Malachi, and would you turn with
me to chapter 3. Malachi chapter 3. One of those
verses that the church has delighted in for so very long is found
in verse 6 of this chapter. It's a joy to know, it's a delight
to know, and it's a relief to know that God changes not. Therefore, the sons of Jacob
are not consumed. Now, it has meant much more to
me this time, when we have gone thus far in the book of Malachi,
to come to that verse of scripture. Because the Lord is dealing with
fallen children of Adam. And out of that group of fallen
children of Adam, God the Father gave the Son some people. I heard a man say the other day
that if it wasn't for the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, prepared as the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world, when Adam sinned, everything
would have been consumed because of God's holiness. And I thought,
that's a good thought. We have the promise of a lamb slain,
and that's the only thing that prevented God from destroying
the world. He'd already taken steps. He'd
already purposed. He'd already done something.
Now, I have been greatly encouraged this week, not just by what the
reports we get, but I heard of a message a preacher preached
from the book of Mark about the five loaves and two fishes. And he did with that passage,
according to the report, what we try to do with the Old Testament.
The Old Testament is understood from a spiritual standpoint.
If it is only a history book, then we're going to miss the
bulk of the blessing. There's no question that it has
the right history about things, about our earth, about us, about
creation, about the fall, about all those things. No question.
But we find it is a delight to go to these passages in the Old
Testament and look at them with spiritual eyes and be able to
see the things that be of Christ. Now, in that passage of scripture
that is found in the book of Mark about all those folks, The
book of Matthew mentions that they were 5,000 men plus women
and children. So who's to say how many was
in that group? And when it came time to feed
them, the disciples had nothing. They had nothing. And that's
the way it is with everyone who ministers the word of God. On
our own, we have nothing. And he found out, the Lord found
out, asked his disciples, well, what among the folks? And they
found out of the whole bunch, a little boy had five loaves
and two fishes. And the disciples were right in saying, what is
that to so much? paltry sum we can't even get
started with that and so I said that to say this and as that
this report was brought to me the preacher said preachers may
find a few fragments as They read they read Robert Hawker. They read John Gill they read
Matthew Henry we go to our Strong's Concordance we go to different
places and we find some paltry fragments They're not even ours
They had belonged to someone else and were going to borrow
them. And if it wasn't for the power of the Lord God Almighty
taking what they had so little of, the disciples had nothing
in themselves. They found a little bit somewhere
else. And when the Lord blessed it, he fed 5,000 men plus women
and children. And not only was there enough
for everybody to eat all they wanted, It was an all-you-can-eat
buffet of bread and fish. But there was fragments left
over, 12 baskets full of fragments left over, and it was reported
that this pastor said, and that's what we get to ruminate on, because
we can't get our mind around everything that the Lord blesses
us with in the messages that we hear so we get to go home
and ruminate on them. There's all the fragments left.
There's plenty and much left over. So we hope that as we go
through scripture, as the men go through scripture, that we
go with nothing. We might find a few fragments
to share in someone else's thoughts, bring them, and we pray that
God, the Lord God Almighty, the Holy Spirit, the Son of God,
the Lord Jesus Christ, opens that word up to us. And when
we are finished, we can go home and we say, there's a whole bunch
more I won't think about. Cuz that's what happens when
we hear the gospel. We go home and say, boy. And
then I've heard the men say, oh, I wish I'd have said that.
I wish I'd have said that. I thought of that after I was
finished, and that's just the way it is. We'll never be able
to say it all. We can't get it right. It's no
wonder that some preachers have had Jonah swallowing the whale. We just can't get things right,
but the Lord is able to take that even foolishness. because
the preaching of the gospel to the world is foolishness, but
to God it's salvation to his elect. So here in the book of
Ezra, excuse me, Ezra, Malachi chapter three, we have a few
verses here that have to do with the blessings of God in bringing
righteousness to the sons of Levi. Righteousness to the sons
of Levi. In Malachi chapter three, Would
you read with me verses 3 and 4 for tonight? Malachi chapter
3, and I'm glad it's Malachi because I find it very easily. It's the last book of the Old
Testament. Ezra, I'm just about to get over
it, especially when I find my marker is there, my string marker. It's starting to open there.
