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Years ago, an elderly missionary couple who had served for years in Africa, were returning to New York City to retire. They were feeling discouraged, defeated, and afraid. Their health was broken and they had no retirement pension. When they got to the wharf to board the ship, they discovered that they were booked on the same boat as President Theodore Roosevelt, who was returning from a big game hunt. No one paid any attention to this old couple, but they watched the fanfare as the President arrived. A band was playing and the crowd was waving and straining for a glimpse of the great man. As the ship crossed the Atlantic, the old man grew more and more depressed. He said to his wife, “Something is wrong. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these years, and yet no one cares for us? This man comes back from a hunting expedition, and everyone throngs to see him. It doesn’t seem fair!” His wife tried to comfort him, but he couldn’t shake his depression.

As the boat docked in America, more bands were playing and more crowds had turned out to greet the President. Many dignitaries were there, and the papers carried the story on the front page. But no one noticed the missionaries. They slipped off the boat and went to hunt for a cheap apartment and for jobs. That night, the man’s spirit broke. He felt that God had abandoned them. He complained to his wife, “We don’t have anyone to help us and nowhere to go. Why hasn’t God met our needs?” His wife wisely replied, “Why don’t you go in the bedroom and talk to the Lord about the whole thing?” Sometime later, he came out of the bedroom, but his face was different. He was happy now. His wife asked what happened. He said, “I went in and told the Lord the whole thing. I told Him that it’s not fair. I told Him how I was bitter because the President received this tremendous homecoming, but no one met us as we returned home. And you know, as I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and said simply, ‘My child, you’re not home yet.’”

Can I ask you? Do you feel like that missionary couple? Are you discouraged in serving God to the extent that you are thinking of quitting? Or has your zeal for the things of God diminished, and you have decided to pack it in. Maybe all you do now is just come to church and nothing else – just to receive and not to serve. Whenever a request for volunteers is announced you say to yourself that is not for me. And it’s not just serving, you have also stopped giving to the work of God – because you question the benefits and wonder especially: if those outside the church don’t do that and yet they prosper – then why bother? In essence you are questioning what the point of serving God is. That was the problem of the Israelites that prompted the prophesies of Malachi from God to them. Both the priests and the people had largely packed in serving God wholeheartedly. I have three headings:

1. The people who said serving God was pointless

Malachi 3.13:

Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’

Malachi started by describing how the Israelites were treating God. Malachi said they spoke harshly to him which means they spoke arrogantly, without respect, and saying false things about God. This is a damning assessment of their regard for God. This is meant to make them repent, but rather than repenting they question God’s assessment of them by asking how? It’s like speaking to your teenage son or daughter about something they are doing wrong, and instead of accepting they question you disregarding your corrections, thinking they know better than you. That’s exactly what the people in Malachi’s day did. They questioned God’s judgement of their behaviour, which showed how arrogant they were. The Israelites were so discouraged in their walk with God that they believed it was useless to serve God. What could have made them think that way?

They may not be serving God wholeheartedly, not from the heart. We have seen from the previous chapters of Malachi that the Israelites have not completely abandoned God. They still go to the temple, they still sacrifice, and they still give offering. But all those are mere rituals, they were not doing it from the heart or with the right intentions. That is why they would offer blind and lame animals to God, withhold their offerings. Their motive is wrong: look at Malachi 3.14:

You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning [Being remorseful or sorry for their sins] before the Lord of hosts?

They were motivated by personal gain and because they did not get what they were looking for they quickly lose hope in God and started questioning, is it profitable to serve God? What do we gain since we have been following God? They are now comparing themselves with those that are not following God. What is the essence of serving God? I failed that exam, I lost my jobs, I can’t even feed my children, or more serious one I have cancer, and things are not going as planned. Malachi 3.15:

And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.

