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Malachi chapter 2, taking up 
the fourth oracle the prophet gave to the nation of Israel 
in the fifth century B.C. Just begin reading in chapter 
2 at verse 17 and we'll read through chapter 3 at verse 5. This is a unit. We'll treat it 
as such. You have wearied the Lord with 
your words. Yet you say, in what way have 
we wearied him? In that you say, everyone who 
does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights 
in them. Or, where is the God of justice? Behold, I send my messenger, 
and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord, whom you seek, 
will suddenly come to his temple. Even the messenger of the covenant, 
in whom you delight, Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of 
hosts. But who can endure the day of 
his coming? And who can stand when he appears? 
For he is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. He 
will set as a refiner and a purifier of silver. He will purify the 
sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that they may 
offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. then the offering 
of Judah and Jerusalem will be present to the Lord, as in the 
days of old, as in former years. And I will come near you for 
judgment. I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, 
against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and 
widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien. 
Because they do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
our Father, we thank you for your word. We pray for the ministry 
and the aid and the help of your spirit now. Again, we confess 
our sin and transgression and pray for cleansing. We acknowledge 
its darkening influence over our mind. We pray that you would 
just chase it away now. Cause us to take every thought 
captive to the obedience of Christ. Cause us to learn much from this 
passage. Cause us to be encouraged and 
strengthened. Cause us as well to take heed 
to the reality of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray, 
Father, for all those who are not ready to meet Him. All those 
who are not ready to stand in judgment. Just pray, God in heaven, 
that you would break through their hardened hearts. to open 
their hearts, to receive Your Word, Your Gospel, cause them 
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to know salvation. And we ask these things in Jesus' 
name. Amen. Well, as I said, this is 
the fourth discourse or oracle that the prophet gives to the 
nation of Israel. And specifically what is in view 
here is an announcement of the messenger of the covenant. We 
see that in chapter three, but it is occasioned by a specific 
issue in chapter two. So I just want to look at two 
broad categories and two broad headings this evening. First, 
the practical atheism of Israel. That's what's being addressed 
in verse 17. And then, secondly, the announcement 
concerning the messenger of chapter 3, verses 1 to 5. This is, in 
essence, a reply, a response to the very thing that they are 
uttering, which wearies God most high. And I think you'll see 
that connection as we move along in our study tonight. But I call 
it practical atheism. Of course, if you were to visit 
Israel, you were to visit the people of Judah in the 5th century 
BC at the time of Malachi, the time of Ezra, the time of Nehemiah, 
they would have understood the catechism. They would have understood 
Deuteronomy 6.4. They would understand that central 
confession of faith. They would acknowledge the presence 
of God. They would acknowledge the reality of God. but the way 
they were living evidenced something of a practical atheism. You see, 
practical atheism is when those who know that God exists live 
as if He did not exist. So everybody with me, everybody 
follow me on that particular definition. practical atheism, 
not philosophical, not doctrinal, not sort of a mental or intellectual 
atheism, but an atheism that acknowledges the presence of 
God and yet by actions or by words denies Him. And I submit that the particular 
offense of verse 17 in chapter 2 is not unique to Malachi's 
day. It happens whenever the people 
of God do not watch their hearts, they do not watch their They 
begin to call into question certain attributes, certain truths concerning 
God, concerning his government. So we ought to read this and 
we ought to study this, taking heed to ourselves that we do 
not fall prey to this manner of practical atheism. Let's just 
look at verse 17 under three categories. First, the offense. You have wearied the Lord with 
your words. Remember, these were the people 
that had referred to temple worship as a weariness. Remember back 
in chapter one, you say, oh, what a weariness. Well, hear 
what they're confessing. God now replies to them, you're 
the ones who are wearying me. It is that speech. It is that 
verbalization of what is in your heart. It is the secret things, 
perhaps, that you don't even utter for fear of being looked 
down upon others. The thoughts that you are entertaining 
about God, He says, you are wearying me. In the prophet Isaiah, chapter 
43, at verse 24, it says, you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me with your 
iniquities. What a thankless, godless, wretched 
people who complain about temple worship, who say that it is a 
weariness, but by their words and by their conduct, they are 
actually the ones who are wearying the Lord. That is the particular 
offense that is in view here. Notice, secondly, with reference 
to this practical atheism, something we've already met with in this 
book up to this point. The question, how do they respond 
to this? The general rule, when the living 
and true God indicts you for a sin, He knows what He's talking 
about. He's always right. He is the 
Lord God of truth. And when He says, you're wearying 
me with your words, don't say, in what way have we wearied Him? They're surprised. They're puzzled. They're perplexed. It just indicates 
and demonstrates to us how entrenched in sin they were. They were so 
caught up in their own wickedness, they were so caught up in their 
own words, in their own doctrine, in their own ideas, in their 
own mentality and mindset, that they weren't even aware of the 
fact that they were wearying God. They were a burden to God. They were complaining and they 
were whining. And they were grumbling. It's 
that same refrain. Every time the prophet puts his 
finger on a particular sin, the people of Israel in the fifth 
century B.C. say, who, us? We need to be open 
to the reproof of the Lord. We need to be open to the rebuke 
of the Lord. We need to be open to his word. 
