You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace.
Join us.
Thank you, guys.
It's going to be fun enjoying that with 1,500 or so of our closest friends next Sunday night.
I'm excited, too.
This is our last Sunday together in the Minor Prophets.
In this particular study, I told you when we started that I was a bit cautious about it.
And I was right to be so.
It's been hard.
A convicting study for me as I've seen more of my idols feel like every week.
And at the same time, it's been so needful and so helpful to my heart because God has kept calling me back to himself.
This morning, Malachi gives us a good chance to review.
So let's remember briefly where we've been and see how God keeps calling us back through his prophets.
Remember, God has this special relationship with his people, Israel.
They're to be his treasured possession.
So when they wander from him, he repeatedly calls them back to himself.
He sends one prophet after another to yell,
Repent!
Come home to me!
First, we looked at Micah.
Micah came and called out the idolatry of God's people as they stepped on the lowly to get ahead themselves.
As they were merely playing church.
As their leaders led them away from God.
And he calls them back to a God who's more great and glorious than anything they can imagine.
And then Zephaniah comes just a couple generations later and he warns the people of coming exile because of their repeated idolatry.
And he tells them,
You must come back in repentance to experience God's rich love or else.
And then they do go into exile, right?
And after that exile from the promised land and God bringing them back,
God sends Haggai to them because even through the exile they've forgotten.
Even though they've come back, Haggai has to say to them,
Remember to put God's house first and rebuild the temple.
That's first priority.
Living in relationship with him for his glory is of first importance.
Finally, Malachi has come.
And even though time and time again they've gotten these reminders,
Here are God's people again and they're caught worshipping half-heartedly.
Doing whatever suits them in marriage and divorce.
Focusing on others' sins rather than their own.
And robbing God by not trusting him enough to give.
And so again he says,
Repent!
There's a special relationship with God that is more important than anything else.
Come back and remember that.
And we've seen that that relationship is at the heart of what we're talking about
when we talk about repentance.
Right?
Repentance has to be for us a normal, daily turning back to God.
Not just from the big sins.
That's not what repentance merely means.
But even from the slow drifting away from him that our hearts know.
That moment by moment decisions to value something else more than we value God.
Repentance is where our hearts grieve even the smallest break in our relationship with God.
And turn back to him.
Knowing that we can rejoice as we do.
That there's restored relationship with him.
And so repentance which begins in sorrow leads to joy.
So now as we close, I want us to consider how we respond to that call back to relationship.
That repeated plea of our loving father.
Southwood.
We've read about God's people in the Old Testament.
How will we respond to God's call?
We are very capable.
Even conditioned, I would say, to hear that call to repentance.
We've heard it many times perhaps, some of us.
And to just ignore it and move on with life.
Not perhaps to complain about it, but just to carry on with life as usual.
Or, we have the chance to respond and run home in repentance.
And be renewed and revived in our relationship with God.
God's been speaking that to my heart.
I know he's been speaking to many of your hearts.
And Malachi presents here at the end of his prophecy.
Two ways that those among God's people respond to God's call to repentance.
Listen for that.
Those two ways.
As I read Malachi beginning at chapter 3 verse 13.
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.
Evildoers not only prosper, but they put God to the test and they escape.
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another.
The Lord paid attention and heard them.
And a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.
They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts.
In the day when I make up my treasured possession.
And I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked.
Between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.
The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
But for you who fear my name, the son of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.
You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall and you shall tread down the wicked.
For there will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
Remember the law of my servant Moses.
The statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.
Lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.
The grass withers.
The flowers fade.
But the word of our God stands forever.
Let's pray.
Father, we do give you thanks for your word.
For your call to our hearts.
Again this morning.
So we ask Holy Spirit that you would give us soft hearts and open ears.
We would be willing to hear and respond.
As you would have us.
To our loving Father.
We pray it in Jesus name.
Amen.
As many of you have noticed.
I spend a lot of time at the gym working out.
Well at least I do run sometimes anyway.
If you ever catch me at the gym.
It's because I really want to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner next week.
And I really don't want to buy new pants the following week.
That's the purpose for which I am there.
I am among the group at the gym to get something for me.
For my body.
But there is another group of people at the gym, isn't there?
There are those at the gym who really love working out.
They love being there.
You know who they are.
You see them.
And they love being there.
Whether they need to get something out of it or not.
They just love being there.
Two different groups.
With two different reasons for being at the gym.
The same is true with the people of God in Malachi's day.
And in our day.
There are those who really love God.
And then there are those who use God to get something they want.
Note in this passage that those two groups we're talking about are not the religious and the irreligious.
Nope.
