December 15

THE COMING MESSENGER

Malachi 3:1-5

“Behold, I send My messenger…”  This is probably one of the greatest promises in the Bible.  Here, in Malachi 3, God promises the world that He will send His Son into the world to save us from sin.  In verse 3, God says that He will be “like a refiner’s fire and like a launderer’s soap.”  The refiner’s job is to burn away the impurities in steel, and we all know what soap does, so a clear picture is presented to us of what the Lord will do when He comes: purify the world and cleanse us from sin.  But look a little closer at the first verse.  This is more than just a prophecy.  Notice that God is speaking in the present tense when He says “Behold, I send My messenger…” Even though this is a prophecy, God is speaking as though it is a reality, like it is happening while He is speaking.  You see, as far as God is concerned, the coming of the Lord is as good as done at this point.  There is not a question as to whether God would live up to what He said.  We can even see the fulfillment of this prophecy all through the New Testament as proof that God keeps His word. 

This Scripture, however, is not just a prophecy of Jesus’ soon return, but it is also a promise for our lives as well.  Jesus did not come just to save the Jews; He came to save the whole world.  In John 3:16, Jesus says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  The word "whoever" doesn’t just mean a select number of people, it means everyone.  This, however, does not mean that everyone will be saved, but only those who “believe” in Him.  The definition of believe in the original Greek language is “to put faith in, commit, to put trust in.”  God requires us to have a heart that is willing to let Him take over and work freely in it.  As John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  Furthermore, just as with the prophecy of His second coming, we have to see that God is not just looking for our surrender as a future event, but that He wants to be in our lives right now. 

So, the promise has been made for our lives.  God has promised to apply His refiner’s fire to our lives and burn away our old nature, our sinful hearts.  He promises to purify us, to make us clean and whole and worthy to proclaim His name.  Most importantly, He promises to do it now.  He doesn’t leave us waiting, wondering when He will work in our lives.  Christ already died on the Cross to save us from our sins, and the promise has been given that He will work in every one of our hearts if we are willing.  Only one question remains:  Will you let God’s saving work come to pass in your life?

~ Eric Frantz