1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:01,680 Wonderful. Good morning. 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:06,120 It's such a delight to be with you this morning. 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:11,640 Thank you for the warm welcome. We indeed feel like family and 4 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:14,720 not just visitors. We bring greetings and 5 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:21,080 encouragement from Common Ground Bloberg Church and it's just 6 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:25,480 wonderful to to be here. The last time we were here was 7 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:30,040 almost I was towards the end of last year when Eric and Zuki 8 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:33,240 were ordained. What a significant moment that 9 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:38,640 was and it's wonderful to come back and see what God is doing 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:43,320 in and among you. I must say, when I got the 11 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:47,960 invite to come and serve you in this way, I was really excited. 12 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:52,160 Then I opened the WhatsApp message and I look at the Bible 13 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,480 text that I was going to preach from and I see this name, 14 00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:57,880 Malachi. I almost was tempted in that 15 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,200 moment to write back to Eric and say, hey, Eric, I sure didn't. 16 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:06,240 You mean Matthew or Mark or something? 17 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,120 But in all seriousness, I love this. 18 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:15,320 It's beautiful when God's people do not just stay in the 19 00:01:15,320 --> 00:01:19,320 seemingly comfortable parts of the Scripture, but commit 20 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:25,160 themselves to walk through the whole council of God's Word, 21 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:33,360 even the parts that searches, that challenges, that stretches. 22 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:37,400 In fact, that's what Paul encourages and writes and 23 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,920 reminds the church in Romans 15, verse four. 24 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:45,120 And he writes them and he says to them that everything that was 25 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:50,920 written in the past or in the former days was written for our 26 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,280 instruction that through endurance, through the 27 00:01:55,280 --> 00:02:00,760 encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. 28 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,440 So it's really my privilege to join you as your journey through 29 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,840 the book of Malachi. Our main text this morning is 30 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,400 from chapter 2, verse 17 all the way to chapter 3, verse 5. 31 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:16,000 If you've got your Bibles, please, please turn to Malachi 32 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,080 chapter 2, verse 17. And I'll be reading. 33 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,280 If you don't have your Bible, you can just follow on the 34 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,560 screen. I'm sure the Bible, the the 35 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,680 passage is going to be put up on the screen for us to you follow. 36 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,040 I'm sure by now you now know where Malachi is. 37 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:36,920 Wonderful. I'm going to read for us. 38 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,120 You have wearied the Lord with your words. 39 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:49,240 How have we wearied Him you ask? By saying all who do evil are 40 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:53,920 good in the eyes of the Lord and he is pleased with them. 41 00:02:54,280 --> 00:03:01,120 Or where is the God of justice? I will send my messenger who 42 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,440 will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are 43 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:09,160 seeking will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant 44 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:14,960 whom you desire will come, says the Lord Almighty. 45 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:22,120 But who can endure the day of his coming? 46 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,400 Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiners 47 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:32,280 fire or a launderer soap. He will sit as a refiner and a 48 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:36,440 purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and 49 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,400 refine them like gold and silver. 50 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:44,920 Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in 51 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,400 righteousness. And offerings of Judah and 52 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:52,840 Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in the days gone 53 00:03:52,840 --> 00:04:00,800 by, as in the former years. So I will come to put you on 54 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,640 trial. I'll be quick to testify against 55 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,600 the sorcerers, adulterers, pejurers, against those who 56 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,800 defraud labourers of their wages, who oppress the widows in 57 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,880 the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice. 58 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:21,000 But do not fear me, says the Lord Almighty. 59 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:29,040 This is God's word. Let us pray, Father, we thank 60 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,440 you. We thank you that you are the 61 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:38,520 same God who spoke in the days of Malachi and you speak to us 62 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:44,080 this morning. God, we open our hearts, we say 63 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:50,160 come and be our teacher. Come, God, and lead us into 64 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,280 truth. Come and reveal yourself, 65 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,960 yourself to us. Oh Lord God, we pray in your 66 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:59,600 love and mercy, in your kindness. 