The book of 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. 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. Amen. May God bless to us
this reading from his word. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ
is going to be before us for a few moments. and I want us
to think about the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a most
excellent name, but not only is it an excellent name, it is
also an excellent entrance into our consideration of him. It is an excellent way of approach
to consider his person and his work. Because simply to think
upon his name is to learn of him. To think upon his name is
to begin to unfold his great work of redemption and salvation. To understand the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ is to glimpse his nature and his holiness. In glimpsing his nature, we discern
the purpose of his coming. Discovering the purpose of his
coming, we see the great work of redemption, and we understand
something of his mediator offices. And that brings us to an end
of ourselves, and it causes us to rest upon him in faith. To know Him is to love Him, and
to love Him is to praise His name. The Lord Jesus Christ,
our contemplation upon His name, our thinking upon His name, leads
us into the truth that has been spoken of Him. He is the Lord. Jesus Christ. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you meditated upon his name
recently? Have you thought upon the name
of the Lord? He is the Lord. He is the Lord. He is the Lord God. He is Jehovah. Our Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah. He is the great I AM. He is the one that is worthy
of our worship. He is entitled to our praise. He is the only Potentate. He is King of Kings. He is Lord
of Lords. When we think on the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the very first word that strikes us is
Lord, and it speaks to us of his holy, divine nature. In Jeremiah chapter 23, verse
6, we read, in his days, Judah, and that is a picture
of the church, a picture of the elect of God, a picture of those
chosen ones in Christ. In his days, Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name, whereby
he shall be called the Lord, our righteousness. but he is not only the Lord,
he is the Lord Jesus. And Jesus means deliverer. Jesus means saviour. He is the saviour. And the angels
declared, call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sins. He is the deliverer, he is the
saviour, he is the redeemer. He is the Lord Jesus. He is God, our Deliverer. So as we think upon the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, immediately we are taken into these new dimensions
when we understand that He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is
the Lord God, our Deliverer. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. And Christ means anointed. It means Messiah. It means the
chosen one. It means the anointed one, the
commissioned one. It is Emmanuel. It is God with
us. It is the God-man in his offices
as God and man. And it's a unique title only
Jesus could be called the Messiah because only he was God and man. And this word testifies to the
combination both of his lordship as God and his humanity as Christ. the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ binds these names together,
testifying both of his human nature and his divine nature. God, our Redeemer, anointed to
accomplish our salvation. So when we speak of Christ, we
do not mean only the Son of God, but we mean he is also in his
two natures, the Son of Man as well, constituted in one person. And so when we think on the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, all of these strands begin to come
together and we grasp something of this Great One with whom we
have to do The angels, did they not in Luke's
gospel chapter two, declare unto you is born this day in the city
of David a saviour, which is Christ the Lord. the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's his name. A saviour that
is Christ the Lord. That was the song of the angels.
They praised the Lord Jesus Christ in the earliest revelation of
this person as they came to those common folk, those simple folk
and declared the coming of God into this world. They said, unto
you is born this day in the city of David a saviour which is Christ
the Lord. And then we remember that there
were others in those early days of the Lord's life. People like
Simeon and Anna there in the temple waiting on the revelation
of the Messiah, waiting on the coming of the way of salvation. And a little further down in
Luke chapter 2 verse 26 this time, we're told regarding Simeon
that it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should
not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. The Lord's Christ. See, when
we think upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, these are
the great factors that begin to impinge upon our understanding. John 6 verse 69 says, And we
believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God. Who said that? Peter said that. Peter said that. And the Lord
Jesus Christ said to him, blessed art thou for flesh and blood
hasn't revealed that to you, but my Father which is in heaven.
