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Turn back to the prophet Malachi 
chapter 3, we'll go ahead and finish that section this evening. 
This morning we looked at the ones who spoke harsh words, two 
types of people, two types of theological speech. rampant in 
the fifth century B.C., at the time that Malachi the prophet 
served God in preaching. We saw the specifics of their 
conversation, the specifics of their report. Essentially, they 
said it was useless to serve God, it was unprofitable to serve 
God, and it was unfair to serve God. So we hopefully will see 
a big difference in the way that the godly people spoke, the way 
the God-fearers used their words to glorify the Lord. And that's 
certainly a take-home lesson that we ought to receive from 
this section. The way that we speak will honor 
or dishonor God. The way that we speak reflects 
what is in our heart. If we speak harsh words, if we 
have blasphemous statements, That stems from and comes from 
hearts that are not right with the living and through God. So 
I'll just pick up reading in Malachi 3 at verse 13. Your words have been harsh against 
me, says the Lord. Yet you say, what have we spoken 
against you? You have said it is useless to 
serve God. What profit is it that we have 
kept his ordinance and that we have walked as mourners before 
the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, 
for those who do wickedness are raised up. They even tempt God 
and go free. Then those who feared the Lord 
spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard. So a 
book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear 
the Lord and who meditate on his name. They shall be mine, 
says the Lord of hosts. on the day that I make them my 
special treasure, and I will spare them as a man spares his 
own son who serves him. Then you shall again discern 
between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves 
God and one who does not serve him. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, thank you for this, your 
Word. We pray for the ministry of Your Spirit now. We pray again 
for cleansing in the blood of the Lord Jesus. We pray that 
You would put the fear of God deep in our hearts, that we would 
never blaspheme, that we would never utter such ungodly things 
that we find here, that we would speak those things which are 
true, those things which are consistent with who You are, 
consistent with Your great and Your glorious works. And certainly, 
Father, for us to be able to speak these truths, we must know 
them. God, help us to receive your 
word. Help us to receive sound doctrine. Keep us from error. Keep us from 
heresy. Keep us from those things that 
will destroy our souls and grant us grace, Lord God in heaven, 
to truly reflect your glory in our local church, in our families, 
in our individual lives. May we indeed bring honor and 
praise unto you. We ask through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, two types 
of theological speech, as we investigated this morning, the 
godlessness and the wretchedness with which some spoke in that 
particular generation. Not unlike our own day, that 
sort of a mindset is still rampant within the Church of Jesus Christ 
and among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. We oftentimes 
say Or at least we think it is useless to serve God. There's 
a pragmatism, a desire for what is most beneficial to us. If 
God does not perform in the manner that we think that he should, 
then we complain and we utter things, either secretly or audibly, 
like what we find here. It is useless to serve God. If 
we don't profit, if we don't make money, if our religion doesn't 
bring us more happiness and more peace and more prosperity, then 
we call into question the goodness and the kindness of God. This 
is what they said, verse 14. What profit is it that we have 
kept His ordinance and that we have walked as mourners before 
the Lord of hosts? Remember that, walking as mourners. They conducted themselves in 
such a way that they were at a funeral. They looked pious, 
they looked humble, they looked broken, they looked sad and destitute. But in all of that, God was not 
prospering them. So they essentially say, what 
good is it for us to carry on that way? The idea of being a 
mercenary spirit. We live in such a way so that 
God will bless us. If God doesn't bless us, well, 
then we'll complain and we'll whine and we'll grumble. And 
then, of course, their bad theology, bad doctrine, unsound doctrine 
in verse 15, calling into question God's attributes and calling 
into question God's works, specifically of providence. So now we call 
the proud blessed for those who do wickedness are raised up. 
