Righteous Judge- Malachi 3:1-5

Sermon Nuggets Mon Jan 30 - Righteous Judge

Verses- Mal 2:17-3: 5 You have wearied the LORD with your words.

   “How have we wearied him?” you ask.

   By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

3: ¹ “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

 ² But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.

 Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴ and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

 ⁵ “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.

The Righteous Judge

    There was a family that had some contact with the previous church I pastored, but the father was abusive; he was alcoholic. He was living a lifestyle that certainly wasn't keeping with anything biblical. He cursed; he hated preachers; he didn't have very many good things to say about the church even though he visited once or twice a year when he wife made him.

    When He had an accident I paid him a visit on him in the hospital. It was ok for me to do so, but I didn't have a lot of patience with him as he really wanted me to know how unfair God had been allowing him to have that accident. He was bitter against God for not dealing with him kindly.

"If this is the kind of God we have why should I even bother getting to know him." I had hoped that through the accident God might soften his heart. That happens a lot you know. He certainly can use circumstances in our lives to draw to himself and teach great spiritual lessons if we let Him.

     But instead of being drawn closer to God this man's accusations proved his already hard heart. As far as he could see all of his church going, maybe 5 times in 5 years were suppose to impress God and give him protection from accidents.

    I remember being very angry that he would have the audacity to accuse God of wrong doing with his life so filled with sin and selfishness, abuse and egoism. If I were God I would have punished him on the spot for I was weary with his words. I thought, but didn’t say it "What favors have you done for God lately?  Why should he be impressed with you? Give God a reason why he shouldn’t do away with you right now? "

    He didn't deserve mercy, he deserved justice.

    I wonder how God must have felt. After all it was His name that was being slandered.  Doesn't God get weary of people who expect blessing while they themselves are living selfish, ungodly lives?

      Well, Malachi tells us what God thinks.

    The theme begins in chapter 2 with God being weary of the windbags. We was worn out with all the belly-aching, and complaining from people who needed to be judged and had no business whining to God as ones who deserved his blessings. Indeed, they deserved his judgment.  They claimed God was the cause of their trouble. God was helping the unrighteous in their opinion be blessed and God was not showing justice. Their thought was, "I deserve better than this." How often do we secretly complain and think, "God I deserve better treatment than this, What are you doing up there?"

        God addresses areas that are important for each person to consider. Maybe God has something you can learn this week from Malachi.

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Tues Jan 31- Prepared

Verses- Mal 2:17-3:1 You have wearied the LORD with your words.

   “How have we wearied him?” you ask.

   By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?”

3: ¹ “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

Consider Spiritual Preparation

    The Jews were complaining that God was not being fair. In Malachi's day there was the situation where nations like Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, and later Greece were being used as part of God's discipline tool. It isn't that God is being a blessing to people that are evil but that he uses evil nations and sometimes evil people and situations to discipline his own, or to teach them or punish them until his appointed time.

     They had seen cities destroyed, they've been held captive; they believed they were God's chosen people and now they weren't being blessed. Their accusation against God was He is not a God of justice or bad things wouldn't be happening to them.

It was the custom for messengers or runners to be send to towns and villages to announce the coming of the kings and other dignitaries who would be passing by. This enabled the people to have notice so they could get ready. The preparation sometimes required the literal removal of rocks, filling holes and the cleaning of trees so the road can be made straight and smooth.

    The first response to that false accusation is God has already begun to prepare the way for his coming, like one prepares for the king. Real justice which they are asking for is on its way.  The clock is ticking for his appointed time to arrive.

    The use of the present active participle "am sending" - indicates that something is being set in motion that will keep on going without interruption until it is accomplished. It is a continuous unfailing thing that God is doing. The coming of the Lord is imminent. He is sending a messenger to prepare the way for the King's coming. Only if they want justice, justice is exactly what they are going to get.

    One called "My messenger" is being sent in advance of the coming of the Lord. Sunday I preached from Luke 3 about John the Baptist being chosen to prepare the way of the Lord. It is talked about in Malachi. John the Baptist identified himself as the voice in the wilderness.  The angel of the Lord declared to Zacharias the father of the John that his son would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. Luke 1. Jesus identified John the Baptist as the one who fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi in this verse.  Luke 7:26-28."But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes I tell you and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you: I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

   John sought to prepare the way for the Christ by calling the people to repentance. This was spiritual preparation. To change their actions and attitude was moral preparation.

   How can we be spiritually prepared for the Lord? We prepare ourselves, by letting God examine our hearts and our motive, or jealousies, and bitterness, our actions, and our attitudes, and like the Psalmist prayer, "Search me, O God, and see if there be any wicked way in me." Being prepared is desirous of holiness and confession of sin.

