Malachi 3:13-4:6, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Please turn in your Bibles to Malachi chapter 3, the last book of the Old Testament.

Malachi 3 · chapter mention

We're finishing off Malachi today.

The plan is to begin a series in Acts next Sunday, God willing.

If you want to do some prep for that, maybe read Luke's Gospel and read Acts in preparation for that.

Malachi chapter 3 verse 13, to the end of the book.

Malachi 3:13

Let me tell you some things that I've learnt recently.

I've learnt you can waste a lot of time in traffic on the Xbridge Road, can't you?

I've learnt that trying to get the E1 bus to go faster is a waste of time.

I've learnt that expecting to pass exams without doing any revision is a waste of time.

I've learnt that hoping your park run time will improve without doing any training or any runs in between is a waste of time.

We waste our time, don't we, on lots of things.

We waste our time in loads of things.

I might say to somebody, what a waste of time.

What about serving God?

What about living for God?

Is that a waste of time?

Look at Malachi chapter 3 verse 13.

Malachi 3:13

It's the final kind of dispute argument of the book.

And the pattern we've seen repeated over the last few weeks.

Israel question or challenge God and God responds.

And you see it for one last time in chapter 3 verse 13.

Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord.

But you say, how have we spoken against you?

You have said it is vain to serve God.

It's a waste of time to serve God.

What is the profit of keeping his charge or walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?

And now we call the arrogant, blessed, evil doers not only prosper,

but they put God to the test and they escape.

And God rebukes Israel, the people of God, for the harsh things they've said.

They plead innocence before God, but God replies by outlining and showing them their sin.

And on this occasion, the allegation is that serving God is a waste of time.

It's futile.

And those who do wrong things, those who live for themselves and for pleasure,

they seem to get away with it.

And so they say, what's the point?

It's similar to chapter 2 verse 17, isn't it?

Where God says, you've wearied me with your words.

I'm fed up of you.

But you say, how have we wearied you?

By saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and delights in them,

or by asking, where is the God of justice?

It's easy to see this, isn't it, from God's perspective, how offensive it is.

But we need to get inside the head of the people of God at that time.

Why did they feel that way?

They may have seen the world in the same way we see the world.

They saw evil people doing great harm to others and yet seemingly getting away with it.

And they may well have experienced what we often experience as the people of God.

They were doing the things that God had asked them to do,

but it didn't feel like it was a blessed way of life.

It didn't feel like it was all it was cracked up to be.

In fact, it felt hollow.

It felt that God was far away.

When it all boils down to it, it seems as if they felt there was no punishment for doing evil

and no reward for doing good.

So what's the point?

They thought that there was no distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous.

And I don't know about you, but those sentiments are not always that far from my mind.

It's probably not the sort of thing that I say to my Christian friends.

And we wouldn't readily admit it, but I suspect many of us here have, at one time or another,

have thought this, or perhaps we've even said it to God.

It can sometimes feel like there's no distinction between the righteous and the wicked.

It can sometimes feel there's no punishment for evil, no reward for doing good.

It can sometimes feel like serving God is a waste of time.

And we can feel that the Christian life is not all that it's cracked up to be.

We can look, can't we?

And maybe you children and young people do this.

You look at your friends who are from non-Christian families,

and you think, well, they're having more fun than I am.

And God has us working hard and living through maybe difficult things,

and sometimes we feel there's not a lot of reward to go with the sacrifice.

And certainly that's how it felt for Israel.

But not quite all of Israel.

Can you look at verse 16?

It's a beautiful verse.

Those who feared the Lord.

They spoke with one another.

And what did the Lord do?

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.

There's a group of people who refused to believe that serving God was futile.

Here are those who maintained that actually serving God is not a waste of time.

And as such, they shine like a beacon in the darkness of Israel's doubt.

Chapter 3, verse 16 really is a standout verse in the book of Malachi.

Malachi.

These people serve God, and so therefore they fear God.

That is, they want to honour his name.

It isn't a fear like you might, a fear of the dark,

or a fear of things that go bump in the night.

It's the fear of knowing the all-powerful God,

and how great and how majestic he is.

How awesome he is.

And these people have appreciated God for who he is and what he does.

And how he deserves to be treated.

And Malachi tells us that God commits himself

to remembering those people favourably.

He writes their name on a scroll.

It's a bit of a hint to us about what God is about to say,

but at this point they stand, don't they, as a quiet minority.

They resist the majority view in Israel.

And they force us to ask at this point, well who is right?

Is serving God a waste of time?

There are some that say yes.

There are many that say no.

Is there really a distinction between the righteous and the wicked?

Some say yes.

