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Praise The LORD, My Help and My Hope
Psalms 146
December 11, 2022

Tonight we come to the final section of the book of Psalms.
It is the last 5 Psalms and they are the “Hallelujah Psalms”

Each one STARTS and ENDS the exact same way,
With the Hebrew word “Hallelujah” which translates “Praise the LORD!”

It is the only way this great book of hymns could be concluded.

And Psalms 146 focuses on how blessed we are
That our entire hope does not rest on men,
But that we have a great God in whom we can trust.

The focal verse is clearly verse 5, “How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,”

Unlike those who are prone to trust in man who cannot save,
We have a great God who is both our “help” and our “hope”.

Psalms 118:8-9 “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

That contrast is the same one seen here in the 146th Psalm.
We have a God who is infinitely more dependable than any man
And we are most blessed to know Him.

May we praise Him forever for being our God.
Hallelujah!

Tonight we’ll break it down into 4 points
And let the Psalmist explain to us why it is better to trust in God.

#1 HIS DECISION
Psalms 146:1-2

The overall feel of the Psalm is A CONTRAST
To determine if you should be trusting men or God.

It is to DIRECT YOUR PRAISE accordingly.

But the Psalmist begins by telling you
What his decision is regardless of what you decide.

“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!”

He is no Pharisee who would seat himself in the chair of Moses and tie up heavy burdens on people that he is not willing to move with his finger.

There is no doubt he is calling the congregation to “Praise the LORD!”
But he isn’t just speaking to the congregation,
HE IS ALSO COMMANDING HIS OWN SOUL.

“Praise the LORD, O my soul!”

Praise is NOT simply a response that you may or may not feel.
Praise is a command.
God deserves it and we must give it.

And if your soul does not “feel” like praising God
Then grab your soul by the back of the neck and force it to.

Join in the song.
Join in the praise.

The Psalmist says:
“I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

There will come a day when he will die
And his soul will be separated from his body.
His soul will go to dwell with God and his body will go to return to dust.

He gets but a brief window that we refer to as “life”.

And as our kids have learned through KFC
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

And the wording of the Psalmist forces us then
To contemplate the purpose of life in this body.

• Why are you here?
• What is your purpose?
• What is the purpose of this life in this body?

The Psalmist knows his. It is to praise God.
He is dedicating this life to the praise of God.

The Psalmist is saying, “As long as I have this tongue I will use it for the praise of God.”

1 Corinthians 6:12-13 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.”

Too many people live this life
And the ruling figure of this life is their body.
They do what the body wants.

This morning we closed the service by reading from Philippians where Paul spoke of people “whose god is their appetite” (lit. “stomach”)

Paul says NO – the body is “for the Lord”

Remember what Jesus taught about the body?
Hebrews 10:5-7 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. “THEN I SAID, ‘BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.’”

Jesus knew the purpose of taking up a body was obedience.
It was not to live to gratify that body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

The body is to be used for the glory of God.

Philippians 1:19-20 “for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

You get the idea.
This life…
This body…
IS FOR THE LORD.

This Psalmist realizes that while his soul may live forever,
He gets but a brief window of usage out of this body.

WHAT WILL YOUR BODY BE USED FOR?

This Psalmist said “I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

His body will be devoted to the praise and glory of God.

His Decision
#2 HIS DISCERNMENT
Psalms 146:3-4

It is a simple warning.

“Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.”

But my how we are prone to do it.
• We live in a culture that will follow the recommendations of the CDC and every doctor and never give it a second thought.
• We live in a culture that will turn on the nightly news and if the media says it, then it must be true.
• How many see some political figure as the savior or deliverer of the nation?

And I don’t care how good a doctor he is…
I don’t care how thorough a journalist he is…
I don’t care how good a president he’d be…
They all have the same glaring problem.

They are “man”

And all we have to do to remind you of the danger
Is to remind you that: ADAM FELL!

Adam was our federal head who stood before God on our behalf.
And we all know what Adam brought us.

ENMITY – PAIN – TOIL – DEATH

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned”

And every many whom you’d consider trusting as some sort of deliverer
Has Adam’s DNA coursing through his body.

YOU CAN’T TRUST ANY OF THEM.

Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”

And if that is not enough,
Thanks to Adam we all have the same glaring weakness.

We aren’t just man, we are “mortal man”

(4) “His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.”

EVEN THE BEST OF MEN DIE.

We think of King David
• A man after God’s own heart…
• The man who killed Goliath…
• The man who subdued the Philistines…

And yet David had a glaring weakness
(and I’m not talking about his affair with Bathsheba)

What is it that Peter taught us about the great king David?
Acts 2:29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.”

You can go to Abraham Lincoln’s grave.
You can visit Ronald Reagan’s grave.
It is absolutely foolish to trust in man, they won’t last.

And when they die, “that very day his thoughts perish.”

That is to say, his ideas will be completely disregarded
And someone else will take his place.

AND THE POINT IS:
WHY WOULD YOU WORSHIP OR TRUST MAN?

And yet, it happens all the time.

Romans 1:21-23 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

Romans 1:25 “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

That is blatant worship of man.

But even churches had better guard themselves here.

Rick Warren did us no favors with his “Purpose Driven Church” book
Where he taught an entire generation of Christians that
The best way to “do church” was to survey man to find out how.

And in the blink of an eye
• Churches started seeking men’s will over God’s will.
• Church services became about what man wants instead of what God wants.
• Sermons became about man’s needs instead of God’s glory.

So
• If the worship SERVICE is structured to please men
• And if the MUSIC is determined by a survey of men
• And if the SERMON is to satisfy the felt needs of man.

Who are we worshiping?

It is a dangerous trend.
The Psalmist says: DON’T DO IT!

“Do not trust in princes”

The word “princes” there can be translated
“nobles” or even “influential people”

But don’t do it.
WHY?

Because “there is no salvation.”

They can’t save you!
Do not give man your trust or your praise.
The descendant of Adam cannot save you.

Charles Spurgeon said:
“In man there is no help in times of mental depression, in the day of sore bereavement, in the night of conviction of sin, or in the hour of death. What a horror when most in need of help to read those black words, NO HELP!”
(Spurgeon, Charles [The Treasury of David – Volume 3; Hendrickson Publishers; Peabody, MA] pg. 401)

THAT IS THE PSALMIST’S DISCERNMENT.

His Decision, His Discernment
#3 HIS DECLARATION
Psalms 146:5

This is the point!
• Trusting man brings only despair.
• Trusting God, on the other hand, is a blessing.

“How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,”

God is our “help”

Psalms 46 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.”

And God is our “hope”

Isaiah 9:1-7 “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

MAN CAN’T DO EITHER.
We should know this.

A little over 6 years ago we heard the promise of a political candidate who said he would “Make America Great Again”

• And aside from some of his immature banter, I liked him.
• He seemed to know what he was talking about.
• Things seemed pretty good while he was in office.
• But it only lasted 4 years and now look where we are.

All in all I’d say he wasn’t much help.
And if he is your hope then you’re really in trouble.

Only God can truly help and only God is truly our hope.
That is the declaration of the Psalmist.

#4 HIS DEFENSE
Psalms 146:6-10

This is the bulk of his song
And it is his evidence as to why you should trust God and not men.

So far we found out about man.
1) He can’t save
2) He will die

Now we find out about God.

(6) “Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them.”

Do you want to go to heaven someday?
• Well God made it, and He knows how to fit you for it.

Do you live on this earth and need help?
• Well God made it and cares for it and He can sustain you on it.

Do you want to navigate the sea and all its mystery?
• Well God made it and He controls it.

Man can’t didn’t do and can’t do any of those things.
So why would you trust man?

CONSIDER FOR A MOMENT THE POWER OF GOD.

Look at the words the Psalmist uses regarding things God does.
• (6) “KEEPS faith forever”
• (7) “EXECUTES justice”
• (7) “GIVES food”
• (7) “SETS the prisoners free”
• (8) “OPENS the eyes of the blind”
• (8) “RAISES UP those who are bowed down”
• (9) “PROTECTS the strangers”
• (9) “SUPPORTS the fatherless and the widow”
• (9) “THWARTS the way of the wicked”
• (10) “will REIGN forever”

Those are some pretty amazing things that God does.
Everything you read here in this Psalm speaks of His power.

And yet all those things also speak to HIS MERCY.

For look at how man is mentioned here.

“oppressed” – “hungry” – “prisoner” – “blind” – “bowed down”
“strangers” – “fatherless” – “widow”

God is powerful and man is helpless.
Yet God in all His power is constantly working on behalf of man.

Why would you praise men?
Why would you trust men?

God is the powerful One.
God is the One who constantly has to support man.

Even the righteous in verse 8
Are dependent upon the love of God.

We think of:
Psalms 50:12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”

We think of what Paul taught:
Acts 17:24-25 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;”

• God is not the needy One; man is.
• God is not the weak One; man is.
• God is not the mortal One; man is.

• Man is not the provider; God is.
• Man is not the deliverer: God is.
• Man is not the protector; God is.

So why would you worship man?
Why would you trust man?

God is the One who deserves praise!

Man dies.
“His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.”

But (10) “The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations.”

Man is mortal but God is immortal.

So the verdict and the decision is simple.
“Praise the LORD!”

Quit looking to man…
Quit waiting on man…
Quit trusting in man…
Quit praising man…

“Praise the LORD!”

BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT THIS PSALM THAT I LIKE.

THIS PSALM IS A TREMENDOUS TESTIMONY TO THE DEITY OF JESUS.

The whole point of the Psalmist is to contrast man with God.
• Man is mortal, God is immortal
• Man is weak, God is strong
• Man is wicked, God is righteous
• Man is helpless, God is the savior

NOW THINK ABOUT JESUS.
He came to earth as a man.

Yet, look at this list that the Psalmist gave us about God.

In verse 6 God is the creator “who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them.”

And Jesus, the man, is found creating and commanding creation
During His ministry.

