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December 10, 2006
End Times 4b - Christ the King
Malachi 3:1-4
Pastor Ben Berger

Look Forward to the Coming of the LORD's Messenger

Who is looking forward to Christmas? Not all are, but most. Who is looking forward to the Last Day or Judgment Day? Some do, but not most. You realize, don't you, that while we look forward to celebrating Christmas, Christmas is really looking back at Jesus' first coming. Today, Malachi is going to help us look back at Jesus' first coming so that we can also look forward to his second coming. Malachi proclaims that the LORD's Messenger is Coming. Look Forward to the Coming of the LORD's Messenger. First, he is the Messenger you seek and desire. Second, he is the Messenger who comes to refine and purify.

Do we really look forward to the coming of the LORD's Messenger? Do we really seek and desire the Messenger who came?

The OT Jews were looking forward to the coming of the LORD's Messenger. For thousands of years they had been looking for the promised Messiah. The LORD Almighty said, See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come (1). However, not everyone was seeking and desiring the same messenger. Some of the Jews were looking forward to a spiritual messenger. They listened to God's promises and desired a messenger to bring back the glory of the LORD who delivered them from Egypt, appeared to them on Mount Sinai and promised a heavenly kingdom. On the other hand, many were looking forward to an earthly messenger. They desired a messenger to bring back the glory of David and Solomon's earthly kingdom - land, riches and big buildings. They were more concerned about life on earth than life after earth.

What kind of Messenger do we seek and desire? Many of us are looking forward to Santa Claus. We seek and desire a messenger to bring presents, peace on earth, good feelings to all men, gatherings of family and friends around trees and bright lights. How often do you hear someone say, "That's what Christmas is all about"? Others are looking for a spiritual messenger, a Savior. They seek and desire a messenger to bring forgiveness for sins, peace between God and men, and a gathering of all believers around the throne of God. They seek and desire comfort in loss, strength in hardship, purpose in life and eternal salvation. So, which person are you? Which messenger do you seek and desire? Are you looking forward to Santa or Jesus?

This Advent season, look forward to the coming of the LORD's Messenger. Seek and desire the Messenger that actually came. He is the Christ-child. He is Mary's Son and the Son of God. He was born in the town of Bethlehem, wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger. He grew up to conquer our worst enemies. He defeated Satan by resisting every one of his temptations. He devoured sin by paying its punishment on the cross and in hell. He overcame death by dying but then rising to life again. Now, he comes to us as the Messenger of the LORD. He announces that he has forgiven our sins, he has given us a new life to worship him and he promises eternal life. Looking back at Jesus' birth, we can see that he is the Messenger sent by the LORD to earn and deliver every spiritual blessing. Looking back at the Messenger who came, the one we seek and desire, we can again look forward to celebrating the coming of this Messenger.

And as we look back at his first coming, we can also look forward to the second coming of the LORD's Messenger. The Messenger we seek and desire will come to refine and purify.

When Jesus was born, he was not the Messenger that most of the OT Jews were expecting. Even though they were looking forward to his coming, he came suddenly and unexpectedly. They were surprised even though Jesus sent John the Baptist to prepare the way before him. They were surprised because they were looking for the wrong kind of Messenger. Malachi points out their error when, after saying that the one they desire is coming, he asks, Who can endure his coming? Who can stand when he appears? Many would not be able to stand or endure the coming of the Messenger because they were unclean and impure. They were not happy to learn that the Messenger came as a refiner's fire and launderer's soap. Malachi said, He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver (2-3). Sounds like Judgment Day, doesn't it?

Are we looking forward to the second coming of the LORD's Messenger on Judgment Day? We all know and regularly confess that we need refining and purifying. We know that the LORD demands holiness to stand in his presence and endure his coming. We know that we are not holy and perfect as the LORD demands so many of us are not looking forward to Judgment Day. We do not like to think about the LORD cleaning us with launderer's soap or lye. He would have to scrub so hard and so deep to remove our sin, he would scrub away all our skin and flesh. We certainly do not like to think about the LORD refining us with fire. We do not want to burn away in hell.

There's only one way to look forward to Jesus' second coming; that's to look back at his first coming. There we see Jesus take our sin and guilt upon himself. There we see that Jesus offered his flesh and blood. There we see Jesus suffer the refining fires of hell. Jesus has already completely refined and purified our souls by his suffering and death on the cross. He now offers to cleanse us with his blood instead of launderer's soap; he now offers to purify us with his death rather than the fires of hell.

Jesus offers to refine and purify us with his Word. Sometimes we're still not sure we want to listen to this Messenger. We don't like to hear that we need to be refined and purified. We don't want to hear about our sins. It's difficult to confess them. But, it's worth the struggle. When we confess our sins and believe the Messenger's promise of forgiveness and salvation, then the LORD will have men who bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years (4).

When the LORD's Messenger returns a second time, he will finish his work of refining and purifying. Right now he gives us the opportunity to offer gifts to the LORD in righteousness. Everything we do according to God's word and in faith is a gift to the LORD. Right now he makes our gifts acceptable to the LORD. Even though are gifts are tainted with sin, Jesus covers them with his blood. But when he returns, he will completely remove all sin from us. We will finally be able to worship God with pure hearts and clean hands. And we will finally be able to live in a world free from sin. Won't it be great to know that we'll never face another problem in life? We'll never worry about finding more dollars, never worry about having enough time, never worry about getting sick, never worry about dying, never worry about our kids getting into trouble, never worry about our parents paying enough attention to us, never worry about friends leaving or betraying us, never worry about anything. Won't it be great to be able to finally enjoy all of God's blessings, spiritual and physical? When the LORD's Messenger returns, he not only promises to remove all sin, he also promises to create a new heavens and a new earth. We'll have a perfect world in which to explore, discover and enjoy every blessing God wants to give us.

Now are we looking forward to the second coming of the LORD's Messenger? Most of us already look forward to Christmas. We love to celebrate the birth of the Christ-child because we know that he came to be our Savior. He refined and purified us by living and dying and rising from the dead in our place. Looking back at his first coming, we can look forward to his second coming. We know he is the Messenger that we seek and desire. He will refine and purify both us and our world completely so that we can live forever in his eternal blessings. Look forward to the coming of the LORD's Messenger both this Christmas and on the Last Day.