They even tempt God and go free. Very similar to what we saw in 
chapter two at verse 17. There they had wearied the Lord 
and they wearied the Lord by saying everyone who does evil 
is good in the sight of the Lord and he delights in them. Or where 
is the God of justice? Again, a denial of his attributes, 
a denial of his work. And I mentioned those two things 
distinctly because when we look at the godly, when we look at 
the righteous, when we look at those who speak reverent words, 
they are marked by speaking truth. They speak concerning God's attributes. They speak concerning God's providence. In order for us as Christian 
people to be able to do this, we must know these things. There 
is a necessity laid upon us that if we would speak well concerning 
our God, we must be instructed well. We must attend to the means 
that God has ordained. He has purposed prayer and reading 
of the Scripture and corporate worship and the preaching of 
the Word and the administration of the sacraments. Those elements 
God has declared in His Word aren't just there so that we 
can kind of go through the motions and seek blessing from the Lord. 
They are there as a lifeline. The people of God should depend 
upon those means of grace so that they may grow in the grace 
and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can't 
speak to one another concerning the attributes of God or the 
works of God if we are ignorant of those things. Attributes simply 
are those things attributed to God, the perfections of God. Probably one of the most helpful 
Small, encompassing statements is the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It asks the question, what is 
God? And the answer specifies certain 
attributes. It's not exhaustive. It doesn't 
say everything the Bible has to say concerning this truth, 
but it's a good summary statement. God is spirit. He's infinite, 
eternal, and unchangeable. It is being, wisdom, power, holiness, 
justice, goodness, and truth. So as we look at the ones who 
spoke reverent words, these are the sorts of things that they 
discoursed in. These are the sorts of things 
that filled their conversation. These were the sorts of things 
that marked them as the ones who feared the Lord. So we've 
got two categories of people. The godless, the unrighteous, 
the unholy, which we looked at this morning. And we have the 
godly. or the righteous, those who fear 
the Lord, those who are rightly related to the Father through 
the Son, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, and who live 
in a manner consistent with that profession of faith in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. So let's look at the ones who 
spoke reverent words. There's three observations in 
this category. First, they are identified as 
the God-fearers. Notice in verse 16, Then those 
who feared the Lord spoke to one another. And the verse ends, 
For those who fear the Lord and who meditate on his name. This 
is biblical shorthand, theological shorthand for true and saving 
religion in Old Covenant Israel. To fear God meant to be rightly 
related to God through the mediator, the Lord Jesus. You say, but 
the Lord Jesus wasn't there in the Old Testament. The promise 
of His coming was there in the Old Testament. Everybody that 
has ever been saved has been saved in the same way. Faith 
or grace alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone. The first gospel promise is given 
in Genesis chapter 315. All the Old Testament saints 
were looking for this one who would be born of a woman and 
who would crush the head of the seed of the serpent. They were 
looking for a man to be a deliverer, and as the Old Testament unfolds, 
it becomes clear and evident that he would be divine, that 
he would be of the order of Melchizedek. It was those promises that brought 
them into right relationship to the living and true God. So 
the fear of the Lord is simply to save the Christians. the believer, 
the one who had faith in the gospel. Then those who feared 
the Lord spoke to one another. Now, as we looked at the previous 
section, it seems as if that was a rampant sin. These people 
that were saying it was useless and unprofitable and unfair to 
serve God. Well, they weren't completely 
unanimous in this expression. God has always had His remnants. 
