Download here

The Effect of Christmas
Various Scriptures
December 25, 2022

This morning as we gather together on Christmas morning
There is not a main text that we are going to study.

Instead what I want to do this morning is
Apply the reality of Christmas
To what we’ve been studying for this entire past year.

THIS PAST YEAR on Sunday morning
We’ve studied through 2 books in the Bible.

We’ve studied 1 John and we’ve studied Malachi.

And not to rehash either of those books,
I do want to layout that each of those books dealt with
THE ISSUE OF READINESS regarding the arrival of the Messiah.

Malachi spoke about readiness regarding the FIRST COMING
John spoke of readiness regarding the SECOND.

We remember:
Malachi 3:1-2 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.”

And we remember:
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.”

1 John 4:17 “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”

• MALACHI spoke to a group of indifferent religious people to show them that they were not ready for the coming King.
• JOHN spoke to a group of genuine believers in order to show them how to have confidence before the coming King.

And in both instances the answer is actually the same.
HOLINESS

It is holiness that prepares you for the coming of the King.

• That is why Elijah (John the Baptist) came…
• That is why Elijah will come again…
• That is what Malachi and John both wanted from their audience…
• HOLINESS IS THE KEY TO READINESS

And THIS MORNING I want to take that one more step
As we talk about the realities of Christmas.

WHAT DOES HOLINESS HAVE TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS?

There are a lot of sentiments
That are elevated during the Christmas season.
• We talk of love and joy
• We talk of peace and good will toward men.
• We see generosity and giving and fellowship.

What I want you to understand this morning is that
When a person truly understands the point of Christmas
The purest and most genuine effect on their lives will be holiness.

If our understanding of Christmas does not produce holiness
Then perhaps we’re not understanding
Exactly what God has done and what God will do.

SO LET’S DISCUSS A LITTLE HERE…

I want to consider the two main focuses of Christmas.
#1 WHAT WE CELEBRATE

Clearly Christmas is a celebration.
We’re not even going to get into the corruption of Christmas
That takes place among a pagan culture.

But for the Church…
For believers…
Christmas is a celebration.

That we agree on, it’s why you are here this morning

WHAT ARE WE CELEBRATING?

Let’s just simplify it.
• At it’s core it is “God with Us”
• At it’s core it is “Emmanuel”

That God the Son left the glories of Heaven to be clothed in human flesh
That He might come and save His people from their sins.

WE CELEBRATE THAT.

But we can get even more specific.
1) HE FULFILLED THE LAW

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

We are dealing with HUMANITY
That HAS BEEN CONDEMNED by the Law of God.

The Law represents God’s holy expectation for humanity.
And ALL HUMANITY IS RESPONSIBLE to it.

Some may argue that only Israel was under the Law, but that’s not true.
For Paul makes it clear in Romans 2 that
God wrote His Law on the conscience of every man.

The Jews just had less excuse for breaking it because God spelled it out for them.

But ALL humanity is under the righteous expectation of God.
And all humanity will be judged
By their failure to live up to the righteous expectation of God.

And humanity has failed miserably.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

• We could continue on about how there is none righteous not even one
• Or how death spread to all men because all sinned.
• But you get the idea.
• All mankind had fallen short of God’s righteous expectation.

SO God sent His Son, “born under the Law”
He was circumcised at 8 days old.

In Hebrews 10 we learn:
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.’”

So Jesus came as a human, born under the Law
So that He might fulfill the Law of God.

• This is why we love the story of His temptation and how He resisted every
one.
• This is why we love that twice from Heaven God spoke that He was “well-
pleased” in Jesus.

Jesus came to accomplish what we could not accomplish.
He came to live a human life that was pleasing to God.
And then to IMPUTE that righteousness He earned to our account.

That is a tremendous reason to celebrate at Christmas.

He came to fulfill the obligation that we had failed to fulfill.

2) HE ATONED FOR SIN

Philippians 2:6-8 “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. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

When He came to this earth,
• It was NOT to show off.
• NOR was it to only be some sort of righteous example.

He came to fulfill the righteous obligation we had failed to fulfill Then He came to endure the punishment that we had earned.

On one hand was a command left UNDONE.
On the other hand was disobedience left UNPUNISHED.

