Longing for God’s healing intervention 2

Malachi chapter 3 starts from verse 16.

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another.

The Lord paid attention and heard them,

and the book of remembrance was written before him

of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.

They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts.

In the day when I made up my precious possession,

and I will spare them as a man,

and spare his son who served him,

then once more you shall see the distinction

between the righteous and the wicked,

between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

For behold, the day is coming,

burning like an oven,

when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.

The day that is coming shall set them ablaze,

says the Lord of hosts,

so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

But for you who fear my name,

the son of righteousness,

shall rise with healing in his wings.

You shall go out,

leaping like calves from the store,

and you shall tread down the wicked,

for there will be ashes under soles of your feet.

On the day when I act,

says the Lord of hosts,

remember the Lord of my servant Moses,

the statues and rules that I commanded him

at Horeb for all Israel.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet

before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes,

and he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children

and the hearts of children to their fathers,

lest I come and stride the land

with the decree of utter destruction.

This is the word of the Lord.

Well, good morning everyone.

Question to get you all thinking this morning.

Is judgment negative or positive?

Both.

It always has to be...

Well, yeah, okay, that's both.

All right.

Our society, I think you're right,

our society almost invariably sees judgment as negative.

I think that's why, you know,

the common protest of society these days

is don't judge me.

That assumes that any sort of criticism

or challenge is negative

because it's a restriction of personal freedom,

a restriction of the right to pursue happiness

as people see it.

But imagine this.

Imagine you're a parent

and you're walking down the road

and your child starts to bolt across a busy road

into oncoming traffic.

And you just lean forward

and you yank that child roughly back,

yelling at them,

don't ever do that again,

it's so dangerous.

Your child might well think

that judgment was rather negative.

But from your perspective,

it was actually positive.

It was life-saving.

So yes,

judgment very much depends on the intent

and the context

in which it occurs.

And that's a really important perspective

to bring into Malachi.

The end of Malachi's prophecy,

particularly,

because judgment is dominant.

But it's also the end of the Old Testament

where judgment is dominant.

If you look at chapter 4, verse 6,

that very last phrase,

lest I come and strike the land

with a curse

or with a decree of utter destruction.

Now that seems like somewhat of a rather

negative statement

to end up the whole of the Old Testament,

end up this prophesy of Malachi.

Malachi.

Effectively, this is God's last word

until we hear from the Gospels

when Jesus comes into the world.

Yet simultaneously,

Malachi

measures on the theme of hope.

So if you look at chapter 4, verse 4,

there's another decree

that the Lord urges his people to remember.

And that is,

and it doesn't come out in the English version,

but it's remember the decree

of my servant Moses,

the decrees that I commanded him at Horeb.

Sorry, it should have been

remember the law of my servant Moses,

the decrees that I commanded him at Horeb,

or Sinai,

for all Israel.

And if you go back to that decree,

that was the Ten Commandments.

That's loosely what this refers to.

And the Ten Commandments were that

which were born out of God saying,

I have now entered into a relationship with you.

I will be your God

and you will be my people.

And this is what our relationship

will be framed by.

And this is what it will look like.

This is what the good life

under my love and under my rule

will look like.

So side by side

with judgment and curse

is hope.

Judgment and hope.

So we need to think of judgment and hope

like conjoined twins.

God's judgment promises

both destruction

to those who continue to rebel.

And we'll see a bit more of that

from chapter 3 verse 18.

Or chapter 4 verse 1 rather.

Promises destruction

for those who continue to rebel

and healing, renewal

to those who esteem

and honour his name.

Both happen simultaneously.

One event,

two very different outcomes.

Malachi, therefore,

may be the end of the Old Testament

but certainly not the end

of God's story of salvation.

We find, we get to the end of Malachi,

that there has to be a sequel.

There's more of the story to come

where judgment and hope

will move to a final climax

as the Lord judges sin

and heals his people

and renews them to worship him

as he deserves.