67 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:05,240 Holy Spirit of God, when you speak to us this morning, thank 68 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:11,040 you that you know where each and everyone of us are at, and 69 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,200 you're a God who meets us at our point of need. 70 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,520 We pray, Lord God, as you speak to us, be glorified in this 71 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,080 place. Come and take your rightful 72 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,720 place. Oh God, we pray this in the name 73 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,800 of your son, Jesus Christ, Amen. Amen. 74 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:34,600 So one of the privileges for Jolene and I is to be parents to 75 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:39,760 our two boys. We love them dearly and it's so 76 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:43,000 heartwarming to see how they love and care for one another. 77 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:48,000 But truth be told, they know how to press each other's buttons. 78 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:54,680 If you have kids or if you're a sibling, you know exactly what 79 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,880 I'm talking about. And there's no there's nothing 80 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:03,120 better than for little kids to be the one who has to go to 81 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:08,040 their sibling and say to them, dad or mom says come here and 82 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:13,280 you better come right now. It's amazing how much authority 83 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:17,160 and satisfaction can get packed in those in that little 84 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:23,320 statement, especially when it's not you who's on the receiving 85 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,880 end, especially when it's not you who the hammer is about to 86 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:31,920 fall on you. By the way, I'm just using 87 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,200 hammer as a figure of speech. In case you're wondering what 88 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:39,800 kind of parents There's there's, there's people are, but equally 89 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:46,800 there is nothing that our boys do not like. 90 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:54,240 Then when it seems like their brother is getting away with 91 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:58,560 something, especially when they feel so hard done, especially 92 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:03,160 when the when they face the injustice perhaps of a toy being 93 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:06,480 snatched from their hand, that it seems like mum and dad are 94 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:12,800 taking no action at all. But the reality is that that 95 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,120 instinct for justice does not just disappear when we get 96 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:19,720 older. In all of us, there is a sense 97 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:24,680 in our hearts where we want to see justice done. 98 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:29,000 We want to see wrongs made right. 99 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,880 I mean, all of us, you look around the world we live in, I 100 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:37,520 think there's a sense in which we all think and see that things 101 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:41,200 are not where what they should be, that things are not right. 102 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:45,640 I mean, you hear of what's happening perhaps in Ukraine or 103 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:50,320 in the Middle East, and you see innocent people that are caught 104 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:55,280 up in the violence and the suffering caused by powers far 105 00:07:55,280 --> 00:08:02,240 bigger than them. You scroll on your cell phones, 106 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,880 you read the news. It just feels like corruption is 107 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:08,600 rampant. And there's it's just getting 108 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:13,160 out of hand. I think of the story of what 109 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:19,760 happened at the hospital in Tambisa where money, supposedly 110 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:27,520 billions of rands that was meant to provide medicine for people, 111 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:32,840 get stolen for what? For other people to go buy this 112 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:37,600 big expensive cars and mansions. And when somebody who actually 113 00:08:37,919 --> 00:08:45,320 cared enough to say, hey, there is money being stolen here, she 114 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:52,200 gets shot and murdered as she's dropping her daughter at school. 115 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,080 And it's almost, what, five years? 116 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,680 Doesn't seem like justice is coming. 117 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:10,200 And as you hear this, perhaps you're thinking to yourself, I 118 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:14,280 hear you. But right now, I'm not even 119 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:16,800 thinking about what's happening, Alfie. 120 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:24,880 Just think of my life. Perhaps you're in that place 121 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:32,440 where you're feeling great injustice, wrongly accused, 122 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:42,480 overlooked and fairly treated, and something in your heart 123 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:51,000 cries out, where is justice? In a sense, that's the kind of 124 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,920 question that the people in Malachi are asking. 125 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:59,600 They look around them and they see bad people doing bad things, 126 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,120 and it seems like they're getting away with it. 127 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,480 And not only that, they're getting away with perhaps their 128 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,000 lives are much easier and they seem to be getting ahead. 