Malachi 1:1-5, What’s It Mean to be Reformed?

Malachi’s Oracle as the Burden of the Word of the Lord

Malachi chapter 1 verses 1 to 5 here the Word of the Lord. The Oracle of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I Have loved you says the Lord, but you say How have you loved us is not Esau Jacob's brother declares the Lord yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.

I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert. If Edom says we are shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins the Lord of hosts says They may build but I will tear down.

They will be called the wicked country and The people with whom the Lord is angry forever. Your own eyes shall see this and you shall say Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel. May the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word.

Well, what's it mean to be reformed? I get that question. Sometimes I tell people the church's name. Covenant they know sounds kind of biblical even if they don't know exactly what it means. Baptists and church are very common.

But what does reform me people ask? What's before me? Well reform shouldn't be just a slogan or a buzzword. It should be for real now the church in the Middle Ages went into captivity to paganism to superstition to the culture and was then Reformed as informed again during the Reformation.

Reformed according to the Word of God here in the South. It was sinful. It was an abomination really that some churches kept out people based on race or made them kind of second-class members third-class members.

They were captive To the culture and such churches also need to be.

Reformed.

Today some churches ignore direct commands of the New Testament like practice church discipline sing psalms. And Structure themselves is sort of standing weekly shows kind of like theaters. Then they put on their shows every week sort of themed often themed according to the calendar.

Now getting of course now they're getting geared up. They're starting to advertise For Christmas, right? That isn't really according to the Word of God. It's just another form of cultural captivity and so we look around or by calls itself the church and We see a religion that has often with many exceptions but but as often gone into captivity to the world like Israel had gone into captivity to Babylon and so when we say we're reformed we're saying we've come back from that captivity to reconstitute to form again reform Real worship putting the church back together again by doing right?

What had been done wrong? But we have better be.

Careful.

Because like the people of Israel particularly here in the time of Malachi They had now they have gone into captivity Babylon now they have returned from captivity. They're back in Jerusalem and We could be like them and that we think well, we're going back to the book.

They thought they were going back to the book. We're gonna do everything right? They thought they were doing everything, right? But our hearts still be wrong. Israel here in the time of Malachi had been Reformed warmed again, but their hearts weren't in it.

Our actions Could be reformed. But our heart could still be Deformed. Our worship our organization could be according to the letter of the book. But our spirit Could still be dead. Well here in the first five verses of Malachi, this is again the first of six Disputations that Malachi is made of we see four vital points for us.

Crucial to keep us from being right in form. But wrong in spirit. First the burden. Second the birthright. Third the Bane and finally the blessing. What's it mean to be reformed? Well, it means you have a burden from the Lord that weighs on you.

Like a like a weight bearing down on you would shape you would form you. So to be reformed is have this burden from God that shapes you and verse 1 Malachi begins that he has received the burden of The Word of the Lord, that's literally what the word there translated as Oracle in verse 1.

That's what it means literally means the burden of the Lord. The burden leaving literally the burden of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi or it could be by my messenger that Malachi just means my messenger.

This message that has been received from God is to it's to him to this messenger. It's a burden. Something heavy isn't it's not light. It's not as easy to carry the Word of God is not a light thing. It's not something trivial and unsubstantial.

Just a matter of the right heated rhetoric or sort of feel-good Slogans, it makes us feel that God is always on our side that kind of thing. Learning the right catch phrases kind of like the things some of our schools are filled with little posters.

You can hang in there like it's not that's not the Word of the Lord. It's not what it's like just a matter of just this rhetoric that you used to rip an audience up into shouting. Amen. Leaving them with hot but light Emotions sentiments maybe about the good old days about the old-time religion.

But nothing weighty that puts pressure on you that leaves an impression on you that will crush your ego and squeeze out that self-righteousness. If you're tired of religion as usual that kind of empty that light stuff slogans, they're feel-good.

Inspirational phrases stuff that passes itself off as preaching but leaves people unchanged then be prepared to take up the burden to hear and carry the Word of the Lord to feel the weight of it to let it it impress itself on to us and Shape us listen to all the Word of God to every message even when is here.