So the question I want to take

with us into the text now

is why does hope

need to be there so buoyantly,

so much in your face

as we finish up with this

threat of curse?

Well, the answer is because

God's healing,

God's healing intervention

is so desperately needed.

So right through,

over four weeks now,

we've seen what's happening here

in Malachi.

The Lord, through Malachi,

is forcing his people

to recognise

the awful state

of their relationship.

It was a relationship

in name only, really,

as far as the people

were concerned.

And the Lord's forcing them

to see how empty

and shallow it is.

Why?

That they might recognise

once again

the desperate need

for God's radical intervention

to save the relationship.

We've seen over three weeks

that God's covenant faithfulness

was beyond question.

We started

with covenant faithfulness.

I have loved you,

said the Lord.

He had loved them uniquely.

He had loved them exclusively.

He had loved them generously

over generations.

Last week we saw

in chapter 3, verse 6,

the sheer fact

that the people of Israel

still existed

was all the evidence

you needed

of God's love.

Equally true,

but in sharp contrast,

their covenant unfaithfulness

was beyond question.

We've seen that again

over three weeks.

Essentially the Lord said,

you have spurned my love

at every point.

Chapter 3, verse 7,

we looked at it last week.

From the days of your fathers

you have turned aside

from my statutes

and have not kept them.

But,

they've thrown God's love

back in his face.

They'd chased other lovers

to follow the metaphor

through here.

They'd chased a good life

apart from God.

Still booked

taking the relationship,

but deep down

their hearts were devoid

of any respect

for the Lord.

And certainly devoid

of any affection for Him.

And then again,

we bounce again,

God's faithfulness

was beyond question

in response to that.

God says,

being true to His character,

you will experience

my righteous character

in judgment.

You see,

God takes Himself

very seriously.

He will not allow

Himself to be treated

with contempt.

Back in chapter 1,

verse 14,

we saw that verse,

He says,

For I am a great king,

says the Lord of hosts,

and my name

will be feared

among the nations.

Chapter 1,

verse 11,

For from the rising

of the sun

to its setting,

my name will be great

among the nations.

And in every place,

incense will be offered

to my name,

and a pure offering.

God takes Himself

very seriously.

And if people

don't respond

as they ought

to God's love,

mercy,

and grace,

then God says,

you'll experience

my covenant faithfulness

in a different hue.

You'll experience it

in judgment.

Both are covenant faithfulness.

Both reveal

my covenant character.

And if you experience

my judgment,

then either that will be

in partial judgment,

and the partial judgment

we saw last week

in chapter 3

was disciplinary

and correctional

or restorative.

Or,

says the Lord,

we'll see in chapter 4,

verse 1,

you'll face

my judgment

ultimately

and final.

that is punitive

and condemnatory.

So,

where are God's people

in all of this?

Well,

if you look at chapter 3,

verse 18,

God's people

are found out.

They knew

that God's judgment

would bring division.

But they'd come

to believe

that that division

would be along

racial lines.

On the one side

would be Israel

and all the other

nations on the other side

and all the other

nations would get it

from God,

get it in the neck

from God

and they would be

preserved.

But the Lord

doesn't say it like that.

The Lord says,

yes,

you're right

and there will be

division.

And in a sense,

you are right.

I will look at

my nation,

Israel,

different from

the other nations.

But,

ultimately,

the divide

in my judgment

will be between

those who fear me

and those

who don't.

Those who serve me

and those who don't.

Those who esteem me

and those who don't.

We saw last week

in the first part

of this,

looking at judgment

and God's intervention,

that God's judgment

on his people

would be severe

but partial.

We had those

metaphors

like the refiner's fire.

And that's serious heat

to melt down

ore

and float off

all the dross.

And the whole idea

of that is that

in the old days

the refiner knew

it was perfect

when he could see

his own reflection

on the top

of the metal.

That's a really

lovely metaphor.

That was serious heat

the Lord's going to

bring to his people.

