Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Text:

Morality must come from God, or else it doesn’t exist at all. Natural selection cannot account for morality. We can’t expect unbelievers to act like believers. They will not regard God’s moral law as something they must follow. Those who don’t believe in God attempt to construct a morality for themselves. But such a morality would ultimately be a matter of opinion, not based on anything. In order for there to be a moral code, there must be a Moral Code Giver, and we must look to Him for what is right and wrong. If we claim to follow God, we must also follow His commands (John 14:15). If we do not, we weary God with our lips and blatant unfaithfulness.

“You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?” “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts. “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ “ (Mal 2:17-3:7 ESV)

I mentioned last week that there were two places that deviated from the pattern found in Malachi. The last verse in this passage asks the question, “God, how are we to return to You?” But this question isn’t answered until the end of the book. As we will see in a couple weeks, the answer to that question is through Christ (v. 4-5). The question this week, though, is “God, how have we wearied You?”

We weary God when we do one of three things:
1. When we replace God’s morality with one we’ve made up.
2. When we have or tell others an incorrect view of God’s love and forgiveness.
3. When we deny that God is just and righteous.

We weary God when we replace His morality with one we’ve made up (v. 17a). Romans 1:32 echoes the fault that the Israelites were guilty of. They not only practiced immoral behavior, but they approved of it. We can’t expect unbelievers to act like believers. But when we claim to follow God, we should not replace His morality with one we’ve made up.

We weary God when we have or tell others an incorrect view of God’s love and forgiveness. It’s true that God loves all people. But He does not love the sins that people commit, and He will not allow sin into Heaven. God is not pleased with those who refuse to repent of sin.

We weary God when we deny that He is just and righteous (v. 17b). It’s normal to doubt, and God is big enough to question, but do not insult God. Let your questions and pain draw you closer to God, not further away. God will comfort you and make right all the wrongs.

But what does it mean to weary God? When a person is wearied, he is tired. He is discouraged. He needs refreshment. But God doesn’t grow weary like that. He is never in need of help. He is always omnipotent. When God grows weary, He takes action (3:1).

John the Baptist quoted from Isaiah in John 1:23, but I think this passage in Malachi was on his mind. Isaiah doesn’t mention the messenger being “Elijah,” though the book of Malachi does (4:5). John saw his ministry as picking the story back up that the Old Testament began. Don’t confuse the two messengers in this verse. The first refers to John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for the Lord. The second refers to the messenger of the covenant, and He is called the Lord. When this second messenger comes, He will set all things right. This is where things get a little unclear prophetically. What will happen when the messenger of the covenant comes (v. 2-5)? We don’t see God’s judgment to this extent on the earth. We see people getting away with injustice and calling it moral. This passage looks not the first coming of Jesus, but the second.

To remind the Israelites of His love, God reminds them of His choice to love them (v. 6-7). In the opening verses of the book of Malachi, God told them that He loved them (1:2). But the Israelites doubted God, and asked Him, “How have you loved us?” God responded, in essence, “Open your eyes! I have blessed you innumerable ways!” Yet the Israelites continued to rebel. They did not awaken to God’s love. So they are here admonished to return to God. The answer for us, then, is to also return to God. God has not left us. We can only return through Christ.