Christ checked both boxes.
• He came for the purpose of the cross.
• He came to bear the full wrath of God.
• He came to endure our shame and sin and scorn and suffering.
• He came to stand in our place.

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

And how could we not celebrate that?

How could we not celebrate One who would come to this earth
To take the punishment that we deserved?

It is easy to celebrate His atoning death.

3) HE CONQUERED DEATH

Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

Because we had sinned, we earned the wages of sin, which is death.
And from the time of Adam, mankind had no answer for death.
Man lived in absolute fear of the reality.

But Jesus came and FACED death.
Jesus came and TASTED death.
Jesus came and DESTROYED death.

After His death on the cross He rose from the grave
And made that promise that “because I live, you will live also”.

HE CONQUERED DEATH
• We love the story of the resurrection.
• We love Matthew 28 and how Pilate tried to seal and secure that tomb.
• But nothing could stop the sinless Son of God, not even death.

He came to die so He could defeat our enemy.

HOW COULD WE NOT CELEBRATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

1. WE HAD a Law that condemned us…
2. WE HAD sin that enslaved us…
3. WE HAD death that tormented us…

And Jesus came to conquer them all.

• He was born a human…
• He was born under the Law…
• He faced death…
• He conquered the grave…

All to fulfill what was spoken about Him by the angel to Joseph.

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

• He gives us His righteousness.
• He receives our punishment.
• He defeats our enemy.

Christmas is certainly a time of celebration.

What we celebrate at Christmas is salvation.

Without His first coming there is no salvation.
• We are condemned by the Law.
• We are enslaved in our sin.
• We are doomed to eternal death.

But at His first coming He fixed all of that.
WE CELEBRATE SALVATION!

#2 WHAT WE ANTICIPATE

Christmas is not just a celebration, if you look at it correctly,
IT IS ALSO A TIME OF ANTICIPATION.

For all those promises that were made about the coming King…
They were only PARTIALLY FULFILLED at His first coming.

We think of the famous Isaiah 9:
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.”

• While it is true that Galilee saw a great light…
• While it is true that a Child was born to us…
• Most of that promise is STILL TO COME.

We are still waiting for the global peace.
We are still waiting for Him to reign on David’s throne.

Even the songs we sing like “Joy to the World”
Are more about the second coming than the first.
• “Joy to the word the Savior reigns”
• “No more let sins or sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground”

Those are promises yet to be fulfilled.
We are waiting for that day.

So while Christmas is about celebrating salvation.
It is also about anticipating salvation.

WE ANTICIPATE SALVATION
(the fullness of salvation from sin)

Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”

Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

WHAT KIND OF SALVATION?
1) We are still waiting for Him to come and REDEEM THIS CREATION.

Romans 8:19 “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.”

All creation groans under the curse of sin
And it waits eagerly for the Redeemer to come and reverse the curse.

2) We are still waiting for Him to come and REMOVE SINNERS.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 “…the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.”

• Our world suffers under the weight of sinful men.
• We mourn the wickedness that is rampant and spreads
• And we long for the day when the King will return and remove the tares from among the wheat.

3) We are still waiting for Him to come and RESCUE HIS OWN.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”

• After the tares are removed then the righteous will shine like the sun.
• We are waiting for our ultimate deliverance from the Satan devil who longs to steal, kill, and destroy.

4) We are still waiting for Him to come and REIGN UPON THE EARTH

We want to see that child on David’s throne.
We want to see that kingdom physically manifest on the earth.

And while we celebrate what Christ did in His first coming,
We cannot help but anticipate what He will do at His second.

TURN TO: REVELATION 19:11-20:6

For we are certain that if Jesus had not come 2,000 years ago as a baby
Then we would not be saved.

But we also understand that
If He does not come again then we still cannot be saved.

This is why John is weeping in Revelation 5
When no one is found who can open that scroll.

WE STILL WAIT FOR SALVATION.
Total – final – eternal – complete salvation!

SO WE CELEBRATE AND WE ANTICIPATE

But back to the question that we started with.
WHAT DOES HOLINESS HAVE TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS?

Do you want to know what it looks like to truly celebrate Christmas?
IT IS HOLY LIVING.

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO CELEBRATE the fact that
Jesus came to this earth and fulfilled the Law
And bore your sin and conquered the grave
THEN WALK IN THE HOLINESS THAT HE PURCHASED.

