The Sudden Appearing of Christ — Carter Conlon

The Sudden Appearing of Christ in Malachi

I want to talk to you this morning about the sudden appearing of Christ when Jesus Christ suddenly comes. Now it can be in the Old Testament. We're going to look at a type today a pattern from the book of Malachi when he came suddenly.

Or was promised to come suddenly to the temple. Well, that was an Old Testament temple. Writers agree most that study this book agree that in the spirit Malachi Wrote a panoramic view as it is now his writings incorporated in several places including the passage I'm going to read this morning the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ and everything in between.

Because there there are various visitations of God. I've been a student of revival for many years now and there have been Visitations of God in various countries. Now, I'm talking about genuine visitations.

There have been claims of visitation, but any claim of God's visitation must be able to pass the blueprint test of Scripture. The Lord does not change. He says I'm the same yesterday today and forever and if you and I want to know what it's really like when the Spirit of God comes Into a place now visits you maybe personally or me personally or visits a congregation in a new way a Supernatural way or perhaps a city or a state or an entire country it has happened in days gone by you'll you'll see When we read this text That the way that the Lord visits doesn't change.

It will always be the same. Let's go to Malachi chapter 3, please. If you're already there last book in the Old Testament The sudden appearing of Christ's. I might also have called this message when Jesus comes to the hungry heart.

Father thank you Lord for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I thank you God for strength. Supernatural strength far beyond any ability that I could ever hope to have. I thank you for wisdom. I thank you for the ability to speak simply and to speak in the Spirit.

I'm asking Oh God that you lift me now and enable me to take these words that you put on my heart and express them in a way that You can come behind it and back it Lord and bear witness to it that this is truth.

It's from your heart. I Thank you God that we are living in a sovereign time that you have ordained to do something supernatural in our generation. Help us to hear it help me to speak about it God I all I can do is yield my body to you for your purpose this day and ask you in mercy to take me.

Quicken me and speak through me give your people open ears and hungry hearts. I Ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Now the question I want to ask today is what's it like? When the Lord comes to his temple now in the Old Testament you remember we read about Solomon's temple when the prayer of dedication was prayed and when the In the second time when the sacrifice was placed on the altar the glory of the Lord came into that temple.

The first time the scripture says the priests could not stand. No. No flesh could stand. Nobody could stand to minister in the presence of the Lord. The second time the glory came. In that particular time the people couldn't even enter into the house of God.

The all of the people present and there would be thousands at that time fell on their faces on the it was called the pavement. That was the exterior portion of the temple. They just fell to their faces because the glory of God the fire of God had come into the temple.

The glory of God was in the temple. Now. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the new temple of God. The temple of God is no longer a building. The temple of God is a body of believers called the Church of Jesus Christ.

On the day of Pentecost that same glory came into a group of people and When they left the upper room and stepped into the marketplace of their generation. It seemed that nothing could stand against it at that moment.

All of the hardness the anger all of the opinions about God. Everything that had outside it of the experience of God had formed a religious opinion had to bend its knee and 3 ,000 mouths that day confessed that Jesus Christ was Lord.

Malachi’s Prophecy of the Lord’s Sudden Coming

Amazing moment in history. Malachi chapter 3 he says behold verse 1 I send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek Shall suddenly come to his temple. Even the messenger of the Covenant whom you delight in behold.

He shall come saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appears? For he's like a refiners fire and like fuller's soap. He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.

And he shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

And I will come near to you to judgment and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers against the adulterers against false swears against those that oppress the hireling in his wages the widow and the fatherless and that turn aside the right the stranger from his right and Fear not me says the Lord of hosts for I am the Lord and I change not.

Therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed now. We studied that a few weeks ago and The context of that verse is God is saying because I do not change. I have not consumed you. Because God is merciful you remember that in the temple.

They sang that song for he is good and his mercy endures forever because of the mercy of God. We have an opportunity to hear these words and to let God come and change us. The Lord tells us in this pattern of Scripture.