But here in the book of Malachi chapter 3, In verse three it
says, and he shall sit as a refiner and a 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. Then shall the offering of Judah
and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the days of old
and in the former days. Now, what a statement is made
there in verse three. Now, last time we looked, it
shared with us that the Lord is gonna come and who shall be
able to stand before him because he will be like a refiner of
silver or of gold and also he will be like soap Now, he's not
part soap, and he's not part gold or silver. I stopped for
about this long today at one of my junk stores. I like to
go in and just see what they had. And one more time, I looked
at some silver rounds. And you turn them over, and it
says .999% pure. there's still some dross. But
it's wonderful when we read in the scriptures that when the
Lord presents his church, there won't be any dross. They will be presented without
blemish and without spot, just like the Lamb of God is. They
will not even have a taint of sin. We're so used to living
in this life that we have that we're still practicing sinners.
The Lord did not save our flesh. We're waiting to, to wit, when
that will be changed. But right now we're dealing with
it just as he saved us. But he has a being in us, the
Holy Spirit in us in the new birth that is glorifying to the
Son and glorifying to the Father and is glorifying to the Holy
Spirit and he will do all things well. Now, it's interesting as
we read through here that there is a blessedness about this when
we read about a refiner and putting away and purging So would you
back up with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 1? Isaiah chapter
1. Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 25. The blessedness when that almighty
refiner has fulfilled his promise. And who will be able to stand
before him? Not one. Because we all have
dross. We all have impurities or clothes. Whether we got the outside clean,
the inside is dirty. But his righteousness prevails. Here in the book of Isaiah chapter
1 and verse 25 it says, and I will turn my hand upon thee and purely
purge away thy dross and take away thy tin. That's the Lord
speaking about what he will do to his people. I'll take away
the dross. I will make it pure. You shall be pure as white as
snow. I'll take away your sin. I'll
give you my righteousness. So it is so pure and he'll purify
the children of Levi. And a picture here. It didn't
take me very long to remember, you know, Levi was kind of a,
in fact, his dad made a report about it. You brought a stench
in my nostrils. That's what he said about Levi
and Simeon. They brought a stench to Jacob's
nostrils in what they had done. I would like to read Genesis. As we think about Levi, In Genesis chapter 49, Genesis
chapter 49. To use this illustration, the children
of Levi, and we go back to the progenitor of the children of
Levi, and in Genesis chapter 49 and verse 5, we have these
words, Simeon and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty are in
their habitations. And then back up just a little
bit to verse chapter 34, and we have that passage of scripture
about Jacob describing them after their activities. In Genesis
chapter 34 and verse 30, Jacob said unto Simeon and Levi, ye
have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of
the land. Genesis chapter 34 and verse
30, you've caused problems. You're a problem child. And then
we get over here to the book of Malachi and we find out these
guys are going to have righteousness. One of the most amazing passages
of scripture that has been shown me in recent months was there
in the book of Luke. And I just, it's one of those
passages that you just ruminate on. There was so much that was
brought in that passage of scripture that has just caused me to ruminate.
I get to go out under a shade tree and lay down like a cow
and chew my cud because there's so much in that verse of scripture.
In this book of Luke, you remember the passage about Elizabeth and
about Zacharias in Luke Luke chapter 1, verse 5 and 6,
there is room for rumination. It's something to read something,
and then it's something to read something. It's something to
read it for reading purposes, and it's something to have it
read to you or have it shown to you that there's more here
Fragments are all over the ground, baskets full of fragments. And
right here in the book of Luke chapter one, verse five and verse
six, and this is what we find with regard to those sons of
Levi. God has worked a work of grace.
He's taken a stench in the nostrils and brought them to a point where
they will bring forth righteousness. Luke chapter one, verse four, Thou let me see verse 5 and there
it was in the days of Herod the king of Judah a certain priest
named Zacharias of the course of Abia and His wife was the
daughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth now notice verse
6 that verse 6 could cover 6 pages It could be enlarged to 10,000
point type because it is so full of grace and It says, and they
were both righteous before God. One thing they never boasted
in was their righteousness. And we know that Zacharias had
a whole bunch of unbelief in him. If it wasn't for the belief
that God had given him, he would have had none at all. When it
came to himself, he had none. When it came to God, he had a
whole bundle full. But he says, they were righteous
before God, walking in all the commandments. I'm amazed that
this is in the scriptures, aren't you? This is just one of those
verses that is just so full. They walked in all the commandments. They kept the Ten Commandments.