DO YOU NOT EXPECT PEOPLE TO USE THE GIFTS YOU BUY THEM FOR CHRISTMAS?

• Jesus came to produce righteousness for you and to impart that righteousness to you.
• He came to remove the wrath that dwelled upon your head and bring you near to His righteous Father.
• He came to remove the penalty of sin which is death and to grant you eternal life where you can dwell in the presence of His holy Father for all eternity.

His gift to you is HOLINESS
Do you really want to celebrate Christmas? THEN USE IT

Romans 8:1-4 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

If you truly want to celebrate what Christ did for you
Then walk in holiness.

BUT WHAT ABOUT ANTICIPATION?

If you really anticipate that
Jesus Christ will return and judge sinners
and reward the righteous
Then your most fitting response is again obvious.
IT IS STILL HOLINESS

Isaiah 35:4-10 “Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

When Jesus returns He will set up “the Highway of Holiness”
And only the holy will walk upon it.

ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THAT?

The best and most pure way to celebrate Christmas
Is by living the holy life Christ purchased for you.

The best and most pure way to anticipate Christmas
Is by living the holy life that Christ expects from you when He returns.

Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

We’ve spent a year talking about how true believers live
And what it means to be ready for the coming of the King.

If you are truly grateful and if you truly believe He will return.
THEN WALK IN HOLINESS.

HE DESERVES IT for what He did when He first came
HE DEMANDS IT based on what He will do when He comes again.

Holiness is the ultimate effect Christmas should have on your life.
If it produces something else,
Then perhaps you’re missing the point.

Download here

The Final Warning of Malachi
Malachi 4:1-6
December 18, 2022

This morning we come to the conclusion
Of our study of the book of Malachi.

Here we have a people
• Who have been back in the land after the exile for over 100 years.
• Zerubbabel’s temple has been completed for over 90 years.
• And the people are simply waiting for the LORD to return to His temple
• And for their Messiah King to arrive.

But there was a problem with their expectation.
THEY WERE NOT FIT FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING.

Malachi 3:1-3 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “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, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.”

These were a people who longed for the coming of the King,
But they failed to recognize how displeasing they were to God.

The sin of the day has been categorized as INDIFFERENCE
(They just didn’t care what God thought)

• They dishonored God by bringing the lame and cripple for sacrifice.
• They ignored God’s word and neglected to enforce it.
• They were treacherous covenant breakers, divorcing the wives of their youth.
• They sinned against their brothers by bringing their pagan wives to worship.
• They ignored the tithe and robbed God of what He was due.

And as we saw LAST WEEK they accused God of being unjust
And One who wouldn’t do anything about it.

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?”

Malachi 3:14-15 “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.’”

They just didn’t care what God thought
And they were not worried about Him ever punishing them for it.

It was total and absolute indifference.
We’ve made several applications to our day and to the 21st Century church in America.

However, LAST WEEK we saw a RAY OF HOPE shine through.

We discovered that while the majority lived in indifference toward the things of God there was still a righteous remnant.

Malachi 3:16 “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and 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.”

• There were a handful who didn’t share the apathy of the majority.
• There were a few who still feared God.
• There were a few who still esteemed God’s name.
• Men like Ezra and Nehemiah and Malachi.

And the LORD wrote their names down in a book
And promised to spare them from the coming judgment.

Well in our text THIS MORNING
God gets more specific about this day of judgment that is coming.

And it is a reminder to all, but especially those in the church
That one day the LORD will return
And when He comes every mask will come off.

• We may play the game today…
• We may fool one another today…
• We may soothe our sinful souls with a little religious involvement…

But the LORD knows who are His.
Jesus spent His entire ministry exposing religious hypocrites.

And there is coming a day when the LORD will return
And all those who are indifferent or stagnant in spirit will not survive.

We must take heed to such a warning
And make sure that if nothing else, we are real!

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”

2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”

With that in mind, let’s examine this final warning of Malachi.

4 points this morning.
#1 THE COMING DOOM
Malachi 4:1

In the final verses of chapter 3 the LORD promised
To spare those who feared Him and who esteemed His name.

One might be tempted to ask: SPARE THEM FROM WHAT?

Well here is the answer.
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”

The simple answer is that God will spare those who fear Him
From the coming day of His judgment.

