Text: Malachi 3:1-4

I love the first snow fall of the winter. There is something special about looking outside and seeing everything covered with that blanket of white. It can be really enjoyable to sit inside by a warm fireplace, with a nice cup of hot chocolate, watching those big flakes of snow falling to the earth. One of the reasons it is so special is because it makes things look clean and pure. Right after the snowfall, everything is white. Scripture even uses the picture of snow to make us think about how pure we are after Jesus has purified us from our sins. As we think about how much Jesus has cleansed us, it leads us to Take Delight in Jesus. Even though Jesus is coming to judge, we know that he will give us the joy of salvation.

Part 1: Even though he is coming to judge …

The prophet Malachi wrote the words of our text roughly 430 years before the birth of Jesus. When Malachi was prophesying, the Israelites were back in their homeland. They had been freed from their Babylonian captivity when the Persian Empire defeated the Babylonians. The Jewish people were back in Israel and they had rebuilt the temple. However, they were discouraged by a few things. Their country was just a small province in the Persian Empire. They were not the world power that they had once been. Also, the glorious future that the prophets described had not yet come. These prophesies were still to be fulfilled in the first and second comings of Jesus.

Because the people were discouraged, they fell into some sinful attitudes. Because they did not see their nation being exalted, they began to doubt God’s love for them. They thought that if God truly loved them, then they would see the fulfillment of the incredible prophesies they had heard. They became guilty of dishonoring and disrespecting God. They did not follow his commands and they gave in to the sins of the world around them. They came to worship God and offer sacrifices at the temple but their heart was not in it. God despised their sacrifices because the people did not give their best offerings. They were not living a life of love for God.

When we consider the sinful attitudes of the Israelites at Malachi’s time, it helps us to understand the words of judgment that Malachi speaks in verses 2 and 3. He says, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” That first question is significant: who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand up before Jesus when he returns and say that they deserve to be allowed into heaven? Malachi wanted the Israelites to realize that their sinful actions and their impenitence was keeping them out of heaven.

We have a few pictures to describe the judgment. Malachi talks about the refiner’s fire and the launderer’s soap. He explains the picture by saying that the Lord will purify the people when he judges. The refiner’s fire is use to remove impurities from the metal that is being refined. In the judgment, those who are impure will be removed and sent to hell. There is the same idea with the launderer’s soap. The soap is used to remove the dirt from whatever it is that needs to be cleaned. Those who are dirty will fall under eternal judgment. Malachi was pointing out to the people that they were impure and dirty because of their sin. They needed to be purified if they wanted eternal life.

Because of the need for calls to repentance, it is good that God sends his messengers to proclaim his Word. At the beginning of our text he talks about the messenger who would prepare the way for his coming. When we get to Jesus’ earthly ministry, we clearly see that this messenger is John the Baptist. In the gospel this morning we heard about the emphasis of John’s ministry. He proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He urged people to repent. Repentance literally means to turn around and go the other way. People were living in sinful ways and walking away from the Lord. John the Baptist urged them to turn away from their sins and turn back to the Lord.

That message is exactly what Malachi was preaching and it is what we still proclaim today. It was an important message for people as they waited for Jesus to come as the Messiah and it is still important as we wait for him to return as the Judge. Earlier in the book of Malachi, he wrote about the importance of those who proclaim God’s Word. Malachi 2:7 says, “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.” God still gives us messengers to guide us to the truths of his Word. The problem is that many don’t want to listen to God’s messengers.

We can easily fall into the same sins that the people of Malachi’s day committed.  We have heard the promises of God that he will bless his people and that he will return to take us to be with him in heaven. However we don’t always see those great things right in front of us. Judgment day can seem like it is a long ways off and we don’t always feel like we are enjoying great blessings in this world. It is easy to feel that way when we see the church and even fellow believers struggling in this world. We can be tempted to doubt God’s love. If he truly loved us then why do we have to do deal with all these problems – terrible illnesses, financial struggles, or even being the victim of someone else’s horrible sin?