So if you speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing who he is, knowing
him as very God, knowing him as the Saviour who has come,
knowing him as the Messiah, the Anointed One that melds together
these two great aspects of his nature in one person, for only
he uniquely could accomplish such salvation, then it isn't
flesh and blood that's revealed that to you, but the Father in
heaven. Such is the wonder of meditating
upon the name of the Lord. John 20 verse 31 says, These
are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his
name. His name. Life through His name. Blessed name. Is that not a name
that is worthy of our contemplation? Is that not a name that is worthy
of our thought? Read with me again Malachi chapter
3 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. These are the people that think
upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord God is speaking
of us through his servant Malachi. He is speaking of them who think
upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is a category of
people described for us at the end of this prophecy, at the
end of this Old Testament revelation. a category of people that are
distinguished out from amongst the multitudes, out from amongst
the people of this earth, distinguished, recognised, identified, because
they fear God and they think upon the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. They contemplate, they contemplate
Christ. This isn't fear that's spawned
out of some sort of distress or distrust, but it is our reverential
approach to God, recognising who he is. recognising his majesty,
recognising his dominion, recognising all of those eternal qualities
and attributes that rest upon him as our God. And well might we come in reverence
before him, fearing God in that way. But we come in truth, we come
in sincerity, We come knowledgeably, we come as believers, waiting
upon Him, trusting in Him, and we come as those who contemplate
the Lord Jesus Christ, come as those who think upon His name. And look at what that verse else
says about these individuals. These individuals come and they
think upon the name of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And having
thought upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, they talk
often one to another about it. They talk of their thoughts of
him. They talk of the things that
they have contemplated of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ. They fellowship together in these
things. They share together in these
things. They talk often one with another. They talk of the nature of their
salvation. And that reminds us, I think,
that this gospel, this gospel that we have come to love, though
it be a personal experience, it's not a solitary experience.
We talk often one with another on these things because we have
been touched in the depths of our being. We have been thrilled
with our contemplation of Christ. We have seen things that cause
us to wonder and open up a glimpse that amazes us. Isn't it interesting
how when something surprises us or charms us or causes us
to have some sort of epiphany moment, we want to tell something
about it. I've been waiting, where have
you been? I've got something to tell you. Guess who phoned? Guess who phoned? Guess what
I've read in the headlines? Guess what's happened today?
But when we've seen Christ, when we've been thinking upon him,
so we share these things together. We have a desire to share them
with the Lord's people that we might fellowship together in
these things. Those who know the Lord, they
love to share the Lord. And they love to share the Lord
and the fellowship of the Lord's people in church. Don't imagine that you can prosper
alone. Don't imagine that you can stay
blessed outside of a church fellowship because it just won't happen. Someone once used the analogy
of a piece of coal that was burning in a fire grate and you take
a pair of tongs and you lift out one of those pieces of coal
and you sit it down at the side of the fire and you observe it
for a moment. What happens? It goes out. It goes out because the warmth,
the heat, the flame, the fire is sustained by those others
that are burning around about them. And so it is with the Lord's
people. We talk often with one another. about our contemplations of the
name of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. Now I do not deny that
there are some who are prevented from attending the fellowship
of the Lord's people, but they are exceptions. They are exceptions,
and that is not normal. The Lord's people talk often,
often one with another, and they get into places where they have
someone to talk to about these things. The Lord enables them. He provides for them. He provides
opportunity, He provides facility, and He brings His people together
that they might worship Him. People say that they can worship
alone. Sure you can, if you like talking
to yourself. But if you like talking to others
about the Lord, then you need to get into the company of others. And the saints of God talk often
one to another and they share together in blessed gospel fellowship. Of what do they talk? They talk
of goodness and mercy. They talk of the goodness of
God in salvation. They talk of the love of God
in election. They talk of covenant promises,
of gospel truth. They talk of redemption from
sin. They talk of the glories of Christ.
They talk of the work of the Holy Spirit. They talk of heaven.
and about their soon going into the presence of their Saviour.
