you have spoken harsh words or harsh things against me.

They weren’t just honestly wrestling with this or struggling with this. There are other places in Scripture where this question is phrased so well—I would encourage you to read Psalm 73. (say that with me—Psalm 73).

Psalm 73:2 NIV

2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.

Psalm 73:3 NIV

3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 73:4 NIV

4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.

and what is pride—it is our heart condition where we seek to put ourselves in the place of God. they are not just honestly questioning, they are demanding and accusing God of something that is not true. they are sharply criticizing God—putting themselves in the place of God, while they ask.

while certainly we can ask God anything—there is a way to do so with from below not from above.

They viewed their relationship with God as a consumer (3:14)

Malachi 3:14 NIV

14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?

look at that—what do we GAIN.

now certainly when we follow Christ, we gain a lot. we gain life. we get life abundantly and to the full. but sometimes we may not always see that.

we can slip into the mode of a consumer. What’s a consumer—you go to a restaurant or a store—you give the money and you expect service or a product for something you paid. You give something, and you get something in return.

that same thing is true with God—we think if I just put in the time, God has to bless me. If i just go to church, give, read my Bible, then God has to respond or God has to bless me.

and if he doesn’t…then either I am doing something wrong, or God is not holding up his end of the deal.

It’s easy to slip into that mode—b/c our relationship with life is so consumer-istic.

but that’s not how it always works with God. we can do everything right and still experience pain and hardship. (see Job or Joseph or even Jesus) others can do everything wrong, and seem to experience abundant blessing and benefits. what’s up with that?

and all of this makes us question---is it really worth it to follow God?

one author says: It is easy to understand these people’s point. It is not just atheists who get cancer; Christians do too. It is not just unbelievers whose businesses fail and whose marriages fall apart; Christians also struggle in these areas. Meanwhile, crooks, shysters, and villains of various kinds advance and get ahead. Christianity is not exactly a sure-fire guaranteed pathway to health, wealth, and prosperity in this world, in spite of what some preachers may say.

(Duguid, I. M., & Harmon, M. P. (2018). Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; p. 175). P&R Publishing.)

Well God has an answer for them and for us.

Let’s read the rest of the passage.

and please stand

Malachi 3:16–4:6 NIV

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. 17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. 1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty. 4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

How does God answer this pressing question of is it worth it to follow God?

Differently…3 responses from God:

First, God sees and notices you NOW! (3:16) This is the PRESENT answer.

Malachi 3:16 NIV

16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

God says you may not feel it, but I am listening and I am hearing those of you that fear me, that honor me, that put me first, even if I am not feeling the material benefits. even if I am not feeling it—God says, “I see you, and hear you,” and the image we get is that He is watching you (even if nobody else is.) He sees your faithfulness. He records it on his scroll of remembrance…even if nobody else notices it, even if you are the only one in your family and friends following God, even if you are serving in one of the hardest places in the world—God sees, notices, remembers, records…he sees everything you do in private...

that scroll of remembrance — back in those days—kings would have recorded faithful deeds, kept records of their people who did good things so they could reward their faithfulness. So too the Lord does that as well.

this doesn’t mean that we are saved by our good works; no we are saved before God and forgiven by Jesus’ life, good works, and death on the cross. but His life should lead to good works.

this is a big deal...

it was a big deal if the king noticed you...

there is something about being noticed—that’s a big deal.

recently read a story of a public school in Nevada, a rural area—a middle school of about 1000 kids. the district had a record of only about 55% of their high school graduating. so they realized as administration and as teachers and parents, that something needed to change.

so here’s what they did…they concluded—that every student needs to feel noticed, like they belong and connected to at least one teacher or adult in this building every day.”

so at the start of the year, they would often have teachers meetings with their principals—and rosters of their kids—and columns of info about their kids—like “something personal.” or a persona’ family story about them. the kid’s hobbies. the goal was to go beyond just knowing the kids’ name or face but make a personal connection.

what this did was push all the staff to go beyond their lessons to reflect on how well they knew the kids coming to their school—building real connections that make a difference. to really notice each kid.

as they implemented this and other practices, over the next ten years, they saw their graduation rates improve by 25%, and hope to get it to 90% before too long.

what this shows is that all of us, not just middle schoolers...want to be noticed—to be seen, listened to, heard…and when we truly are—boy does that make a difference and your motivation not just to graduate but to follow God.

and what Malachi reminds his people, and us—if you follow God, even if no one else notices, the king of the universe does. don’t be fooled by your circumstances. If life is going bad, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t care or notices. don’t give up—b/c God does notice even if His actions are different than what you would pick. IT’S WORTH IT TO FOLLOW GOD B/C HE SEES.

the 2nd response we see from God—is that He will set everything right...one day. If point #1 was the PRESENT response; this is the FUTURE response.

look at Malachi 3:17-18

Malachi 3:17–18 NIV

17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

this is challenging—we like to think that God loves all (and He does). but His love is different for the world in general (for God so loved the world…) and it’s different for His own people vs. those who are not. God makes a distinction between those who belong to Him and those who do not.

In fact, this distinction runs throughout the entire Bible.

