I'd like to draw your attention
this morning to the prophecy of Malachi chapter three, and
a few verses you'll read from verse 16 through to verse 18. Malachi chapter three, reading
from 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 fought 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. And in particular, I
draw your attention to 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. They shall be mine. Election is a truth which is
both loved by many and hated by many others. The doctrine
of election, the teaching that God chose a people in his son
before the foundations of this world, he chose a people, he
chose them by name, He gave those names to his son. His son had
those names laid upon his heart. And out of all the descendants
of Adam, Christ came to die for that people in particular. He
laid down his life to redeem a company, to redeem a people
chosen of God, elect of God, given to him. for whom he died,
for whom he suffered in particular, a people whose sins were laid
upon him, a people whose sins he took away, a people whom he
redeemed, a people just like any other, sinners, rebels, wayward,
born of Adam, born in sin, sheep that had gone astray, yet a people
chosen and loved of God from all eternity, ordained unto salvation,
chosen unto salvation, a people whom Christ saved when he laid
down his life for them. A people who in time come to
hear the gospel as sent forth by God on high, as sent forth
by the voice of His Spirit, as sent forth in power to find them
out wherever they may be. to bring them to hear the truth,
to bring them to hear what they are before God, what they have
done, how far off they have gone, how they need His salvation. A people who under the irresistible
work of the Spirit, under the power of the Gospel, are brought
in under conviction of sin, are brought low, are broken before
God and are brought to cry out to God for salvation. And the
people, every last one of whom when crying out to God for salvation,
when crying out as those who are broken and convicted of their
sin, when crying out to God to spare them, to have mercy upon
them, a people who are heard, who are heard by God for He chose
them. and hearing their cries he loves
them and has mercy upon them and for Christ's sake he hears
them and he saves them and he makes them to know that they
are his and he is their God. And by the mighty work of the
Spirit, a people who hear in the gospel are so born of God. They're born of God, they hear
the gospel, their ears are open to hear, their eyes are open
to see and behold their Savior crucified for them. And seeing
Him, they believe on Him as God gives them faith from above to
believe on Him who died in their place. A people who believe in,
believe unto everlasting life, who are saved, who are washed
of their sins, who are cleansed by the blood of Christ, and who
come to know Him as their Saviour. They have eternal life in Him,
they are delivered from wrath, from death, from condemnation,
from judgment, they are brought into everlasting bliss and glory
as they are taken on that day in which they pass from time
and into eternity as they are taken from this world into an
eternal inheritance prepared for them. as they eventually
are gathered around the throne of the Lamb of God to serve Him
and to worship Him and to love Him forevermore. He who loved
them before they loved Him. He who loved them from all eternity. He who loved them to the extent
that He laid down His life for them. He who loved them with
an everlasting life. and he who they will worship
forevermore around his throne as those who were chosen of God
from all eternity to be saved with an everlasting salvation.
Yes these are the elect of God and such a people when they come
to hear the truth of election from the scriptures and in the
gospel Such a people love the truth of election. They rejoice
in it. They rejoice that God chose them
before they chose Him. They rejoice that God loved them
before they loved Him. They rejoice that God knew them
before they knew Him. They rejoice that God saw them
before they saw Him. They rejoice that despite their
sins, despite their rebellion, despite their hatred of God,
despite the fact that they went far off from God and would never
have served God, that He willed and purposed otherwise, despite
the waywardness of their heart and the strong will of their
own natural will and intellect and mind, despite the fact that
they would not worship Him, they would not have Him, they would
not serve Him, they would not bow the knee to the Almighty
God, the Almighty Lord of heaven and earth despite the fact that
they had gone astray he purposed otherwise and despite themselves
he would save them despite all that they did and all that they
are and were he would save them and save them he did through
the death of his own son, whom he gave as a ransom, to redeem
them from their sins, to deliver them from the just condemnation
against their sins, to deliver them from the Roftica. They rejoiced
that he chose them, for it's in his election, in his choice
of them, that they are saved. If he had not set his love upon
them, they would have been lost. So when they heard of this wondrous
truth that God set his love upon such a people before they were
ever born, ever created, before this world was ever brought into
being, before they went astray, before they rebelled against
him, before they fell into ruin and into darkness he had already
set his love upon them and had already purposed to save them
when they hear that they rejoice in it for it gives them that
certainty of salvation It gives them that assurance that whatever
they had done, however wicked and wayward they were, however
far off they had gone, however sinful they had been, they will
not be rewarded according to their iniquities. but their salvation
lies not in their strength, nor in their righteousness, and not
in their will, but in the sure and certain will, purpose, and
decree of God, in the sacrifice of His Son, in the righteousness
of God which Christ brought in by faith upon the cross, in that
redemption, in that blood which He shed for sinners such as them. They rejoice that God chose them,
that God chose them. Yes, election is a truth which
is loved by these, but it is also a truth which is hated and
despised by many of us. The natural man, all men by nature,
Even the elect before they come to hear the gospel and before
God changes them, before God opens their ears to hear the
truth and opens their eyes to see the natural man, the natural
heart hates the truth of election. That truth that God's people
are brought to love, naturally we hate it because it takes salvation
out of our hands and we don't like that. Naturally we are proud. Naturally we serve South. Naturally we think well of ourselves
and our own abilities and our own will. And naturally we want
to have the decision. We want to be in charge of our
own destiny. And we hate the idea that there
is one outside of ourselves. One outside of man. One outside
of this earth. who decides all things. We hate
the idea of a God who determines whom he will save. We want the
right to save ourselves. So naturally man hates the truth
of election. It is a truth which is both loved
and a truth which is both hated. It is also a truth which is seen
by some and which is hidden from others.
