MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(PowerPoint slides used in this sermon are available at no charge. Just e-mail me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #239.)
(This is basically my adaptation of an excellent sermon by Bruce Howell entitled "The Day God Eavesdropped.")
A. This morning we’re going to look at a passage of Scripture found in the very last book in the O.T., the book of Malachi.
At the time of the writing of Malachi, the nation of Israel had once again strayed far from God. Evil abounded. Unbelief prevailed. The majority of people went their own sinful ways, giving little thought to the will or ways of God.
They laughed at the prophets & showed utter contempt for God & His Law. Does that sound a lot like today?
With that in mind, listen as God speaks to them through the prophet Malachi. Turn with me now to Malachi 3:13-15.
"You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord. "Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’
'You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements & going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?
'But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, & even those who challenge God escape.’"
SUM. To put it very bluntly, the people were saying that God was insignificant & irrelevant. In other words, they thought that God was absolutely powerless to do anything about anything, anymore. So, as a nation, they were ignoring Him. He was completely unimportant to them.
B. But, do you remember? Back in the beginning of their nation, as their forefathers were settling into the Promised Land, Joshua, their leader, had challenged them, & we find his challenge in Joshua 24:14-18,
“Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
'But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... 'But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
And the people had responded, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! It was the Lord our God Himself who brought us & our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, & performed those great signs before our eyes.
"We too will serve the Lord, because He is our God.”
And that generation of Israelites was faithful to its vow, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord … because He is our God.” They didn’t forget Him, or ignore Him!
SUM. So there is no question that their forefathers, the founders of the nation of Israel, had a deep & abiding faith & trust in God.
C. But by the time of Malachi it is painfully obvious that the nation of Israel, as a whole, had turned almost completely away from God. Listen again to what God was saying to them:
"You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord. … "You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God.
'What did we gain by carrying out his requirements…? … the evildoers prosper, & even those who challenge God escape.’"
Does this sound familiar? Is our nation going through the same pattern of behavior? I wonder? But let’s go on, for in the next few verses of Malachi there are some things that are rather intriguing. Listen as I read Malachi 3:16-18:
“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, & the Lord listened & heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord & honored His name.
'They will be my treasured possession,' says the Lord Almighty, 'n the day when I act.' (This is the alternate reading from the footnotes.) 'I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.'
'And you will again see the distinction between the righteous & the wicked, between those who serve God & those who do not.'
D. Wow! That is a rather powerful passage, & it contains a lot that I think we should notice.
1. First of all, it tells us that in the midst of an unfaithful nation, God still had a faithful remnant - a small group who remained faithful to Him!
Even though a majority of the people had turned their backs upon Him, God still had people who honored & worshiped Him, & sought to do His will.
There were not many of them in comparison to the nation as a whole. But they committed themselves to remain faithful to God, no matter what anyone else said or did.
And while surrounded by the spiritual darkness of their day, they drew closer & closer together to talk with each other, to support & encourage one another in serving God.
2. Secondly, it says that God heard them. Well, of course He did. Doesn’t the Bible teach us that He hears our prayers? We can pray, & know that He has promised to hear our prayers. So, of course, He heard them.
But wait a minute! Did you notice? It doesn’t say they were praying. Vs. 16 says that “those who feared the Lord talked with each other, & the Lord listened & heard.”
Even though they were only a small group in the whole nation, God was paying attention to them.
They talked about Him, worshiped Him, & discussed His wonderful ways. And as they did, God was listening to their conversations. He eavesdropped. He tuned in to their frequency.
Kings were making edicts, but God was listening to His people. Generals were giving orders, but God was listening to a handful of folks talking about Him. Judges were speaking in court, but God was listening to His remnant.
Politicians were making speeches, but His ears were tuned to His faithful followers. And I believe that God is still doing the same today!
3. Thirdly, Malachi tells us that God not only listened, but that He also had it all written down in “A scroll of remembrance…” Did you get that? God was having WHAT was said & WHO said it written down, so that it would be remembered forever!
Think of that! God really does see & hear what we’re doing & saying - & not just when we’re in church or praying to Him. And He's keeping a record of it, too!
4. Fourthly, notice what God says in vs. 17. "They will be my treasured possession," says the Lord Almighty, "in the day when I act. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him."
In that verse, the Hebrew word translated, “treasured possession,” is “segula.” And it is often translated as “jewels” or “treasure.” So God is saying that these faithful people are His jewels, His very own treasure.
He goes on to say that in the day when He acts, He is going to remember them & protect them.