All scripture is given by inspiration of God. All Scripture is profitable 
for doctrine. Yes, we learn good things about 
God. We learn good things about Christ. 
We learn good things about ourselves. But it's not only profitable 
for doctrine, it's profitable for reproof. We need to be open 
to that. aspect of God's Holy Word. We 
don't come as those who have mastered the Word. We come as 
those submitting to the Word, trembling at the Word, and being 
open to being reproved. and not only reproof, but for 
correction and instruction in righteousness, that we may be 
thoroughly furnished unto every good work. So when the Lord God 
Most High says, You have wearied me with your words, we ought 
not to say, In what way have we wearied you? We ought to say, 
Forgive me, Lord, cleanse me, wash me, purify me, and help 
me to make a resolve not to engage in such folly and wickedness 
and madness. Now, notice the response that 
the Lord gives through his prophet. You have wearied the Lord with 
your words, yet you say, in what way have we wearied him? In that 
you say, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, 
and he delights in them. Or, where is the God of justice? They have called into question 
by their speech the goodness of God, the righteousness of 
God, and the justice of God. Look at what they are impugning 
to him. It's a denial of his very being. It is a denial of who God is. This wasn't just some elementary 
thing or some sort of a light thing, but it is an actual denial 
of the living and true God. They say everyone who does evil 
is good in the sight of the Lord. That calls into question His 
goodness, His holiness, His purity, His rightness, His justice, His 
judgment. God is a holy God. He cannot 
look approvingly upon any evil, but the people of Israel interpreted 
his patience, his long suffering, his not immediate visitation 
of their wickedness, they interpret that as if God no longer cares. You see, this is where we need 
to take heed. We see a lot of things in this 
world. There's a lot of trial, there's 
a lot of affliction, there's a lot of difficulty, there's 
a lot of hardship, there's a lot of woe. What is the temptation 
if we're not on guard? The temptation is to conclude 
that God himself no longer cares, that God himself is no longer 
concerned. But sometimes we move from considering 
what goes on out there to what's going on inside. We don't ever 
seem to prosper. We don't ever seem to benefit. 
We don't ever seem to get ahead. We are suffering. We are tried. 
We are vexed. We are full of hardship, full 
of difficulty and full of woe. And if we don't guard our hearts, 
it might well up within us to conclude that the Lord is not 
with me. The Lord has abandoned me. The 
Lord doesn't care about me. That is a rejection of the Lord 
Himself, and it is a rejection of His Word. Because in the Scripture, 
He says that He cares. In the Scripture, He says, I 
will never leave you. I will never forsake you. We 
are to walk by faith. Sight shouldn't undo faith. What we perceive or what we believe 
is happening in terms of our trial and our difficulty never 
cuts the guts out of God's holy word. It is true. It is rock 
solid. And it demands our obedience 
and our allegiance always. So they had fallen prey to this 
sort of a mindset, saying everyone who does evil is good in the 
sight of the Lord. And not only that, but he delights 
in them. Now, this could be true on two 
levels for the people making such a statement. It could be 
true societally. Later on in chapter 3, at verse 
5, when God comes, when Christ comes, it will be as a refiner. It will be as launderer's soap. It will be to bring judgment 
upon sorcerers, upon adulterers. upon perjurers, upon those who 
exploit wage earners. So you see, there was wickedness 
in Israel in the fifth century B.C. And those perhaps who had 
not fallen to that degree of decadence had looked around, 
had saw the wickedness, had saw the evil, had seen the unrighteousness, 
and concluded, God just doesn't care anymore. It'd be akin to 
witnessing the sorts of things that we witness on a daily basis 
in terms of criminal activity in any given city in the world. We might be tempted or prone 
to think, the Lord just doesn't care. And if we don't give check 
to our thoughts, we might actually begin to conclude that He delights 
in this wickedness. So you see, this in and of itself, 
in terms of expression, is a denial of the God of heaven and earth. 
