|giv| Week 4: He Is Coming
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you will grab a Bible and go to Malachi chapter 3 we are uh finishing up our Series in the Book of Malachi today we're finishing up our give Series this is the last Sunday morning this year that we'll meet together next week we will meet uh in the evening for a Christmas Eve service at 5:30 um so this we're wrapping up a whole lot of things today um and as we come to the end of Malachi we are going to have our attention directed to the end of all things you.
See in the Christmas season we celebrate as Christians uh the season of Advent which is the appearing or the arrival of God in humanity that he incarnated that he took on flesh to join us and to redeem us and to rescue us and we celebrate that during during this time of year we uh remember that on Christmas Day and I I do want to point out that the Bible does not say what day of the year Jesus was born so I've heard people before say you know I found out that that uh Christmas isn't even.
When Jesus was born so I quit believing the Bible and it's like well the Bible never said that it just is a traditional thing this time of year that we focus our attention on and remember that as a thing that the Church does but we don't know exactly when he was born but this is when we focus on the Incarnation that Jesus has come to rescue his people and that his life and death and Resurrection redeem us from our sin and that's known as uh the coming of Christ or the.
First coming and then there's the second coming when he returns to judge the world and rescue his Church and the prophet Malachi is going to turn our gaze to that this morning and so if you will let's pray and then we'll uh begin to read together Lord we ask for your help we ask for ears to hear mental Clarity Supernatural focus on something that is eternally urgent we ask this in Jesus name amen if you'll look at Malachi chapter 3 we're going to read the section we studied last week together.
Because it uh is setting up what Malachi is going to say this morning he's going to be responding to what he's to this um accusation that the people have been made been making and so we're going to look at this he says your words have been hard against me says the Lord but you say how have we spoken against you verse 14 you have said it is vain to serve God vain meaning it's a waste it's it's dumb has has no uh result what is the profit of our keeping his charge or his walking and mourning before the.
Lord of hosts and now we call the Arrogant blessed evildoers not only Prosper but they put God to the test and they escape that's the accusation that what we're going to see in a moment he's responding to he's actually going to use that phrasing the arrogant and the evildoer verse 16 it says 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 there's this teaching in the Scriptures that God keeps a record and that there will be books opened on the last day and there will be a distinction made between those who belong to him and those who don't that's what it's referring to here that God recorded those who feared him verse 17 they this is God speaking 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.
Then once 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 there's going to be a distinction made and he says there going to be a distinction between the righteous and the wicked between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him now this distinction that is made we're going to see in just a moment is as distinct as any two groups can ever be the gap between these two groups is infinitely eternally massive there's a fixed Gulf between the two that cannot be bridged this distinction that's going to separate all of human history and all.
Of humanity it's going to cut right through just as Jesus Christ uh splits up our Reckoning of time that we have before Christ and the year of Our Lord Lord when Jesus comes just as he does that he's actually going to do that with all of human history that there's going to be a dividing line between those who serve the Lord and those who don't between the righteous and the wicked when um my wife and I had our first son we were in the hospital and we had had our son.
For like in our care for like an hour and I have never like help a baby cared for a baby tended to a baby ever and then I just had hours to do that with like I held my niece one time and I was like neat take it back I I actually had had people before be like here hold my baby and I just said no which is fun to watch a mom be like but it's like why are you handing your baby off anyway you keep the baby it's yours don't make me hold it.
If I drop it like this is you know I just you just you keep it so I'd had this baby for like an hour he was smaller than like a peeee size football I did not know what to do with him I'm holding him and he like gurgles kind of spits up into his own mouth and begins to choke so I'm holding a 1-hour old baby and he's choking I say to my wife he's choking call the nurse she's in a hospital bed she has a button that will call a nurse she presses the button.
Now I don't remember what word for word what she said so I'm going to paraphrase and she's not here she's in Kid City so what I'm going to paraphrase is wildly accurate she presses the button yes that's how nurses respond whatever this is the nurse I don't know she said my wife says um yes if uh if you have time if it's not a bother um when you get a chance I said not when you get like I'm like this is already taken way too long you need two words baby choking like that's it that's all we needed.
When you get a chance and I don't know if it's that she couldn't see his face or she was still on some like pregnancy drugs or if she just can't jump the hurdle of being like a polite Southerner I don't know any and all of those things but I do distinctly remember the nurse being surprised when she finally got the piece of information because nothing in the conversation had led up to the the urgency that was needed at the end of it our baby's choking she was like oh yes they hustled down there flipped him over did a thing that I learned how to do later which is help them you don't hold them backwards.
If they're choking you flip them over I was just staring at him like I don't know dude flipped him over got him okay handed him back to me and I was like okay I took note of how to do that when a situation is tense when a situation is life or death when a situation is urgent you want Clarity you want urgency you want action you want to focus up and when the Bible speaks about the end of all things when we step into eternity what happens to our Everlasting Soul we ought to want Clarity this is something that you ought to want to know definitively the answer to what.