We ought to praise Him for that. Sometimes we look around and 
we get discouraged. Sometimes we consider the bad 
theology that is out there. We consider the sorts of Christianity 
that we witness. We consider the sorts of profession 
of faith that we see manifest, and we grow very weary and very 
discouraged, and we wonder, are we the only Christians in the 
earth? I hope we don't wonder that. I mean, if you look at 
your own self, you might grow a bit weary and a bit discouraged 
at times, too. All you've got to do is look 
in the mirror for a good dose of reality on just how much we 
need to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord 
Jesus. But notice this, then those who feared the Lord. So as bad as the fifth century 
B.C. may have been in Judah, As bad 
as Malachi's target audience was, there was a remnant. There were believers. There were 
those who, in the language used by God, with the prophet Elijah, 
that had not bowed the knee to Baal. Remember that. Elijah was 
under the broom tree. He thought he was the last. He 
thought it was all over. He was saying to God, take me, 
kill me, bring me up into that glory. He was discouraged. He 
was downcast after witnessing this powerful display of God's 
glory on Mount Carmel when He destroys the prophets of Baal. God, in a glorious display, accepts 
Elijah's sacrifice, demonstrates that Yahweh of Israel is the 
living and the true God. And the very next scene, and 
there's something instructive about this, men who have studied 
spiritual depression. Lloyd-Jones, for instance, and 
Charles Haddon Spurgeon indicate that oftentimes after a great 
spiritual high, there's a time of a great spiritual low. In 
other words, when you go really high, you come way down. And 
you certainly see that demonstrated in Elijah. I mean, on the one 
hand, he's mocking the prophets of Baal. Where's your God? Maybe 
he's relieving himself. Maybe he's on holiday. I mean, 
it was a real knee slapper to hear Elijah mocking those prophets 
of Baal. Here was the man challenging 
these people. He offers up a very simple prayer 
after having prepared a sacrifice and dousing it with water. Some 
people say there was a time of famine and a time of drought 
and he's pouring away water on the sacrifice. They were right 
near this big body of water called the Mediterranean Sea. So what 
Elijah does is he douses that sacrifice, or he douses that 
offering, that bullet, and then God sends fire down and consumes 
it. You would imagine that Elijah 
would be hoisted up on everybody's shoulders and taken to the nearest 
place and bought food and drink and all those sorts of things. 
You would think there would be a celebration in the streets 
because of what this prophet had done, offers up a simple 
prayer to the Lord Most High. God sends down the fire, consumes 
the sacrifice. Elijah orders the execution of 
the false prophets. And the very next scene, he's 
under the broom tree saying, God, take me home. He was way 
up here and he came way down there. So the encouragement here 
is the next spiritual high that you enjoy. Pray to the Lord God. Be on your guard. The devil is 
not far from you in those seasons and occasions. We need to be 
mindful of that reality. But how does God cheer the prophet? He cheers him temporally in a 
very few simple ways. He says, Elijah, you need some 
rest. Never discount that very physical need for rest. We think we're eight foot tall 
and bulletproof, but I work 16 hours a day and I'm macho. You 
need rest from time to time. What did Jesus tell his disciples? 
Come apart and rest for a while. Spurgeon said, sometimes we can 
do more by doing less. We need to preserve our energy. So God says, get some rest, Elijah. And then he says, have some food. 
But the theological truth that he communicates to Elijah is 
that I have seven thousand knees that have not bowed to Baal. Elijah, you may not see it in 
your day to day experience. You may not meet the God fearers 
in your daily life and experience. You may think everything is dark 
and bleak and over as far as covenant religion is concerned. 
But God says, calm down, Elijah. I have my people. And the same 
thing is true here. We've read, we've studied, we've 
looked at this report, this threefold report of godless, harsh words 
on the part of many in Israel. And yet then those who feared 
the Lord spoke to one another. Take comfort and be encouraged 
that God knows what He's doing. Take comfort and be encouraged 
in Matthew 16 that Jesus Christ is building His church and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Take comfort in the 
Psalter and in the prophets that Christ will have dominion from 
sea to sea and that the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth 
as the waters cover the sea. T.V. Moore says, it is a cheering 
thought that no defection from the truth has ever been so widespread 
as not to leave a remnant who never bowed the knee to Baal. 
