Date:   11/16/08

Text:   Malachi

Title:   Are We OK?

Theme: Since God demonstrates his love in the midst of our failures, we are to respond

by giving our utmost to Him .

Introduction:

  In this day and age, we want to hear messages that are uplifting. We want to hear sermons that will bring out the best in us. We want to hear messages that will make us feel good and positive about ourselves.

  However, when we turn to the scriptures, its messages are quite different from our expectations. Before being lifted up, encouraged and bring out the best in us, the scriptures want us to face up to who we really are. Yes, there are virtue and beauty within each of us because we are made in God's image. Yet, because of sin, we are also ugly and sinful. The scripture is ruthlessly honest about this. I wonder if we are to remove all the passages relating to human evil and sinfulness, how much of the scripture would be left. Genesis, the first book in the OT is about how a perfect creation gone bad. It then traced the expression of men's imperfection and God's desire and design to bring men back to him. Now, Malachi, being the last book in the OT, ends with a picture depicting human sinfulness and continual straying away from God. When we glance through this book of Malachi, we realize that it is a book of complaints and accusations.

  We are used to complaints. Have you ever lived a day or week without complaining? Or lived a day or week without hearing complaints? Not too many of us like to live in situations where complaints are common place. It wears us out and turn us off. Yet on the other hand, we do complain to God. We complain when things don't go our way, when they are out of our control. We complain about prolonged illness and loss of jobs or a relationship gone sour. We complain when our children don't turn out the way we want.

  Yet, when we look at this book of Malachi, it is a record of God's complaints towards His people, the Israelites. The Israelites thought they were ok, but in reality they were not. How about us? At the national level, the recent election clearly demonstrated that most Americans feel there is something wrong with the country, we're not ok and therefore we need a change. How about at a more personal level? It is always easy to see others, or the church is not ok. But how about me? When God sees what is going on in my life, will there be any complaints? If we are honest with ourselves, we are not doing well either, we are not ok.

  Now, let's take a closer look at this book. Malachi was in the same era as Ezra and Nehemiah. Many of the issues facing Nehemiah were found in Malachi. First,

I.   Our failure to recognize God's love. 1:2-5.

  God told the Israelites that He has loved them. Their response was: “how have you loved us?” You said you love us, but we don't think so. God responded by pointing them to their history. If the Israelites would review their history, they would know how God has shown his love for them in words and deeds. In Psalm 136: “…. for his steadfast love endures forever;…” The entire Psalm is about his love towards his people. Isaiah 43: , “ Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel , your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you,…” God loved them by selecting them to be his people. He delivered them from slavery in Egypt . In their journey through the wilderness, God provided them with food and water, and protected them. He helped them set up their kingdom. After 70 years of exile in Babylon , he brought them back to their homeland, land of Judah . With this behind them, they complained that God has not loved them. God responded by stating that he did love them.

  How about us? For us living on this side of the OT, there is much more for us to see God's love. We learned that God so loved the world that he gave us his only son, so those who believed in him should not die but have eternal life. While on earth, Jesus loved those belong to him to the end. His death on the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's love for us. As we look at our own life, in our sinfulness and brokenness, God came to us, took us as is and brought us to him. He forgave our sins and reconciled us to him, to be his children. He has already loved us deeply.

II.   Our failure to give the best to God. 1:6-2:9

  To the more mature ones among us, we may remember Rodney Dangerfield's famous quote: I don't get no respect. This is what God was telling his people. Father gets his respect from the son. Master gets his respect from the servant, but as their God and creator, He gets no respect from His people. The Israelites argued back, “when did we not give you respect?” God's response was when you offered me the animals with blemish. The people were supposed to offer to God the best from their crops and animals, instead they offered to God the lame, the blind and the sick animals. They kept the best for themselves. When we open a gift and realized that it is either broken or had been used, we feel we get no respect. When we see the gift and realized it is the same one given to this person about 1 year ago, it is a recycled gift, we feel we get no respect.

  God has given us his best, sending his one and only son to earth and died for us, in order to reconcile us back to God. He has already completely and deeply loved us. In response, He wants us to give our best to him. Have you heard of this story? I don't know how much of it is true, but the sentiment is certainly not off the mark. A mother, looking at his 4 sons, said, “the first son is the smartest, so I'll send him to medical school. The second one is honest and hard working, he can be an engineer, or lawyer. This third son is quick thinking and street smart, will make a good businessman. The fourth one is honest, not really outstanding, if he wants to, he could go into the ministry.” We want to keep the best for ourselves, and the not so good to God. In many churches, when an announcement is made about the need for some furniture and utensils, what would people bring? Their used and half broken tables and chairs, burnt pots and pans. Items even Goodwill may not accept.

  I have shared this with you on different occasions. There is something I observed among the Chinese Christians in N. America . Often we hear individuals sharing that they will take early retirement so they can go into ministry, either in a local church or as a missionary. The reason? By then they would have enough money for retirement, taking care of children's education. Certainly, if this is when God calls you, we have to obey. What is troubling is that many have heard the call earlier on in life. They responded to God by mapping their life first. They want to make sure enough money is made to take care of their mortgage, retirement fund and children's education. Once these are done, then they would go into ministry.

You see, by the time we take early retirement, our health, our energy level is not as good as before. It will take us longer to overcome the jet lag. We may not remember things as well as we used to. We are set in our own ways of doing things; cannot eat food that are too sweet, too salty or too spicy. Very different from the time when we are younger. Last year, a student in China said to me, “ we appreciate your coming very much. But how come only those with white hair are coming?” of course, he meant where are the younger ones?