So it might be not just true of the societal level, but it 
might have been true of the national level. Remember what's happened 
in Judah. They have come out of Babylon. 
They have been put back into their land, but they're still 
subject to the Persian government. They still don't have the affluence 
and the blessing and the benefit that they once enjoyed. They 
didn't have all the stuff that they thought, as God's chosen 
people, we should certainly have. So they look around at the Persians, 
they look around the empire, they look around at profligate, 
wicked, ungodly people that do not have Deuteronomy 6.4, that 
do not invite Israel's central confession of faith, that do 
not catechetically know the God of heaven and earth, but they 
are experiencing what appears to be His blessing. And so what 
the people of Israel then say is, this isn't fair. This isn't 
right. We deserve more. We deserve benefit. We deserve blessing. It's not 
those dirty, rotten Persians that ought to have all the benefits 
of this world. It is the chosen body of God's 
people. It is us. It is Israel. And see, 
because they got into this down cycle of whining, grumbling, 
complaining, and discontentedness, it then takes on a theological 
bent And it ends in them denying the very God of heaven and earth 
Himself. In this statement, everyone who 
does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights 
in them. Or, where is the God of justice? Now, this isn't the imprecatory 
song. This isn't the saints or the 
souls under the altar in Revelation 6. This isn't a legitimate cry 
of Maranatha. This isn't the legitimate cry 
of, come, Lord Jesus, vindicate your people, destroy the ungodly. This is whining. This is grumbling. This is complaining. This is 
thinking you've been dealt a bad hand. And in light of that, where 
is the God of justice? Why hasn't He visited me? Why 
hasn't He blessed me? Doesn't He know what I have done? 
Doesn't He know how I have performed? He owes me. That's what is real. was engaged in. Kelvin said, 
such insolence is now seen in all masked men who vauntingly 
profess religion when they are treated according to their own 
wishes. The fair weather fans. You see, 
as long as the Canucks are winning, we'll root for them. As long 
as whatever team is winning, we'll root for them. As long 
as God supplies the blessing, I will be the best Christian 
you can see. This is what Calvin is alluding 
to. He says, but when God deals more sharply with them. You want 
to test your mettle? You want to test your profession? 
You want to test your place? It's when trial comes. It's not 
when you're basking in the sun, sipping iced tea. It's not when 
everything is going just so. It's not when you're securing 
the big accounts consistently. It's not when you have marital 
bliss. It's when there are issues and 
trials and difficulties that what is there is brought to the 
surface. This is what Calvin is saying. 
But when God deals more sharply with them, they not only murmur, 
but vomit forth impious slanders against him, as though he did 
not render to them the reward due to their just dealings." 
It is to conclude, there is the God of justice, which is just 
a horrible implication, isn't it? You see, if he's really a 
God of justice, then I'll always be happy. If He's really a God of justice, 
then I'll always be doing well. If He's really a God of justice, 
then I'll have no difficulty in my pathway. My wife will love 
me, my children will love me, my workers will love me, my employees, 
everybody will just love me and say what a great guy I am. But 
see, when you trace redemptive history, you see just the opposite 
with reference to men of God. More often than not, they are 
men of sorrows and they're acquainted with grief. They're tried, they're 
perplexed, they have great difficulty. That's more often than not the 
common report among God's people. All those who desire to live 
godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. So don't conclude 
from that, where is the God of justice? You see, that's the 
offense in Israel. That's the backdrop for this 
announcement in verses 1 to 5 in chapter 3. And I'll just pull, 
I'll get right to the punch. You know what the implication 
is? Everybody get this. You want 
the God of justice? The God of justice is coming. However, He's not coming to judge 
those nasty Persians. And I don't want you to leave 
here saying Persians are nasty. I'm talking ethically here. I 
suspect that 5th century B.C. Israelites would have perhaps 
thought or thought. The God of justice is most certainly 
coming. But it's not for those Persians. 
