Will A Man Rob God? Part 1

Will A Man Rob God?

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

One truth I have learned in my years of serving God is that God rarely comes to you as you are expecting.  If you can see six ways God can respond to your particular problem, He will come to you the seventh way.  Scripture promises that Elijah must come again to prepare the way of the Lord (Malachi 4:5-6).  The Jews were waiting for someone to come and say, “I am Elijah!  Make a straight path for our Lord!  John the Baptist came eating locusts and wild honey while preaching the very same message.  The Pharisees questioned his purpose, even sending priests to question him; but they really didn’t make the connection.  They weren’t looking for a forerunner of repentance.  They wanted the forerunner of the conquering hero.  Jesus made it clear that John the Baptist came in that spirit of Elijah (Matthew 11:13-14). 

Verse one says that following this messenger who came in the spirit of Elijah, the Lord would come into His temple SUDDENLY.  The word suddenly in this verse is Pithom, the same as the Hebrew name of the city in Egypt that the Jews were forced to build for the Egyptians.  Israel endured 400 years of slavery in Egypt waiting for their Pithom moment.  Israel had waited 430 years total in Egypt before their suddenly moment came.  The first 30 years were as honored guests while Joseph lived and before a new Pharaoh came who was not Egyptian.  When Moses presented himself to his people they did not believe.  They were angry that he caused a rift between the Egyptian slave masters and themselves.  It made their life harder.  Taking a stand for God will often make you unpopular both to those in the world and to those in the church.

Malachi came 430 years before Christ to preach about the coming suddenly moment.  He even wrote that it was a suddenly moment which should have caused the Jews to search the scriptures and discover the other suddenly (pithom) moment in Exodus 1:11.  That should have led them to understand the long wait before that pithom moment came.  Perhaps you think, “How could anyone be prepared for something that will happen in 430 years.  It’s too much to expect.”  Following their attempt to have him killed, Daniel became the head of Babylon’s pagan priesthood which happened even earlier than Malachi’s writing.  Those pagan priests following His instructions, marked the time faithfully for over 430 years and sent the Magi to honor Jesus at His birth.  They weren’t even Jewish Levites and yet they kept track of the dates perfectly in honor of Daniel and his God and arrived at the birth of the infant Jesus.  Some might say, “They followed the star of Bethlehem.”  That event may have confirmed what they were already expecting, but the Jews also had the same warning. Where were they?

Psalm 19:1-3 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”  Apparently that last sentence rings true since the Magi understood the words written in the stars but the Jewish priests did not.  One thing is certain; God expected them to be as prepared as these pagan men.  Returning to the suddenly moment of Malachi 3:1, we see that the Lord who appeared suddenly did so at the Temple.  His first arrival was recognized by the prophets but not the priesthood (Luke 2:25-38).  

In that chapter of Luke we read of Simeon and Anna who though of great age, held on until the Messiah arrived.  The priests were nowhere to be found.  Twelve years later (Luke 2:42-49) Jesus appeared before the doctors of the Law at the temple.  He astounded them with his wisdom and understanding but they still did not acknowledge or seek to discover who he was or how he came to be.  Finally, at 30 years of age Jesus presented himself to Jerusalem, entering at the proper gate in the proper manner.  The people all gathered together and proclaimed His purpose and right to be there (Luke 19:29-44).  Once again the priests not only missed the whole point, but told Him to rebuke His disciples so they would not blaspheme.  This was the final suddenly moment.  This moment shut up heaven for two thousand years against the Jews until the time of the gentiles is completed.

Malachi 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers 'soap: 3 And 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.

In a very real sense Jesus has done all these things through his death and resurrection.  Nothing purges you of sin like His blood.  We always hear wishy washy Christians say that Christ’s work in our hearts is some wonderful fairytale experience that will wash us white as wool.  We picture ourselves as gentle little lambs walking along still waters with nothing to do but eat green clover and think happy thoughts.  The question here is, “Who can stand when Christ appears?” 

In our Christian walk Jesus is a refiner’s fire and fullers’ soap.  You don’t purify grass or weeds.  Flames simply burn those things to ash.  You purify gold and silver by heating it so hot that even the rocks and minerals that may coat or be impregnated in it will burn up.  That means that your attitudes and ideas that have been a part of your life for so long will be purged with the hottest fire you can endure.  Like fullers’ soap you will be scoured and pounded until you are molded into the shape and strength that God requires for the tasks He has determined for your life. 

I’ve never met anyone in the body of Christ who came to Him as an adult that hasn’t been through even worse trials and tribulations than they did before coming to Him (2 Timothy 4:2-3).  We truly discover that Jesus purges, chastens, rebukes and directs us until we are made of pure gold (Hebrews 12:6).  Many leave the faith before they arrive at this place of maturity (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  They fail to understand that God will not accept or tolerate or use a vessel that is tainted and polluted.  Grace may be sufficient for God to wink at your sins and you may make it into heaven smelling of smoke; but for God to fully use you and the gifts and talents He has given you, there is a time of preparation and testing that cannot be avoided.  The thief on the cross beside Jesus might have made it in by his confession of faith, but was he really all he might have been under other circumstances and after the maturing process?

Once you have passed these tests you may present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1).  This is your reasonable sacrifice.  It does not make you more exceptional than any other who has made it in.  It is the bare minimum God will accept out of your life.  He will not accept the liars and cheats, those who live for the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).  If you choose the escape spoken of in 1 Corinthians 10:13, you will simply retake the test in a new location with new instructors.  Understand that it is not always a matter of great sin but is a testing so you will know yourself as well as God does.

I know men or women who categorically state that God does not test His people or allow them to go through things.  They excuse their own personal trials in any number of strange arguments so they won’t have to admit that perhaps there is more to this walk with Jesus than they care to admit.

God wants us to be holy.  He is holy.  His grace is sufficient to overcome your weakness but make no mistake... He will press and purge you until your fruit is clean and your life is pure.