November 23, 2008

 "Sun of Righteousness"

Malachi 3: 13- 4:6

When I was a student intern in South Chicago, I attended several funerals.  Because people had trouble getting off from work and school during the day, the funerals were always held around 7:30 at night.  I didn't like night funerals.  It tended to add to the gloominess and sadness that was already there. 

I recall one funeral of a teenage girl.  From all accounts she had been a good girl, resisting the gangbanging and drugs that consumed the lives of so many teens in our community.  But, she just happened to be on the wrong street at the wrong time.  She was raped and murdered.  Her maimed and disfigured body was found in an abandoned garage.  It was a tragic funeral.

In his message Rev. Tony Van Zanten spoke about what cities should be.  He talked about quaint neighborhoods and tree lined streets.  He said that these streets should be places where friends stop to visit and that anytime day or night no one should ever fear being there.  His picture stood in stark contrast to what had brought us together that evening.

On several occasions I referred to Cornelius Plantinga's book about sin, to which he has given the title, Not the Way It's Supposed to Be.  That's really an accurate statement as to what sin has done to our world.  It has turned the world into something other than it ought to be.  It has disfigured and distorted what should have been beautiful.  It has so often turned a world of promise into a nightmare of despair.

We are now concluding the prophecy of Malachi, having read the last chapter of the last book of the Old Testament.  Most of the Old Testament is about the nation of Israel, God's special people of promise.  Reflect for a moment on the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about what he would do for their descendants.  They would be as many as the sand of the seashore and they would dwell in a promised land of milk and honey, and would rule over any enemy that tried to oppress them.  As you think about such promises, you can't help but see that the way the Old Testament ends was not the way things were meant to be.  Only two of the twelve tribes survived and they were in poverty, oppressed by enemies, and under the domination of a pagan foreign power.  Surely the people of Malachi's time must also have been struck by the difference between what was and what should have been.

As we look at our world, I'm certain most of us are struck by that.  As we and our loved ones face disease, death, failure, sin: we know that something is not right.  What should be wonderful and beautiful has become distorted.

To God's people struck by this reality the prophet Malachi comes with beautiful words of promise in v. 2. 

²But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.  And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.  ³Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty.

The sun of righteousness shall arise.  Here we have a picture of the dawning of the new age, of morning breaking into the darkness of the night sky with a brilliant light.

Let's reflect on that for a moment.  Darkness always distorts reality, doesn't it?  I remember one time I woke up early to do some snow shoveling--dressing entirely in the dark.  When I came back in the house I discovered I was wearing one of Brenda's sweaters.  I thought it was a little tight, but in the darkness I thought Brenda's sweater was my own.  Of course, not only our view of creation is distorted, creation itself is distorted.  And the reason it is distorted is not due to some flaw in the Creator's design or to inattention by the Creator.  It is because of the darkness that covers our world, a darkness the Creator never intended.  This verse tells us that our Creator is sending his light to restore the reality that he intended when he created our world. 

Look at the rest of the name: Sun of RIGHTEOUSNESS.  When God used the term righteous in the Old Testament, he often was referring to the covenant he had made with his people.  To be righteous is to fulfill ones covenant relationship with God.  Things were not what they should be because people of Judah rebelled against God and did not keep the covenant with God.  God had promised to be their God and make them his special people; he promised to give them the land of Canaan as an inheritance; he promised to protect them from their enemies so that they could live in peace and freedom.  In return they promised to love above all and serve only him as God, and to obey his laws.  But, clearly they didn't do this.  They didn't live up to their side of the covenant.

As we discovered in our study of this book, the prophet Malachi was constantly pointing out to the people that their situation was due to their own sinful lives.  It was because they were sacrificing impure offerings.  It was because they were divorcing their Jewish wives to marry rich pagan women.  It was because they were not caring for the widows, the poor, and the sojourners.  It was because, in short, they were breaking the covenant which God had made with their forefathers.

One of the central messages of the Bible is that the reason things are not the way they should be in our world is that human beings have broken their relationship with God and have rebelled against him.  We are the reason that darkness has fallen on all creation.  And the answer to what troubles us can only be found when something is done to repair our relationship to God.  

The people of Malachi's day were concerned about real problems: foreign domination, poverty, famine, cities still in ruins, broken marriages, enemies, and more.  But these were symptoms of a deeper problem.  Sadly, however, they were not concerned about that main problem:  the broken relationship with God.

The 2008 election is over.  If you happen to be a Democrat, you're happy; if you're a Republican, you're worried.  Now, I enjoy politics as much as anyone.  I used to teach high school government.  But, I'm going to really stick my neck out and say, "In all honesty, there really wasn't much at stake in this election."  What do I mean by that?  Let me take one very controversial issue that has many Christians up in arms: Gay Marriage.  Now I certainly know that same sex marriage is wrong.  It's contrary to the scriptures, which tells us that it is a perversion of God's intent for marriage and which condemns homosexual acts as sin.  So, I was happy that the voters in California chose to amend their constitution to preserve the Biblical understanding of marriage.  Yet, with a winning margin of only 52%-48%, how long do you think that such a ban will last?  Did you know that the same court that made gay marriage legal is now being asked to decide whether the amendment itself is constitutional?  Yet, even if it upholds the amendment, how many homosexual sins will be stopped by this ban on gay marriage?  Most of the privileges of marriage are already enjoyed by same sex couples in that state. 

People of God, such things are only going to end when people's hearts are changed and they have a new relationship with God.  And the same is true for abortion.  Yes, we should continue to fight on the political front.  But, victories on that front will never win the war.  You can't change people's hearts and behavior with laws.

