Sermon in Minneapolis 16.11.2008

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and always. Let us join our hearts together in opening prayer and thanksgiving. Amen.

Dear Heavenly Father, as we have again gathered around your holy and unperishing word, we beseech you that you would, through your Spirit, open your word, open our hearts to receive it, and give us strength to again take footsteps along the path that leads to heaven.

Dear Father, we also pray on behalf of our country in which we live that we can freely and openly gather, as we have this morning, that we can pause to study your word in freedom. Dear Father, we know that this is a gift from you, that it is not always so, and may not continue to be. But this we thank you this morning that we can gather.

Dear Father, we also pray for those who yet walk without your love and guidance, without living faith. Call each seeking soul to the hearing of your word. Call them into your kingdom to hope. That hope which will not leave us ashamed, but will carry us to eternal life. These we ask your Father in your Son's name. In Jesus' name. Amen.

The prophetic word for this Sunday is found in the third chapter of the book of Malachi, from the 13th verse to the end of the chapter. And we hear these words in Jesus' name as follows:

"Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, And they that fear the Lord of hosts, And that day when I make up my jewels, And I will spare them, As a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall he return, And discern between the righteous and the wicked, Between him that serveth God, And him that serveth him not." Amen.

Amen.

This morning I come before you with doubts and fears, feeling myself without words, empty. And I ask, can I hear the gospel? I want to believe.

Malachi lived a time and this life that is very similar to our time today. A time when even those who confess to following God nevertheless had their minds and thoughts far from Him. In fact, if we pause to consider the ideas which the people of His time had, I'm sure you will find similarities to our day and age.

These words which we read for our text began with, "Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord." There were those who in Malachi's time had begun to even openly speak out against God. They had begun to say that the God which they had been serving was not doing those things which He had given through His Word to be known.

In fact, there were those who were amongst the believers who murmured and said that God's children were not blessed as those who lived in the world. And in fact, they thought it was the other way around; that they saw the blessings which those in unbelief had but did not see their own blessings.

It's one of those things which as humans we've come up with many different phrases to say the same matter. For instance, that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. There is a tendency to look around to what others have and not see what you yourself have. And it's something which as believers we can also find ourselves in.

Another thing which as believers we could even think about is a very common saying in this world: "Count your blessings." It's one way to have us pause to think of that which we have, that which we have been given by God, and not to place ourselves in the place of God and to begin to be demanding.

But it's the same way also as humans we have this, our minds, our reason, that battles against faith so often. And at its base, at its core, when we think of God as humans, there is a tendency to look at it backwards. For at its core we know and understand how we live and dwell according to God's grace. We have been spared by the grace of God through His Son, the Lord Jesus, and so we ought to in our minds and thoughts think of how we can serve God.

But as humans we so conveniently wish to turn it around and think, "What will God do for me?" And so it is that so many around us in this world place their trust and understanding in those false prophets who simply say that which they wish to hear, or as scriptures speak of, as those who have itching ears.

It's not any longer a question of serving God and living by faith but a question of wondering where the blessings of God are and what God will do for me. And in some respect, that is what we have been almost trained in this world, at least in this country, in our temporal lives.

When we pause to think of our daily occupations and our educations, a very familiar question today is, "What's in it for me?" And unfortunately, so many in the world around us take the same question and use it when thinking of their own lives in this world and their relationship with God their Creator: "What's in it for me?" Thinking only of this temporal life.

That if they would pause in their temporal lives to serve God, pause to serve their neighbor, their fellow believer, their question is, "What's in it for me?" It's not a foreign concept; it's not something thought up even today. Scriptures give us examples of that very similar understanding even in the times of King David and the psalmist Asaph.

We could pause and look at the 73rd psalm, for instance. It is a picture of a believer who had almost fallen into this trap of wondering "What's in it for me?" and was looking at those who had, or those who were walking on the outside, and the apparent blessings which they had and the joy which they had.

And so the psalmist says, "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart; but as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped; for I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death; but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men."

It's quite a picture of those walking in ungodliness which the psalmist here is portraying at the beginning of this psalm, simply looking from the outside. That is what he beheld, and it's easy for us as believers of this time to do the same.

