Good evening again and welcome
to our study of the book of Malachi. We're in the third chapter of
the book of Malachi and we looked at a part of verse 16 of the
third chapter last week during our Wednesday evening service.
We'd like to return to verse 16 of the third chapter of the
book of Malachi. Just review that a little bit
and then finish that verse because the latter part has some real
blessings in it. Turn with me to the book of Malachi,
the gospel according to Malachi chapter 3 and verse 16. Then they that feared the Lord
spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard
it. And a book of remembrance was written before him. for them
that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name. Feared
the Lord and thought upon his name. It tells us the book of
Remembrance was written before him for them. Now, we know what
the Bible says about the thoughts of natural man. I would like
to read three verses of scripture. And just show in these three
verses what the thoughts of natural man are. The first one is found
in the book of Psalms. Psalm 100, excuse me, Psalm 10. Psalm 10. Psalm 10 in verse 4, the psalmist records this, the
wicked through the pride of his countenance. will not seek after
God. God is not in all his thoughts. Now in that verse that we read
there in the book of Malachi chapter 3 and verse 16, it says
for him that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name.
So what a contrast it is as we read here in the Psalms, Psalm
10 and verse 4, God is not in all his thoughts. Now if we go
back to the very beginning in the book of Genesis, we read
this passage of scripture, Genesis chapter six, Genesis chapter
six, and here in verse five, just prior to the flood, we read
these words, and God saw that the wickedness of man was great
in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually. Having no room for thought about
God, eternity, their thoughts of their heart was only evil
continually. And then finally, if you turn
with me to the New Testament, to the book of Romans, this third
passage of scripture, and there are unlimited numbers of passages
of scripture that we could turn to that demonstrate what it is
in the natural state, what our mind is in the natural state.
and that we have no thought of God in our mind. We have no interest
in God. We have an interest in ourselves.
We have an interest in free will, the religion of the world. We
have an interest in how we can accomplish things and how we
can rise up the ladder of success, even in religion. But here in
Romans chapter one and verse 21, because that when they knew
God, they glorified him not as God. Neither were thankful, but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
What tremendous event took place in the fall. What catastrophic
event took place in the fall. There is no good thought that
natural man has. And yet we find here in the book
of Malachi, as Malachi was teaching and preaching to these folks,
he brings up a contrast. between those that know God and
those who do not know God. We find here, as well as many
other places in the scriptures, the contrast between sinners
and sinners saved by grace. As we have mentioned in the third
chapter of the book of Malachi, let's look at verse three of
the third chapter of the book of Malachi. Book of Malachi chapter
three. Would you join me there as we
look at this again? Malachi chapter 3 and there in
verse 8 the scriptures share this will a man rob God as We
notice here. We find that sinners make every
effort to rob God They make effort to rob God of his glory of his
honor of his sovereignty of his Salvation his great salvation
his great savior hood and drop it down into a relationship that
it is up to the free will of man how much in error that is. In fact, you can just take this
to the bank. You ask someone, how many did
Jesus Christ die for? And the moment they open their
mouth up and say he died for everybody in the world, you can
check them off as someone that's robbing God. God did not intend,
never had intended to do that very thing that is so blatantly
preached among religious people today. In verse nine, it tells
us here that and ye cursed with a curse. Sinners curse God. And it's more than just saying
some, taking the name, particularly the words of the name of the
Lord in vain. They curse God. They curse God
by their actions. They curse God by their deeds.
