Let us turn again to God's Word,
turning to the last book of the Old Testament, the book of the
Prophet Malachi. In Malachi chapter 4, reading the first three verses, Malachi chapter 4, the first
three verses, For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as
an oven, And all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall
be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith
the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name
shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings,
and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the store. And ye shall tread down the wicked,
for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the
day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. And I want, in particular, to
concentrate your attention upon the words that we have in the
second verse, Malachi 4 and verse 2. But unto you that fear my
name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings
and you shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall." Our
theme then is the Son of Righteousness. The same one that we were considering
last Lord's Day evening when we looked at those remarkable
words in Jeremiah 23. and verse 6, the name whereby
he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. It's the same
righteousness that is being spoken of. It is that righteousness
of God, that righteousness that was accomplished in the life
and the ministry of the Lord Jesus. that justifying righteousness
of which the Apostle speaks, his desire to be found in Christ,
not having his own righteousness which is of the Lord, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, he says. The righteousness
which is of God by faith. To say something then with regard
to the Son of Righteousness, the rising with healing in his
wings or in his beams. You will observe the imagery
that is being used in this particular verse. Clearly it speaks to us
of the dawning of day. The opening words of the chapter,
Behold the day cometh, the dawning of the day. Think of the language
of Peter there in the opening chapter of his second epistle. He says, We have also a more
sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,
as unto a light that shineth in the dark day, until the day
dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. There is to be
the dawning. of the day and clearly here that
day that is being spoken of is the day of the gospel. It's interesting what we read
at the end of the third verse. We read of the day that I shall
do this saith the Lord. But see how the word this is
written in italics, and you know the significance of that. It
indicates it's not a translation of any Hebrew word that's there
in the original. It's been brought in by the translators. Literally it says, in the day
that I shall do. The word that is translated do
could just as well have been rendered make. and so we could
read it in the day that I shall make. Or think of the words of
the psalmist, this is the day which the Lord hath made. We
will rejoice and be glad in it. Isn't that true with regards
to this gospel day? Behold now is the accepted time
says the apostle. Behold now is the day of salvation. And what we have here of course
is the language of the Old Testament. And remember how so many times
in the Old Testament they speak of that day of the Lord. We see
it so strikingly in a book like the book of the Prophet Joel.
Time and again in that book the prophets speaks of the day of
the Lord that was to come. There in Joel 1.15, the last for the day,
for the day of the Lord is at hand. And then again, he says
something similar in the second chapter, "...blow ye the trumpet
in Zion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain, let all the inhabitants
of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord cometh, for it
is nigh at hand." And then later there in that same chapter, chapter
2 and verse 11, The Lord shall utter His voice before His army,
for His camp is very great, for He is strong that executes at
His word. For the day of the Lord is great
and very terrible, and who can abide it? And then at the end
of the chapter, verse 31, The sun shall be turned into darkness
and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of
the Lord comes. And not only there in chapters
1 and 2, but then again in the third chapter we have mention
of that day, the day of the Lord. And when we read of the day of
the Lord in the Old Testament prophetic scriptures, ultimately
it is referring to the last day. That day in which we are living,
the day of the Gospel. That's the ultimate application
that is to be made from that particular world. And so here where we read of
that day that the Lord has made, the day that I shall do this,
the day that I have made, behold the day cometh, we're to think
in terms of this day in which we're living. Now It has been
said concerning the Day of the Lord how that the work, the mission
of the Lord Jesus Christ here in the Old Testament is regarded
as a whole from His very birth from the manger there in Bethlehem
right through to the end of the Day of Grace when the Lord returns
in power and glory and sits upon that throne of judgment. that
whole period of time between the first and the second advent
of the Lord Jesus Christ is the day of the Lord. And so as we come to consider
the text before us tonight, in particular the second verse,