The message will be a burden it'll be hard to carry and unload. What you mean to be reformed? Well, it means that being loved by God Is not something you've earned. It's not something you deserve. You know, it's not something you just kind of.

You get because you're born in the right family or in the right nation. You've done the right religious works. You've got the right rituals done for you. No, it's a gift from your father. It's it's a birthright a Spiritual birthright from being born again.

The Birthright of God’s Love and Election

Malachi begins with what at first may not sound like a burden at all. We just just talk about how it's a burden. It weighs on you. What is it? It's gonna be something horrible right but he begins then I have loved you says the Lord.

I Don't sound like our burdens of message. Does it almost like the kind of inspirational phrases? I just kind of mocked. Does it everyone like to hear that they are loved? You know so many tracks today trying to win people to the gospel begin with a simple statement.

God loves you. It's meant to draw people in to start with something they will like here. He is specifically speaking to the people of Israel probably about the year 430 BC around that time and they have returned from exile in Babylon, they had rebuilt the temple.

They had tried to restart worship and they're all their nation all over again. They had.

Literally.

Reformed they had they seem to have learned the lessons from the past that God will punish them if they worship idols. So they're not worshiping idols anymore that they are to offer their sacrifices. So they're doing that that they're to keep their religion better than their ancestors did they they assumed they think they've learned all that.

They think they're doing better. They assumed that because the nation had been punished for wrong religion in the past that they could now buy God's benefits with right religion. They think they've learned the lessons of the past.

But not really. This time though. They think they're going to get it, right? They were going to earn God's blessings. Their ancestors had lost God's blessings by bad behavior. They were going to earn them by right behavior.

This time they were going to get it, right? They're going to earn God's favor. They're going to say the right prayers. They're going to sing the right songs. They were going to give they were going to do what they had to do.

They're going to earn it as their right is their pay and. So like all people who view God as someone they can pay off. It's our morality or our good deeds our religion that there is no need for and really no room for love or Gratitude and so when they hear I have loved you.

They think how what you talking about? You know if we've got good things. Because we earned it, you know, we've done the right religion. So for them, this is all one big business transaction. We do our religion we keep our morality we obey your laws God and so you do your job.

God you give us what?

We've now earned.

There's no need for love in that kind of I kind of religion. No more need for love in that. Then there is need for love between you and your employer. Right. You think I put in my hours I get my pay I deserve it spare me to talk about love.

Imagine if you got a sticky note attached to your next paycheck from your boss saying I love you. You think think how I?

Earn this I.

Put in the hours. I've talked to me about love. I work for this and so they scoff back here. It's real same the same thing. How have you loved us? What are you talking about God in verse 2 a God answers?

Well, the burden is I have loved you because I gave you your birthright. You are not God's people Israel and you are not God's people Christians. Because you earned it with the right religion with the right prayers and morality.

It was all because you were given a birthright. That you in no way earned, you know birthrights are just you're just born into it. You don't do anything to get it. Your salvation was given to you as a gift.

God chose you Simply because he made the choice to love you. That's the birthright. Here's the truth that blows apart that self-righteous Smug religion so proud of itself for buying off God with the right Faith the right family the right church the right morality the right theology.

God begins. I have loved you. Does it doesn't begin with our loving God now? Yes, if we are loved by him that will change us. He will change us so that we then do love him, but it doesn't begin with our love for him.

It begins with his love for us. We love the Apostle John wrote.

Because because.

This is the cause of our love. He first loved us. So what about other people then? You know who don't love God? Who aren't God's people? What about them? They. Why. What makes us different from them. Do we think it's because well, we're particularly good and we're smart and we're a better character.

So we could discern that this gospel is is true that it's good news that it's worth Believing and they couldn't. Right. That's why we could see the truth. We could submit to it and they couldn't. So we think that God looked ahead.

Or maybe you think of this way. God looked ahead. And saw our faith and on the basis of our faith that he could see from eternity past on The basis of what he could see first in us. He then decided as As a response to what he could see that would come from us.