That's what they talk about. When they have thought on the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, these are the things that thrill
their hearts and challenge them. Sure, it is that we lament our
sin and our unbelief, and we talk of the trials of this present
evil world. but we talk of the joy that we
have in the Lord, in his sovereign grace, in his precious blood,
in the comfort and peace that he bestows, in the rest that
we have in his completed work. Tell me if it's not so. Tell
me if you would rather we speak about football or holidays or
politics, or the price of gas. We can take those things elsewhere. Look at what it says in verse
16. Then they that feared the Lord
speak often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard
it. Isn't that a lovely phrase? The
Lord hearkened and heard it. He hearkens to his people when
they get together to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. He hears
us speaking about his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He listens
in to our conversations. Now, that at one level is a very
solemn and serious thought. Christ is the listener. the silent listener to every
conversation. Of course, the Lord knows all
things, but he listens to his people to hear what his people
are thinking and saying. He listens to our worship. This isn't a vain activity that
we are embarked upon here. When we pray, God hears us. When we bring our hymns, God
hears us. You would say, hasn't he got
more to do? Hasn't he got more to think about
than to go down there to Great Falls, Montana, and listen to
what these people are saying? Well, no, he hasn't. Because
he loves to hear his people approach him in worship. The Lord hears
his people. And he remembers what he hears. It's not simply that God could
forget, but he hears what he hears. to help us, to encourage
and strengthen us. He hears and he takes note. He
records all our requests. He is aware of all our needs. He is party to all our trials. He brought those trials. It's
not a surprise to him. But then he comes to us in those
trials. and he hears as we speak to him
and as we open our hearts and as we think upon that which has
befallen us. And he remembers, nothing is
hid, nothing is overlooked, and nothing is forgotten. But I want
you to see as well in this verse that a book of remembrance was
written before him for them. Do you see that? That book of
remembrance that is written before God is written for us. It's written for them. And I
think that I would not be pressing these words too far to say that
it is so we can remember. It's so we can remember. the things that have happened
to us. I'm not very good at remembering.
Truth be told, I forget too easily. And there are things that, well,
there are things I would like to forget that I remember, and
there are things that I would like to remember that I forget.
That's why photographs are useful. They take us back to the day,
they take us back to the moment, and they speak to us, they cause
us to remember the things that happened. But elsewise, we forget. We forget very readily. But I think that this book of
remembrance that is written before the Lord for them is a book which
is going to allow us to remember the experiences of this world
when we get to heaven. I think that the Lord is going
to cause us to remember all of the hurts and all of the trials
and all of the problems and the issues and the tears and the
anxieties And then he's going to show us how they were actually
all for our greater good. And he's going to explain them
to us. And he's going to show us how
that in the midst of the trials that we faced and the troubles
that we endured, he was at work and he was bringing his perfect
purpose to fruition in the lives of his saints. And we'll see
it all. We'll see it clearly and we'll
see it with understanding. Because a book of remembrance
was written before the Lord for them. And the Lord will show
us his great love towards us, even in the trials that we have
faced in this world. It's not about throwing things
back at us. but rather it is about explaining
how he has been in control of everything and that everything
has been for our good. Let's move into verse 17. And
they shall be mine. they shall be mine. Who is it
that shall be his? Well, they that fear the Lord,
they that talk often one to another, they for whom this book of remembrance
is written, they that think upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
they shall be mine. And of course, we are Christ's. But we are Christ's already,
you may say. We are Christ's by His Father
placing us into His hand in covenant responsibilities. We are His
by purchase. He has bought us, He has redeemed
us. We are His by the price of His
precious blood. And we are His by conquest. He
has, as it were, ridden forth in the gospel, and he has broken
our adamant hearts, and he has wooed us to himself. He has won us. And by willing surrender, we
have come into his possession. Yet the messenger here is saying
