Good evening and welcome to our
study of the gospel according to Malachi. We have looked at
several verses in chapter 1, chapter 2, and we have now had
some lessons from chapter 3. There is good news found in this
wonderful book, Good News to the Church and Good News to the
Elect. We also find, as all through
the Bible, a few that rejoice in the grace of God, and most
who are mockers of the grace of God. Before we look at some
verses at the end of this chapter, notice with me verse 1 of chapter
3. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 1. In this verse of scripture, we
have a statement with regard to the fulfillment of Genesis
chapter 3 and verse 15, the promise of the Messiah, the messenger
of the covenant. And here it says in Malachi chapter
3 and verse 1, Behold, I will send my messenger and he shall
prepare the way before me. Now we've noticed that this verse
of scripture is mentioned in the New Testament and it is with
regard to John the Baptist, John the announcer, of the Lord Jesus. Then it says, "...and the Lord
whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, the Lord whom
ye shall seek." There are some that were seeking the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ and it's evidenced as we follow through
these books of the Old Testament. There were some that were looking
for the fulfillment, the coming of the Messiah, And we get to
the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And we have some
that are recorded that tell us, the Lord tells us, that they
had been anticipating, they'd been preparing for the coming
of the Lord. And it says here, and shall suddenly
come to his temple even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight
in. Now, it's going to go right on
and talk about some that Do not even care they're they're they're
not looking for the coming of the Lord, but there are those
who do Behold, he shall come saith the Lord of hosts now we
go through several verses of scripture here we find that the
Lord Jesus through the Prophet Malachi shares with many that
were in Judah and Benjamin that could care less about God They
were robbing him of his glory as brought out there in verse
8 most people apply that to giving but that's all has just one very
small part of robbing God robbing God of his glory and and What
they preach robbing God of his glory and what they say about
him What goes on in their heart? they they have a social gospel
their singing Dictates the thought that they have very little love
for God and more love for themselves and on and on it goes You are
cursed it says in verse 9 You have robbed me even this whole
nation and then it gives us instructions to bring tithes bring glory bring
praise unto the Lord and it is there that he'll pour out spiritual
blessings. I will rebuke and devour for
your sakes and in verse 13 your words have been stout against
me just this is a many words in here our statement a bit about
natural man and Without God and without Christ and without hope
in the world they speak out against God they pretend to love him,
but their their heart is far from him and Then we get down
through here and in verse 16. We find that the Lord brings
up a passage of scripture We'd like to spend some time on tonight
about those who fear the Lord in That passage we just mentioned
there in Malachi chapter 3 and verse 1 his coming has results
and Coming promises some that will fear him When God came when
Christ came when the God-man came there was a promise that
there would be some that would fear him reverence him hold him
in high esteem that would look to him as the Savior as God Almighty
and That they would fear him now This is not a slavish fear
which dreads the punishment rather than the sin which is causes
to be the punishment This fear is a holy affection in the soul,
a reverence for God, which approves of His words and His ways. This
fear is a covenant blessing and a gift of God. To fear God with
reverence and honor and praise, to have His blessings poured
out on us and we bring all the honor and glory to Him, that's
a covenant blessing. That is a blessing of regeneration,
and that is a gift of God. Now we notice a number of times
in the scripture, particularly a couple, one found in the book
of Psalms, Psalm 36 and verse 1. Psalm 36 and verse 1. Here we find that it is said
about those who the wicked, they have no fear
of God before them. Here in Psalms 36 and verse 1,
it says, the transgression of the wicked saith within his heart
that there is no fear of God before his eyes. This is a true
statement. There is no fear of God in the
person that is without Christ, without God, without hope, without
peace. There is no fear of God in the
sense of reverence. Now there might be fear that
they got caught, much like we feared our parents when we got
caught. It wasn't because we did something
wrong particularly, but we got caught doing something wrong.
That's where we had the real fear. The Apostle Paul brings
this verse out in the book of Romans chapter 3 verse 18. There is no fear of God before
their eyes This is just the way it is with natural man. There
is no reverence. There's no They have no spot
in their heart for this God of heaven and earth they are self-centered and establish their
own God as their free will, and there just is no fear of the
true God. There's no reverence for Him. In what they say, in
what they do, in their music, in their religion, there is no
fear, no reverence of God. And what do we do? when we muse
on spiritual things. I have to ask that question of
myself, and I'm asking that to everyone that is going to hear
this message. Do we say in our hearts what great things I have
done for God? I'm a soul winner, I'm a missionary,
I'm a pastor, I'm a great worker for Jesus, I've won hundreds
to Jesus. Well, we find that that is going
to be mentioned, and it is mentioned here in the book of Matthew chapter
seven, at that day, that great day, when all stand before God,
in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21, it's brought out here that
those who have no fear of God or reverence to Him are going
to be satisfied with bringing up their own works before God,
even at this time. It says, not everyone that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21, not everyone
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven.
