and they just got strapped in not necessarily the car seats but the car seats and driven for long distances sometimes to see family over Christmas and it's a three-hour drive and for a six-year-old or an eight-year-old are we there yet? Are we there yet? And it's interesting how a knowledge of space and time helps correct the are we there yet's. When you're a little kid and you just can't tell one town from the next, every time you come to a town, oh, it's a town, are we there yet? No. Every time you come to a barn, we're going to a farm, are we there yet? Space and time help calm those things. We talked a couple of weeks ago, and I found this very interesting as I was thinking about it, about how our experience of time is very much connected to our experience of space. We live in this particular world, in this particular creation, on this particular planet, and our experience of time is rooted to what this planet does. As each day comes and goes, it's the earth circling around that makes the sun appear to rise and descend. And even last week, as we listened to our sermon, The Lord God said, if you can break my covenant with the sun and the moon, with the day and the night, then you can break my covenant with Abraham and David. But as long as the sun comes up every day, so will my covenants be. Our experiences of years as the earth circles the sun, year after year. Our experience of seasons as the earth moves on its axis. Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer, and the changes of seasons all rooted to this world that we live in. And the reason I'm talking about this again is because we all know that there was a time before this existed. Even those who do not believe in God say there was a time before there was Earth, Sun, and Moon, and all of the creatures. And in that space, there was time. God, in eternity past, for as far back as eternity stretches, which is longer than your mind can fathom, existed in time. But the time wasn't based on the rotation of the Earth, or the orbit of the Earth, or the tilt of the Earth's axis, but there was time. And I say this, Because God, even in scripture, expresses the difference, and he uses human words and human sense of time. God is measuring time. God has a timetable. God has a schedule, and he's working it out. And sometimes we look and we go, God, are we there yet? Are we there yet? Or it just seems like so long. God, I'm almost 50 years old. And there's a bunch of you out there that go, spring chicken. And there's a few of you out there that go, that's old, right? You remember when 50 was old? And we say we've been looking, we've been waiting, we've been hoping. And when we come to this text here today, we see Israel displaying some frustration with God. So are we there yet with God? And as we come to the end of the sermon, I want you to hear this. God is going to say we're going somewhere and we will be there. This is what my dad used to say. We'll be there when we be there. I think he said it with better words than that. But I mean, I know where we're going and I know how long it's going to take to get there. And we're not off schedule. We'll be there when we get there. And the Lord God says, we're going somewhere. There's a plan here. It's working its way out. But he also says, with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. Is that hyperbole? Maybe. And it might just be that God, in time before there was time, that the time that we think of as a thousand years only seems like a day. And you know, if you go on a trip and you're flying in somewhere, my neighbor Simon's here, he flies all over the place, you know, and if you're only flying in for a little stay, you probably don't change your watch, you know, because you're like, why should I change? And you go, yeah, yeah, but God, it's been like 6,000 years of recorded history. But if a day is really like a thousand years, that's like six days. You want me to change my timing? Anyways. Let me tell you just a little bit about the book of Malachi. And I promise this, today's sermon will not be as long as last week's sermon. That was a little excessive. This week will be a normal length sermon. But when we come to the book of Malachi, we come to a very interesting place in the history of Israel. Because the Israelites who have gone into exile, that's what we were reading about last week, they all get carried off into exile. The whole city of Jerusalem is destroyed. The walls are broken down. The palace is destroyed. The temple is burned up. Stones destroyed and for 70 years. Nobody lives in Jerusalem. It's the heart of jackals and owls It's a it's a waste place and then as God is prophesied his people begin to return the Persians set them back and they don't just send them back they send them back with the temple treasures and with funds to rebuild the temple and about the year 515 BC the Israelites managed to raise up a new temple it's not nearly as spectacular as Solomon's temple but it's functional it's got the spaces that are required and they're able to offer sacrifices But unlike when Moses erected the tabernacle, and the presence of the Lord filled the place, and all the people fell down, and when Solomon erected the temple, and the glory of the Lord filled the place, when Zerubbabel erected this new temple, there seems to be no visitation from the Lord. And so the people kind of go on and they grow weary. And Malachi comes on the scene about 90 years after this temple is built. And he has a lot to say to the people. He says, listen, you guys are going through the motions. You think that religion is an external thing only, that as long as you check all of the boxes and bring all of the sacrifices and observe all of the days you're supposed to observe, that God will then be obliged to bless you. But he says, it's not getting into your heart. She says, you don't want to do it. You hate God. You despise God. You turn up your