Who Can Endure His Coming?

Scripture: References only Series: Return to the Lord Date: Not yet preached Preacher: Ed Rangel Location: Chile Sermon Type: Expository Status: Not yet preached

Thesis

The coming of the Lord does not confirm an impure religion; it prepares the way, refines those who serve, and swiftly judges the sin that His people had learned to tolerate.

Opening

The people kept asking where the God of justice was. Malachi answered that the Lord would come to His temple. Yet His arrival would not be comfortable for those who assumed that judgment would always begin with someone else.

The Lord would come as a refiner's fire and fuller's soap. Both images speak of a cleansing that removes impurity. The question was not only when He would come, but who could endure His appearance.

The God of justice would also draw near as a witness against religious, sexual, economic, and social sins.

Introduction

1. Malachi confronts a people who maintained religious practices while dishonoring God in their offerings, marriages, and treatment of their neighbors.
2. The promise begins with a messenger who prepares the way of the Lord.
3. The coming brings purification for the priesthood and judgment against those who do not fear God.
4. The New Testament identifies the preparing messenger with John the Baptist and presents Jesus as the Lord who comes.

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1–5

I. THE MESSENGER PREPARES THE WAY OF THE LORD (Malachi 3:1)

A. God takes the initiative to send.

1. The messenger does not appear by historical accident.
2. His task proceeds from the purpose of the Lord.
3. Preparing the way demands confronting real spiritual obstacles.
4. The people must make themselves ready to receive the King through repentance.

B. The Lord comes to His temple.

1. The temple belongs to Him, even though the priests had acted like owners.
2. His arrival exposes what has been done in His name.
3. Religious proximity does not guarantee approval.
4. The Owner has the right to examine worship and those who lead it.

C. The promised coming demands preparation, not curiosity.

1. The people claimed to seek the Lord.
2. Malachi shows that finding Him means being examined by His holiness.
3. It is not enough to desire intervention against our enemies.
4. We must allow His word to straighten our path first.

II. THE LORD PURIFIES THOSE WHO SERVE (Malachi 3:2–4)

A. No one stands by personal merit.

1. The question underscores the holiness of the One who comes.
2. Religious appearance cannot withstand the fire of the Refiner.
3. Sin cannot accompany us intact into the presence of God.
4. We need mercy that forgives and purification that transforms.

B. The Refiner sits over the process.

1. The image does not present an out-of-control fire.
2. The Lord knows what must be removed and what He desires to form.
3. Discipline can be painful without being capricious.
4. His purpose is to produce righteous service, not to destroy for pleasure.

C. The acceptable offering proceeds from purified people.

1. The sons of Levi needed change before improving the ceremony.
2. God seeks righteousness in those who draw near to serve.
3. Ministry does not shield a leader from correction.
4. Whoever teaches or leads must first receive the fire of the word in their own life.

III. THE LORD JUDGES THE SIN THAT RELIGION HAD TOLERATED (Malachi 3:5)

A. God presents Himself as a swift witness.

1. Hidden sins were not without a witness.
2. The Lord knew deeds, words, and victims.
3. His delay did not mean ignorance.
4. When He draws near for judgment, no lie can alter His testimony.

B. The list unites sins that people tend to separate.

1. Sorcery and adultery appear alongside false swearing.
2. God also names the oppression of the worker, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner.
3. Religious purity that ignores exploitation is not biblical purity.
4. Fearing the Lord governs both worship and the use of money and power.

C. John prepared the way for Jesus Christ.

1. Mark joins the promise of the messenger with the voice crying in the wilderness.
2. John called the people to repent before the manifestation of Jesus.
3. Christ came to the temple, confronted hypocrisy, and laid down His life for our sins.
4. Risen, He offers forgiveness now and will return visibly to judge the world.

Reference: Mark 1:2–3

Application

Do not ask God to judge the evil of the world while you harbor sin within your own life. The coming of the Lord begins by purifying those who bear His name. Ask what impurity the word is exposing today.

If you serve in the church, do not treat ministry as a shield against examination. Receive correction, keep your commitments, treat the vulnerable with justice, and maintain a life consistent with what you present before God.

Prepare the way through repentance. You cannot endure His holy presence by your own merit, but Christ offers forgiveness and transformation. Grace does not preserve impurity; it teaches us to forsake it.

Conclusion

1. God promised to send a messenger who would prepare His way.
2. The Lord would come to His temple as a Refiner and Purifier.
3. Purification would produce service and offerings in righteousness.
4. The Judge would be a witness against all sin, including the oppression of the vulnerable.

Invitation

The Lord has come, and His word still prepares hearts. Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. No one can stand before Him defending their own purity.

Hear the word, believe in Christ, repent, confess His name, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. If you are already a Christian, let the Refiner remove what cannot remain in a life that belongs to Him.