J Albrecht…Last Sunday Church Year…Malachi 3:13-18…You Are Not Home Yet…Nov. 23, 25

“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ ¹⁴ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? ¹⁵ And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'” ¹⁶ Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. ¹⁷ “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸ Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen.

INJ Whose death and resurrection has secured our home in eternity DFR:

Why is life so unfair? This question has vexed humanity for millennia. The way in which people respond to this question, often determines the direction their life goes. For the most part, what is fair and unfair is subjective. What is fair to you, might be unfair to me, and vice versa. There is a lot in this world that isn’t fair. It isn’t fair when innocent people lose their lives in war, or when someone loses everything and ends up on the street. It isn’t fair when the ones who did all the work lose out on the credit to someone who did next to nothing. It isn’t fair when I lose someone I love.

How many more examples can you think of? It wouldn’t take you long to lose count. But the question then becomes, for the Christian, does that mean God is unfair? Now, having attended church for most of your life, your knee-jerk reaction is probably, “No way! God’s not unfair.” But how do you know?

It might be nice to know that the temptation to despair over the fairness of life is not a new thing to the 21^st century, but it has been around for thousands of years. In our study of Malachi 3 today, we see two groups of people. Those who view God as unfair, according to their own qualifications of what is fair; and those who fear and honor God’s name even through periods of “unfairness.” It’s not the groups that are important, but the response God gives to them. To that group that considers God unfair and would rather despise His Word, He answers nothing. But to those who honor and revere His name, He gives a comforting word of patience: You are not home…yet.

“Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’

Go back to the beginning of the Scriptures and you will see this is nothing new. Even Adam spoke harshly against the LORD, blaming Him for giving Eve and causing the fall into sin. The Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dealt with their own internal, and sometimes external struggles as to why God would allow such tragedy and great testing to enter their lives. And that’s not to mention all the times the children of Israel complained against the LORD in the wilderness. But this word against the LORD is far different from the others. Why? Because they were ignorant of their rejection of the LORD.

¹⁴ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? ¹⁵ And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'”

We can understand their grievances, can’t we? Because we see the same thing happening in the world around us. The righteous might be struck with affliction, but the one who cares not for the house of the LORD prospers. The righteous are constantly chastised for their sinfulness and acts of heart, body, and mind; but the one who mocks the name of the LORD gets away without being struck by lightning. To our way of reasoning, why even bother?

The Christian life isn’t fair. Shouldn’t we be rewarded for not blaspheming God’s name, or given a break for our diligence in going to church? Instead, we are the ones stuck underneath God’s Laws and restrictions. We are the ones who don’t get ahead because we are unwilling to cheat and steal.

Is that you? Has that been the attitude of your heart at times. That for once, God would be fair towards you? Brothers and sisters in Christ, know what it is you are asking for. To get what is fair from God is total destruction. It is His righteous and eternal punishment for the sins you have committed against Him. Fair is God removing any good thing from your life because You have disregarded His Word. You have blasphemed His name. You have rejected Him. That is fair because that is what we deserve.

Asking God to be fair towards us is the wrong question to ask. God doesn’t deal with us in fairness, He deals with us according to His justice. What parent, who loves their child, would not warn that child of the dangers of touching the hot stove with their hand? What parent, who loves their child, would not loving correct them when they disobey or behave inappropriately? A parent corrects and instructs their child because they love them and want what is best for them. The LORD does the same thing. He chastens us with His Word so that we would recognize our error and repent.

Did you notice the LORD’s response to those who said, “It is vain to serve God.”? Nothing. Not a word. It’s not because God doesn’t love them, for He has given them a conscience and His Word to tell them right from wrong, but it’s because they have rejected Him. Because they have rejected His Word, they do not realize the judgment that will come on the wicked and the arrogant. The lack of consequence and the ability to “get away with it” might improve their lot on earth, but it means eternal death in eternity. Jesus testifies in Matthew 16, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

God is just and the wicked will receive their reward in due time. They never truly escape God’s judgment; it just comes when that judgment is final and hope has faded. God, in His justice, also acts in a certain way towards those who fear His name, who do not reject His Word.

¹⁶ Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another The first difference between those who fear the LORD and those who despair over following Him is what they do. Those who despair lament against God, but those who fear Him gather together. They find fellowship with each other a blessing from God. Most often we do this during our worship service, but it goes far beyond that. This fellowship includes the time we spend together after the service talking, or outside of church in our every-day lives. The LORD has given us this fellowship and community to build each other up unto salvation. We would do good to make use of such a blessing.

The LORD paid attention and heard them. We see this theme pop up around Scripture, that God hears and listens to His people. More than just in our individual prayer time with Him, Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 the benefits of joining together in fellowship:  Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Sin, by its nature breeds chaos and disagreement. Confession of sin leads to cooperation, such that God pays attention and hears. The early church in Acts is the perfect example. The suffered great persecution, with James being the first martyr. And yet, they did not neglect their meeting together. It was in the fellowship that they found strength to persevere through great affliction. It was a blessing from the LORD then as it is today.

And a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. ¹⁷ “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

These words serve as God’s answer to the fairness or lack thereof in the world. His answer is simple, yet so filled with His grace and love. You are not home…yet. This world is not your home. It is the domain of Satan, filled with darkness and sin and is destined for destruction. Those who belong to the world belong to God’s eternal judgment. But you, the one who fears the name of the LORD, that is, the one who has faith in God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, this is not your home.

This is not the only time the LORD mentions a book of remembrance. It comes up in Daniel’s prophecy of the end times and also in Revelation. In Revelation it is described as the book of life. In this book are inscribed the names of those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Jesus told His disciples to rejoice, not in the fact that the evil spirits obey them, but that their names are written in heaven. Let us ponder the significance of these words. Your name is etched in stone – unable to be altered because it is kept by God in heaven. He has called you to be His very own from before the foundation of the world. He redeemed you at Calvary’s cross where you were crucified in all your sinfulness with your Savior Jesus. He has crowned you as an heir of eternal life even now through the waters of baptism and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Your righteousness, your future home is completely in God’s hands. That is the most secure place it can be.

How can you be sure that God will keep you in His book of remembrance? ¹⁷ “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession. You are His treasured possession. When you try to get a loan for your mortgage, or an auto loan, you need to put up collateral – an assurance for the bank that you won’t default. The collateral God put up to secure your spot in heaven was the innocent blood of His Son. There was no greater price He could offer, but He paid it willingly because that is how much He loves you. To make your future even more sure, God did just give up His Son into death, but He also raised Him from the dead. Paul writes, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” And in the words of Jesus, “Because I live, you shall live also.”

These words are to be for your comfort and encouragement when the world around you seems unfair. ¹⁸ Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. God will make it clear His grace is with the righteous right now, and His judgment will be on the wicked in the end. Whether it is the sorrow of death, anxiety of your work-life, or feeling at a loss in life, look to your God who paid the ultimate price in order to prepare an everlasting home in glory. Amen.