Malachi 3:1–3
The Preacher:
Robley J. Johnston is General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. A native of Pennsylvania, he took his A.B. degree from Juniata College and the Th.B. and Th.M. from Westminster Seminary. He served for three years as Pastor of Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Middletown, Pennsylvania, and before that in Cincinnati, Ohio. He taught in 1949–50 at the Stony Brook School.
The Text:
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
One of Norman Rockwell’s delightful Post illustrations pictures a salesgirl in the toy department of one of our great stores. The date on the calendar is December 24; the hands on the clock point to five minutes past five. The poor clerk has slumped upon a pile of toys behind the counter—dress askew, hair disheveled, and arms limp at her sides. She has slipped off her shoes, and her eyes are rolled back as if she were to breathe her last. She has just made it through another great American Christmas!
We all know just how she feels. There are moments when we glimpse that marvelous childhood Christmas again, to which the toys are tribute, but the mad crush catches up with us and we ask, “Can I stand another year of it?”
There is, however, a far deeper sense to the question, “Who can stand Christmas?” Quite apart from the customs that have grown up around the celebration of Christ’s birth, the question must be asked about that event itself: “Who can stand before the birth of Jesus Christ?”
This is the question, asked in the last book of the Old Testament which looks forward to the coming Messiah. Malachi puts it to warn a people who thought themselves quite ready for Christmas. Indeed, they were impatient for God’s great intervention to begin.
They were exiles returned from Babylon—the remnant of God’s chosen people, restored by God’s promise to the city where he had put his name. But they found the walls and the temple in ruins, the land desolate and filled with enemies. They must rebuild with trowel in one hand and spear in the other. When the wall was repaired and the temple foundation restored, their shouts of joy mingled with weeping. Compared with the former city and temple, the restoration was weak, mean, feeble. “How does all this fit with the promises of God’s deliverance, and of Messiah’s just and glorious reign?” they asked.
Malachi heard their murmurings. They cried to God, “Wherein hast thou loved us?” (1:2). “Where is the God of judgments?” (2:17). If God has really chosen us, when will he judge our enemies and deliver us? Will Messiah never come?
Malachi answers with the Word of God: “The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.”
The answer to their prayer was dreadfully more than they had asked. They sought the Lord as an end to troubles; they wanted a Messianic panacea for peace and prosperity. But the coming One was the Lord indeed, and as Lord they must meet him. He comes not to play favorites on their terms, serve their dreams, and establish their kingdom. He comes to bring peace through judgment, to deal not only with the sins of their enemies, but with their sins. Could they abide his coming?
If Israel was guilty of a superficial view of the significance of Christ’s coming, so are we. We talk and sing of the coming of the Prince of Peace to earth. We are choked with emotion as we listen to the story of how he came and there was no room for him, save in a stable. We play the Christmas carols and fondly hope that the Christmas spirit may make the world a better place. But, I wonder, can we really stand Christmas? Are we really prepared to embrace all that the coming of Christ means? Our text suggests three reasons for posing such a question.
The Coming Of Almighty God
The first reason why the inspired Word asks us “Can you stand Christmas?” is that the coming of Christ is the coming of the Almighty God. The One who speaks in this prophecy is none other than for whose coming Israel was crying. This is essentially the same prophecy as that found in Isaiah 40:3, where that prophet speaks of “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah here speaks of Jehovah, Israel’s almighty Sovereign. In ancient times when the king made a journey there were sent before him runners and riders to make sure that no danger lurked in the way, and to arouse all the people to greet their sovereign. This is the picture of the One who is coming, the Sovereign of God’s people, and he is the Lord Jehovah.
But even apart from Isaiah’s prophecy, it is crystal clear whose coming Malachi foretells, for he says, “The Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.” The prophet has just spoken of Israel’s complaint, ‘Where is the God of judgment?” And in answer to that cry this word is given: “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple.” The God whom Israel worshiped as the only God—the God whose temple stood in their midst as a continual reminder of his glory and power—this is the One who comes, sending his messenger before him. Is it any wonder that the prophet asks, “Who may abide the day of his coming?”