Despite the musings of the world…
Despite the confident assertions of the wicked…
THERE IS A DAY OF RECKONING COMING.

“the day is coming”

And it is a day described as “burning like a furnace”

Very early on in the course of human history
God promised that He would never again destroy the world with water.

He will keep that promise.
The next time He will destroy it with fire.

Isaiah 66:15-17 “For behold, the LORD will come in fire And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh, And those slain by the LORD will be many. “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, Following one in the center, Who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things and mice, Will come to an end altogether,” declares the LORD.”

Zephaniah 1:14-18 “Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the LORD; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD’S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.”

God has always been merciful…
God has always been patient with sinful man…

But do not let His patience or mercy or kindness
Lull you into the belief that He has chosen to forsake justice.

HE HAS NOT.
Romans 2:4-6 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”

Yes God is merciful and patient and kind.
But you should understand that all of those things
Are for the purpose of giving you time to repent.

The Day of the LORD is coming.

It will be a day “burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff.”

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.”

There will be no arrogant who escape.
No evildoer will slip through the judgment.
God will destroy them totally.

In fact Malachi reveals that this day of judgment “will leave them neither root nor branch.”

That is to say, they will never return.
IT IS TOTAL ERADICATION.

You may pull goat heads out of your yard, but if you leave that root,
Or you leave one of those tentacles they are coming back.

God’s judgment will be far more thorough.
He will destroy every part of every single one of the wicked.

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!’

THAT DAY IS COMING.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.”

2 Thessalonians 1:7b-10 “when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power”

Matthew 13:40 “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.”

Matthew 13:49-50 “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 25:41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”

IT IS COMING.

• The Lord knows those who are His.
• He knows those who fear Him.
• He knows those who are indifferent.
• He will separate them out and He will burn the wicked with fire.

There is a coming doom.
#2 THE COMING DAWN
Malachi 4:2-3

The doom is real.
“But…”

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.”

The coming doom is NOT universal.
There will be those who are spared.

Just as we saw LAST WEEK, God will spare “you who fear My name”
• Those who are NOT INDIFFERENT…
• Those who walk in the FEAR of the LORD…
• Those who think too highly of God to bring a broken sacrifice…
• Those who think too highly of God to neglect His word…
• Those who fear God too much to deal treacherously with their wife or brother…
• Those who fear God too much to steal the tithe from Him…
• Those who fear God too much to accuse Him of being a corrupt Judge…

For them judgment will not come.

INSTEAD THEY WILL RECEIVE:

RIGHTEOUSNESS
“the sun of righteousness will rise”

Jesus said:
Matthew 13:41-43 “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.”

• They will receive a righteous world without corruption.
• They will receive a holy society that fears the LORD.
• They will enjoy a sanctified culture where truth is the standard of the land.

HEALING
“with healing in its wings”

Every miracle Jesus worked was not only a testimony to His deity,
But was ALSO A FORESHADOW of what is to come.

The curse will be reversed and when sin leaves
So will its terrible consequences.
Sorrow and sighing and sickness will be no more.

JOY
“you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall”

I believe the word is “giddy”

Psalms 96:11-13 “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy Before the LORD, for He is coming, For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness.”

When sin is gone and sickness goes with it.
And we inherit a righteous earth that has been purified by fire.
We will rejoice in this wonderful new creation.

VICTORY
“You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.”

WHAT A REVERSAL!
• No more will the wicked reign.
• No more will we suffer under the choices of sinful men.

We won’t need foster homes anymore because evil parents will be gone.

And we will finally have the world that we lost in Eden.

That day of doom is coming,
But the next day will be a new dawn for the righteous.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

The coming day of the LORD is terrible for the wicked
But it will be a glorious day for the righteous.

AND THE LORD KNOWS WHO IS WHO.
The LORD knows who the indifferent are
And He knows who are those who fear Him and esteem His name.

And just as sure as He will put the goats on His left and consign them to the fires of hell,
He will also put the sheep on His right and welcome them into the glory of His Father.

All of this is the Day of the LORD.

The Coming Doom, The Coming Dawn
#3 THE COMING DECISION
Malachi 4:4

When Peter spoke of the coming day of the Lord he said it like this.

2 Peter 3:10-12 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!”

IT IS A FITTING QUESTION.
• Since God is going to burn up this world in judgment and destroy the wicked.
• And since God is going to reward the righteous.
• “What sort of people ought you to be..?”