It's not to correct your unhappiness. It's not to deal with your self-esteem 
issues. It's not to set everything into 
equilibrium so that you are happy and healthy and wise. The God 
of justice is most certainly coming, and he's coming to Judah. And he's coming to deal with 
the rot and the decay and the defection and the apostasy that 
is given expression to here by such people as who call into 
question his veracity, his truthfulness, and his holiness. In other words, 
these were people that for them, eschatology was a big deal. They 
wanted the coming of the Lord. They wanted the day of the Lord, 
as I suspect many people today do. But the problem was they 
weren't ready. I've shared before, having gone 
to the Union Gospel Mission, there was a period of time where 
we used to go pretty regularly down to Vancouver. Just that 
hour and a half, it just got to the point where we couldn't 
sustain that over the long haul. But you'd meet people there that 
were so interested in eschatology. And I don't mean in terms of 
the study of last things so that they could be more holy. I don't 
mean in terms of studying the last things so they could know 
more about Jesus. It was more of a vain curiosity. It was more 
of a, is Barack Obama the Antichrist sort of a thing? Is the Antichrist 
alive and well on the Earth today? Who's the beast? Is the beast 
in a crib somewhere? Horns are popping out. He's going 
to grow up and he's going to exercise his beastliness. There's 
a vain curiosity and a speculative mindset associated with the end 
times. We witnessed this just a couple 
of years ago with those prophecies of Harold Kempick when he predicted 
the world was going to end on May 21st. Of course, he was wrong. He then predicted the world would 
end in October. Of course, he was wrong. But people are interested in 
that sort of thing. It wasn't significantly different 
in the fifth century B.C. You had Hal Lindsey, alive and 
well then. You had people writing prophecy 
books, probably. You had them discoursing about 
these sorts of things, talking about the day of the Lord. There 
was this expectation. In fact, there was a desire. 
The problem wasn't that they desired the coming of Christ. 
Their problem was they didn't understand the nature of His 
coming. You see, that's what's going 
on. We have a bit of a view of last day's madness here in Malachi 
chapter 3, and it's in response to their wearying words. Where is the God of justice? So let's look at chapter 3, verses 
1 to 5, the announcement concerning the messenger. There are three 
persons indicated in verse 1. Very helpful for us to identify 
those persons so we know with whom we are dealing. Notice, 
behold I, this is Yahweh of Israel, I send my messenger and he will 
prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will 
suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant 
in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the 
Lord of hosts. So we have Yahweh of Israel who's 
making this announcement concerning these other two persons. The 
second one announces the coming of the third. The third is the 
one that Israel is supposed to look for. We have Yahweh, we 
have John the Baptist, and we have the Lord Jesus Christ. I 
say John the Baptist because the New Testament everywhere 
interprets this, along with Isaiah 40 and verse 3, as prophecies 
associated with John the Baptist, who was the forerunner who came 
to announce the coming of Israel's king, even the Lord Jesus Christ. So we have my messenger, this 
is the one, as I said, in Isaiah 43, is identified as the voice 
of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, 
make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Don't miss the Christology 
in the section either. Don't miss the deity of Jesus 
in the section. He will come and announce God. John the Baptist comes and announces 
God, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we have the messenger, which 
is John the Baptist. We have the Lord God Most High 
speaking this prophecy through Malachi. And we have this one, 
identified as the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come 
to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, 
Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. So you see the 
flow of thought. You see the direction. You guys 
are whining about the coming one. You guys are wanting the 
God of justice. He is coming. He is going to 
visit. He is going to bring judgment 
and justice, and he will bring it upon your own heads. So those 
are the persons identified. If you look over to Malachi chapter 
4, Verse four, it says, Remember the law of Moses, my servant, 
which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel with the statutes 
and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah 
the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day 
of the Lord. This is John the Baptist. This 
is how Jesus interprets this. This is how Jesus explains this 
to his disciples. And interestingly enough, the 
disciples know exactly what Jesus means. And it causes for them 
a bit of a quandary and a bit of a question. Remember that 
instance in Matthew chapter 17. It's called the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember that scene where Jesus 
shines forth in His glory. Jesus displays His deity, His 
brightness, His majesty, His most excellent power. The disciples 
then question Him. After all is said and done, And 
they say, why does the prophet say that Elijah must come first? You see, what they are saying 
is that we have seen this Lord Jesus. We have seen the messenger 
of the covenant. We have seen the glorious one 
spoken of by the prophet Malachi. And yet Malachi said there would 
be one who preceded him. Insofar as they understood, they 
had seen the Lord, but they hadn't seen the forerunner. So it created 
a bit of a question for them. That's when Jesus interprets. 