The One whose coming is the subject of prophecy—the One whose coming is the object of our attention at this season—is none other than the mighty God. The Word who was in the beginning with God, by whom all things were made, and who is very God—the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Only because he veiled his majestic glory behind the curtain of his flesh could men even look upon him. Even so, there were occasions when his majesty and might flashed forth in overpowering manifestations. Think of how the money changers fell back under the lash of his scourge as he cleansed his temple. Think of the moment of his arrest in the garden; he said, “I am he,” and those who would seize him fell to the ground. Or think of the centurion who stood beneath his cross as the earth quaked and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled in tribute to his deity—think of that hardened soldier crying out, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Yes, Christmas declares to us the unveiling of the invisible God, the coming of Almighty God among men, and who shall stand when he appeareth?
The Coming Of The Kingdom
The second reason for the inspired question on Malachi’s lips is that the coming of Christ is the coming of the promised kingdom of God. He whose coming is foretold is not only called the Lord, but he is spoken of as “the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in.” The mention of the covenant associates this event with all of God’s promises to establish his rule among men. The messenger of the covenant in whom Israel took delight calls to mind that kingdom which was the fondest hope of God’s Old Testament people. Of that everlasting kingdom of peace spoke all the prophets from Balaam to the Baptist. For God had made his covenant with his people; he had promised that he would set his king on his holy hill of Zion. God’s covenant was his promise to send deliverance and salvation to his people and to establish his own eternal kingdom on earth. And this “messenger of the covenant” is God himself fulfilling his covenant. Again Isaiah and Malachi speak with one voice. In Isaiah 42:6, God says of his coming King, “I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.” The coming of this One is the realization of God’s covenant; it is the coming of him who is Christ, God’s anointed King.
This prophecy, therefore, agrees with all the other prophetic notices that speak of the coming of Christ. It makes plain that he whose birth we celebrate at this season is the One whom God hath made both Lord and Christ, King Immanuel. As such, his appearance is not merely a momentary manifestation of the great God; it is not one brief revelation of Jehovah upon earth. Rather, in terms of his covenant, it is God come to dwell among men as their King. Christ’s coming was for the purpose of establishing the rule of God as the abiding Lord of the lives of men. What a staggering thought is this! Christ came not that we might glimpse the glory of God for a few brief years, but he came that God might dwell forever among men and that, dwelling among us, his righteous law might exercise its sway over our lives. The coming of Christ is in the most vital sense the coming of God’s kingdom.
The kingdom of God does not await the second coming of Christ and the final, full manifestation of his sovereignty, for the prophet is here speaking of his first advent when he came announced by his messenger John. No, the birth of Christ ushered in the beginning of that glorious day spoken of by all the prophets—the day in which the mighty God dwells among his people as their sovereign Lord. Christ’s birth began that kingdom in which men of every tongue bow and confess that he is Lord. And if we cannot bear his coming, how can we bear the coming of his kingdom? How shall we abide the day of his coming by whose appearance the sovereign rule of God is brought to bear upon our lives day by day, under which our selfishness and willfulness must be subjected to his perfect will?
The Coming Of The King
Thus there is a third reason why it must be asked, “Who shall stand when he appeareth?” The reason is that the coming of Christ is the coming of the King of Righteousness. His coming is not some abstract, faraway concept. Rather, it takes hold upon our life and thought and speech in a most concrete way, for the prophet says of this coming King, “He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.” Malachi had just reminded the people of their transgression against the law of God—of their blindness to their sins of selfishness and ingratitude, and when he hears them express a desire for Messiah’s coming he cannot but remind them that the One in whom they profess delight will, when he comes, deal harshly with their sin. The refiner puts his metals into the fire to burn out the impurities; the fuller soaks his soiled cloth in soap and water and then tramples it up and down to remove the dirt from the very fibres. It is the essence of the kingdom of Christ to deal severely with sin. Christ came not only as the Prince of Peace; he came also as the King of Righteousness. And he must perform his work of righteousness in order that his work of peace may appear.
Comment On The Sermon
The sermon “Who Can Stand Christmas?” was nominated forCHRISTIANITY TODAY’SSelect Sermon Series by Professor Edmund P. Clowney of Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. His overcomment follows:
Many noted preachers are specialists: masters of anecdote, sons of thunder, fathers of phrases. Yet great preaching does not require the tongues of angels. As the uncomely parts of the body are the more necessary, so the greater gifts in preaching are the less noted. Every true preacher is first a general practitioner, faithful in the routines of the study and the discipline of prayer—a workman in the Word.
