The reading is from Malachi 2.17-3.15.
The reading is from Malachi 2.17-17.
As in the days of old and as in former years.
Then I will draw near to you for judgment.
I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely,
against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless,
against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
For I, the Lord, do not change.
Therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.
Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.
But you say, how shall we return?
Will man rob God?
Yet you are robbing me.
But you say, how have we robbed you?
In the tithes and contributions.
You are cursed with a curse.
For you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts.
If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need,
I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil,
and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.
Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord.
But you say, how have we spoken against you?
You have said, it is vain to serve God.
What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?
And now we call the arrogant blessed.
Evil doers not only prosper, but they put God to the test and they escape.
Well, good morning, everyone.
The ranks certainly are thinned when you come up and stand and look out this way.
The concept of justice.
It's always been important to people.
Whether we're thinking about justice in our own little family unit,
or thinking about justice in our global village.
People long for justice.
People easily recognize acts of injustice or lack of justice.
And they brand the worst of those as evil.
And rightly so.
But currently in our society,
the longing for justice has become distorted.
Even malicious.
We see that maliciousness in what we call the social media phenomenon of moral outrage.
And it's got a twin that goes with it.
Cancer culture.
Cancer culture, rather.
Cancer culture writes people off completely and viciously.
Writes anyone who's not totally for us off.
Moral outrage is expressed as a longing for justice in pretty well everywhere in our society.
We've got a clamor for wages justice.
Legal justice.
Family justice.
Workplace justice.
Racial justice.
Even climate justice now.
But the thing about it is that almost always when we see and hear moral outrage and longing for justice,
it's distorted and driven by mixed emotions.
For example, we can demand justice, but in part, we're secretly hoping for revenge.
That is, we want the person who has wronged us to suffer as we have suffered.
And we, at times, aggressively demand justice,
but in part, we're also covering our own sense of guilt.
And the way that works is that we feel better about ourselves when we rant most about the failures of others.
In other words, we cancel others, thereby putting ourselves in the right,
and even in our minds, putting ourselves beyond challenge.
Moral outrage, I have to tell you, is not new.
It might feel new in our society, but it's not new.
I would suggest to you that in Malachi's time, God's people were expert in the cult of moral outrage.
That is, in chapter 1, we see God declared his unfailing love for his people.
God cited evidence for proof beyond doubt of his total commitment to blessing them.
And how do God's people respond?
Well, instead of owning their own failure to live in the light of God's love,
what do God's people do?
Well, they ease their guilt by responding in moral outrage.
That is, they blame God for everything that's wrong.
Everything they think is wrong, everything that is actually wrong,
has got to be down to God.
And thereby, they find themselves able to ignore the sin in their own hearts.
Well, through Malachi, God examines their words.
And we have this conversation, as it were, between God and his people.
And God alternates in the conversation between addressing the nation as a whole.
And when he addresses the nation as a whole, it's a big picture.
That is, it reveals how God's people as a whole thought about the Lord and responded to him generally.
And then, at times, the Lord zooms in and focuses on the priests.
And that is a zoom-in picture revealing how people thought about their sin in respect to God.
How they balanced their sin against God's holy character or God's holy name.
How they thought about the basis of relationship with the Lord.
And the impact of sin on that relationship.
And so, constantly, we're going from the big picture to the small zoom-in picture.
As God examines their word.
As God examines and gets behind their moral outrage.
And the tension, as we come into chapter 2, verse 17 this morning, is almost unbearable.
Because there's just this constant diatribe of character assassinating words.
Rubbish words.
Delivered and fired at God by his people.
And if you're looking at the outline, you'll see I've said that.
That was a bracketed thing.
So, we're looking at 2, 17 first.
And then, we'll look at chapter 3, verses 13, 14, and 15.
Chapter 2, verse 17.
You have wearied the Lord.
That is, you become really annoying and tiresome.
Says the Lord.
You've just been bombarding me with this constant stream of rubbish words.
Things that are patently untrue.
You just keep spewing them out.
And those words were more than just words.
They actually mocked God's character.
They were suggesting he was a fraud.
You say, how have we wearied you?
By saying, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord.
Now, that is a big call to take up to the Lord, isn't it?
He delights in evil.
Or by asking, where is the God of justice?
God makes a big thing of justice.
But in the end, they're saying, God's not really interested in justice at all.
The same accusation is in chapter 3, verses 14 and 15.
And that brackets this whole section.
I'll come back in a minute and tell you why I think it's a bracket.