The child of God, when he comes to see the Gospel, when he comes
to know Christ as his Saviour, and when he comes to know the
wonderful truth of election, sees this truth in all the Scriptures. that book which was once closed
to him, that book which he once could not make head or tail off,
that book which was once confusing and indeed which once drew out
his opposition, that book which once brought him to anger, he
now sees in it Christ and he now sees in it the election the
election of God in choosing a people unto himself. He now sees in
all the scriptures the truth of election. He sees how God
chose Jacob. He sees how God chose the nation
of Israel, separate from all other nations. He sees the particular
dealings of God with the patriarchs, with all, with his nation. with
the calling out of the disciples in the New Testament, with the
calling of the apostles, with the calling of his people, he
sees the truth of election everywhere. He sees the eternal purposes
of God and he loves it. But to the natural man, it's
hidden. To the natural man in the scriptures,
it's hidden. You may be as religious as they
come. You may take the Bible and have
read it from your youth up. You may have gone to the most
advanced theological courses in the most esteemed colleges
of men. Yet if God hasn't opened your
eyes, you won't see election in the scriptures. every passage
which clearly teaches it you will twist and you will alter
to say another thing and men do this in religion the clearest
of passages in the scriptures they say have another meaning
they go to the book of Ephesians which sets clearly election before
us and they twist and turn. They go to the book of Romans
and in that wonderful passage in Romans 9 where we read that
Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated, that God chose Jacob
before either of the brothers were born. Before either had
done good or evil, he set his love upon Jacob, elected unto
salvation. In such a clear passage, man
in religion twists and turns. He rends it, he strains it, he
makes it say another thing. He says this speaks merely of
nations, not individuals. He says this speaks merely of
God's choice to present the Gospel to some and not others. He twists
and turns and finds some escape. And yet, the truth of election
could not be worded more clearly. Yes, it's open to some, it's
shown to some, it's seen by some, but it's hid from others. But
this glorious truth, is that which lies behind this prophecy
of Malachi. It lies behind the passage we
read, it lies behind the text we read. And this prophecy and
the outcome at the end of the prophecy cannot be understood
but that God said His mercy upon some. And He would save them
no matter what. They would be His, no matter
what. And if he set his love upon them,
they would be saved. Whatever they did, however far
fallen they might have become, however rebellious they might
have been, however poor servants they might have been, however
half-hearted and complacent and apathetic they may have become,
those whom he purposed to save, He's saved. Those whom He purposes
to save, He saves. Should God choose to save you,
however far fallen you may be, He will save you. You may say,
how could a God save me? I'm lost and I'm ruined. My sins
are ever before me. I would like to be saved. I know
that eternity awaits. I know that judgment awaits. I know God would be just to condemn
me. But I cannot seek that I could
be saved. For I'm ridden with guilt. I
know what I've done. And I know God saves sinners. But I think the heavens are shut
to me. I've heard the gospel. I was taken to church. I've heard
the truth and I've been so lax with it. I've been so taken up
with so many other things. God's given me the opportunity
to hear so often, so many times, and I've treated it so lightly. I've despised it. I couldn't
be bothered. I went, I heard, I went away
again. I went back to my pleasures and
my riches. I went back to the world. I was
dragged to church and I couldn't wait to get out. It was a drudgery
to me. And now look where I am. I don't think God would save such
as me. I've heard too many times and
had too little regard. The heavens seem black. I've
tried to pray and I hear nothing. I don't believe God would save
me. And yet God says in Malachi,
of the people whom he had chosen, of Jacob and his offspring, of
that people whom he calls Jacob, he says of this people, a wayward
people, a rebellious people, an apathetic and a half-hearted
people, a wicked people. He says of these, 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. They shall be mine, they shall. Who are the they that the Lord
God of hosts speaks of here? Just who are they? Well, we know
he speaks of Jacob. But are these people good? Are
they religious? Have they sought the Lord with
all their hearts? Were they devoted to Him? Had