They curse God, have no use for God. His salvation is valueless. His gospel is valueless. They'll
speak out against it and say, that's not my God. And we certainly
are able to say, you're right, that is not your God. In verse
13 of this chapter, we find this, your words have been very stout
against me. Sinners' words are stout against
God. If there be a God, let lightning
strike. Well, we're thankful that God
doesn't answer that prayer every time, or most of us would have
been incinerated before the Lord saved us in His good time. And
then we find in verse 14, ye have said, it is vain to serve
God. And what profit is it that we
have kept His ordinance? Sinners say it is just vain to
serve God. I'll serve my religion, I'll
serve my institution, I'll serve my church, I'll serve but I will
not serve the living God. And then we return to verse 18
and in this verse of scripture it says, Then shall ye return
and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that
serveth God and him that serveth him not. So the last verse of
this chapter brings out this great difference, the great gulf
between sinners and sinners saved by grace. Verse 16, going back
there again, it says, God is pleased when his people rehearse
God, the activities of God, the attributes of God, the characteristics
of God, and shun everything about human abilities. He is so pleased
to hear, as we find recorded in the book of 1 Corinthians
15 and verse 10, and we'll go there in just a moment, but notice
that in verse 16 of the book of Malachi chapter three, Says
then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another And
the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance
was written before him for them That feared the Lord and thought
upon his name. So what is it to think upon his
name? It is to rehearse before our own minds and with other
people the great activities of God as it is declared and written
in the Word of God and the attributes of God. Oh, His holiness and
His sovereignty, His omnipotence and omniscience, all of those
great attributes that we study as we look into the Word of God,
but let us not Depart to just attributes they are attributes
of God it is activities of God and the characteristics of God
and We find how wonderful it is when God's people shun everything
about human Abilities turn with me as I mentioned there to the
book of 1st Corinthians chapter 15 1st Corinthians chapter 15
we find here in this beloved chapter as the Apostle Paul was
used of the Holy Spirit to write to the saints at Corinth and
to help correct some of the issues that were there. And every time
he helped or helped correct a problem, he was always drawing them back
to the issue, keeping the main thing the main thing, and that
is back to Christ. Here we read in 1 Corinthians
chapter 15 and verse 10, But by the grace of God, I am what
I am. By the grace of God, I am a sinner
saved by grace. By the grace of God, I was brought
out of religion, the Jewish religion even. By the grace of God, I
was taken out of my own indulgences in that religion and so forth.
So Paul writes, by the grace of God, I am what I am. His grace which was bestowed
upon me was not in vain God does not give grace in vain. He does
he doesn't hope that will change as he gives grace He changes
us gives us a new heart gives us the Holy Spirit regenerates
us and then The grace of God is not bestowed in vain the the
Grace of God is what makes all the difference between sinners
and saved sinners, sinners saved by grace. In verse 16 back there
in the book of Malachi chapter 3, it says, and a book of remembrance
was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that
thought upon his name. Now I ask myself, what is this
book of remembrance? It was written before him for
them. Well, It's the Bible. It is the record. It is a record. It is the record
of the effectual work of grace. In the book of Hebrews chapter
11, There's so much said in here about the Old Testament saints,
and it's interesting, as we go to the Old Testament, we read
about some of the characters back there and their characteristics,
and they were highly flawed. They were children of the fall.
And yet, in grace, we have this passage of scripture, and nothing
about those events are recorded here. We look at these folks
by the grace of God. the effectual work of grace and
a book of remembrance. Now, notice here in the book
of Hebrews chapter 11, and it tells us there in verse six,
but without faith, it is impossible to please him. Now, those that
are speaking of the Lord with a gracious heart, a regenerated
heart, a heart that's been raised to newness of life, those that
have had a work of grace, an effectual work of grace, It is
impossible to please Him without faith, but faith allows us to
please Him because our attitude towards God is so changed. He shall be our God, we shall
be His people. Without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
So as we read over there in the book of Malachi chapter three
and verse 16, it says there that the book of remembrance is written
from him and about the people before him for them that feared
the Lord and thought upon his name. There in the book of Hebrews
chapter 11, backing up to verse one, now faith is the substance
of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We boil it
down. Faith is trusting the Lord Jesus
Christ for all our salvation. And that's a book of remembrance
written throughout the Old Testament as well as the New Testament
for us. As we read it, we rejoice that
the Lord was gracious to give faith to Abel. in order for him
to offer unto God a more excellent sacrifice. We rejoice that by
faith, Enoch was translated, that he should not see death.