nose at these things of God. You're just doing them because you think that's what you need to do to get blessed. And that's where we find ourselves in chapter 2, verse 17. Look at your text here. Malachi says this, you have wearied the Lord with your words. The whole book of Malachi is like this, it's a call and answer. Right at the beginning, God says, I have loved you, and the people say, how have you loved me? So this is common through the whole book. You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, how have we wearied him? by saying, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and He delights in them, or by asking, where is the God of justice? two things that they're saying. And God says, this is wearing me out. So the first thing that they're saying is they're looking around at people who are doing evil things and they say, everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord. He likes it when people do evil. Now they don't really mean that, but it's a little tongue-in-cheek. They say it must be, he must like it when people do evil, because it seems like the evil is prospering and the good doesn't seem to amount to anything. God must like the evil people. And Malachi says, you're wearying God with the same. And then the other thing that they're saying, they're just tossing their hands up and saying, where is the God of justice? Where is the God of justice? Now, these complaints are heard in other mouths without God being weary. Famously in Psalm 73, the psalmist Asaph, let me use both hands for a minute, don't tell my wife. Psalm 73. Psalm 73 begins this way. Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart, but as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. So Asaph says, I looked around and the wicked seemed to prosper. He goes on to say things like, they have no pangs until death, their bodies are fat and sleek. Hey, if any of you are putting on your clothes today and going, oh, these don't fit so good. I'm getting kind of fat. In the old days, that was good. Rich people were fat. He says, Asaph says, I'm getting so fed up with this. The wicked prosper. Their eyes bulge out from fatness. They have so much food to eat that they're getting plump. And he says, it doesn't seem fair. But God is not wearied by Asaph because Asaph when he makes his complaint is also looking and saying God I want to understand and when we get to verse 16 he says but when I thought of how to understand this it seemed to me a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God and then I discovered their end. He says, as I consider who God is and who these evil people is, he says, I see how it's going to end. In Israel of Malachi's day, they weren't seeing that. They were just complaining to God. They're saying the wicked prosper, and you must like it that way, God. Where is the God of justice? Habakkuk. Habakkuk doesn't weary the Lord. He says, oh Lord, how long shall I cry for help and you will not hear or cry violence and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity and why do you idly look at wrong? Habakkuk is saying, God, the wicked are prospering in our day and I don't know what to do about it. And God isn't wearied by Habakkuk. Because as Habakkuk reflects on these things, he finally sees these things in perspective with who the Lord is, and he answers at the end of his book, though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit beyond the vines, the produce of the olive bale and the fields yield no food, the flocks be cut off from the field and there be no herds in the stall, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the deer's. He makes me tread on high places. Let me give you one more. This one's the most famous one. Job. How many people have read the book of Job and come away going, I still don't get it? A few people. You read it, Job is a righteous man, he's a good man, he does the things he's supposed to do and yet tragedy after tragedy after tragedy, financial disaster, the loss of property and finally the loss of his own children, you go, this is wretched. And as you go through the book of Job, you see Job complaining to God. God, it's not fair what's happening to me. I'm a righteous man. There's people that are accusing Job. He must have some secret sin. Try to confess it, Job. And in the end, what we see from Job is Job, having seen a vision, caught a vision of God, heard God speak to him, and God says, I will question you, and you will answer me. And at the end, Job repents, and Dustin Ashley puts his hand on his mouth. We say, what happened to change his perspective? Because even as you read it, and even as you read it many, many times over, you go, What happens here? What does Job see that helps him? And I'll tell you, you know what I think he sees? Is I think Job finally catches the difference between his finiteness and the infiniteness of God. And he says, I don't have an answer to the question, but I understand that I cannot understand. I understand that the answer is beyond what I could fathom and I understand that God you are good and you are infinite and you know and if you know God it's enough for me and I will put my hand on my mouth and receive from you what you give. But this is not the attitude of the Malachi Jews. The Malachi Jews are just complaining to God and the crazy thing is that They're really interested in righteousness. They're saying unrighteousness is being done, evil is happening, and we think that's wrong, but they're not after righteousness, they want comfort. You understand the difference between wanting righteousness and wanting comfort? They don't want holiness, they want material prosperity. They don't want the blessings, or they want the blessings of God, but they don't care about God himself. They're separating these two things and they're saying, we don't like that the evil is prospering. And I'll tell you this, even thieves hate to be