• He created things like hands where one used to be withered.
• We see Him command the storms and the seas.
• We see Him create bread to feed a multitude from 5 loaves and two fish.

If you doubted the deity of Jesus
Then you have to ask how it is that He does what no man can do and only God can do?

But that’s not all.

In verse 7 God “executes justice for the oppressed” and “gives food to the hungry” and “sets the prisoners free.”

And then we have this story about Jesus:
Luke 4:17-21 “And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

There He is again doing what only God can do.

In verse 8 God “opens the eyes of the blind” and “raises up those who are bowed down” and “loves the righteous”

And then we look at Jesus.
Matthew 11:4-5 “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.”

Once again we have a man doing what only God can do.

In verse 9 God “protects strangers” and “supports the fatherless and the widow” and “thwarts the way of the wicked”

And then we look at the life of Jesus.
Matthew 12:15-21 “But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to tell who He was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

Once again we have a man doing the deeds of God.

And because of this we understand
That while man is not to be trusted and is not worthy of praise,
There is 1 man who apparently is.

John 5:36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.”

John 14:8-11 “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.”

John 9:32-33 “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

Clearly Jesus is more than just a man.
• He certainly looks like a man.
• He certainly talks like a man.
• He certainly eats and sleeps and grieves and suffers like a man.
• He even died…

But even His death was certainly different from man.

(4) “His spirit departs, he returns to the earth…”

Jesus didn’t do that.
• That Holy man did not undergo decay.
• His body did not return to the earth.

Clearly Jesus is more than just a man.

When we take the Psalmist’s description of the things God does
It becomes clear to us that
Jesus has far more in common with God than He does with man.

And that is an important thing to note now too.
• Don’t trust man, trust Jesus.
• Don’t praise man, praise Jesus.

Adam brought enmity
Jesus brought peace

Adam brought pain
Jesus brought healing

Adam brought toil
Jesus brought rest

Adam brought death
Jesus brought life

Don’t trust man, trust Jesus!

For when we gather to “Praise the LORD!”
It is clear also who it is we praise and it is Jesus.

Jesus is our help!
Jesus is our hope!

Jesus “made heaven and earth, The sea and al that is in them.”
Jesus “keeps faith forever”
Jesus “executes justice for the oppressed”
Jesus “gives food to the hungry”
Jesus “sets the prisoners free”
Jesus “opens the eyes of the blind”
Jesus “raises up those who are bowed down”
Jesus “loves the righteous”
Jesus “protects the strangers”
Jesus “supports the fatherless and the widow”
Jesus “thwarts the way of the wicked”
Jesus “will reign forever”

PRAISE HIM!

Praise Him “while you live”
Praise Him “while you have your being”

As long as you have control of your tongue use it to sing His praises.
As long as you have control of your hands use them to serve Jesus.
As long as you have control of your feet use them to take the gospel.

You won’t have this body forever.
One day your spirit will leave it and this body will return to the earth.

But while you have it, use it for the most noble purpose of all
And that is for the glory of Jesus.

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Restoring Righteous Judgment
Malachi 3:13-18
December 11, 2022

• You are aware that we are studying through the book of Malachi.
• And you are aware that the issue of the day was INDIFFERENCE
• People no longer cared about what God thought.

Not only has God been confronting the indifference of His people,
But He is also calling them out of it.

We saw LAST WEEK as God told the people,
“Return to Me and I will return to you.”

When the people asked how to do that,
He told them to start by restoring their tithe and to quit stealing from Him.

And we understand it is because the heart is attached to the treasure
And if they would give their treasure to God then their heart would follow.

THIS MORNING God is still at work to pull His people out of indifference.

AND THIS MORNING WE SEE
The day is coming when INDIFFERENCE WILL BE ERADICATED

In fact, look down at the FINAL VERSE of chapter 3
(18) “So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him.”

Currently, God’s people had lost their discernment.

Their indifference was revealed by their
Total lack of care to distinguish between the holy and the profane.

We saw it in chapter 2
Malachi 2:17 “You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

And we see again in our text this morning:
(15) “‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.’”

BUT THIS IS SOMETHING GOD IS PROMISED TO REMEDY.
In short, God has promised to restore righteous judgment.

We currently live in a day
• When people no longer draw hard lines between good and evil.
• When people are called to tolerate that which God hates.
• Where sin is celebrated and paraded.
• Where the most grotesque and vile immorality is defended and encouraged.

AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE,
We are living in a day when even those who claim to be God’s people condone, endorse, celebrate, and even participate in such sins.

Indifference toward the righteous standard of God
Is running rampant through the streets
And even through the churches.

BUT IT WON’T ALWAYS BE THIS WAY.
GOD WILL PUT AN END TO IT.

Indifference is real…
Indifference is a problem…
But Indifference is TEMPORARY.

And this is what we learn about THIS MORNING
As Malachi continues to express God’s burden to the people.

Let’s break our text down into 4 points this morning.
#1 THE CORPORATE CONFRONTATION
Malachi 3:13-15

Here we see that God once more
Has a burden that He confronts His people about.

We’ve ALREADY SEEN God confront the congregation:
• Their lack of honor for Him expressed in their corrupt worship.
• Their lack of respect for His word.
• Their treachery against their brother and the wife of their youth.
• Their propensity to rob God of His tithes and offerings.

All of those were expressions of indifference
And a failure to care about what God cares about.

This morning we come to God’ final confrontation
And this one addresses their ARROGANT WORDS.

(13) “Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the LORD. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’”

Let me just start here by reminding you that WORDS MATTER.

I KNOW IN OUR DAY
• People love to talk about how badly our words can hurt other people.
• We are constantly warned about saying “mean things” or “racist things” or “misogynistic things” or “hateful things”
• One thing a person had better learn today is that your words can get you in a lot of trouble very quickly.

While Scripture doesn’t agree with the standard of the world’s judgment, Scripture does agree that you had better BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY.

Matthew 12:33-37 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

That passage alone should be enough to cause a man to throw his hand over his mouth.

Why are our words so weighty when it comes to our judgment?
Because our words reveal our heart.

Jesus said, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

Matthew 15:18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”

James said that the tongue is an uncontrollable and restless evil
And no man can tame it.

It is an incorruptible gage, accurately revealing the heart.
• You might be able to fudge your odometer…
• You might be able to manipulate your speedometer…
• You might be aware of the tolerances in your fuel gage…

But you cannot manipulate or corrupt your “heartometer”
The tongue will reveal the heart accurately every time.

This is what makes words so important and so dangerous.

AND HERE – God is addressing the words of His people.

God says their words are “arrogant”.

“Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the LORD.”

And yet in typical clueless and rebellious fashion
The people once again square off with God.

“Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’”

And here comes God’s confrontation:

(14-15) “You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts? ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.’”

Two indictments they claim against God.
1. RIGHTEOUSNESS IS UNPROFITABLE
2. SIN IS UNPUNISHED

They say
• “It is vain to serve God”
• “what profit is it that we have kept His charge..?”
• “what profit is it that…we have walked in mourning..?”

These are people who have considered themselves
To have been faithful in their service of God
And when they examine the effect the say, “That wasn’t worth it.”

Forget the fact that their service consisted of:
• Presenting the lame for sacrifice…
• Attending worship were God’s word was neglected…
• Bringing their new pagan wife to worship…
• And stiffing God out of the offering He deserved…

Perhaps they didn’t “serve God” quite as faithfully as they thought.

But regardless of that fact, THEIR VERDICT IS that
God does not make service worth your while.

The payoff is not worth the cost.

It is the moaning of Asaph:
Psalms 73:13-14 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

And if that is not bad enough, they have also looked across the street to their wicked neighbor and said, “That guy made the smart decision.”

They “call the arrogant blessed”
• “they [are] doers of wickedness…they test God and escape.”

• Those guys chose the best path.
• They get to do sin…
• They get to enjoy wickedness…
• And God doesn’t do anything about it.

Again, that was part of Asaph’s selfish lament.
Psalms 73:3-12 “For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth. Therefore his people return to this place, And waters of abundance are drunk by them. They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.”

THIS WAS THE CRY HERE.

God’s people had reached a point where they decided that
Righteousness was too costly and sin was no longer dangerous.

And God calls those words “arrogant”.
WHY?

Because it was to condemn God as A CORRUPT JUDGE.

They said that God failed to justly reward their service
And He failed to justly punish the wicked.

They were accusing God of being an unjust Judge.

NOW, TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT.

We know that righteousness IS PROFITABLE.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Even when the Rich Young Ruler walked away and
Peter asked if they had made the right decision to follow Jesus:

Matthew 19:27-28 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

We also know that wickedness IS PUNISHED.
Luke 16:19-25 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.”

Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Just because it may appear on the surface
Like the righteous are neglected and the wicked are pardoned
IT ONLY LOOKS THAT WAY.

There is a day coming when God’s righteous judgment will be unleashed.

BUT HERE we have people who are accusing God of being unjust.

It is so easy to make this application to OUR OWN DAY.
• Churches don’t vote to affirm homosexuality if they think God rewards
righteousness and judges wickedness.
• Churches don’t embrace sexual immorality if they think God rewards
righteousness and judges wickedness.
• Churches don’t support the murder of babies if they think God rewards
righteousness and judges wickedness.

The presence of such indifference is staggering.

Here we have people who claim to be God’s people
And they have totally sought to strip God of His sovereignty
And have stated that what He wants has no bearing on our lives.
For He won’t do anything to reward or condemn our choices.

THAT IS ARROGANT!
And God confronts that arrogance here.

And then we finally get A REPRIEVE here in Malachi’s prophecy.

The Corporate Confrontation
#2 THE DIVINE OBSERVATION
Malachi 3:16

Finally in the book of Malachi we see a ray of hope!

“Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another…”

For the first time we see that there remained A RIGHTEOUS REMNANT.
• There were some in Malachi’s day who still “feared the LORD”
• There were some who grieved over the sin of the people.