This is how I will always come to the place that I've chosen to glorify my name. Now this sudden appearing of Christ will come firstly to you as a strong inner voice a conviction that God is about to do something.

He says I'll send my messenger and he'll prepare the way before me. You remember John came on the scene after 400 years roughly of silence. This scripture was fulfilled in its first instance and a messenger came to the scene and this messenger spoke for God.

And he said to the people Prepare a way for the Lord make a straight path as it is for God to come to you. To enter into where you are to come into the very center core as it is of your being. Let all of the crooked places be made straight.

Let their rough places be made plain. Let the high places be brought down. John said he's coming. I came to bear witness to the light. I You see I came to bear witness to the one who by the word of his mouth dispels darkness.

He is light in him is no darkness and he is the light of all men. Every man that comes into the world this Christ is the light that you will always long for. It's every he is everything you've ever longed for.

He's everything you've ever wanted. He's everything you've ever needed. He's all that you were created to be it's all found in him. And when he is found in you that light begins to be manifested in this temple this physical temple.

That's why Peter says we're called to give out praises the praises of him. Who's called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. This comes with a conviction. When Jesus is about to visit you if we are living at a time Where we're going to experience a visitation of God and I dare say if ever there was a season where we needed a visitation of God.

It's the one we're living in now, but if God chooses to visit in mercy, he will always come first to his house. He will visit his people first and judgment as it is will begin in the house of God. Now John said prepare the way of the Lord and make his way straight.

He's coming. His fan is in his hand John said and he's going to blow away. Everything that's in his temple that shouldn't be there that only that which is of himself that has weight to it might remain.

John said he's coming with an axe in his hand and he's going to take an axe to the root of every tree and every Tree that does not bear good fruit. He's going to hew it down and cast it into the fire.

The Convicting Work of the Holy Spirit

When the Holy Spirit comes in great measure to a people. We many many have a preconceived notion of what that's going to be like. We our minds go back to service time our minds go back to a point of worship where it just seemed like we were leaving earth and heading to the throne of God and We have a perception in our mind that that's what it's going to be like.

When God comes in his power when the Holy Spirit visits us, we're all just going to be happy. We're all just going to clap our hands now that may come. Eventually, but there'll be something that happens first.

In Isaiah chapter 6 the Prophet Isaiah a young prophet of God was in the year King Uzziah died. He said I was drawn up. He was raised up as it is the Lord drew near to him and he was brought into the presence of a living and a Holy God and the very first thing that happened to Isaiah is that he become aware.

He said now I know that Isaiah came from a tradition where a lot of religious things were being said. There were a lot of words being spoken in the temple of his generation a lot of promises being Offered out a lot of scripture being read a lot of vows being made so many things so many religious things were happening.

But when Isaiah was drawn into the presence of God, he said whoa is me. I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. He says for mine eyes have seen the Lord of glory.

I've seen God in his glory and I realized how incredibly far my speech falls short of what it should be. And When God comes when the Holy Spirit comes to the temple when Christ suddenly appears to your heart.

When there's a work of God begins to go on inside of you. You will become aware of everything you speak that is unlike God. You'll become aware there be this inner conviction. It can go into the past can be patterns of speaking that have gotten into your house.

It can be the way you're speaking in your place of employment. It can be things that you are saying. That the scripture says clearly you should not say could be the way you're speaking even of government leaders things that are coming out of your mouth that shouldn't be there.

And in spite of the praises on Sunday and Tuesday in spite of the vows in spite of the promises in spite of the prayers to be drawn into the presence of the living God you and I will become aware of the unholiness of our speech.

That has been the pattern. That was the pattern in Malachi's day. That's been the pattern of every revival of every generation of every church of every place that God's ever visited. There's an awareness that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God that my speech is not what it should be.