He continues, "Therefore pride compasses them about as a chain; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness; they have more than heart could wish."

So he's giving these comparisons that not only are they compassed about with violence, for instance, but then seems to want to see the blessing which comes from that, or so he thinks. He says, "They are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily; they set their mouth against the heavens; and their tongue walketh through the earth."

"Therefore his people return hither; and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them." And these are the things which those people question. They said, "How does God know?" and, "Is there knowledge in the Most High?"

The psalmist then says, "Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world; they increase in riches." And then laments, "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end."

So simply thinking of our lives in this world from a carnal standpoint, we can fall into the same trap as these who Malachi was speaking of who spoke out against God. But still it says, "Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?"

In their own way they thought they were serving God, but this is what they said: "It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?"

Our flesh, our temporal bodies, wish to find ways to serve God which are acceptable only to our flesh. Even in the service of God in this world, or what they try to call a service of God, is simply another form of enjoyment, a time to satisfy, for instance, the mind.

There is no profit in keeping his ordinances and walking, as they say, mournfully before the Lord of hosts. That is what those who walk on the outside in their ungodliness and their self-righteousness, the way they see God's kingdom: there's no profit in keeping his ordinances, for that fighting against the flesh.

For instance, when we speak of those things which are against the word of God so clearly, for instance, as in divorce and abortion, and we could name a long list of those types of things, they say, "What profit is it that we have kept his ordinance? There is no profit in it for them. They only see the, what they think of as, mournful service of the children of God."

It says, "Now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered."

It's hard sometimes for our flesh to comprehend that those around us in this world prosper, and perhaps in our lives we don't see it as an outward prospering, but yet as the psalmist related earlier, that until we step into the sanctuary of the Lord, we are stuck in that same thought and same mind wondering at those things which we are missing, and perhaps our flesh is jealous and envying.

Until we step into the sanctuary of the Lord and know that which we have by faith.

Today's texts tell us to watch, to watch soberly in faith, for that day will come when the judgment of God will descend upon all, and those that will be delivered from death are those that still carry faith in their hearts, who have endeavored to the end of the journey in faith.

Those who await in their sleep, we watch, and we watch soberly.

It is in this that we wish to, as the writer in the New Testament has written. Luke records that Jesus says that those who follow him must take up the cross.

We have not been promised anything else, dear brothers and sisters. We have not been promised those temporal riches which we are envious of, but we have been promised a cross and at the end of the journey a crown.

There is no better exchange than that than to one day have that crown of life placed on our heads.

Malachi here continues, "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another."

It was evident in his day, as is evident in our day, at the ungodliness which surrounds us.

Scriptures give us testimony in this part of Malachi, as we heard and elsewhere, how a way to battle against our flesh, a way to be relieved of those burdensome thoughts and temptations, is to gather again so much the more as we see the day approaching.

"They that fear the Lord spake often one to another."

What types of things do we speak to one another, dear brothers and sisters? Do we speak to each other of the successful journey which we've had? Do we tell one another about the victorious battles against sin? Sure, we may at times when our cup runs over, but more often than not, dear brothers and sisters, isn't it the case that we speak to each other about our temptations, our struggles?

I recall one speaking to a father of a big family. He had had the grace of repentance when he was young, and in his mind, as he was telling me, he said that he wanted to be a good Christian, and then when God granted him a spouse, he wanted to be a good father.

Twenty years later, when he paused for a few minutes to think, he never became a good Christian or good father.

Isn't that what we speak of to one another more often than not? We need to speak to each other of our failures, to look for strength for our journey, to find a helping hand in our struggles.

To our will to Israel, to the Israelites were battling the Amalekites and they were victorious when Moses held his hands up. He wearied and they began to fall, and the Amalekites then became victorious.

But he had those brothers Aaron and Hur who came to lift up the fallen hands.

And so even the New Testament writer writes very similar ideas about how we as God's children help each other in our lives.

If I can recall the place where it says it, in the 12th chapter of Hebrews, it says, "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Make straight paths for your feet."

Come to mind that our brothers and sisters not only can they lift up our hands when they are weary, but they are able to assist us to remove those stumbling stones which lay before us that oftentimes seem so impassable.