Malachi is addressing people who all go to the temple.
They all hear the words of the prophet.
They all know God's laws.
They all have even suffered for following his laws.
But their responses to God could not be more different.
Again, it's not the super spiritual and the pagans.
None of them is perfect.
God is calling all of them to repentance.
They all get that same call to repent.
But there are two distinct responses to that call.
And that makes all the difference.
Please hear me on this.
Two responses that people who sit in church today can have to God's call on them.
And both the focus of your life and the location of your eternity hang in the balance of how you respond to that call.
The first response I'll call tracking God.
Keeping track of how he's doing for me.
Right?
We'll hear value terms multiple times in this passage as we ask the question,
Is God enough?
Is God worth it?
We hear it in verse 14 when this group responds to God's call to repentance.
What is the profit?
What do I get from knowing and following Yahweh?
Not enough, apparently.
Because the arrogant, the evildoers are living the life I want.
They're getting away with murder.
I've been tracking you, God.
And to see if you're paying off if the benefit of, to my life is worth the cost of relationship with you.
And God, so far it's not.
That whole tithe thing cut into my profit margin.
That arrogant, prideful thief got the girl I wanted.
My competitors are out there getting ahead while I spend my Sabbath resting with you.
Do you hear the echoes of their gossip about God from earlier in Malachi?
Where is the God of justice?
Why is it not paying off?
What if I said it to you this way?
Because maybe that sounds really bad.
What if I said to you, they're just running a cost-benefit analysis?
Some of you do those.
What if I told you that we live in this tension every single day?
All of us, in different ways, are asking ourselves the question,
Is God worth it?
Maybe in marriage, you held out for the godly guy,
and he lets you down big time.
And you're asking,
Will I give God another chance this time around?
Maybe in your career, you made a tough decision to do what God was calling you to do,
but it just doesn't seem to be paying off,
and you're not able to provide for your kids the way you want to,
and it hurts you, and you start asking yourself,
What do I really want most for my kids?
Maybe you're a single adult who keeps coming to church week after week,
year after year,
and not only does God not seem to bring you a spouse,
but also the family of God is not the community you hoped and longed for.
And you're asking,
Is it time to give up?
Maybe your adult kids are shipwrecking their lives right now,
after you raised them to follow Jesus,
and you prayed for them.
And you're asking,
Can I follow this God anymore?
If this is how he treats those who love him,
these decisions,
and hundreds more like them,
they're not one-time decisions, are they?
You know that.
These are day after day,
moment-by-moment decisions that we have to make.
Will I come back to find God worth it here,
in this moment,
in this situation,
or will I reject him and look out for myself?
You may not use those words,
but every day we're making those kinds of decisions.
Y'all, the rich young ruler spent lots of time in church.
He kept lots of God's laws.
He talked lots of Christian things.
But in the final analysis,
he walked away sad,
because his riches were worth more to him
than relationship with God.
There's a clear warning here,
a painful warning,
of valuing anything above God.
If you're just tracking God,
chapter 4, verse 1,
Behold, the day is coming,
burning like an oven,
when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.
The day that is coming shall set them ablaze,
says the Lord of hosts,
so that it will leave neither branch nor root.
That day of accounting is coming,
God says.
And God would have you understand,
in no uncertain terms,
that eternity must factor into your cost-benefit analysis.
A relationship with him is the only thing that counts in the end.
But I hang out with Christians.
No.
But I go to church pretty regularly.
No.
But do you know and love and trust Jesus alone?
He's warning you to run back to him
and know him personally today.
Please listen to this warning.
Friends, listen to me.
If life is really hard,
or if you don't know God very well,
it's really hard to take this seriously.
It's actually quite easy to think,
you know, a lot of money
is better than a little bit of God.
And in fact,
a lot of comfort is better than a lot of God.
Or, you know what?
If I'm honest,
even a little pleasure
is better than a lot of God.
Elizabeth Elliot's husband, Jim,
used to say,
he is no fool
who gives what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose.
Elizabeth believed that so deeply
that even after her husband
was speared and killed
by a tribe
that he was seeking to reach
with the good news of Jesus,
instead of safely returning home,
which seemed to make a lot of sense,
she actually pressed in further
and stayed with this tribe.
Oh, yeah, sorry.
She and her toddler daughter
that she kept with her
for multiple years,
living among,
sharing the good news of Jesus
with people,
some of whom had killed her husband,
because God is worth it.
She wrote this,
God is God.
Because he is God,
he is worthy of my trust and obedience.
I will find rest nowhere
but in his holy will
that is unspeakably beyond
my largest notions
of what he is up to.