Such was the fact here. Amid the astounding wickedness 
of the people, there were still those who were faithful to God. It's encouraging. Especially 
if you follow the sermons on Malachi thus far. I was messed 
up, wasn't it? I mean, look at the covenant 
community in the time of Malachi. What a weariness to serve the 
Lord. Grab the mangy animal and bring it to the Lord. We just 
noticed this in our study in Deuteronomy 15 on Wednesday evening. Deuteronomy 15 deals with the 
law of the firstborn animal. Deuteronomy 14 deals with the 
law of the firstborn animal. Deuteronomy 16 is going to deal 
with the law of the firstborn animal. Exodus 13 deals with 
the law of the firstborn animal. Exodus, I think, 23, somewhere 
up there, deals with the law of the firstborn animal. You 
all hopefully know what the law of the firstborn animal is. I'm 
presupposing a body of truth, an understanding of the body 
of truth. When you have a firstborn animal, that has no blemish or 
defect, that goes to the Lord. That's God's. My point is that 
it wasn't an isolated, obscure passage in Leviticus. It was 
replete and repeated throughout the Pentateuch, so that when 
we get to the 5th century B.C., and these wretches are taking 
the non-firstborn, and these wretches are taking the lame, 
and the maimed and the blemished and the blind. When they are 
pulling those out of the flock, do not forget the Pentateuch. The text is conspicuous that 
what they are doing is godless. It is unholy. It is unrighteous. I mean, that is an affront to 
the living God. What was the priesthood like 
in Malachi's day? They were not teaching the truth. 
They were accepting these bad animals for sacrifice. What were 
interpersonal relationships like in Malachi's day? Intermarriage 
with pagans, divorcing the wife of one's youth, engaging in all 
manner of wickedness like sorcery and adultery and perjury and 
exploiting wage earners and widows and orphans. All these things 
were rampant in Malachi's day and age, and yet, then those 
who feared the Lord spoke to one another. So all of that to 
say that as we look around a society that looks very much like Malachi's 
day, never lose hope. That's an important point. We 
can be a hopeless people. We can be a defeated people. I just read a thing by Spurgeon 
recently on the necessity to manifest joy as Christians. I mean, it's unfortunate we have 
to be told that. I mean, how many times in the 
New Testament are we commanded to be joyful? What is that a reflection on? 
God just likes to repeat himself? No, we've got thick, thick melons 
and hard, hard hearts. We have to be told time and time 
and time again to be happy. Be happy, be joyful, rejoice 
in the Lord always. Again, Paul says, Philippians 
4, I will say rejoice. Scourge says, even if you are 
downcast, not saying fake it, deceive or lie, but don't walk 
around like you're at a Jewish funeral. You are to manifest 
the hope of God's people. What's 1 Peter 3.15? Presuppose. Always be ready to give a reason 
for, get this, the hope that is in you. If you look hopeless, 
if you look like you're a step away from the grave, if you look 
like a country western song just happened to you, no one, but 
no one, will ever ask you, why do you look so happy? Why do 
you look so hope-filled? What is your secret? Well, it's 
no secret. It's the glory of the gospel 
of Jesus Christ, my Lord. I was really struck by that. 
If you're interested, it's on a blog called Pyromaniacs. And 
it's a clip or an excerpt from Spurgeon's sermon on that particular 
subject. Very convicting for those who 
are given the melancholy or being downcast. But the point is, we 
need to be a hope-filled people. Notice, secondly, their godly 
conversation. Then those who feared the Lord 
spoke to one another. Now, this next clause, I think, 
is the record of what they spoke. I know there's not quotation 
marks around it. Hebrews written a little bit 
differently than the way that we operate in English. Here's 
how I think the text flows. Then those who feared the Lord 
spoke to one another. Here's what they spoke to one 
another. The Lord heard and the Lord listened. Just the opposite of what the 
godless said. See, the godless say the Lord 
doesn't listen. The Lord doesn't hear. The Lord 
doesn't care. The Lord isn't with us. But within 
the godly community, the essence of their report, the essence 
of their godly conversation is that the Lord does listen and 
the Lord does hear. Them is supply. The way it's 
written in the New King James certainly doesn't capture the 
way I'm presenting it. It says they spoke to one another 
and the Lord listened and heard what they spoke to one another. 