129 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:15,960 So God's people start speaking, but they start speaking in a 130 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:24,640 kind of way that causes God to say in verse 17, you have 131 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:26,840 wearied the Lord with your words. 132 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:30,400 How have we wearied Him, you ask? 133 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:37,000 By saying, all who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, 134 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:43,320 and he is pleased with them. Oh, where is the God of justice? 135 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,160 I'm sure if you have been married long enough or if you 136 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:56,760 know people well enough, you begin to realize that sometimes 137 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,920 questions are not just questions. 138 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:04,160 By the time the question mark is put at the end, a point has 139 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:10,600 already been made that it's actually a conclusion and not a 140 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:15,360 question. Just to be vulnerable, I must 141 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,320 confess that I find myself doing that very thing. 142 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:25,240 I think of times at home when I ask who left the front door open 143 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:27,760 and it's only Jolene and I in the room. 144 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:34,160 Please do not try that at home. But. 145 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:41,000 But I must say, to be fair to me, since we're talking about 146 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,520 justice, I've also been on the receiving end. 147 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:52,840 Please don't ask from who when I hear the question, who left the 148 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:57,080 cupboard doors open? Well, if you know us, if you 149 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,120 know our family, you know that there's only one person who 150 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:02,720 leaves cupboard doors open, and that's the person that's 151 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:07,520 speaking to you right now. For some reason my brain is very 152 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:11,240 good at telling me open the cupboard doors, but it never 153 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:16,280 gets to tell me to close the cupboard does. 154 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:22,960 So when I hear that question I know it's not just an isness in 155 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:27,120 question. This is my character under 156 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,360 question, and that is what's happening right here. 157 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,680 When the people of God ask where is the God of justice? 158 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:39,480 They're not just asking as innocent suffering bystanders, 159 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:44,680 they're beginning to accuse God, the beginning to accuse God of 160 00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:49,360 sleeping on the job. The kind of attitude that we 161 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,440 have when the service is not on point at a restaurant, or 162 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:57,120 perhaps we're frustrated sitting in a queue at the post office or 163 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:02,640 the bank, and we ask, is there a manager in this place? 164 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,240 But they're not only accusing God of sleeping on the job, 165 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:14,640 they're beginning to accuse God of siding with the wrong doers 166 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:19,960 when they say all who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord 167 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:27,240 and he is pleased with them. Friends, the people of God have 168 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:31,880 moved. They've crossed the line from 169 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:39,680 frustration to something far more serious when they do not 170 00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:46,920 only ask where is God, but they begin to say that God is siding 171 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,840 with evil doers. Clearly they've lost sight of 172 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,720 the God of the rule, God that the psalmist reminds us of in 173 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:00,320 Psalm 5 verse 4 when he says he is not pleased. 174 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:05,880 He does not take pleasure in wickedness, nor does evil dwell 175 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:11,680 with him. Please hear me well. 176 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:18,320 There is absolutely nothing wrong with longing for justice. 177 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:24,160 In fact, that reflects the character of God himself. 178 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:37,400 But there's everything wrong to think that God is not just 179 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:46,040 because justice is not happening the way we want or when we want 180 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:55,460 it. Can I just make myself clear 181 00:14:55,540 --> 00:15:03,100 that there is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing questions 182 00:15:03,260 --> 00:15:08,420 before God? I know that here this morning. 183 00:15:08,420 --> 00:15:13,820 Perhaps there is some. We're going through a tough 184 00:15:13,820 --> 00:15:16,920 season. There is some here. 185 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:22,160 Life hurts right now and you've got questions. 186 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,200 There's absolutely nothing wrong with bringing your questions 187 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:28,480 before God. In fact, if we read through the 188 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:35,280 Psalms, we see these heartfelt, raw questions that the psalmist 189 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:42,280 bring before their God. But can I say to us this 190 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:52,160 morning, yes, bring your questions, but do not let your 191 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:58,800 questions be the final word. Brothers and sisters, examine 192 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:06,000 your questions. Am I bringing my pain to God or 193 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:12,800 have I begin to question God? It's human to be frustrated. 