They didn't. Their Savior did. And he looked
at them in Christ. And then it says, and ordinances
of the Lord blameless. The number of words in that one
verse of scripture that talks about the position of God's elect
before God in Christ Jesus is just phenomenal. If you don't
have some rumination with that verse of scripture, we pray he'll
open it up to you so you can see some of it. Because here
is God's people right here. And over here in the book of
Genesis, we read about God's people before grace. They're
a stench. They're reckless. They're overbearing,
and dad, when he lists the statements about his 12 sons, he says, you
are reckless. And you brought discord and on
and on it goes. Well, in the process of God,
in his purpose, he chooses the sons of Levi as his high priest. And it speaks so much that in
Christ, every one of his children are made king priests. We have
direct access to the Lord Jesus Christ, the single mediator between
God and man, the man Christ Jesus. So here we have this wonderful
statement about that, and it talks about the sons of Levi
having this same qualification and same attribute over In the
book of Acts, there was a whole group of people, a mob of folks,
that came down and followed Paul. And he brought it to the group
of elders there and said, this is what's happening. And they
said, why should we put a yoke of bondage on these folks that
our fathers nor we were able to bear? We believe that through
the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they. That's how they were saved in
the Old Testament, not by the keeping of any laws. It was only
by the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of grace and the
work of Christ on the promise that he would go to the cross
and the work of the Father, that they were righteous before God
and not what they had done. And so nobody was saved in the
Old Testament without the grace of God. And all that were tasted
of the grace of God were righteous. Not one was unrighteous. All that God had revealed his
son to were going to be absolutely righteous. It tells us over there
that they were a stench and they were trouble, and yet when God
comes down with his word, and touches them with his word, reveals
Christ to them in the new birth, their station is so different. Their view is so different. I was talking to Brother Wayne
the other day, and we brought up that passage of scripture,
and we were just discussing that passage of scripture that mentions
about that we're a new creation in Christ Jesus. Old things are
passed away. Behold, all things become new.
Not everything has passed away, has it? We're still getting older,
still headed for the grave, still sin, still have impure thoughts,
still have all those problems, aches, pains, sin, and yet, he
said, behold, all things have become new. Now what's that mean? It means everything about God
is new to us because under our old regime we had no pure thought
about God. Everything is new about God.
Everything about sin is new. Everything about hell is new.
Everything about the word is new. It's more than history.
It's the spiritual book of God. It's what he uses to reveal Christ
to us. All things, all spiritual things
become new. We didn't have a spiritual thought
that was right. before God revealed his son to
us in the new birth. There was nothing that was right.
Everything was wrong. We might have had some verses
of scripture and said, I believe that, but we would always attach
an addendum. Doesn't it bother you when a
good bill is up in Congress and they will attach a bunch of garbage
to it? They know they have to have this bill, so they're gonna
attach garbage to it? I'm thankful that the Lord doesn't do that.
He didn't attach any trash to it. said, you're righteous. He never said, you have to do
this, or you have to do that, or you have to do this, or you
have to do that. You have to. The Lord just teaches us from
his word that all righteousness is from the Lord. In the book
of Isaiah, chapter 64, now there's another passage that we want
to read here in the book of Isaiah. But if you look at Isaiah chapter
64, as it tells us with regard to those sons of Levi, they'll
be refined, they'll be washed, they'll be made clean, they'll
be righteous. In fact, that word is used there
in Malachi chapter 3, it says that they may offer unto the
Lord an offering of righteousness. We can't offer any right offering
until we're born again. And then we're able to offer
the offering of righteousness. Here in the book of Isaiah, chapter
64, what a statement is made, and we find that brought out
through the New Testament, it's not righteousness which is of
the law. What's wrong with that? It's
ours. righteousness which is of the
law, we're counting on what we have done, how many rules we've
obeyed, how many of the Ten Commandments have we followed, how many of
the statements made over there to Timothy and to Titus about
the qualifications of a pastor. I read those, I'm ashamed. I'm thankful for one who kept
them. The Ten Commandments. I would
like to be able to say, I've kept one of them. I might have
for a minute, but I missed on the rest of them. What do we
do? It's the righteousness of Christ. It's the new birth that
gives us that blessed position before Him of righteous. And
here in the book of Isaiah chapter 64 and verse 6, Isaiah chapter
64. And verse six, it says, and we
are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags. And we all do fade as a leaf. What's the surest way to know
that Adam fell in the garden? All die. That's the sure, if we have a
question one about did Adam really sin as bad as it's written, all
you have to do is check. All die. We may live to be 965 years old
as Methuselah did, but on his stone it said, and he died. So that's the surest way to know. I hate to talk about it, but
infants die not because they're perfect, but because they're
sinners by nature. They die. We may have our opinion
about what happens after that, but we know that all sinners
die. Here it says, we do fade as a
leaf, and our iniquity, like the wind, have taken us away. You ever been out in the wind
and saw dust being picked up, thrown this way and that way?
