The Refiner's Pure Gold
Martin Christ Church Christ Church in the second Sunday of Advent
if you have your Bibles, you can turn to Malachi chapter 3.
Before we jump into that. Let's have a word of Prayer. Can a father we thank you for today. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your spirit. You sure are turning to your word teaches us by Your Word?
we pray that we would be ready and willing to hear what you would have to teach us this morning to your precious and holy son, Jesus name.
like I said turn to Malachi chapter 3 this morning. Going to just be looking at versus one. search for
Behold, I am sending my messenger. He will prepare the way before me. The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple in the messenger of the Covenant in whom you Delight behold. He is coming since the Lord.
But who can endure the day of his coming you can stand when he appears. For he is like a Refiner's Fire and like Fuller's Soap. It will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. offerings in righteousness to the Lord
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord and as in the days of old and as in former years.
Turn again. We ask that you would. Because unless we look at the word the word of God Jesus name
again Second Sunday of Advent return to the Old Testament return again to a prophet It's just a quick reminder. Profits are different different type of writing there different genre of scripture so we can approach them differently. They're not like call rights in the new test means it's probably afternoon. The profits are collected works. The collected works meaning the entirety of the ministry is condensed down into a book or a collection of writings Jeremiah and Isaiah are what we call the Major Prophets and their major really only because of their lengths are not more important than the Minor Prophets which of the final 12 books of the Old Testament. They're just as longer. Most likely the reason for this is that they're minutes. For most of them Jeremiah's Ministry was almost his entire life. And so if you take to take a preacher's work for 40 or 50 years, it's going to end up being a little bit or somebody like his ministry. He doesn't have as much is have as much to say over that long of your time. So he only you only ends up with for now. It's still a collection of works. It's still a collection of messages messages. but that's just largely shorter and more concise.
Stand Malachi is talking about I think we have to understand the grand scheme of the Old Testament.
I got head interjected himself into human history from really the very beginning. It's boring for some of you because I say it a lot. It's alright to be for a minute. dog treats everything beginning
Genesis tours a little bit different description order differently different purposes against God. Why is it that God punishes Adam and Eve so severely for eating a fruit. the reason why Adam and Eve were punished so severely
Genesis chapters 1 through 11 is is highly is highly symbolic. There's a lot of things going on when in Genesis chapter one when when our author is talking about water and how God puts his back was talking about the image of water which is which is chaos. In Genesis chapter 3 When God says you can have everything in the garden except for this one tree the furthest one tree he names that you names at the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Is the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil only right to decide what is right and wrong. What is good and evil, you don't circumcise you won't surely die. You will just become like God and that you'll get to decide. What's right and what's wrong?
This is the sin of the garden. And because God is a holy God is righteous God. Cannot stand in the presence of sin.
And so there has to be a separation. Kicked out of the garden kicked out of the garden.
The entrance to the Garden blocks people from being an answer in because man cannot live forever and eat of the fruit of the tree of all sorts of things. But what happens between Genesis chapter 3 in Genesis chapter 7 Genesis chapter 7 being kind of the beginning of the story of the flood is that God is completely away from his creation. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve from his free ation. What are reasons why but also to show us what happens? We got it.
Brother sins against brother and brother and brother relationship Cain kills Abel. And then family turns against family was she in the lineage that follows in Genesis 5 and ending with Mac killing probably child. I need to send some self like a I didn't do anything wrong and then we get to the verse that I caught all the time just to see where there's the corruption of everything. It feels right from the from the sin against sin against God to the sin against brother to the sin against family to the sin against civilization corrupts. All things went unchecked by God. Every intention of the thought of man is only evil.
full corruption and then call Dax.
Going to hear me say something that if you stop listening to me so that you understand what I'm going to say next does something. It doesn't work.
right Peter Jackson Self with an event Hotels with the flood God sends. I'm going to destroy the Earth. and that's God's one at he sends a flood you wife's asleep.
As if to say in this is something we punished.
But it doesn't. It doesn't solve it and I think by the way just to clarify that just punishing sin doesn't solve the problem. There's something else it's not it's not just that we send it said we are corrupt.