   How could the people of Malachai day be prepared? By right worship, not going through the motions, by giving to God their best, not the least, or the last, or the cast always, by having the religious leaders review their part in preparing the people by speaking the truth and calling them to an awesome and great God.

      We come desirous to have our roads prepared by having the stones and rocks of sin and self removed so the King can have his perfect way within your heart.

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Weds Feb 1

Verse Mal 3:2-3a

 ² But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.

Consider Spiritual Purification

    Just as John helped call people to repentance and forgiveness of sins, he was doing so in order that the people would let Jesus control their wills and their ways. For now the purifier for sins came. It wasn't through John's ministry whereby they had forgiveness; Forgiveness was possible because of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth the first time to redeem mankind for God. He was to suffer for sins, whereby the penalty can be paid. The cross is the means of purification. It was the means by meeting the just and righteous requirement for holiness.

    How can unholy people come to a most holy God? Only by having the death for their sins occur. We must die to ourselves and by faith give our hearts and our wills over to the Savior. The only one righteous to take our place was the son of God. This message is told in the Old Testaments words of Malachi in this way.

    When justice comes it comes in two ways. Making right the wrong, and correcting, or punishing the offender. The people saw the day of the Lord as a time of prosperity and deliverance from oppression and from their enemies.  Yet God said when he comes to purify the land no one could be able to stand.

      If God was to judge those who are evil and harmful and unjust we would all suffer for He judges purity differently than we do. If he caused all tongues to stop of people have sinned with their mouths this room would be silent for I couldn't talk, nor could you. If he caused strokes to occur to all whose minds were impure, we all would be victims of such an act. But God's judgment for sin is even more sobering. It is eternal separation from God in Heaven. It is the judgment of hell. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

    But Malachi saw God's purpose to clean and purity rather than destroy so he uses the figures of gold, silver and soap. The refiner’s fire is a means to heat up the impurities so as to cause them to burn out and leave the pure unadulterated gold and metals.

    When the Lord came it was to reveal the impurity and helplessness of all who are brought into his presence. It is to make us pure by the blood of Jesus Christ. It was the act of the atonement that brings to us forgiveness to all who come in true repentance. Jesus purpose for his first coming was our salvation that we might be made right with God.

   Zechariah says, "And I will put this third into the fire and refine them as one refines silver, an test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are my people' and they will say, "The Lord is my God." 13:9.

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Thurs Feb 2 Righteous offerings

Verse Malachi 3:3b-4 Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴ and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

Consider Righteous Offerings

      After going through the refiners fire, after having clothing cleaned by a launderer, what is the outcome? Purity? Cleansing? Usable again.

      What Malachi presented was the way in which God was going to purify his people through fire. It is in testings and trials and sufferings when our faith is made strong, or we give up on God. As one person said, “This is enough to make me lose my faith.” To which his friend responded, “This should be enough to make you use your faith.”

      You and I resist being crushed, and sifted; we want to run from the fire. We ask God to change our circumstances, "God it hurts; the fire burns take it away!" In God’s wisdom adversity and painful circumstances fulfill His divine purpose in our lives.
       Brokenness and humility enable God to remove the impurity of sin from our lives. God refines us like silver so the world can see the image of Jesus in us. God’s purpose is to cleanse our lives of sin; to purify our hearts so His holiness and glory can be seen through our lives. God’s goal is to make us like Jesus.
       Humility opens the door for God’s grace to forgive us of our sin. Humility further enables us to accept God’s purpose in our lives to reflect Him to the world. You may not realize it - but God has a plan for you. He wants you to become just like Jesus. God has a purpose for us. He wants us to be holy. He wants us to be pure. He wants us to be Christ-like.

      We are purified by the blood Jesus shed on the cross; we are purified by the Holy Spirit; and we are purified by the Word of God - the bible. The Scriptures says, “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10 NIV. And “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Ephesians 1:4 NIV

     Think of it this way. You wouldn’t spend money to get your favorite suit or dress or shirt dry-cleaned if you didn’t plan on wearing it. In the same Jesus doesn’t just purify us so that heaven can be ours; he’s purified us so that we can serve God.  

      Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” That is what is means to be a righteous offering. We are now presentable to God when sin is forgiven and we have humbly responded to being His servant, His disciple. He is the potter and we are the clay. All we are and have belongs to Him. Then comes the joy of the filling of the Spirit and the blessings to God and others.