Daniel’s Encounter With the Holiness of God

In Daniel if you'll put a marker in Malachi and go back to Daniel right after the book of Ezekiel Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel then you'll have the book of Daniel now. Daniel chapter 10. Daniel is a righteous man.

He's made a lot of Proper decisions in his life. He has stood firm when others have compromised he's had knowledge when others have been confused. But listen to this thing that happened to Daniel when the Lord came to him.

In Daniel chapter 10 and verse 8 he says therefore I was left alone and saw this great vision and There remained no strength in me for my comeliness turned in me into corruption and I retained no strength.

Yet I this is what happened to Daniel. Daniel said God came to me I I had a visitation of the Lord and My self-image died at that moment everything I thought I was when he says my comeliness. That means that things that I thought were good in me.

Things that I had achieved places where I thought I was strong. I had been drawn in to the presence of God and Everything in me became corruption and I retained no strength. To have God come to you in great measure is to become aware That we are all together other than he is and apart from his mercy and grace you and I don't have any hope for the future.

It's his life in us that gives us the strength to go forward. It's his grace that causes us to be saved in the first place. There's nothing in us that can come to him and offer any atonement for ourselves.

He said yet I heard the voice of his words and when I heard the voice of his words in Daniel 10 verse 9. Then I was in a deep sleep on my face in my face toward the ground and behold a hand touched me and Set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands and he said to me Oh Daniel a man greatly beloved.

Understand the words that I speak unto thee and stand upright run to thee. Am I now sent and we had spoken this word I? Stood trembling and then he said to me fear not Daniel for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand.

And to chasing yourself before thy God thy words were heard and I'm come for thy words. Now to you and I don't anticipate that the Holy Spirit coming to us that God coming anew to us and touching us is going to produce this kind of an experience.

And Daniel was a young man who was saying God I've walked with you. I've done certain things but Lord I want a deeper walk with you and how many of you have prayed that prayer in the last year or so you've said God I want I want your heart.

I want your life. I want to walk with you, and I want you to walk with me. I want to know you in the fullness of who you are and God says I've heard that cry and I've come down to answer that cry. And I'm going to come into the temple in a way that you've never known me before but when I come into the temple You're going to experience certain emotions.

Charles Finney the great evangelist two years ago preached here in New York City said it this way the man who's very far from God Feels very good about himself in his own religion that he's created all around himself.

But the man who's actually drawing into the presence of God the closer he gets the more undone. He's beginning to feel the more he becomes aware of his frailty. He becomes aware of his Inability in himself that is to do anything that can please God he becomes aware that it's all by grace.

It's all by the goodness of God. It's all by the mercy of God that I stand. The message turns from how away from strategies to please God to how God has chosen to please his own heart by coming down and Paying the price for my sin on the cross and coming into my life and drawing me in his mercy unto himself.

There's no other reason that I should be in the presence of God than by the mercy of God. We learn when the Lord comes now. These are Old Testament examples. I want to show you a New Testament one in Revelation chapter one, please if you go there last book in the New Testament I'm doing this to build a base and just to prove a point to you now think about this for a moment.

John’s Vision of the Glorified Christ

This is the Apostle John. This is the same young man who leaned on the breast of Jesus at the Last Supper. This is the Apostle who refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved now you and I would think That he's now probably about 80 years old and you and I would think that seeing Jesus again after all these years.

That things would just kind of take up where they left off. You and I would think that John would jump up to his feet and say my my friend. That stays closer than a brother. Now. There's a measure of that no doubt but look exactly what happens here when the Lord comes to him.

Revelation chapter 1 of verse 12. He said I turned to see the voice that spake with me and being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one likened to the Son of Man.

Clothed with a garment down to the foot and girt about the pops with a golden girdle. His head and hairs were white like wool as white as snow and his eyes were as a flame of fire and His feet like undefined brass as if they burned in a furnace and his voice is the sound of many waters.

He had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth Went a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength. And when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead and he laid his hand upon me.