We might get to a point in which we dishonor and disrespect God by not looking to his Word for the truth of salvation. Perhaps we seek out some other religious path. Or maybe we stay a member of the church but we simply go through the motions. We come to church either occasionally or regularly but we are really just offering up unworthy sacrifices like the Israelites. We might think that we are doing the right thing by simply making an appearance in God’s house. Is God pleased with those who simply go through the motions? Is God pleased with those who live in sin because they don’t think he is returning soon? Absolutely not. God will judge those who live contrary to his will.

It really ought to frighten us that God will judge us for our sin. Our conscience reminds us that we are unworthy. In spite of the coming judgment, we truly can take delight in Jesus. We know that when he returns he will give us the joy of salvation.

Part 2: He will give us the joy of salvation

Even though the Israelites at Malachi’s time were turning away from the Lord, God still gives them the precious promise of a Savior. In the second half of verse one it says, “Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come” (Malachi 3:1). While it was true that there was still 400 some years before Jesus would come to earth, he did come at the appointed time. He came to his temple. He came and lived among his people. Also, shortly after his birth, his parents presented him at the temple according to the ceremonial law. On that day, Simeon got to see the Messiah and hold Jesus in his arms.

Jesus is the “messenger of the covenant.” When he came he clarified that covenant of forgiveness. The covenant of the law was never meant to show the Israelites how they could earn their way to heaven. Rather the law shows us our need for a Savior. We can’t obey those commands perfectly. Just like John the Baptist, Jesus called people to repent of their sins and to look to him for salvation. He even gave his believers the new covenant in his blood – the wonderful sacrament that we have in the Lord’s Supper. Communion is a special way for us to partake of the forgiveness that Jesus won for us through the cross and resurrection.

As we think about the joy that Jesus brings to us, we can think about the joy of the Christmas season. In the church year we have two very joyful holidays. Easter is very special because of the resurrection which guarantees our eternal salvation by showing that our sins have truly been paid for. Christmas is very joyful because on that day we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise to send that Savior who would take away our sins. For some of us, this Christmas holiday is our most joyful celebration. We have all the different ways that we show our joy.

We have special memories and celebrations for the Christmas season. We have those Christmas songs and hymns that we listen to on the radio and that we sing in church. We have parties with friends and families. We enjoy the holiday treats and meals. We enjoy getting together for the special worship services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Even more than on other holidays, Christmas is a time to be joyful and to celebrate by giving gifts to others. The joy we experience when we receive a wonderful present ought to make us think of the joy that we have when we receive the greatest gift from God. On the very first Christmas, we received the gift of a Savior.

Think about Paul’s prayer for the Philippians. He said, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11). That is a prayer that we can imitate as we celebrate our joy in Christ. We pray that our love may abound as we continue to grow in our faith. Truly we are delighted to know our Savior and what he has done for us. Our faith leads us to see his love for us and to live that life which truly does honor and respect him.

Then we come to worship him with joy. We worship him with joy now as he purifies our hearts through faith and we will worship him with even greater joy in heaven when we are completely purified from all sin. Listen to how Malachi concludes these verses, “Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years” (Mal 3:3b-4). Because of that little child born in Bethlehem, we can live for our God.

Conclusion

Since I already mentioned that I like a fresh snowfall, it should come as no surprise that I also like the Christmas song, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.” For me, it truly feels like Christmas when there is a nice snow cover on the ground. Even though snow doesn’t always make us think of our Savior, it can remind us of the fact that he has purified us through his innocent life and death. Because of that forgiveness we truly can take delight in our Lord Jesus. His coming Judgment can make us realize our sinfulness but then we also rejoice because we know that he has completely taken away those sins. Let’s try to take the joy that we feel at Christmas and make it part of our life year-round. Let’s live a life that delights in Jesus.