      Someone wrote” We are being made to be like Jesus, to reflect His glory and holiness with greater clarity and distinction. In everything we do, from the big issues of life to the mundane everyday routine, we reflect Jesus.
  Being in a hurry gives way to patience.
  Procrastination becomes perseverance.
  Harsh words have the edges cut off and are gentle.
  Bitterness and resentment turn into forgiveness.
  Envy and covetousness becomes contentment.
  Boastfulness and conceit learn humility.
  The clenched hand of stingy selfishness opens with generosity.
  An angry short fuse is replaced with self-control.
  Deception and half-truths melt away and are replaced with honesty and integrity.
  Doubt and fear are transformed into faith and confidence.

      God wanted His people to serve faithfully in the work that he had already given to them. For the priests this meant that they should take their duties seriously and look at it as a privilege, not a burden. For you it may mean to serve God by being a faithful father and husband. Love your wife unconditionally and lead your household as God wants you to lead, with gentleness and patience. If you are a wife and a mother, serve your husband and family faithfully as if you were serving God himself. If God has made you a student, apply yourself diligently to your studies. Don’t put homework off, or do it to get done as quickly as you can, instead do it to the best of your ability and when God blesses your work give him credit for your success.
      Of course there are other ways in which we can serve our God. In the book of Malachi God says that we can serve him by bringing him the best of our income. Unfortunately the Israelites during Malachi’s time were bringing anything but their best. They were sacrificing animals that were sick and diseased and not worth selling on the market any way. That hardly showed devotion and respect to the King of Kings! In fact you remember in chapter 1 God dared them to bring that same gift to their governor in Jerusalem.
      How are we doing in our giving? Are we giving the King of Kings the best of our income, or whatever we can afford to part with? Giving God our best is a way for us to show that he truly has captured our heart and remains number one in our life, so that you could serve him with your whole life, including your treasures. 

Pastor Dale

Sermon Nuggets Fri Feb 3 Judgment

Verse Mal 3:5 ⁵ “So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.

Consider Spiritual Judgment

   Hope for those who have been purified by the works of Christ are now offerings of delight to the Lord. We serve Him and are blessed in doing so. But there is another side to the picture. For those who go their own way, to other idols and gods, will be judged for their sins. For those who go through motions, but hearts are far from Him there is warning.

    The New Testament talks about another Day of the Lord, when the righteous one comes as king, and not the savior, to judge the world not to redeem it. The day of the offer of Salvation will be over. Now is the time for salvation, now is the time for confession and now is the time to devote yourselves to the things of God for when Christ returns it will be too late.  There is no way to escape the judgment. 

Revelations is clear that the coming of the Lord will be to redeem and to judge. There will be a place in the presence of God and a place separated for eternity from God. There will be ultimate reward and punishment. There will be heaven and hell.

    God has given to us a warning. Why do we harden our hearts against Him? What do we continue in sin as adulterers, liars, cheats, abusing the poor, ignoring the needy, and do not make God Lord of their lives?

    We are used to the courts of law that are imperfect, where many do not believe they will ever get caught. We like to think we are smart and can outsmart God. Indeed, there are some that think there will be some celestial loop-hole and they will somehow squeak on in. Or they are blinded by their own doctrine that everyone will someday make it to heaven. That is not the teachings of the Bible. As much as we might not like the truth- truth does not change based on our approval.

   Perhaps we live too long in a democracy where we think the will of the people ultimately prevail and the vote will be against God and in favor of salvation for all sinners. We are responsible to God for telling people of God's love in Christ and the good news there is a way of salvation. However, if they turn their back, are not interested, if the pressures of their friends, or fear of laughter, or rejection by significant others gets in the way of the place of God, God's word say there is judgment from which we cannot run and hid and get away.

    According to a Gallup Poll over 70% of Americans agree with this statement- "There are few moral absolutes: what is right or wrong usually varies from situation to situation." Yet most of them said they were religious and the Bible was important to them. What we say and what we do are two different things.

      Have we so insulated ourselves with the quality of the love of God that we forget holy love also brings about ultimate judgment and some day the warnings will stop and justice and judgment prevail. I fear many are not prepared. Many do not take this word seriously. Many are lost and many are living for the comforts of this world and ignore the fact it will quickly be gone. This is not just the day for salvation, it is also the day for confession, repentance, and renewed zeal for God and His ways.

       Fear of the Lord is understood as godly awe and wonder. It relates to reverence for God. When one is no longer concerned about God then he is liable to become the victim of all kinds of evil passions and lusts. Neglect and defiance of the will of the Lord always have met with chastisement and disaster.

   Malachi preaches because God wants people to turn. And the good news is "All who come unto me I will in no wise cast out." says Jesus.

Pastor Dale