A Day of Division

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.

Malachi 4:1–3

These verses talk about the Day of the Lord. What is that? It’s the day of God’s judgment. Now, the Day of the Lord can refer to moments of judgment within human history, such as the Exodus or the Babylonian exile, but the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of the Lord will come on that great and final judgment day at the end of human history.

And I want to draw your attention to the great contrast that is presented in these verses between the expectation of the wicked and the righteous on that day. For the wicked, that day “will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire… Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”

Notice the dominant image here is a furnace or an oven. God’s judgment doesn’t burn out of control, but it does burn hot. And the wicked are ripe for His judgment. They are described as dry stubble or straw, which always lights easily and burns quickly. Though the wicked seem to have deep roots in our world, though they seem to branch out in every direction and prosper, God says that not a root or branch will be left to them. They will be utterly destroyed and removed from our world on that final day.

By contrast, for those who revere God’s name, that day will not burn like an oven but will soothe like the warmth of the rising sun that causes stiff limbs to loosen and work again. Whereas the wicked might run in terror on that day, the righteous are described as frolicking and celebrating. It says that they will go out skipping like calves that have been pent up in their stalls all winter now set free in a green meadow. And the wicked will be trampled under their feet on that day of victory.

What we dare not miss here is that there will be a great division. A distinction will be made between the wicked and the righteous when God’s judgment finally comes. Jesus affirms this. He says the wicked and the righteous will be separated one from the other like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And the experience of the two will differ greatly. For God’s sheep, the Day of the Lord will be a day of deliverance and celebration. But for the wicked, it will be their doom... a great and terrible day of judgment.

Which side will you be on, when God draws that final line of separation? Are you ready for that Day? Do you look forward to it? Or do you tremble at the thought of it? If you tremble, it isn’t too late to make ready. If you aren't sure how, then keep reading below. 

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The Gospel in a nutshell: We are all sinners. Every one of us has rejected God's way and gone our own way. We have all rebelled against the one true King. Our sin deserves punishment. In fact, so great a sin against so great a God deserves Hell. But God, because of His great love for us, has offered us His forgiving grace. For God to be just, our sin had to be punished though. So, God, in His wisdom, took the punishment for our sin on Himself in Jesus. Jesus died to pay the price for your sins and then rose from the dead beating the power of sin over you. He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for those who believe in Him. So that now those who place their faith in Him can be forgiven and spend eternity in Heaven with their Savior. If you would like to do that today, here is what you need to do.

• A- Admit that you are a sinner and in need of God's grace (Romans 3:10 and 3:23).
• B- Believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, and that He was raised from the dead (Romans 6:23 and 5:8).
• C- Confess Jesus as Lord of your life. Turn from sin (from living life your way) and commit to live your life for God (Romans 10:9).

It's as easy as ABC. Follow these steps and find a Bible preaching church to plug into and grow in your faith. 

Unchanging God

I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

Malachi 3:6

Judah has been unfaithful to their covenant with God. And it is only because God doesn’t change... in His covenant faithfulness and in His longsuffering mercy for His people… that they have not been destroyed altogether.

Theologians call this the Immutability of God. And it can be defined in this way. God does not change in the essential attributes of His nature or in His eternal purposes. Take the essential attribute of God’s holiness for example. God is perfectly holy and good. He always does right and never does wrong. That cannot change. God cannot suddenly begin loving sin. He cannot embrace evil. That would be a fundamental change in who He is, and God does not change.

In fact, God can’t change. Think about it this way. God is perfect.… and perfection doesn’t change. Any change in the Lord would have to make Him either better or worse. If He were to change for the better, then that would mean He wasn’t perfect before and therefore wasn’t God before He changed. Alternatively, if He were to change for the worse, then that would mean that He is no longer perfect and therefore is no longer God. So, God cannot change.

Now, you may not realize it, but this aspect of God’s character is something you should be incredibly thankful for. Imagine if God was everchanging and unpredictable? Imagine the nightmare of an all-powerful God with the temperament of a toddler... a God who might strike you dead in the midst of a temper tantrum. 

I’m so thankful God is not like that. I’m thankful that I don’t have to worry about God changing His mind about my salvation or about how He feels about me. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to hope that God is “in a good mood” when I die. I’m so thankful that I can live my life according to His Word without having to worry about Him suddenly changing the rules of the game by changing what it is He wants from me.

So, take a moment and consider just how blessed you are by this attribute of the Lord... and praise God that He doesn't change.

Refined Like Silver

Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. 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. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness...

Malachi 3:1-3

Do you remember what happened when Jesus came to the temple? He made a whip of cords, overturned the tables of the moneychangers, and ran all the livestock out of the temple courts. Essentially, Jesus entered into judgment not only against the temple but also against those in charge of worship there. In other words, Jesus restored right worship to the temple so men could bring offerings in righteousness again... just as Malachi says.

So, this passage is definitely talking about Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. But look at how it describes Jesus’ purifying work. It says, “he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” The passage clearly applies this purifying work of Christ to the Levites. But it also gives us a glimpse, I believe, into how Jesus continues to work in the lives of Christians today. Let me explain.

Do you know how the process of refining silver works? The refiner heats up his furnace and places silver in it to melt away the impurities, imperfections and ores. And do you know how the silversmith knows when the silver is pure? He knows it’s pure when it reflects his face... his likeness.*

It’s the same with Jesus, isn’t it? He takes a sinner and places them in the furnace of life. And what’s His goal? To purify us until we look like Him, until we reflect His likeness. That’s His goal and it should be our aim. Yes! Jesus is still purifying men and women today, removing sin from our lives so we can offer up worship that is pleasing to Him. 

That’s the only way you will be able to “endure the day of his coming” is for you to receive Jesus as Lord and let Him refine you until He can see His face in you… until you reflect His likeness. As Christians we need to participate in that process. We need to seek to be pure... to become more and more like Jesus so that we have nothing to be ashamed of on the day of His coming. 

* Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997. Note on Malachi 3:3

Careful Investigation

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Luke 1:1-3

The gospel is worthy of careful investigation. Far too often it is skimmed over or given only a cursory explanation, but it is worthy of so much more time and attention. 

Luke knew that many had already undertaken to write an account of Jesus' life. He knew that there were eyewitnesses and servants of the word (including the apostles themselves) who could testify to what had happened. Luke could have decided that these were sufficient to tell the world what Jesus had done and accomplished. But He didn't.

Even with all those testimonies already out there, Luke felt that it was still worth his while to carefully investigate all that Christ had fulfilled and write it down in an "orderly account." No doubt this was ordained by God, but it also sets an example for us to follow. 

Far too many of us fail to give the gospel (or God's Word as a whole) the time and careful attention it deserves. Far too of us many barely read our Bibles, let alone study them. There are precious treasures waiting to be discovered in the pages of God's Word. Yes, these pages are well trodden. Many have gone before you and written sermons and Bible studies and commentaries. And you may very well come across passages you have read countless times before. But they are still worthy of your time! They are still worthy of careful investigation and ordered explanation. These are the words of life and we dare not skim over them.