We know of Ezra seeing the intermarriage of these people and how he grieved.
Ezra 9:3-4 “When I heard about this matter, I tore my garment and my robe, and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard, and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.”

We remember how Nehemiah worked hard
To correct these very issues of indifference.

How Nehemiah worked to restore the TITHE:
Nehemiah 13:10-13 “I also discovered that the portions of the Levites had not been given them, so that the Levites and the singers who performed the service had gone away, each to his own field. So I reprimanded the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” Then I gathered them together and restored them to their posts. All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses. In charge of the storehouses I appointed Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and in addition to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered reliable, and it was their task to distribute to their kinsmen.”

How he worked to restore the sanctity of THE SABBATH:
Nehemiah 13:19 “It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.”

How he confronted them for their PAGAN WIVES:
Nehemiah 13:25 “So I contended with them and cursed them and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take of their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.”

There were some (a few) even in this day of indifference and apathy
WHO STILL FEARED GOD.

And as Malachi relayed this burden of the LORD to the people
“those who feared the LORD spoke to one another…”

Now, WE DON’T KNOW the particulars of what they said.
It’s not hard to assume.

The fact that “the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name” gives us all the insight we need to know what their conversations must have been about.

God was so pleased with their response to Malachi’s preaching
That He wrote a book and put all their names in it.

• There were some who obviously repented and grieved over their offense of
God.
• There were some who obviously determined to take steps to right the wrongs
they had committed.

And God took note of them.
He wrote down their names.

• God saw that not all were INDIFFERENT.
• God saw that not all were ARROGANT.
• There was a righteous remnant intermingled throughout the congregation who
still cared what God thought.

And this will prove to be very important.

The Corporate Confrontation
The Divine Observation
#3 THE REVEALING VISITATION
Malachi 3:17

God took those who feared Him and esteemed Him
And He wrote down their names.

WHY?
“They will be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Remember when the spies entered Jericho and Rahab hid them?
Remember how she pleaded for mercy from the coming judgment?

The spies told here to hang a scarlet cord in her window
And if she would they would spare her when they destroyed the city.

That is the same thing happening here.
God recorded their names
So that these would be delivered from the coming judgment.

“the day that I prepare My own possession”
Is a reference to The Day of the LORD.

It is the day when God returns to destroy His enemies
And save those who are His.

This day is alluded to time and time again in Scripture.
And there are always 2 ABSOLUTES ABOUT THAT DAY.

1. Every single wicked man will be destroyed.
2. God will spare His righteous before judgment is unleased.

In Genesis 6 God determined to destroy the world with a great flood, but the flood did not come until the day that Noah entered the ark and God shut the door.

In Genesis 19 God determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from heaven, but that fire would not come until God rescued righteous Lot from midst of it.

In Exodus 14 God would close the sea on top of Pharaoh and his army, but not until every single Israelite was safely on the other side.

In Ezekiel 9 God promised to destroy Jerusalem for their blatant idolatry, but notice what God does first:

Ezekiel 9:4-6 “The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. “Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple.”

Before the judgment was unleashed those who “sigh and groan over all the abominations” are marked and spared.

You see the same thing during the tribulation
Just before God unleashes that army of demons to torment the world.

Revelation 7:2-3 “And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

What did Jesus teach about the wheat and the tares?
Matthew 13:27-30 “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Jesus explained that later:
Matthew 13:40-43 “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

And even at the final judgment when God throws all sinners into the lake of fire, there are those who are preserved from that judgment.

Revelation 20:15 “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

And we could go on and on and on:
• He will gather the good fish and throw away the bad fish
• He will separate the sheep from the goats
• After the wheat is reaped He will tread the grapes under food

OVER AND OVER AND OVER WE SEE IT

Even speaking of Heaven we read:
Revelation 21:25-27 “In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

DO YOU SEE that even when you live in a day of indifference,
God pays close attention to those who don’t just go with the flow?

• GOD OBSERVES those who fear Him and esteem Him.
• GOD MARKS them out as righteous
• GOD SPARES them from the coming judgment.

He will destroy this world for its wickedness.
Those who walk in this terrible indifference will not stand in the end.
It is a foolish thing to go along with them.

STAND AGAINST THE FLOW!

NO IT’S NOT EASY.
People in sin hate to have their sin confronted and exposed.

Listen to Nehemiah as he fought battle after battle for the LORD.

When he refused to be a burden to the people:
Nehemiah 5:19 “Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.”

When he confronted for their failure to tithe and restored it:
Nehemiah 13:14 “Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my loyal deeds which I have performed for the house of my God and its services.”

When he shut down the flea market on the Sabbath:
Nehemiah 13:22b “For this also remember me, O my God, and have compassion on me according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness.”

When he put an end to the intermarriage of pagan women and restored the temple worship:
Nehemiah 13:30-31 “Thus I purified them from everything foreign and appointed duties for the priests and the Levites, each in his task, and I arranged for the supply of wood at appointed times and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.”

And the direct answer from God is that HE DOES!
“They will be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Peter said it:
2 Peter 2:4-9 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,”

God knows how to judge the wicked
God knows how to save the righteous
AND HE WILL DO BOTH!

Church listen!
INDIFFERENCE IS A BAD DECISION.

• It may be difficult to stand against the grain.
• It may be difficult to care when no one else cares.
• It MAY SEEM like it is all for not.

IT IS NOT!
• There is a day coming when God’s justice will be seen.
• On that day those who are indifferent will be destroyed
• And those who fear God and esteem Him will be saved.

• You bring a righteous sacrifice even if no one else does.
• You honor God’s word even if no one else does.
• You refuse to deal treacherously even if everyone else does.
• You bring God your treasure and your heart even if no one else does.

You live your life as though God is watching
And as though He will reward those who fear Him.

You have to decide that, and you have to decide that PERSONALLY.

We cannot as a church meet and vote that we are going to fear God.
We cannot as a church meet and vote that we are going to esteem God.

You must enter the narrow gate on your own.

These people in Malachi’s day all claimed to be God’s people.
• They brought sacrifices…
• They attended worship…
• They claimed to keep His charge and even to walk in mourning before Him…

But they all were not His.
• They all did not fear.
• They all did not esteem.

GOD WAS EXAMINING THE CHURCH TO SEE WHO REALLY WAS HIS.

IN OUR WORLD
• Of temptations and distractions.
• Were good is called evil and evil is called good.
• Of tremendous pressure to conform to the current moral code.

IS GOD GOING TO MATTER TO YOU?

• Will He matter more than your comfort?
• Will He matter more than your reputation?
• Will He matter more than your hobbies?
• Will He matter more than your wealth?
• Will He matter more than your safety?
• Will He matter more than your tradition?
• Will He matter more than every other worldly thing that comes down the pipe?

It may seem right now like God doesn’t reward those who serve Him
And like God doesn’t punish those who don’t.

BUT IT ONLY SEEMS THAT WAY!

The day is coming when God will clear out
All those who are indifferent towards Him.

TURN TO: ZEPHANIAH 1

Would you follow the example of these faithful few in Malachi’s day who committed to fear God and esteem Him?

Would you follow the example of Ezra and Nehemiah and stand against the flow even if you stand alone?

Those are ones God designates as His own.
Those are the only ones who will be left standing after the smoke clears
On the day God comes to purify His people.

And that leads to the final point.
#4 THE RESULTING RESTORATION
Malachi 3:18

“So…”
In other words – “Here is the final effect of My judgment”

“So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not.”

It may not happen much today,
But there is a day coming when it will.

After the smoke clears from the judgment
And all the wicked are destroyed
And only the righteous are left standing
There will be A NEW CULTURAL NORM ADOPTED in this world.

The world will understand that righteousness matters.

Jesus said after the tares are destroyed:
Matthew 13:43 “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

THIS IS HOW God will eradicate the indifference of this world.
THIS IS HOW God will restore righteous judgment.

God says, “So you will again distinguish…”

“distinguish” is an interesting word.

I looked up synonyms to the word “distinguish”
Here is some of what came up:
• Categorize
• Divide
• Separate
• Discriminate
• Determine

All of those are considered bad words today.

And indeed they are bad words if you are discriminating according to someone’s ethnicity or gender or poverty level.

Even Scripture teaches us not to play favoritism towards those who are rich.

But according to God those words are absolutely good words
When applied to righteous living.

WE ARE ABSOLUTELY COMMANDED TO
DISTINGUISH, CATEGORIZE, DIVIDE, SEPARATE, DISCRIMINATE,
AND DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
WHAT IS SINFUL AND WHAT IS RIGHTEOUS.

• Does God not separate the clean from the unclean?
• Does God not separate the holy from the profane?
• Does God not separate the useful from the defiled?

Even the word sanctify actually means to “set apart”.

God pronounces woe on those who refuse to do this.
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

In the New Testament we are commanded to distinguish between the two.
Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Ephesians 5:11 “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;”

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

We are NOT called to tolerate what is evil.
We are NOT called to embrace what God calls an abomination.
We ARE CALLED TO DISTINGUISH AND ABHOR IT.

AND WE CALL MEN TO LEAVE THEIR SIN AND BE SAVED.

THE INDIFFERENCE OF THE CHURCH TODAY
Is just as bad as it was in Malachi’s day
And as you can see, God won’t put up with it forever.

THERE IS COMING A DAY
When God will restore righteous judgment to this world.

Church, my appeal to you is to WAKE UP and STAND UP.
• Shake off any apathy
• Mark yourself as one who fears God and esteems Him.

Be a Nehemiah.
Be an Ezra.
Be a Malachi.

Leave the indifference and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

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The ABC’s of Worship
Psalms 145
December 4, 2022

Tonight we study the 145th Psalm
And I’ve called it “The ABC’s of Worship”

The reason for that is because Psalm 145 is an acrostic.
It is an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet.

There are several passages in Scripture that do this, and certainly part of that is poetic style but the practical reason is because it helps in memorization.