they turned from all other things to serve the living God? Were
they somehow different from others? More devoted? More loving? More spiritual? Are these the
ones that shall be His? Well that's not the picture we
have in the book of Malachi. We have a picture in the book
of Malachi of a people who were religious, a people who had heard
the truth, a people who had received much from the hand of the Lord,
much blessing, much favor, and a people who had not only rebelled
against this God, but a people who had willfully and who had
knowingly rebelled against this God. A people who were turned
away from the truth, and turned away from the true worship of
God. A people who should know better. People who would despise his
name. And yet of some of these, he
says, of those out of this company whom he would save, he says despite
themselves they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts in that
day when I make up my jewels my jewels not only are these
people his but he describes them as jewels what a description What a description of those who
are rebels by nature, wayward, those who treated him lightly,
those who religious profession or not were half-hearted and
lax and wayward, those who had gone after other gods, Those
who were against the commandment of the Lord had entered into
mixed marriages with other nations and worshipped the gods of these
other nations. Those who robbed God of his glory. Wicked people. There are many who do not serve
God in this world. Many who worship other gods,
ignorantly, not yet having heard the truth of the gospel. And it may be said of such that
should they hear the truth, maybe they will act differently, and
maybe they will. But the people described in Malachi
knew the living God, or knew of him. They knew something of
the truth. They knew what they should do. They knew how He demanded to
be worshipped. They were not ignorant of the
truth. And yet, despite all their knowledge and all their hearing
of the truth, these had gone astray. Well, you can imagine. What the righteousness of God would say with regard to such
as these? How the wrath of God would burn
from heaven against such as these? How indignant His righteousness
would be? How it burns against such as
these today? Is this you that Malachi describes? Does God's wrath burn against
you today? Are you half-hearted in the worship
of God? Do you despise his name? Do you
treat him lightly? Do you give him 5% of your time? Where are your passions and your
emotions? Where are your desires? What
is your goal? What do you truly love? Forget
the words and the profession, what do you love? Does the wrath of God burn against
you? Does it burn against your sins? Consider this people, Malachi writes as the messenger
of the Lord sent by God unto this people and he writes Almost
in the first person, he speaks with the Lord's words, I have
loved you, saith the Lord, to this people. Yet this people
say, wherein has thou loved us? They cast doubt upon the Lord's
word. Was not Esau Jacob's brother,
saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated
Esau. and laid his mountains and his
heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. A son honoureth his father, and
a servant his master. If then I be a father, where
is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is
my fear, saith the Lord of hosts unto you? O priests that despise
my name! And ye say, wherein have we despised
thy name? You have offered polluted bread
upon mine altar, and you say, wherein have we polluted thee?
In that you say, the table of the Lord is contemptible. And
if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer
the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy
governor, will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person,
saith the Lord of hosts? And now I pray you, beseech God
that he will be gracious unto us. This hath been by your means,
will he regard your person, saith the Lord of hosts? Who is there
even among you that would shut the doors for nought? Neither
do you kindle fire on my altar for nought. I have no pleasure
in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering
at your hand. For from the rising of the sun,
even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great
among the Gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered
unto my name, and a pure offering, for my name shall be great among
the heathens, sayeth the Lord of hosts. But look what he says again of
this people. But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table
of the Lord is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even his meat,
is contemptible. Ye said also, Behold, what a
weariness is it! And ye have snuffed at it, saith
the Lord of hosts, and ye have brought that which was torn,
and the lame and the sick. Thus ye brought an offering.