It's exactly what that picture is talking about. We are like,
sin is like the wind, just picked up and tossed around, and we
have nothing we can do about it. Now there is one that can,
and one that has, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's turn to the book
of Romans for just a moment here. Romans chapter three. Romans
chapter three. As we look at the righteousness
that we have in Christ, this righteousness which is not of
the law, it's not of our doing, it's all of God. Romans chapter 3 and verse 22 Thou that sayest Excuse me chapter
3 verse 22 even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for there is
no difference between This is the only qualification of who
supplies the belief. I'm so thankful that God takes
care of that, too. Because left to ourselves, we
couldn't believe enough. Boy, I remember in religion all
the formula, the formula that preachers had. And most of the
time it was similar, but they all had a little novel twist
on it, depending on where you went. But it was a formula. And if you did this, and you
did this, and you did this, then God has to accept you. You find out we can't do anything,
and only are we accepted in the beloved. Now keep your finger
in Romans, because I want to come back there, but there's
a verse in Isaiah chapter 61 that I want to read. Excuse me,
Isaiah 66. Isaiah 66. Would you turn back there and
keep your finger in Romans, because we're going to come back there
just momentarily. Isaiah chapter 66. As we think about this marvelous
work that God does to take children of Levi and make them be able
to present righteousness. Isaiah chapter 66 verse 15. For behold, the Lord will come
with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind. Now I'm thankful
that we're not trapped into looking at this from a physical standpoint
because it would drive us crazy. But if we look at it from a spiritual
standpoint, we can say we just have God coming in all his power.
His power it is says here. He will come Isaiah chapter 66
verse 15 for behold the Lord will come with fire and with
his chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury
and his rebuke with flames of fire for by fire and by his sword
will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord
shall be many and They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves
in the gardens behind one tree in the midst eating swine's flesh.
Now these guys are like the Pharisee in the New Testament. I thank God I'm not like other
folks are and particularly like this publican. Now I'm a Jew
and I eat swine's flesh and once in a while I'll even imbibe in
having a mouse. I'll eat unclean things, even
though with my mouth I say I am righteous. What's he saying?
They're clean on the outside, but filled with dead men's bones.
Not because they ate swine or mice, it's because their heart
is deceitful above all things. And then it goes on to say here,
verse four, for I know their works and their thoughts. It
shall come and I will gather all nations in tongues and they
shall come and see my glory. And I will set a sign among them
and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations of Tarshish,
Pul, and Lut. that draw the bow to Tubal and
Javan, to the isles afar off, and have not heard my fame. Neither
have seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among
the Gentiles, and they shall bring all your brethren from
an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and
in chariots, and in litters, and among mules." God brings
them in various ways, but he's going to bring them to the same
place. to the same person, to the Lord. Upon swift beasts,
some, it just seems, they hear one time, God works the work
of grace. And some of them are like tortoises. You wonder, will they ever? Will
God ever? But as long as they're still
alive, there's hope. There's hope. My holy Mount Jerusalem saith
the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering in the clean
vessel into the house of the Lord and I will also take of
them for priests and for Levites saith the Lord I Want to make these strangers
out of all the isles of the Gentiles my priests I They will be my
priests. What does that mean? They'll
be my children. I'll make them king priests.