And what the power of the brackets are when we look at the intervening bit.
Again, in verse 14 and 15.
The Lord says, your words have been harsh.
But you say, how have we been harsh?
You have said, it is vain to serve God.
What is the profit of our keeping his charge or walking as in mourning?
That is, showing remorse for our sins.
And now we call the arrogant list.
Evil doers not only prosper, but they put God to the test and they escape.
And we'll notice that word, the test.
We'll come back to that in a minute as well.
Now, this is outrageous because arrogantly, God's people are essentially demanding,
God, you need to get your act together because currently, we're telling you,
it is not worthwhile our serving you.
We're doing all the right things by you, but we're not getting any benefit.
On the contrary, nations ignore you and they're thriving.
And God challenges us people.
And again, they manage to sound hurt and surprised, self-defensive.
Which of our words could possibly be tedious and tiresome and hurtful or harsh and accusatory?
It beggars belief that they can claim that innocence before the Lord.
And yet they do.
My friends, I would suggest to you that's moral outrage in full flight.
Angry at God.
Wanting to make him pay for failures to give them the good life of blessing and prosperity.
They believed they were entitled to.
And the truth is that they were covering something in their hearts because in their hearts,
they'd shown themselves actually to be more jealous of the lifestyle of surrounding nations
than horrified by it.
Moral outrage directed at God and the sin of the nations
allowed them to avoid the awful sin in their own hearts.
And so when they thought about God's justice, they thought about something out there
that God needed to do to people out there.
God should take down the nations and deliver us what we want and are entitled to.
A rather distorted concept of justice and judgment.
But then in sharp contrast, and we'll move into chapter 3 verses 1 to 12 now,
in between those two outrageous brackets, once again we have proof of God's steadfast love
for his people.
As we hear, God's, the Lord's healing words to his rubbish people.
Now I put that in inverted commas, so if you trip over that, just ignore it.
It might be too outrageous.
But I just wanted to play on the idea of rubbish.
Rubbish words to God.
And in actual fact, the real issue was that his people were being rubbish before God.
God's response to his people in the accusations is immediate.
Chapter 3 verse 1.
It's immediate, but it's somewhat lost in our English translation.
So chapter 3 verse 1 should begin,
Behold me.
Or, here I am.
So the accusation has been, where is the God of justice?
And immediately God fires back,
Behold me.
Here I am.
And it's got a numinous feel to it, hasn't it, in response.
Be careful what you ask for.
Here I am.
Now, God has already made clear, back in chapter 1 verse 14 and chapter 1 verse 11,
He's already made clear that he is a great king,
and he will act to be seen to be a great king throughout the world.
And now, he says, you're going to see my greatness, and feel my greatness,
and experience my greatness,
my holy character, my holiness, my justice,
because I am already planning to intervene.
I have always been concerned for justice,
and I intend now, even now as you call me out for being,
accusing me of being disinterested in justice,
I am planning on intervening to deliver the justice you demand.
And I think just in passing,
I think that of itself would say to God's people,
Now listen, that of itself,
if you just stopped and considered who I am,
that of itself would expose the emptiness of your moral outrage.
And the Lord continues to say,
Well, you've asked for my justice,
but I'm here to tell you
that my justice will be very painful,
and it will begin at home
with the sin of my own people.
The Lord's saying,
My justice will be very, very different
to what you guys expect
and demand.
You'll not like it
because
it will expose your horrible injustice.
So there's the play again, you see.
They question God's justice,
and God immediately turns the table
and says,
Well, actually,
I'm about to come to you guys,
and we'll have a look and see
some of your commitment to justice
in respect to responding to me.
See, God's people had come to think of God's justice
as a great future judgment event out there.
It would be directed at the nations around about Israel,
and to use modern parlance,
familiar in American politics,
the result of it would be
to make Israel great again.
So judgment was something
that was out there.
But the Lord corrects their thinking.
God's justice
will be experienced by God's people
as well as the nations.
And indeed,
the Lord is saying here in chapter 3,
verses 1 and 2,
that it's already happening in part
through the words of my messenger,
Malachi.
In a sense,
God's saying,
Malachi is an early warning sign,
an early warning system,
saying that I am concerned about justice,
and I will come,
and I will deal seriously
with the sin of my people
in a just,
judgmental way.
But then notice,
ducting in verses 3,
1 and 2,
we start to see something
that will come out
in the subsequent verses
that says something else
is happening here as well.
Because it says,
Behold,
I send my messenger.
