God will do Justice

Malachi 3v5

11^th June 2021

In two earlier studies, we looked at Malachi 2v17, in which God's Old Testament people asked, "Where is the God of justice?" Like most people, they liked the idea of justice, so long as they could cast themselves in the role of the victim, not in the role of the accused. But the truth is that we're all the victims of wrongdoing, and we're all the perpetrators of wrongdoing.

We then studied Malachi 3v1-4, which predicts with amazing accuracy the first coming of Jesus Christ our Lord. We saw that, as Malachi predicted, when Jesus came He pronounced judgement on the Jewish nation. Jesus told the Jews, "Your house is left to you desolate" and prophesied that Jerusalem would be attacked and the temple would be destroyed. This prophecy was fulfilled just 40 years later, and the Jews went into exile for 1900 years. They're back home now. God doesn't stay angry for ever.

The last verse of this prophecy is:

Malachi 3v5
"So I will come near to you for judgement. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud labourers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the Lord Almighty.

This doesn't only apply to the generation who were alive when Jesus came. It applies to everybody, always.

• Sorcerers, and anybody who dabbles in the occult, will be judged. Perhaps you indulged in these sins before you knew Jesus, but they have no place among God's people. We cannot trust in God and consult evil spirits.
• Adulterers, and anybody who persists in sexual sins, will be judged. How can we serve the God of all purity, while continuing in filth?
• Perjurers, and anybody who speaks evil of another person, will be judged. How can we serve the God of truth while speaking lies? How can we honour the God of love while harming another person’s reputation?
• Anybody who defrauds his employees of their wages, anybody who cheats or steals, or pays less tax than is due, is not fit for the kingdom of God.
• Anybody who oppresses widows and orphans, anybody who takes advantage of vulnerable people, is a disgrace to God and His church. So is anybody who deprives immigrants of justice.

Anybody who blithely carries on in these sorts of sins, or any other sins, does not fear God.

If you’re caught up in a sin, don't despair. Perhaps you're in a situation where you don't know how to avoid sin. Perhaps you've developed a sin habit and can't get free. God understands. If you earnestly seek Him, God will provide you a way out. God will set you free, if that's truly what you want. Sometimes He sets us free from besetting sins instantaneously. Sometimes, it's a gradual, even a life-long, process. But God will give us freedom from sin if we truly want it.

The grace of God is truly amazing. No matter how many times you've tried to do right, and ended up doing wrong, no matter how long you've been caught in a sin, God will deliver you. God will set you free, if that's truly what you want. And you will be forgiven 100%.

The grace of God is so amazing that if, in truth, you don't want to be free from sin, but you do want to want to be free from sin, God will give you the gift of repentance, if you ask Him. But if the truth is that you rather like your sins, and have no intention of getting free of them, then what makes you think you have any part in the kingdom of God? As Paul asks:

Romans 2v4
... do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

This is not just Old Testament teaching. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (in the latest version of the NIV) says:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

The God of justice is coming again. He sees everything we do, and everything in our hearts. He knows all our selfish ambition, all our impure thoughts. He hears all our unkind words. And He is the perfect judge. Hear the words of John the Baptist, God's messenger, and obey them:

Matthew 3v2
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."