  I am always touched when I see young men and women, like David and Alice, Wailim and Vicky, obeying God's call and serving in Asia . They had to learn a difficult language, adapting to a different culture with a different living standard. They had given their best to God. God deserves the best from us. We are to give our best time of the day to God in reading His word and praying to Him. When God calls, we are to give the best time of our life to Him.

III.   Our failure to keep the marriage covenant. 3:14-15

  “Because the Lord was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant…” God is complaining the many of the Jewish men have been unfaithful to their wives. They had deserted their wives and married women from foreign countries. God was complaining about the divorce among them. Why was God concerned about this matter. Simply put, He was the one who instituted this marriage and it was his original design that marriage is to be a lifelong commitment.

  In this passage, God pointed out to his children that the root of the problem of divorce is that they failed to see marriage as a covenant. This is our problem too. Our society tend to see marriage as a contract. When we first got married, or started dating, I love you and you love me, and everything is fine. Then slowly, the contractual idea begins to surface. I love you because you love me. And if one day, for whatever reason, you stop loving me, then why should I continue to love you? This eventually leads to divorce. If it is a covenant, then this is different. This idea of covenant is a copy of God's covenant with his people. The central meaning is: I love you unconditionally. Both husband and wife agree to this. It is an unconditional love towards each other. As we continue to live in this loving relationship, we also have different responsibilities towards each other. Such as staying together through sickness and health, poverty and wealth, and the ups and downs in life. When we have offended the other person, there is the giving and receiving of forgiveness. This is a covenant. It's a one way expression of love. For this reason, in a wedding ceremony, we have this exchange of vows. I love you unconditionally, and you also love me unconditionally. Not if you love me then I'll love you…

IV.   Our failure to give back to God what belongs to him. 3:6-12

  Here God was complaining, accusing that the Israelites had robbed him. How so? Because they had withheld their tithing. They thought all that they had belong to themselves, its their possession. They had worked hard to gain what they had, it's theirs. But God's original teaching was that all they had was from God. Therefore, as a token of expressing this acknowledgement, they gave to God 1/10 of what they had. So now, when they kept all they had to themselves, they were behaving like robbers.

  How about us? Before we become believers, we consider everything we have resulted from our own efforts. I created this business, this career and this family. What I have today results from many years of sweat and tears. Now, having come to know Christ, we learn that all we have is from God. Without Him, we would not be where we are today. Yes, intellectually we understand and during the thanksgiving season we would probably through prayers and testimonies show our gratitude to God for what he blessed us with. However, how are we demonstrating this conviction? How do I show that all I have is from God? The scripture's teaching is clear. When we give God 1/10 of what we have, it is an expression that we acknowledge everything we have is from God. I understand this is easier said than done.

  When we give $1 out of $10; $10 out of $100, it is ok; not that hard. Now, when it is $100 out of $1000, $1000 out of $10K, or $4000 out of $40K, it is different. The amount may not be a problem, but when we think what we can do with $100, $1000 or $4000, it begins to hurt, right? When we calculate that with $100, $1000, or $4000 I can use it to pay for a car or children's tuition, this becomes a struggle. Now, we can understand why the Israelites kept all that for themselves. God's response to them: when you keep to yourself what belongs to me, you are robbing me. Am I robbing God by not giving to him what belongs to him?

V.   Our failure to recognize God's attributes. 2:17-3:5; 3:13-18.

  The people were asking, “where is God's justice and righteousness? Why the wicked are prospering while the godly are being punished with all kinds of hardships?” God says that you have worn me out with your complaints. I am tired of hearing such accusations about my being indifferent to injustice in your world. God was complaining and accusing the Israelites for not believing in His righteousness and justice. He then proceed to show them all that he had done in their history.

  Don't we hear that around us? If God is righteous and just, how come there are so many injustice in this world? If God is truly faithful and loving, how come there are so much disasters and suffering around us? If there is a God, he must be distant and cruel.

  God's response? I know what is going on. I will come a day when the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be vindicated. There will come a time of judgment. There are much evil around us now, but God wants us to believe in his faithfulness, mercy and goodness, even in such dire hard situations. Yes, the waters are raging and the earth may be shaking, God still sits on his throne, he is still the lord of heaven and earth. This is faith. God wants us to have faith in him in the midst of adversities.

Conclusion:

  When we are on the eve of a long business trip, we want to spend the evening with the family in a peaceful and happy manner. We don't want to bring up the unpleasant things; complaints and accusations in those moments.

Malachi is the last book in the OT. After this book was written there was no more revelation from God for 400 years until Jesus came. Have we wonder why would God give His last revelation to His people in the form of complaints and accusation? Why not end in a more positive note?

  The clue is found in 1:2, “I have loved you.” God is telling the Israelites that even in the midst of your failures and disobedience, I still love you. I have loved your ancestors, now I will continue to love you. 400 years later, he continued to show his love to his people with the birth of Jesus Christ . His love is not just for the Israelites, but it also includes you and me. He wants to leave an indelible mark in us that he has already completely and deeply loved us.   

His expectation to the Israelites and us is the same. As a response to His love, he wants us to give our utmost to Him. To some, it means when he calls us, no matter what stage of life we are in, we'll obey him immediately. We may want to recognize that all we have is from him. Therefore as a token of expressing this, we will begin to give 1/10 of what we receive to Him. We may want to give the best of our time to Him. Some of us may be in some very difficult situations. You feel being mistreated by your supervisors, or experiencing prolong sickness, you feel the world or even God is so unfair to you. In such moments, you are to ask God to give you faith to continue to trust in his justice, righteousness and sovereignty.