But it was designed

to discipline,

to bring them back,

to purify,

to bring them back

to himself

so they might

worship him

in spirit and truth.

And in chapter 2

verse 2

we saw two weeks ago

the Lord says,

outs his people

by saying look

you've gone through

all the motions

of serving me

but here's the real

problem for you guys.

You've not set

your hearts

to honour me.

The heart of the problem

was the problem

of the heart.

And God knew

that his children,

his people

were unable

and unwilling

to obey him,

to respond

properly to his love.

And since that's true,

God's people

needed

the real hope

of God's intervention,

of God's healing

if God's judgment

in a final form

was not to settle

upon them.

Chapter 4 verse 1

the day is coming

burning like an oven

when all the arrogant

all evildoers

will be stubble.

The day that is coming

shall set them ablaze.

There's a wildfire coming.

God's people

need serious

intervention,

serious help,

serious healing.

the sort that only

the Lord could deliver

to reformat them

from the inside out.

If the problem

was a heart,

then they needed

new hearts.

And all the prophets

before him

had spoken of

this same problem

and offered

the same hope

that the Lord

would intervene

and renew hearts

so his people

could worship him

as he

expected them to

and wanted them to.

Amen.

So God's

intervention

is seriously needed

but secondly

God's healing intervention

would be just

what is needed.

Surprise, surprise.

It's tailor made

to what is needed

in the situation.

Chapter 4 verse 1

again.

God's intervention

is pictured

as one day.

But the metaphor

gets mixed up a little

because there's two

types of fire in here.

There's a fire

like a wildfire

that just consumes

everything before it

and then there's

the fire

that's associated

with the sun,

the rays of the sun.

One's consuming,

one's restorative.

Both are controlled.

So when we think

of a wildfire

we often think

of something

being out of control.

Well that's not

the picture here.

A wildfire

is the heat

of the thing.

It burns,

if you remember

last year

the wildfire

swept through Tasmania.

There were some

places where

the soil was burned

down six inches deep

all the organic

material was burned

out at a depth

of six inches.

There was never

going to be anything

to recover from that.

That's the sort

of serious fire,

the consuming fire

that's been spoken here.

But it's not out of control.

It is precisely

as the Lord

means it to be.

It will deliver

the precise

and distinct outcomes

that the Lord

means it to deliver

for God's people,

for those who fear

his name.

Look at chapter 3

verse 16.

Then those

who feared the Lord

spoke with one another.

The Lord

paid attention

and heard them.

And a book

of remembrance

was written before him

of those who feared

the Lord

and esteemed

his name.

They shall be mine,

says the Lord

of hosts,

in the day

when I make up

my treasured possession

and I will

spare them

as a man

spares his son

who serves him.

We have a group

of people here

in amongst

the vast

part of God's people

who have got

no affection,

no esteem for God.

We've got a group

in here

who

still do fear

the Lord

and who are

talking with one another,

presumably,

to encourage

one another,

to keep on

fearing the Lord,

not to go

with the flow,

to keep on

esteeming him

or valuing him

as a first order.

People who,

chapter 3

verse 18,

who desired

to serve God

because he was

worth serving.

For this group

of people,

God's judgment

would result

in perfect righteousness.

It would be

the healing

they long for.

In chapter 4

then,

we get the metaphor

continued,

the son of righteousness

shall rise with

healings in its wings.

The picture here

is of the sun

rising.

And what happens

when the sun rises?

Well, firstly,

it brings to an end

the dark night.

So the picture here

is the son of righteousness.

God's intervention

is going to bring

to an end

that long,

dark night

of sin

and misery

and disobedience

and struggle.

That very stuff

that marked

the life of God's people.

And as the sun

comes up,

it's a fresh day,

a fresh start

in righteousness.

righteousness.

Now,

I suspect

that's a very easy

picture for us

to engage with.

At least I find it

really easy

to engage with.