Anytime we call anything “The ABC’s” our minds are immediately forced to think of SIMPLICITY.
• We teach our kids the alphabet very early.
• It is the beginning.
• It is simple.

We also are called to think of STRUCTURE when we think of “The ABC’s”
• We think of things being in alphabetical order
• It is a system of organization

So while on one hand the alphabet speaks of that which is simple
It is also foundational and of extreme importance.

The alphabet is something everyone MUST know.

With that in mind I definitely like the fact that this Psalm is an acrostic.
I like the fact this Psalm is arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet.

For in this song we find what we might call “The Basics Of Theology”.
Theology is of course “The Study of God”

This Psalm gives us the basic and simple truths
Which are foundational and important.

This Psalm won’t go deep in any of these truths.
• David merely states truths about God and moves on.
• A person could literally spend hours searching out any one of the attributes David will reveal.

This Psalm is simply a rapid fire reminder from David
Of the greatness of our God.

We should also note that
This is the last Psalm in the book that specifically bears David’s name.
• Perhaps David wrote the last 5 too, but we don’t know.
• We know he wrote this one.
• This has led many to treat this Psalm as the final Psalm of David.
• Many have seen it as the Psalm of David’s old age or even dying breath.

And if that is true then it is so remarkable that a man with such depth
Ends here with this Psalm.

It speaks of a man who
Could no sooner name a favorite attribute of God
Than he could name a favorite star in the sky.

So he just starts acknowledging them all and praising Him accordingly.

SO TONIGHT,
• We’re going to follow this song of David
• That rapidly runs through the greatness of our God
• And we’ll allow this Psalm to wet our appetites for worship as well.

Tonight we are also going to give a pretty DETAILED OUTLINE.
(If you’re one of those who doesn’t like a detailed outline
Just ignore all the subpoints, but this Psalm I think warrants it)

But let’s break it down into 3 main points tonight.
#1 WHAT GOD DESERVES
Psalms 145:1-7

Here we have David giving you basically the motive for this song.
David is giving us THE MOTIVE for worship.

And it is simple: GOD DESERVES IT

And if we were to ask: WHAT DOES GOD DESERVE?
Then we can go to these 7 verses and get a pretty good list.

Other people could possibly break it down differently than me,
But I’m going to list 5 things here that David says God deserves.

A. PRAISE (1-3)

That’s not hard to see.
• “I will extol”
• “I will bless”
• “I will bless”
• “I will praise”

You get the point there.

“I will extol You, my God, O King,”

“extol” is the Hebrew word RUM (ROOM)
And it means “to lift up”

• It is used of the waters rising during the flood.
• It is used of when someone sets up an altar.
• It is used to speak of someone raising their voice.
• It is used of someone raising their hands.

And that is what David is doing here.
It is His desire to “lift up” his God and King.

He would figuratively raise God up before the people
As an object of praise and worship.

He would hold God up high
So that the people might see Him and know Him and worship Him as well.

It is all about God receiving recognition and praise.

But let’s break that down even more.
We might ask: What kind of praise?

1. UNENDING PRAISE (1b)

“And I will bless Your name forever and ever.”

Once a person jumps on the train of praising God, they never jump off.
Praise is indeed the language of Heaven.

When we get to heaven preachers are no longer needed.
“We will know fully just as we are fully known”

But song leaders work for all eternity.
We will never stop praising God.

CityAlight has a new song that I enjoy singing called “On That Day”
The chorus says:
“On that day we will see You, shining brighter than the sun. On that day we will know You, as we lift our voice as one. ‘Til that day we will praise You, for your never ending grace. And we will keep on singing on that glorious day.”

God’s praise is unending praise.
Revelation 4:8 “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”

It is the proper response of Heaven and it will never stop.

2. CONSTANT PRAISE (2)

“Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.”

It’s not just unending praise that goes on forever,
It is also constant praise that continues every day.

We are told to give thanks to God and to praise Him in all circumstances.
• We praise Him in the night and we praise Him in the day.
• We praise Him in victory and we praise Him in defeat.

It is the daily language of the believer
And that which goes on “forever and ever.”

3. HIGH PRAISE (3a)

“Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,”

Immediately on our minds because of our study of Malachi
Is how the Jews in Malachi’s day offended God
By bringing Him the lame and broken as offerings.

God responded to their disrespect by saying:
Malachi 1:11 “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”

God would go on to say in verse 14, “for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

God not only deserves constant praise and unending praise,
But He deserves high praise or great praise.

How many times have we read in the headings of these Psalms
• The instrumentation
• Or the style of the Psalm.

Point being: David wasn’t only concerned about the lyrics,
But the style and beauty and magnificence of what was sung.

He viewed a song as an offering to God
And it was not at all his desire
To present something lame or broken to Him.

If God were to receive a song it should be the best song.
He deserves high and great praise.

4. INFORMED PRAISE (3b)

“And His greatness is unsearchable.”

Certainly the point being made is that
No man will ever fully plum the depths of the greatness of God.

Eliphaz said:
Job 5:9 “Who does great and unsearchable things, Wonders without number.”

Job said:
Job 9:10 “Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number.”

Zophar said:
Job 11:7-9 “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? “They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? “Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.”

Those men disagreed on several things,
But they were all in agreement with that.

Paul said:
Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

Man can never fully fathom the depths of who God is.

But the fact that David can say that God’s “greatness is unsearchable”
Indicates that David has in some way tried to search it out.

And God definitely deserves that.

The praise we give God may certainly be saturated with great emotion,
But it is never simply emotional.

We praise God based on what we know of God.
And the more we know of God the more we praise Him.

So if one finds their praise of God to be lacking in greatness
The solution is to search deeper.

We say it all the time.
“The height of your worship is directly proportional to the depth of your understanding.”

God deserves to be searched out to the best of our ability.
Men have dug great holes into the ground in search of gold and diamonds, certainly they are not worth more than God.

The praise we bring to Him should be informed from a life of seeking.

SO WHEN WE ASK: What does God deserve?
The first thing we say is that God deserves praise.

He deserves unending, constant, high, informed praise.

But there’s more that God deserves.
B. TESTIMONY (4)

“One generation shall praise You works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.”

What David speaks of here is the expectation of testimony.

Moses spoke to the children of Israel about the commands of God and he said:
Deuteronomy 6:7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

Take what you know and pass it on to the next generation.

When Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan he had them take 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan to make a rock pile.

The explanation was:
Joshua 4:21-24 “He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ “For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

Israel’s history was filled with these types of symbols.
• They kept a jar of manna in the Ark of the Covenant
• And Aaron’s staff that budded.
• They returned to Jerusalem to live in booths once a year to remember God’s deliverance in the wilderness.
• They ate the Passover Lamb year after year to remember God’s deliverance from Egypt.

All of those were also ways to pass down
God’s great works to the next generation.
AND GOD DESERVES THAT.

If He has done great things for you, then certainly
You should share what He has done with the next generation.

That is the beauty of what goes on here on Wednesday nights.
• Amy and Karen and Tammy and Pam teaching the girls.
• Chris and Les Heflin teaching the boys.
• And more of you should jump on that train.

• It’s what Kim and Pam and Les and Kermit do on Sunday mornings in Sunday
school.

It’s men and women who take the time to teach the next generation
About the mighty deeds of God.

GOD DESERVES THAT.
He deserves testimony.

C. MEDITATION (5)

“On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.”

I love the word “meditate”
• Think about it…
• Ponder it…
• Dwell on it…

We do that in all sorts of things in life.

One of my favorite things about doing wood-working
Is when you approach a design or a build
That you don’t know how to do it so you ponder it.

• You just sit and run through mental repetitions in your mind about what you
could do and how you can do it.
• I really enjoy that part.
• I like thinking it through.

And people do this in all sorts of things in life.

But the highest meditation we can have
Is when we meditate on who God is and what He has done.

• We read the stories of His greatness and we just think on it.
• We chew on it in our minds.
• We play it over and over and we seek to understand it.

Have you ever pondered the majesty of CREATION?
Have you ever thought on the mystery of God’s SOVEREIGNTY?
Have you ever let your mind consider God’s PROVIDENCE?
Have you ever dwelled upon the cost of ATONEMENT?
Have you ever focused on ETERNITY?

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

And there may be several things that fall under one of those categories, but I only know of one subject that fits every one of those categories and that is God.

GOD DESERVES for you to study Him and ponder Him
And meditate upon what He has done.

Think deeply about such things.

D. DECLARATION (6)

“Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness.”

Men talk about all sorts of things.

There are entire podcasts and radio spots devoted to nothing more than what is going on politically or whether or not the Cowboys will win their upcoming game.

Our society spews information
And makes all sorts of declarations about all sorts of things.

And none of those things are as worthy subjects as He is.

If you want to talk about something talk about how awesome God is.
If you want to tell someone something tell them what God has done.

I don’t know if you watch the show “The Chosen”

Or what you think about it.
I enjoy it.

One of my favorite episodes was the pilot episode they did called
“The Shepherd” and it was all about the birth of Jesus.

And after that shepherd comes and sees Jesus lying in that manger one phrase begins to be repeated throughout the room, “People must know”

Can you think of any subject that deserves to be declared more?

“Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.
Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.”

God deserves to have His awesome works proclaimed.

E. CELEBRATION (7)

“They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.”

• And once you’ve searched out the truth of who God is and what He has done.
• And you’ve shared that with the next generation so that they will know God.
• And then you’ve meditated upon His works to grasp their meaning.
• And you’ve gone out and told the world and gathered them in with you for worship.

THEN CELEBRATE!
• “utter the memory of [His] abundant goodness”
• “shout joyfully of [His] righteousness”

• Talk about it!
• Celebrate it!
• Sing about it!

GOD DESERVES IT.
• No one has done nearly what He has done.
• No one’s works come close to matching with His.
• None can be compared.

God deserves to be praised and shared and meditated on
And declared and celebrated.

GIVE THAT TO HIM!

