Who Can Endure His Coming?
Pastor Marty Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 12:29PM Today our Scripture portion will be in Malachi 3:1-6. We left chapter 2 on the note that the people and leaders of Israel had developed an attitude that serving God didn’t help. In fact that it seemed those who scorned His laws were “blessed” by Him. “Where is the God of justice,” is a question that goes to the heart of the messiah because the whole purpose of sending the messiah was to restore justice.
They continued to give lip-service to the doctrine of a coming messiah, but had ceased living as if he was really coming.
Thus, the Spirit of the Lord stirs up Malachi to give them a reminder that the messiah is coming and they are not ready for him.
God Is Sending The Messiah
In verse one a clear reference to the messiah is made, “the Lord whom you seek.” This messiah was promised to deliver Israel from all her enemies and would be the perfect leader both politically and spiritually. The term messiah literally means Anointed One. Though many kings and priests had been anointed by oil for their roles and duties, the messiah would be unique in that he would be directly anointed by God and not just with oil, but rather with the Spirit of God. Now for centuries Israel had hoped in the coming messiah. But by the time of Malachi it had become a shell. What I mean by that is this. The teaching still remained, but the heart and spirit of what it meant was no longer there. We see this in John 4 when Jesus talks with the woman at the well in Samaria. She is definitely not living according to God’s Word and yet she still gives lip service to the coming messiah. In fact, she does not really demonstrate a desire for him to come, but rather a desire to drop the discussion. “When the messiah comes he will explain it.” Their lives actually scoffed at the idea that a messiah would actually come. Thus God reminds them that he is going to send the messiah.
However, He will first send a messenger of preparation. In Matthew 11:10, Jesus quotes this verse to declare that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of it. He was the messenger of preparation. He had prepared the way before the messiah by calling people to repentance (much like Malachi). The messiah does not need an actual road prepared for him because the place he is trying to reach is our hearts. Thus John the Baptist’s message was “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Isaiah does use this picture of road building in Isaiah 40:3-4. “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” But the “way of the Lord” is a phrase that refers to God’s judgments and dictates in His Word. Thus a straight path is when we completely follow God’s Word instead of branching off in our own desired directions. Just as in building a road we lower the high places and raise the low places, so each individual needed to knock down those areas of pride in their life and build up those forsaken lowly places that God intended to be higher. It is a picture of what we become without God’s word: barricaded against His entrance into our heart. Yet, God would do some road building Himself. He would knock down those great proud mountains within the nation of Israel and raise up forsaken believers who truly believed on him. Now let me warn us today. Jesus, the messiah, is coming again. This time he is coming in judgment for the whole world and we need to prepare our hearts for his coming. God is going to do some smashing of “proud mountains” in this world and some raising of lowly “valleys.” Does your life today reflect a preparation for Christ or does it only give lip-service to that coming? Has the belief in Jesus’ coming become only a shell or have you jettisoned it altogether? Know this: Jesus is coming and we will either be prepared for that coming or be caught unprepared.
After the messenger of preparation then comes the messiah. He is referred to as the messenger of the covenant. He is the “Lord, whom you seek.” Verse one says that he will come suddenly or surprisingly. He is going to catch them by surprise and at a time that they aren’t expecting. Does that sound familiar? As his first coming was so shall his second coming be.
Next it says that he is coming to his temple. Now the temple that existed when Jesus came the first time was not the temple that Solomon had built. In fact when the second temple was being built the Bible tells us that some who remembered the glory of the first wept and cried. However, the “lowly” temple was going to be the one that received the honor of having the promised Messiah walk into it. Yet, in light of John the Baptist’s message we know that the true target is not the earthly temple that was going to be destroyed. No, the true target was the hearts of those who fear Him and exalt Him as Lord in their hearts and lives. These are the ones to whom He would ultimately come.
Now let’s move to verse 2. Malachi asks the question, “who can endure the day of His coming, and who can stand when He appears?” That is the question. Preparation entails knowing what you are preparing for. The question Who begs the answer that would inform our preparations.
Now the word endure is the picture of a vessel that is supposed to contain something. When Christ comes will your vessel be able to contain it or will it burst at the seams? This is what Jesus referred to when he said that many of the religious leaders were like old wineskins. They could not receive Jesus or His teaching because it would break their hardened traditions and the hardened shell of a life they had built in the name of religion. He also uses the picture of standing. Who can stand without being cut down and swept away? When God’s Anointed One who is the very Justice of God walks among our midst, which of us will survive? This important question is answered elsewhere. But here it is meant to stir a fear of the Lord in the hearts of those listening. We ought to also recognize the powerful thought that the perfect Lord of Glory is going to come down and deal with unbelievers and the unfaithful. Will you stand and not burst in that day?
The Messiah Comes To Purify
Malachi goes on to give two pictures of the messiah. He is like a refiner’s fire and he is like soap. Now there is a personal and corporate level on which this happens. The personal level is for those who believe in the Lord. He causes our hearts to be searched out and purified through a daily relationship with him; just like the fire or soap.
Yet, corporately, He will remove the unbelieving and unfaithful from among His people. In the first century he did this by becoming an outcast and then calling all who believed to His side. In order to obey the faithful had to turn their backs on the hardened traditions of their Fathers and the present religious leaders. After those who made their choice had come to the side of Christ, outside the camp, then the judgment of God was poured out on the unbelieving of that nation. Thus the Church began as a purified remnant of Israel. They were able to stand because they were willing to let go of that which God was going to destroy and put their faith in Jesus whom He was going to bless.
The Messiah Comes To Restore
When we have been purified by Christ we are truly able to give an offering of righteousness. Thus Malachi points to this time when the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord. In John 4:23 Jesus said, “the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” God wants true heart worship and not empty-shell lip-service. Even today the outward forms of worship and offerings can become something less than a spirit that is bowed in honor and in awe of God. However, a spirit that is bowed in honor and awe of the Lord will have visible actions. Jesus restored true worship. However we must avoid demolishing that true worship by hardening it into an empty shell again.
The Messiah Comes To Judge
In verse 5, he warns that the messiah will deal with sorcerers: those who call upon demonic entities and powers and so have turned from God and His ways. Do you suppose any still do this today? The occult and spiritism have exploded in the modern era. He is coming to judge adulterers: those who are unfaithful and led by their pleasures. He comes to judge perjurers: those who falsely swear oaths in the name of God. Lastly he comes to judge those who abuse social power. Are any doing these things today? In fact in the “Christian” West we love to give lip-service to helping the poor. But, in reality, we only use the issue of the poor to get more power and money under our control. The poor end up hardly being helped. If we fear God we will not turn to any power other than God. We will refuse to be led by our pleasures and keep our commitments. We will not use God to back up our lies. And, we will not abuse workers, and the less fortunate around us for our own gain: this includes foreigners.
The Messiah Comes To Demonstrate Mercy
In verse 6 we are told that God does not change and thus Israel is not consumed. Though God’s anger and wrath had been stirred up, He is still merciful. He would purify and those who would allow Him to cleanse them would enjoy His goodness. God is forever merciful. But He will judge those who refuse His mercy. He always makes a way for the humble to survive and spiritually flourish. Israel did not deserve the New Covenant. But God would give it to them anyway. However, it would be given in a way that only those who believed God would enter into it.
Today we await the coming of the Lord. And, it is easy for Christians to lean back on a nice tidy theology to feel secure. However, it is not our theology per se that saves us. It is Jesus Himself. If our faith is not securely resting upon Him then you must question whether you are truly prepared for His coming. To all I say along with Malachi and John the Baptist, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”