Noah gets awfully he gets off the arc. He builds a Vineyard make some wine gets plastered drunk then does something very strange. What if you remember back three years ago when we went to Genesis chapter 1 through 11. My suggestion is is for their some sexual deviance that happens between ham Noah's son and Ham's wife. The text just strange and stag and it doesn't come out and say something weird goes on and then Noah hands son instead of cursing his son and all sorts of weird things. All of this to prove to us still exist. God White's wife's all things in the Brokenness of the heart is still there. And this is why.
Obviously God didn't intend for that to be.
Play God's trying to show us something.
Eradication of something else what we have from Genesis chapter 9, which is the end of the flood until Genesis 12. We have another cycle. It's not just family not just a sin against brother to brother. family to family civilization to civilization and send it to the same extent as before in Genesis 6
we get the fall of Babylon. Babel Babylon It does ciao where they build a shower to try to reach the gods and do something special.
I forgot. Something new. He does something different here Jackson Self again. But this time he does he doesn't just trade in a call to family.
But you just call Abraham just to call Abraham. He calls Abraham to do something bigger on Earth than just find a particular family that maybe will continue to listen to. He calls Abraham. He calls Isaac Jacob 12 sons of a big powerful nation into this big powerful nation in Windsor Moses at this point. The leader of the Israelites gives them the law. For the purpose of the law was not to be events like the flood of what it was supposed to.
And once again God does something. Doesn't work.
once again, something else still needs to happen for us to be not just say
Sixt
sends this example. cause the people to follow to live in accordance with Define every single aspect of the government. Society morality Health everything is defined by this law.
What happens immediately after it? Brother sins against brother family sins against family corruption all the way to the Book of Judges. Oregon very clear pictures positive judges said there was no King in the land and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. That statement is the slaughter of one of the tribes of Israel. Is the brutal murder of concubine cut into 12 pieces and sent to the tribes of Israel and all you doing?
something different he sets the stage for something different like you set the stage by calling Abraham to set forth by.
For somebody future to come. Search David for first. He said it's all up to proof. Another point. You can ask for what you want. You can get a big strong tall mighty king and saw that he's not going to he's not after me. He's not going to leave you right?
God brings David into the picture prices between him and David from from you. One of your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel forever.
Israel
Nancy's a question The Kings of Israel are largely some of the reason why most of the reason why the people visual sale so much.
We see in the Book of Judges before the Kings come. Visualize is wicked. God sends a king to get their attention for a nation to get their attention with the Philistines the amorites the moabites malachite.
But once the Kings come in then something else happens to most of the small fish enemies that we had. They had the judges, but then Israel becomes its own enemy.
Siri is one of those Nations that they conquered the entire world. Asians like Persian Rome Greece Egypt
Siri is buried in there also. Comes that conquered the people in jail because the people of Israel turned away from God.
Costanza Syria not to punish the people. Entirely Did you draw attention back to him? This happens for a little while for a little bit of time they manage and then their teams fail again. And so here comes now Babylon.
Babylon conquered Assyria conquer the rest of the world counseling conquerors Judah because the people of this roller sinning against God and not worshipping him. And so instead of punishing people visual he gets their attention. He tries to turn their attention back to him and this happens while the people of Judah are in Babylon. And then the people of Israel they come home. Become home under the guidance of people like Zacharia and Ezra and Nehemiah and they rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. They rebuild the Temple it but it's really kind of pathetic in comparison to the old Temple and people are crying because it's not as nice. and for a little while people visually follow
You got it.
Last week we looked at Jeremiah Jeremiah. He's talked before the fall of Babylon in the temple by Babylon Jeremiah or Malachi here. He's about four hundred. 100 years after Israel has come back to the land of Egypt built their City back up built. Their Temple backups are worshiping a God again. You know what's happening?
Getting that route again. Look at verse right before our tax in chapter 2 verse 17 It says you have wearied the Lord with your words. But you said the people of Israel you said how have we weary him?
Made for this everyone who does he is good in the sight of the Lord.
Anything that sounds right?
Or by asking where is the God of Justice?
I know their history. They know that whenever Assyria comes to conquer is rowing in Babylon.
What God was saying through the process? Is it the reason why you have done nothing that I've called you to do?
And so you will be both punished and I will use that back to me. Now, you know what's happening the land of Israel? They're worshiping God.
You know, what's interesting? Cigar has not coming told them. They're going to be destroyed.
And so logically biologically they say you must be okay. God must not care anymore.
