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The Gospel Truth
the Prophet (vs. 13-15) God said then, and God is saying now, that if you identify yourself as one of my people and, one or more of the following is true about you - you are not loving me with all of your heart; or, you are not vigorously worshiping me in private and public; or, your see no great difference between my religion and other religions; or, you are not daily changing and conforming to my will; or, you are squandering your material resources on yourself and worldly pursuits without giving tithes and offerings to me - then you are "arrogant" against me in danger of joining the "doers of wickedness" who only have an illusion of "escape." Please repent before the day of judgment. The Written Response of The People and God (vs. 16-18) For the first time in a long time we have a positive response from God's people to God's prophet. Maybe the dam broke. Maybe persistence pays off. Maybe if we keep preaching for people to repent before the day of judgment, then before the day of judgment people will repent. Notice that their repentance was not total, but it was sincere. They quit going through the motions. They quit playing games with God and giving him the leftovers. God became big to them, so large they were literally afraid. But it was fear mixed with love, reverent love like you have for the perfect father, a father whose name you value and cherish and gladly claim for your own. This repentance was not private, it was very public. They "spoke to one another" and even put this particular experience in a published book. I do not think they spoke to criticize Malachi or gossip about one another. I think they spoke words about the grace and greatness of almighty God. I think they spoke out loud about their repentance and faith, and I think they knew that a personal relationship with the Lord is never a private matter. According to God's comments, repentance is not passive, but active. It is not simply an emotional experience, but an active lifestyle. It is not crocodile tears at the end of a service. It is service at end of those crocodile tears. It is frankly the difference "between one who serves God and one who does not serve him." Finally, from the writing in this text, repentance distinguishes between those whom God accepts and those whom God rejects. "They" in verse 17 are "those" in verse 16 who expressed genuine repentance to the call of God through the preaching of Malachi. They repented before the day of judgment, a day about to be described in chapter four. But before we go there, I'd like to close with some things to remember about repentance. Some Things To Remember About Repentance Malachi 3:13-18 is essentially an argument against the argument that all ways of life (or all religions) are essentially equal. Furthermore, the difference between every other way of life, indeed between every other religion, and a relationship with the only true and living God is not even faith, but repentance. Even atheistic philosophies offer faith in philosophy or faith in self. Every religion offers some faith in some god or gods. Cults, sects and even demons have faith in the God of the Bible. But one thing they all lack: genuine repentance. So, there certainly ought to be some things to remember about repentance. Repentance is instant, constant and does not happen overnight. To be "born again" is to be instantly changed into a child of God. To be "Christian" is to constantly, even if imperfectly, live a changed life. But from the beginning, this requires a field plowed with prayers, preaching, and the planting of the word of God. That's why Malachi kept on keeping on, and why I hope to, too. That's why parents need to have their children under the sound of the word of God even more diligently than they have them under the sound of their school teachers, dance instructors and little league coaches. That's why you need to be in the worship center and small group as regularly as the job center and coffee group. Repentance is personal but cannot be sustained without community. I am not surprised that Christianity has been built in western civilization like a mountain range - up and down. The forces of freedom of religion have given rise to great missionary movements, while the trend towards rugged individualism have broken down the sense of community necessary to sustain the church. Real revivals are always "one another" movements. They are matches of individual commitment and corporate accountability. We may not always like one another, but we must always love one another, because we always need one another. Repentance produces both freedom and slavery. Repentance is the key and chain of biblical Christianity, in that order. It is the key that frees us from the bondage of the will to do the will of Satan and self. Repentance liberates us to know the will of God, to understand the meaning of scripture, to believe and follow Jesus Christ, to know the truth that sets us free. But it is a freedom that fits us to wear other chains. We become servants of Christ, of his word, and of his body the church, and of his world the lost. We slip one set of infinitely heavy chains for another set that is infinitely light.
Repentance is only found in the remnant within the remnant. This is a lesson learned from Malachi, from all the Old Testament learned from Malachi, from all the Old Testament prophets, even from Christ himself. The world shows no evidence of repentance whatsoever. Within the walls of the church there are mixed signs. But, as I think Calvin meant there is within the visible an invisible remnant that is the true church, the true believers, those who have written down and remembered a few things about repentance.
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