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
That's to worship Christ, that's to worship God, that's to put
Him first, that's not to have themselves involved in this,
that's to realize that it is God that brings the new birth
and not us. We're just not able to do that,
and the sooner we realize that, Well, we'll only realize that
in regeneration, that we just cannot produce spiritual children. It's not in our hands. We'll
quit trying. We'll leave them alone with God.
That's what needs to be done. We need to leave our children
alone with God. Present the gospel, teach the gospel, preach the
gospel. and let God take care of the rest. That's his business.
We're not midwives. We can't produce spiritual birth. And we realize that not only
is it going to be a blessing to us to realize that that is
not in our, that's not our part to do, but will also be a blessing
that God is going to take care of that. Now it goes on in verse
22 of Matthew chapter seven, Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name
have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful
works. And that's just the person that has no fear or reverence
of God. To bring this up before an almighty
God, what a terrible challenge. As we read over there in the
book of of Malachi, it said, this people is stout against
me. They're proud and they're stout.
Verse 13 of chapter three, your words have been stout against
me. And that very thing is brought
out there in Matthew. Matthew chapter seven and verse
21, we were just there, I'll go back over there. Matthew chapter
seven and verse 21, We were in verse 22 there. We've
done many things. We've prophesied in thy name,
and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful
works. And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. That is just sin. That's all
that is, is just sin. And it's iniquity before God
to be boasting in ourselves, to be stout against God, to have
no fear of God in us. And this fear or reverence is
produced by the Holy Spirit when we're given the new birth and
we stand in awe before him. Now, going back there to the
book of Malachi, we find there in verse 16 of Malachi chapter
3, notice with me here, this verse for tonight, Malachi chapter
3 and verse 16, it says, Then they that feared the Lord spake
often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it.
He heard what they said in Matthew chapter seven, and his concluding
remark was, depart from me. Here, the Lord hearkened and
heard it, and a book of remembrances written before him for them that
feared the Lord and those that thought upon his name. What a
transition has taken place. What a new birth has taken place
when we're taken away from our own pride and self-reliance and
self-righteousness and self-worth. And we have a reverence for the
Lord for all that he's done on our behalf. Then they, that feared
the Lord. Did you notice that word then
there? Somewhere along the timeline of our life, not all the way,
but somewhere, there was a place called then. Not a day or a month
particularly, but a then. When the Lord became precious,
God brought us something, brought us the new birth. The gospel
was preached. And our first response to the
gospel may not have been very pleasant to ourselves or to those
around us, but God used it to bring us, and he brought us the
new birth. The Holy Spirit regenerates us,
and we're caused to look at him as precious, just as we find
in 1 Peter 2.7, unto you therefore which believe, he is precious.
What a blessing it is to have a preciousness about God. So
somewhere along the timeline, there's a then. Now, to say we've
always been a Christian, always, for no then, there hasn't been
a then, it's always been, that's just too long. We'll never have a timeline without
a then, somewhere along that line. Now, in the mind of God
we have eternal justification, in the mind of God we have eternal
righteousness, in the mind of God we have eternal salvation
in the mind of God. We have all those things, but
there's going to be a place along our life when God brings us the
gospel. It's not by some christening
or some baptism that we had when we were an infant. It's not by
some going forward or bowing down, or going to the altar,
or doing all those things that are so prominent in religion,
it's when the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace is preached,
and God uses that in such a mysterious and a miraculous way, and the
Holy Spirit uses that seed that was sown, and by His great grace,
gives us the new birth. And we find since the Messiah
has always been promised, He's the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, we read in the book of Revelation. And in the
book of Ephesians chapter one, according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, he chose his people
before the foundation of the world. So he's always been a
Messiah. He's always looked in the covenant
of grace as the Messiah. He's always been promised. God
has always promised the Messiah. As he brings it out there in
the book of Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15, that there's one coming
that will take care of this problem. He'd been promised. And then
we find out he's always been the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, and he's always had a people chosen in him before
the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love. Holy and without blame before
him. If we're holy and without blame
before Him, we've been cleansed by the blood of God, by the blood
of Christ, by the blood of the Savior. And also, we find in
1 Peter 1, just as the Messiah has always been promised, it's
brought out throughout the scriptures, and here in 1 Peter 1, verse
20, As the Apostle Peter writes, he says, who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these
last days for you. He's been foreordained before
the foundation of the world as the Messiah, as the coming prophet,
as the coming savior, as the one that would save his people
from their sins. And with the promise, that his
work would also always be successful. When he was promised as the Messiah,
and promised as we read there in Malachi chapter three and
verse one, he's the messenger of the covenant. When he was
promised, and he's been always promised, the covenant of grace,
always been promised, always the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world, and he's always had a people from the foundation
of the world, And he is foreordained before the foundation of the
world and with this promise that his work would always also be
successful. He will save his people from
their sins. They shall call his name Jesus
for he shall save his people from their sins. We'll always
see the folks that that work was dealt with showing great
fear and reverence for him. That's the result of his work
in his people. They will show fear, or they
will show reverence for him. They will have the utmost respect
and honor and praise for him. And we're going to find out that
one of the ways that God demonstrates That a people show reverence
and respect for God is agreement on what He is for them in their
salvation. There's not a bunch of ways that
God's people look at Christ. This group has that opinion and
that group has that opinion and this group has that opinion.
