WEBVTT 00:01.000 --> 00:02.000 In the Name of Christ 00:02.000 --> 00:03.800 who came who is coming again. 00:04.300 --> 00:04.800 Amen. 00:07.700 --> 00:08.400 Hey preacher, 00:08.400 --> 00:13.000 what is in there pointing to the chapel besides the cookie and the 00:13.000 --> 00:13.600 coffee. 00:15.900 --> 00:19.100 That was the question I usually got when I went to my group of 00:19.100 --> 00:25.100 volunteers to minister for over 1,700 homeless, in San Antonio, Texas 00:25.700 --> 00:28.300 in a place that we call Haven for Hope. 00:30.400 --> 00:35.000 And usually when you get a question like this, you don't try to answer 00:35.000 --> 00:41.200 right away because you need to understand what the question behind the 00:41.200 --> 00:41.900 question 00:41.900 --> 00:42.300 is. 00:45.000 --> 00:46.100 And as you talk, 00:47.700 --> 00:49.000 poke here poke there. 00:49.000 --> 00:53.300 You kind of understand where this question is coming from. 00:54.200 --> 00:56.600 The question is coming from from this idea 00:57.000 --> 00:59.800 what do I gain of being a Christian? 01:04.099 --> 01:07.000 What are the benefits of being a Christian? 01:11.000 --> 01:11.800 Look preacher 01:11.800 --> 01:13.400 I have been a good guy. 01:13.400 --> 01:17.800 I know, I have done many mistakes but I read the Bible often. 01:17.800 --> 01:19.000 I went to church. 01:20.700 --> 01:22.600 I serve in the church 01:24.300 --> 01:25.900 but doesn't matter what I try to do 01:25.900 --> 01:27.400 everything went wrong for me. 01:28.900 --> 01:32.100 And then when I look around and I see people they never go to church 01:32.100 --> 01:34.400 they never pray, they never honor God. 01:34.500 --> 01:36.500 And everything goes well for them. 01:40.000 --> 01:41.400 Doesn't matter what I do 01:42.600 --> 01:44.000 everything always goes 01:44.000 --> 01:45.200 wrong with me. 01:45.800 --> 01:47.100 They have a good life. 01:47.500 --> 01:48.800 They are successful. 01:50.200 --> 01:55.400 And seems that God doesn't care, either continuous to blast them and I 01:55.400 --> 01:57.000 don't think this is fair. 02:00.600 --> 02:05.100 And then, when I thought about this question, I realized that was not 02:05.100 --> 02:06.800 the first time I heard the question. 02:08.500 --> 02:12.800 I remember going to the hospital visiting a man that struggle with 02:12.900 --> 02:19.000 diabetes, most of his adult life, and he had just lost his second leg. 02:21.000 --> 02:22.900 Both legs are have been amputated. 02:24.600 --> 02:28.700 And I walk into his room and the first thing, he says, Pastor, I don't 02:28.700 --> 02:29.200 get it. 02:30.400 --> 02:31.300 I don't get it. 02:32.000 --> 02:33.900 You see, I was baptized in the church. 02:33.900 --> 02:35.000 I was confirmed. 02:35.000 --> 02:36.200 I went to youth group. 02:36.300 --> 02:37.600 I was an elder. 02:37.800 --> 02:39.000 I served the church. 02:39.100 --> 02:41.800 I honor God and see where I end up. 02:45.400 --> 02:49.300 Start with the little toe, then another toe, then my left foot was 02:49.300 --> 02:49.800 gone. 02:49.800 --> 02:54.200 Then my knee was gone to my knee, was gone, my leg and then the whole 02:54.200 --> 02:57.500 leg and then couple months later, sudden, the right one, 03:00.000 --> 03:00.800 And here I am. 03:05.300 --> 03:09.700 And you know what bothers me most Preacher Pastor is that all my 03:09.700 --> 03:14.600 buddies, they drink like crazy, they eat, whatever they want to eat 03:15.300 --> 03:17.200 and seems that they prosper. 03:17.600 --> 03:19.300 Everything is going well, with them. 03:20.700 --> 03:22.900 What is in it for me to be a Christian? 03:27.600 --> 03:30.100 You see the more I ponder about this question 03:31.400 --> 03:35.400 I realized that I have been there, too. 03:37.500 --> 03:41.200 How many times I found myself asking God. 03:41.700 --> 03:46.300 Why hardship and difficult times would happen to me. 03:47.700 --> 03:52.500 And not only to me, but people in the church or things happening the 03:52.500 --> 03:54.800 church that really didn't go in my way. 03:56.200 --> 03:58.800 And it seemed that God didn't care. 04:02.000 --> 04:05.800 I imagine you also have asked the same question. 