Having been out

camping under the stars

many a night

when it's been

seriously cold,

perhaps even wet

and there's nothing

nicer

than the sun

coming up

over the horizon

and immediately

you just feel

its warmth

and suddenly

you just feel

lifted,

don't you?

It's a fresh start.

It's therapeutic.

That's the picture here.

It's a moment

to be longed for.

It's a moment

to be savoured.

As even pictured here,

it's probably

something only people

in the northern hemisphere

would understand

this idea of

you shall go out

leaping like cows

from the stall.

It was a big thing

for us.

Our animals

were always

penned up

for six months

of the year

over an hour old.

It used to be

no end of fun

for us,

probably a bit

pathetic,

that was fun for us,

but come time of spring

when you let them out

and they absolutely

went psycho

for perhaps

a couple of hours.

They would just

race around

and kick their heels

up and snort

and get on

in among the fresh grass

enjoying the spring day.

That's the picture here.

It would be

such a time

of excitement

and joy

and no wonder

because it would

be the time

of healing.

It would be

the time

of finally

getting what

they've longed for,

the ability

to properly

worship God.

The time

they would be

what they knew

God had created

them to be

as they worshipped

God.

The time

when they knew

they were actually

being what God

wanted them to be

all along.

People of righteousness,

faithful and delightful

to the Lord.

So,

God's judgment

would just be

what was needed,

exactly what was needed

for God's people.

And it would just be

exactly what's needed

for God's glory

because the two things

exist side by side

as we come to the end

of Malachi's prophecy.

sometimes we tend

to be a little bit

focused on our own

sort of situation,

the people situation.

But God's glory

is working here

as much as anything else.

God's intervention

would showcase

that what he said

earlier in the prophecy

was true,

that he was a great king.

It would demonstrate

why his name is great

across the world.

His holiness

would be known

by his consuming judgment.

those who refused

to bow before the Lord

would experience

this consuming judgment.

It would be a wildfire.

It would just consume them.

Nothing would survive.

So God's glory

would be established

as the wicked

get precisely

what they deserve.

And 3.18

Finally,

the rubbish talk

that we talked about

last week,

the rubbish talk

of many of his people.

Remember they were

complaining in their hearts

that, well, look,

what's the point

of serving the Lord?

There's actually no difference

between the righteous

and the wicked.

What's the point?

And suddenly the Lord

says, well,

you will then see

that your rubbish talk

was rubbish

and you will see

there's a vast difference

between the righteous

and the wicked.

And both

will ascribe

their situations

to my character

and my covenant faithfulness.

And so as it's been

right through,

the Lord's really

seen his people,

well,

my greatness

will be seen

in my consuming judgment,

but my greatness

will be seen also

in my grace

and love

and mercy to you

and my healing of you.

And even more so

if you'll return to me.

If only you'd trust me,

says the Lord.

You'll prove that

beyond measure.

You see,

in among all of that,

the Lord knew

only too well

the inability

of his people

to do that

on their own steam.

We're back in

3, 16, 17 again.

The Lord knew.

He knew right

from day one

that his people

didn't have the ability

to serve him

and obey him

as they ought.

But here's the rubb

in verse 16 and 17.

The Lord was delighted

when he saw his people

trying to do that,

trying to esteem him,

trying to fear him.

That's what got

God's attention.

Remember last week

the Lord said

he was just tired.

He was sick and tired

of listening to the ear bashing

they were giving him,

all the rubbish talk.

But what gets his attention?

Well,

when his people

are trying

to honour him,

even though they know

they fail

in doing that.

And what's his response

to that?

Well,

this book of remembrance,

I think again

it's most likely

a picture.

It's a commitment

of the Lord

to actually

write down

as it were

and tuck it

into his brain

if we can think

of the Lord like that.

All these people

and he says,

wow,

this is exactly

what I'm about

in my grace

and mercy

and love.

And he commits himself

to giving

these people

secure,

everlasting

relationship.

He commits himself

to being close

to them

in an intimate

relationship.