That's when Jesus explains. And that's when Jesus says that 
John the Baptist was Elijah. So, in other words, what Jesus 
is saying is that you guys are absolutely right in terms of 
what you've seen on the Mount of Transfiguration. You've seen 
the messenger of the covenant. You've seen the glorious Lord. You have seen Messiah. You have 
seen the one prophesied by Malachi. But you've also seen the one 
that foretold his coming as well. So it is riddled, it is heavy 
with messianic overtones. This is what is going on here. 
So John the Baptist is coming to announce the Lord Jesus Christ. He announces the arrival of the 
kingdom and the Messiah. He preaches repentance and coming 
judgment. He calls men to bear fruit consistent 
with repentance. So that's the first messenger 
indicated in chapter 3, verse 1. Notice the second one. And 
the Lord, Whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple. 
Isn't that beautiful? It's called His temple. You can't miss the close identity, 
the intimate identity between Yahweh and this messenger. There 
is distinction, but there is unity. There is distinction, 
and yet there is vital. Later on, the Apostle John will 
write it this way, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was God. You see, this John the Baptist 
will come and announce the coming of God. He comes to announce 
God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will suddenly come to his 
temple, the temple that belongs to Yahweh of Israel, the temple 
that was built in honor of the living and true God. That is 
Christ's temple. He comes to it. Notice he is 
called the messenger of the covenant. Jeremiah 31 speaks about this 
new covenant. Jesus in Matthew 26 says, I'm 
inaugurating the new covenant in my blood. In Hebrews 7 22, 
we read that he is the surety of a better covenant. A covenant 
that carried a better hope, according to Hebrews 7, 19. A covenant 
that was founded upon better promises, according to Hebrews 
8, verse 6. You see, the messenger of the 
covenant is going to come. He is going to vindicate. He 
will bring justice. He will bring judgment. And he 
will deal with sin. So this in stark response to 
their question, where is his coming? And then notice the nature 
of His coming is outlined. The nature. This is where He 
addresses that. But who can endure it? Do you 
really want to God of justice? It's been well said, be careful 
what you pray for. God bring justice upon all my 
enemies. He may just bring justice on 
you. Pray for mercy. Pray for grace. Pray that God 
would not deal with you according to your sins. Pray that God would 
see you in Jesus Christ. Pray that God would apply what? 
Pray that God would indeed show his goodness to you. You see, 
they had said, where is the God of justice? Now the prophet says, 
in turn, who can endure the day of his coming and who can stand 
when he appears? The very people wearying the 
Lord with the words, where is the God of justice, are the very 
ones who will not be able to stand when He comes. You long 
for the coming of the Lord. You haven't accurately reflected 
on what all is involved. Again, go back to the speculation 
concerning the second coming. Go back to the speculation concerning 
what's going to happen in the future. You know, what you ought 
to give more attention to is not, is the beast alive and well 
on the planet Earth? Is the Antichrist alive and well 
on the planet Earth? Is premillennialism right? Is 
amillennialism right? Is postmillennialism right? Is 
preterism right? Who is the beast? And what does 
he do? Before you give any attention 
to those questions, I'm not saying never look at the Bible's teaching 
on such things. I'm not saying neglect the doctrine 
of eschatology. I think it's intensely practical 
for the life of a believer. What I discourage against is 
a vain speculation that gets caught up in numbers, personages, 
types, and shadows, and neglecting the most fundamental question 
of all. Am I ready to meet Him? You see, 
that's what's important. That's what matters. See, if 
you're ready to meet him, it doesn't matter who's right, off, 
pre, or post. If you're ready to meet him, 
it doesn't matter if the preterists are right or wrong. If you're 
ready to meet him, it doesn't matter who the beast is. If you're 
ready to meet him, it doesn't matter if the beast is the Antichrist 
and vice versa. You see, that vain speculation 
keeps us from the most fundamental question, and that's what the 
prophet poses to the people. Who can endure the day of His 
coming? And who can stand when He appears? That's the more fundamental question 
that you ought to take up in your own thinking, in your own 
meditation, and in your own study. So the next time someone says 
to you, you're a Christian, who do you think the beast is? Ask 
the very simple question, are you prepared to meet the King 
of kings and the Lord of lords? Are you prepared to stand before 
God Most High to give an account of deeds done in the body, whether 
good or evil? Are you prepared to give an account 
for every idle word? Never let that sink in. Man will 
render an account for every idle word. That means a word not calculated 
to promote the glory of God and the edification of others. And 
if we're going to stand and account for the idle words, how much 
more blasphemy? How much more are curses? How 
much more are our doctrinal heresy? How much more of these kinds 
of wearying words like, where is the God of justice? How come 
he doesn't bless me? You know, those are more fundamental 
questions. And I press that upon all of 
you here. Who can endure? Are you ready? If Jesus returned 
tonight, If Jesus returned right now, are you prepared to meet 
him? You may have an impeccable eschatology. You may be able to explain Daniel's 
seventy weeks. But if you're not in Christ, 
if you're not in that refuge, if you don't have a righteousness 
that avails with God, You'll be one, probably, of many who 
can explain Daniel's seventy weeks in hell. You see, it does 
no good for you to understand all mysteries eschatological, 
but not be prepared to meet the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what 
the prophet is conveying to the people. That's what the prophet 
is issuing forth to the people. You want to talk eschatology? 
