What Good Is It to Serve God?

Last Sunday of the Church Year
November 21, 2004
Malachi 3:13-4:3

^3:13"You have said harsh things against me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?' ¹⁴"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? ¹⁵But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.'"

¹⁶Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honoured his name. ¹⁷"They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. ¹⁸And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

^4:1"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. ²But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. ³Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty. (NIV).

It really irks me when people park in the fire lane in front of the bank. The spot in front of my bank is a very narrow curve. Two cars can barely fit. The road is all painted up with yellow stripes and the words "No Parking." If you can't see that, you're too blind to be driving! Yet, perhaps half the time I go to the bank, some lazy slob is parked there, usually with the engine running! I have to squeeze past him and then walk around his car or truck to get in the door. I don't like that!

Generally speaking, I hate it when people break the law and get away with it. I feel like I'm being cheated. If I have to follow the rules, then so do they. So I had a good laugh this week from a picture my dad sent me. A Mercedes was parked right in front of a fire hydrant, an obvious no-parking zone. But the car owner suffered for his arrogance. There was a fire and so the firemen ran the hose through the two back-door windows of the car and connected it to the hydrant! I couldn't tell from the picture if they had to break the windows to do that, but that big hose lying on the doors wasn't good. They always leak and the guy couldn't move the car until they were done. That guy will never park in front of a hydrant again! Now, if only there were a fire at the bank at noon!

I'm sure you understand the way I feel. Maybe it doesn't particularly bother you when people park in no-parking zones. But maybe it does when people litter; when they take 20 items to the express check out at the grocery store and then pay by credit card of course; or maybe when dog owners don't pick up after their dog and then you find it on the bottom of your shoe. I'm sure each of you could add several examples to those.

Now there is another problem here besides the fact that those rather trivial offences upset us. When we see other people getting away with things, cutting corners and breaking the rules without being punished, we start wondering, "Why should we obey the rules?" If others cheat and park where they're not supposed to, why shouldn't I? If others misuse the express lane, why shouldn't I? If others just throw their trash on the ground or empty their ash tray in the parking lot or leave their dog's messes, why shouldn't I? What good is it to obey the rules if others don't? They rarely suffer for their offences and I gain nothing by being good! It's frustrating!

That sense of frustration, of futility, gripped Israel in Malachi's day. The whole book of Malachi is an argument between a frustrated God and a frustrated people of Israel. The book is an argument between a father and his son. The father, God, is fed up with his son's lack of respect and bad behaviour. The son, Israel, is angry at his father because he thinks his father has neglected him. He thinks he's been good but has little to show for it, while other real criminals are living high off the hog. It's just like the older son in Jesus' parable who is angry when his father welcomes home his younger brother. He complains, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' (Luke 15:29-30). We can feel his frustration. Where's the justice? Where's the law? Where's the distinction between the righteous and the wicked?

The Word of God came to Malachi after the Babylonian exile. The Jews had just spent 70 years in exile. They returned home with great expectations of rebuilding their country and getting back their glory and honour. But things happened neither quickly nor as they expected. The city of Jerusalem wasn't very impressive; the temple was only a remnant of what it had been; and the surrounding peoples hounded them like jackals. What was the use of being good, God-fearing Jews? God wasn't doing anything to help them. He wasn't beating back their enemies and favouring them. So their complaint of frustration went up to God, It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.

As we close the Church year, perhaps we share some of their frustration. What have we gained this year by being faithful Christians? Are we any richer or healthier than our non-Christian neighbours? Is there any particular advantage to faithful Church attendance when others sleep in or play sports and seem to do fine? Maybe we should sleep in on Sunday once in a while. Maybe we should park in front of the bank once in a while. Others are dishonest, sexually immoral and greedy and they get away with it! God doesn't seem to punish many of them. We, on the other hand, strive to be honest, chaste and content with what we have. Yet it doesn't seem like God gives us any special reward. What then is the use of serving God?

Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honoured his name. "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

The answer to our complaint and frustration is that none of this escapes God's notice. He is not some blind old man who doesn't know what's going on. No one has pulled the wool over his eyes. Like a patient father allowing his son freedom to make his own decisions, so God gives all of us time to live our lives, whether good or bad. It is as the angel said to John in Revelation: Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy, (Revelation 22:11).

A day is coming, God says, when he will make up his treasured possession. That is, there is a day when he will again separate his people from the world and treat them special. God first uses the term treasured possession in Exodus. He said to the people, fresh out of slavery in Egypt, You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:4-6a).

God will once again make up his treasured possession, his chosen ones. Jesus will return to separate the sheep from the goats. He will send his angels to separate the wheat from the tares. He will return in power and glory to reward his faithful servants and punish the wicked who thought they were getting away with it. We will be that treasured possession! We are the sheep, we are the wheat, we are the faithful and wise manager in the Lord's house. It is not futile to serve the Lord. Blessed is he who keeps the prophecy in this book, the angel says to John. You will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not, says the Lord.

God did not allow his Son to die on a cross in vain. He did it to make you his treasured possession. He did not wash away your sins and give you his Holy Spirit in Baptism in vain. He did it to make you his treasured possession. He does not give you Christ's body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar in vain. He does it to make you his treasured possession. "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty!

"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty.

The wicked will get their due, all those who so arrogantly break the law; all those who so confidently mock God saying, "Where is this ‘coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." (2 Peter 3:4). They will be punished for their wilful rebellion, destroyed by fire. But we, those who have been made righteous through the blood of Christ—we will leap like calves released from the stall.

I'm not too familiar with calves, so I have a different image in my mind. It's my dog when I come down the stairs every morning. She is so happy to see me because she knows I'm going to feed and pet her. She wags her tail so hard that her whole body swings back and forth. Her tail beats the walls and she bounces on her front paws. I don't know of a better picture of joy. And that's what we will have, joy, freedom, satisfaction!

What do we need to attain all of this? A little patience and a little faith! Our father has not neglected us. He knows our frustration when the wicked seem to get ahead and he knows exactly what to do about it. He will vindicate us and himself. He has his scroll of remembrance in his hand. And if you have been baptized and trust in Christ, your name is on that scroll.

So do not finish this Church year on a note of frustration or disappointment. Rather let God's Word give you an attitude of hope and anticipation. Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. Know that the Lord hears you and will do everything to keep you in the faith so that you will be part of his treasured possession. It is good to serve the Lord!