Don’t be phony people.
Don’t be fake people.
Don’t be indifferent people.

Malachi tells you the same.
BE OBEDIENT PEOPLE.

“Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.”

What a great passage to speak of the authority of the Bible.

• We often call it the law of Moses
• But God reminds here that Moses was “My servant”
• The Bible isn’t the word of Moses, it is the word of God.
• God used Moses to give it to you.

And it WASN’T OPTIONAL, it was “commanded”
And it ISN’T FOR A SELECT FEW, it was “for all Israel”

The obvious point here is this.

Since God is going to destroy the wicked with fire – DON’T BE WICKED
You obey God.

Do you remember when Jesus speaks about those people who are shocked that they are being judged?

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.’”

They practiced “lawlessness”
It didn’t matter about their supposed preaching and miracles and exorcisms.

They were not obedient and they ended up being judged.

God is not looking for involved people.
• He is looking for obedient people.
• He is looking for those who fear and esteem Him.
• He is looking for those who seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

DON’T BE THOSE PEOPLE.

And that is the warning here.
SNAP OUT OF IT!

You cannot just sit on the fence about this.
You either have to be all in or you are all out.

You cannot treat Jesus like a weekend gig if nothing better is going on.
He is either your life or His is not.
You are either devoted to Him or you are not.

And when HE RETURNS He will make a very DISTINCT SEPARATION
Between those who obey Him and those who do not.

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

He can divide between soul and spirit; joints and marrow…

There may be a many things in this life that you can be nonchalant about,
But obedience to God cannot be one of them.

You must choose to serve and obey Him with all your heart.

Our culture seems to think that casual Christianity is a thing.
IT IS NOT!
• Jesus is not an amendment…
• Jesus is not a postscript…
• Jesus is not an optional upgrade…

HE IS EVERYTHING
And if He is not your everything you must repent and run to Him.

That is the decision that every man must make.
And you must make it before the day arrives.

The Coming Doom, The Coming Dawn, The Coming Decision
#4 THE COMING DIPLOMAT
Malachi 4:5-6

Alright, here is the tricky part of the text.

• Because God knows that His people are indifferent…
• Because God knows that even though they think they’re ready they are not…
• Because God knows they are saturated with apathy…

GOD HAS A PLAN.

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.”

Before that day of judgment comes, I’m going to send you a prophet.

What is obviously meant is that I am sending one “like” Elijah or with the spirit of Elijah.

Before I come and destroy the wicked
I will first send prophet who will confront you and expose you
And get you ready for that day.

(6) “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers…”

That’s a sort of cryptic statement.
But the implication seems to be that
He will RESTORE A RIGHTEOUS PRIORITY in the culture.

• He will restore fathers who care about being the right kind of fathers who train up their children in righteousness and the fear of the LORD.
• And he will restore obedient children who listen to the instruction of their fathers and walk in truth.

He will come and restore a holy and righteous culture in the land.

I think we understand that in a culture like ours
Where we see so little of Godly fathers or Godly children.

This Elijah will come to confront the culture
And reenforce a righteous standard.

“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.”

He is coming first, and he will LEAD YOU TO REVIVAL
So that when I come, you won’t fall under the day of wrath.

• He will come to lead a “Heart Restoration” effort.
• He will bring about revival.
• He will turn you from your sin.
• And as a result He will save you from the coming judgment.

And so the implication obviously is that
• You need to walk in obedience so that you are not judged
• And when Elijah shows up you had better do everything that he says so that
you don’t end up being destroyed.

THAT MAKES SENSE TO US DOESN’T IT?

It’s the SAME THING we saw back in chapter 3.
Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.”

It is what we read about in ISAIAH:
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.”

There is one coming whom you had better listen to
Because he will save you from the coming judgment.
THAT MAKES SENSE.

BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM HERE THAT WE MUST ADDRESS.

Malachi clearly says that Elijah is coming.
• And “He WILL restore…”
• And as a result of His ministry “I WILL NOT…smite the land with a curse”

There are many who will obviously say that
This Elijah that Malachi refers to is John the Baptist.

If that is so we have a problem.
What is the problem?
He didn’t do what Malachi said he would do.
• He didn’t restore the hearts of men.
• He didn’t save the land from the curse.

Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”

That is actually the opposite of what Malachi promised.

Matthew 17:12 “but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”

Instead of listening to John the Baptist, they killed him.
Instead their hearts restored, their hearts became even more evil.

And so what many commentators have decided
Is that Malachi 4:5-6 CANNOT be talking about John the Baptist.

(Maybe Malachi 3 is talking about him, but Malachi 4:5-6 can’t be)

And they say it is a reference to a YET FUTURE PROPHET
Who will come in the spirit of Elijah before the second coming of the Lord.

AFTER ALL,
John said he wasn’t Elijah.
John 1:19-23 “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

And Jesus said that Elijah was still coming.
Matthew 17:11 “And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things;”

And so it SEEMS as though we have our answer.
• That Malachi 4:5-6 is NOT TALKING ABOUT John the Baptist,
• It IS TALKING ABOUT a yet future Elijah who will come to preach repentance to the people and prepare them for the second coming of the Lord.

Many like to settle on one of those 2 witnesses you read about in Revelation 11.
Those witnesses who can produce plagues and call down fire on men who resist them.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE OUR ANSWER.

HOWEVER…
JESUS SAYS THAT JOHN IS THE ELIJAH.
Matthew 17:12-13 “but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.”

Matthew 11:14 “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.”

And even when John’s birth was announced
Look at the passage that was quoted specifically about him.

Luke 1:13-18 “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

So we are right back to our problem.
• We have Jesus and Zacharias clearly stating that John is in fact the one Malachi promised,
• But it is clear that John did not fulfill all that was promised by Malachi.

SO WHAT GIVES?

Was John the Baptist the promised Elijah? Yes, Jesus said he was.
Did he restore as promised? No, they ignored and killed him.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
It means that Malachi’s warning fell on DEAF EARS.

When Jesus asked the crowds about John
• He pointed out that John was no soft spoken prophet.
• Jesus revealed that John was the promised Elijah.

Matthew 11:14-19 “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear. “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Did you catch what Jesus said after He revealed John as the Elijah?
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

THEY DIDN’T.
Instead they rejected John just as the rejected the Messiah.

If you go on reading in that same passage:
Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

They didn’t listen to the Elijah like Malachi told them to
And the result will be judgment.

BUT HERE IS WHERE THE STORY TAKES THE UNEXPECTED TURN.

From Malachi’s perspective, when these people rejected John,
They should have immediately received the full fury of God’s judgment.

THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN CRUSHED ON THE SPOT.

BUT INSTEAD
• Of receiving on that day the full judgment of the Day of the LORD,
• In a shocking twist, God instead poured out His wrath on His Son.

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

We see this Day of the LORD wrath poured squarely upon Christ.

Matthew 27:45-50 “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”

That “darkness” was the Day of the LORD judgment.
AND CHRIST BORE IT ALL.

IT IS THE VERY GOSPEL WHICH WE LOVE.
• That God treats Christ like He lived the sinners life
• So that He can treat the sinner like he lived Christ’s life.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

It is the reprieve of the ages!

Now, to be certain ISRAEL HAS SUFFERED for her rejection.
• Go read Romans 9-11 and see how she has been hardened and broken off
• And how Gentiles have been grafted in for salvation.

But also read how God will not break His promises to Israel
And one day He will call them home.

See, ELIJAH DID COME just as Malachi said. It was John the Baptist.

But Jesus also said Elijah was still coming.
Matthew 17:11 “And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things;”

The Day of the LORD is still coming.
God will still judge sinners.

But the glory of our great God is that before His day of wrath came,
He first sent a day of salvation.

Now through Christ we can escape this great day of coming judgment.
(Even those who have failed to fully obey the Law of Moses find righteousness in Him)

But those who come to Him must truly come to Him.
• You cannot come in indifference.
• You cannot follow half-hearted.
• You must be His and His alone.

For He came once to save, but He will come a second time for judgment.
• He will gather up the wheat and burn the chaff just as He said.
• He will gather the sheep and destroy the goats just as He said.
• He will gather the good fish and throw out the bad fish just as He said.

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.”

YOU BE READY.
• Quit serving Christ half-heartedly.
• Give Him your whole heart and serve Him totally!

For the day is coming when all those who are not truly His will perish.

Download here

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.

download here

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.”

Download here

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.