His right hand upon me saying fear not. I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead and behold. I'm alive forevermore. Amen and have the keys of hell and death. Now we would say that even though John even though He's a wonderful friend and he was a wonderful friend.

Did we sing that chorus? I am a friend of God and that's wonderful to be able to say that but you and I must never forget That in spite of the fact that Jesus Christ is a wonderful friend. He's also an awesome fearful and a holy God.

This is what Malachi was speaking about we cry for the Lord to come and visit his temple. But when he comes he comes as a refiners fire. He comes in the fullness. He cannot dwell with that which is impure.

He will he will come if we ask him if you open your heart. He will come. But he will not share any place with any impurity. He comes as a refiners fire and he will purify. Malachi said the sons of Levi.

That's the priesthood you and I are living priests of Almighty God in our generation. He will purify our worship. He will purify our song. He will come into us and burn out all of the impurity that is Masquerading as something precious in the sight of God and in the sight of men.

He will come and he will purge the sons of Levi and he will come as a fuller soap. You remember in Ezekiel chapter 36, he said I'm going to come to you and he said I'm not coming because you've done it, right.

I'm coming for my holy namesake and I'm going to gather you out of all the places where you've been scattered. I'm going to gather you to myself and he says I'm going to wash you with clear clean and pure water.

And he said when you see what you've done when you see how you live. He said there's going to be a loathing of yourselves now. God doesn't want us to stay there, but folks sometimes to grow we have to go there.

We have to see otherwise we become too light with the things of God. We become too light with our Christ. We walk too casually into his presence. We treat him like who's it did on that parade when David and everyone were playing with all of their might.

Thinking that just with human effort. We're going to be able to bring God as it is back into the center of Jerusalem. But who's. I reached out and touched the ark and God killed him and stopped the parade right on its spot.

I am a holy God. I am an awesome God. I am a fearful God. I'm not to be taken lightly. I'm not to be treated lightly. I thank God that I can't call Jesus Christ my friend and my Savior, but I thank God.

There's a knowledge also in my heart that he is a holy God. Paul said knowing therefore the terror of the Lord. We persuade men in the New Testament is written of Christ that he dwells in unapproachable light.

There's such a purity in God there's such a magnificence of God's glory in Christ that you and I cannot approach him in Anything but through the covering of his mercy through his shed blood on Calvary.

Thanks be to God that we will not lose sight of the holiness of God. There's always a cry there's a cry in every generation. Lord come to me come to this temple God Almighty I want to be used of you. I want your glory to be made manifest In me and through me and that has to be a cry in each of our lives when if we are truly born again of the Spirit of God now, I want you to travel with me into the past now there is a temple the people are gathered and There's a lot of activity going on in this temple.

There are a lot of opinions about God. There are a lot of theories about God. There's a lot of talk about God. There's been four hundred years of silence until the voice of John the Baptist and then suddenly suddenly God appears.

People have been talking about the appearance of God and they've developed theories about the appearance of God. And this is what God is going to look like and this is what God is going to do. It's these theories are based on a lot of Old Testament scripture a lot of personal conjecture.

Some of it is mired in a sense of disappointment as to why is it taken so long? We've cried out to you Lord. Why is why is it that it's as if you haven't heard me? Why haven't you come to me and suddenly one day?

Could you imagine having been in that temple that day in the synagogue and suddenly God appears? God Almighty the one that John said he in him. We saw the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We saw him full of grace and full of truth the only begotten of the Father.

We saw him. He steps up to the pulpit. The scripture is given to him. He opens the scroll to the book of the Prophet Isaiah and what he simply does. He lays out in simple order his work. This is who I am.

This is what I do. If you want to if you want me to visit you this is where we're going this is what we're going to do folks. It's it's so simple. It's profound. There are so many theories about God in our generation.

There's so much confusion about who Christ is how he manifests his life among his people. But he said to the prophet Malachi. I don't change people change. Churches change circumstances change societies change, but I don't change.