robbed. Adulterers do not like it if somebody cheats on them. And those who lie don't like being lied about. And they're saying, listen, the evil people are prospering. We don't like it because things are not the way we want them to be. We want blessing, we want prosperity, we want happiness. But God, whether you come or not, doesn't really matter to us. And so the Lord gives him this message, and it's a prophecy. Look here at Malachi chapter three, verse one. He says, 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 the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. That line right there, look at it again, and the messenger of the covenant, this is a one-off, this is the only place this occurs in scripture. Literally, the word for messenger is the Hebrew word for angel. And it's probably right that the translation here translates it as messenger, because that's what angel means. But the angel of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. So this is a prophecy, and Malachi says there are two distinct individuals who are coming. There is a messenger, the Lord says, I send my messenger, he will prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. That's two different individuals. So the messenger is coming, and then the Lord whom you seek, who is also identified as the messenger or the angel, the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord. So... Who do we identify this with? Well, this is interesting. Okay, I know you're a little dozy, and I know these Old Testament prophecy sermons, you're kind of like, oh man, it's kind of like eating sawdust sometimes. But wake up for a second, okay? Because I need you to do some deductive reasoning with me. I need you to think with your brains turned on. I want you to think like the Jews of Malachi's day, who hear this and they understand it's a prophecy, and they begin to ask the question, who's he talking about? Who is this one who is coming? The one who's coming, the significant one, the most important one is the second one who's coming because there's a messenger who's coming before him to prepare the way and then there's another one coming. So deductively thinking and as we filter this through the Jewish commentators, okay, so stay awake with me, Malachi writes this 425 years before Christ. So for the next 425 years, the Jews, thinking about this particular passage, think what? And the answer is that the Jews, by and large, look at this passage and say, that's our Messiah. That's the promised one, that's the anointed one, that's the Christos, the Christ. That's the one who is coming who is going to set everything right. That's who we're expecting. And so this is Charles Feinberg writes this. He says Jewish commentators make this person the Lord and even refer both the Lord and the messenger of the covenant or the angel of the covenant to the Messiah. So interpreting these fancy words, Charles Feinberg says the Jewish commentators look at this passage and say, that's the Messiah, this one who is coming. And the fascinating thing, so here's your deductive reasoning hat. Three things. First of all, he is identified with the Lord. The messenger is coming and the messenger will prepare the way for me. Right? That's what the text says. The Lord is speaking and the Lord says through Malachi to his people, behold, I will send my messenger and he will prepare the way for me. Who's coming? The Messiah. Who's the Messiah gonna be? Big hint there, the Lord says, me, I'm coming. Then secondly, he is called the owner of the temple. He says, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. These are Old Testament, this is pre-New Testament words. The Lord says, I'm gonna send my messenger before me, and then the one who you seek will come to his temple. Who can say this is my temple? It's the temple of the Lord. You know, Aaron could not say, this is my tabernacle. Solomon could not say, this is my temple. It's the temple of the Lord. There's only one person who can step into the temple and say, this is mine. This is all about me. So that's the second hint. And the third hint is he is called the Lord whom they sought. And that word Lord points back to Adonai, a word for God. So the hints are all here. And as the people are wrestling with this, they say, okay, so this is going to be a Messiah. And they should see the evidence that the Messiah is not only going to be a man, but he's also going to be divine. Now, there are some who suggest that the church has created this construct of the Messiah and that they have thrusted upon Jesus, that Jesus never saw himself in this way. But here's where you need to use your deductive reasoning. So you've got to think just a little bit longer and then I'll give you some rest. The Jews Before Jesus' day, no Christian church, no Christ, no Jesus, none of that. The Jews from Malachi's day forward say, we've got this promise. There's going to be one who is going to come. The Lord is going to come. He's going to send his messenger before him. He's going to come suddenly or unexpectedly to his temple. He is the one that we desire. This is the Messiah. And one of the things that will mark him is there's going to be this one who comes before him. Who is that guy? Well, the interpretation of the Jews is that somebody is going to come in the spirit and the power of Elijah. He's going to be like Elijah. He's going to be like a prophet. He's going to come preaching repentance. And so if the Jews, so get into this mindset, okay? Put yourself into your robes, put yourself into your sandals, become a Jew, eat kosher, live for these 400 years, have these conversations. We're waiting for the Messiah. What is the sign that the Messiah is coming? Well, there's going to be somebody who comes before him. I wonder who that person will be. He'll come in the spirit and the power of Elijah, right? So we're thinking about that. We're talking about the whole Jewish