I want to divide what I say into just two parts and to speak of
the end of that day of the Lord, how it's going to be consummated
in the fullness of the time, and that will, of course, usher
in the great day of judgment. or to say something with regards
to that day that will come, the day of judgment, the end of this
period of the gospel dispensation. And then in the second place,
to say something more particular with regards to the day of grace,
which is the whole period between those two comings. This whole
epoch of time, this day of salvation. in which we're so favoured and
privileged and blessed to be living our lives. First of all,
the Day of Judgment. And clearly that is being spoken
of in the opening words of the chapter. Behold, the day cometh
that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that
do wickedly shall be stubble, And the day that cometh shall
burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch." Oh, it is that great guy, the
end of time. And it's spoken of also there
in the New Testament several times. We have it, for example,
in the language of Peter, writing in his second epistle, 2 Peter
3, Verse 10 he says, But the day of the Lord will come as
a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up." And you'll see that the imagery is very
similar, the great heat, the burning up, the consuming of
the wicked as stubble in that great and terrible day of the
Lord. This is the reference that is
being made. It's that day of the Lord. 4
it says, Behold, the day cometh. Interesting that we have that
word for at the beginning of the chapter, because it indicates
there's a connection with what has been said in the previous
verse. There's a link with the end of
chapter 3. And what do we see there in verse
18 of that chapter? We have separation, the final
separation. Then shall ye return and discern,
it says, between the righteous and the wicked, between him that
serveth God and him that serveth him not. For behold, the day
cometh that shall burn as an oven." God is going to make in
that day the final separation between the righteous and the
wicked. And it's a terrible day. Well,
Joel says the Day of the Lord is great and very terrible. Who
can abide it? What a day this is. Again, look
at the language of Amos. Amos 5.18, Woe unto you that
desire the Day of the Lord! To what end is it for you? The
Day of the Lord is darkness and not light. Of course, he's addressing
himself to the wicked. They look for the day, but what
sort of a day will that day be? It will not be a day of light,
it will be a day of darkness. When the Lord speaks of that
man who's at the wedding feast and he has on no wedding garment,
and what is to be his end, bind him at hand and foot, take him
away, cast him into outer darkness, it says. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Oh, what an awful day, what a
dreadful day to contemplate. And yet, it is the day of the
Lord, and it is that day in which everything will be made clear. It is the day of the great and
the final separation. And now in this day, in this
day of grace, there is a sense in which we have to acknowledge
that there is much confusion, And now it's spoken of here by
Malachi. Look at what we have previously
there in verse 15 of chapter 3. Now we call the proud happy. Yea, they that work wickedness
are set up. Yea, they that tempt God are
even delivered. Things seem to be out of order.
There doesn't seem to be that that is really equitable and
right and proper in this day previously again in chapter 2
and verse 17 God says you have wearied the Lord with your words
yet ye say wherein have we wearied him when ye say everyone that
doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delighteth
in them for where is the God of judgment How God is so often
misjudged in this day, what confusion so often reigns. Or Isaiah speaks
a terrible woe on those who in this day call evil good and good
evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put
bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. There is all this all
this confusion then, but it will not be always so. There will be a day of judgments,
when all matters will be seen to lie equitably. Every matter will be put right
in that day. And the wicked shall receive
their just deserts. And there will be that final
separation. Even as we read, as I say, at
the end of the previous chapter, God says there, verse 17, They
shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that day when I make up my
jewels. And I will spare them, as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return and
discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that
serveth God and him that serveth him not. Or we know that then
when Christ Himself, the One to whom the Father has committed
all the judgments, when He shall return in power and great glory,
He is going to make the separation between the sheep and the goats. Why? The Lord Himself has declared
it. The language that we have there
at the end of Matthew's Gospel. And I'm sure you remember the
portion in chapter 25, verse 30, When the Son of Man shall come
in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He
sit upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gathered
all nations. And He shall separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And
he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on
the left. It's the same truth you see.