God says about this subject because there are moments in your life where you wish I wish I could have a second chance I wish I could go back and redo that I did not handle that well I feel like I had a window to have Act Ed properly or spoken properly I wish I had a chance to go back and fix that and there is not a single moment in your life that has the amount of urgency and intensity and longlasting nature other than the decision that you will make about what happens to your soul.
For all of eternity and there will be many on that day who wish they could go back for another chance to have heard this process this thought about this responded to this and there will be no other chance and so we ought to take Serious iously what the prophet of God says next as God speaks through him he says this 4 verse 1 for behold the day is coming burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all evildoers so he's using their words from earlier will be stubble bits of dry wood and grass that will be burned up the day that is coming shall set them Ablaze says the.
Lord of hosts so that it will leave them neither root nor Branch so the Bible teaches that there is a day coming a day of judgment that is burning like an oven when evildoers and arrogant will not Escape they will be left with nothing neither root nor Branch they're gone that this day of judgment will uh capture all of them he says that the arrogant and the evildoers they taunt God and they escape he says no there's a day coming when they will not Escape.
Now if you're not familiar with Christianity or if you were talking to someone who's not familiar with Christianity and not familiar with the Bible and didn't care anything about this and you told them that there's a day coming when God will judge evildoers I think the general response would be good fine even if they don't believe what you believe when you say that it's like that's fine if there is a God he should do that the reason our general response to that would be.
Well good is because I don't include myself in the category of evildoer sounds like someone Batman fights and I just think if Batman lived in Columbia he would leave me alone like I just I just don't think that I'm an evildoer and so I think in general people think I'd love for God to judge evil if there is a God that's one of the things he should do honestly I'd like to give him some tips because he's got some things that I want him to judge like that's in general our attitude there.
Now if you're a little more thoughtful you might ask the follow-up question of how does he Define that category which is a good question for you to ask that is a good follow-up question to try to understand how does the Bible define evildoer but as we look at this this morning I want us to focus in on this other category because I think it's very helpful for us to understand what's actually happening on that day and that day is a real day that is coming.
When all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble who are The Arrogant in God's Reckoning you see there are those who are doing evil they're maliciously rebelling against God the truth is the New Testament says that we're all pretty much in that category but the Arrogant are those who believe that they don't need God they don't need to submit to him that's fine if he's real cool he can judge the evil but the idea that I need him that I'm supposed to surrender that I'm supposed to ask.
For forgiveness that I'm supposed to live my life in light of him and what he has for me and what he wants from me the idea of the Arrogant are those who have rejected God some intentionally you'll hear people make arguments like well if there is a God and there is a day of judgment then I've got some questions for him on that day yeah that's arrogant I saw something online recently that said well God May judge you but don't worry his sin and outnumber yours and a bunch of people had posted underneath there what a great quote I'm writing that down that's wonderful how true that's that's arrogant.
But there's also an arrogance that just treats God is unimportant as you as self-sufficient as you as the Pinnacle of all creation that there is no God and that humanity and our reasoning and our thoughts are the top of everything and that we're to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong and good and bad that's arrogant and like someone in our justice system who chooses to represent themselves in court while knowing nothing about how the court works it's going to go very poorly that all the arrogant and all the evildoers will be destroyed on that day that there is a Day of Reckoning verse two says.
But for you who fear my name all right so this was not written primarily as a warning to those who don't fear the lord it was written to the people of God who do fear the lord as an encouragement but I want to point something out this idea this line that comes through between fearing the Lord and not fearing the Lord it calls for humility so do you want to know someone else who's included in the Arrogant the Pharisee the the religious person who says I'm one of the good ones I.
God owes me I've served I've worked I've read I've studied I've been there I've done the stuff I gave during the gift project I'm one of the good ones I serve in Kid City twice last month if anybody's in heaven it's me that somehow God owes you that somehow you've earned it that somehow you have the credentials or the resume that's arrogance so it's not just those who've rejected God but it's also going to be some people who've been very very good.
But in a way that declares that God owes them because they're one of the good religious people rather than someone who submitted and surrendered and asked for Mercy that's what fear looks like here we would go to the Lord and say I need Mercy I need rescue I need help if you don't do this work if Jesus didn't come and and be righteous in my place and die in my place then I don't have any hope I'm surrendering I need help I need forgiveness it's all on you that's this picture.
So Church family if that's you if you've trusted in the Lord and surrendered to him not working on your religious resume to present to him so that he owes you and not sitting here and saying I don't really need God that's good for other people but I don't need that but if you've genuinely said I trust Christ to pay for my sin to rescue me to atone for my to welcome me and he's my only hope then this is actually spoken by the prophet to you.