nation who is looking for their Messiah. The one that they desire is talking and thinking and waiting and waiting and waiting. And then all of a sudden onto the scene comes this peasant guy, Jesus. And he seems to have some pretty miraculous powers. There's some stories of things that he has done. And what does Jesus say? Before Jesus arrived in the scene, there was this other guy, John the Baptist, and he was very popular. The entire city of Jerusalem was going out to hear him by the Jordan River, and many of them got baptized in the Jordan River. He's preaching, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand, and he is saying that the Lord is sending one after me. And John the Baptist has a huge following, and Jesus is asked about John the Baptist, and listen to what Jesus says. So all this thinking, all this deductive reasoning to get you to the very words of Jesus, not Jesus being filtered through the church's lens after himself, but Jesus looking backwards into the Old Testament and saying something about himself. And this is what Jesus says. This is from Luke chapter 7 verse 24. We get this in Matthew's gospel, Mark's gospel, Luke's gospel. All three of them record these words of Jesus. But we've just looked at it in Luke's gospel. So listen. All of the Jews for 400 years were waiting for the Messiah. The Messiah will come. He'll come. He'll surprise us. He'll show up at his temple. And there's somebody who's coming before him. And Jesus is this. Luke chapter 7 verse 24. When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? No, what then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in king's courts. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, this is still Jesus. I tell you, and more than a prophet, this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. Where's that from? Jesus just quoted Malachi chapter 3 verse 1, and he put his finger on John the Baptist and said, that's the forerunner. And I'll tell you something, if Jesus is touching him and saying, that's the forerunner, do you know who Jesus is saying I am? In his own words, Jesus is declaring to everybody who wants to hear, I am the Lord who is coming to his temple. I am the one you are waiting for. I am the one you delight in. I am he. He says, behold, I will send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you. I tell you, among those born of women, none is greater than John, yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And so if we do the math, Jesus is saying, this is not the church saying about Jesus, this is Jesus saying about himself to the Jews who understand the Old Testament prophecies, I'm the fulfillment of that prophecy. I'm the one you're waiting for. And then Jesus goes on to fulfill it because the prophecy says that the Lord will come to his temple. And Jesus shows up more than once in a surprising way. He shows up as a baby in his parents' arms. And he's greeted by Simeon and Anna, who recognize him and are like, he is Tom. He's here suddenly at the temple. He shows up when he's 12 years old and he shocks the wise men of the temple with all of his knowledge and the way that he can ask questions. But he shows up perhaps most dramatically on the day he enters in on the triumphal entry comes all the way to the temple he sees the people buying and selling and a marketplace set up and he takes and he drives the money changers out of the temple and he says what he says my house will be held a house of prayer but you have made it a den of robbers The Jews of Jesus, they are scandalizing. That's blasphemy, unless it isn't. Unless he actually is the Lord God to whom this temple belongs. That's what he claims. Move more quickly to these final points. Because Malachi says to the Jews, he says, you don't desire God at all. He says, you want the benefits, you want the blessings, you want the prosperity. You don't want righteousness or holiness. And when he comes, this is what he will really do. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he is like refiner's fire and like fuller's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. They will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in former years. you ever watch somebody refine silver or gold we're down in Texas this year and Michelle's dad he's got a little tiny crucible and it's kind of cool he's got little bits of gold jewelry and stuff that he's he's found in various places goes around yard sales and secondhand stores and they got out his crucible he gets it really hot and he dumps all the gold in there and you can actually watch it and he watches for a little bit because what's happening in that extreme heat he's not trying to destroy the gold he wants all the gold but he is destroying the imperfections that's what the refiner is doing. If you've ever seen wool pulled my wife likes to knit and she sometimes spins her own wool but to pull wool, especially back in those days, they used lye. They would get lye, which is a really caustic chemical, and they'd soak it and then they'd beat the stuff and beat it and beat it. They're not trying to destroy the wool. They're getting rid of the imperfections. When the Messiah comes, it's not going to be simply, hey, here's the blessing. It's going to be, hey, here comes the purification. Let's deal with the sin. Let's make things right so that the blessing can flow. The Jews complained that everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he likes it that way, and the Lord says, no, I'm coming, and when I come, you will see, I do not like the evil, and I will not endure the evil, we'll get rid of the evil, we're gonna clean that up, I want righteousness. And then finally, we get this, verse five of chapter three, then I will draw near to you for judgment. still the Lord speaking, still the Messiah speaking, 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 who do not hear me, says the Lord of hosts. It's