Having said that, the sad truth is that as Christians we are doing a very poor job in changing hearts, because of our own hypocrisy-because our hearts are not right.  Sex scandals by church leaders have undermined our message.  But they are only the tip of the iceberg.  You know what magazines you buy and what websites you go to.  You know the jokes you pass on and language that comes from your mouth.  Every time you cheat on morality you do more damage to the cause of sexual purity in this country than you will ever undo in the voting booth. 

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.  (Prov.14: 33)

But, God is gracious.  So, Malachi prophesies

the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings

In the face of all this unrighteousness even among the people of God, God will send a new daylight of righteousness.  This prophesy was fulfilled when our Lord sent his Son Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote this about him,

God made him who had no sin to be sin--for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Certainly we know that Jesus the righteous one died for us, his unrighteous people, that we might be forgiven and know the blessing of salvation.  But he also died that we might be righteous.  Certainly, he died that we might be considered righteous.  But he also died and rose again in order that we might be changed.  The sun has come up to bring righteousness to this world and that righteousness begins with his people. 

The verse goes on to say

the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.  And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

I began with a story of the tragic funeral of that young African-American teenager.  But, I didn't only see stories of tragedy south Chicago.  I also saw evidences of the sun of righteousness and the healing that has come.  I remember that every Sunday morning we had a time of testimony.  People used to tell the stories of how Jesus changed their lives.  One of them, a taxi driver by the name of Sam, would come singing up the aisle.  Others would tell how they were hooked on drugs and living as prostitutes.  Then Jesus had changed them.  And they would cry tears of joy.  I remember hearing homeless men singing "Precious Lord Take my Hand."  I have never since heard that song sung in a more inspiring way.

Do you feel that kind of joy when you think about what Jesus did for you?  Have you felt the healing power of Jesus?  I can't answer that question for you.  But you can.  Now, if you haven't, why not?  Could it be that your life is not being changed by Jesus?  When your faith starts bogging down, that joy goes with it.  When you no longer know that healing power, don't expect to leap like a freed calf.

Notice that the only ones to receive that joy are those who revere the name of the Lord.  "But, for you who revere my name," says the Lord.  What does it mean to revere the name of the Lord?  The word revere is the same Hebrew word that is translated fear in the previous chapter.  Fear in Hebrew is a broad word that can mean to be scared and afraid, but it can also mean to stand in awe of, to worship, to serve and obey, to honor. 

Remember that one of the problems that Malachi addressed was that the people of his day were no longer taking God seriously.  Not only were they disobeying his laws, they did not consider God to be the priority of their lives.  They were just going through the motions of worship, but weren't really giving him their all. 

Now, once again I can't answer this question for you, but, I wonder how many of us today are just going through the motions.  How many of you men here today were just led into worship like puppy dogs by your wives?  Your mind was a million miles away.  And you really could care less.  How about you teens?  Are you just here because you have to be?  Maybe you're thinking, "That's you're fault.  It's so boring."  If the Lord was number one in your lives, then worshipping him would not be boring to you.  And what I said to men and teens can be said to women and people of all ages.  How many of us are here because we really want to worship God?  How many of us are here because it is our heart's desire? 

But, we shouldn't just think about church.  When is the last time we cried to God over our sins?  How many of us spend as much time in prayer and Bible study as we do watching secular shows on television.  And if we are ignoring God's Word, while filling our minds with some of that immoral garbage, how can we expect to become the righteousness of God that Jesus saved us to be.  Only those who take the Lord seriously will see the devil trampled under their feet.

Malachi ends with a rather strangely worded verse,

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.  He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

As we think about this verse, we should think about the words at the end of the second commandment.  The second commandment (Exodus 20: 4- 6) begins with these words,

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them;

But then the Lord explains why his people should take so seriously this command that calls them to be different than every culture around them,

for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

God warns each of us to reflect on how our obedience will affect the hearts of our children and grandchildren.  The great curse given those who do not take God or his worship seriously is that they will breed children who will take God and worship less seriously than they do.  The people of Malachi's day spawned descendants who did not recognize the Son of Righteousness when he visited them.  Because of that, their temple was destroyed, many lost their lives, and they were scattered over the face of the earth. 

But before that happened, God sent his Elijah, John the Baptist.  Because of John's ministry many did receive the Son and saw his light.  And the Spirit of God added many others who also believed in the Son.  And he gave his promise to them and to their children and to all who were afar.  And after many years, because of God's mercy, that promise has come to us.  Will we pass it on to our children?  And children if that faith is passed to you, will you grasp hold of it and pass it on your children?

Someday the sun of righteousness will arise again and totally crush all that is evil.  Someday because of his rule

    They will beat their swords into plowshares

    and their spears into pruning hooks.

    Nation will not take up sword against nation,

    nor will they train for war anymore.

⁴    Every man will sit under his own vine

    and under his own fig tree,

    and no one will make them afraid, (Micah 4: 3- 4)

 But, before that day comes another day will come, the Day of the Lord, the day when the son of man will be revealed.  And that Son of Man said this about that day,

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark.  Then the flood came and destroyed all of them.  ²⁸So it was in the days of Lot.  People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.  ²⁹But on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed all of them.  ³⁰The day when the Son of Man is revealed will be like that.

God's love is to a thousand generations and he in love is calling us today.  His Spirit is moving among us changing hearts.  But the Sun of Righteousness will arise and the Son of God will come.  Will you be ready for that day?  Will your children and grandchildren?  In a sense the type of fear we show the Lord today will make a difference as to the type of fear we have then.  Think about it.  AMEN!