Others say no.

And verses 13 to 16, they raise those questions.

And we're going to try and answer that question this morning.

And the short answer is, there's point number one, there is a distinction.

There is a distinction.

Verse 17 sees God responding to the faithful group of verse 16.

And this is what he says.

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another,

and 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 take up my treasured possession, my jewels,

and I will spare them, these people who fear me,

I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

And God is saying that their future will be shaped by compassion.

They will be part of God's treasured possession.

If you remember back to the start of the book, chapter 1, verse 6 of Malachi,

God's complaint against Israel was that they weren't treating him as a father or a master.

But here we find people who are treating God properly.

And they serve him as their master, and they are his sons.

And so God says they will be spared.

The implication, of course, is that some won't be spared.

Because there's a day of wrath coming.

And on that day there will be those who are spared and those who are not spared.

And that is the great distinction, the dividing line.

Look at verse 18 with me.

Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked,

between one who serves God and one who does not.

And chapter 4 flushes that distinction out.

Chapter 4, verse 1,

For behold, behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven,

when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be like stubble.

That's the future we all have to face.

Those that arrogantly stand against God, instead of honouring him, will suffer punishment.

God's fire will burn and leave them as stubble.

The evildoers will receive justice.

You can see, can't you, how directly this answers the complaints of chapter 2, verse 17,

and chapter 3, verse 15.

Where is the God of justice?

Well, all who do evil,

all who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, it seems.

And certainly the evil do us prosper.

And the answer is no, no.

They will be like stubble, says the Lord Almighty.

The fire of God's anger will burn against them and they will be ruined.

But the future that the righteous face is different, isn't it?

Look at verse 2.

But for you who fear my name,

the sun of righteousness will rise

with healing in its wings

and you will go out leaping like calves from the stall.

Leaping like calves from the stall.

It's bizarre imagery, isn't it?

God wants you to imagine this morning

a sun with wings

and jumping baby cows.

They are very stark pictures, aren't they?

But the meaning is clear.

Instead of the fire of God's anger

that the wicked will face,

the righteous will face

the brilliance and the warmth

of God's righteousness.

Rising like the sun.

And that sun will bring healing and peace

instead of anger and disaster.

God will make his people

whole

and their righteousness will be met

with a far greater righteousness

of God himself.

and they will be

exhilarated.

There will be joy

and there will be freedom.

They will run

and jump around the fields

like baby cows.

Try to think

of a similar metaphor.

I've tried to think of

an illustration that goes along that.

Who runs around

and jumps around like baby cows?

And the description

reminds me

of the kind of

inhibited celebration

of footballers

after they score.

Last week,

Toto Scalacci.

Do you remember him?

Salvatore Scalacci

in the Italian 90

when he scored?

And there's these amazing images

of wide, wide eyes

of him running

to an adoring crowd.

You know what it's like,

isn't it,

when footballers score?

Grown men running around

like school kids.

Some of them

pulling their shirt

over their heads,

screaming at the camera,

kissing the corner post,

diving on the ground

over each other.

It's this kind of

uninhibited celebration

that's being described here.

Or think of the runner,

the sprinter

in the Olympics

who crosses the line first.

What does he do?

Does he stop

and just shake hands

with everyone?

No, he doesn't, does he?

He skips around.

He celebrates.

He dances.

And it's saying here

that the righteous

servants of God

will be like a calf

that's been held back

and hemmed in by its stall

and suddenly it's released

to frolic in the field.

It's like a footballer

scoring a goal

in the last minute.

It's like a 100 metre runner

winning the Olympics.

Irrepressible joy.

Wild celebrations.

And the order of things

will be reversed.

Because in this life

the wicked

often trample

the righteous

under their feet.

But God says

when his day arrives

it will be different.

Justice will be

the vindication

of the righteous

and the humiliation

of the wicked.

There is a day

coming when the tables

will turn.

That's what verse 3 says

isn't it?

Verse 3

you shall tread

down the wicked

for they will be ashes

under the soles

of your feet

and on that day

I will act

says the Lord of hers.

Can you again see

the foolish claims

of verse 14 and 15

of God's people

saying it's a waste of time

are being answered.

God says no

there is a day coming

when the reward of God

for the righteous

will far outweigh

all the sacrifice

and there is a day coming

when the horror

of God's anger

will cause the wicked

to deeply regret

every day

of their so-called fun.

When they lived

with no regard for God.

But point number two

when?

When will this happen?

When will this distinction

take place?

Well according to

chapter 3 verse 17

we will see it

on the day when God

takes up his

treasured possession.

Chapter 4 verse 1

refers to the same day

and simply says

it's coming.