Talk about preparation. Be prepared to meet him. Who can endure the day of his 
coming? Who can stand when he appears? And then he explains why he asks 
these questions. For he is like a refiner's fire. He is righteous. He is godly. He is full of justice. He is 
full of judgment. He does not delight in wickedness. You see, it's a direct answer 
to everything they had said in their wearying words to the Lord. 
He doesn't delight in wickedness. In fact, he, like a refiner, 
is going to purge it out. He, like a refiner, is going 
to turn up the heat. He, like a refiner, is going 
to burn that dross away because he's righteous. He is just. He 
is full of judgment. But not only that, he's like 
launderer's soap. He's going to cleanse. He's going 
to purify. He's going to wash. He's going 
to sanctify. He is going to do good things. And then note the reference here, 
very specifically in verse 3, to the priesthood and to sacrifice. Malachi uses the conventional 
language of Malachi's day to preach Christ and Him crucified. Malachi uses the language of 
his day to preach Christ and him crucified. Notice, he will 
purify the sons of Levi. That's what Malachi's audience 
desperately stood in need of. These were the people that despised 
offering. These were the people that said 
the table of the Lord is contemptible. These were the people that said, 
oh, what a weariness when it came time to go to temple. These 
were the priests, the same Levites condemned in chapter 2, verses 
1 to 9. So what is he saying? He is saying 
that when Messiah comes, something radical must take place in terms 
of priesthood. Something revolutionary must 
take place in terms of man's approach to God. Now, of course, 
on this side of the cross, we know that this is theological 
shorthand or language in Malachi's day to teach us about the priestly 
office of our Lord Jesus. Notice at the end of verse three, 
he will purge them as gold and silver that they may offer to 
the Lord an offering in righteousness, because that had not been going 
on in Malachi's day. You see, if you want the coming 
of the God of justice, You must have sacrifice. There must be 
purification. There must be holiness. There 
must be cleansing. He is preaching Christ and him 
crucified to his audience in the fifth century B.C. Notice 
the specific result of verse four. Then the offering of Judah 
and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord. Is that what we 
want? God please? The section starts 
off with God being wearied Their words weary Yahweh. He says when 
the messenger of the covenant comes, he will purify the sons 
of Levi in such a manner that they will offer up sacrifice 
that is righteous. And then God the Lord will be 
pleased. That offering rendered up will 
please Yahweh. It will make Him propitious to 
the people. It will make Him kind with reference 
to the people. It will turn His affections to 
the people. And, of course, Malachi is preaching 
Calvary in Malachi chapter 3. And then notice, you see, not 
only are there some who benefit in terms of cleansing, There 
are some who benefit in terms of washing. There are some who 
benefit in terms of being called out of darkness into marvelous 
light. There are those who are brought 
to justice. And that's how the passage ends. 
You want the God of justice? The God of justice is coming. 
The Lord whom you seek, the one who you long for, the one whom 
you delight in. You can hear them in their Bible 
studies. We can't wait for the coming of the Messiah. We can't 
wait for him to come and destroy the Persians. We can't wait for 
him to come and subjugate our enemies and bring them under 
our feet. They delighted in that prospect. They delighted in that 
idea. Now he says that he's going to 
come, and in verse 5, I will come near you for judgment. I 
will be a swift witness. And notice where he goes. He 
goes to the Decalogue. He goes to the Mosaic Law. He 
goes to that covenant document to show wherein they had sinned 
against sorcerers. against adulterers, against perjurers, 
against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans 
and against those who turn away an alien. In other words, when 
Messiah comes, it will be for salvation and it will be for 
damnation. It will be for salvation and 
it will be for exclusion. The God of justice comes in the 
person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The God of 
justice brings judgment to bear upon those who continue to violate 
his holy law. Those who continue to engage 
in wickedness and in lawlessness and in depraved activity. And 
then the section ends, because they do not fear me, says the 
Lord of hosts. It could be an additional sin 
attached to the breaches of the Decalogue, or it could be what 
we've already seen up to this point. Remember, we saw that 
in Chapter 2, the beginning section. How we treat God affects the 
way we treat others, right? Theology precedes interpersonal 
relationship. You see, a rejection of the first 
table of the law, no fear of God. A rejection of those commandments 
intimately connected to the honor, glory, and majesty of God. When 
we despise those, we will certainly not care one whit for the second 
table of the law. You see, you want to fix society? 