That's how Malachi
was introduced.
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,
and then the messenger
of the covenant
in whom you delight.
Behold,
he is coming,
says the Lord of hosts.
It seems that there are
two different messengers.
One called my messenger,
which probably refers
to Malachi.
Then we've got to ask,
well,
who is the messenger?
The fact that this person
is called the messenger
suggests it's a future
and final messenger,
the greatest messenger,
perhaps,
of God's judgment.
Who is he?
Well,
we need to look across
to chapter 4,
verse 5.
Behold,
I will send you
Elijah,
the prophet,
before the great
and awesome day
of the Lord comes.
Before the great day
of judgment comes.
So,
who is Elijah,
the prophet?
Why does he pop up here?
Well,
if you go back
to chapter 3,
verse 1,
it talks about
the messenger
of the covenant
in whom you delight.
Behold,
he is coming.
Now,
when you go back
and think about
Elijah for the people
of Israel,
he was,
as it were,
the pin-up prophet
for God's people.
He is the one
they would look back to
as the one
who really took on
the nations
and showed
that God's people
could triumph
over foreign gods
and triumph
over foreign nations
and make Israel
great again.
Now,
that was a very
nationalistic,
narrow way of thinking
about Elijah
because he was primarily
concerned about sin
among God's people.
But no,
they had caricatured
Elijah as being
the champion
of truth
for Israel.
So they would be
delighted
to know that he was
coming
because in their mind
that would be
the very thing
they were going to
expect,
that God would
finally act
to deal with the
nations
and make Israel
great.
God then
follows up
quickly
just as they're
starting to think,
whoa,
looking forward
to this.
Verse 2,
but who can
endure the day
of his coming
and who can
stand
when he appears?
That's giving them
something to sit
back on their heels
and think about.
God's people
will not be able
to bear
that day
of justice
that they're
demanding.
Why not?
Go over to
verse 5.
God's saying
then,
and it's not
chronological,
it's simultaneously,
then,
I will draw near
to you for judgment.
I will be a swift
witness against
the sorcerers,
against the adulterers,
against those
who swear falsely,
against those
who oppress the
hired worker
and his wages,
the widow and
the fatherless,
against those
who thrust aside
the sojourner,
and do not fear
me,
says the Lord.
Ping,
ping,
every time
God speaks,
he's hitting
on his people.
You will not
be able to
bear my day
of justice
and judgment,
says the Lord,
because on that
day I will
itemize
your every sin.
And let me
tell you,
says the Lord,
it's a long
list.
God will
itemize their
sin,
proving beyond
doubt
their
faithlessness
and proving
beyond doubt
that they
deserve the
full force
of God's
justice and
judgment upon
them.
God's
The
nation of
Israel
was supposed
to reflect
God's
character to
all the
nations.
But the
reality was
that the
nation of
Israel
reflected more
of the
character of
the nations
back to
God.
God's
And three
pictures then
in these
verses
describe
the
ominous,
the
impending
doom
which will
come with
God's
justice and
judgment,
which these
guys have
blithely and
carelessly
demanded.
Three
pictures.
First one,
verse two,
is a military
one.
Who can
endure the
day of
his coming?
The idea
there is of
an army
formed up
in rank
facing the
onslaught of
an enraged
enemy.
Who could
possibly stand
and hold
rank against
the onslaught
of God's
wrath at
the way
he's been
treated?
Then there's
the refiner's
fire.
God's
justice will
be like
an incredible
crucible,
such a
hot torch
that will
actually
literally
melt down
God's
people
and bring
to the
surface
every impurity
of their
hearts.
That's a
violent
picture.
And then
there would
be like a
launderer's
soap,
a fuller's
soap.
Now,
nobody really
knows what
this is,
but perhaps
the best
guess is
it's a
strong alkaline
solution.
And it was
used,
as Ian said,
to whiten
clothing.
And the
way it
works like a
bleach or
peroxide is,
if you know
bleach or
peroxide,
and we all
do,
it will
burn you.
Burn you
deeply.
So God's
justice
would be like
a bleach or
peroxide,
it will
burn deeply
but transform
God's people
at the same
time making
them distinctive
among the
nations.
These are
scary pictures,
but they have
to go
alongside the
concept of
God's justice
and God's
judgment.
Because God's
justice and
God's judgment
is focused
primarily on
the sin of
his people,
measured against
his holy
and just
character.
So the
clouds of doom
are just
building,
but then we're
in for another
surprise.