They shall be mine.

Now,

it's important

to remember here

this isn't a commitment.

this book

isn't listing

all the good people

as if somehow

or other

they deserve

God's blessing.

This book of remembrance

is about sinful people

whom,

as it says

in verse 17,

he would spare.

Very powerful word

that one.

He's not rewarding

them for their goodness,

he's sparing them

as a man

spares a son

who serves him.

In contrast

to those

who would be

consumed by his fire

getting exactly

what they deserved,

this group of people

because they sought

to fear the Lord

would get precisely

what they didn't deserve

and could never

really earn.

They would

and it's all theirs

because of the Lord's

grace and mercy

and love

and commitment

to them.

But there's something

else happening

in verse 17

because the language

there takes you

back to Exodus

Exodus 19:5

chapter 19

verse 5.

Remember the Lord,

the Exodus,

the Lord brought

his people out of Egypt

and he brought

them to himself

in Mount Sinai

under Moses.

In chapter 19

verse 5

the Lord there says

I will be,

I brought you

in eagle's wings

and it's very interesting

there's another

bird reference here

in chapter 4

verse 4.

I just don't have time

I spent a lot of time

getting lost in that

this week

but I don't have time

to follow it through

now you can think

about it yourself.

The Lord said

I brought you

to myself

on eagle's wings

I will be your God

and you will be

my treasured

possession forever.

So what's happening

here

in chapter 3

verse 16

17

the end of

Malachi's prophecy

is simply

an affirmation

that the Lord

is still doing

what he had

promised to do

all the way back

at Exodus.

He promised

to rescue his people

and he actually

did rescue his people.

He brought them

to himself

he made himself

their God

and called them

his treasured

possession

and that's exactly

what we're hearing

here again.

Once again

we're seeing

God's glory

because we're seeing

God's covenant

faithfulness.

And look at

chapter 4

verse 4

5 and 6

now.

As we

end up

the Old Testament

end up

prophecy of Malachi

what will allow

God's people

to live

confidently

in God's

future promises

or God's

hope

God's promises

of healing

and intervention

in the future.

Healing

and remuel.

Well

I think

it's this

confidence

in God's promises

going forward

is based

on

God's

character

and actions

in the past

and specifically

what these

two guys

here

Moses

and Elijah

represent.

To live

confidently

in God's

future promises

is

verse 4

to remember.

Look back

don't be old

fashioned

that's not what

he's saying

but be people

of the past

truly in the past

in terms of

what God

has done.

Remember

that God

does what

he says

he will do.

And so

God's last

words to his

people here

before a

sound of

some 400

more years

is remember

Moses

and remember

Elijah.

So

remember

Moses.

What do

they remember?

Well

we've just

spoken about

it in

3,

16,

17.

Remember

that the

Lord

initiated

relationship

with you

in spite

of your

sin and

failure.

The

Lord

brought you

to himself

simply because

it was an

act of

God's

grace and

mercy.

Not because

you deserved

it.

The

Lord

committed

himself

to you

and made

you his

treasured

possession

because that

was God's

covenant

faithfulness

working out.

Remember

that God

gave you

his

love to

shape the

relationship

and said

this is how

you're going

to enjoy

the good

life with

me.

And then

remember

also that

the Lord

knew even

as he gave

you his

commandments

that you

wouldn't be

able to

obey them.

And so

what did

the Lord

do?

He provided

a means of

dealing with

your sins

so that the

relationship

might continue

even though

your sin

is just

all over

it.

And

remember

Elijah.

Elijah

perhaps not

so well

known to

some of

us but

Elijah he

was the

great prophet

that God's

people look

back to.

As I said

last week he

was the

sort of

pin-up

prophet as

it were.

he was

the pinnacle

of prophecy

for many

of God's

people.

He was

the one

who challenged

God's

people to

address God's

character and

God's promises

when it

looked like

God's cause

had been

lost in

the face

of evil

attack.