After Adam and Eve…you can read the story of Cain and Abel—brothers. both offered sacrifices to God—God accepted Abel’s but not Cain’s. Cain got jealous, so he murdered Abel. Cain’s line and descendants increasingly wandered from God—as they invented polygamy and boasted about violence. Abel’s line—in contrast, called on the name of the Lord—and eventually led to Enoch who walked with God.

we see that distinction continue—God saved the line of Noah and everyone else was wicked.

God made a distinction between his people Israel and against the Egyptians who were oppressing them.

Jesus talked about that distinction—the wise man built his house upon the rock, and the foolish man upon the sand.

since the beginning of Scripture—God makes a distinction between those who are truly His, his treasured possession, and those who are not.

and their ultimate destiny is different. Look at chapter 4.

Malachi 4:1–3 NIV

1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

there are 2 different destinies—for the righteous and the wicked.

and this day—that Malachi is talking about—ultimately is the day when Jesus returns—when Jesus Christ comes back (like we said), and He settles every issue perfectly. The wicked who don’t follow God, get their judgment; the righteous get their reward—eternity with God.

for the wicked—it will be like a hot furnace—they will be burned. they will be consumed.

for the righteous---those who revere God’s name—they will experience complete healing in the presence of Jesus.

In fact, I love the verse that says “you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves...” we thought about putting that on our electronic front sign… “You will go out and frolic like well-fed calves...” what an image. (let’s frolic on 3…)

now we struggle with some of these strong images of judgment. We love God’s verses on love, but we don’t always like the verses of judgment.

but here’s why we need these verses:

we need them because they remind us that God is a good and fair judge. a good judge gives fair and just judgments. AND WE WANT THAT. Think of Russia and Putin right now—don’t we want a God of justice and judgment to do something about the war? to do something about Putin? You bet—and God will…someday. a God who is worthy of our worship brings justice.

think of those who have hurt you, abused you—don’t we want God to judge them justly? Yes—and when you know that it helps you not take revenge on them—b/c God’s got this. He will do something. You don’t have to get even…God will do it fairly.

you may still think, well it’s not fair that God would consume people to stubble it says. but if people did not want God in this life, why would they want God in the next. and if God is the author of life, if we cut ourselves off from God, the only destiny is destruction, chaos, being undone.

we also need this, too—b/c we see how God treats his people.

we are his treasured possesion.

we are his beloved children. (He’s the perfect father)

we experience the beautiful son—healing in its rays.

IT IS WORTH IT TO FOLLOW GOD because a day is coming when He will set everything right.

so the present He sees—the future—He will act.

In the meantime,live a life of regular repentance and submission to God (vs. 4-6).

look at Malachi 4:4-6

Malachi 4:4–6 NIV

4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

verse 4 says to follow the law of Moses—the commands I have given you in Scripture. This doesn’t save them—because God first rescued them from slavery in Egypt; He saved them, and in response, He gave them the law at Mt. Sinai in the desert. There was Gospel first, rescuing first, and then the law.

and same is true with us. God has saved us, He has given us a greater exodus from sin, slavery death, and the devil, and in response, we are called to follow Him wholeheartedly and follow His ways.

and when we do, it honors Him.

How are you doing at following God’s ways? have you questioned, doubted, is it worth it—b/c God has saved you. it is.

and the struggle is—we struggle with following God. none of us are perfect. but there’s good news...

in fact, think of Jesus—if anyone had reason to question his Father—it was Him. He lived so perfectly and righteously. and yet look what Jesus endured on the cross for us.

Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi Good News of Reconciliation

on the cross Jesus was exposed to mockery and ridicule from all who passed by, who said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.… Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (Matt. 27:40, 42). He was naked and in excruciating pain, under the full weight of God’s wrath for all his people’s sins.

Jesus could have said “It is vain to serve God. What do I gain by doing this? the arrogant are mocking me? they seem to be blessed. nothing looked right on that day He died. everything seemed to be reversed.

Jesus Christ our Savior knows this question firsthand...

and because of what Jesus Christ did in His life, and death on the cross, because he took the fire of God’s judgment..we have the opportunity to be spared and experience it...

but it is not automatically applied to us

we have to respond what verses 5-6 talk about.

Malachi talks about an Elijah who was to come. This is a reference to John the Baptist—a prophesy—fulfilled in his life. How do I know? Look at Luke 1:17

Luke 1:17 NIV

17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

k. John’s ministry was a ministry urging people to repent—that means change—your thoughts, your attitudes, your heart, your actions from selfishness and pride to God.