I have one desire now,
to live a life of reckless abandon
for the Lord,
putting all my energy
and strength into it.
The only cost-benefit analysis
I hear going on here
is valuing God's great glory
above even my own life.
That's the second response
to God's call to repentance.
Not tracking God
for what he's doing for me
but rather treasuring God
for who he is in himself.
That's what happens in verse 16.
Verse 16.
Then those who feared the Lord
spoke with one another.
The Lord paid attention
and heard them
and a book of remembrance
was written before him
of those who feared the Lord
and esteemed his name.
This remnant of God's people,
this small group of them,
fears him,
esteems, values his name.
In other words,
when asked,
is God worth it,
they respond,
absolutely.
They don't have to run
a cost-benefit analysis
of life's circumstances
because they have gotten to know
and experience God himself
and in so doing,
realize there is nothing
of greater value.
And so there's this unique picture here.
I love it.
These people gathering
to speak with one another,
right?
Apparently,
about that very reality,
how much they treasured God.
Likely,
they needed to remind each other
of that.
Likely,
they needed to encourage each other
to remain faithful.
Likely,
they needed to share stories
of his faithful care for them.
I think one of them said,
you know what?
A little of God
is better than a lot
of anything else.
Let's get to know him
and trust him more together.
Can you say that?
Could you honestly say that
to yourself
or to someone else?
You know what?
A little bit of God
is better than a lot of money
or comfort
or pleasure
or fame
or peace
or a lot
of God
is better
than a lot
of anything else
because I know him.
Just him.
Remember,
the difference with this group
is not their perfection.
These aren't all the people
who kept a straight line
their whole lives.
It's actually
their repentance.
They too have struggled.
They too have wandered.
But they hear God's call
and they run home to him.
And that gospel community
that they share
urges them towards it.
Our newest members
stood up here
and made a public statement
of the value of God
this morning.
Praise the Lord.
But usually,
the picture is
of smaller groups
sharing.
Of connect community
discussion.
Where the commitment
to God
and to each other
is more tangible
and personal.
How are we reminding
each other daily
of God's value
in a world
where other things
have higher price tags,
right?
How are we doing
that together?
Since the earliest days
of the church,
martyrs would remind
each other
of this truth.
In many different ways.
Some,
there are stories
even of sharing it together
in prison
the night
before they died together.
That still happens
in other places
today.
I love the story
from the 1600s
in Scotland
of two Margarets.
Margaret Wilson
was 18.
Margaret McLaughlin
was 70.
The younger
18-year-old
Margaret
was arrested
while visiting
her much older
widowed friend.
As faithful
covenanters,
neither of them
would acknowledge
the king
as head of the church
but only
Jesus Christ.
And so the two friends
were held in prison
with others.
They were convicted
at trial
and the two of them
sentenced
to drown.
All the while
they encouraged
each other
to cling
to Christ.
There's a poetic
telling of the morning
they were led out
to be drowned
in the raging sea
off the coast.
It reads
this way
of the two women.
Long had they loved
as Christians love
those two
so soon to die
and each the other
greeted first
with weeping
silently.
The matron
wept
that that young life
so timelessly
must cease.
The maiden
that that honored
head
must not go down
in peace.
But soon
oh soon
it passed away
the coward
thought and base
and each looked
humbly
thankfully
into the other's face.
Mother
he rules
the awful sea
with all
its waters
wild.
The many waters
are his voice
of love
to thee
my child.
They spoke
to each other
for the last
time on earth
though certainly
not the first time
these sisters
had shared it
together
of God's
love
for them.
A God
whose love
even when
hard
and costly
was strong
and good
and would
bring them
home.
Do we talk
to each other
like that?
Not in
poetry.
I mean
do we talk
to each other
about how much
God is worth it?
Who reminds you
when life is hard?
To whom
are you whispering
through tears
God is worth it?
When we talk
to each other
like that
we're told
God pays attention
he hears
and he remembers
those who
esteem
his name
who value
him
more than
anything else
even
life
itself.