And chapter 4

verses 5 and 6

tell us what will

happen before that day.

Verse 5

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 the

fathers to their

children

the hearts of

children to their

fathers

lest I come

and strike the land

with a decree

of utter destruction.

He tells you and I

that Elijah will come

before the day of the

Lord.

What does that mean?

Well it's really the

same pattern as

chapter 3 verse 1

there we learn that

the Lord

would come to bring

justice but his

messenger would prepare

the way first.

It's the same thing

here.

We read Matthew

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

a couple of weeks

ago that tells us

that the messenger

this Elijah figure is

none other than John

the Baptist.

Let me read to you

from Matthew

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

Jesus says this

Behold I send my

messenger before your

face who will prepare

the way before you

He's talking about

John the Baptist

Truly I say to you

among those born of

woman there is arisen

no one greater than

John the Baptist

yet the one who's

least in the kingdom

of heaven is greater

than he.

From the days of

John the Baptist

until now the kingdom

of heaven has

suffered violence

and the violent

take it by force.

For all the prophets

and the law

prophesied it

until John

and if you're

willing to accept

it he is

Elijah

who is to come.

So John the

Baptist is the

Elijah figure

that Malachi is

talking about.

Jesus is really

clear about that.

Elijah in many

ways was the most

famous of all the

Old Testament

prophets and this

is simply Malachi's

way of pointing to

John the Baptist

as the last

great prophet

to come before

Jesus.

He'll be the

last prophet

before Jesus

himself comes

before the

Lord arrives.

This final

section of Malachi

right at the end

of the Old

Testament is

pointing us

forward to

Jesus Christ.

He's saying

it's with Jesus

that this day

comes.

And when Jesus

comes he will

tell us more

about when that

day will be.

And so you

go to Matthew's

Gospel and

Jesus tells

parables doesn't

he about the

kingdom of

heaven.

You might be

familiar with

this parable

where Jesus

says the

kingdom of

heaven it's

like a net.

A net that's

let down into

a lake and it

catches all kind

of fish.

And when it

was full the

fishermen pulled

it up on the

shore and then

they sat down

and they collected

the good fish in

baskets and they

threw the bad

away.

Jesus says

that's how it

will be at

the end of

the age.

The angels

will come and

they will

separate the

wicked from

the righteous

and they will

throw them

into a blazing

furnace and

they will be

weeping and

gnashing of

teeth.

Jesus uses

the same

language as

Malachi uses.

He speaks of

the separation,

the distinction

between the

righteous and

the wicked.

And he tells

us when it

will be.

He says it

will be at

the end of

the age.

The justice

that Jesus

brings will

ultimately come

when he comes

that second

time to

judge the

world.

It began

when he came

to earth the

first time but

the promises of

Malachi 3 and

4 will

ultimately be

fulfilled when

he returns.

And of course

the critical

question is not

actually when but

point number

three.

The question

is how?

how is this

distinction going

to be made?

How will this

distinction be

made between the

righteous and

the wicked?

We know if

we're honest with

ourselves, isn't

everyone wicked to

some degree?

if you're willing

to be honest

this morning, you

will be willing

to admit that

you fall short

of God's

perfection.

And so who

can be

righteous?

Well in

Malachi's day

the righteous

were described

as those who

honour God's

name.

Listen again to

how Malachi puts

it in chapter 16

the second half.

Then those who

feared the Lord

spoke with one

another and the

Lord paid

attention and

heard them and

a book of

remembrance was

written before

him of those

who feared the

Lord and

honoured his

name.

Chapter 4

verse 2

But for you

who fear my

name the

son of

righteousness

shall rise

with healing

in its wings.

The New

Testament and

the coming of

the Lord Jesus

we are told

more about

what it means

to honour

the Lord.

In that

passage that

Reuben read

for us earlier

from 2

2 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

Thessalonians

chapter 1

we read about

the day when

Jesus will

return in

blazing fire

just as

Malachi prophesied.

The day when

God's justice

will be handed

out.

Just as

Malachi said on

that day it

will be handed

out.

And the

apostle Paul

says that

the wicked

will be punished

with everlasting

destruction.

But the

crucial verses

verse 8

of 2

2 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

Thessalonians

chapter 1

let me read

it to you.

Chapter 8

of 2

Thessalonians

1

Paul wrote

this

he will

that is the

Lord Jesus

in flaming

fire

inflict vengeance

on those who

do not know

God

and on those

who do not

obey the

gospel

of our

Lord Jesus.

What that

helps you and I

understand is

what does it

mean to honour

God's name

it means to

obey the

gospel of our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

The great

distinction on

that final day

will be how

each one of us

has responded

to the good

news of our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

That's the

critical issue

because only

Jesus has

opened up a

way for the

wicked

to become

righteous.