After all the things you were doing if they were so bad punish us. That's what he did in the past.
Does it does not examine your own life?
Must not be that bad.
Where is the God of Justice right? Where is he if he's this?
I told you last week that the prophets are very difficult at times because you with we read the prophets. It's we got you got to really pay attention.
Really pay attention. This is the mine said that is starting to become.
What is a sin in the New Testament?
People of God's at all. Well God's not punishing us for our sinfulness. And so therefore a man must not be a problem, but you do whatever we want, right? Christ died for me, right? That's what he did. He died for me to do. Whatever I want me answer that question for you. Like the intestine. Does that one sound happen? How are you doing?
Shimano tiagra, he's speaking to these people a 400 years before Jesus comes.
There's going to be a. Of Silence. from really Malachi till John the Baptist
and during that time the people of Israel going to have a really
they really got to figure things out. You're wrestle with who their God is what it means to follow him and what it means for him to be for him to bless them at all. I got to figure all this stuff out in the kind of got to do it all by themselves.
Malachi does he or is he actually does one of the one of the few times in this verse? He's not speaking to the people. He's actually speaking to. When it said last week was the prophet there either speaking to the people there talking to you were going to be punished because you're sinning. Or the Next Generation meaning of punishment now God is going to react.
I'm not done with you. this picture of her Malachi he's not talking to the peanut in this verse people now, he's not talking to the Next Generation. He's talking to the people a little bit further down the road. Hindsight's 20/20 about 400 years later.
Besides what he says what God is about to do something new.
Turns brother against brother.
God showed us to just wiping out all the bad people doesn't fix it or hard to still broken just showing us the picture of what it looks like to be right is doesn't change our hearts and we sin against cops. Says. I'm going to do something different this time. It's the real thing.
Deciding right?
Which two major things that happened in the church calendar? That we just spent a year in the liturgical calendar Christmas.
mission 2 in a different way the Incarnation of Christmas
in his shaving work on the cross and Resurrection. Is why it is the foundation everything else every single day of our lives every single minute of broken and sinful and disgusting people. I've been saved by a holy and righteous God because he sent his son to die for us.
But something else is true about scripture.
That message is wonderful. But it's not the message of the Incarnation of God. Sometimes we misrepresent what Christmas is really excited. So excited to something else. Something that's really awesome.
I've been talking about the last couple weeks God Genesis 1 Heaven and Earth and they were together. The Venn diagram was a circle not two circles separated like it is now.
When Christ comes incarnate way becomes man enters himself back into his own creation brings those two Spears that were separated. He brings them back together and he gives us something new.
He starts to change our hearts.
He doesn't just wipe away sin. That will happen at the end. He doesn't just give us a picture to change our hearts.
That's what we get in this passage. It's just my messenger and driving up to the Rocky Mountains or Appalachian longer. They're not so abrupt. If you're a hundred miles away from the Rocky Mountains.
But you can't differentiate what is happening in the prophet beautiful pictures beautiful, but they don't realize that there's actually did the looking. vacancy the top
Jeremiah tell me what's going to happen to the Next Generation coming out his final return.
When Isaiah says the prince Malachi, he he's like look a messenger is coming and you can kind of in Tennessee almost seems like it's the messenger and the message are almost the same person. You're not we're closer.
John the Baptist going to come he's going to prepare the way and the Lord will suddenly come in Temple over turning the tables. That's what I picture. Anybody in the room when Jesus starts to throw down with prepared for that? He's able to stop it before you Jesus comes in and suddenly flips the table.
It does Jesus literally physically in the temple.
Suddenly come into town messenger of the Covenant in the light.
He is coming says the Lord. the post
Again, Lord of host is a military term. or the armies or the power of Might when you have been completely and totally defeated again and again and again you start to wonder if God is actually that powerful and so God tries to emphasize this I'm sending messenger. I'm sending a message. I'm sending in fact. my son
say something passive.
an inverse to
but who
who can endure the day of his coming?
Who can stand when he appears?
I don't think is this reality very much. You think about this for a minute think about? Just how crazy unworthy. We are to stand in the presence of a pure and holy God. I do I did this week. status tea status saying you think how static I am
misrepresent what it means for God to be distant from us.
Because the presence of God something it's not perfectly pure and holy it can't stand.
And that's what we are.