What God Deserves
#2 WHY GOD DESERVES IT
Psalms 145:8-20

Here again we get a rapid fire overview
Of what makes God so worthy of praise.

And as we said at the beginning,
• You could study for hours on any one of these areas
• But we get them all lumped together
• As a way to sort of overwhelm the mind at the totality of God’s worth.

You picture David in prayer and praise
Just rattling off all the things that he loves about God
These are the things that make Him so worthy!

And again let’s detail out this outline a little more.

A. HIS PERSON (8-10)

(8-10) The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You.”

We are simply talking here about the attributes that describe WHO HE IS.
This is His character.

And the list is remarkable.
• “The Lord is gracious”
• “The Lord is…merciful”
• “The Lord is…slow to anger” (patient)
• “The Lord is…great in lovingkindness” (loyalty)
• “The Lord is good to all”

Any one of those attributes is worthy of great consideration.
Any human that bears even one of those attributes
Is considered a terrific human being.

And yet God bears them all.
• He bears them all – all of the time.
• He bears them all perfectly.

INCIDENTALLY, when you read verse 8,
This is also how God introduces Himself.

Exodus 34:6 “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”

Jonah recognized these truths about God as well.
(Only Jonah lamented them because God was this way without relenting)

Jonah 4:2 “He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”

WE HAVE A GOD
• Who treats people better than they deserve.
• Who doesn’t treat people as they deserve.
• Who is patient with people who resist Him.
• Who is loyal to people who betray Him.
• Who is good even to His enemies.

How can we not say that He is worthy of praise?

There are so many passages we could study
To magnify any one of those realities of His person,

But you take them all together and none can argue that
He is worthy of praise, testimony, meditation, declaration, & celebration.

Psalms 103:8-14 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”

That who He is! (His Person)
He is so worthy.

B. HIS POWER (11-13)

(11-13) “They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power; To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.”

The words that fly off the page here are obvious.
• “kingdom” (x4)
• “power”
• “mighty acts”
• “dominion”

We speak here of a Sovereign who reigns supreme over all things.

Nebuchadnezzar seemed to quote this passage in the day of his great revival.
Daniel 4:1-3 “Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: “May your peace abound! “It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. “How great are His signs And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And His dominion is from generation to generation.”

And of course Nebuchadnezzar would go on to explain how he got too big for his britches and God humbled him over a period of 7 years.

GOD REIGNS SUPREME.
• He sits over all kings and kingdoms.
• He sits over all rulers and thrones.
• He rules and reigns and He will rule and reign forever.

His kingdom is the final and everlasting kingdom.
He is sovereign over all.

Does He not deserve praise and testimony and meditation and declaration and celebration?

C. HIS PITY (14)

(14) “The LORD sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down.”

God is high and lofty and yet He cares for the lowly and broken.

Psalms 114:5-8 “Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth? He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap, To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people.”

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

God is so merciful to mankind.
• We are told that not even a sparrow falls apart from His knowledge, how much more does man.

Why should such a sovereign Being
Care so much for such lowly humans?
“What is man that You are mindful of him?”

But He is.
• He is moved with great compassion for humanity.
• He is moved with pity for the broken.
• You see it nowhere better than with our Savior.

Philippians 2:6-7 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

HE IS SO WORTHY BECAUSE OF THIS!

D. HIS PROVIDENCE (15-16)

(15-16) “The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

• Who else cares for humanity?
• Who else sends the sun?
• Who else sends the rain?
• Who else brings the wind or the tide or grass or any other thing?

He is the source of provision for all creation.
And He is faithful to provide it.

Psalms 104 is the great Psalm of God’s providence

Psalms 104:10-11 “He sends forth springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains; They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst.”

Psalms 104:14-15 “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine which makes man’s heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man’s heart.”

Psalms 104:21 “The young lions roar after their prey And seek their food from God.”

Psalms 104:27-28 “They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.”

Does He not deserve all praise and testimony and mediation and declaration and celebration for that?

E. HIS PERFECTION (17-20)

(17-20) “The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.”

Again we see words that blow us away
Regarding the greatness of His character.

Words like:
• “righteous”
• “kind”
• “near”
• “save”
• “keeps”
• “destroy”

These are all things God does.
• We see the nearness of salvation and the justice of judgment.
• We see the mercy He has and His constant care.
• He is righteous yet also kind.

THOSE ARE ALL GREAT WORDS.
But the real thrust of these 4 verses are the words “all” and “will”

• “He is righteous in ALL His ways”
• “He is…kind in ALL His deeds.”
• “The LORD is near to ALL who call upon Him”
• “He WILL fulfill the desire of those who fear Him”
• “He WILL also hear their cry”
• “He…WILL save them”
• “The LORD keeps ALL who love Him”
• “ALL the wicked He WILL destroy”

It’s not just that He is righteous sometimes.
He is righteous all the time!

When our kids were little they used to love the words “always” and “never”.
• “We never get to do this…”
• “You always make us…”

And we would say that “always” and “never” AREN’T FAIR words.
More than that they aren’t accurate words.

But they are for God and that is remarkable!
• He is immutable.
• He is always righteous.
• He is always kind
• He is always near
• He is always willing to save
• He is always just
• He always keeps

That is simply mind-boggling.
His consistency speaks to His perfection.
• He never slips, He never stumbles.
• He never has a bad day.
• He is perfect!

Does that not make Him worthy of all praise and testimony and mediation and declaration and celebration?

You see What God Deserves and You see Why God Deserves It.
#3 WHAT GOD RECEIVES
Psalms 145:21

The simple and glorious point here is that David wants in on it!
“My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,”

He doesn’t just recognize what God deserves,
He gives God what He deserves.

• David is committed to praise.
• David is committed to testimony.
• David is committed to mediation.
• David is committed to declaration.
• David is committed to celebration.

I’m going to do it!

And incidentally, someday all of creation will do it as well.
“And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”

Are we not taught this?
Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Do you understand that?
Someday all of creation will worship.

We are well aware of the universal and eternal language of heaven.
IT IS PRAISE!

“Day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY WHO WAS AND IS AND IS TO COME.”

All of heaven will worship forever.

But do you know what the universal and eternal language of hell will be?
THE EXACT SAME THING!

• Paul said every tongue “under the earth” will also “confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

• Even in hell, “Day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY WHO WAS AND IS AND IS TO COME.”

HE DESERVES IT AND HE WILL RECEIVE IT!

YOU WILL GIVE IT TO HIM!
• You’ll either do it gladly today
• Or you’ll do it forcefully in eternity,
• But every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.

God deserves praise and testimony and mediation
And declaration and celebration and He will receive it!

That is what we call “THE ABC’S OF WORSHIP”
• It is basic and it is foundational.
• If you don’t know anything of theology, start with that.

Download here

Return To Me
Malachi 3:7-12
December 4, 2022

We have been studying through this short and potent book of Malachi
And the issue at hand is abundantly clear.

God’s people have become INDIFFERENT to the things of God.
• They were bringing the lame for sacrifice…
• They were ignoring the word of God…
• They were sinning against their brother…
• They were reassuring the wicked…

The IRONIC thing about all of this is that even while in their indifference
They still maintained a desire for the Messiah to come.

One might say that they didn’t just suffer from indifference
But delusional indifference.

AND WE SAW THAT LAST WEEK.
• Where it was revealed that they were not ready for the Lord they sought.
• They were not ready for the messenger of the covenant they delighted in.

In fact, Malachi revealed that they were so unprepared for Him
That God would first have to send a messenger ahead of time
Just to clean them up for His coming.

And when the Lord finally would come,
• It could NOT YET be to destroy the wicked for if He did that, they would not
have survived.
• He would have to first come and purify His people and then He would be
able to bring judgment upon the wicked.

AND THE ENTIRE POINT is that these people thought they were ready for the coming of the Lord when the reality is that they were not.

THEY WERE INDIFFERENT.
And God has been very direct in laying out that burden before them.

THIS MORNING GOD RENDERS HIS SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

(The problem, as you will see, is that in their indifference
They aren’t all that interested in the solution God offers)

But, none the less, this morning we learn the CURE FOR INDIFFERENCE.
This morning we learn what to do if we find ourselves in a state of apathy.

And it is not a surprising solution.

So let’s break this text down into 4 points this morning and we’ll see
God appeal to His people to leave their apathy and indifference behind.

#1 THE CALL
Malachi 3:7

As we pick up here in verse 7 it is important that you remember
THE SCENE OF THE DAY.
• We have a people here who (in some sense) are eager for the Lord to come.
• They want Him to return.

It was from the prophet Ezekiel that we witnessed that horrific departure of God’s presence from His temple around 150 years prior to this account.

Ezekiel 11:22-25 “Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen left me. Then I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.”

That was the final departure of God’s glory from the temple in Jerusalem.
Shortly after that Nebuchadnezzar would sack the city and burn that temple.

Israel would then complete her stay in Babylonian exile.

• However, after their time was complete
• Haggai and Zerubbabel and Zechariah would return and rebuild God’s temple. (Which was about 100 years prior to the time of Malachi)

And since that time the Jewish people have been waiting for 1 thing.
THEY’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE RETURN OF THE LORD.

(In fact, their impatience may have even been a root cause of their indifference)

They could not understand why He had not come back.
Malachi showed THE PROBLEM last week revealing that they were not ready for Him.

And continuing with that idea God now gives THE SOLUTION.

“Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts.”

See, they thought that by coming back to the land
And rebuilding the temple that they had returned to God.
Apparently from God’s perspective, even though back in the land, They had yet to truly return to Him.

SO GOD TELLS THEM ONCE AGAIN TO “RETURN TO ME”

It’s really quite simple.
When you determine to return to loving and serving and obeying Me,
Then “I will return to you”.

And here is what you NEED TO KNOW this morning.
THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOD’S SIMPLE REQUEST

Notice how Malachi starts this verse?
“From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them.”