For sinners

like you and

I to be

made right

with God.

Only Jesus

has felt the

full force

of God's

terrifying

wrath

in order

that you

and I

might not

have to

if we

will trust

in Jesus.

Only Jesus

has made

that breathtaking

sacrifice

which is

actually about

others

receiving God's

reward.

That is the

gospel.

That Jesus

was made

sin for

us so

that in

him we

might be

made the

righteousness

of God.

And it

is that

gospel that

the Bible

and the

Apostle Paul

calls you

to obey.

The gospel

that teaches

you and I

that Jesus

is both

saviour

and Lord

and to

obey that

gospel is

not kind of

really try

harder.

It's not

to think

I've got

to do

my best.

It is

to take

refuge in

him as

your only

hope and

obey him

as Lord.

Which means

of course

there's another

question isn't

there to be

asked and

it's in

lots of

ways the

most crucial

question of

all.

More

important than

even what

basis will

the distinction

be made.

but this

question.

Which will

you be

on that

day?

Will you

be one

of the

wicked

or will

you be

one of

the

righteous?

Will you

be one

of those

who have

lived

without the

Lord Jesus

Christ

arrogantly

thinking you

don't need

him?

Or will

you be

someone who

has obeyed

the gospel

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ?

That call

to repent

and to

trust in

him?

Will you

be punished

with everlasting

destruction?

Or will

you be

spared from

it?

Because the

blood of

Jesus Christ

saves you.

Malachi would

put it like

this if he was

preaching.

He would

say will

you be

stubble

or will

you be

one of

the

leaping

calves?

And the

Bible's

message is

crystal clear.

There's

nothing more

important for

you to

understand

that you

will be

one or

the other.

We all

this morning

are one

or the

other.

In fact

you're one

or the

other right

now.

But the

great news

is not

just what

we are

today that

counts.

There is

still time.

There is

still time

for you

this morning

if you

have been

ignoring

Jesus as

your saviour

and as

your Lord.

There's

time for

you to

change

course.

There's

still

opportunity

for those

who are

heading for

stubble

to obey

the gospel

of the

Lord Jesus

and join

with those

who look

forward to

that

uninhibited

and exuberant

calf-like

freedom.

there's

still time

because it

is that

day that

ultimately

counts.

And what

makes it

so urgent

is that

we don't

know when

that day

will be.

It could

be tomorrow.

And so

first and

foremost

before anything

else today

we need to

be clear

how have we

responded to

the gospel

of the

Lord Jesus.

And if

you're not

clear how

you've

responded this

morning

make it a

matter of

urgency to

get clear.

I take it

if we have

understood this

morning that

we are the

calves then

we will do

whatever we

can won't we

for others

so that their

future would be

secure too.

We would

seek to

lovingly

persuade

others to

obey the

gospel of

our Lord

Jesus Christ.

You would

want to say

to others

come and

hear the

gospel of

the Lord

Jesus.

The Bible

paints a

very stark

picture of

the future.

It's one

that's very

unpopular

isn't it?

In our age

but it's

always been

unpopular.

But the

Bible cuts

through our

cultures and

through Satan's

lies with a

clear word

about the

future.

And how

central Jesus

is.

The Bible

uses words

like hell

even if

they're very

very unpopular

today.

But what is

more even

those of us

who believe

it often

live day

to day

like that

reality is

worlds away.

being

and it is

that

which means

that we

sometimes

fall into

the trap

of being

living

thinking

like the

Israelites

did.

You see

if there

never was

going to be

a distinction

between the

righteous and

the wicked

then all of us

would agree

well it's

pointless

serving God.

Serving God

is a waste of

time.

But because

there is a

distinction

to be made

then serving

God makes

perfect sense.

And we may

not see that

distinction all

that clearly

now but we

have God's

clear promise.

And so we

trust that

promise and we

wait patiently

and we serve

God and we

serve God

knowing that

it's not a

waste of

time.

It's not a

waste of time

for you to

live as a

Christian today

even though

it's hard.

It's not a

waste of time

for you to

call unbelievers

to repent

even when they

seem totally

disinterested.

It's not a

waste of time

for you to

diligently and

persuasively lead

a Sunday

school class

and seek to

teach children

the Bible

or to do

the Bible

reading at

the language

class when

there seems

to be little

fruit.

It is not

futile

because the

day is

coming.

The day of

God's justice,

the day when

Jesus Christ,

the judge,

will issue

his verdict

and you

may be

stubble

or you

may be

like a

calf

released

from its

stall.