We find out in the Bible that all His people have the same
opinion about Him. That He is the Savior and all
that that includes. as we read there in Malachi 3.16
is one of the declaration of those that fear God and reverence
God. They will fear God and they will
reverence God and their conversation will change. Then they that feared
the Lord, what does it say there? They that feared the Lord spake
often one to another. Now we're going to look in a
moment just What they're going to talk about what do God's people
talk about when they get together and they fear the Lord and reverence
the Lord? What what's their conversation?
well I'd like to look at a couple of three verses in the Old Testament
that have to do with fearing the Lord and Over in the book
of Exodus is a very interesting passage of Scripture right in
the middle of all of those plagues that were brought on God through
Moses brought these plagues upon Egypt and here in Exodus chapter
9 verse 13 if you don't mind turn over there with me Exodus
chapter 9 and verse 13 and You may have a Bible in front
of you. You may have a Kindle in front
of you, whatever how wonderful it is to have the written Word
of God and in these modern devices It's been a blessing recently
to have people in church that they got their phones out. Well,
they're not talking to people They got that Bible program on
their phone Hallelujah And you can just read that anywhere.
So anyway, and I'm thankful for a brother that put it on my phone
So I have that study help anywhere. I want to go but here in the
book of Exodus chapter 9 verse 13 It says and the Lord said
unto Moses rise up early in the morning and stand before Sarah
stand before Pharaoh and say unto him thus saith the Lord
God of the Hebrews and Word Lord is capitalized every letter and
it's Jehovah Thus saith Jehovah Elohim of the Hebrews let my
people go that they may serve me For I will at this time send
all my plagues upon thine heart and upon thy servants and upon
thy people That thou mayest know that there is none like me and
all the earth Everything that falls out falls out for the fervence
of the gospel, and is brought by the very purpose of God, that
they may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For
now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy
people with pestilence. thou shalt be cut off from the
earth and in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up the
Apostle Paul brings us up in the book of Romans for this very
purpose for this very deed for this cause have I raised thee
up to show in thee my power and that my name may be declared
throughout all the earth you know those words could be said
to every individual that has ever lived on the face of the
earth For this purpose have I raised thee up, for this very deed,
for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee
my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the
earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou
wilt not let them go, behold, tomorrow This time I will cause
it to rain a very grievous hail Such as hath not been in Egypt
since the foundation thereof even until now over the hundreds
and hundreds and hundreds of years that Egypt had been a People
nothing like this had ever happened before but it's going to happen
Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou
hast in the field. For unto every man and beast
which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home,
the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. Now
notice verse 20. For he that feared the word of
the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and
his cattle flee into the houses. And he that regarded not the
word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field.
He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh
made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses. What fear
of the word of the Lord does even to Pharaoh's household.