I think it's better understood that they spoke to one another 
and the essence and the sum and substance of what they spoke 
to one another is that the Lord is faithful, the Lord does listen, 
and the Lord does hear us. In other words, what is being 
expressed is a right description of God's attributes and of His 
works. While the godless call into question 
His presence, while the godless say, where is the God of justice? 
He doesn't care. He isn't for us. He blesses the 
proud. He prospers the wicked. The godly, 
those who fear the Lord, this is what they spoke to one another. The Lord does listen. The Lord 
does hear. In other words, their conversation 
is good theology. It is sound doctrine. And it's 
a beautiful statement of what is being spoken among the community. This morning, Mr. Lawson read 
an excerpt out of John G. Peyton, the missionary to the 
New Hebrides. Last week in the preaching of 
the part on the fathers, I mentioned that scene where Peyton records 
his father and how he dealt with the children. Well, Mr. Lawson brought that book this 
morning, and by way of a bit of a meditation before the prayer 
meeting, he shared that section. And one thing, I mean, many things 
stood out to me. One, I need to repent of my not 
good fathering. I mean, John G. Peyton's father 
was just godly. There's no if, ands, or buts. I mean, it's a big, fat banner 
of truth book. It's a biography. But if all 
you get through is that section where Peyton records how his 
father was, you'll have enough to deal with for the rest of 
your life. I mean, it's that powerful. But one of the things 
Peyton says is that the Sabbath day, day was a blessing. It was glorious. He says, out 
of the eleven siblings, none of us ever complained about the 
Sabbath. We never murmured or grumbled 
or thought it was unfair. We learned a shorter catechism. 
Nobody ever said, oh, that was a terrible thing to do. It was 
harsh. It was brutal. It was vicious. 
It was mean. He says we've all drawn off of that body of doctrine 
for our adult lives. And he said when we would walk 
to the Lord's house on the Sabbath, which, of course, John G. Peyton's 
father missed three times in what, 40 years was it? He missed 
church three times. You say, oh, well, you know why? 
One, because the snow was so deep, he couldn't navigate. Two, 
the second was ice, I think. He had to physically crawl home 
because he got so far and he couldn't go any further, so he 
had to crawl home. And then, well, the third one, 
he must have had a sniffle. No, there was a cholera outbreak. And they had to send a delegation 
to his house to plead with his wife to keep him at home on the 
Sabbath day. None of those 11 kids rolled 
their eyes. We've got to go to church. We've 
got to learn the catechism. This is brutal. This is terrible. 
He says, we loved it. But the thing that actually stood 
out to me, as he was reading this morning and I was thinking 
through this passage, was the godly conversation. When they 
were walking to the house of the Lord on the Sabbath, Peyton 
says this, we children, benefited from the godly conversation of 
our parents. In other words, as they walked 
to the Lord's house, which He loves, according to Psalm 87, 
God loves the gates of Zion more than the dwellings of Jacob. 
Oh, He's not a hater of the dwellings of Jacob. He doesn't hate your 
family. He doesn't hate your domestic 
sphere. But He loves the gates of Zion. He digs those. He says, when 
we walked there, we would hear the godly conversation. And we 
learned doctrine. We learned truth. We learned 
what it was to be a Christian. Your children will hear what 
you talk about. Your children have ears that 
receive. Are the ones who fear the Lord 
in our generation speaking to one another the truth of who 
God is and what He does? the attributes of God, the works 
of God, His creation, His providence, His redemption. You know, we 
talk about CPR in the physical sphere. You've got cardiopulmonary 
resuscitation. Think about the spiritual CPR. Creation, providence, redemption. You teach, you preach, you enforce, 
you thrust forth those three doctrines of what God does, and 
you buttress it with who God is And your children are going 
to be the rich benefactors of that conversation. That's what's 
going on here. The people of God are full of 
God, so they talk about God. It isn't rocket science. What 
we talk about, what we speak of, evidences what we care about. If Christ never makes it into 
our conversation, if the only day we speak of Jesus is on Sunday, 
God have mercy on us. The church, the people of God, 
ought to encourage one another. What does the apostle say in 
Hebrews 3? Exhort one another on the Lord's 
day? No, exhort one another daily. Lest you be hardened by the deceitfulness 
of sin, the ones who feared the Lord said this. God listens and 
God hears. hears, they are ascribing truth 
to the Lord, and they are in direct contrast and opposition 
to those who say, we call the proud blessed. For those who 
do wickedness are raised up, they even tempt God and go free. 