You want to clean up the streets? Preach the gospel. Men need to 
be rightly related to God through Jesus Christ the Lord. They need 
pardon from sin. They need the imputation of righteousness 
because that precedes the way they deal with one another. I think there is connection. 
I think that is the flow of thought. I will bring judgment upon those 
who engage in such wickedness and the underscoring principle, 
they Do not fear me. Romans 1 shows the very same 
thing, because they did not glorify God as God, nor were their hearts 
thankful. And what happens as a result 
of that, they plunge themselves into the depths of vice and depravity 
and lawlessness, which the remainder of Romans chapter 1 details and 
outlines. So you see the prophets. addresses 
their sinful and wearying words with an eschatology lesson calculated 
to promote in them this necessity to be prepared. We need to, in 
conclusion, guard our own hearts against this sort of practical 
atheism. We need to guard our own hearts 
against judging God based on our circumstances. Calling into 
question is truthfulness. Calling into question is word 
based on our circumstances. You see, there are times, and 
we have seen this on Wednesday night in our study in Deuteronomy, 
God sends testing. He doesn't send temptation in 
terms of a solicitation to do evil. But in Deuteronomy chapter 
eight, it indicates that the wilderness was a time of testing 
for Israel. Interestingly, the other night 
in Deuteronomy 13, if a prophet or a dreamer of dreams comes 
to you, and his signs and wonders come true, and then he tells 
you, let's go serve Baal, let's go serve Moloch, let's go serve 
the gods of Canaan. Don't listen to him. Refuse him. Resist him. Reject him. And then 
it goes on to say, for the Lord your God is testing you. What's 
the implication? Are some signs and wonders going 
to so infect you? Are signs and wonders and the 
sensational going to so move you? You're going to be so committed 
to those truths or those realities? He doesn't deny their existence. 
In fact, he says they come to pass. Is that going to bring 
you to bow to Baal? If that is the truth, you're 
not of God. You see, the Lord sends trials. 
He sends tests. Do not interpret these things 
as God's departure from you. Often thought we ought to be 
suspicious when nothing bad ever happens. I know that's a tough 
doctrine to imbibe. Think about it. Nothing bad ever 
happens. The conclusion is maybe God doesn't 
love me. I don't want to lay that heap of guilt or burden 
on you. It's the kind of stuff I think 
about. Life is actually good right now. God must be angry 
with me. That's kind of a sick process in and of itself, right? 
But brethren, beloved, saints, Christians, don't interpret God 
by your circumstance. Don't ask, where is the God of 
justice when trials and difficulties hit? Do not say, maybe he delights 
in the wicked, maybe he delights in my neighbor, who though he's 
a pagan, gets nothing but blessing. That's not the way we're supposed 
to interpret. God is his own interpreter, and 
he will make it plain. Cooper says, behind a frowning 
providence, he hides a smiling face. Judge not the Lord by feeble 
sense. You're not able to do that. You're 
to take the Word of God as marching orders and live. Let Him deal 
with the circumstances, the trials, the afflictions, the difficulties. 
Those things present in your life never change your responsibility 
and your response. You are to say with Job, in the 
midst of trial, in the midst of difficulty, in the midst of 
perplexity, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. For I know that these eyes will 
see him on the last day." That's faith. That's walking by faith 
and not by sight. Secondly, as I said, we learn 
something of the doctrine of Christ. We see distinction between 
Yahweh and this messenger of the covenant, but we see unity. We see solidarity. We see what 
the later writers of the Nicene Creed would define this way. 