If we are going to be a part of team Jesus, the righteous, we have to deeply repent, and continue a life of repentance.

we have to admit and confess our sin and need to God.

the tricky part of this passage is that Malachi gave this message to religious people. people who went to the temple and offered sacrifices. people who worshipped God. people who mourned in God’s presence. and to the priests.

they needed to repent—they were the people who went to church, gave…but God was saying you need to deeply repent.

we don’t just repent of the bad things we do—but we also need to repent for the motivations behind the good things we do. if we approach God like a consumer—I do this, so you will have to bless me. that’s not serving God for God. that’s serving God for you. repent of our consumeristic heart...

and it’s circumstances that reveal this attitude—when you go through trials—this view of God is really tested. lose a job, or loved one. a diagnosis quickly reveals if you are following God for God or for yourself and what He will give you.

another thing that reveals this—is when you look at God’s grace towards others that you think don’t deserve it. if we think God owes us because we do good stuff, then when others who are bad get God’s grace, it will enrage us.

but this is the beauty of God’s grace—if we confess, repent deeply, trust in Jesus that He went through the worst on our behalf, if we receive it as a gift—it changes everything.

and by the way this practice of repentance is ongoing…some of us can’t remember the last time—this is ongoing...

is it worth it to follow Jesus?

yes—b/c He sees now and records

—He is coming back

—and He—he fulfilled the law of Moses in our place, He enables us to repent...

Helen Roseveare…was a missionary, who traveled to Congo (later named Zaire) to be a medical missionary at the age of 28 in 1953. In her first 2 years, she founded a training school for nurses...

2 years later—she transfered to a maternity and leprosy center to run that as well as a training school. Their medical facility was the only place you could get medical care for about 150 miles in any direction.

in 1985, she returned after 5 years of service, exhausted.

but she got more training and went back.

If you know the history of Congo—they became independent from Belgium in 1960

and in 1964 civil war broke out…all the medical facilities they have labored so hard to start were destroyed.

she and 10 others were put on house arrest by rebel forces---and eventually imprisoned.

she describes what she went through:

She describes the horror of what happened after she tried to escape:

They found me, dragged me to my feet, struck me over head and shoulders, flung me on the ground, kicked me, dragged me to my feet only to strike me again—the sickening searing pain of a broken tooth, a mouth full of sticky blood, my glasses gone. Beyond sense, numb with horror and unknown fear, driven, dragged, pushed back to my own house—yelled at, insulted, cursed.

Her captors, she wrote, “were brutal and drunken. They cursed and swore, they struck and kicked, they used the butt-end of rifles and rubber truncheons. We were roughly taken, thrown in prisons, humiliated, threatened.”

and then on Oct. 29, 1964, Helen was brutally raped twice.

She later recounted:

On that dreadful night, beaten and bruised, terrified and tormented, unutterably alone, I had felt at last God had failed me. Surely He could have stepped in earlier, surely things need not have gone that far. I had reached what seemed to be the ultimate depth of despairing nothingness.

In this darkness, however, she sensed the Lord saying to her:

You asked Me, when you were first converted, for the privilege of being a missionary. This is it. Don’t you want it? . . . These are not your sufferings. They’re Mine. All I ask of you is the loan of your body.

She eventually received an “overwhelming sense of privilege, that Almighty God would stoop to ask of me, a mere nobody in a forest clearing in the jungles of Africa, something He needed.”

She later pointed to God’s goodness despite this great evil:

Through the brutal heartbreaking experience of rape, God met with me—with outstretched arms of love. It was an unbelievable experience: He was so utterly there, so totally understanding, his comfort was so complete—and suddenly I knew—I really knew that his love was unutterably sufficient. He did love me! He did understand!

eventually she was freed, and returned home, but actually went back in 1966 to serve longer in Zaire. producing a new medical facility. with more trials.

in 1976, so 12 years later, she talked about the privilege of suffering....

One word became unbelievably clear, and that word was privilege. He didn’t take away pain or cruelty or humiliation. No! It was all there, but now it was altogether different. It was with him, for him, in him. He was actually offering me the inestimable privileged of sharing in some little way the edge of the fellowship of his suffering.

In the weeks of imprisonment that followed and in the subsequent years of continued service, looking back, one has tried to “count the cost,” but I find it all swallowed up in privilege. The cost suddenly seems very small and transient in the greatness and permanence of the privilege.

“You no longer want Jesus only, but Jesus plus . . . plus respect, popularity, public opinion, success and pride. You wanted to go out with all the trumpets blaring, from a farewell-do that you organized for yourself with photographs and tape-recordings to show and play at home, just to reveal what you had achieved. You wanted to feel needed and respected. You wanted the other missionaries to be worried about how they’ll ever carry on after you’ve gone. You’d like letters when you go home to tell how much they realize they owe to you, how much they miss you. All this and more. Jesus plus. . . . No, you can’t have it. Either it must be “Jesus only” or you’ll find you have no Jesus. You’ll substitute Helen Roseveare.”

I grew up with the phrase “Is it worth it? everything had to be worth it...” if my father said “don’t touch the kitchen knife, I had to figure out, is it worth it to disobey my father.”

so with the Congo rebellion—Is it worth it—God changed the question in my heart—from is it worth it? Is he worthy? Is he worthy—the almighty God is willing to use us...

Is it worth it—Is He worthy?

instead of looking at the price I have to pay, the privilege He wants to give...

can you thank God for trusting you even if he never told you why...

I want to give you a chance to reflect and response...

Malachi has mentioned several areas they needed to repent in:

—their worship

—their leadership

—their marriages

—their money

—and how they viewed justice...