The discerning between the righteous and the wicked. Between him that
serveth God and him that serveth him not. There is clearly here
this reference to that final day of judgment and how solemn
it is. We see how the the people of
God rejoice in all his works even his strange work, his terrible
work of judgment in verse 3 you shall tread down the wicked and
they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day
that I shall do this saith the Lord of hosts why it reminds
us of that language that we have at the beginning of Revelation
19 where we see the righteous, the justified sinners rejoicing
as God comes to judge the wicked. After these things I heard a
great voice, says John, of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor
and power unto the Lord our God for true and righteous are His
judgments. For He hath judged the great
whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath
avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And again they said,
Alleluia! And her smoke rose up forever
and ever." All the godly rejoicing in the judgments of God. As God
comes to set every matter right, It must be so. We know that even
in this day there are many of the wicked who do not receive
their just deserts in this life. But they must receive those deserts
in that fearful, that dreadful day of judgment that shall yet
come to pass. There is then some reference
here to the day of judgment. But the emphasis, surely in this
second verse, is upon the grace of God. Observe the opening word again,
the word but. If verse 1 is describing a terrible
judgment that's going to come upon the ungodly, what of the
godly? But unto you it says that fear my name shall the son of
righteousness arise with healing in his wings and you shall go
forth and grow up as calves of the stall and so I want to say
something in the second place more particularly with regards
to the day of grace the whole period of this epoch of time
between the first and the second coming of Christ yes there will
be a glorious end the consummation of everything But what of God's
dealings in the day of grace? Well, this is the Gospel day.
And it is that that is being spoken of in the chapter that
we read. We read there in Isaiah chapter
60. And what a remarkable chapter
it is. Clearly it's speaking of the
coming of the Gospel. speaks of the calling of the
Gentiles. Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory
of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall
arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And
the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness
of thy shining. And then at the end, verse 19,
The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness
shall the moon give light unto thee, but the Lord shall be unto
thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Oh, this is the sun of righteousness,
you see. Unto you that fear my name shall
the sun of righteousness arise. with healing in His wings. Think of the Lord Jesus in His
coming and what He declares concerning Himself. I am the light of the
world, He says. He that followeth Me shall not
walk in darkness but shall have the light of life. amongst all
those remarkable statements, those great I am statements that
we have scattered throughout the gospel according to John.
He declares himself there to be the light, the light of the
world. And what is the consequence of
the shining of that light? Why, there is that spirit of
discernment that comes. then shall ye return and discern
between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth
God and him that serveth him not where there is that light
of the gospel coming into the soul of the sinner the sinner
is able to discern between what is right and what is wrong what
is truth and what is error and we need that light to shine in
our hearts and we need to be those who are favoured with that
spirit of discernment to bring everything to the test of Holy
Scripture to recognize that if they speak not according to this
Word there is no light in them all with these words being addressed
is to those who are truly fearers of God unto you that fear My name, it
says, shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. All that fear of the Lord. How
the psalmist speaks of it, how the wise man speaks of it. The
fear of the Lord, it's the beginning of wisdom. Brings us to know Him who of
God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption. That fear of the Lord is spoken
of as the beginning of knowledge, that true knowledge. It's life eternal, says the Lord
Jesus, to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent. And this is the ones to whom
the word of the text is being addressed, God-fearers. You that
fear my name, it's not a fear that brings with it dread and
torment. No, it's that fear you'll fear,
of those who are truly the children of God, who reverence his name,
who stand in awe before his holy presence, who know something
of themselves, who have seen themselves in the light of that
revelation that God has given, to them here in His Word, be
it in His law initially, we see there how God is the Holy One,
the Righteous One, the Just One, who will by no means clear the
guilt, nor but then to see that provision that God has made for
sinners in the person of Christ, in the sufferings of Christ,
in the death of Christ. To know the Name, that only name
under heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved unto
you that fear my name shall the son of righteousness arise with
healing in his wings and you shall go forth it says and grow
up as calves of the stall it's an interesting figure that we have there at
the end of the verse, growing up as calves of the stall. Now the verb, the choose, to
grow up, also has the idea of leaping, of jumping, activity. It is said that the figure really
suggests newborn calves gambling. as soon as they're born, you
see, young animals and all the evidence of life in those young
animals it's said, you see, that we're to think in terms of an
animal which has been confined and then all of a sudden it finds
release and freedom It's the figure then of great joy as liberty
comes. In a sense we can say it's not
dissimilar to the figure that we have in the Psalm, in the
124th Psalm and verse 7. Our soul is escaped as a bird
out of the snare of the fowler. The snare is broken and we are
escaped. Here is that bird that's been
caught and unable to fly away and then the jinn, the trap is
released and if the bird is uninjured off it goes, it's got liberty
again. This is a sort of figure that
we have here. And so it is in a sense a very
lively picture of salvation when it finally comes into the soul
of a sinner. or that sinner who has been so
shut up and suddenly he realizes that there is that provision
that the Lord God himself has made there is salvation for the
sinner but think of those two things the sinner initially feeling
himself to be so shut up And though this, so many times, is
spoken of as the experience of the god, we see it several times
in the book of Psalms. Haman cries out, I am shut up
and I cannot come forth. There's no liberty for him. He
cannot release himself, cannot free himself, cannot save himself.