Lack of relevance is only a symptom of the impotence of modern preaching. The cause is lack of meaning. Some preachers may fail because they do not know their hearers well enough; others fail because they do not know the Bible well enough, or because they do not know Christ at all. The arts of communication serve only the man who has something to communicate. An empathetic pewside manner is no substitute for Gospel proclamation.
This is a Gospel sermon. It proclaims Christ from the Scriptures. It takes the text seriously, and has no other aim than the explanation and application of the oracles of God. Structurally, it is sound for the theme is unified: the divisions are subordinate to the theme, co-ordinate with each other, and progressive in their development. The exegesis has iceberg form: there is a mass of cold, hard substance below the surface, but light glistens from the high points.
The price of such development is many hours of labor in the study. All good preachers work at their sermons. The preacher of the Word of God must work longest at what the text says, for that will control what he says. This sermon is built upon a careful examination of the Hebrew text and a wide grasp of the whole counsel of God. It is in the Presbyterian tradition of scholarly preaching, grounded in the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God written.
On the other hand this is a sermon, not a theological lecture. It proclaims God’s judgment on sin, and confronts men with the presence of the Saviour. There is a Puritan ring to the earnestness with which the challenge of the prophet is declared. The preacher pleads with men before God. In a printed sermon, particularly one which has been severely pruned for requirements of space, much of the immediacy of application is lost. Enough remains, however, to suggest the power of this as preaching.
Finally, this sermon preaches Christ from the Old Testament. Too often Christ is lost in current preaching. The moralizing that results may presuppose the Gospel, but it does not preach it. To be sure, Christ is plainly present in this text from Malachi, the last herald of his appearing. But the form of his presence here declares his presence throughout Scripture. He is the angel of the covenant. In burning bush and flaming cloud, every theophanic coming of God anticipates his final coming in his Son. The story of redemption is the story of the Redeemer. Further, the angel of the covenant is also the coming Messiah. Malachi calls the priest the messenger or angel of the Lord (2:7). The calling of Israel as the priestly nation, the calling of God’s servants as prophets, priests, and kings—this all points forward to the calling of God’s anointed who is both Lord and Servant, God and man, Immanuel.
E. P. C.
In his first coming Christ was himself consumed by that refiner’s fire. The Judge bore the wrath of judgment, for only so could he save his people from their sins. But Christ the Sin-Bearer can never be indifferent to sin; by both word and deed he raised the scourge of judgment. In his second, final coming to earth, that work of judgment will be completed. Then the dread that is expressed in these words of Malachi will be upon the lips of all those who have turned from his righteousness. Then will they cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them to hide them from the wrath of him that sitteth upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Yes, it is the Lamb who came to apply the righteous law of God to the lives of sinful men. And therefore he poured scathing condemnation upon men who make a show of religion, but whose hearts are void of mercy and filled with spiritual pride. He exposed the hypocrisy of those who made much of the law and the prophets, but who rejected the message they proclaimed for their own devious and foolish traditions.
The coming of Christ is the coming of the King of Righteousness who will by no means clear the guilty; and how shall we stand before him with hearts corroded by coveting the comforts of this life? How shall we endure the searching eye of him who says, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice?” How shall we escape his judgment who says, “Ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity?”
Who is sufficient for these things? Who can stand such an appearance as this—the coming of God himself to establish his rule of perfect righteousness over the life and thought of men? We say we want—we need—the celebration of Christ’s birth. The Christmas spirit, we say, will warm the earth with kindness and love to one another, and so let us have Christmas. But can we really stand it when it confronts us in the fullness of its meaning? Do we recognize the implications of our desire for Christmas?
Ah yes, let us have Christmas! God forbid that we should ever be indifferent to the coming of his Son. But welcome his coming for what it is. Worship him who was born—that child whose name is Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. One day he will come again in power. But our King has already come, and summons us by his grace to enter into the Kingdom where he is sovereign of all our lives. Hear and believe his word: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Know that “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Submit to his refining, cleansing work. Find cleansing for sin in “that fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins.” Know that all your righteousnesses are as filthy rags and claim by faith the perfect righteousness of him who did always the things that pleased the Father. Fill your minds and hearts with his Word that in you may appear the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. So may we welcome the word of his coming and sing with new meaning: “Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!”