In other words, this is not a new issue.
• This has been the issue from the beginning.
• Your fathers struggled with this.
• All I ever wanted was for them to love Me with all their heart and to obey My commands.
• I just wanted them to be Mine and Mine alone,
• And that has always seemed to be too much for them.

We remember the golden calf incident where God first called them a stubborn and rebellious people.

And then after 40 years wandering in the wilderness, just before Moses died, he said this:
Deuteronomy 31:27-29 “For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death? “Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. “For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”

All God ever wanted was for His people
To return to Him and to love and serve Him.
AND ISRAEL NEVER WOULD.

Even in the days of the prophets before the exile the message was the same.
Isaiah 55:1-2 “Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.”

Amos 5:4 “For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, “Seek Me that you may live.”

Hosea 5:15 “I will go away and return to My place Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”

And ultimately God said, “Fine I’m sending you to Babylon for 70 years until you learn to seek Me.”

Jeremiah 29:10-13 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

And now 100 years after the exile, Israel still hasn’t learned her lesson.

In fact, we could carry this all the way into the New Testament.
• Jesus will come and offer salvation, but instead of seeking Him they will crucify Him.

And when Peter stands to preach to those Jews in Jerusalem
Do you know what he’ll say?

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

God must at times feel like a broken record.
He has been saying the same thing
Since the day He delivered His people from the iron hand of Egypt.

And still, even to this day, Israel has failed to grasp it.

BUT LET’S BE CLEAR,
It’s NOT only Israel that has at times struggled here.

Listen to Jesus as He speaks to the church at Ephesus.
Revelation 2:1-5 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”

• They were backslidden.
• They had fallen into a type of indifference.
• Sure they loved the Scripture and they were doctrinally sound, but they had
drifted away from Christ.

And so even to them the call was the same.

He would say that in this state YOU AREN’T READY for Me to come.
At this point I’d be coming to “remove your lampstand”

“Return to Me, and I will return to you.”

James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

NOW CHURCH, THIS IS THE CURE FOR INDIFFERENCE.
This, incidentally, is what we call REVIVAL

When God’s people recognize that they have strayed
From their love and devotion to the Lord
And they repent and draw near to Him again.

THAT IS THE CALL.
That is what we are looking for.

In spite of all the problems that the Jewish people in Malachi’s day had,
Their solution was simple – RETURN.

Just like for the prodigal son – RETURN

That’s all they had to do.

Incidentally, 450 years later when John the Baptist shows up,
What is it that he’s going to tell them to do?
• John is going to tell them to repent.
• He’ll tell them to return to the Lord so that the Lord can return to them.

This isn’t some stray radical message from Malachi,
This has always been God’s message.

AND IT IS STILL TRUE TODAY.
If you have found yourself in any area of indifference,
Then repent and return to the Lord.

NOW, I WISH THE END OF THE VERSE SAID
“so the people repented and returned.”

But that is NOT what the end of the verse says.
“But you say, ‘How shall we return?’”

God gave them clear instruction regarding how to fix the problem
And they people aren’t interested in hearing it.

This is a statement of RESENTMENT.
This is a statement of DENIAL.
• “What do you mean, ‘Return’?”

As if to say, “We came back from Babylon; we returned to the land; we built the temple. We did return. We’re here, where are You?”

It’s another way of saying,
Whatever God means by “return”, they aren’t interested.

But the question has been asked.
“How shall we return?”

The Call
#2 THE CONFRONTATION
Malachi 3:8-9

They asked how to return and God gives them a direct response.
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!”

His immediate answer is that for starters you can quit stealing from Me.

Now, to prove their attitude, we see that when God did get specific
They weren’t interested in hearing it.

“But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’”
• They are in a sense calling God an irrational liar.
• You don’t know what You’re talking about!

So God answers.
“In tithes and offerings.”
• You have not given Me the tithe you owe Me.
• You have not given Me the offerings you owe Me.

NOW STOP THERE for a second and let’s make sure we understand what is happening here.

1. God tells the people they need to return to Him
2. When the people ask, “How?”
3. God immediately goes to the subject of money.

THAT IS INTERESTING.
If you’ll remember John the Baptist will do the exact same thing.

Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

When the people wanted to know how to repent John immediately went to the issue of money.
• “share with him who has none”
• “collect no more than what you have been ordered to”
• “do not take money from anyone by force”
• “be content with your wages”

So the obvious question is:
IS GOD JUST INTERESTED IN MONEY?

There are people who think that.
(Don’t go to church they just want your money)
• Is that true?
• Is that what God wants?

NO
Psalms 50:10-12 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”

You’ll find this interesting:
TURN TO: 1 CHRONICLES 29:6-19

David was gathering supplies and materials for Solomon to build the temple.

But did you see how amazed David was?
• And it wasn’t that the people gave.
• It was that the people were able to give.
• God had supplied all that they had given.

So the point is, NO – GOD IS NOT JUST INTERESTED IN MONEY.
He has all the money He’ll ever need.

So why, when the people want to know what to do, does God immediately tell them to quit stealing from Him and to start giving to Him again?

Jesus makes this abundantly clear.
Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

It’s not about money is it?
(Everything you’ll give to God will only come from the pot that He first gave to you)

It’s not about money.
What is it about? – THE HEART

When these people want to know what God wants,
God goes straight for their heart.
I WANT YOUR HEART!

WELL HOW DO YOU GIVE GOD YOUR HEART?
Open your wallet and I’ll show you.

Your heart is directly linked to your treasure.
Give God your treasure and your heart will go with it.

And now you’re even better understanding stories
• Like the Rich Young Ruler when Jesus asked him to sell everything.
• Or Zacchaeus and why Jesus pronounced him saved after he gave up his
money.

It’s not about the money, it’s about the heart.
That is why God goes for the money.

And He tells these people, “you are robbing from Me!”

WHAT, were they breaking into the temple and stealing from the poor box?

NO, they were failing to give the tithe He had commanded.

Those of you with little kids in church, you’ll understand this.

• We’ve all been little kids or had little kids who wanted to put money in the
offering plate when it goes by.
• And so you pull out a dollar or a $5 or whatever
• And you give it to your small child
• And you tell them to put it in the offering plate when it comes by.

Now, let’s say when the plate comes by they take your dollar
And instead they put it in their pocket.

WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT?

THAT’S STEALING.

They took what you gave them
And failed to do what you commanded them to do with it.

Do you realize every dollar you have is that which God has given you?

You may think yourself wise or a hard worker or an earner of your income, but don’t overlook things like your ability or your opportunity or even the land in which you live.

EVERYTHING YOU HAVE IS THAT WHICH GOD HAS GIVEN YOU.

Now, the deal God made with Israel is a simple one.
You owe me back 10% of everything I give you.

Leviticus 27:30-32 “Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S; it is holy to the LORD. ‘If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. ‘For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.”

• This was sort of like a Jewish income tax.
• God commanded 10% of everything.
• It was a tithe (tithe means tenth)
• God gave to them and they were commanded to give some back.

The problem was, they weren’t doing it.

We already saw one of the ways they were messing it up.
They weren’t bringing the QUALITY God commanded.

Malachi 1:8 “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts.”

Malachi 1:14 “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the LORD of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

So you understand the robbery aspect.
God had given to them, they failed to give back.

Now, you can enter THE DEBATE if you like
About the New Testament and titheing.

And you are correct if you say that titheing was part of the old covenant
And is NOT commanded in the New Testament.

Titheing is not commanded,
Generous and cheerful and even sacrificial giving is commanded.

So you can split hairs over the 10% if you like, but in the New Testament you are still commanded to give and at times it may be way more than 10%.

And at the same time if you were raised on the tithe (like I was) and it just seems right to give 10%, no one is going to argue with that.

• Abraham commissioned the tithe when he gave a tenth to Melchizedek.
• Moses commanded the tithe when leading the children of Israel.
• And Jesus commended the tithe when speaking to the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”

So I’m not concerned about your algebra,
But I am concerned about your heart.

Luke 12:13-15 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

Luke 16:10-13 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

SO HOPEFULLY YOU GET THE POINT.
• God told them to return.
• They asked how.
• God said, quit stealing from me.
• Because God was after their heart.

IN FACT, this is a point God has been trying to make for some time
And they have failed to see it.

(9) “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!”

What did He mean, “cursed with a curse”?

God had cursed their crops and their livestock and their weather.

If every time you tell your child to put a dollar in the plate they instead put it in their pocket, how long are you going to keep giving them the dollar?

SAME PRINCIPLE HERE.

And by the way, it’s NOT THE FIRST TIME God had used this.
About 100 years earlier when they had grown indifferent and had failed to rebuild the temple.

Haggai 1:7-11 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways! “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD. “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the LORD of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. “Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. “I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.”

• God was doing the same thing 100 years ago because the people refused to build His house.
• And now, because they are robbing from Him and failing to give Him their hearts He is doing it again.

The Call, The Confrontation
#3 THE COMMAND
Malachi 3:10a

The command is simple.
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house.”

• In chapter 1 the issue with the offering was it’s QUALITY.
• Here in chapter 3 the issue is it’s QUANTITY.

They are short-changing God.
They aren’t giving all that they are supposed to give.

Ask Ananias and Saphira how it works when you agree to give God an amount
And then fail to give all that you said.

This tithe was supposed to be used for 2 purposes.
• One was to feed the priests.
• The other was to feed the poor.

And so by failing to bring all that they were commanded to bring,
Both the ministry and the poor suffered.

AND SO GOD WAS CLEAR.
Return to Me and do it by bringing Me all that you owe Me.

Again, this is NOT God being GREEDY.
It IS God being JEALOUS.

He wants their heart.
• Everything they have He gives them anyway,
• He just wants their love and devotion in return.

I mean, think about Abraham for a moment.
God asked for a pretty significant offering from Abraham didn’t He?
• He asked for his son Isaac.

Let me ask you, “Who gave Isaac to Abraham?” – God
And God asked for him back.