Should I accept this of your hand, saith the Lord? Yes, here's
a people who were religious, They went up to worship the Lord,
but they found it a weariness. And they offered unto him, but
they did not offer their best. They gave him a bit of their
time, a bit of their energies, a bit of their love. But it was
all a weariness unto them. Oh, what a people is this. What a people is this. They cry out unto him, wherein
have thou loved us? Wherein have we despised thy
name? Wherein have we polluted thee? Wherein have we wearied
thee? They claim to be so innocent.
They think the charge is not fair. They think they've been
doing well. They think they've been serving
the Lord. The Lord calls them in chapter three to return unto
him. He says, return unto me and I
will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But they say,
wherein shall we return? They didn't think they departed.
He says unto them, will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed
thee? They claim such innocence. Can
you hear yourselves in these words? Have you robbed God? Have you? We don't think we have. Particularly
if we've been brought up in the church. Particularly if we're
used to going to worship. Especially if we're devout in
that worship. Oh, robbed God, me? Yet ye have robbed me, says the
Lord. Ye say, wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings. Your curse with a curse, for
ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house. and prove me now herewith, saith
the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven
and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it. What words for the Lord God to
say to such a people, this people, this people to whom his worship
was a weariness, These people who brought the lame and the
sick as their offerings rather than their best. This people
that gave them a bit of their time, that which fitted in, that
which they could squeeze into their busy schedule, in between
all their efforts to make money and all their efforts to build
up their own homes and their own families and their own ways
and their own things. This people who gave him what
was left over. This people who thought they
did right. Wherein have we robbed thee?
Why not like others? We come to worship, we serve
the Lord. And yet he says of the lot of
them, of the whole nation, ye have robbed me. Ye are cursed
with a curse. You are guilty to the last man. and yet of such a people, he
says of his own, chosen despite all that they are, and despite
all their rebellion, and despite all their half-heartedness, he
says, they shall be mine in that day when I make up my jewels.
And he says to them, who have kept back tithes and offerings.
He says, bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be meat in mine house. And prove me now, despite all
that you have done, despite all your half-heartedness, prove
me now, sayeth the Lord of Hosts, to such a people, a people like
you, a people like me, prove me now. If I will not open the
windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall
not be room enough to receive it. That there shall not be room
enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer
for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground,
though you deserve it. Neither shall your vine cast
her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of
hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall
be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. Your words have been stout against
me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, what have we spoken
so much against thee? He hath said it is vain to serve
God. And what profit is it that we
have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully
before the Lord of hosts? Now we call the proud happy,
yea, they that work wickedness are set up, yea, they that tempt
God are even delivered. You've spoken proudly against
me, so much against me. And yet of such, of such, he
says, they shall be mine. Oh, the words against the Lord
God. Oh, the hearts which have wandered
away. Even of those whom he has chosen.
How pitiful we are. How hard the natural heart is.
How far off we go. How deserving of His judgment
and rough we are. And yet this God says of such,
such a people as this, such a people as you and I, so undeserving,
so lacking in merit, so wayward, they shall be mine. in that day when I make up my
jewels. Prove me now if I will not open
unto you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that
there shall not be room enough to receive it. Can you see yourself in this?
Perhaps you can. Perhaps you feel like you've
gone too far off How could God be merciful unto me? Perhaps
you know you've robbed God. Will a man rob God? Perhaps you
know you have. You've robbed him of your time
and your energy. You've robbed him of that worship
that's rightfully his. You've robbed him of that love,
that place that he should have. Perhaps you think you're lost
as a result. And yet God says of such, despite
such, despite themselves, despite what they've done, despite their
hearts, he says they shall be mine. Who does? Who is this Lord of hosts that
says this of such a people? Who is he that can show such
mercy, such grace, such love, such favor to such an undeserving
people? What God is this that is so loving
to those that deserve such hatred and judgment? He is the Lord
of hosts, the Lord God Almighty, the one who says they shall be
mine. the one who sent his messenger
to such a people, the one who did not leave them to themselves,
the one who, looking on their rebellion, did not turn his face
and cast them off, but the one who sent a messenger with his
gospel to such a people, the one who came unto them, the one
who says at the beginning of Malachi 3, Behold, I will send
my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord
whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger
of the covenant whom ye delight in. Behold he shall come, saith