So the people
have been
surprised because
they want
God's justice
and that's
not going to
look like
they think
it's going
to look.
And just
as we get
used to the
heaviness of
God's justice,
then another
left field
thing comes
in.
Look at
verse 3,
the second
half of
verse 3.
He will
sit as
refiner and
purifier of
silver and
he will
purify the
sons of
Levi and
refine them
like gold
and silver and
they will bring
offerings and
righteousness to
the Lord.
Then the
offering of
Judah and
Jerusalem will
be pleasing to
the Lord as
in the days of
old and as
in former
years.
what's going
on here?
Given the
awfulness of
experience in
God's judgment
and we've just
seen the
pictures of
that and
given the
guilt of
God's people
deserving the
full force of
God's judgment
and justice,
then we
would expect
destruction.
But in
actual fact,
God is
talking here
about delivering
renewal,
not destruction.
God is
talking here
about his
justice
producing
total renewal
among God's
people.
It would
renew the
priests and
it would
renew God's
people in
generally so
that they
become a
delight to
the Lord
again.
And so
that they
start to
act in
righteousness
again.
So verse
four, the
results of
God's just
judgment on
his priests
and his
people would
be new
righteousness,
new obedience,
new acceptance
before God,
a new desire
to honor the
Lord, who
in turn would
once again
delight in
them, rather
than find them
wearisome and
tiresome and
harsh.
change.
And then
keep going.
Verse six,
for I, the
Lord, do
not change.
Therefore, you,
O children of
Jacob, are not
consumed.
God reminds us
people that
since the
days of
Jacob, a
pattern has
been evident
that they
should have
known.
that is, that
the only
reason since
the days of
Jacob, the
only reason
they have not
been consumed
by God's
just judgment
on their
faithlessness,
their disobedience
and their
betrayal of
his name
before the
nations, the
only reason
those things
haven't led
to their
being totally
consumed, is
because God
has loved his
people.
He has stayed
true to his
covenant promise
to love them
and bless
them.
And so, we're
moving through
this dark
period of
God's
justice, but
there's a light
appearing in
it because we're
saying now that
God has always
exposed the sin
of his people.
Ever since the
days of Jacob,
and Jacob was a
bad lad, God
has always
exposed their
sin in the
context of
renewing them.
not destroying
them.
That is God's
covenant love,
God's covenant
promise at work
throughout history.
That ultimately,
as I've said, is
the only reason
they still exist
as a nation.
So what we
find now is
that God's
justice and
judgment, though
real, though
imminent, will
as always, for
God's people, be
bound by his
grace and
mercy.
And it will
result in
renewal for
God's people, but
also, next step
forward, it will
result in renewed
invitation to
return and to
test the Lord.
Verse 7,
from the days of
your fathers, you
have turned aside
from my
statutes and
have not kept
them.
Here's the
invitation, return
to me, the
promise, and I
will return to
you, says the
Lord of hosts.
Now, this is the
Lord of hosts
speaking.
This is the one
who has the
power to make it
happen.
Return to me, and
I promise, I will
return to you.
And then, he
says in verse,
let me see, verse
10, put me to
the test.
I mean, this is
the Lord saying
to his people,
come on, guys,
put me to the
test.
That's an
incredible offer
from the Lord,
is it not?
when he has
every right to
smash them off
the face of the
earth, he
invites them to
put them to the
test.
Put my
faithfulness to
the test.
Put my love to
the test.
Don't keep
spraying me with
just these empty
rubbish words that
you're whinging in
my ear with.
Actually, treat me
seriously and put
me to the test.
Try my faithfulness,
try my love, and
see if you're
disappointed in
it.
Their unjust,
shameful treatment
of God was
systematic and
habitual over
generations.
And yet, God
continues to
offer immediate
hope of healing
and restoration
for God's
people.
If only they
would repent.
turn back to
God and lean
into his love
and grace and
mercy.
And in that
context, even
more generously,
the Lord invites
his people to test
his faithfulness
properly.
Now, that takes
us into that
section where,
I'll read it
again,
to do with
tithing and
money.
So, let's
just read
through it.
Will man
rob God?
Picking up
with verse
8.
Yet you are
robbing me.
So, they're
taking something
and treating
it as their
own,
which they
have no
right to do,
which belongs
to somebody
else, in
this case,
the Lord.
But you
say, how
have we
robbed you?
Well, here's
the answer.
In your
tithes and
contributions.
You are
cursed with
a curse,
for you are
robbing me,
the whole
nation of
you.