Those who say it's useless and unprofitable and unfair to serve 
the Lord, these God-fearers say just the opposite. He listens. 
He hears. Did I tell you about this? I 
prayed that God would help me in this particular instance and 
situation. And he did. It was great. He 
listens, he hears. What's the psalmist say? There's 
an inscription, and I think it's Psalm 102. I love the Lord. No, it's not the inscription, 
it's the verse. I love the Lord because he has heard my supplication. Isn't that beautiful? Do we tell 
people? I love the Lord. Why? Because 
He's Spirit, He's infinite, He's eternal, He's unchangeable in 
His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. 
I love Him because He made all this world. I love Him because 
He's sovereign providence. We as God's people ought to really 
appreciate that, right? Especially in the current political 
climate. We ought to be very thankful 
we have a sovereign God who governs all His creatures in all their 
actions. The God that hedged in the wicked men in the Bible 
is the same God that is in throne today. And we can take comfort 
in that. But we also love him because he heard the voice of 
my supplication and he answered. The Lord listened. Notice verse 
16. So a book of remembrance was 
written before him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate 
on his name. Some people take this as the 
book of life. God's got the names of those 
who fear him in the Book of Life. I don't think that's what's in 
view here. Others take it in a manner similar to what we find 
in the Persian Empire. Remember in the Book of Esther, 
in Esther 2.23 specifically, the Persians would record things 
in the Chronicles that kings would later muse on. Remember, 
the king wasn't able to sleep, according to Esther chapter 6 
and verse 1. And he read how that man Mordecai 
intervened in such a way as to protect the king's life. And 
so the king says, what's been done to honor Mordecai? Remember, 
Haman thought it was Haman that was going to get honored. Haman 
thought, oh, yeah, this is what you do to honor the man who the 
king wants to honor. You put a robe on him, you put 
him on a steed, you run him through the neighborhood, and the king 
says, do that for Mordecai. Haman just collapses. He internally 
implodes. I don't think that's what's in 
here. Sort of this chronicle of the king, this book of remembrance. 
It doesn't say it's the Lord's book of remembrance. We compare 
Malachi to the book of Nehemiah, for instance. Specifically in 
Nehemiah chapters 9 and 10, there is a covenant renewal ceremony 
that the people of God write out and the people of God seal 
with their own name. I think what Malachi is communicating 
to us is that those who fear the Lord not only engage in sound 
theological discourse, but they covenant to the Lord to serve 
Him. to praise Him, to honor Him. Though the rest of our community 
calls into question His goodness, His righteousness, and His justice, 
we will serve the Lord. We will inscribe our names in 
this book of remembrance, and we will do this before the living 
and true God. So we see godly conversation 
marking these people. We see covenant renewal marking 
these people. We see these people living consistently 
with the faith that they have been entrusted with. Stuart says, the people who are 
faithful set out to enlist themselves in a written covenant to trust 
and obey God in spite of what the majority of their contemporaries 
are doing. So, that is the God-fearers. Notice the Lord's report concerning 
these people in verse 17. They shall be mine, says the 
Lord of hosts, on the day that I make them mine. It is special 
treasure. If you have the New King James, 
the marginal reading says literally special treasure. Why they translated 
that as jewels is beyond me. Special treasure. Does that sound 
familiar to anybody who's come on Wednesday night? Isn't this 
what God calls His people, His special treasure? He says it 
in Exodus chapter 19. He says it in Deuteronomy chapter 
7. He says it in Deuteronomy chapter 14. He says it in Deuteronomy 
chapter 26. He says it in the psalm we read 
at the outset of worship in Psalm 135 verse 4. And lo and behold, 
the Apostle Paul takes up that language in Titus 2.14 and he 
calls us God's special treasure. Isn't that beautiful? The God-fearers 
are his. The God-fearers are possessed. 