the Lord of hosts. This one, the one who was mindful
of his own, the one who is mindful of his people, he says of that
people, they shall be mine. the almighty God, the creator
of heaven and earth, the Lord of hosts, the everlasting, the
one who says in chapter three and verse six that I am the Lord,
I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. I am the Lord, I change not. the eternal unchanging God. says of that people whom he chose
to save, they shall be mine. The everlasting, the one who
is from everlasting to everlasting, the one with no beginning and
no end, the all-powerful almighty God, the one who has all power
in heaven and earth, all authority, all wisdom, the one who doeth
whatsoever he pleaseth, This one, this God, the one who is
sovereign, the one who is the king over all the universe, this
God, this Lord of hosts, this God that says, I change not. This is the one that says, of
a changeable people, they shall be mine. You see, this people
may change, These people may grow hot and cold. Your heart
might be changeable. You might love the Lord one day
and turn aside the next day. You might want to worship Him
one day and fall into sin the next day. Whatever changes come
about in man, this God does not change. I change not. and despite all the rebellion
of his people throughout their lifetimes, despite their half-heartedness,
despite their waywardness, what he purposed from all eternity
stands unto all eternity. Those whom he would save, he
would save, no matter what they did, where they went, or what
they said, they shall be mine. Are you one of this they? Has
he said this of you? Will you be counted up in that
day when he makes up his jewels? They shall be mine. Finally,
how shall they be his? They shall be his because he
bought them. They shall be his by purchase. They are his jewels, his riches,
and he bought them, and he will not let them go. And he bought
them because though they were lost in sin, and though they
had plunged themselves under the wrath of God against their
sins, and although the righteousness of God demanded their just condemnation,
demanded an eternity of judgment to be poured out upon their sins,
though they should enter into a eternal everlasting judgment
of darkness and hellfire if they remain outside of Christ and
his love, though they deserve his casting off and his judgment. Nevertheless those whom he set
his love upon, his elect, He bought, he purchased as his jewels. And he bought them with the price
of redemption. He paid a price. He paid a great
price to have his jewels. And he says of those jewels,
they shall be mine. I've bought them and I am not
letting them go. He paid a price. That price was
his own son. That price was the Lord Jesus
Christ nailed to a cross, slain upon the cross, bruised and beaten
upon the cross, crucified, burnt up under the wrath of God against
the sins of his people. That's the price the father gave
his son. He gave His Son for those whom
He loved from all eternity. Oh, what He gave! What He gave
for these jewels! What He gave! Oh how he loves! What love to give so much! What love the father had for
this people to give his son to those who are so undeserving. Are you one of these? If you
are, what love the Father had for you, despite your rebellion,
despite your half-heartedness, despite the fact that you robbed
God, he gave his Son for you. He offered up Christ as sacrifice
for your sins. He slew him in your place for
you so undeserving, for you a rebel. Oh, the love, the love of God
the Father for his own. What a price he paid. What a
price. And he paid it in the fire. Christ
was put in the refiner's fire. He was burnt up in the offering
of righteousness. He was consumed under the wrath
of God. says in chapter 3 of this one
who would come who may abide the day of his coming who shall
stand when he appeareth for he is like a refiner's fire and
like full of soap he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of
fire 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 This God shall come to this world as a refiner
and he shall come unto all men and all men will be put into
fire and those who are outside of Christ will be put into fire
never to escape but those who are in Christ are spared the
fire that burns for all eternity for that fire burnt upon the
sun that the Father gave as an offering for them. And that fire
was quenched for them. And though they, though they
may rebel, and though they, though they may go astray, may be put
through the fire that trials their faith. may be put in the
fire that refines them as gold, and brings them to their father
as gold and as jewels. Though they may know trial, and
though their father may deal with them to burn off their rebellion,
to burn off their half-heartedness, they shall never be consumed. I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed, for I gave my son in the fires of wrath and of
judgment for you. They shall be mine, saith the
Lord of hosts. Are you his? Are you one of those
jewels? For if you are, then you will
love his election and his choice of you, that despite all your
rebellion, all your sin, he nevertheless saved you and kept you to the
end. He gave his son as an offering
for your sins. And he says with a certainty
that whatever you have done and whatever you say, they shall
be mine. in that day when I make up my
jewels. Behold the day cometh that shall
burn as an oven, and all the proud yea, and all that do wickedly
shall be stubble. And the day that cometh shall
burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch. But unto you, unto you those
who are mine, unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness
arise, with healing in his wings. And ye shall go forth and grow
up as calves of the stall, and ye shall tread down the wicked,
for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the
day that I shall do this. saith the Lord of hosts, they
shall be mine in that day when I make up my jewels. Amen.