To set us apart till then love us. And that set us apart from these other people that God could look to see. You won't have that faith and he's not gonna love. Is that what's going on?

No.

It was it was that he loved us. But some demand that there be there be fairness. Equal opportunity for all people and so they'll insist. Well doesn't he love all people? The same and so if some are saved and Some are not then it must be they said they're reasoning.

It must be that the ones who are saved must have done something. You know something simple as just believing but they must have done something that set them apart From those other people that God also loves.

God loves those other people and he wants those other people say but We're set apart from them. And they could be saved now if only they did the same things that we did only did. If only they did the same the unsaved people if only they did the same things that we say people did they didn't they?

Would you say that's all there is to it, right? It's a matter of What we did what the same people did. I can in one analogy I've heard. Does it God give everyone The same check of salvation it says salvation they say it's like being handed a check.

But you got a cash it right? It's because they're trying to get around this salvation not based on your works. Okay, it's a free gift, but then you still got a cash it. Well, that's kind of your work.

But never mind that but they say we don't earn it. Some clever one say but we do have to cash it. Understand what they're trying to do. Is it there's something that about us. About what we do or what we don't do or what we say.

That sets us apart something about us initially coming from us. It makes us saved in those other people not. Is that there's something we do something we can feel a little bit proud of even if it's just something as simple as is bleeding.

If only we could get others to do it. Well, they too would be safe.

No.

There isn't. We are say because we have here with Jacob as our example. We have a birthright a Birthright God has given us and it doesn't come from what we do. But from what God has done for us. He has loved us notice here in verse 2 God's first answer to the question How have you loved they're asking back?

You know, have you loved us? We earned this religion God. What are you talking about? He says no. It's not Esau Jacob's brother. This is a basic Bible knowledge question here. We are at the very end of the Old Testament and God is asking Israel if they know this basic question.

Don't you know that Esau was Jacob's brother? And of course they knew that they had just never bothered to think about what it means. To ponder it they think Wow Esau was also Jacob's brother. They thought well, you know, we're we're God's people because we're born in the right family.

We're from we're from Abraham through Sarah and Isaac. And so that's why we're God's people. That's why he loves us and But wait, what about Esau? Oh, that's true for him, too. They never thought that both Esau and Jacob were sons of Isaac and grandsons of Abraham through Sarah both sons of the promise.

They were even twins for that matter and Esau even came out first. And so by right in their culture, he's the firstborn. He should get the birthright, but God did not choose Esau. It wasn't because of anything Esau did.

He Jacob was chosen before they had done anything good or bad. It was because God loved Jacob and he didn't love Esau now our first instinct maybe you think that's not fair and that's true. It's not fair.

Understand there's a difference between justice and fairness something could be Not fair. Still be just still be right, you know y 'all of you parents you give your children Money and you pay them through college or whatever and you don't do that for other people's children.

Well, that's not fair. What's wrong with you? You should be doing for every child in the world. Well, you can't you'll just you'll treat your child different than others.

Right.

That's not fair. It's just you know, it's the right thing to do. It's just not fair. Fairness is everyone being treated equally. Justice is getting what you deserve. Jacob didn't deserve to be saved. He didn't deserve his birthright.

Wasn't something he earned he didn't deserve it. If he got what was just he should have gotten the same hatred and judgment that God gave Esau what Esau and his descendants The Edomites what they got was just.

It was justice. They deserved it. Notice in the verses 3 4. God says that he he has laid them waste. He has left their heritage their birthright to jackals. Because they are he calls them. They are the wicked country.

So they got what they deserved as the wicked country. It was just now. Was it fair because Israel was also wicked but God saved them anyway, because he loved them. It's not fair that Jacob gets love and Esau gets hate.

Both deserve to be hated. If you want fairness, that would be fair. They were both hated. Thankfully God is often not fair to us. We don't all get justice. Some of us get grace. We all got what was fair.

If we all got what was just. We'd all be condemned. We don't want God. You don't really want God to be fair. To you now, thankfully God chooses to love some of us and to save us. Even though that isn't fair.