Job knew something very similar, did he not? When he declares
there in chapter 12 at verse 14, He shutteth up a man and
there can be no opening. Or when the Lord God comes even
in the day of grace and begins to have dealings with His people. He shutteth up a man. Moses going back to the book
of Psalms there in Psalm 90 says, Thou turnest man to destruction.
That's what God does. He turns man to destruction and
sayeth, Return ye children of men. First of all, He shuts that
man up. He feels what he is. Before there
is that liberty. It's the work of God. It's God
coming into the soul of the sinner in the day of grace and doing
His work. bringing that sinner to the realization
of his true condition, how he's lost, how he's dead in trespasses
and in sins. And of course by nature that's
the state of each and every one of us, but we know it not, we're
blissfully unaware. The multitudes round about us,
they know not their right hand from their left with regards
to the things of God. They're in spiritual ignorance,
they're dead in trespasses and in sins. That's where all of
us are. But what does the Apostle say?
Before faith came, we were kept under the law. Shut up to the
faith that should afterward be revealed. Well, this is what
God does. He shuts us up. And we cannot
free ourselves. We cannot release ourselves.
We're in a cold, joyless self. Shut up to our sin. Shut up to
our unbelief. shut up to our depravity, our
total depravity, our utter inability. We can do nothing. And we have
to be brought to feel that. And it seems sometimes as if
God has even shut up his mercies. There's no mercy for us. Though
it be the day of grace, we think, can that salvation ever really
come into my soul? Look at the language again that
we have in the Psalm. there in the 77th Psalm. Verse 7, Will the Lord cast off
forever? asks Esau. Will he be favourable
no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fail forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his
tender mercy? See? Why are these things written? Why does the psalmist speak of
his experience in these terms? They're all written for our learning.
Or can we enter in any measure into the language that the psalmist
uses so many times? God does shut up his people.
But here is the promise of the text. All those that fear God's
name the Son of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His
wings and ye shall go forth ye shall go forth and grow up as
calves of the storm there will be that freedom, that release
that jumping, that leaping that liberty and how does the Saviour
come? Oh, the Saviour comes so suddenly
That's the wonder of it. That's the way of the Lord in
the day of grace. That's why I like the rendering
that we have here in our authorised version. The Son of Righteousness,
it says, arising with healing in His wings. It's speaking really,
of course, of the beams of the sun as the day dawns and the
sun rises. the beams of the sun begin to
appear above the horizon but it doesn't have the word beams,
it's the word wings and it suggests to us that that is sudden almost
unexpected, takes us by surprise it's the same as we find in the
139th Psalm. David says, if I take the wings
of the morning, what are the wings of the morning? Well, it's
the son of righteousness, arising with healing in his wings. We know that when the Lord comes
again, and as I said at the outset, this whole section that we're
in is speaking of that day between Christ's first and second advent.