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, 
eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, 
true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the 
Father. These words were carefully selected, 
because the Arians said, He is like the Father. He is like the 
substance. The authors of the Nicene Creed, 
led by the godly man Athanasius said, he's not like him, he's 
of the same substance. There is distinction between 
the persons and there's blessed unity. One in substance, equal 
in power and glory. The announcement of this messenger 
of the covenant underscores his deity. So that when the Jews 
maintain Messiah was not called to be deity, they are simply 
wrong. He's identified with me, Yahweh. Would God identify himself with 
a creature? I will not share my glory with 
another, Yahweh says. And yet, what do we see in 2 
Peter 3? grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory now and forever. We never have 
New Testament authors calling upon us to glorify Jesus if He 
wasn't God. There is an inscription of the 
deity in a high Christology here in the prophet Malachi. And then 
finally, in reference to this idea that we've already visited 
to, I want to point you to one final passage before we close. 
There was a similar instance going on in Amos' day. Amos is another one of the minor 
prophets. Amos lived before Malachi. Amos lived in the 8th century 
BC. He prophesied primarily in the 
northern kingdom, which by this time of Malachi's day was gone. 
There was a similar sort of last phase madness that had infected 
the people. They wanted the day of the Lord. 
They wanted the coming of the Lord. Notice specifically in 
Amos chapter five at verse seven sixteen. Therefore, the Lord 
God of hosts, the Lord says this. There shall be wailing in the 
streets or in all streets, and they shall say in all the highways, 
alas, alas, they shall call the farmer to mourning and skillful 
lamenters to wailing in all vineyards. There shall be wailing. I will 
pass through you, says the Lord. Notice, woe to you. Woe to you 
who desire the day of the Lord. Again, not in and of itself a 
necessarily bad thing, right? I mean, I hope as Christians 
we desire the second coming of the Lord. Not just to answer 
our questions of eschatology, though. Not just to know if we're 
right in our eschatological commitments. He says, woe to you who desire 
the day of the Lord. For what good is the day of the 
Lord to you? It will be darkness and not light. Some of you may be longing for 
the presence of the Lord Jesus, but you're not ready to meet 
Him. It's not going to be light. It's going to be darkness. Notice 
the vivid imagery that the prophet uses to depict their futility. Verse 19, it will be as though 
a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. Imagine that. You're out in the woods, probably 
not Coltus Lake because it's so crowded. I don't think you'd 
ever see a lion, a bear, or anything there. Can you imagine being 
out maybe in East Harrison? I know lions aren't native to 
East Harrison, but for the sake of argument. You see a lion, 
and you would do what any normal, sane, rational human being would 
do. You would run. And you run and you run and you 
run and you run. You go around a corner and there's a bear. What's he always saying? You 
can't escape. You can't hide. Woe to you who 
desire the day of the Lord. But let's just suppose you run 
from the lion, you meet the bear, and then you do what any sane, 
rational, normal-thinking human person does. You run from the 
bear. You see a shack out there, an 
old hunter's cabin. You run for it, because that 
bear is coming. You open the door, you slam it 
shut, you drop the lock in place, you put your hand against the 
wall to take a deep breath, and there's a viper that bites you 
on the hand. You can't escape. You can't run. You can't hide. Woe to you who 
desire the coming of the Lord. It'll be a day of darkness and 
not light. Be careful what you ask for. Is not the day of the Lord darkness 
and not light? Is it not very dark with no brightness 
in it? Please heed this central recurring 
theme in Malachi 3. Be ready. Be prepared. Flee to Christ. Believe on Him. Look to him alone, trust his 
word, trust his gospel, trust him to save you from your soul 
so that when he comes again in glory to judge the living and 
the dead, you will be prepared to meet him. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word. We thank you for the prophet Malachi and for this 
very relevant and very practical application for our own generation. 
We ask God in heaven that you would deal graciously and mercifully 
with us, that we would be prepared to meet you, that we would be 
prepared for that great day when Jesus Christ will be revealed, 
when he will come in the glory of his father with all of his 
holy angels, when he will be taking vengeance on those who 
know him not, on those who do not obey the gospel, but when 
he comes to be marveled, to be admired by those who have belief. 
We just ask God in heaven that everyone here, I pray for the 
children, I pray for the young people, that they would take 
heed to the truth, that they would believe on the Lord Jesus. 
They would not let a day escape without having been made right 
with you through Christ the Lord. We appeal to you. We appeal to 
your power, your sovereignty, your ability, God, to open hearts 
and to bring the truth to bear. We ask that this gospel would 
go forth throughout the earth, conquering and to conquer, and 
that you would make a million, million hearts your own. And 
we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.