that we shall be his. And so there is another element
to possession, the possession of the people of God by the Son
of God. In that day, he says, they shall
be mine. They shall be mine in that day,
saith the Lord of hosts. We shall be His when He comes
for us, and that will be a glorious day indeed. Maybe it is a reference
to the day when it first becomes clear to us that we are His. Much of what we've already referred
to there as far as the individual believer's possession by Christ
is something that has happened quite unbeknown to us, committed
into the hands of Christ in eternal purposes. We knew nothing of
that. It is true, it is right, it happened, but we knew nothing
of that. But then there comes a day a day of illumination,
a day of understanding, a day when ears were unblocked and
eyes were made to see, a day of love and a day of approach,
a day when the Lord Jesus Christ came to us and in willingness
we came to Him. Do you remember that day? Do
you remember that? Has that day occurred for you? Do you remember what it felt
like that day when the Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to you
for the very first time? In that day, says the Lord of
hosts, they shall be mine. They shall be mine. Do you remember
it? Christ does. Christ remembers
it. He was making up his jewels. He was assembling his precious
people. He was about the business, it
says in the margin there, he was about the business of gathering
in his special treasure. Now I hope my wife thinks that
I am a special treasure. I certainly think she's a special
treasure. But the Lord Jesus Christ, the
eternal God, the Lord God Jehovah, thinks that I'm a special treasure. That ought to thrill our hearts. He was building his church. He was placing that people that
are his into that building which is his bride. Do you see how
the Lord has spared you in your life's experience until that
day of grace? How many times might this world
have taken its toll upon us, and yet by that provenient grace,
that grace that prepared the way for the gospel to come in
converting power, God proved himself and showed himself to
be providing for his people, sparing his children, as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him. Spared us until the time
of love. spared us until he could come
to us with those first kisses of affection, spared us until
he brought us into the experience of the new birth in conversion. Maybe that day isn't the day
of our conversion, but the day of our death. What if that day
is a reference here to the day of our death? It's not a day to fear. The day
that we die is not a day for us to fear. Look at what he says
in the context of that day. He says, I will spare them. I will spare them terror. I will spare them pain. I will spare them anxiety. I will spare them dread. Chris called me a couple of days
ago and he said, here's a verse. and he made reference to Isaiah
57. Well, I'll tell you what to do, Chris. Since those that
think upon his name talk often one with another, I'll leave
you to share that with some of the others this evening. But
he's sparing his people. He spares us from the evil day. As a man spareth his own son
that serveth him. I tell you, that's a great promise.
Our Lord God is sparing us, sparing us from trials, from hurt, from
difficult experiences. As a man spareth his own son
that serveth him. I tell you, I would spare my
boy. from all the heartache that I
possibly could. I just would. I just would. It
would be, as far as I can see, it would be the natural inclination,
even of a fallen man, to save his son, and especially a good
son. especially a son who honoured
and respected me. I would want to save that son
from all the troubles and the trials of this life if I possibly
could. In fact, I tried it once and
he had to shake me off because that's what growing up is all
about. But the Lord God spares his people. He spares his jewels. Maybe it's
not the day of our death, but maybe it's the day of judgment
that is being referred to here. For the elect's sake, those days
will be shortened. We shall be spared the evil in
that day when the Lord gathers his jewels. And there's something
lovely about the fact that these are jewels. Because that speaks
of variety. There are some rubies there and
some emeralds. There are some diamonds and some
pearls. There's even a few yogo sapphires. A special treasure. And he knows
where they all are. Some of you ladies have got some
gemstones, maybe. I guess you know where they are. Actually, I know one lady who
doesn't. But the false gospel, it denies
sovereign election. But God's choice of a special
people of his diamonds and his emeralds, his gemstones, his
precious treasure, is written on the pages of this book throughout
the scriptures. A people who are particular,
a people who are cherished by him, a people who are valued
and loved, and it is clear and evident to any who have eyes
to see, it's the repeated testimony of Scripture. that he has a special
people, a chosen people. And he says, I will spare them.