Now Esau shows us that God did not have. To love us. He didn't have to was it required of him? Was it was it justice that made him do it? He could have just as easily even more fairly chosen to hate us.

Salvation as being one of God's people is a birthright and birthrights are never earned. Like they are conferred on us. Before we had done anything either good or bad and Jacob had that birthright because before he had done anything God gave it to him.

God.

Loved him and Each of us becomes one of God's people of the same way today is because God chooses to love us. To me to be reformed It means that you believe that ultimately there are only two kinds of people.

There's God's people and there's the not God's people and the only difference between them depends on God's mercy. If you are his salvation is Your birthright, but for those who are not his there is only The Bane.

The Bane of God’s Judgment on Edom

The Bane is the cause of ruin and destruction. Why is it that some people come to ruin and Destruction what it what is the what is their Bane? What is the cause of their ruin and destruction? Well, he saw as the example he saw is the type a person Who comes to ruin his destruction who was destroyed in the end?

What happens to Esau his descendants in the country of Eden what happened to them? Well, they were eventually attacked by Arabs from the desert they were driven out of their land and then over time they just Disappeared.

Probably intermarrying with people in the other nations around them and they're gone. You know look at any map of the Middle East today and look for a country called Edom. Where is it? Have you ever met or even heard of someone who describes himself as an Edomite?

I am an Edomite. No. They're gone. Just as God said they would be in verses 3 and 4 here. God says he has hated them. That's their Bane and So he will send people to lay at waste leaving it to jackals from the desert and that's what happened.

Vicious people from the desert drove them out and eventually destroyed them. Now they would plot to rebuild. They would think they could rebuild their nation as It says in verse 4 like the Jews had rebuilt Jerusalem.

They would try to do the same but God would send others to tear down what they had rebuilt. They would be in verse 4. The people at whom the Lord is angry forever. Here we have the doctrine of hell the only way to be angry at people forever is If they live forever.

We have an eternal soul that will exist somewhere even after our this fallen body is Dies has died and so God promises here that these people would only know his anger. Think of what he puts that the Lord will be angry at them Forever, they will only know his anger for eternity.

They would suffer forever the everlasting wrath of God. Now, of course many today think that well anger is unworthy of God. That God doesn't get angry people will tell us today as though they know now God might be disappointed in us.

Sometimes you might wish we do better, but he always kind of oozes Warmth and affirmation and approval no matter what we do. He's the one carrying us through the stormy parts of life. Remember, we're told all over and over again.

He's not really able to stop the storms. We're told he's just feeling for us. He's sympathizing with us as we go through them. And that's true. He's they were told now for all people. And that's a popular God these days.

There are poems written about that God songs written about that God. Plaques are sold celebrating that God. But that's not the true God here the true God does indeed have anger. Now in us anger is often imperfect and self-centered.

Irritable and temporary. But God has a perfect permanent Anger and those who don't know God's love Will only know his anger and that Is the bane the cause of their ruin and destruction. Well here the Edomites the descendants of Esau are examples of such people.

They are the type of the person Who will only get God's anger? They are the type of the reprobate those destined for destruction. They will only know God's wrath now. Well, why why are they only know God's wrath?

Oh, we could say some people say well It's because they did thus and so they they betrayed their brother nation Israel. That's the reason why They help foreigners attack Israel. The book of Obadiah is all about God.

God's anger the anger of God coming on Edom. Because they did not Love their brothers. They they allied themselves with other pagan empires to attack Israel, but the answer here in Malachi. Okay, that's what they did.

But. But is that really the cause of God's anger or is it the other way around? The answer here in Malachi is clear and deeper. Why didn't they love their brother? Why weren't they God's people? They were just as much descendants of Abraham as were the Israelites.

Why didn't they get the birthright? Why? It wasn't that they were not God's people because of something they did they did thus and so they betrayed Israel and therefore As a consequence of that God excluded them.

No, it's the other way around. They did what they did because they were not God's people. Understand they were excluded as being God's people and because of that that's why they betrayed Israel the bane of God's judgment comes first and.

Then.