I'll reveal my son to them. They shall have righteousness,
not their own, but mine. Now going back to the book of
Romans for just a couple of more verses, Romans chapter three
and verse 26, Romans three and verse 26 to declare, I say, this time his righteousness Romans
chapter 3 verse 26 to declare I say at this time his righteousness
that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus to declare his righteousness. And when he does that, we find
he's not only just, but he's the justifier. His righteousness
declares that. He has the absolute, the only
one that has absolute right standing with God. But he has the glorious
ability as almighty God of imputing that righteousness to his children. And just as clean as Jesus is
before God are all his other children. That's amazing. I got room to ruminate. That's
just contrary to nature. But we're thankful that God goes
far beyond that. He's God, he does whatsoever
he pleases. All right, in the book of Romans
chapter 9, verse 30 and 31. Romans chapter 9, verse 30 and
31. What shall we say then? That
the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have
attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of
faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness,
hath not attained to the law of righteousness. It's not by
the works of the law. This righteousness that we need
is not by the works of the law. And he said, Israel, they're
following after the works of the law. They don't have righteousness.
But these poor beggars out here, Gentiles, they've been given
the righteousness of Christ. And they stand as the publican
did. They get to go home justified. There's room to ruminate there.
I get to go home justified. I get to go home righteous because
of Christ. And the book of Ephesians chapter
4, Ephesians chapter 4 verse 24, Ephesians 4, 24, this new
birth, You know, we don't spend a, what is it, a preparation time
or what is it when they become an electrician, they begin as
an apprenticeship. We don't begin as an apprentice. Well, we're giving you this much
time. When I started teaching, we had
three years that you had to prove yourself. And if within that
three years, they could fire you. After that, they could if
they wanted to, but they didn't take the time. But anyway, we
don't have that with this. Notice this, Ephesians chapter
four, verse 24, it says, and that ye put on the new man, that's
the new birth, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness. The moment We're born again. There's no trial period. There's no, well, we want to
see if you can bear up. There's not, well, we want to
see if you can prove out. We want to see if you can endure.
No. Thank God, there's none of that. It is when he gives us
a new birth, we are granted righteousness. And in every sense of the word,
that righteousness is really eternal righteousness. It's eternal
mercy. It's eternal love. We just get
to find out about it. We just find out about it. We
find out what we provided. And every time we meet together
and study the gospel, we find out some more that we were provided.
We're just finding out about it. It's all there. All right,
would you turn with me to the book of Philippians? Philippians
chapter three. Philippians chapter 3 and verse
9 And be found in him I Get to ruminate some more Be
found in him There's a lot said in the Bible about being in Christ. It's mentioned right here being
in him as room for rumination to think about to be found in
him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. Not having my own righteousness,
which is by the law. Boy, the moment we start looking
at ourself and saying, if I don't do that, I will... One more passage, if you'd join
me, and that's in Titus. Titus chapter 3, verse 5. Titus
chapter 3, verse 5. not by works of righteousness,
which we have done. But according to his mercy, he
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost,
which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. That being justified by his grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This righteousness now as we
found over there in the book of Malachi chapter 3 a whole
group of Folks that would have been
right to be thrown out Nobody deal with them don't go over
there Have the same issue that Jonah did He went to a bunch
of Gentiles My goodness, he went to Nineveh, one of the worst
places on the face of the earth. That's East Portland right now.
He went down there, preached the gospel. A whole bunch of folks were converted. And here in the book of Malachi
chapter three, among a whole bunch of Jews, wrecks, they were
wrecks. All we have to do is read five
minutes about them and we find a mirror reflecting our own person
in them. Religious? Religious. Oh, I'm
not religious. Oh, just wait a minute. We'll
find out how religious you are. What are you standing on? What
are you depending on before God? Uh, my good works outweigh my
bad works. Well, anyway, here in the book
of Malachi chapter three, Verse 3 and he shall sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver He shall do it and it will be
pure and he shall purify the sons of Levi and Purge them as gold and silver
there won't be a mark on says 99.9% pure and There'll be a mark on them by
God that says, 100% presentable, without spot or blemish, without
anything to hinder. And they may offer unto the Lord
an offering in righteousness. Thanksgiving. We don't go down
and offer animals. We are just so blessed. Another
room for ruminating. What do we have that's been put
away in the death of Christ that the Old Testament saints went
through? We don't have any of that to perform. It's so simple. Just be thankful. Spirit of Thanksgiving. Well, may God bless us as we
wait on him.