Bring the
full tithes
into the
storehouse,
that there
may be food
in my
house, and
thereby put
me to the
test, says
the Lord
of hosts.
Put me to
the test if
I will not
open the
window of
heaven for
you, and
pour down
for you a
blessing, until
there is no
more need.
I will
rebuke the
devourer for
you, so it
will not
destroy the
fruits of
your soil, and
your vine in
the fields
shall not
fail to
bear, says
the Lord
of hosts.
Then all
nations will
call you
blessed, for
you will be a
land of
delight.
So what's
going on
there?
Well, I
think it's
something like
this.
Because of
the covenant,
God had
committed
to providing
every need
of his
people.
In
response to
that, God's
people were
to acknowledge
that every
single thing
they had and
were was
down to
God, and
it was
actually God's
entrust to
them.
God was
to do his
part, and
they were
to respond,
and the
way they
showed
acknowledgement
of everything
belonging to
the Lord was
to commit to
paying a
tithe, a
percentage of
all their
possessions, all
their income,
all their
worth, all
their assets,
back to the
Lord.
So it
was a
symbolic
thing.
But this
tithe, or
the tenth, was
a symbol that
all that they
had belonged
to the Lord.
Now, how
did God's
people rob
him then?
Well, God's
people robbed
him of the
honour, of
his honour, by
acting as
though the
things they
had were
produced by
themselves, and
were owned by
themselves, and
were therefore
there for
themselves to
dispose of as
they pleased.
And they
failed, therefore,
to give God
what was his.
And we're
told then in
verse 9, that
the result of
that was they
brought a
covenant curse
upon themselves,
whatever that
was, some
sort of disease
through the
crops, or
whatever it
was.
But God
said, there's
a penalty
for that.
I'm making
you guys
realise what's
going on
here.
God says
then, test
me.
Stop
pretending to
be self-reliant.
Stop acting
as though you're
self-reliant and
self-existent.
Stop acting as
though you can
provide for
yourselves and
that everything
you have is
yours to
dispose of as
you please.
rather, says
the Lord,
entrust yourselves
to my faithful
care and
provision and
see that I
will deliver
extravagant,
satisfying
blessings every
day of your
life.
That's it.
God's people
thought, well,
we'll just give
less because,
well, we need
that money over
here for doing
this and this and
this and this.
And if we give
too much here,
then we'll be
short over here.
And so they
just arranged it
for themselves as
if all of that
was theirs to
arrange.
And God is
horrified and
shamed at
their self-reliance.
Now, friends,
how awful, if we
just ponder in
that for a
moment, how
awful that God's
people seem to
have lost any
sense of
indebtedness to
the Lord, have
seemed to have
lost any sense of
God's generosity
and grace.
have seemed to
sort of become
so independent
from the Lord
that they think
that what they
are and what
they've been in
history is all
down to
themselves.
And I think
coming back, I
said I would
come back to the
brackets.
I think that's
why verse 13,
14, 15 are
after what the
Lord says because
2, 17 and
13, 14, 15,
they just bracket
the awfulness of
God's people.
And thereby
throw into
highlight the
graciousness of
God's response.
And again,
through the
graciousness of
God's loving
commitment in
those verses,
once again we
hear the
whisper of
Jesus.
Three or four
questions just as
I tidy up here.
We ask the
question, why
the need for
justice and
judgment?
Well, very
simple.
God has always
demanded
righteousness or
obedience from
his people.
And God knows
that a sinful
people cannot
deliver his
demands.
Their rebellion,
their sin in
their hearts,
meant they could
never deliver.
Even worse, they
would continue to
walk away from
him rather than
have any desire to
return to him.
The Lord just
knows that.
That's been shown
in history.
The history of
God's people.
So why do we
need justice and
judgment?
Because the
awfulness of sin
and rebellion
demands it.
What is their
hope of healing
in the face of
God's judgment?
Well, God's
people need more
than just
reminders or
even threats.
God's people
need God to
intervene and
rebuild them
from the
inside out.
History has
shown that
God's people
will not come
to him.
So what does
God do in
his graciousness?
He has planned
all along that
he will come to
them in the
person of
Jesus.
How amazing
is that?
How amazing
is that?
How amazing
is that
God's
character?
Nothing, I
think, displays
God's character,
God's gracious
character more
clearly than
that.
But then the
big question is
this.
How can God's
people be healed,
cleansed, and
renewed at the
same time as God
says he's going to
apply the full force
of justice and
judgment upon
their sin?