And now when he comes to the end of this day of grace, when
the day of judgment does come, it will come with great suddenness. Well, doesn't the Lord liken
that second coming to lightning? Look at the words that we have,
again in Matthew's Gospel, and there in Matthew 24, and verse 27, As the lightning
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall
also the coming of the Son of Man be. Oh, there's a suddenness
of it. When you think it not, suddenly
the Lord is to appear. Again, we see how that the apostle
takes up the same thought, the same idea. Paul, when he writes
there in his first epistle to the Thessalonians, in chapter
5, Verse 3, When they shall say,
Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them
as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye brethren are not in darkness,
that that day should overtake you, as I see. Oh no, God's people,
you see, that spiritual people, they have that spirit of discernment
that's spoken of at the end of the previous chapter. But there
is that that is so sudden, so unexpected. Though we see it
previously. In chapter 3, Behold, I will
send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and
the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the
messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in. Behold, he shall
come saith the Lord of hosts, but who may abide the day of
his coming. And he shall stand when he appeareth, for he is
like a refiner's fire, and likefull as soap. And he shall sit as
a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons
of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer
unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. We think there in chapter 3 in
terms of the Lord's first coming and even that is sudden. The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly
come to his temple even the messenger of the covenant that is the Lord
Jesus Christ the messenger of the covenant behold he shall
come But who may abide the day of his coming? Oh, even when
the Lord comes, you'll see in the day of grace how terrible
it is. We see it. We have it recorded
as soon as we go into the New Testament, the first gospel there,
Matthew, in Matthew chapter 3, the ministry of John. We read
that chapter this morning. John who comes as the one who
is preparing the way the harbinger of Christ and now does he speak
of the Lord whose fan is in his hand whose fan is in his hand
he will truly purge his floor or he comes as that one who is
going to winner and then again he goes on and
says now also the axe is laid to the root of the tree the destruction
of the wicked or the Lord's coming in a sense
even there in that day of grace, how terrible it was He comes
to His own, His own receive Him not, how they reject Him it's all in the purposes of God
but we know that the Lord Jesus Christ as He comes in this Gospel
day, the Son of Righteousness Now he has a gracious end in
view. I know the thoughts that I think towards you, he says,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you unexpected
end. The son of righteousness, he
arises with healings. Healing in his wings, it says. All that glorious deliverance
that he will give to his people. deliverance from any confinement.
If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. How the psalmist recognizes what
he does. He brought me forth into a large
place, he says, and delivered me because he delighted in me. All that large place that the
Lord is pleased to bring his people into the game. Look at the language that we
have there in Psalm 31. And verse 7, I will be glad and
rejoice in thy mercy, says David. For thou hast considered my trouble,
thou hast known my soul in adversities, and dost not shut me up into
the hand of the enemy. thou hast set my feet in a large
room. Oh, when the Lord comes, how
He comes in all the ways of grace and of mercy, healing, restoring,
reconciling sinners unto God. This is His great work. Oh, this
is the Lord's doing. It is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord
hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it, says the psalmist. Or that we might know him then
who is spoken of here under this name. It's remarkable the different
names that are given to our Lord Jesus Christ here in Holy Scripture. As I said at the outset, we thought
of him last Lord's Day evening by that name whereby he is to
be called the Lord our righteousness. It's the same one. that is revealed
to us here in this text. Unto you that fear My name, O
I with those who truly fear Him, who reverence Him, who stand
in awe, unto you that fear My name shall the Son of Righteousness
arise with healing in His wings and ye shall go forth and grow
up as calves of the store. For there will be release there
will be that bringing into the into the large room and then
the treading down of all our enemies ye shall tread down the
wicked for they shall be ashes under the sole of your feet in
the day that I shall do this saith the Lord of hosts who are
our worst enemies well sin, satan, self every enemy to be destroyed
well this is the promise then that the Lord gives to his people
even now in the day of grace. Oh, the Lord then be pleased
to bless this particular word to us tonight. Amen.