And we rejoice that by faith, Noah being warned of God of things
not yet seen. He had never seen it rain, and
yet God warned him, and he was pleased as God had given him
the ability to trust him. He was pleased to do what God
asked him to do. By faith, Abraham, when he was
called to go out of a place. And Sarah herself received strength,
verse 11, to conceive seed. And we go down through here and
we find by faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac. And Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau
by faith. And Jacob, when he was dying,
verse 21, blessed both the sons of Joseph. This is the record. This is the book of remembrance
that the Lord has given us. We go back through here and we
rejoice with them that God permitted them to have grace. It was in
his gracious act, his effectual act of grace, that he did this
to these people and we go back and enjoy with them. And by faith
Moses being born was hid and by faith when Moses come of years
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh, and by faith he forsook
Egypt, and by faith he kept the Passover, and by faith they passed
through the Red Sea, and by faith the walls of Jericho fell down,
and by faith the harlot Rahab perished not." What a blessing
this is to have a book of remembrance written for us as we go down
through here. God is not going to do differently
with his people today than he did with them. It's going to
be the faith of Christ, the faith of God that he gives us. Now,
in the book of John, chapter 3, what did the Lord Jesus declare
to Nicodemus, to his question? Over here in the book of John,
chapter 3, there was a very important person that came to visit the
Lord by night. Now, this is not an accident.
There's an appointment here. The appointment was made in eternity
past that Nicodemus come this night, and we have this record
of it. We have this book of remembrance
of this. God is pleased to give us this
book of remembrance of his activity with Nicodemus. And in John chapter
three, and there in verse nine, Nicodemus answered and said unto
him, how can these things be? Now, the things that he's talking
about are the previous verses. You must be born again, and the
Lord said that. He never said once how, but he
said you must, and that's an act of the Holy Spirit. And Nicodemus,
in rehearsing all of those things in his mind, he said, how can
these things be? Now, notice the words of Jesus
when he responded. Jesus answered and said unto
him, art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
Now what things? All of the Book of Remembrance,
the Old Testament. Nicodemus, you've studied the
Old Testament, you have taught the Old Testament. And what does
the Old Testament say? Well, to Nicodemus, it was the
law, and I have to keep the law. Well, there is so much more than
that found here in the Old Testament. What things? That every blessing
is of God. Who created the heavens and the
earth? Who created Adam and Eve? Who gave Abel the ability to
offer an acceptable sacrifice? As we go down through all of
the passages of the Old Testament and we're dealing sinners saved
by grace, we find that that great book of remembrance is brought
out and we find that every Every gift, every blessing in the Old
Testament fell out from God of heaven and not because of the
activities of men. If it was left up to the activities
of men, Abel would have offered the same sacrifice as his brother.
And if it was left up to Noah, he would have been drowned just
like the rest of them. Who called Noah or Abraham out
of Ur of the Chaldees? Who called Moses? It is all of
God. He left a book of remembrance
that people, you and I, believers, could rehearse before us, could
have this wonderful blessing of looking at these thoughts
that are given in the book of remembrance as we read there
in the book of Malachi chapter 3 and verse 16, the latter part,
it says, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them
that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name. Who set
Israel free from Egypt? It certainly was not them. In
fact, it got down to the point they almost said, just leave
us alone. We're working harder now than we were. Who provided
the way through the Red Sea? It was God that opened it up.
It wasn't Moses and it wasn't the children of Israel. In fact,
they were in a state of great fear. And Moses had a lot of
fear in him. And the Lord said, stand still
and see the salvation of the Lord. Who fed Israel in the wilderness? And who provided the water? Who
opened the Jordan River? Who gave Jericho into the hands
of Israel? It was all of God. Who gave faith
to Rahab, Ruth, David? Who gave faith to you? It is
all of God. It's no wonder that the Lord
said to this master of the study of the Old Testament, you're
a master in Israel and you don't know these things, that everything,
that every gift that we must have is given to us by God and
it's not of our own doing. We find, who saved you? Who will
save all his people? God. It is all of God. And what a book of remembrance.