The two seem
incompatible.
answer?
Because God
had always
intended that
the penalty for
sin would not
fall on his
people but
would fall on
his suffering
servant Jesus.
And we see
something more
of God's
gracious, loving
commitment to
us as people.
God's justice
would be
demonstrated.
His offense at
sin would be
satisfied.
And with
God's plan,
God's people
would not only
survive but
would thrive in
news of life and
relationship with
the Lord.
Wow.
Jesus would be,
as we've said
each week here,
Jesus would be
the true priest
who would truly
mediate with God
on behalf of the
people.
He would be a
true priest
offering himself
as the true
sacrifice.
The sacrifice
of righteousness
which would
turn the Lord
to see his
people with
delight
and enable
them to
renew them.
my friends,
as Christians,
we've already
experienced
the reality
of God's
judgment
in full
as we
observe
Christ
destroyed
by the
Lord,
the Father
on the
cross.
That's
God's
justice
unleashed.
But quite
literally,
and this is not a
swear word,
quite literally,
thank God
that it was
unleashed on
Jesus and not
us.
We've already
been healed
from the inside
out,
renewed.
We're not
complete yet,
but it's real
and substantial
that which we
have in fullness
in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
So my friends,
let's respond
to God's
love
wholeheartedly
and indeed
whole of
life.
That's what God
was calling
his people to
come back
and worship
me with
whole hearts
and whole
minds.
It had
particular
form in
Malachi's day,
got very
different form
in our day
under Jesus.
Romans 12,
1 and 2,
come back and
worship me with
the whole of
life,
whole of
heart,
because that's
the appropriate
response to
my loving
kindness to
you.
And what
does whole
of life look
like?
Well, we can
go back and
look at the
tithing there.
Whole of life
means all
are recognizing
that all we
are and all
we have is
God's goodness
and kindness
and provision
to us.
All our
money, all
our assets,
all our
time, all
our energies,
all our
giftedness,
all of it is
down to the
Lord's goodness
in our lives.
What does the
Lord want in
response for
his life?
No longer a
tithe, as per
the old
covenant, but
he does want
acknowledgement of
his goodness.
That acknowledgement
is a whole of
life.
Since we've
been redeemed,
everything is
the Lord's.
God's.
So the
question is
very simple
to you this
morning, brother
and sister, if
you're in
Christ.
Are you
worshipping or
robbing?
And there'll
be some here
this morning
who aren't yet
Christians, which
means that you're
in immediate
danger of
experiencing the
awfulness and the
fullness of God's
justice and
judgment.
my friend, don't
make light of
that.
Our world thinks
little of this
sort of stuff
writes it off as
nonsense.
Well, you've
heard God's
word this
morning.
If you write it
off as nonsense,
well, that's a
dangerous thing to
do without at
least giving it a
good hard think.
I would encourage
you not to just
write it off as
nonsense, but I
would encourage you
to hear these
heavy words of
justice, impending
justice on the
sin of God's
people so that
God will be shown
to be the great
king.
Rather than just
write them off as
nonsense or
fairy tales, think
of it like a
smoke alarm.
You know the
smoke alarms?
Incredibly loud
noise.
Dare I say it,
an annoying noise.
And you just want
to get rid of the
noise.
But when you
stop and think
about it, the
smoke alarm is
there to tell
you there's
danger.
There's danger.
You've heard
God's word.
Consider the
danger you are
in if you're not
yet a believer.
And then look to
what the Lord
says.
The Lord says
to you, as he
said in Malachi
has to say,
return to me
and I will
return to you.
Put it in
layman's language.
God says, I
will if you
will.
So, what
say you?
What say
you?
Pray with me
please.
Lord, we
find it very,
very difficult
to balance and
keep the
tensions of
your word.
For Lord, here
we have the
incredible tensions
between the
heaviness of your
justice and
judgment.
And yet, Lord,
the path of
escape and
renewal you've
provided for
your people.
Lord, so
quickly we
move from
there to
undercutting
your justice
and playing
it down and
playing up our
safety without
realizing the
enormous cost that
our safety as
Christians has
been to you in
the death of
your son.
Lord, help us
to focus on
both and bounce
from one to
the other so
that each might
illuminate the
other and
enrich the
other.
And Lord, that
each might stir
us up to love
and good deeds
as servants of
you.
Help us to
worship you,
Lord, with
whole of life,
whole of heart
commitment.
Lord, that is
exactly what we've
experienced from
you in the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Amen.