Malachi - The Book of Remembrance

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Malachi chapter three, and we will begin reading a few verses before verse 16 there to get the context again of where we are in the book of Malachi. This could be titled the book of remembrance or as I have it here, God's treasure. God's treasure are those whose names are written in the book of remembrance or as we call it in the New Testament, the book of Life. Life. Yep.

So Malachi chapter three, and we'll begin in verse seven and read down through verse 18. So verse seven. Even from the days of your fathers, ye are all gone away from my ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, wherein shall we return?

Will a man rob God? Yet he have robbed me, but you say wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and in offerings. So we'll go ahead and review here a little bit on the slides what we've read so far. God's plea to Israel was return to me.

Sadly, Israel as they hold did not see the need to return. They thought they were fine. And so Israel's response was return from what? God says, you have robbed me and they say, how so? God says, in tithes and offerings, you're not giving to me that which was required according to the mosaic law that Israel was under.

But the problem was not just a money problem, the problem was a lot. It was a heart problem. Money was just a symptom of a heart issue that they had with the Lord. They weren't giving him their best as we saw earlier in Malachi. They were giving God the leftovers.

So is God gonna be happy with the leftovers? The answer to that is no. God deserves our best. He doesn't deserve our least or our leftovers. He continues on in verse in verse 13.

Your words have been stout against me, sayeth the Lord. Yet you say, what have we spoken so much against thee? So the indictment of God here, your words have been against me. Your words have been harsh. Essentially, he's saying you've been complaining, griping and complaining all the time.

And Israel's response was, how so have our words been opposed or in opposition to you? Verse 14, God says, you have said, it is in vain to serve God. And what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? In other words, God says in response to, what do you mean our words have been harsh against you? He says in saying that it's profitless to serve the Lord.

You have have complained and said, but what good is it to serve the Lord? Look what happens. But the problem was, were they really serving the Lord? And the answer to that was no. Not really.

For the most part, they were just going through the motions. And that happens a lot. It happens a lot in the church today. People just kinda go through the motions and feel like, hey. God ought to be happy.

Look. I went to church once a week. I I I did my part. Now God has to do his part. Is that the way it should work?

Is are we trying to put God in a corner and make him do what we want him to do? Isn't it really kinda supposed to be the I can't say. Other way around? Isn't it we that owe the Lord, not the Lord that owes Us. That owes us?

Shouldn't we be doing things out of gratitude and love for God who gave his son for us and not trying to force God into doing whatever we want and then writing about it? Well, that was that was his rule. They said, wait, it's profitless to serve the Lord. We keep his commandments, well, sort of. And and it doesn't seem to help us, and we walk around mournfully all day.

You know? You know, I'm real repentant here. But the repentance wasn't where? In their heart. Saint Bob, Jesus had the Pharisees a few hundred years later.

Said you walk around, you fast twice a week, and other people notice it and they feel sorry for you and think you're really spiritual, but that's all the rewards you're gonna get because you're not impressing who? Not impressing God. You're not impressing God. Not impressing God with your long winded prayers and and repetitions and big words. Not impressing God by throwing your money in the thing and hearing it clank as it goes in for everybody to see.

Not impressing us. You've got all the rewards you're gonna get. That that was a problem in Jesus' day, and it started back here April earlier during the time of Malachi, and it's still a problem today. Because if we're not walking in the spirit, we're walking in the flesh. If we're walking in the flesh, this is what's gonna happen.

And and it leads to frustration rather than blessing. All we have to do is learn the trust in the trust in his word. Follow in our lives. Israel had a problem with that, and God rebuked them rebuked them here for it. In verse 16, he refers to another crowd.

There was the crowd of complainers that always complained and didn't trust and were looking out for number one. And then there was the other group. Usually, the smaller group, sadly, that trusted in the Lord. Not everybody was complaining. Not everybody was giving God their second best.

There was a group in Israel that whose hearts were right with with God. And so he refers to that group here in verse 16. So let's read verse 16 to 18. Then they that feared the Lord spake often to one another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name.

And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts. In that day when I make up my jewels, I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. So here's where we have the mention of the book of remembrance. The book of remembrance is an allusion to books kept by ancient kings to record the names and deeds of those who were deserving of the king's favor.

So the king had a scribe and the king would tell the scribe write this down, and the scribe would write that down. The king was, you know, he's too important to be writing his own stuff down, so he has a guy that wrote it down for him. And so he would say, you know, somebody did this today. I I need to do something good for them. Write it down in the book of remembrance.

So they would write it down in their book, and then later on the king would have read through the book and go, oh, I I need to reward so and so for what what can I do for them or have I done anything for them? And so that was called the book of remembrance. If you'll turn to the book of Esther, we'll have to see a sample example there of this very thing. Book of Esther and chapter six. Book of Esther chapter six.

Now Esther, remember, was a Jewish lady young lady who was chosen to replace the former queen of Persia. So the Israelites this is during the time of their captivity, before they returned to the land, before the time of Malachi. Okay? About hundred to two hundred years before Malachi, this took place. And Esther was now in a excuse me.

This is in an interesting situation to help her people as the queen. I hate to put a cough drop in my mouth because it's hard to talk with a cough drop in my mouth when I have one. So we will go with cough drop. Alright. So Esther had an uncle.

His name was Mordecai. Mordecai. Mordecai got wind, how they plot to kill the king, and he sent word through Esther. And the king was saved from this people that were gonna kill him. And it was written in the book of remembrance, what Mordecai had done for the king.

So here in Esther six, it says, on that night could not the king sleep. And he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Parish, two of the king's king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said, what honor and dignity have been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered on him, there is nothing done for him.

So this is an example. It was recorded in this book that was kept by the king. The king, when he could sleep, had the book read, and he heard, oh, yeah. Mordecai did this for me. What's been done for Mordecai?

Nothing. Okay. Well, we're gonna do something good for Mordecai. And if you've read the book of Esther, it's kind of funny what what comes out of it because Mordecai is honored and the guy who has to honor him is Haman who is his enemy that wants to kill all the Jews. And it's quite a hilarious scene actually.

Haman leading this parade for Mordecai through the streets while he's trying to figure out a way to kill him. So obviously, the Lord steps in and takes care of that. But this is an example of this what we call this book of remembrance. In God's word, it says here in pawn psalm 56, thou tellest my wanderings, down my tears into thy bottle. Are they not in thy book?

In Proverbs fifteen three, it says, the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. Who is keeping a book? God is. God knows. God God knows.

God remembers. Praise the Lord through Jesus Christ. Those who have become his children and born again by God's mercy, the bad things have been what? Have been blotted blotted out through the blood of Jesus Christ. But God has a book of remembrance.

God remembers. God knows. And the book of remembrance here that is being talked about in Malachi is not a book for judgment, but a book like the one here that Mordecai was in. A book of reward and of blessing. A book wherein the names are written of those not that complain and mock and and disdain the Lord, but those who fear and trust in the Lord.

That is this book of remembrance. In the book in the New Testament, it speaks specifically of something called the book of life or in one place it's called the lamb's book. Of life here it is recorded all the names of the redeemed in Jesus Christ. In Philippians four three, we read, and I entreat thee also true yokefellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel with Clement also and with other my fellow laborers whose names are written in the what? In the book of life.

There are several references in the book of Revelation to this book of life. And it says in Revelation twenty fifteen, it says that whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So those whose names are not written in book of life are cast in the lake of fire. Those whose names are written in the book of life are not cast into the lake of fire. So if our name is written in the book land's book of life, then there's a place in heaven awaiting us.

If our names are not written in the book of life, we haven't we do not have eternal life through Christ, then those people will be cast into the lake of fire. They will be just out of other books mentioned here in Revelation 20. Books which their deeds are recorded, they will be found guilty. But for us who are in Christ, whose names are written in the book of life, we will escape that judgment and enjoy the pleasures of heaven because we are such wonderful people. No.

Because we have a wonderful Savior. Savior whose invitation to salvation, we have responded to in faith and by his grace and have become children of the king whose names are written now in the book of life. So we have the book of remembrance, which is very much like the book of life. And whose names are written in the book of remembrance, Those who fear the Lord. Those who fear the Lord.

The word fear, that phrase, fear the Lord in the old testament, is similar to put your faith in those who have their faith in the Lord in the New Testament. Whenever the Lord wanted to praise somebody in the Old Testament, very oftentimes the phrase the fear of the Lord shall fear the Lord was used to praise them. Proverbs nine ten, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Let read a few others here. Proverbs ten twenty seven, the fear of the Lord prolongeth days.

Proverbs fourteen twenty six, and the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and his children shall have a place of refuge. Proverbs fourteen twenty seven, the fear of the Lord is the fountain of life to depart from the snares of death. Proverbs fifteen sixteen, better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. Proverbs fifteen thirty three, the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honors humility. Proverbs sixteen six, by mercy and truth and iniquity is purged by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.

Proverbs nineteen twenty three, the fear of the Lord tendeth to life and he that hath, it shall abide shall abide satisfied. Proverbs twenty two four, by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor in life. Proverbs twenty three seventeen, let not thine heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long. Someone who fears the Lord is someone who acknowledges that there is a god in heaven to whom we are what? Accountable.

And we will give an account one day, and he's watching and he sees the evil and the good and he remembers. The fear of the Lord keeps us from going down the wrong path and helps us stay on the right path as we trust in the one who made us and know that he judges justly righteously, and we can trust in him. So really, in this passage, we have those who complain and don't trust in God and don't fear him, and those who do trust in the Lord and therefore rightly reverence and fear him. Not in a way that terrorizes them and causes them to hide from the Lord, but in a way that draws them to him and causes them to follow him in the path of righteousness. So here in the passage, those who read whose names are written in the book of remembrance for those who fear the Lord are those who are righteous.

While the ungodly and unrepentant complain and blame God for their troubles, they that fear the Lord, they who trust in him, therefore are righteous through faith. Their names are written in the book of remember, it's the book of life. They are in the place of blessing of the almighty God. It says here in verse 16, then they that feared the Lord spake often to one another. They that fear the Lord, their character and behavior, first of all, demonstrates itself manifests itself in that they exhort one another.

Those who fear the Lord like to do what? They like to talk about it. Not complain about it, but praise him. That's what those who fear the Lord, those who trust in you, would like to do. They're they're not perfect.

They have their struggles, but they like to encourage one another in his word, in his character, in his promises. In Hebrews ten twenty four, we're told that let us consider one another to provoke on the love and the good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a matter of some is, but exhorting one another. And so much the more as you see the day approaching. Rather than always complaining and being negative, why does God do this and why does God do that? Those who trust the Lord, they come together and they they praise the name of the Lord, and they encourage each other to trust in that's what the righteous in Christ do.

We need each other. God knew that. God said, don't forsake the assembly of yourselves together, but you need to come together and encourage one another. Praise praise the Lord for what he's done in your life. Isn't encouragement when we take prayer requests, we have praises, and you hear get to hear what God is doing in the lives of others?

Colossians three sixteen says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing you admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs Mhmm. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. The righteous do what? They they have a song in their wives. They have a song in their heart unto the Lord.

And they just can't wait to come together and praise him together. They choose second of all, they choose to trust in his name. They it says here in verse 17 16 actually, it says, if the book of remembrance was written for them that fear the Lord and that thought upon his name. The word thought can be translated as steam or meditate. It is those who esteem or highly exalt or find value in and therefore take time to meditate and think upon the name.

The name representing not just, you know, my name is Richard. That really doesn't tell you much about me, does it? But God's name not isn't just a name. It is something that tells us about him. Elohim means that he is the supreme one.

He is the supreme God of the universe. He is the almighty supreme maker and creator. The name Jehovah or Yahweh, however it's pronounced supposed to be pronounced, which we're not sure of, that name speaks to God as the ever living one who stepped into time in the person of his son, Jesus Christ, whose name means Jehovah Saviour. To save us from our to save us from our sins. He is the covenant God.

He is a he's not only an almighty God. He is a God of what? Of mercy and love and grace. In the Old Testament, those names are used in combination with other names to tell us about the character of our gods. And when you see a phrase like this, when that that they thought upon his name, it's not just that they're saying some mantra of God's name over and over and over again.

It means that they are steaming his character that his name represents. They choose to trust in his name, trust in his his perfect nature, his promises, and his will. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighted in his way. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not until they don't understand all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. They fear the Lord.

They talk about it and encourage one another, and they choose to trust in his name, in his person, in his promises. That is the righteous whose names are written in God's book of what? God's book of remembrance or God's book of life. In contrast to those who are always griping, complaining, and questioning, and have no fear of God before their eyes as if speaks of humanity in Romans three seventeen. So we see the character in actions of the righteous, then we see the position of the righteous.

Look, if you would, in verse 17. It's he says, of those whose names are written in the book of remembrance, those that fear the Lord, they shall be what? Mine. Mine. I like that song.

Now I belong to Jesus. Jesus belongs to me, not for the years of time alone, but for eternity. Now I belong to Jesus. He belongs to me. I am his.

There's another song that's entitled, I am his and he is mine. I am his and he is mine. It is a wonderful thing belong to the savior, to be safe in his everlasting arms, to be in his in his grasp, near his near his his children. John one twelve, but as many as received him to them gave the power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. What do you have to do to become a child of God?

You have to trust in him. You have to trust in him to be the Lord and savior of your life, and trust your soul to him. He is faithful. He will fail you, and he will claim you. He will claim you as his own.

If you will come to him in repentance and trust in him, He will make you his. His precious jewel as it says here. Says in that day when I make up my jewels, those who belong to Jesus, we are precious in his sight. We are a treasure. There's a couple of parables that Jesus told.

One was about a treasure that was hidden in field in Matthew 13. And man found the treasure and went and sold everything he has so he could buy a field wherein was the treasure. Because the treasure was of such value that nothing else was worth what that treasure was worth. So he sold everything else to have that treasure. It says the kingdom of heaven is like this treasure.

And there's some difference opinion on what that parable means. Most likely that parable is speaking of someone who sees salvation in the kingdom of Jesus Christ of such value that they're willing to trust in him and to turn from the things of the world to trust in the savior because what is more valuable than salvation in heaven? The answer to that is nothing on this earth is that valuable. But also as I read that parable, I think, you know, that's what God did for me. For some reason, God called me as a what?

As a treasure. And he gave his only begotten son so that he might have me, so that he might have have you. And those who put their trust in the Lord, their jewels in the crown of the savior. They are a precious treasure which is hidden in him and secured in him. First Peter two nine, Peter writes, but ye are chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people.

That word peculiar doesn't simply mean you're kinda weird. It means you're special. You're unique. A peculiar people that ye should show forth the praises of him who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So our position in Christ, we belong to him, and we are precious treasure, those who fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

True of Israel, true of us today. And then there is the provision of Christ. There's the character of the righteous, the position of the righteous, and the provision of God for the righteous. The Lord hears and hearkens unto them. It says in verse 16, and they that feared the Lord spake to one another and the Lord hearkened and heard it.

And a book of remembrance was written before him for them. Those who put their trust in the Lord, God hears and God hearkens unto them. And he writes their name in his book because they're perfect. No. But because they fear and trust in who?

They fear and therefore choose to trust in the Lord. And he invites them to come boldly before the what? The throne of Grace. Grace that they might find help in time of need. First John five fourteen and fifteen, it says this, and this is the confidence that we have in him, that is in Jesus.

That if we ask anything according to his will, he what? Hear us. He hears He hears us. Us. We can have confidence that the Lord in heaven hears who?

Us. We've chosen him, and he has chosen us, and he hears us. And if we know that we hear, he hear us. Once we're yes, we know that we have the petitions that we desire to him. Matthew seven seven, ask and it shall be what?

Seek and seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be open unto you. For he that ask to receiveth, he that seek and findeth unto him to knock and it shall be open. Why? Because you have a God in heaven who is your father who loves you, and he knows what you need, and he hears when you cry out to him, and he's gonna help you.

Now he doesn't always just give us whatever we want because sometimes we ask amiss that we may consume it upon our lust. Sometimes we ask amiss because we're we don't really know what we want. We don't know what's best. Praise the Lord he does. And he cares enough sometimes to answer our prayers a little differently than maybe exactly how we asked him because he knows there's something better than what we asked for.

But he provides for the righteous. He hears them. He hearkens unto them, and they will be spared the judgment. It says in verse 17 again, and they shall be mine, sayeth the Lord of hosts in that day, when I make up my jewels, I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. The jewels are the things that are spared.

They're the things that are of what? A value that God wants to keep and he spares them the destruction that everything else faces. First Thessalonians five nine, for God has not appointed us. Who is us? His precious what?

His precious treasure hidden in Jesus Christ. Those who have those who fear to put their faith in the Lord, who are his children, he has not appointed us to the wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. We have good things to look forward to. God's judgment will what? Pass over us who are under the blood of Jesus Christ, our savior, who are spared the judgment.

Revelation twenty fifteen, and those whose names were not written in the book of life were cast into the what? The light of fire. And therefore, those things who are written in the book of life were not cast in the light of fire. Is it because we don't deserve it? No.

It is because we have been forgiven in Christ Jesus who took our place and made the way for us sinful creatures to become the righteous in Jesus Christ. For he, God has made him, Jesus, to be sent for us who do no sin, that we might be made the Righteousness. Righteousness of God and, you know, that we might be clothed in his righteousness. So those in Israel whose hearts, whose love was genuine, whose trust was in the Lord, they didn't act like those who were far from him. They weren't the complainers, they were the praisers.

They encouraged each other through the difficult times. They trusted in the name of the Lord and in his word, they were precious treasure under God as we are in Christ today. And they are provided invitation as we come boldly before the throne of grace and one day be spared the judgment and instead receive the reward. Reward that Christ earned for us on the cross of Calvary. Then shall they see for themselves that God does reward the righteous and God does punish the wicked.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for this day, for this evening. For your word, may you bless it. May you bless us and reminded that we are precious treasure to you, not that we have earned it, that you earned it for us, but that through faith we might know the blessings of Christ Jesus our Lord and what it means to be the children of God. Lord, help us to show that, demonstrate that in our lives, particularly before the world, that our light might shine before them, that they may see our good works, your works in us, and glorify our father which is in heaven.

In Jesus' name, do pray. Amen. At this time, David's gonna come to us in in