Either way,

how you

treat God

now

matters.

How you

respond to

Jesus

now

matters.

And so

we've come

to the

last two

words of

the Old

Testament.

After

these words

there was

400 years

of silence.

Can you

see the

two words?

They're

curious to

say the

least,

aren't

they?

God's

parting

shot

ends with

utter

destruction.

there's

a reminder

in verse

5,

verse 4

where God

reminds them

to obey

all the

laws

and Moses

and then

there's a

reminder that

this prophet

Elijah will

come before

the day

of the

Lord.

And

Malachi

says when

the day

comes,

people will

either repent

of their

sins

and renew

broken

relationships

or else

God will

come and

curse

them.

And very

cleverly,

what Malachi

has done

in these

last few

verses,

he's really

summarised

the whole

of God's

relationship

in the

Old

Testament

with his

people.

He's

reminded

them of

Moses and

the gift

of the

law.

He's

reminded

them of

Elijah and

all the

prophets.

And he's

reminding us

of the

chilling

reality of

sin.

And the

word really

at the

end of

Malachi,

if you've

got a

different

version,

is the

word

curse.

And what

Malachi is

doing is

he's taking

us right

back to

the beginning

of the

Bible,

to Adam

and Eve

and to

their sin

and the

curse of

God upon

humanity

because of

their

rebellion.

And that

curse has

hung over

God's

people ever

since that

time.

They've

not been

able to

shake

it.

And here

at the

end of

the

Old

Testament,

things

haven't

changed.

They're

still under

God's

curse.

Israel are

still full

of sin

and the

threat of

God's

curse still

hangs over

them.

And it

hangs over

them for

400 years,

from the

end of

Malachi to

John the

Baptist.

But of

course,

the last

word of

the Old

Testament

is not

the last

word,

is it?

when

Jesus

stood on

that

mountain

of

transfiguration,

there were

two

people,

figures from

the Old

Testament,

that came

to talk

with him,

one Moses

and one

Elijah.

And it

was the

sign that

was saying

Jesus is

the one

that Moses

and Elijah

were looking

forward to.

And here

is the

one who

can remove

the curse

from over

Israel's

head.

And so

the last

word of

the Bible

is actually

Revelation 22.

Will you turn

there with

me?

Please turn

there,

Revelation 22.

And the

last word

of the

Bible

is that

there will

be justice.

Heaven

is a

wonderful

reality,

but not

everyone will

be there.

Look with

me at

chapter 22

in verse

14.

Blessed are

those who

wash their

robes,

it's picture

language,

so that

they may

have the

right to

the tree

of life.

Remember

that from

Genesis 1

and 2?

And that

they may

enter the

city by

the gates.

Outside

are the

dogs and

idolaters and

everyone who

loves and

practices

falsehood.

That's the

great distinction.

Those who

have obeyed

the gospel

will be in

and those

who have

rejected or

ignored Jesus

will be out.

And for

those that

are there,

it's because

they will have

obeyed the

gospel of

Jesus Christ.

This is what

it will be

like.

Chapter 22

verse 1,

then the

angel showed

me the

river of

the water

of life,

clear as

crystal,

flowing from

the throne

of God

and of the

Lamb.

And in the

middle of the

street,

the city,

also on either

side of the

river,

the tree of

life,

with its

twelve

kind of

fruits,

yielding its

fruit each

month,

and the

leaves of

the tree

were for

the healing

of the

nations.

Listen to

the echoes

of Malachi

there,

the healing

of the

nations.

Because at

the end of

Revelation 22

there will be

no more

curse.

And for

those of

us who

have been

spared,

that is

our future.

And that

is God's

famous last

word,

no curse.

It's

brilliant.

It'll be

so brilliant

that all

our

obedience

and all

our

labour

will be

utterly,

utterly

worth it.

It will

be so

brilliant

that it

ought to

transform

our

priorities

for this

week.

And from

now on

until the

day we

die or

Jesus

comes

again.

It'll

be so

brilliant

that there

will be

people

just like

us who

will be

so filled

with

excitement

and

delight

and

overwhelming

happiness

that they

will be

like

calves

frolicking

in a

field,

footballers

scoring a

goal,

athletes

doing laps

of victory.

Malachi

says,

surely the

day is

coming,

it will

burn like

a furnace

and all

the

arrogant

and every

evil

doer

will be

stubble

and that

day is

coming and

it will

set them

on fire.

Not a

root or

a branch

will be

left of

them but

for you

who revere

my name

the sun

of

righteousness

will rise

with healing

in its

wings and

you will

go out

and leap

like calves

released from

the stall.

Let's pray.

Amen.