194 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,960 But in our frustrations, brothers and sisters, let's ask 195 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:23,360 ourselves, is my frustration leading me to lament, or is it 196 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,360 leading me to accuse? Because there is there is a 197 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:30,680 difference between lamenting and accusing. 198 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:35,040 Lamenting, says God, I do not understand this. 199 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:42,080 God, I do not get this, but God, I trust you. 200 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:48,640 Accusing, says God, I do not get this. 201 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:52,440 God, I do not understand this. God. 202 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:56,800 I cannot trust you. God, I do not understand this. 203 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:07,859 God, you cannot be trusted. Of course, as good believers as 204 00:17:07,859 --> 00:17:11,540 we are, we are not going to come on a Sunday and say I want to 205 00:17:11,780 --> 00:17:15,280 give my testimony. Just want to let you know that 206 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:17,920 God cannot be trusted. We're not going to do that 207 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:22,839 right. But we can begin to do that in a 208 00:17:22,839 --> 00:17:28,680 quiet way by the decisions that we take. 209 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:44,760 We begin to do it quietly and how we steward our finances in 210 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:51,280 our marriage, in our singleness, in our work. 211 00:17:54,160 --> 00:18:02,640 Can I say to us this morning that the big issue here is not 212 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:08,720 what was happening around them, but rather what was happening in 213 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:13,680 here? By the way, this is not the 214 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:16,640 first time that God's people begin to question God. 215 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:21,360 If we go back to Malachi chapter one, verse 2, God says to them, 216 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:29,000 I have loved you and their reply, how have you loved us? 217 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,400 And that kind of sets the tone for the whole book. 218 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:39,440 I find helpful what Bible scholar Peter Adam says. 219 00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:50,720 He says that doubting God's love naturally LED or leads to other 220 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:57,760 sins, and you can almost kind of see it how a doubt for God's 221 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:03,200 love moves into doubting God's judgement. 222 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:12,640 When the love, when God's love is in doubt, it doesn't just 223 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:20,560 stay there like cancer, it begins to spread into other 224 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:26,920 parts of our lives. Doubting God's love is the very 225 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:31,320 foundation upon which other doubts are built on. 226 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:37,200 And if we can be honest with ourselves this morning, perhaps 227 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:47,040 some of us, if we peel the layers of our questions, if we 228 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:53,080 peel the layers of our frustration, and if we really 229 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:57,920 get beneath it, we begin to realize that what's actually 230 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:02,160 happening is that we're beginning to doubt. 231 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:08,920 God's love? Does God really love me? 232 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:20,520 If God really loved me, would he let this and that happen to me? 233 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:31,760 So what does God do when his people bring accusations to him? 234 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,160 Does God say thank you very much? 235 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:39,880 It's so helpful. Sorry, I just got sidetracked. 236 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,240 Thanks for bringing this to my attention. 237 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,960 You know, things are very, very hectic in heaven. 238 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,280 Just give me two minutes, Earth, I'll come back to you. 239 00:20:53,800 --> 00:21:00,320 By the way, it's not as if God had not shown to them before 240 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:05,480 that he's a just God. If we go back to Exodus 2 and 3, 241 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:12,320 we see or we are told of how God saw the suffering and the 242 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:16,840 injustice of his people under the tyranny and the hand of 243 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,280 Pharaoh. And we are told that God not 244 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:24,200 only saw their suffering, he heard their cries. 245 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:30,680 And God came and he instituted justice. 246 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:37,080 And God frees his people. By Exodus 14, God frees his 247 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:43,480 people from injustice. But God does not only do that in 248 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:48,160 Exodus 20. God gives them his law to teach 249 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:53,360 and to shape his people what justice really looks like. 250 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,640 Do not murder. Do not steal. 251 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:03,960 Do not commit adultery. God shaping the hearts of his 252 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:08,120 people into what justice, what it means to live with integrity, 253 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:15,760 what it means to honor one another as you honor him. 254 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:21,040 So the issue is not that God has not shown who He is. 255 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:27,280 The issue is not God's track record, but it's how God's 256 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:32,040 people are beginning to see God in these circumstances. 