In that day, I will spare them. Look at verse 18. Then shall
ye return. Then shall ye return and discern
between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth
God and him that serveth him not. And the truth is, Brothers
and sisters, that we cannot now tell who are the Lords and who
are not. In that day, we will be able
to tell. In that day, all shall be revealed. True faith versus hypocrisy. Now it is Quite straightforward
for us to conceive of this being the day of final judgment, when
the great judge will separate the sheep and the goats, the
tares and the wheat. When he will send forth his angels,
as it were, to sieve out and to remove those that have no
place or part with the people of God. The calm joy of the redeemed
of the Lord will be a stark contrast to the craven fear of the reprobate
in that day. And yet I wonder if there are
not other times in a believer's experience when such discernment
of these things is granted by the Lord, that we should discern
between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth
God and him that serveth him not. Is it not the case that
in the believer's experience there are times of discernment
granted whereby we are protected and we are helped and we are
built up in the faith when, as it were, the Lord grants us a
glimpse of truth that we might not otherwise have seen. I think I've experienced that. And I guess if you think on it,
you too have had a sense that something isn't right. And you're
not sure why, you're not sure how, you're not sure that this
can be explained. And yet, In your spirit, in your
soul, it hasn't been right and you haven't been at ease. A discernment
granted. In that day, the Lord will grant
discernment. When we face times of temptation,
when we face those who would deceive us, when that great liar,
that one who seeks to do harm to the people of God and the
church of God comes as a roaring lion, The Lord is pleased to
safeguard his people, to hedge them in, to protect them, sometimes
in ways that are beyond our comprehension and understanding, beyond our
natural abilities. And yet the Lord grants discernment
that we may be preserved. Hebrews chapter five, verse 13
says, for everyone that useth milk, is unskillful in the word
of righteousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to
them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. their senses exercised to discern
both good and evil. I think it should be the Lord's
people's prayer, individually and collectively as a congregation,
to be leading us into deeper experiences of His grace and
mercy. I think that's something that
we should look for. We ought not to be content to be babes
in Christ. We need to move on into the deeper
things. We need to move on into those
things which are more profound, more significant, which will
enable us to be of better usefulness in our Master's Kingdom, to be
able to encourage others, to be able to point others in the
right direction, to take a stand for the things that are true,
even when it appears that no one else is going to stand with
us. Because the Lord has granted us discernment in these things
and he has taught us of himself. True it is that knowledge of
the gospel and knowledge of gospel truths is more complete in some
than in others. And it is to those that the strong
meat of the gospel belongs. They are capable of understanding
the more mysterious parts of the teaching of God. They search
the deep things of the Spirit of God. They receive and they
digest the more exalted and magnificent truths of the ways and the purposes
of God. Our Christian life is a journey. The Lord Jesus Christ is revealed
to us as a way, a path, a road. We travel on that way with him. And he teaches us. He teaches
us in the bitterest experiences of life. And he teaches us in
the joys that we share and experience. He teaches us in the observation
of what is going on around about us and he teaches us through
the fellowship of his saints and the preaching of the gospel
in church. That is why it is so important
to be here. That is why it is so important
to be part and parcel of a fellowship, a body of Christ, a local congregation
of his people, because in that way we grow in grace and in a
knowledge of the truth. He leads us into the deeper things
and he gives us the strong meat. He won't give that to an infant. He won't give that to a baby.
It would cause their stomachs to wretch. It would cause them
to be ill and unwell and it would be no good to their soul. But
he teaches us. And sometimes the troubles and
the trials and the difficulties that we face are his means of
teaching us so that we can in turn be of usefulness to others. There is mystery in the gospel. I looked up all the examples
of mystery with respect to the gospel and there are so many
of them that I'm not even going to go there in terms of enumerating
them. If you've got a concordance in
your little telephone app, have a look at it. But there is mystery
in the gospel and it is a mystery that calls for faith. There are profound and glorious
truths that stretch our understanding. There are circumstances and providences
that tax our strength and that lead us to discover reserves
in Christ that were hitherto unknown to us. There is a place for humility
before God, and we are too prone to look on the outward appearance. both of people and of things
when God is looking upon the heart. But in that day of discernment,
he will enable us and allow us to be able to look with him upon
the heart of the matter and to understand it properly. There are those who serve God
and there are those who serve themselves. There are those who
are righteous in Christ and those who are self-righteous in themselves. There are those who are Christ's
own special treasure and there are those who pretend to be. Lord, grant us that wisdom. which is unto salvation. Teach
us thy way and cause us to walk in the paths of righteousness. Cause us to walk by the rivers
of waters in a straight way wherein we shall not stumble. Brothers
and sisters, the day is coming when the difference between the
righteous and the wicked will be starkly laid bare. May each of us here this evening
taste the grace that leads fallen sinners to faith in Jesus Christ. And may we be found on that day
as his righteous servants. Amen.