I'm the same yesterday today and forever. And he stepped into the synagogue. Opened the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah and began to read the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he's anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

He sent me to heal the brokenhearted to preach deliverance to the captives. To give back sight to those that are blind and to set freer at Liberty those that have been wounded or bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

To tell everyone that this is the time that they can't come and you can receive this healing. And then he said to the people. This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears. Amos 3 3 the Lord says how?

Can to walk together except to be agreed. And he stood in the pulpit that day and said this is what I do. This is why I've been born. This is why the Spirit of God is upon me. This would be the reason why the Spirit of God will come upon my church.

This is what Pentecost is all about. This is why we cry out for revival when we begin to lose this heart. We begin to cry out again God. You've got to come to us again. You've got to speak simply to us again.

You've got to come in the power of the Holy Spirit and show us God why you even in dwell this temple. What is it about why are we left on the earth? How are we supposed to bring glory to your name? He sets it in order.

He said this then is my temple. This is why the Spirit of God comes. To anoint us to preach to the poor. To anoint us to give us a heart for the poor. To be able to tell the poorest of the poor the least of the least the push.

To the side of every society every generation and every Culture that the treasure of God is now yours in Jesus Christ. You can come out of whatever Spiritual poverty has been inflicted on you. Whatever has come into your mind that has told you you'll never amount to anything or never be special or never have anything good to offer.

In this life, you can come out of that poverty. The Spirit of the Lord is upon us to tell the poorest of the poor that they have a God in heaven a Savior. Who's willing to come and dwell within them? It's not all about material things folks.

There's no greater treasure in the world and to have God living inside of you. God Almighty living inside of your life. He sent me to heal the brokenhearted. Deliverance to the captives of recovering a sight to the blind and to set at Liberty them that are bruised.

Christ’s Ministry in the Temple and Resistance to Revival

Every revival throughout history has been vehemently resisted by those who practice religion without God in it. The people in the temple had a choice to make that day. They'd waited four hundred years and finally God has come.

Finally God himself is in the pulpit and they're looking and he's just too ordinary and it's just too simple. And it doesn't fit with their religion. It doesn't work into their traditions. They've just they've gotten this system and somehow God is outside of the system.

And he's standing in the pulpit and what do they do? Instead of falling on their faces and saying God is here as they did in Solomon's day in the temple. No, the scripture says they gnash on him with their teeth.

It was just as simple. This is we don't we don't anticipate that God looks like this. There's an ordinary-looking man. We know who his stepfather is. We know his mother is we know what he does for a living.

And now he's standing here telling us this is what God does it even worse that he is God he's identifying some as God through the scripture in Isaiah and they gnashed upon him with their teeth and a Religious system will always always always stand against genuine revival.

When the Lord comes in the conviction of sin. When God begins to move among the people when he begins to set things in order. That have gotten crooked when the crooked places are made straight when he starts cutting Trees that have grown in his house that shouldn't be there and throwing them away into the fire.

There'll always be a vehement resisting. By those who practice religion without God in it. But Jesus they took him to the brow of a hill and the scripture says that we're going to throw him off the hill.

But I love the passage in scripture says he just turned and walked right through the midst of them and walked away. You see God The father gave Christ the power to walk right through this and he will give you the power to walk through it.

He will give you the power As the Lord begins to move in a sovereign way upon your heart. Now go to Matthew chapter 21, please if you will. I'm going to continue on the thought of when he comes to the temple.

Cleansing Prayerlessness and Self-Indulgence

Matthew chapter 21 in verse 12. When Jesus comes to you He will cast out prayerlessness the self-indulgent seeking of God and Accepted practices of the day which he has rejected. Matthew chapter 21 verse 12 and when Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple and Overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seat to them that sold doves and he said to them it is written My house shall be called the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.