But you remember the story.
Genesis 22:10-12 “Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Did God want Isaac?
No, God wanted Abraham
Abraham’s offering proved God had him.

THAT IS THE CASE HERE TOO.
God doesn’t want their money, He wants their heart.

AND THAT IS TRUE FOR YOU AND ME.
• The command is for us to give and give freely.
• And this shows that we treasure God more than we treasure this world.

Now next is where you really have to love God.
He doesn’t stop there.
He could have, but He doesn’t.

#4 THE CONSEQUENCE
Malachi 3:10b-12

God promises that if they will return to Him through their offerings
Then He will bless them in ways they can’t imagine.

Look at it.
He promises an UNQUENCABLE BLESSING
(10b) “test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”

If you’ll just give Me your heart
I’ll respond with more blessing than you can imagine.

Jesus reiterated this.
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

IN THE DAYS OF HEZEKIAH
He was seeking to renovate the temple and the priestly service.

Hezekiah commanded the people
To start bringing the offering to provide for the priests.

2 Chronicles 31:5 “As soon as the order spread, the sons of Israel provided in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of all.”

If you read on it says that
• They kept bringing stuff from the 3rd month until the 7th month
• And they just started having to pile the stuff up in heaps.
• It was enormous offering.

2 Chronicles 31:9-10 “Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok said to him, “Since the contributions began to be brought into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the LORD has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over.”

Did you see what happened?
As they started giving, God started blessing,
And He just kept on taking care of everyone.

He’s not greedy or stingy.
He’s abundantly generous and ready to share.
He just wants to make sure that He has your heart.

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”

And I’ll be honest, I think our congregation understands this a little.
• I’ve seen our church give a lot of money over the last 3 years.
• Some of the biggest donations since I’ve been here.
• And yet, has God not continually given back all that we have given?

You are seeing that principle at work CORPORATELY.

The call here is for you to apply it PERSONALLY.
Give the Lord your heart. Give the Lord your offering.

(Incidentally, this is NOT A PLEA for you to give money to our church,
there are plenty of ministries and people in need, but give as to the Lord)

He promises an unquenchable blessing and says you can test Him in this.
That’s remarkable!

He promises an UNTOUCHABLE BLESSING
(11) “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts.”

“The devourer” had been running rampant in Israel
Because they had failed to honor God with their giving.

Have you ever met “the devourer”?
• He’s the one that makes water heaters go out
• And tires blow out and stuff like that.
• He gobbles up your savings and takes away your surplus.

But when God blesses, He blesses in a way where it can’t be touched.
Those people in Hezekiah’s day couldn’t give it away fast enough,
God just kept on replenishing it.

And He promises an UNDENIABLE BLESSING
(12) “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.”

Look, I’m NOT into the prosperity gospel.
It is certainly true that our inheritance is not on earth, but in heaven.

But when God says that their blessing will be recognizable by the nations, He wasn’t saying they’ll recognize their closeness to God.

He was saying that He will bless the land in such a way
That it will be “delightful” even to pagan nations.

They’ll see the results of God’s blessing.
And I would not nullify that promise here.

GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES SEED FOR THE SOWER.
• If you give that dollar to your child and they put it in the plate,
• And the next time you have a ten,
• You’ll let them do that too because they’ve shown what they’ll do with it.

This is NOT get rich scheme.
If that’s what you think then you’re seeking to use God as a means to pad your bank account. God will not honor that attitude.

What we are talking about here is a people
Who give God their heart by giving Him their treasure,
And God in His goodness more than abundantly compensates
For any cost they incur.

Psalms 34:8-10 “O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.”

Psalms 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

James 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

He is good and He blesses those who seek Him.

And this now is THE POINT church.
• Has there been indifference in your life?
• Has there been evidence of apathy?

Then return to the Lord.
HOW?
• Give Him the thing your heart treasures.
• And your heart will follow your treasure.

As I have prayed for revival in my life and in the life of this church,
I keep coming back to one verse in my prayer.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

When we are a people who do that,
• We are a people who are experiencing revival.
• We will be able to say that indifference has been totally eradicated.
• We can say that we are a people who have returned to the Lord.

Download here

Where Is The God of Justice?
Malachi 3:1-6
November 27, 2022

The second chapter of Malachi ended with this question:
Malachi 2:17 “You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

“Where is the God of justice?”

This was the question they asked.
That question is perhaps the issue of the entire book.

It is certainly an issue dealt with throughout the pages of Scripture.

Often times we encounter that question as the cry from the righteous who long for God to show Himself holy in the midst of a wicked generation.

• Consider all the times we read the Psalmist crying out, “How long?” to God.
• Perhaps the most famous comes from the lips of Habakkuk who doesn’t understand why God has allowed such wickedness to endure in Israel.

Habakkuk 1:1-4 “The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted.”

Throughout history the righteous have asked this very thing.

But the question in Malachi is not from the lips of the righteous.
The question in Malachi is FROM THE WICKED.

It is not from those who long for God to show Himself righteous,
But rather it is from those who don’t think He will.

We see them throughout history as well.

Psalms 10:4-6 “The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, “There is no God.” His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them. He says to himself, “I will not be moved; Throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.”

Isaiah 56:12 “Come,” they say, “let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink; And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”

It is men who don’t think there will ever be
Any divine consequences for their sin.

Zephaniah 1:12 “It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good or evil!’”

Indeed we recognize both sentiments in our world today.
• We see the righteous who cry and long for the return of the Lord
• And we see the wicked who don’t think God will really ever judge sinners.

The burden of God in the book of Malachi is with the latter.
They asked in their indifference “Where is the God of justice?”

And God is about to answer.

In fact, God will give a concise answer down in verse 6.
(6) “For I, the LORD, do not change…”

That is God’s direct answer to the question.
I am still the God of justice.
I always have been and I always will be.

• He is the same God today that He was in the day He flooded the earth.
• He is the same God today that He was in the day He rained fire on Sodom.
• He is the same God today that He was in the day He ordered the annihilation
of all the Canaanites.

He is still the God of justice.

Again, I would remind you of the AUDIENCE of this sermon.
While the pagan world around us certainly needs to know
That God will one day judge the world in righteousness,
That is NOT who this message is immediately directed at.

This sermon of Malachi WASN’T for the Persians or the Greeks or the pagans.
This sermon WAS for the children of Israel.

God was addressing His people here,
Who through their indifference had seemed to forget
That God was still a God of justice.

Perhaps THE CHURCH should remember this as well.
1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

This is a message for the religious.
This is a message for those who know better.
Ultimately this is a message for the indifferent.

And God reveals exactly how His justice will be made known.

There are 5 points in our text this morning.
#1 THE PRESENCE YOU SEEK
Malachi 3:1

It is true that the Israelites in Malachi’s day asked
Where is the God of justice?”

In part that is a SARCASTIC question
As it was meant to indicate that God won’t do anything about sin.

But there was at least a hint of SINCERITY as well
For they did eagerly await their Messiah.

AND THAT IS INDICATED HERE.
• You get phrases like, “And the Lord, whom you seek…”
• Or “the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight…”

There is at least a base desire for the Lord or messiah to come.

They’ve read the promises about a kingdom which never ends
And about the glory of Israel spreading throughout the earth.

Within the last 100 years you’ve had the prophet Zechariah:
Zechariah 8:3-5 “Thus says the LORD, ‘I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Old men and old women will again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of age. ‘And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.’”

With promises like that recently given, it’s no wonder that
The children of Israel are eager for the Lord to come.
They want a reign of peace and safety and prosperity and blessing.

So there may very well be at least a hint of sincerity in that question
“Where is the God of justice?”

What you see first from Malachi is that God REITERATES that promise.
IT HAS NOT CHANGED.

God also reminds that before the Messiah comes,
There will be a messenger arrive first.

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.”

Perhaps forgotten by this indifferent congregation
Was that God also promised to send a forerunner first.

Isaiah 40:3-5 “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

God had said that before the Messiah would come
Someone would have to come and prepare the people for His coming.

And God reminds the people of that here.
That promise will also be the theme
With which Malachi closes his sermon.

Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

You’ll understand in a moment
Why they needed someone to prepare them for His coming.

BUT ASIDE FROM THAT REMINDER,
God tells these people who have asked that He is on the way.

“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.”

That’s a good reminder.
• God said that He would come and He will come.
• He will keep that promise.

Now, when you read commentaries on this passage
They argue as to whether or not
Malachi is here referring to the first coming or the second coming.

But in reality you see pictures of both.
• When Jesus was 8 days old he did suddenly come to the temple.
• He would come as verse 4 indicates and make sinners pleasing to God.
• But He will also come again in judgment as verse 5 makes clear.

The reality is that often times these Old Testament prophets had difficulty seeing the coming of the Lord in two separate events. It was hard from a distance for them to see the valley that has rested for 2,000 years between the two mountain peaks.

So, in one sense we have already received what they are longing for
And yet at the same time we also still long for what they longed for.

We have certainly seen Jesus come to save,
But still wait for Him to come and reign upon the earth.

So there is a very real way in which we can identify with these people.
1. We also seek the presence of the Lord,
2. And we also are promised that He is coming.

The Presence You Seek
#2 THE PROBLEM YOU OVERLOOK
Malachi 3:2a

Verse 2 comes with a sobering dose of reality.

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?”

This is the issue that the people of Malachi’s day
(and perhaps many from our day) have failed to consider.

• We understand the, “I’m a good person” epidemic that has saturated our world.
• We understand that even in our sin we suffer from no shortage of self-esteem.

Why wouldn’t God be pleased with me?

That was certainly the mindset of Malachi’s day.
• Forget the fact that they offered broken sacrifices…
• Forget the fact that they ignored God’s word…
• Forget the fact that they acted treacherously and tolerated sin…

They were still convinced that they were ready for the Lord to arrive.

But Malachi taps the breaks here with this question.
• Do you really think yourself prepared to stand before the Lord?
• Do you really think yourself prepared to stand before the Holy One?