The God-fearers are owned. They shall be mine, says the 
Lord of hosts on the day that I make them my special treasure. He owns us. We are his peculiar 
treasure. Paul says we ought to be zealous 
for good deeds in that respect. But he also not only indicates 
that we belong to him, we are his special treasure. Notice 
how he highlights his fatherly disposition to them. And I will spare them as a man 
spares his own son who serves him. Again, Deuteronomy, hopefully 
it will pop up in your head. Remember, in chapter one, in 
verse thirty one. The people of Israel had concluded 
that God took them out into the wilderness because God was mean 
and God was mad and God was going to kill them. And God says that 
in the wilderness, I carried you as a man carries his son. That's the picture of the wilderness 
that Israel was supposed to learn. They were set apart, according 
to Exodus chapter 4, to be God's firstborn son. God relates to 
His covenant community in this filial manner, in this paternal 
manner. This is why He is called Father. This is why we come to the Father 
through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. He will spare 
them as a man spares his own son who serves him. God has a special treasure and 
God relates to them as a father does to his son. Now, remember, 
it's an analogy. God does it perfectly. We don't 
always relate as well to our sons as we ought. So, the analogy 
does break down. He doesn't yell at us for no 
reason. He doesn't smack us for no reason. Sometimes we discipline 
and we don't always carry it out in the best possible way. 
In fact, the apostle alludes to this in Hebrews 12 and he 
sets up that parallel. As many as the Lord loves, he 
chastens. He says, our earthly fathers 
disciplined us for a time as seemed best to them. I always 
find great comfort in that. I think a Christian man, a godly 
man, seeks by the grace of God to do the best he can. Does he 
fail? Yes. Does he mess up? Yes. Does he plead the blood? Yes. But by and large, if the 
Spirit of God is in a man, he seeks by the grace of God to 
do what is right. So there is an analogy that does 
ultimately break down. God's relationship to his children 
is always perfect. He disciplines us as we have 
need. He disciplines us as is best 
for us. He deals with us in a gracious, 
in a firm and in a loving manner. And we can praise him for that. 
And then finally, notice in verse 18, and I believe that this will 
transition into chapter four. We've got, then you shall again 
discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who 
serves God and one who does not serve him. I think the party 
addressed here specifically is the wicked of verses 13 to 15. 
You see, I think the God-fearers already were able to make distinction. 
The God-fearers were already able to see who served God and 
who didn't. They already thought biblically. They already said 
things like, the Lord listens, the Lord hears, the Lord is on 
his throne, the Lord is sovereign in his providence, the Lord governs 
according to his most holy, wise, and powerful words. It was the 
godless that are being instructed here in verse 18. Then you shall 
again discern between the righteous and the wicked. You see, you 
complain in verses 13 to 15 that the Lord doesn't care about the 
righteous and that the Lord blesses the wicked. Well, God, through 
Malachi, is saying, let me assure you, there is a day coming. It's 
going to be introduced in chapter 4. There is a day coming where 
there will be no mistake, when God will vindicate the righteous, 
when He will punish the wicked, when He will consummate the age, 
and when He will be all in all. It is an instruction to the godless 
who have been addressed in verses 13 to 15. Then you shall again 
discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who 
serves God and one who does not serve him. So thus concludes 
the exposition. We've already looked at the modern 
manifestation of harsh words this morning, the pragmatism, 
the mercenary spirit and the terrible theology that is reflected 
in the statements of verses 13 to 15. By way of conclusion tonight, 
I want us to consider our privileges as the blood-bought children 
of God. We belong to Him. I mean, that right there, we should 
just praise God. We belong to the Lord. What could 
be better? What could be better? They shall 
be mine. My special treasure. You ever think of yourself in 
that way? I mean, your wife might think you're special treasure. 