Malachi says that the Lord hearkened and heard.

It not only has the Lord heard those complaints, not only has the Lord heard those thoughts of vanity and serving God, but he also hears when those that fear him speak to one another.

Has it not been said in vain by Jesus that that which he forgives on earth is forgiven in heaven? He hears, and not only hears it, dear brothers and sisters.

It says that a book of remembrance is written for them that fear the Lord.

Common practice in Old Testament times that the mighty kings had this type of book written. I believe in the book of Esther, for example, it speaks of this type of book.

I can even find it speaks of a believer named Mordecai who had found, or not necessarily found but heard about an event that was going to take place, and he had told the servants of the king about that which was to occur.

And it says that when Mordecai, in the second chapter of Esther, when Mordecai told the king's people, or told it on to Esther the queen, of this plan to, I guess in our language of today, perhaps it would have been to assassinate the king, Esther made this known to the king.

And after due process, we could say it was when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out after study they found that the charges were true and judgment occurred.

And then it says it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king, not that these events were written in the chronicles of the king that these two had done wrong, but that what Mordecai had done was written in the book that the king would remember that which was done on his behalf.

God is an almighty God, an all-knowing God, and if we pause to think of him as an all-knowing God, he would not have reason to write a book of remembrance. He certainly remembers things which we have done and knows them well, as scriptures say, that not even a hair has fallen from our head that he has not known.

But yet as God's children, we are given comfort. Something that we can relate to in scriptures is written that this book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name.

That if we would simply pause to think of the majesty of God, our minds cannot comprehend it, but scriptures have given us this comfort that this book of remembrance is written before him.

It has been said so often that when sins are forgiven, they are forgiven in heaven.

And if we would leave this life when the books of life are open, it will say behind our name that no sin, that is that book of remembrance that is before the heavenly Father.

"They shall be mine," saith the Lord of hosts, "and that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

In our own minds, we as believers so often see our failures, our doubts, wondering if even we will make the destination, do we even have faith here?

The word of God tells us that those who believe are as jewels of the heavenly Father, or as that children's song tells us, as precious jewels, jewels that at the end of time the heavenly Father will gather when this temporal body is left and this earthly world is burnt.

The heavenly Father will have gathered his jewels and brought them home.

Says here, "As a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

Scriptures give us an example of what Malachi here has written about in our text in the parable of the prodigal son.

The one son, the younger son, asked for his inheritance and left and wasted it in the world. The older son stayed to serve his father, but we recall how he was jealous and angry when the younger son returned and wondered where the feast was for him.

And we recall the reception that the younger son had when he returned.

Says, "As a man spareth his own son that serveth him."

It doesn't matter any longer what we have done in our past. It doesn't matter any longer what we think of ourselves. What matters is this: that we have faith and wish to serve God.

In that parable of the prodigal son, that gives us example of the father that bears his own son that serves him.

When the father met him on the way with a holy kiss, had his servants clothe him and brought him to the feast.

I'm sure that younger son felt how he was unworthy and sinful and did not deserve that type of reception, but so it is the same way also, dear brother and sister.

This morning we as believers find our own failures and sins and find how we are undeserving of the grace of God, but so it is.

God has spared us, not only offers grace to those who are sinful who have walked on the ways of the ungodly, but as believers he has spared us with his same grace and love that this morning at this moment we can before the face of God be as if without sin.

Dear brother, dear sister, you can lift up your heart to believe all of your sins and faults forgiven in Jesus' name and precious atonement blood.

In heaven it is recorded that sins are forgiven.

A book of remembrance is written before God.

Then we need not fear when judgment day comes when he shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

We need not fear but we can look forward in hope and in peace to that day of deliverance.

Until that day, dear brothers and sisters, we travel in faith clinging to the grace of God in the gospel, and until that day we battle against sin in our own flesh.

May God give us strength to continue the battle.

For a few more moments our journey may be shorter than we know, but until that moment, dear brothers and sisters, let us continue in faith believing the gospel of forgiveness that in Jesus' name and blood sins are forgiven.

We have all sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

We have sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

Sins are forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Let us join in benediction.

The Lord bless us and keep us.

The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

God.