257 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,280 So one of the things that you get to realize easily about me, 258 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,600 even if you don't know me very well, is that I have issues with 259 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,040 my eyes. This is not a fashion piece. 260 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:53,480 I'm short sighted and what it means for me practically is that 261 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:59,400 sometimes I enthusiast enthusiastically wave at someone 262 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:02,720 from a distance and only when they get near me, I realized I 263 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:07,360 don't even know this person. Or times I get accused of 264 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:10,920 ignoring people, somebody says, hey, you know, I waved at you 265 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,160 and you ignored me and I'm like, sorry, I didn't even see you. 266 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,680 So every year maybe like Eric, I have to go to the optometrist. 267 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:25,040 And it's such a humbling thing to sit in the optometrist chair. 268 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:27,600 It's almost like you're back in Grade 1. 269 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:32,040 The optometrist make you sit on this chair and there's a chart 270 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,640 in front of you with letters and numbers. 271 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:40,960 And as they flip lenses, they ask you to if you see is it 272 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,720 better on lens one or is it better on lens 2? 273 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:48,640 But you know what's amazing and all that is that no matter how 274 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:53,760 much, how many of the different lenses you're looking through, 275 00:23:54,720 --> 00:24:00,400 the numbers in the letters in the chart remain the same. 276 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:10,080 And that's the same with God. He does not change. 277 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,560 But perhaps what starts happening, brothers and sisters, 278 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:24,760 is when we go through pain, when we go through suffering and 279 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:33,760 disappointment, we begin to filter our sense and our vision 280 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:37,400 of God through what we are experiencing. 281 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:43,880 We begin to trust what our feelings are telling us more 282 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:48,400 than what the Word of God says about God. 283 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:56,680 In those moments, we begin to reshape what is true about God 284 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,320 to fit how we feel. Just because I feel hard done, 285 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:06,120 God must be unjust. We begin to bend what is true to 286 00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:10,320 fit with what we experiencing. Just because other people seem 287 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:15,000 to be getting away with doing bad things, God must be siding 288 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:28,000 with them. The lover of God, God is just. 289 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:33,520 He's always been just, will always be just. 290 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,400 So the question is not is God just? 291 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:42,600 But perhaps, what does God's justice actually look like? 292 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:48,160 So Malachi shows us chapter 3 verse one. 293 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,560 I will send a messenger who will prepare the way before me. 294 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,680 Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple. 295 00:25:55,920 --> 00:25:59,840 The messenger of the covenant of the covenant whom you desire 296 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:02,560 will come, says the Lord Almighty. 297 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,320 But who can enjoy the day of his coming? 298 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:10,280 Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiners 299 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:14,480 fire or a launderer soap. You will sit as a refiner and a 300 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:18,760 purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and 301 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:21,040 refine them like gold and silver. 302 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:25,120 Then the Lord. We have men who will bring 303 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:29,600 offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and 304 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:32,640 Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord. 305 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:37,200 As in the days gone by, as in the former years. 306 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,480 So I will come to put you on trial. 307 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,080 I will be quick to testify against the sorcerers, the 308 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:48,800 daughters, perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of 309 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:58,280 the wages who oppress the widows, the fatherless, deprive 310 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,400 the foreigners among you of justice. 311 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:04,720 But do not fear me, says the Lord. 312 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:12,040 Notice how God begins in chapter 3. 313 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:19,200 I will send a messenger. Surprising, isn't it? 314 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:23,320 Because when we expecting justice, we are thinking come 315 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:27,880 now swiftly, perhaps fire and brimstone. 316 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:36,080 I will send a messenger. In fact, Malachi tells us not 317 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:39,440 only one messenger, but two messengers. 318 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,080 The first messengers comes to prepare the way. 319 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,960 And if we go to the New Testament, we realize that that 320 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,640 first messenger was actually John the Baptist. 