Because it says but for you who fear my name the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings you shall go out leaping like Calves from the stall and you shall tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soes of your feet on the day when I act says the Lord of hosts but for you who fear my name verse two the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings that day that comes burn burning like an oven.
For the wicked for those who belong to Christ healing Dawns the sunlight that crests The Horizon on that day does not Scorch or dry out or burn but there is restoration and healing the reason that happens the reason that the sun Su n of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings is because the Sun s o n of righteousness has already risen with healing for those who would trust in him that those who place faith in Jesus ultimately when he returns this he's bringing forth the full consummation of what he has accomplished.
For us by faith by grace through faith through his work on the cross that he's accomplished for us and so it's a day of healing everything that is physically wrong with you everything that is mentally and emotionally broken for those who are in Christ is fixed battles with depression anxiety fear doubt years of laboring in physical and mental pain working to submit to the Lord and follow him and try to overcome what's been done to us by sinful Wicked people what's been caused by our own shortcomings and failures and rebellions and what's just burned into our flesh through the Brokenness of sin there's a day.
When the Sun rises and that's gone there's a day when the king returns and everything is set right there's a day coming that will inaugurate is endless days for those who've trusted in Christ to be restored and welcomed and healed brought into a land where there is no sorrow or sadness or tears I love this next verse oh no the next part of this same verse you shall go out leaping like Calves from the stall who just got excited have you ever seen Cals leap it is the goofiest looking thing they're not designed.
For it cows aren't supposed to do a lot of jumping this is why we don't do like cow racing we do bull riding but that's how cowes jump if you've ever watched bull riding where they jump feet first then the feet have to come back down and their back feet come up like they don't quite ever really fully get off the ground it's hard for for them to do but Cales and cows you can Google this will jump when they are excited goofy.
But they'll jump when they're excited if you've kept them all pinned up for a while and you let them all out back in the grass they will one by one come out I watched the video of this these cows coming out one by one and they'd walk out into the grass and then they would jump and then the next one would walk out in the grass and then it would jump and they all just were so excited you know that humans do this to that we jump.
When we're excited we're all used to it but you know we do that I I I love football there are certain things that happen in football that will automatically make me shoot up out of my chair I can't help it I will I will just jump as soon as certain things happen I will already be I'll be out I'll be up if you watch people in their excitement there are times we get so excited adult human beings get so excited that we just take off running running have you seen this like they win a thing and they just run through the field their arms out like they're an airplane or something y'all what this is.
Saying is that the day that Christ Returns the Church loses it and we're jumping and we're running and we're singing and we're clapping and we're shouting and the celebrations we've seen on Earth the best buzzer beater we've ever seen the best showcase we've ever seen on the is right the best person who's ever been released from 40 Years of prison has nothing on what that day looks like when the Church has Christ shine on us in glory and we all start shouting and singing and running and leaping.
Because the day has come when everything is restored and our Kings come back and there is Joy Untold praise the Lord that day is coming because Christ came to rescue a people for himself and if we trust in him he will one day return and everything will be restored and it is a day of joy and rejoicing for those who belong to him and you verse three shall tread down the wicked for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day.
When I act says the Lord of hosts as the Church runs and Liv leaps and jumps they tread down the wicked caught up in Joy caught up in the in raptured Grace and Glory of Christ rescued and redeemed it's a Day of Victory so often the way the world seems to work is that the meek are trampled those who are seeking to do what is right and good are are underfoot that the wicked and the powerful and the the violent rise.
Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth and Malachi says there's a Day of Victory coming when those who have trusted in the Lord surrendered to him walked in fear of the Lord humbly before him tread down the wicked in their Joy there's a song we used to sing in the Church I I grew up in and it would say it was um when we all get to heaven and it would say when we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus Will Sing and Shout the Victory and that's what this is the distinction on that day could not be clearer there could not be a wider gap between being Ash and being enraptured in the light Charles Spurgeon was a pastor in England and he said when it comes to talking about judgment and Eternity in heaven and hell that we need clarity that dressing it up in fancy words doesn't help he said if he saw a house on fire and he looked and said I believe the operation of combustion is proceeding Yonder that wouldn't help he said.
But if you pointed and said fire that would help as clearly as I can say it without Christ without trust trusting in Him to pay for your sin you will pay for your sin and on that day you'll long for this one to make a different decision but Church family on that day our best day on Earth be a distant memory of Brokenness because of how good and glorious everything is to come this was written as an encouragement to those who were to belong to the.
Lord look at verse four he says remember the law of my servant Moses the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel remember means not just to think about them but to keep them here here's his encouragement they said that it's working out for the the wicked it's working out for the evil it's working out for the Arrogant they get away with it they enjoy life everything's going well for them but it's not going well for us and he says there's going to be a day.