And I'm sure that there were a few in the household of Caesar
that had a great reverence for God Almighty through the preaching
of the Apostle Paul there in Rome many years later. In chapter
18 of the book of 1 Kings, would you turn there? We have a prophet
named there. His name is Obadiah. In 1 Kings
chapter 18. Now, he is a governor for a nefarious
king. 1 Kings chapter 18. 1 Kings chapter 18, verses one
through four. Here is Obadiah. Now, Obadiah
is a governor for Ahab. There's not much that could be
said good about Ahab. But let's read here, and it came
to pass, 1 Kings chapter 18, verse one, came to pass after
many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third
year, saying, go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain
upon the earth. And Elijah went to show himself
unto Ahab, and there was a sore famine in Samaria. And Ahab called
Obadiah, which was the governor of his house, Now Obadiah feared
the Lord greatly. For it was so when Jezebel cut
off the prophets of the Lord, she tried to kill them all, that
Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave
and fed them with bread and water. Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. He was the governor of the house
of Ahab. He was a very important and respected
person in the kingdom of Ahab, and yet he feared the Lord and
he went completely against Jezebel's wishes and hid one hundred prophets
of the Lord in caves, half in one cave and half in another,
and then brought them bread and water. Obadiah feared the Lord
greatly reverenced him honored him he had a had a job, but he
Continued to honor God Job Job is one that says and one
that feared God Job chapter 1 verse 1 He feared God God brought all
those tests and trials upon him, but he reverenced God he honored
God and And it's interesting when we go over to the book of
Jonah. Boy, when Jonah got on that boat that was going down
to Tarshish, got on that boat, and things started going amiss.
Jonah chapter 1, verse 7. The boat got to be in a storm,
rocking. And the people on that boat,
very superstitious, And yet the Lord used their superstition
to identify who it was on that boat that the storm was after. Came, it says, and they said
everyone to his fellow. Jonah chapter one, verse seven.
They said everyone to his fellow, come and let us cast lots that
we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast
lots and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell
us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us. What is
thine occupation, and whence comest thou? What is thy country,
and for what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am a
Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath
made the sea and the dry land. Then were the people exceedingly
afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the
men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because
he had told them. I fear the Lord, the God of heaven,
which made the sea and the dry land. I have reverence for him,
I honor him. and I'm doing something very
bad. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon
them that hope in his mercy. Psalm 33 and verse 18. The eye of the Lord is upon them
that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy. My goodness,
if we've ever been born again, we hope in his mercy because
his mercy kept from us what we truly did deserve. So we hope
in his mercy. In Psalm 111, verse 10, the fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When God gives us
the new birth and we have reverence for Him, we have fear for Him,
we learn that He truly is our wisdom. He is our understanding. He's given us an understanding
about the things of the Lord. Psalm 147 and verse 11, the Lord
taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope
in his mercy. the Lord taketh pleasure." And
that's what we find over here in the book of Malachi chapter
3 and verse 16. They that fear the Lord. He has
a book of remembrance. He honors them. When those folks
there in Matthew chapter 7 brought up all the things that they had
done for God, he said, you're not I don't have any book of
remembrance for you. I never knew you. And if you
turn with me over to the book of Acts. Acts chapter 9. Acts chapter 9 and verse 31.
We read here about those who feared the Lord. Acts chapter
9. After Saul of Tarsus was saved
and they had a little peace Things were Just kind of calmed down
a little bit It says here in Acts chapter 9 verse 31 then
had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria
and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in
the comfort of the Holy Ghost and were multiplied and They
had they that feared the Lord. They were walking in the fear
of the Lord, the reverence of the Lord. Then they that feared
the Lord spake often one to another. It's what we read over there
in the book of Malachi chapter three and verse 16. They had
communion. They feared the Lord. They had
something in common with others that fear the Lord. And they
communed about those commonalities. God's people commune about their
commonalities. And we certainly have a lot more
commonalities than we have adversities or things that we don't agree
on. The Lord straightens that all
up. He straightens up, makes their, there's going to be commonalities
in the church. They're gonna have some thinking
about the spiritual things of God, and they're gonna, they
may not get together and visit about them, but God reveals these
things to them, and they're gonna have some understanding that's
going to be, and when we run into someone we've never met
before, that know the things about Christ, and we visit with
them 10 minutes, we say, man, I feel like I've known you all
my life. Well, there's that commonality.
We have something in common. We have the grace of God in common.
We have the Lord Jesus Christ in common. In fact, we read in
the book of Luke chapter 1 and verse 1. Would you look there
with me? As Luke had an interest in writing.