Elijah was

a man who

took on

the enemies

of God

as it

were

and defeated

them.

But he

also was a

man who

confronted

God's

people with

their sin.

He urged

them to

repent and

turn back

to the

Lord for

renewed

blessing.

And

remember

that I'm

sending you

a new

Elijah.

One who

will take

up and

complete his

original

mission.

Some

commentators

think that

because Elijah

didn't die,

he was

taken up

to the

heavens in

a chariot,

that that

sort of

left God's

people thinking

that there

would be

another day

when Elijah

would return

to complete

his mission.

Whatever you

make of

that,

the Lord

through his

word here

is saying

I will

send a

new

Elijah.

One who

will take

up and

complete that

original

mission,

however you

see it

being connected

into that.

He will

turn

God's

people back

to serve

the Lord.

He will

confound

God's

enemies.

enemies.

And so

my friends,

as we wrap

up this

Malachi

series,

the Old

Testament,

the whisper

of Jesus

has suddenly

become a

roar.

God's

promised

healing

intervention

comes

reality

with the

birth of

Jesus

more than

400 years

later.

Quite

literally,

we step

from Malachi

into

Matthew.

And in a

sense,

that's how

it happened

in history.

God's

next word

was with

the arrival

of Jesus

more than

400 years

later.

And what

we find

when we

move into

Matthew's

gospel,

is that even

then,

there were

some among

God's

people who

had

remembered

and who

continued to

fear and

esteem the

name of the

Lord.

Lord,

there were

a group,

a couple

we'll meet

next week

as we

start our

next series

leading up

to Christmas,

Christmas songs.

Two people

will meet,

Anna and

Simeon.

And they

were part

of a group

that's

described in

Matthew's

gospel as

those who

are waiting

for the

consolation,

and that

word healing

is there,

the consolation

of Israel.

They

continued to

fear the

Lord.

They

continued to

meet and

encourage each

other to

fear the

Lord.

They

continued to

esteem the

Lord.

Jump

forward a

few more

years,

and I

want to

take you

into Matthew

17,

as we

finish up

this series

and finish

up this

morning.

Matthew

17 is

that

episode,

that incident

we call

the

Transfiguration.

In the

Transfiguration,

we have

the festival

for the

Old Testament,

the Feast

of Booths,

and what

we have

initially is

Moses and

Elijah

appearing.

That's the

next time

these two

characters

appear together.

Moses and

Elijah appear

and they're

chatting with

Jesus.

The disciples

have no idea

what to do

with all that.

So they

initially start

to treat them

as equals.

So let's

make a booth

for each of

the three of

you.

And then

things take

a very quick

turn.

Moses and

Elijah fade

into the

background and

disappear.

and Jesus

is transformed

with a

supernatural

voice saying

this is my

beloved son.

What's

happening there?

Well,

firstly it's

an intersection

of Jesus,

Moses and

Elijah.

But secondly,

it's Moses

and Elijah

recognising

that they

will step

into the

background

now and

as it

were disappear

and the

spotlight will

quite literally

come onto

Jesus.

In other

words,

Moses and

Elijah both

recognised that

Jesus is the

one who would

bring that

healing intervention

which Moses

and Elijah

represented

but were

unable to

deliver.

so it's a

connection

but a

connection

deliberately

puts the

focus onto

Jesus.

Jesus would

be the

new Moses

and we

see that

through the

early chapters

of the

gospel.

He would

be the

new Moses

leading God's

people in

a new

exodus.

That is,

once again

rescuing

God's people

from bondage

to sin

and death,

bringing

them to

the Lord

as his

treasured

possession,

renewing

them and

creating a

new servant

nation,

a global

servant

nation which

we call

the church.

Jesus would

be the

new Moses

and Jesus

like Moses

would remind

God's people

that God

demanded

perfect

obedience to

his law.

But as

the new

superior

Moses,

he would

actually,

keep God's

law for

God's

people.