Your husband might think you're special treasure. Most mothers 
think their child is special treasure. I don't care what criminal 
out there, his mother loves it. It's an amazing thing. It's just 
the way it is, right? Mom always loves you. Rob a bank 
and show up on her front door. I'm not advocating this, but 
you could do this. Your mom would love you. It's just the way, 
it's just the way God made mom. She just loved you. You're always 
going to be her special treasure. But for most of us, if we really 
stop and we really trace out, we really consider and we really 
think special treasure, me? According to God most high, yes. 
And it's not because of you, because of the person and the 
work of his dearly beloved son. It is that we are accepted in 
the beloved, Ephesians chapter one. The Father chose us in him 
before the foundation of the world. He predestinated us unto 
adoption as sons by Jesus Christ. If you've ever noticed chapter 
one in Ephesians, it is triune in its expression of glory to 
God. He says, The Lord God Most High, blessed be the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every 
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. That is the 
thesis statement of verses 3 to 14. He then starts with the Father. The Father chose and predestined. 
He then moves on to the Son. What is the mark of the Son? 
We have been accepted in the Beloved. We have redemption through 
His blood. And in the end of the chapter 
deals with the spirit and how he seals us and how he guarantees 
us. You see, Paul is expressing praise 
to the triune God for salvation. And what we find in those passages 
is that in Christ Jesus, we are God's special treasure. That is a blessed statement and 
a blessed reality. And as well, we are cared for 
by God as a gracious father. He says, I will spare them as 
a man spares his own son who serves him. So Christian, consider 
what you are before the Lord and consider how God treats you. If that doesn't put a spring 
in your step tomorrow, I don't know what to tell you. That doesn't 
make you happy. What could you? How did that 
not make you happy? I know it's hot right now. I 
know it's six. I know we're tired. I know it's 
been a long day. I'm tired, too. You know, just to confess and 
admit. Sometimes I've heard Al Martin say, you know, preaching 
like this sometimes makes you want to drop dead. Or I think 
I'm going to drop dead in the act of preaching. It's hard. 
I realize you're tired, but think about this as you go into Monday. I am God's special treasure and 
God is my gracious father. The privilege ought to make us 
sing praises to his great name. The privilege ought to make us 
live consistently with it. In other words, as God's special 
treasure, as God's son, as God's daughter, I ought to be zealous 
for good works. This is Paul's argument. In Titus 
chapter two, I've already alluded to it. Let me just read it in 
conclusion. He says, For the grace of God 
brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that 
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly. 
righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the 
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, 
Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem 
us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special 
people or his own special treasure, zealous for good work. We are saved by grace. We are 
saved by blood shedding. He gave himself for us that he 
might redeem us from every lawless deed. That he might purify for 
himself his own special people. And as the purified special people 
of God the Lord, as ones who submit to the kingship of Jesus 
Christ, let us go therefore and be zealous for good works. We have great privilege. We have 
great responsibility. We have a great God who sends 
his spirit and who enables us to live in such a manner. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word. We thank you for this passage in the book of Malachi. 
While there were the godless and those speaking the harsh 
words, there were those who feared the Lord. There were those who 
ascribed praise to You, those who engaged in godly conversation 
and said, the Lord listens and the Lord hears. How we thank 
You, Most High God, for these truths. How we thank You that 
You will spare us as a man spares his child. How we thank You that 
You have brought us out of darkness into marvelous light. And may 
these things encourage us, may they cause us to praise and worship, 
and may they cause us to go and to live in a manner consistent 
with these truths. We ask now that you would watch 
over this body. I know that many people are traveling 
in this coming week. I pray that you would grant them 
traveling mercies and safety and great grace. God, after these 
summer months, we pray you'd bring us all back together again, 
that we may, as the body of Jesus Christ in this community, bring 
glory and praise and honor unto you. And we ask these things 
in His most blessed name. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.