When all of that is eternally reversed then he says so hold on so Church family hold on Walk In Hope and obedience as you follow Jesus because I know that there's somebody in here right now who's thinking I wish I could just give up Christ and pursue this other thing because I'd be so much happier everybody else I know is living this pursuing this they have this they don't worry about these things and they're happy they're fine they're free and I feel.
So much like I'm having to fight my flesh daily I'm having to fight against who I really am yeah because who we really are so often is an absolute Rebellion against the Lord that we do at times have to fight tooth and nail against our our sin but what Malachi says What God Says through Malachi is it will be worth it don't lose heart don't lose hope Don't Let Go verse five behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the.
Lord come so this is God speaking through Malachi I will send Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes Elijah was a prophet who had already existed prophesied spoken on behalf of God to the people of Israel he was taken up by Angels into heaven you can read about him in first and second Kings Malachi saying that he's not going to be the last prophet but Elijah is going to come one's going to come that's going to take up the same role and speak with authority from.
God now there's 400 years between Malachi and when this happens but this prophecy has already come true that before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes that Elijah will come well Elijah has already come it says this is what he's going to do he will turn the heart hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction so Elijah's role when he comes.
When this Prophet comes what he's going to do is he's going to call for a turning he's going to call for a repentance he's going to call for a restoration and this picture of hearts of fathers to children and children to fathers is that one of the most destructive things that happens in sin is that one of the relationships that's meant to be the sweetest actually meant to give a picture of what God is like and how his people are supposed to be towards him as a.
Father to children and if we're honest that relationship is one of the most Twisted broken and personally hurtful relationships that we can point to all around us either children rebelling against good Fathers or fathers that should have been being good Fathers wickedly harming their children and there's this picture of a restoration that's going to happen a turning that's going to happen when this Prophet comes he says lest mean or else lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction meaning there's going to be an opportunity.
For repentance an opportunity for turning otherwise everyone's destroyed so who is this Prophet Elijah it's a good question I'm glad you asked Matthew 11 Jesus answers that question he says this truly I say to you among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist yet the one who is 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 until John meaning the whole Old Testament rolls up to John and if you are willing to accept he is Elijah who is to come so he's fulfilled that prophecy and he's the one who was promised to come before the great and terrible day of the Lord and it's happened all the law and Prophets speak until John it rolls up to John and John is a changing some sort of something is going to happen.
Now so look at Matthew chapter 3 Let's see what John prophesied which if you're in the Book of Malachi just go like two pages you're right there Matthew 3 is right next right next door verse 11 this is John he says I baptize you with water for repentance so John came asking for a turning for a repentance for people to turn from their sin but then he says this but he who is coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to carry he's talking about.
Jesus he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire his winnowing Fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn meaning that the one who is to come is not just a prophet like Elijah not just a prophet like John the Baptist not just a prophet like Malachi but he's the one who owns the barn and owns the wheat and owns the threshing floor he's the king and that's Jesus his winnowing Fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn.
But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire if you believed that the idea of a day of judgment was just an Old Testament idea and that Jesus somehow undid that no Jesus is the one who does that he's the one who ultimately brings the separation and our hope is in him and him alone the distinction made on that day is do you belong to Jesus or not and there is no third category Jesus says there are sheep and there are goats there are good fish and bad fish there is wheat and chaff or wheat and weeds it's always two categories.
But the wonderful news is that Jesus came he came to rescue us he came to pay our debt he came to make us righteous through his work and it's not about what we do we're not to join the Arrogant in in declaring our good works so that God will clap for us and give us a gold star we're to join the Cavs who run free because of how good Jesus is so Church family let's celebrate today that there is a day coming and let's hold on with hope and let's tell as many people as we possibly can how good he is.
And if you have not humbled yourself before the Lord do that today ask him to forgive you to rescue you and to keep you do not Harden your heart and turn from him and fight against it do not stand boldfaced and arrogant in the midst of your sin saying I'm fine without him but surrender and ask for mercy and receive it and join all of those who've been rescued by Jesus in celebration for all of eternity let's pray oh Lord thank you that you forgive Sinners or else it would be a decree of utter destruction thank you that you came to rescue and to redeem and that we get to celebrate a hope that we.
Have secured in Christ not accomplished by us and Lord I ask for the work of your spirit to draw people to yourself that you might be glorified and that they might repent of sin they might ask for forgiveness they might ask for hope they might ask for Mercy they might ask for Grace they might ask for life because all of those things are granted freely to the glory of Christ through His Marvelous work and your wonderful love and eternal goodness to those who will ask ask.
So may we humble ourselves and ask and Lord may all of us who long for the day of joy and Delight in your glorious Kingdom when you rise in righteousness and bring about healing Lord may we hold on in the midst of trial and difficulty and may we look to the Horizon for the sun to rise we love you Lord may we celebrate well today in Jesus name amen