321 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:51,960 And Jesus confirms this in Matthew 11, verse 10. 322 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:56,880 Speaking of John, he says this is the one about whom it is 323 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:00,400 written. I will send my messenger ahead 324 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:08,160 of you who will prepare the way. But here's the surprising part. 325 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:20,040 The second messenger is not just any other messenger. 326 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:27,880 The second messenger is Jesus. The second messenger is God 327 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:35,520 himself in the flesh, the one that Malachi calls the Messenger 328 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:39,440 of the covenant. Why? 329 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:47,080 Why would God send not only one, but two messengers? 330 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:53,040 Why would God himself choose to come in the flesh as a 331 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:54,880 messenger? Why? 332 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:03,400 Because God does not just throw the rule book. 333 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:07,440 It is people. God does not just throw the 334 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:15,400 hammer at his people. God invites repentance before he 335 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:23,200 brings judgment. Michael Eaton puts it way better 336 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:31,520 than me and he says this justice is on its way, but for the 337 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:45,720 moment mercy is on offer. It's funny how people say why 338 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:52,400 does God tolerate evil and in the same breath they say why 339 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,480 does a loving God send people to hell? 340 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:07,240 Beloved God, only a loving and they just God would offer mercy 341 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:14,560 before judgment, and He does that time on time again. 342 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:18,960 We see that with Noah before the flood. 343 00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:23,680 We see that with Jonah and the people of Nineveh. 344 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:28,040 We see that with Israel. He sent prophet after prophet 345 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,120 before he sends his people into exile. 346 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:39,960 Again and again God warns. Again and again God gives space 347 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:44,600 for repentance. Again and again God calls his 348 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,800 people. Mercy is on offer. 349 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:58,200 Peter picks up on this in two Peter 3 verses 8 to 10 and he 350 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:03,520 says but do not forget this one thing dear friends with the Lord 351 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:07,720 a day is like 1000 years and 1000 years like a day. 352 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:12,720 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand 353 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:17,480 slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, 354 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:24,120 not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to 355 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:29,440 repentance. But but the day of the Lord will 356 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:34,320 come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with 357 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:37,720 a roar, the elements will be destroyed by a fire, and the 358 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:43,120 earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 359 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:55,040 What looks like delay is mercy. Peter goes on in verse 15 and 360 00:31:55,040 --> 00:32:01,680 says, bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation. 361 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:08,960 So God's patience equals salvation. 362 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:23,000 I don't know about you, but I am so grateful that yes, justice is 363 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:28,200 coming, but mercy found me first. 364 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,760 I don't know where I would be. I don't know what would have 365 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:39,920 come of me. Mercy not found me first. 366 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:57,000 Justice is not cancelled, but God in his love and mercy wants 367 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,840 his people to be prepared for it. 368 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:12,520 So God sends a messenger. God himself comes in flesh, and 369 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:20,120 He delivers the message of mercy even with death and death on the 370 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:27,040 cross. But then the tone in Malachi 371 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:32,960 changes very quickly in verse 2, and we have these two very 372 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:38,600 searching questions. Who can endure the day of His 373 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:47,920 coming? Who can stand when He appears? 374 00:33:51,000 --> 00:34:00,760 Brothers and sisters, there is coming a day when God is going 375 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:07,160 to act against every injustice. God is going to act against 376 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:08,840 every operation. God is going to act against 377 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:12,760 every operation. God is going to act against 378 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:17,440 every sin that is not repented of. 379 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:28,580 There is coming a day when those who have not received mercy, 380 00:34:28,739 --> 00:34:31,020 those who have not accepted mercy. 381 00:34:32,139 --> 00:34:37,380 That day is not going to be a good day. 382 00:34:39,659 --> 00:34:43,699 That will be a day of running. It will be a day of hiding. 383 00:34:44,739 --> 00:34:49,639 In fact, John sees a vision of that day and he rides in 384 00:34:49,639 --> 00:34:54,159 Revelation 6, verse 16. And this is what John writes. 