Here, Luke chapter 1 verse 1. He, forasmuch as many have taken
in hand to set forth an order, a declaration of those things
which are most surely believed among us. Now he's gonna bring
out the life and ministry and the sacrifice and the burial,
death burial, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the church
is gonna have a common view of those things. That's what the
Holy Spirit reveals. The Holy Spirit doesn't reveal
a dozen different conflicting views. The Holy Spirit has one
thing in mind, and that is the glory of Jesus Christ the Savior. Remember these words, the things
which are surely believed among us. Now what is it that is said
as they speak often one to another? of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the Savior that actually
saves. It is the best news. It is good
news. The gospel of Jesus Christ. He is a Savior that actually
saves His people. And He has a people before He
set out to save them. He's not saving or making an
effort to save people that He had no knowledge of. He knew
them. He had their names graven on
the palms of His hands. They were written on His breastplate
and on His shoulders. He knew them in the covenant
of grace before the world began. So they speak of this gospel,
this everlasting, eternal gospel. When God's people commune about
the things of the Lord, they have a fear, a reverence for
God, they have a reverence for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and that fear or that reverence makes them, causes them to worship
the Lord Jesus. The gospel has been presented
and they delight and relish in it. And it's not some gospel
that there's great participation in by humanity. The participation
was done by the Lord Jesus Christ, and we, the church, are the recipients
of those rich blessings of the gospel. Now, as they commune
with one another, they can delight in their one last name of all
the children of God. The scriptures teach us that
everybody that's in the church, everybody that's saved, everybody
that God has saved by His grace, that's regenerated by the Holy
Spirit, that heard the gospel, and God has caused them to be
resurrected by the Holy Spirit, brought from death into life,
brought from darkness to light, they have the same last name.
And that name is brought out in the book of Jeremiah, and
that name is the Lord our righteousness. Now, we delight in that. He is
our righteousness. We have none of our own. The
moment we realize it, when God saves us and He shows we have
none of our own, we delight and we're willing to communicate
and commune and muse about the things, this righteousness that
we have in Christ. And our last name is the Lord
our righteousness. The Lord our righteousness, the
light in that He is the way, the truth, and the life. wandering
around without any help, hope, no direction, going by every
wind of doctrine, and then to be regenerated and delight in
that He is the way, the only way, and He is the only truth,
and He is the only life. They delight in one faith, and
that given by the Savior. I have faith, but it's the faith
God gave me. They delight in one food, that
is the word of God, Christ and the written word. We have one
food, that's all we need. It's a manna. It takes care of
all things. They delight in one drink, the
water of life. They delight in one shepherd,
Jesus Christ. Now there's many under shepherds,
but those under shepherds are going to agree with the shepherd.
They're not seeking their own glory, they're seeking the glory
of Christ. He must increase, we must decrease. They delight
in one door, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only door to eternity,
eternal life. They delight in the same raiment,
the robe of Christ and his righteousness. We have only one righteousness,
it's his robe. It's His righteousness. We have
one thread involved in it. We don't have righteousness at
all. We have our own self-righteousness. They delight in one way of cleansing
sin, and that's the rich blood of the Son of God, the Son of
Man, the Lord Jesus. We're cleansed by His blood,
nothing else. It wasn't by us making some effort
to get rid of some sin that we had, because we can't. Or we
do it, but we can't. But it's His rich blood that
takes us and cleanses us from sin. They delight in one home,
the city of refuge, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our city
of refuge. That's where we flee to. That's
where we find a place of peace. That's where we find a shadow
in a dry, thirsty land. That's where we find food when
there is no other food. All that is offered is husks,
but we have the rich delights of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ in Him. Delight in one home. They delight
in all the things that are of grace and not of works. That's what we delight in. That's
what we communicate about. That's what we talk about. They
delight that Christ is all their wisdom, all their righteousness,
and all their sanctification, and all their redemption. Nothing
else is involved. In other words, We rejoice and
delight that Christ is all their salvation, and all our rest,
and all our peace, and all our hope. Colossians. Would you turn with me to the
book of Colossians? Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter
3 and verse 11. Colossians chapter 3 and verse
11. where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian or Scythian, bond nor
free, but Christ is all and in all. Everyone that has been regenerated
is indwelt by the Spirit of God, is indwelt by Christ, And we
have the privilege, as we read over there in the book of Malachi
chapter 3 and verse 16, we have the privilege that God brings
out there in that wonderful verse of scripture in the book of Malachi
chapter 3 and verse 16, then they that feared the Lord spoke
often one to another. spoke about the rich blessings
of grace, rich blessings of mercy, rich blessings of Christ, rich
blessings of the gospel, all these things, and they never
once go to what they have done. What we have done, if there's
any good, it's because of God, and we know if there's any bad,
it's because of us. So may we, as is brought out
here, have that word of God dwell in
us richly, all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in
your hearts to the Lord. May we be as those so many years
ago and all through the scriptures and all through time. Then they
that feared the Lord spake often one to another. And then in the
bottom of that verse, them that feared the Lord and that thought
upon his name. them that feared the Lord and
thought upon his name. What is it? He heard it. 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. And here
we hold it. We find these places in the Bible
where God's people are remembered for fearing the Lord and thinking
on his name. thinking upon Christ and all
he's done for the church. May God bless you. Pray for one
another. Pray for our country. Pray for
our churches. And may we soon be permitted
to meet back together. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.