In fact
he promises
a different
outcome
doesn't he
than the outcome
for those
who do not
repent
for those
who do
repent
he remembers
them
in his
book
never
forgets
their names
he sends
Elijah
John
the Baptist
to restore
relationships
especially
in their
families
the picture
there in
verse 6
of chapter 4
of multiple
generations
faithfully committed
to the covenant
God
old
and young
father
and son
grandmother
and granddaughter
being restored
because they're
united
in their love
for God
following
Yahweh
no matter
what
18 and
70
we're in
this
together
and then
ultimately
for these
who are
repenting
of course
there's
Jesus
himself
the fullest
manifestation
of the
son of
righteousness
rising with
healing
verse 2
providing
freedom
and justice
for those
who serve
God
and delight
in him
and in
his law
and run
after him
like young
calves
running out
of the stall
with joy
and freedom
to run
after our
God
and follow
in his
ways
is
God
enough
sometimes
I want
500 other
people to
love me
too
sometimes
I want
the money
so I can
rest in
myself
too
is
God
enough
friends
to be
in relationship
with him
is always
worth it
to experience
his grace
time and
time again
is glorious
to know
his faithful
love
protects
his beloved
people
even in
their deaths
and some
of you
have watched
that reality
with those
that you
love
see that's
the one
God
worth
treasuring
we've
learned a lot
about him
in the
prophets
for sure
his great
majesty
his creative
power
his unchanging
faithfulness
his steadfast
love
his overwhelming
generosity
last week
his constant
pursuit
of his
people
isn't it
amazing
how he
continues
to call
us
and as we
begin truly
to know
him
we see
how
worth
it
he is
how
committed
that he
actually
is to
us
listen
Southwood
if we
together
decide
to repent
to talk
with each
other
about the
value
of God
beyond
anything
else
to hold
each other
to lives
that demonstrate
the great
worth of
Jesus
in everything
that we
do
then listen
to what
he says
to us
verse
17
they shall
be mine
says the
Lord of
hosts
in the
day when
I make
up my
treasured
possession
I will
spare them
as a man
spares his
son
who serves
him
you're
mine
right
my
treasured
possession
God says
these people
treasured him
and he
treasures
them
he calls
again
because he
is utterly
committed
to our
relationship
with him
he absolutely
insists on
our knowing
and experiencing
the blessings
of repentance
that come
the revival
that he brings
in our hearts
and in our
community
when we actually
come back
to him
there's personal
joy right
there's
corporate
restoration
there's
eternal
celebration
that happens
with our
father
and this
is what
he's calling
us to
when our
loving
heavenly
father
calls us
to repent
he's
he's not
just
calling us
to
to quit
some big
sins
and to try
to live
a little
bit better
he's calling
us back
to himself
he wants
to know you
like that
he wants
you to know
him
and he
wants us
together
as we
do
to be
able to
live
with him
and for
his glory
he wants
to do
that here
in new
ways
one illustration
of this
incredible
love of our
God
and then
we'll close
you may
have heard
Ruth Graham
tell her
story
at the
funeral of
her father
Billy Graham
last year
I've shared
it with you
once before
newly
divorced
and
devastated
she found
herself
in another
relationship
that her
parents
and her
children
told her
was not
good for
her
but in
her words
now
being
stubborn
willful
and sinful
I married
this man
on New
Year's
Eve
and within
24 hours
I knew
I'd made
a terrible
mistake
after five
weeks I
fled
I was afraid
of him
what was
I going
to do
I wanted
to talk
to my
mother
and my
father
it was
a two
day
drive
questions
swirled
in my
mind
what was
I going
to say
to daddy
what was
I going
to say
to mother
what was
I going
to say
to my
children
I'd been
such a
failure
what were
they going
to say
to me
we're tired
of fooling
with you
we told
you not
to do
it
you've
embarrassed
us
you don't
want to
embarrass
your father
but you
really don't
want to
embarrass
Billy Graham
and as I
rounded the
last bend
in my
father's
driveway
my father
was standing
there
waiting for
me
as I got
out of the
car he
wrapped his
arms around
me
he said
welcome
home
there was
no shame
there was
no blame
there was
no condemnation
there was
just
unconditional
love
and you
know my
father was
not God
but he
showed me
what God
was like
that day
when we
come to
God with
our sin
our
brokenness
our
failure
our
pain
and our
hurt
God
says
welcome
home
as often
as our
heavenly
father
issues
the call
to repent
he throws
open the
doors
and welcomes
us
home
return to
me
and I
will return
to you
he says
he treasures
you
Southwood
you are
his
treasured
possession
won't you
join me
in continuing
to run
back home
to him
together
let's
pray
father
thank you
that the
one who
exposes
our
hearts
who can
cause so
much pain
as our
idols are
uprooted
and torn
away
is so
tender
loving
and merciful
and so
longs for
us to
come home
to his
arms
father I
pray we
trip over
each other
on the way
back to you
that we
would drag
each other
towards you
that you
bring new
life
in our
hearts
that even
in this
next season
as you
move and
break into
our world
because of
your love
we would
see you
clearly
and know
what a
treasure you
are
and how much
you treasure
us
work in us
Jesus
for your
glory
we ask
in your
name
amen
for more
information
visit us
online
at
southwood.org