385 00:34:54,840 --> 00:35:00,400 It is chilling. He writes this and he describes 386 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:04,520 what will happen for those who reject mercy. 387 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:07,320 That is an offer. And he says this. 388 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:12,960 They will call to the mountains and the rocks, fall on us, and 389 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:17,320 hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, from the 390 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:23,280 wrath of the Lamb, beloved of God. 391 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:37,280 That is what happens when justice comes and mercy is not 392 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:43,760 received. Have you received mercy? 393 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:51,760 Have you receive mercy? That is an offer. 394 00:35:58,470 --> 00:36:00,470 But heres the good, heres the good news. 395 00:36:02,790 --> 00:36:07,790 That is not the only outcome that will happen on that day. 396 00:36:10,630 --> 00:36:17,910 Its kind of like Cape Town weather in summer. 397 00:36:17,910 --> 00:36:21,550 In one part of Cape Town, it could be so windy, windy and 398 00:36:21,590 --> 00:36:24,920 unpleasant and everybody is locked indoors. 399 00:36:25,720 --> 00:36:30,440 Kind of sounds like another usual summer day in Bloberg 400 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:36,600 where we come from and you drop 10 minutes inland and it's sunny 401 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:42,520 and clear and pleasant and everybody is going about their 402 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:44,600 day. And you kind of wonder to 403 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:51,680 yourself, is this the same day? Same day, different experience. 404 00:36:52,320 --> 00:37:02,280 Depending on where you stand, such would be that day. 405 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:13,960 For those who receive mercy that day will be totally different to 406 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:19,640 the kind of day that and experience that John writes in 407 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:26,240 Revelation 6 verse 16. In fact, John writes in one John 408 00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:31,200 417 a different experience and he says this. 409 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:34,160 This is how love is made complete among us, so that we 410 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:38,920 will have confidence on the day of judgment. 411 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:49,240 Confidence not running, not hiding, not asking for rocks to 412 00:37:49,240 --> 00:37:54,800 fall on you, not wondering, have I done enough? 413 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:01,280 Because on that day, if you have received mercy, you will not be 414 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:04,920 standing on your own record, but you'll be standing on the record 415 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:07,600 of the messenger of the covenant. 416 00:38:12,720 --> 00:38:14,360 But let's be clear about one thing. 417 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:26,520 Confidence does not come from God ignoring sin, as John 418 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:30,240 reminds us. Confidence comes from love being 419 00:38:30,240 --> 00:38:33,960 made complete or love being perfected. 420 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:43,960 And how does that happen? In a sense it happens through 421 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:48,080 refining. As Malachi reminds us, the 422 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:52,560 messenger of the covenant will be like a refiners fire. 423 00:38:54,320 --> 00:39:00,120 So God's love does not leave us where he founds us, but it 424 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:07,240 shapes us, it changes us, it refines us as it burns away all 425 00:39:07,240 --> 00:39:14,000 the impurities until our lives are a reflection of the one who 426 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:18,800 loves us. I love the way Malachi uses this 427 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:28,080 illustration of a silversmith. You know how a silversmith are 428 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:34,920 those people that take silver and refine it and become so 429 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:38,800 beautiful and precious, like some of the silverware that we 430 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:45,720 have, you know, at our home, or this beautiful silver watch that 431 00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:53,120 belongs to my wife. I must tell you this, that this 432 00:39:53,120 --> 00:40:02,000 used to be a rough piece of rock full of impurities. 433 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:10,200 So what does the silversmith do? The silversmith takes this rock. 434 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:13,400 Full of impurities and he purifies it. 435 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:17,080 He does not do that by taking it and putting it under his fluffy 436 00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:22,600 pillow. He does that by putting it in 437 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:27,640 the furnace, in the furnace of fire. 438 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:36,680 And deliberately and intentionally, he turns up the 439 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:45,640 heat, the heat in the furnace, not wanting to destroy the 440 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:53,440 silver, but to purify it. And as he turns up the heat, not 441 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:59,560 a single moment does he let this silver out of his eyesight. 442 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:04,720 And he turns up the heat and the furnace. 443 00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:11,520 As the furnace heats up, the silver is purified. 444 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:14,480 The impurities rise to the surface. 445 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:25,240 And carefully he scoops the impurities off until the surface 446 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:30,480 of the silver begins to reflect his image. 447 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:39,760 How beautiful that is. That is our portion when we 448 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:47,480 accept mercy. For some of us here this 449 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:56,120 morning, you're feeling the fire of the furnace. 