God’s Jewel Box
Malachi Series
Malachi 3.16-18
July 28, 2013
Chester FBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
Malachi 3:16-18 (NASB) 16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name. 17 "They will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." 18 So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
A Malachi has thus far been writing to the discordant voices in Israel.
1 People who had fallen out of love with God, worship of God, & His Word.
a They had robbed God w/ their tithe, brought unfit sacrifices, Priests were no longer in love with God (or ministry.)
b These were the voices of displeasure, distrust, & disgust.
aa 1.2, “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How hast Thou loved us?”
bb 1.6, “. . . where is My honor? . . . where is My respect? Says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, “How have despised They name?”
cc 1.7, “You are presenting defiled food upon My alter. But you say, ‘How have we defiled them?’”
dd 1.13, “You also say, My, how tiresome it is! And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the Lord of hosts,
ee 2.8, “But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant.”
ff 2.17, “You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?”
gg 3.7, “ . . . Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’”
hh 3.8, “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?”
ii 3.13, “Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the LORD. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against Thee?”
kk 3.14, “You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts?”
2 Not everybody in Israel was mad, disgusted, disobedient to God: There were some who desired God. (Remnant who remained faithful.)
a Exact opposite of the people addressed in Mal. 1.6-8.
Malachi 1:6-8 (NASB) 6 " 'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Your name?' 7 "You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled You?' In that you say, 'The table of the LORD is to be despised.' 8 "But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the LORD of hosts.
aa They honored Him as Father, respected Him as Master.
bb They brought the right sacrifices, right attitudes, right times, & with right hearts.
b Malachi does acknowledge these people in 4.2, as those “ . . . who fear My name. . .”
Malachi 4:2 (NASB) 2 "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
aa YHWH, “I AM.”
bb Their reverence of the Lord was the basis for their relationship with each other. (3.16)
Malachi 3:16 (NASB) 16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.
c They came together with other folks (different levels of wealth, intellect, influence) because they all loved the Lord.
d 3.16, “For those who fear (revered) the Lord and who esteem His name.” NASB; For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. Mal 3:16 (NKJV)
aa Esteem/Mediate means to “focus one’s mind on something of great value.”
bb This remnant of faithful people valued one thing above all else: the name of YHWH!
cc His name represented His character and it prompted them to unwavering service to Him.
3 They recognized each other by the love they shared for the Lord & more importantly, God knew who they were.
a Their numbers probably weren’t very many, but God was paying attention to them.
aa More than taking a causal glance.
bb 3.16, “a book of remembrance was written before Him for whose who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.”
b They may have been the butt of their neighbors jokes, object of ridicule, but God was pleased with them.
aa They weren’t wasting their time, spinning their wheels.
bb They were investing in eternity.
B Many Pastor’s/Church leadership become discouraged because numbers, giving seem down.
1 They think their ministry is unappreciated or insignificant.
a They see other ministries/churches/Christians, who aren’t as faithful/consistent/genuine, who get more attention than they are.
b But the day will come when God will reveal “His treasured possession” (3.17) and then the faithful will receive their reward.
Malachi 3:17 (NKJV) 17 "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him."
2 Our Lord makes four promises to those who serve Him and reverence His in name in word & thought.
I Promise 1#: I will regard you (v.16)
“. . . the Lord gave attention and heard it (them) . . .”
A This faithful remnant who never ceased their worship of YHWH had God’s ear.
1 Ps. 34.15, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”
2 Every time they assembled to testify, learn about, talk about, worship, or serve the Almighty, they had the full attention of Him.
3 Scripture leads us to believe that God inhabits the praises of His
people.
B When we worship the LORD in public or in private, we need to do it with all we have for all that is!
1 We do not only because He’s worthy (And He is Worthy), but also because We have His full attention when we do!
2 We lift our hands, sway, jump, dance, weep, shout, sing because . . .
a Scriptural
b It makes us feel like we’re worshiping (not something we attend, it’s something we do)
c We get God’s attention! The audience of ONE that we perform our worship before!
II Promise 2#: I will remember you (v.16)
“ . . .a book of remembrance was written before Him. . .”
A In ancient times, kings would record the good deeds that his people did.
1 In Esther 6, King Ahasuerus was having a hard time sleeping & called for one of his advisors to get a book & read it to him.
a In “the book” was recorded the fact that a man by the name of Mordecai had once saved the king’s life.
b King Ahasuerus’s “book of remembrance” is probably the concept Malachi is giving in 3.16.
2 God was keeping written records of His people’s actions.
Exodus 32:32 (NASB) 32 "But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!"
Psalm 69:28 (NASB) 28 May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded with the righteous.
(cf. Isa. 4.3; Dan. 12.1)
a NT is just probably more clear on the fact that God writes stuff down. (cf. Rev. 3.5; 13.8; 17.8; 20.12, 15; 21.27)
Luke 10:20 (NASB) 20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."
Philippians 4:3 (NASB) 3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Hebrews 12:23 (NASB) 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
Revelation 3:5 (NASB) 5 ~'He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
(cf. Rev. 13.8; 17.8; 20.12, 15; 21.27)
b Perhaps the greatest image of God writing things down is in Isaiah
Isaiah 49:16 (NASB) 16 "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
B God will not forget those who serve Him faithfully.