an interesting thing. When the Old Testament prophets looked forward and saw what was going to come, what they often called the day of the Lord, was the day when the Messiah would arrive, when the day when God's anointing would arrive. And it was a mixed thing. It was a blessing, but it was also a judgment. And what's interesting is in the Old Testament, the day of the Lord often refers to two different things. It refers to the first coming of Christ, But sometimes it refers to the second coming of Christ. And they didn't see the distinction. They couldn't see the gap that lies in between. In the New Testament, every time it talks about the day of the Lord, it's talking about the second coming of Christ. And in case you're brand new to the church, that's something he's promised. Christ is coming again. He's come the first time to bear the sins of the world and to make atonement and to open a way into the Father. He's coming a second time. And in that second time, he comes as the final judge of all the earth. And so what Malachi sees is both the first coming of Christ and also the second coming of Christ. And I want you to see in that whole list, look with your eyes one more time, verse 5, you see all those lists of things. witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, those who tell lies, those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and then finally that last one, that's the key to all of it. Those who do not fear me. All of these flaws, sorcery, adultery, swearing falsely, oppressing hired workers, all sin, all sin is addressed by the fear of God. If we treat God as if he is a lucky charm, or a house idol, or a pet, and because we have God, and we wear a cross, or make the sign of the cross, or point to the heavens, or use the name of the Lord, and we think, you know, in these ways, we put God in our debt, and he owes us something, so we're gonna be more fortunate. He says, that's not how it works. He says, if you want the blessings that come from me, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And to fear God is to say there is a real God and He sees everything. He sees all that I do. He sees the adultery. He sees the false witness. He sees the oppression. He sees the sin. And as a result of that, I say, God, help me to live in the fear of God. Help me to live as one who has a desire to walk rightly. the final judgment God will come the Lord Jesus will return and these things will be brought into judgment but those who fear the Lord these will be spared. Let me just take you in closing to a couple verses. We might be tempted to complain with Israel that the wicked seem to prosper and the righteous are abused, that the God of justice seems absent, but I want you to remember God has his own timeline and he's keeping his timeline. You might be saying, are we there yet? And God says, wait, we're going to be there when we get there. And don't worry, we're on schedule. This is what Peter says. 2 Peter 3, verse 4 says, they will say, where's the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. Right? We hear this. Jesus said he was coming again. Well, it's been 2000 years. Where is this coming? Peter, anticipating this, through the Holy Spirit says, this is what people will say, where is the promise of this coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlooked this fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water. And through water, by the word of God, and by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perish. But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are soared up with fire, kept until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise. as some count slowness, but is patient towards you. If it seems like the Lord lingers, if it seems like He is waiting a long time, He is being patient with you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. The Apostle Paul says the same thing in Romans chapter 2 verse 3. He says, Do you suppose, O man, you who judge those who practice such things, and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and the forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you towards repentance? That because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. Here's my final word and then we're going to close in prayer. As you live in this world, you will do one of two things. Because God's patience is meant to lead you to repentance. God is patient with you not wanting any repairs at all to come to repentance. And you will do one of two things, either recognizing in the fear of the Lord that the Lord's patience leads you to repentance. You will repent of your sin and say, Lord, I want to walk faithfully after you, or you will spend that time storing up for yourself wrath in the day of judgment. Those are the only two options. and the final day will one day come. And that which is said in Malachi, the Lord or the messenger of the covenant will come suddenly to his temple. That was true of Jesus in his first coming. It will be true of him in his second coming too. He will come suddenly and unexpectedly. And when he comes, the question is, will he find you repentant or you having stored up for yourself wrath in the day of judgment? Let's pray. Father, Lord, I pray that even as we hear this sermon, Lord, that you would help everybody here to hear these two things, that you are coming again to judge with integrity the condition of our heart, And also that we would hear this, Lord, that you are patient, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. Lord, that even as we know and recognize that you are coming in judgment and that judgment will flow, that Lord, your call to us is to live lives of repentance so that we might receive the blessing that will come in that final coming and not the curse. And Lord, I pray that your spirit would take and apply these truths in each heart of those who are here today, in Jesus' name. Amen.