450 00:41:57,320 --> 00:42:04,560 It feels hot, it feels discomfortable, it feels hard. 451 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:12,600 Perhaps saying to yourself, God, why have you forsaken me? 452 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:21,480 I want to encourage you. God is not out to destroy you. 453 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:28,040 I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord Almighty plans not 454 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:33,280 to harm you, but to give you a hope and a future. 455 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:41,280 I want to encourage you. Trust Him, trust the refiners. 456 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:46,520 Love. Trust the work of God in your 457 00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:49,440 life. He's not out to destroy you. 458 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:57,360 He will not let you go until He is done with you, until your 459 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:03,720 life completely and perfectly reflects His beautiful image. 460 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:12,520 In fact, John writes and he encourages us and he says, 461 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:21,640 continue in him in one John 228, so that when he appears we may 462 00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:28,440 be confident and unashamed. Amen. 463 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:39,640 Man cannot ask us to stand. Perhaps could I invite the band 464 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:44,160 to to come? And as the band comes, can I ask 465 00:43:44,160 --> 00:44:00,890 that we close our eyes? Mercy is an offer. 466 00:44:03,690 --> 00:44:07,370 Perhaps you are here this morning and you've never said 467 00:44:07,370 --> 00:44:14,440 yes to the mercy of God, The Lord of God. 468 00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:19,200 Do not leave this place without accepting mercy. 469 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:24,400 Mercy is an offer for you this morning. 470 00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:36,720 Perhaps that's you. I'll createspace for you to 471 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:42,160 respond to the mercy of God. Don't worry about the person 472 00:44:42,200 --> 00:44:45,280 standing next to you as we close our eyes. 473 00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:53,280 If that's you, perhaps as a sign of accepting mercy, you're going 474 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:55,360 to raise your hand wherever you are. 475 00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:02,480 Do not leave this place without receiving, without saying yes to 476 00:45:02,480 --> 00:45:05,480 the mercy of God. If you're not comfortable with 477 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:09,880 raising your hand, what's more important is what happens in 478 00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:16,360 your heart, even under your breath. 479 00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:19,840 I want to encourage you is to pray a simple prayer. 480 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:37,120 Jesus, I receive your mercy. Jesus, I accept you as my Lord 481 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:47,560 and Savior. I want to pray this morning for 482 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,680 some were here this morning and feel discouraged. 483 00:45:55,800 --> 00:46:00,720 Perhaps the sense of God. This is hard. 484 00:46:02,600 --> 00:46:06,560 It's hot in the in the fury furnace of fire. 485 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:15,960 Father, I pray by your spirit would you bring strength and 486 00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:20,360 encouragement this morning I ask, Holy Spirit of God, would 487 00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:26,120 you be poured out in this place? Holy Spirit of God, I pray be 488 00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:30,680 poured out. Pour your life in this place. 489 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:34,120 I pray for strength. I pray for encouragement that 490 00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:39,400 only you can give. O Holy Spirit of God, I pray for 491 00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:44,600 the comforts of Jesus in this place. 492 00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:47,960 God, I pray for renewed strength. 493 00:46:48,520 --> 00:46:53,040 Thank you, God, that only you can give us the strength that we 494 00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:56,760 need, that there is no other source. 495 00:46:56,760 --> 00:47:00,360 There is no other place that we can receive strength. 496 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,240 I pray for renewed strength this morning. 497 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:12,600 And we know that those who receive the message of the 498 00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:19,120 messenger become messengers themselves. 499 00:47:22,080 --> 00:47:25,920 And they do not only receive the message for themselves, but they 500 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:29,760 receive the hearts of the messenger to be messengers 501 00:47:29,760 --> 00:47:33,120 themselves. So, God, I pray and I lift your 502 00:47:33,120 --> 00:47:38,680 precious church to you and I pray, Lord God, that you'd 503 00:47:38,680 --> 00:47:42,480 strengthen these messengers that you have appointed. 504 00:47:42,680 --> 00:47:46,600 I pray, God, that you would give a burden. 505 00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:50,960 You'd stir up a burden for this community. 506 00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:53,320 You'd stir up a burden for this city. 507 00:47:53,520 --> 00:47:59,080 Lord God, strengthen the hands and the feet of this faithful 508 00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:04,120 messengers. Lord God, I pray and God, how 509 00:48:04,120 --> 00:48:06,600 can we not pray for this community? 510 00:48:06,600 --> 00:48:09,760 How can we not pray for this city, for this nation? 511 00:48:09,760 --> 00:48:14,000 God, we lift this city, we lift this nation, we lift this 512 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:17,560 community. To you, God, we pray for those 513 00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:21,920 who have not yet received the message of the messenger. 514 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:27,240 And we pray, Lord God, once you turn hearts of men and women to 515 00:48:27,240 --> 00:48:32,480 you, that on that day, Lord God, they will not run to the hills 516 00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:39,040 and say, hide me, fall on me, but they would run to their 517 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:47,440 beloved and run to the embrace of a loving God. 518 00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:53,320 Have mercy, God, have mercy on this nation. 519 00:48:53,320 --> 00:48:58,200 Have mercy on this city. God, we pray. 520 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:01,840 Amen.