The fruit of that life right. First the tree is bad or good then comes the fruit. The bane of God's judgment comes first. And then the life. Whatever here. Betrayal of their brothers. Our life of materialism.

Maybe today of self-centeredness or of immorality. The sins that we are often judged for. Just as for those who have the birthright. The flipside. First God loves us and then that love makes the tree of our lives good and Then we bear good fruit.

Why didn't the Edomites get the birthright. Well because they had the bane of God's choice against them to not Savingly love them. Now in Romans 9 Paul uses Jacob and Esau as representatives of types of the two kinds of people That are in the world.

There's two kinds of people in all of history and he quotes from Malachi in Romans 9. Paul quotes from Malachi chapter 1 verse 2. Jacob I love but Esau I hated. And there are only two races. There's two kinds of people ultimately those who are saved and those who are not and Jacob represents those who are.

He's the type of.

All God's people of those whom God has mercy on and so saves they are God's people because the Lord chose first to love them, but Esau Represents he is the type of all people whom God chooses not to save whom God chooses not to have mercy on.

There are people around us probably people we know. Who are Esau's? Maybe decent neighbors. Maybe they make fine acquaintances and friends and co-workers. Maybe they want to support their family. They like to do their parts, you know, like Esau did you go hunting for the family?

Maybe they're even religious or maybe they don't really care much about spiritual things anymore. This is not their cup of tea. They'd really rather have a bowl of lentil stew. They may have prayed a prayer.

They may have been baptized at one time. But now they just can't be bothered about the Lord others though. They're like hostile.

Vehement atheists.

No, they just not interested. They will be damned. They will only know God's raging anger why. It's because they were they can't just can't get interested in the church. They can't get interested in Bible study.

No, not really. Because they are an Esau. Because of what God has not done for them the the bane of God's choice against them. So there's no way out for them. Notice verse 4 their destruction is Unavoidable.

They cannot thwart God's Determination to obliterate them. God says that he will shatter the Edomites and they'll resolve there. Sure, they'll resolve to rebuild their cities. To bounce back but the Lord of hosts that is he's the the Lord of the commander of armies.

He says and he says probably with a laugh, you know, he who sits in the heavens laughs, but he says yeah, they may rebuild. But I will tear down. Again some will say that's not fair. It's not fair if someone someone wants to be saved.

But God will not save them because he's chosen beforehand not to do so. He's chosen to hate someone who is trying to love him. Well, we see that Kind of that cynical a really self-righteous attitude here, you know, but they were saying back.

How have you loved us God? What do you do for us? Just assuming that their relationship with God it was deserved. It was earned. It was fair. It was equally available for all people and they did the right thing to get it.

We think much too highly of ourselves. The truth is that people do not Naturally love God. They do not freely choose to serve God. The faith does not come from their hearts. It's in their natural condition.

It's not as though there are people Who are trying to get into God's kingdom and God is shutting the door. It's not as though there are people who really who love God, but God hates them in return. No, there are no such people Whoever will may come sure, but people only choose to come to God.

They only have a will to come to him. Whom God has first? Chosen to draw to himself whom he's willed to come. In Romans 9 back in Romans 9 just three verses after quoting Jacob I love but he saw I hated.

Paul concludes the lesson Paul says from that verse is that It salvation Does not depend on man's will or.

Work.

But on God's mercy now we kind of naturally we just naturally keep trying to put ourselves our Our choices our will our religion something about us first. We keep trying to put God in the position of having to respond to what we've done first, but here we see the humbling reality.

It is always God's love God's choice That comes first. What's it mean to be reformed? It means to know That you're blessed. That's why the holiday reform people left us. The next one coming was Thanksgiving the giving of thanks to God.

For being blessed the Puritans rejected all the traditional holidays of the particular the church like a Christmas and Easter. But they gave us Thanksgiving for the purpose of recognizing That God has been unfairly good to us.

When we hear the word of the Lord that the burden of his gospel that crushes our pride We've been given the birthright Not the Bain. We are then.

Blessed and.