And God makes His meaning very clear by saying, “And you will again see the distinction between the righteous & the wicked, between those who serve God & those who do not.” (Malachi 3:18)
Oh, Oh! In the light of that verse I want to be sure I’m part of God’s segula – His treasure. Do you? But, even though we call ourselves Christians, how can we make sure that we’re a part of God’s faithful remnant today?
Maybe we can find out by looking once again at what this scripture tells us about them & what they were doing.
I. THEY REMAINED TRUE TO GOD
First of all, it tells us they “feared the Lord” – they held Him in awe & because of that they remained true to Him. It was a time when it wasn’t easy to stay faithful to God. Corruption was everywhere. Hypocrisy abounded. Evil ruled the day.
And we could very easily say the same thing about today. You see, it’s never been easy to follow God’s ways. But God has always had a remnant. This remnant said, “Even though everybody else curses God; we will praise His name.”
They stood for righteousness in a wicked nation. They endured the ridicule of family & friends. And God looked down on this small group of faithful ones & said, "They will be my treasured possession."
ILL. Back in 1947, a professor at the University of Chicago was scheduled to teach an advanced course in astrophysics. At the time he was living in Wisconsin, doing research. He planned to commute to Chicago twice a week for the class, even though it would be held during the harsh winter months.
Registration for the course, however, fell far below expectations. Only two students signed up for the course.
Other Faculty members expected the professor to cancel the course, lest he waste his time. But no, for the sake of those two students, he taught the course, commuting 100 miles round trip through back country roads in the dead of winter.
Ten years later, in 1957, those 2 students won the Nobel prize for physics. And in 1983, so did the professor. They were only a handful, but what a handful!
ILL. Fredrick the Great, Ruler of Prussia in the mid 1700’s, was widely known as an agnostic. By contrast, his great general, Von Zealand, was a devout Christian.
One day, during a festive gathering, the king began making crude jokes about Jesus Christ until everyone was roaring with laughter. Everyone but Von Zealand, that is.
Finally, Von Zealand arose & addressed the King, “Sire, you know I have not feared death. I have fought & won 38 battles for you. I am an old man; & I shall soon have to go into the presence of One greater than you, the mighty God who saved me from my sin, the Lord Jesus Christ whom you are blaspheming.”
“I salute you, sire, as an old man who loves his Savior, (standing) on the edge of eternity.”
The banquet hall suddenly went silent, & with trembling voice, King Fredrick replied, “General Von Zealand, I beg your pardon, I beg your pardon!” And with that, the party quietly ended. Today in The Word, August, 1989
Wow! It’s still true, God’s segula remains faithful in every situation.
II. THEY TALKED ABOUT GOD
Not only was this remnant faithful, but when they got together, evidently they didn’t spend their time gossiping, criticizing, or talking about the weather or sports or current events.
They could have, but they didn’t. They talked about the Lord. They testified about God’s blessings & presence. They spoke of answers to prayer.
Have you ever noticed how eager someone in love seems to be to talk about the person or thing he or she loves?
The fellow who loves golf gravitates to those who share his passion for the game & talks about it constantly. The same could be said about politics, football, or any number of other loves that we have.
But here it says that God’s special treasure, His segula, are those who love to get together to share with each other about the things of God.
Now how much does your Christianity mean to you? Is it real? Has it made a difference in your life? In the way you talk, & how you live?
ILL. Have you heard about the bridegroom who purchased only one ticket for a honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls? He hands it to his bride & says, “Have a wonderful time!” “But aren’t you going too?” she asks.
“No, I’ve already been to Niagara Falls. So you go, & I’ll see you when you get back.”
Now I don’t think I need to go any further with that story, because it’s ridiculous. When people have expressed their love & committed their lives to each other in marriage they want to be together, to share all they are with each other.
And in the same way, those who commit their lives to Christ, who become a part of His bride, the church, want to be together & share all they are with each other, too.
III. THEY HONORED HIS NAME
Finally, look at the latter part of verse 16. There it says that God caused a scroll of remembrance to be “written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.”
Not only were these faithful people in awe of the Lord, & eager to share their faith in Him with each other, but they also honored Him by their words & by their lives. They remembered the mighty acts of God. They believed what the prophets had said & written about Him.
Psalm 1:1 says, “Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit at the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, & in His law he meditates day & night.”
ILL. In a speech in Dallas, Texas, Corrie Ten Boom, author of "The Hiding Place," said that many times people would approach her & say, “Corrie, what a great faith you have.”
She smiled as she told how she would reply. “No, it’s what a great God I have.”
And whether it was in the nation of Israel, or in the United States of America today, it is still true that:
Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, & love. Our God is an awesome God!
INVITATION:
