Sermon Snippet – The End Is Near, but Not Near Enough
INTRODUCTION – The end of the calendar year poses a bit of a dilemma. Do we look back over the year, or do we think about the year to come? Retrospective or revelation – which one is our focus? If we deal with both, it means a longer sermon – hence the title of today’s message: “The End Is Near, but Not Near Enough.” Let us consider Malachi 3:13-18, at the end of the Old Testament. This would be God’s last direct communication with His people until more than 400 years later, when Jesus, God the Son, entered this weary and wicked world of woe.
1. GOD IS FAITHFUL
Malachi 3:13-15 records the unfaithfulness of most of the people. The word “What” is translated elsewhere in Malachi as “Wherein” (1:2; 1:6; 1:7; 2:17; 3:7; 3:8). A rapid review of these references reveals that there are many ways to be unfaithful to God. The excuse in our passage is that “it is vain to serve God” – futile, not worth the trouble, with no “profit.” There is an ironic self-indictment here, for the people are unwittingly admitting that their only interest is their own gain. They were justifying their disobedience of God, and they were also putting down a foundation – a foundation of sand – upon which the legalism of the Pharisees would be built centuries later, a legalism which plagued the people of Jesus’ day. Let us beware of this reductionist view of faith that focuses on material benefit. Let us not permit such people to sap our spiritual strength and to cause our faith to seep and slip away. Is faith worth it? First, eternity awaits – either in hell or in heaven. Through a personal faith in Jesus, each one is assured of life with Him forever in heaven. Second, that certainty is the preeminent certainty of our lives right now; without it, there are no positive certainties, only negative ones such as death (with a few notable exceptions, of course – Enoch, Elijah, and Christians alive at the Rapture of the Church). Third, blessings are real, for every good gift is a gift from God Himself (James 1:17). Fourth, no blessing is singular, for with each gift is the knowledge that the Giver is our good God. Fifth, even in times that seem bereft of blessings, we do not walk alone, “for He hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’” (Hebrews 13:5c). Sixth, our faith in times of difficulty and distress bestows a blessing upon others. Someone once said to me, “There is no ‘we’ in Christianity.” It is true that a saving faith in Jesus must be a personal decision. However, real faith must be shared and will surely inspire others. It is a poor faith indeed that is clung to and clutched the way a miser hoards his millions. Is faith worth it? These six reasons shout out, “Yes!” – and there are many other reasons in addition. Even in the unfaithfulness of so many, God still communicates, still reaches out, still speaks the truth forthrightly: “Your Words have been stout against Me.” The inescapable conclusion is that God is faithful.
2. WE CAN BE FAITHFUL IN RESPONSE
A remnant was faithful (ve4rse 16-18). They continued to worship God (the meaning of “spake often one to another”), and their commitment was acknowledged by God. Two details jump out to me. One, God refers to us as “jewels”: He treasures each one of us. His use of the personal word “My” indicates that He places an extraordinary value on this relationship with each Christian. Second, He employs the symbolism of “a book [scroll] of remembrance.” God does not need to write anything down in order to remember, of course. Rather, He uses this imagery so that we are reminded that He remembers. Throughout the Bible, numerous such references occur. Probably the most stunning is found in Isaiah 49:16a: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands.” This striking word picture places our names right before the eyes of God all of the time. Such faithfulness must reasonably elicit a response of faithfulness. It is truly the least that we can do.
CONCLUSION – As we look back, we see evidences small and large of the faithful hands of God at work in our lives. As we look ahead, we know that He will remain faithful, for He will not – cannot – change. As we contemplate His holy hands, we are drawn again to the Cross, where the spike-shattered hands of God the Son, Jesus Christ, were stapled for our sins. When He gazes at those hands, He sees both our names and His scars. Neither belong there, but they are there because our Savior God is infinitely faithful. May we place ourselves in the eternal embrace of those loving hands. Through faith in Jesus, we rest there forever. May we respond in faithfulness to Him, and may we demonstrate that commitment by our loyalty and fidelity to those closest to us.