In this life those that don’t follow God may seem prosperous, for example because they didn’t offer the best to God they may become richer in the short term, if they spend more time cultivating their farms or pursuing their career instead of coming to the temple they may achieve more prosperity. I know we live in a world full of temptations, we see a lot around us that is fighting for our total allegiance to God. The adverts we see, the way people around are making us to think that we are wasting our time serving God. The way some people think that we are weak which is why we are relying on someone else to prop us up. If you are feeling that way, then there is a solution for you. That takes me to my second point:

2. The people who said serving God was right

Malachi 3.16:

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

In other words the people of God spoke to each other. What did they say to each other that will make the Lord to pay attention? It must be something that God approves of, something that is righteous. They must have spoken to each other using the word of God. Coming together to discuss it, to explain it to one another. Using it to encourage and support one another. Using it to admonish one another and even using it to rebuke one another. They must have told themselves that it is not true, serving God is beneficial. Encouraged one another to keep trusting God and offer him the best. 2 Timothy 3.16:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness

Here at JPC we have several ministry areas that give us opportunity to speak to one another using the word of God. One of those is our home group meetings every fortnight, it’s a small group where we study the Bible together and use it to build one another up. So if you are not in a homegroup and you want to be in one please speak to Ian or Liz Jackson after the service. And for international students we have international students ministry that meet every Friday and Chris kho is the person to speak to. It will be good for you to continue to grow in your walk with God and JPCI will help you with that.

The Lord paid attention and heard them, which will lift their hearts and they were encouraged to carry on serving God come what may. The Lord reassured them of his faithfulness by writing it down. Not that God will forget but it means that their eternal salvation is guaranteed, it’s sealed. Nothing will ever take it away. Malachi 3.17:

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.

They shall be God’s people for ever. Other translations use 'Jewel', 'On the day that I make them my jewels', meaning precious in the sight of God. Jewels are protected, associated with royalty, protected and that is what we are and ultimately that is what we will be. Malachi 3.18:

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.

The dilemma will be removed, it will be clear, the difference will be clear, the difference between those who serve God and those who don’t. And that takes me to my last heading:

3. The people who win and lose in the end

Malachi 4.1-3:

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 sun 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 they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

Judgement is one of the key themes throughout the prophets and very much throughout the bible. Sinful people always think that God is far away and that their acts will never be caught and punished. But everyone’s fate is certain both theirs and ours. God’s holiness demands that sin be punished and righteousness be rewarded. The day is coming means a day has been set for God’s judgement. Malachi describes how that day will be. He said it will be burning like an oven. Other translation says 'sinful people will be burnt like straw'. But for those that fear the Lord, those of us that have accepted Jesus into our lives the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. Which means that God’s saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. On that day we will be finally healed of every sin and anything that is hindering us from serving God. We will be made perfect. Praise God. But before then Malachi said in Malachi 4.4:

Remember the teachings of my servant Moses, the laws and commands which I gave him at Mount Sinai for all the people of Israel to obey.

Malachi reminded the Israelite to look back at what God did for them, rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and to remember God’s instruction on how to live. God gave the Israelites line by line instructions on how to live in the promise land. How will they remember God’s word? By reading it, memorising it, discussing it, gathering together always to remind one another what God’s instruction is. Before the Sat Nav came into existence travellers will print out the map of where they are going and always bring it and look at it whenever they get confused of which turn or road to take and will always bring it to make sure that they are in the right direction. So in that vein we should always read the God’s word, discuss it, when we get confused we should make reference to it. That is sure thing that will never change. For us at this side of covenant the instruction is to trust in Jesus, who died on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven and anybody who put his or her trust in Him will be saved. Malachi also reminded them to look forward. Look at Malachi 4.5-6:

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.

Elijah was a prophet that operated during the 1 Kings and God is telling the Israelites that he will send Elijah or Elijah type of person again before the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is the second coming of Jesus. Malachi is saying that God will make sure that everyone hears about the gospel of Jesus, about what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary, dying so that anyone that believes in Him will be saved. And that time of Elijah is here now. We live in that time.

Are you exploring Christianity? We have Christianity Explored going here at JPC where you can learn and ask questions about Christianity please speak to us and we will be happy to help you with that. For those of us that have made that commitment to trust in Jesus, keep reading God’s word, let us keeping looking back to the word of God and looking forward to the promise he gave us of eternal place in His kingdom, keep reminding one another about it, and keeping discussing it. It will help to keep us in check, it will help to encourage and support us in times of difficulties. Like travellers with Map for direction we are on a journey and our map or sat nav for direction is God’s word. It is everything we need. Sing the word of God like a song, write it on the door posts of your house, and carry it everywhere you go to, speak to one another with it, encourage one another with it, and rebuke one another with it. We might be tempted to pack it in, thinking it is not worth it, remember we are not home yet, it will really worth it when we see our Lord face to face.