If we take time to read through the book of Acts, just the book
of Acts in the New Testament, we find the blessings of God
to the church. Who was it that saved Saul? Who
was it that changed these many folks that were there in the
book of Acts? and made the preaching of the
gospel successful and saved people by the grace of God. We go to
the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is a wonderful
book of remembrance. We read in there the Lamb of
God is successful in every venture. He is the reason all will be
singing, worthy is the Lamb. Now, if you'd go back with me
to the book of Malachi. Again, book of Malachi. chapter
3. And it says there in verse 16, Then they that feared
the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard
it. And a book of remembrance was
written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon
his name. What else do the people of God
have to think on that is of value? They know as Isaiah, Isaiah chapter
six, woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean
lips. Why did he say that? For my eyes
have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. The Lord is so pleased
as we get together, as we talk about the Lord, that we talk
about the things about God. That we don't talk about our
works and what we've done, but we talk about God. He is pleased
to hear about God. God is pleased to hear about
himself. He is delighted when his people talk about him and
all his works, from the very beginning to the very end. Every
blessing has been from God. God gave rain. God stopped rain. God gives life. God is killed. God has done all of these things.
He brings everything. So the people of God have to
think on Him. They're thinking of something
of value. They know as Israel and Isaiah before them that we're
just unclean vessels. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels to think upon His name. is to think of the ways he reveals
himself to the various names. he had used in the scripture. We go, what a wonderful study
it is, and I apologize, I've never just done a study. I've
read the books about the names of God and rejoiced in it, but
never just preached a series on the names of God. But what
a message is in those names, Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai,
all of these names that are mentioned in the Old Testament, and we
have the privilege of thinking upon the characteristic that
is found in each of those names. That he is the one that supplies
all. He is the giver of all grace.
He is the one that is all supreme. He rules in heaven above and
earth beneath. He has all men in the palm of
his hands. The kings and princes, he has
their hearts in his hands. As a river of water, he turns
it whether so ever he will. This is the God of heaven. And
this is the God that is worthy of thinking about, meditating
upon, rehearsing before the folks, and thinking not on ourselves. To think upon his name is to
think of the ways he reveals himself through the various names
in the scripture. To think upon his name is to
meditate on his attributes, his character, his work, his rich
blessings of grace, his salvation. Salvation is of the Lord, and
every bit of it was of God. He had someone prepared before
the foundation of the world to go out and preach the gospel
to every one of his lost sheep that he had chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world. It is to them, he says,
to all his sheep, to all those that meditate upon his name,
that thought upon his name, that fear him, to them, he says, in
Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5, I will never leave you nor
forsake you. That's another characteristic
and attribute of God. He changes not. And to the church,
we delight in it. I will never leave you nor forsake
you. So a book of remembrance. Every
time we open this precious book, the Bible, a book of remembrance
is in our hands. for us to go over and look at
and think about the things of God, the things of His salvation,
His Savior, the Lord Jesus, all the rich blessings. And as Moses
said, as Isaiah said, as Paul said, as all the folks throughout
the Bible, They said, as did Isaiah, woe is me. Once the scriptures
are revealed to us, once the gospel is revealed to us, once
the Lord is revealed to us, we have a complete change of view
about ourselves. We agree wholeheartedly with
what God has to say about natural man. We know full well that before
God saved us, before he came and brought us the gospel, we
had no real thought about him. We weren't worshiping the real
God. I was asked one time, and I had traded my Chevy religion
of free will to the Dodge religion of five points of Calvinism. And I was asked one time, how
can a Calvinist not be saved? Very easy, just very easy, trusting
in something else, trusting in the knowledge that they have,
trusting in other things and not trusting in Christ. And I'm
very thankful that a person came with the book of remembrance
about the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation and preached out
of that book of remembrance the great acts and works of God Almighty
on the behalf of his people. and that he would be effectual
and successful and save all his people from their sins, and that
those that fear God are those that God has saved by his grace,
have great reverence for him, and those that think about him
and applaud him and are satisfied with him are those that are sinners
saved by grace. So what a wonderful blessing
we have there. Next time we get together, I
want to look at verse 17. It says there in verse 17, And
they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, 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. This is Malachi speaking,
many years before the Lord came, born of a virgin, grew up, and
at thirty years of age, began his ministry, and about thirty-three
and a half, he went to the cross, knowing full well it was all
appointed And he said, no man taketh my life from me, but I
lay it down in myself. But notice that, verse 17, when
I make up my jewels. We're going to spend some time
on that, the Lord willing, the next time we can get together.
And it's in his name we ask a blessing now upon each one of us. Amen. 27, 28 minutes. That's enough, huh? Yeah.