1 David knew this in Ps. 56.8.
Psalm 56:8 (NASB) 8 You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?
a He knows you, cares about His people.
b Are you faithful to Him? If so, He will never forget you!
2 Regardless of your culture/color/social standing/prominence/popularity, God knows you and will never forget you.
a God’s paying attention and He’s writing stuff down!
b Happy, happy, happy day!
III Promise 3#: I will reward you (v.17)
“And they will be Mine . . . on the day that I prepare My own possession, . . .”
NKJV, “They shall be Mine," says the Lord of hosts,"On the day that I make them My jewels. Mal 3:17 (NKJV)
A There are blessings in this verse that describes God’s people under four relationships.
1 God’s Property —“They will be Mine.”
a The moment you give your life to Him He puts a wedding ring on your hand, seal of your heart, “Sold” sign on your windshield.
b 1 Corinthians 16:19-20 (NIV) 19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
2 Timothy 2:19 (NIV) 19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
2 God’s Treasure — “My jewels”, lit. special jewels.
a As God’s worshipers saw Him as a highly valuable object, God saw/sees His as pretty special too!
aa How did we get so valuable?
bb Look who made us? Our worth is the value He places on us!
b “Jewels” is a movable treasure, carry with you/don’t let out of your sight/off your person!
aa peculiar people, special people.
bb Titus 2:14 (NASB) 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
1 Peter 2:9 (NASB) 9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Do not fail to put your mind firmly on the fact of our immense worth to God.
cc You are royalty, destiny, set free!
3 God’s Sons — “I will spare them as a spares his own son . . .”
a Family relationship
aa A good father will always have a special place in his heart for his own sons.
bb Scripture teaches us that the saved are the sons of God by faith!
b Galatians 4:6 (NASB) 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
aa His Holy Spirit that lives inside of us gives us the sense of the blessed father/son relationship.
bb He has received us as sons/daughters . . . only true of the redeemed!
4 God’s Servants –– “. . . who serves him (God.)”
a One of the most underappreciated & overlooked blessings of being a child of the King is we get to “serve” our Father/King!
b One of the biggest tragedies of the story of the Prodigal son is that the son who left home was no longer able to serve in His daddy’s home!
aa Can’t serve in your daddy’s house/field, be a steward for Dad if you’re out in a far off country!
bb The faithful in the House of God/Family of God know the joy of having a position of servitude.
B The joy is ours to serve and it also makes our daddy happy when we serve!
IV Promise 4#: I Will Rescue You (vv. 17,18)
“ . . .I will spare them . . .”
A Chapter 4 of Malachi will describe a coming day of wrath (4.1).
Malachi 4:1 (NASB) 1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
1 There is a two-fold prophetic implication in “I will spare them.”
a There was a preservation for the faithful remenant that looked for the first coming of Messiah.
b There will be a sparing of the church at the second coming of Christ.
aa 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.1 Thess 4:13-18 (NIV)
bb At His appearing and BEFORE the Tribulation, the saints will be “spared”/taken out of this world.
2 God will rescue His church/bride from the time of Jacob’s Trouble, known as the Tribulation Period, when God will pour His wrath out on this earth. (Fire/Water)
B God has set a difference between the lost & saved, righteous & unrighteous.
1 The Believer will not feel God’s wrath, according to 1 Thess.5
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 1 Thess 5:9-10 (NIV)
a God will refine & build the great treasure (His People) but they will be spared from His Wrath.
b Your struggles/tears/strife are not God’s wrath on you, God “making” you into a Jewel.
aa The day will come when God will reveal “His jewels” and then the faithful will receive their reward.
bb 1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 1 Cor 4:1-5 (NIV)
2 (Prior to service have each worshiper take a penny from the offering plate.)
a The coming day of the Lord has a Good side & a Bad side.
aa If you flip a coin, it’s a 50/50 chance which side it lands on.
bb When Jacob’s Trouble comes, which side of the “coin” you experience is not chance . . . but rather choice!
b For some the coming Day will be a blessing, others will be a time of pain.
aa How do we know which side we land on?
bb What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who are you doing it for?
Notice to Sermon Central Users:
My name is Mike Fogerson, and I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Chester, Illinois. I have been a long-time user of Sermon Central and truly appreciate its content and contributors. Some of the best sermons I’ve ever preached have been reworked material from this website. As you use the material from my sermon bank, understand that it is work that has been done from not just myself, but from hundreds of other pastors as well. If you see part of your message, or a bunch of your message with my name on it and this upsets you, please email me and I will quickly respond and cite you as the main source. My intent is not to claim someone’s work as my own. I am disclaiming up front that I use the resources from Sermon Central and appreciate the tool. I simply want all those who use my work to know that some of these messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit working through other pastors. Because I do use the messages of other pastors I waive all claims of originality or origin of creativity for the messages posted under my messages. I pray God blesses your preaching ministry for the glory of His Kingdom.
Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