Certainly the question reminds us of that terrifying scene that precedes the second coming of the Lord.

Revelation 6:15-17 “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

We are reminded of that day when God begins to reveal His justice on a sinful earth
That man is indeed NOT able to stand before Him.

Certainly we listen to what Jesus said about the end.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

Luke 13:22-30 “And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

There will be many people absolutely shocked at the judgment
When they see that they were not prepared to stand before Him.

THERE WILL BE MANY,
Even religious people, who preached and worked miracles,
Attended church, and volunteered for VBS who will not be accepted.

And they will be absolutely SHOCKED at the thought.

And this is what Malachi is hitting these Jews with here.

They currently live in such a way that
• God has already said He wished someone would shut the gates so that they
would no longer uselessly kindle fire on His altar.

• He has already said He was going to smear refuse on the faces of the priests
and carry them away with all the other garbage.

• He has already declared that He was weary of people who do the things that
He hates and don’t seem to care.

And yet these people still assume that they are ready for Him to come?

And even if we are talking about the first coming here,
You and I know that when He came they were not ready for Him.

John 1:10-11 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

He showed up and preached repentance and they hated Him for it.
John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.”

Or go read some of the arguments between Jesus and the Pharisees.
• Listen as they say, “We are children of Abraham” or “We are disciples of Moses” – They are so self-assured.
• And Jesus would say, “No, you are of your father the devil”

• Listen as Jesus confronts every aspect of their useless religion in Matthew 23 saying “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”
• Addressing their useless giving, they’re outward religion, they’re defiling character.

The world was shocked at His first coming
To find that they were not ready for Him.

They will be even more shocked at His second coming
To find that nothing has changed.

And I can’t help but make the obvious application to the present day religious community.

• Can we really walk in sin and tolerance of sin…
• Can we really have a half-hearted commitment to Him and His church…
• Can we really neglect Scripture reading and prayer…
• Can we really disregard the call to proclaim the gospel…
• Can we really love this present world and all its sin…

And still walk around assuming that we are ready for Him to return?

That is to be just as oblivious as the people of Malachi’s day.
They were eager for Him to come,
What they didn’t realize is that they were not prepared for it.

AND THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION FOR US TO PONDER.

AM I PREPARED?

Matthew 24:37-44 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Be alert – be ready – be sure

I know when life gets hard we want Jesus to return.
• When we don’t like the government…
• Or when we suffer in our flesh…
• We think, “Oh, I wish Jesus would just come back and put an end to all my pain
and suffering.”

Many people are ready for His return but they are not prepared for it.
Jesus said there will be “Many” who will be shocked
To find out just how unprepared they were.

It is the PROBLEM that the people of Malachi’s day OVERLOOKED
And it is the problem many overlook today.

The Presence You Seek, The Problem You Overlook
#3 THE PURIFYING YOU WILL RECEIVE
Malachi 3:2b-4

It is precisely because men are not ready to stand before Him
That we have received this first coming of Jesus.

Malachi says that “He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver”

You do understand the reason Jesus came the first time right?

He stated it over and over.
John 3:17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Luke 9:56 “for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”

Before Jesus comes to this earth as a reigning King,
He first came as the Savior of men.
He came to refine and He came to purify.

What was the first message He ever preached?
Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

He went around confronting the sin of Israel
And calling men to repentance.

WHY?
(look at our text)

(3b-4) “so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old as in former years.”

He came to address the sin of man
And to call them back to obedience and righteousness.

He came to expose the weakness of their traditional religion
And to call them to worship God from the heart.

Just go read the Sermon on the Mount and listen
As Jesus exposes their wickedness and the sin of their heart.

He raises the standard of righteousness
And calls men to repent for having fallen short of it.

THAT IS WHAT HE CAME TO DO.

Now of course we know that He also fulfilled that Law on our behalf and then imputed His righteousness to us, and we never lose sight of that.

However, I think there is something that should be understood here.

JUSTIFICATION DOES NOT NULLIFY
THE NECESSITY OF SANCTIFICATION.

We understand that Jesus justifies us before God.
• We are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus and thus declared just before God.

But this does not nullify the necessity
That we are also required to live holy lives before God.

True justification always reveals itself in sanctification.

You do understand that even those whom Jesus justified,
He still demanded holy lives from them.

John 13:8 “Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

We read from other writers in the New Testament.
Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

Certainly we love and appreciate the imputed righteousness of Christ,
But can you see that God also demands that we walk in righteousness?

Romans 6:1-4 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

If you are under some illusion
• That you trusted in Jesus
• And have now been justified
• So practical righteousness is not that important,

Then let me emphatically say that you have never been saved,
And your justification is a sham.

TRUE JUSTIFICATION ALWAYS PRODUCES TRUE SANCTIFICATION.
Jesus did come to JUSTIFY but He also came to PURIFY.

Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Ephesians 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

This is exactly what He came to do that first time He came.

And this is the reminder of Malachi to these people.
If you think He is just going to show up and pat you on the back for what a great job you’ve done, you’ve got another thing coming.

When He comes the first thing He’ll do is confront your sin
And go to work scrubbing the filth off of you.

He does that to everyone He receives.

The Presence You Seek, The Problem You Overlook, The Purifying You’ll Receive
#4 THE PUNISHMENT YOU’LL ENDURE
Malachi 3:5

And here is another powerful word.
“Then…”

First He comes to purify, but “Then I will draw near to you for judgment”

This is why He came to save and purify first.
JUDGMENT IS COMING.

And look at how He’ll separate out the sinners for judgment.

“and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts.”

Do you remember what John the Baptist announced about Jesus?

Matthew 3:11-12 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

• He will either purify you (“baptize you with the Holy Spirit”)
• Or He will destroy you (“baptize you with…fire”)

That’s what you see here as well.
• Those who do not receive His message of repentance…
• Those who do not receive His imputed righteousness…
• Those who do not submit to His washing and cleansing…

In the end, they get yanked from among His people and they get judged.

Did Jesus not preach this very thing?

Matthew 13:40-43 “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:31-33 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.”

That is exactly what Malachi is talking about.
All these people in the congregation who are:

“sorcerers” – people who bow and seek the wisdom of demons.
• It would have been rampant in those pagan marriages the people had entered.
• Today it is fortune tellers and palm readers and psychics and stuff like this.

“adulterers” – people who divorce their wife to marry those pagan women.
• Certainly we know about sex out of wedlock, but also some divorce and remarriage, or even sins of lust.

“swear falsely” – people who claim to be believers, but they lie.

“oppress the wage earner” – they cheat people to get ahead monetarily.

“oppress…the widow and the orphan” – they simply neglect and fail to care for them. The Pharisees even devoured their houses.

“turn aside the alien” – it is lack of compassion and benevolence. It is a failure to care for the poor.

“do not fear Me” – it really sums up all the previous sins. They just don’t care what God thinks.

AND HERE IS THE POINT.
It doesn’t matter if every one of these people
Were associated with the congregation.

If they were in those sins
And they refuse to repent and be cleansed by the Lord,
Then when He returned they would be judged.

Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

IT CAN’T BE CLEARER.
If that is you, you will not go to heaven.

Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

So you get the idea of what Malachi is talking about here.

We have people who think they are eager for the Lord to come,
And it is because they think He is not a God of justice.

BUT MALACHI REMINDS THEM OTHERWISE.

• He is definitely coming.
• But what you don’t realize is that you are in no way ready for Him.
• So first He will come to purify you and if you accept that purification then fine.
• But later He will come again and judge all who do not repent and it won’t be fine for them.

This church is why we talk about the necessity of REVIVAL.

While it is true that we stand in a righteousness not our own,
It is also true that we are expected to stand in that righteousness.

We have been called to receive the righteousness Christ imputes
And then to live in that righteousness.

• If we refuse, if we are indifferent
• If we disdain worship
• If we ignore God’s word
• If we tolerate sin
• If we commit sins of sorcery and adultery and deception and oppression and
greed and a failure to fear God…

If we do that, how can we say that we are ready for His coming?

1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

Indifference is not ok.
His church must be holy!

1 Peter 1:14-19 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

God expects His people to walk in holiness!
• It is a holiness that was given to us at a very high cost.
• And this means God expects it all the more.

The Presence You Seek, The Problem You Overlook, The Purifying You’ll Receive,
The Punishment You’ll Endure
#5 THE PERFECTION YOU’LL APPRECIATE
Malachi 3:6

Here God answers that question.
“Where is the God of justice?”

(6) “For I, the LORD, do not change…”

• I am still the God of justice.
• I still require justice.
• And on the day I come, you will once again be convinced of the fact.

The world may have temporarily forgotten
That God is absolutely just in judgement,
But the day is coming when we will all get a sobering reminder.

And yet, there is one more statement God makes here.
“therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”

That seems a little strange.
Sort of like God just turned a different direction.

After that statement about judgement, we would expect something like, “For I, the LORD, do not change;
Therefore you, O sons of Jacob, had better repent.”

But that’s not what He said.
He said, “therefore you…are not consumed.”

God is not only reminding them that He is just,
But that His justice is a good thing.
For it is His justice that causes Him to honor His promises
And to save a remnant from Israel.

Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

The only reason any of Israel will survive at all
Is because God made promises to Abraham, and He is just in His word.

SO WHAT WE LEARN HERE IS THAT
• Israel was treating God’s justice like a bad thing.
• Malachi reminds that it is only His justice that keeps Him from totally destroying them all.

So “Where is the God of justice?”

He is on the way.
He is coming to purify and to save.
He is coming to destroy those who do not repent.

And church have already witnessed that first coming.
The only thing we wait for is for Him to come
And separate the wicked from the righteous
And to burn up the wicked in the lake of fire.

1. Give your life to Christ,
2. Let Him impute His righteousness to you,
3. And then you walk in that righteousness.

For God has not changed.
He is still a God of justice
And one day that will become obvious to the world.