Because they

couldn't

keep it

for themselves.

They couldn't

have that

standard

perfection

that the

Lord demanded

of his

people.

So,

Jesus keeps

the law

for us.

He gives

us his

righteousness

so that we

might have

the necessary

righteousness

promised

so that we

can have

ongoing

relationship

with the

Lord.

And this

might be

more

controversial,

but Jesus

in a sense

would be

the new

Elijah.

Yes,

Elijah was

the first

and foremost

John the

Baptist,

but in a

sense,

Jesus is

an Elijah

figure as

well.

Except that

he completes

what Elijah

was unable

to do.

He calls

his people

back to

the Lord

to see

their sin.

But this

time,

Jesus

actually

deals

with

their

sin,

changes

them

from the

inside out,

makes new

in our

hearts and

minds by

the finding

presence of

God's

Spirit,

gives us

a fresh

start in

the good

life of

God.

Friends,

all God's

purposes and

promises of

healing and

restoration are

fulfilled in

Jesus.

that's the

sum of it.

In him,

we are the

righteousness of

God.

And we

need to

understand that

as Christians

today, we

have everything

that those

who feared the

Lord in

Malachi's time

could only look

forward to and

long for.

All God's

promises are

yes and

amen in

Christ,

and therefore

in us as

Christians.

So I just

finish up with

this challenge.

The challenge

is really the

same as it's

been every

day and

always been

for God's

people.

Will we

live in

the righteousness

as now

ours in

Christ,

and thereby

show the

Lord to

be worthy,

to be

served and

honored?

God?

It's a very

personal question.

Use the

language of

chapter 2,

verse 2.

Will we

set our

hearts and

minds to

honor God?

So the

reality is for

us as

Christians, we

can still be

Christians and

go through the

Christian life as

a box-ticking

exercise.

God's

life.

That is a

relationship with

God that's a

mile wide and a

centimeter deep.

We have so much

privilege, so much

more privilege than

the people of

Malachi's day,

because we have the

reality of the

healing and the

reality of God's

enabling and

empowering spirit

with us.

So, in

keeping with

what the

Lord expected

from his

people and

Malachi's day,

since we have

so much

privilege,

since we've

experienced so

much mercy and

grace and

love, then

our delight

ought to reflect

that.

Our delight in

the Lord ought to

reflect that.

And how do we

see delight in

the Lord?

Well, it's not

just words.

Delight in the

Lord will

involve what we

say, but

primarily it will

overflow.

It will be the

overflow of what's

in our heart,

overflowing into

our actions,

actions of

obedience,

actions of

praise,

actions of

struggle,

to be faithful,

to show that we

esteem the Lord,

that is value more

than anything else

in this life.

Will you set your

heart to honour

the Lord?

pray with me

please.

Lord, forgive us

for being utterly

self-centred in

thinking about our

salvation so

easily and so

regularly, Lord,

we think about it

in terms of a

personal benefit.

And Lord, that's

all true.

We have been

forgiven.

we know that we'll

no longer be held

accountable for our

sins and sins,

though many of

they continue to

be.

We know, Lord,

that we are now

joined to you,

united with you,

and will one day be

home with you.

And Lord, we find

that so amazing,

and yet so often we

stop there,

halfway through the

story.

And as we

discovered in our

Colossians series,

we don't ask the

question, what have

we been saved

for.

So Lord, I pray

that we might be

those who truly

respond to your

love and grace and

mercy.

We pray, Lord, that

we might be those

who truly delight in

you, that we

esteem you, and

that those around us,

Lord, might see us

esteeming you, that

is valuing you above

all else in our

lives.

Lord, keep us from

being mediocre or

cold in our worship

of you.

keep us, Lord, from

being segmented in

our worship of you,

thinking that simply

turning up on a

Sunday morning is

worship, and the

rest of the week is

ours to live as we

please.

Lord, help us to

delight in you.

Help us to make

every day a day of

worship and praise

and thankfulness.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.