Christ is going to call us Christians, but we should really.
Peter tells us in the New Testament in 1st and 2nd Peter chapter 3 we're studying this week. He says God is God is patiently waiting for us.
crushed his presence patiently waiting so that
Now here's what he calls on something else.
For he is like a Refiner's Fire in the like Fuller's Soap. He will sit. As a refinery in a purifier of silver. And he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver and they will bring offerings of in righteousness to the Lord and then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord. It's in the days of Olden as in former years in this immediately should call her attention to what Paul says in the Book of Romans.
faces pleasing acts of worship to God Be an offering to him your life and you miss your butt.
But has anything changed?
Did this message this this is he's going to he's going to be a Refiner's Fire and a fuller soap. He's going to be The Refinery entira fire a silver and gold anybody ever refine gold. Didn't think so. last year, I made a poor excuse for a mug for my brother for Christmas I made a Foundry and it melted aluminum aluminum DC to mail that's it melts at a lower temperature than aluminum like you would get really anywhere in anywhere isn't pure blemishes and things like that's what happens you find gold and silver in the earth you pull it out. It's not really pure gold or silver. The other silver gold is malleable and soft.
how to make gold pure
You have to buy it.
You ready for this spectacular picture?
You take gold, which has all its impurities all its imperfections. All its was calling Brokenness is
put it on the heat. In an aura society today with all our technology you can find more amazing human interaction with the Old Testament. No Testament. Is about to work at the refinery. I did this with aluminum and I think it's about the same and you mailed it and it melts down into things happen. There's two impurities impurities that will smoke return from a metal to a vapor to a solid to a liquid to a vapor and they'll go away. And then there are things that melt at a higher temperature than the actual metal that your come up to the surface is called you continue to remove those impurities. the metal changes right now 10 years on my finger and so stuffed up and and Grody and I can't see my reflection and then I have a head. That's it. When you are fine metal. to its pure state
You know how they knew when it was your fine. a reflected perfectly
This is what God says the messenger is going to do. He's going to come.
Shannon event Minnesota flood get rid of sin
purifier of our hearts and our souls fleetly
You're not saved after you.
spirit of God dwells in our hearts
You can't stand in the presence of God. You can't you can't in your own will Tower clean your life up in you and is doing it to you.
And s**** and refines us. Watch it sucks. Until one day he will look into it and he will see a perfect reflection of God incarnate.
You know, what else is?
really kind of hard to think about
If we would personify gold. We would make it we would hypothetically give it the ability to talk to us right to describe what it would be like to go to the Refiner's Fire the words they would use. This was fun. I enjoyed it. Which we realize that fire is not.
You never have a grill grill out making cheeseburgers you're flipping the burgers and you know, you did you flip the burgers. We got the ones in the back. Is it said about 400 500 Degrees if on your hand? 1200 degrees fire is not pleasant. Finding process does not necessarily enjoy. Sometimes it will hurt.
It will sometimes causes pain.
and sometimes what will happen is that they will naturally as as we simply are in the presence of God naturally those those Does impurity still burn off on their own? Sometimes God will have to reach in and I'll take that that slag off the top. how to remove a big chunk of our impurity
The process of refinement process that we go through what we call sanctification.
But I got you if you would ask that same send you gold. If the end product was worth the time effort and work in the pain.
I'm going to guess that they would say yes.
If you ever seen piece of gold. It's even just 24 carat new shiny.
Pretty amazing. Look at reason why for all of human history.
Because it's worth.
Can you imagine?
one day in Paradise in presence of God
being that to your refined beautiful reflection of Christ
I'm not going to ask you the question. I'm just going to give you the answer. It will have been worth it.
Heavenly Father
Thank you that you sent your spirit. Did you want one our hearts?
to change the refined transform
so that we would no longer have broken hearts. Stain and corrupted by sin. But did you the work? a transformation in our lives steadily and continually be drawn.
refine purifying to look like your son Oh God, we just pray that you would.
Did we win in brace?
What that means? We will go through the struggle. knowing that at the end a task completion
the purify image that we have become. Will be worth the toil and we've gone through to get there. Father we thank you, and we praise you. We praise you for your son who died on the cross.
Who gave his blood to justify the presents? your presence We thank you for your spirit. continue to do this for pray this in your precious in Hawaii.