When Jesus comes to you, he will challenge these things. He will challenge prayerlessness. He will challenge a seeking of himself, which is only it's a self-indulgent seeking now. I'm not saying we shouldn't seek God if we have a need in our lives.

But there can become it can turn to a pattern where that's the only reason we seek God. That's why we come into his house. It's always to gain some new thing that will prosper us and benefit our own lives and miss the whole point of why we're left Here as a church on this earth.

He will also challenge accepted practices of the day. Which he has rejected if we want the Holy Spirit to come Into this house in the way that I do believe that God wants to visit us. There are some things we do That we may not see and we have to be open to let him challenge them.

He may have rejected them. The selling of doves was just a can it was a convenient kind of a thing. So the people who were poor could come in and it had a sense of godliness about it. But he rejected it because it had turned from what it should have been into something it shouldn't be.

And In verse 14 of Matthew chapter 21 It says. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he healed them. Now I'm speaking of the temple as you. When God comes to you when Christ suddenly appears to you, he will challenge everything inside of your heart.

That is unlike him and Then when that is dealt with. The areas in your life where there is no vision and no strength will be healed. Praise God. The blind and the lame in the temple. I am the temple you are the temple places where we don't see.

Places where we have no strength immediately if we say God come deal with the prayerlessness in me deal with a Seeking of you that is not does not have a a proper focus. God deal with things that I'm doing that I think are right, but you say wrong.

God give me the courage to turn from these things in the moment. Those crooked places are made straight the moment we have opened our heart to the dealing of God. He says I come in and I'm going to give you a spiritual vision.

Remember Malachi said there's going to be a return to discernment in the last days people are going to come back to God and he's going to open their eyes and they're going to be able to see who serves God and who doesn't serve him in areas where you have no strength will be healed.

In other words, the glory of the Lord begins to be manifested. We begin to have a testimony. That's not about ourselves. It's about another. Someone other than ourselves is giving us a newness of life in our heart.

We begin to stand and leap and dance as many would have done that day inside that Old Testament Synagogue or temple they would have given God the utmost of glory because he was doing what no man of religion had ever done for Them folks religion will not give you sight and it would not heal you but Christ inside of you.

Will you'll be taken from image to image and glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord? You'll become a new creation in Christ Jesus every morning. You will wake up and sing Oh God. You've so changed that area of my heart.

You've so changed the way I think you so changed the way I do things. You've so given me vision for the future. I'm no longer parenting my children out of fear, but I see something I see what you're telling me.

My sons and daughters are going to be God Almighty. You've strengthened me where I've been weak. You've changed me and the testimony of our lives is no longer about how to do anything for God. It's about how God has done everything for me.

Praise God in Mark chapter Chapter 1 if you'll just stay in Matthew for a moment. I'll just read it to you in Mark chapter 1. In the temple the verse 23 it says in their synagogue. There was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit and he cried out saying let us alone.

What have we to do with thee thou Jesus of Nazareth out there come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art the Holy One of God. But Jesus rebuked him saying hold your peace and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him and cried with a loud voice He came out of him and they were all amazed in so much that they questioned among themselves saying what thing is this?

What new doctrine is this for with authority commands? He even the unclean spirits and they do obey him and immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee folks when Christ comes when the Holy Spirit comes to you.

When he comes in response to the cry of your heart into this physical temple. There will be things in you that cry out to be spared. Oh God, oh God. Spare me this attitude of heart. You know Lord that this I need this you see these are things that thrive in religion, but when Christ comes They begin to be exposed immediately and they begin to cry out for mercy.

Let me stay here. Let me stay in the temple. Now. You'll notice that Jesus just said be quiet and come out. He had no negotiating with these things. God, let me keep this attitude of heart. Let me keep this relationship.

Let me keep this financial practice. Let me keep this way of thinking. Let me keep this way of speaking and you'll when he comes into the temple. Everything unclean will start to cry out. You will feel you know, that's why many of you here today you say what is wrong with me.