We should know it. We have what an older theology. They called the the beatific vision. Sort of a realizations awareness this vision that makes us happy that gives us joy Makes us thankful. In verse 5 we are told your own eyes shall see this we will see the birthright and the Bain.

God's judgment on earth is salvation to That they come only from the hand of a sovereign God. That that vision that realization Will transform us. Now the cultural Christianity that is so common in our day Has a little God That they think they can carry in their pocket and to challenge that cultural Christianity.

We need to see this God the Lord described here in Malachi the master of the universe Who has our eternal destinies? Under his control.

That's.

The blessed vision. Now the Israelites here like so many today had a vision of God that was too small. They thought he was he was just their God though. They thought they could earn his approval by Doing the right religion.

That they kind of deserved it by being born in the right family. Or and that God was just the God of their nation. He was it within their boundaries the Babylonians the Persians. Well, they can worship their gods and that's fine for them.

They have their gods. We have ours. We're supposed to worship the Lord, especially when we're here in this land his land. The attitude was like, you know, he's the landlord here and the terms of the lease.

Say we have to behave like so. Like keeping your rent. You got to keep the Ten Commandments. Gotta make sacrifices. You got to do your duty. Yada. Yada. Yada. He's the God who's confined they thought to the borders of this country.

And so today we have those who think That they're born Christians because they were born here. He's the God of our culture but not not of other cultures so some people come to America like from some even from China and think well as long as I'm.

Here in.

America, I'm gonna be a Christian. I'm gonna go to church. I'm gonna make the God of this country happy. Well, I'm here because I don't want him angry at me. Now if I go back to China I'll go back to burning jawsticks to my ancestors.

Well, you missed something. They think Jesus is just a God in these borders. But here in verse 5 God says that his grace and his judgment will be so impressive That will confess That he's the God Beyond all borders who breaks down borders.

The Lord is great over all the earth over all the universe. He's never fenced in he's never confined to some border. Not confined to Israel or just to those who choose to be Christians. Not confined by anything we do not even by our Free will.

There are no borders That restrict him. The God pictured here is the true Lord the master who loves and the people he loves are saved. Who hates and the people he hates are destroyed? He's not a wimpy God Someone to be trifled with.

When you see that he says your own eyes shall see it.

Then.

You'll finally understand That this God is truly worth serving. That a life Given to this Lord is not in vain. And when you finally see him no longer this kind of hand-wringing God. Nervous something may bad may happen to us, but he can't really do anything about it our friend in the sky Who's hoping the best for us?

But you know, what can he do when your eyes see him? In all his sovereignty And all his power. You will not but be able to help yourself but to exclaim Great is the Lord. That is the blessed vision that you can have right now.

If you will but put away your little God and Surrender to this one, but still someone complain that isn't fair. You're saying that there's one exclusive God for all people beyond every border.

Everywhere and.

He demands that all people come to him in the right way. But then he purposely does not provide for many people to do that. It just isn't fair. But the last thing we ought to complain about is fairness.

We are Naturally dead in our sins. If we got what was fair and just It would be hell. What was not fair? What was by no means fair? Was the cross the only one who deserved The father's approval. The only one who deserved to be spared death and wrath unfairly.

Experienced it experienced judgment unfairly. Was flailed and beaten and nailed to a cross and died and put in a tomb. All of that the worst unfairness in the history of the world. That's unfair. And he took all that unfairness so that we could.

We.

Could unfairly not suffering eternally. God's anger That we deserved So that we could be loved by God. We complain about fairness Because we have not yet fully heard The gospel of Jesus Christ. That burden of the Lord That will crush our self-righteousness.

Because we haven't seen that the birthright Is purely a gift That we deserve the Bane. Because we haven't had the blessed vision of who God really is the true God. He's a lot bigger a lot more powerful Than our cultural religion can fathom.

Even much more angry even much more loving so loving He did for us in Jesus Christ. Well, we all if we thought about it Would admit was it fair? He saved his people. If we did see that We see that he's infinitely worth serving.

He's worth reforming to worship, right. We'd never asked ungratefully How have you loved me God? We'd be amazed at the grace and the love we've already been given. See that now and say Great is the Lord.