04:07.400 --> 04:11.500 We can not be naive thinking that we are here at Concordia, Seminary 04:12.200 --> 04:14.000 our professors and staff 04:14.000 --> 04:18.800 and students those question ever cross your mind, are you kidding me? 04:23.700 --> 04:26.200 We are not immune to thoughts like those. 04:27.800 --> 04:29.200 They cross our minds 04:29.400 --> 04:30.600 absolutely they do. 04:32.000 --> 04:35.500 And there is this burning question of the 21st century. 04:36.100 --> 04:37.800 Where is the Christian God? 04:39.500 --> 04:43.600 He is not paying attention to the suffering and the struggles that we see 04:43.600 --> 04:44.500 in the world? 04:47.400 --> 04:53.000 There is indeed a resentful complaint about God's distance and 04:53.000 --> 04:58.700 detachment from things that seem to be important in our lives. 05:00.200 --> 05:02.600 What is in for me as a Christian? 05:04.900 --> 05:05.600 And then, 05:06.800 --> 05:12.200 our tendency is to become indifferent from things related to the 05:12.200 --> 05:13.000 church. 05:14.300 --> 05:16.900 We slack in our spiritual life. 05:18.400 --> 05:19.600 We become skeptical. 05:21.200 --> 05:25.300 We start to have second thoughts about our relationship with God. 05:28.300 --> 05:31.000 430 years before Christ was born 05:32.200 --> 05:37.700 Malachi was facing the same situation, his ministry. 05:39.600 --> 05:41.900 Israelites were upset with God. 05:44.300 --> 05:47.200 And they spoke harsh words about God. 05:47.900 --> 05:49.000 They are unhappy 05:50.300 --> 05:54.600 and according to their own perspective, it was vain 05:56.600 --> 05:58.600 pointless to serve God. 06:00.600 --> 06:03.000 They say verse 14 of our text. 06:03.800 --> 06:04.600 What do we gain 06:04.600 --> 06:06.800 if we meet all God's the standards 06:07.800 --> 06:12.000 or if you walk around feeling, sorry for what we have done. 06:13.900 --> 06:15.600 And they also they look around. 06:16.800 --> 06:18.100 And what did they see? 06:20.600 --> 06:23.000 They saw the arrogant people being blessed. 06:25.400 --> 06:26.700 And they concluded 06:28.300 --> 06:32.800 not only the evildoers prosper, but they even put God to test and they 06:32.800 --> 06:33.900 get away with it. 06:36.700 --> 06:39.300 Where is the God of Justice? 06:41.300 --> 06:44.400 And they decide to take the hands in the 06:45.300 --> 06:46.800 matter in their own hands 06:48.200 --> 06:49.800 and do things in their own way. 06:51.600 --> 06:52.900 They start to lax 06:54.900 --> 06:59.600 in their spiritual life in their moral life. They start to bring 07:00.200 --> 07:05.000 animals to the altar, to be sacrificed to the Lord, and the nobody is 07:05.000 --> 07:05.700 the worst. 07:06.100 --> 07:09.300 The priest that they're in charge of the worship 07:10.100 --> 07:13.300 in God's house, they offer those sacrifice. 07:15.200 --> 07:16.100 They didn't care. 07:21.100 --> 07:23.300 People start to be unfaithful to God. 07:25.400 --> 07:26.900 Unfaithful to God's law. 07:27.800 --> 07:32.100 Well, if the wicked people can do and get by with this, why cannot we 07:32.100 --> 07:33.000 do the same? 07:34.100 --> 07:36.500 Besides God doesn't need our offerings. 07:37.100 --> 07:39.400 Yeah at the end of the day we're going to bring something to him and 07:39.400 --> 07:43.000 his altar but doesn't pay to follow God. 07:48.100 --> 07:49.500 But don't fool yourself 07:50.900 --> 07:52.300 because the Lord is watching. 07:53.800 --> 07:58.300 Yeah, he's paying attention. Malachi says that the Lord is watching his 07:58.300 --> 07:59.400 paying attention. 08:01.100 --> 08:04.900 The ministry, the ministry of Malachi's to God, it's to call God's 08:04.900 --> 08:06.700 people back into repentance. 08:08.400 --> 08:12.100 He says for I the Lord do not change. 08:13.300 --> 08:21.200 Therefore you are children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of 08:21.200 --> 08:21.800 your father's 08:21.800 --> 08:26.200 you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. 08:27.200 --> 08:28.100 Return to me 08:28.100 --> 08:31.000 I will return to you says, the Lord of hosts. 08:33.000 --> 08:38.500 Malachi reminds God's people that he never ever changed. 08:40.100 --> 08:47.500 Yes, he will condemn sin but he will also show mercy and forgiveness. 08:49.300 --> 08:52.500 And among the people, there are people that listen to this call to 08:52.500 --> 08:53.500 repentance. 08:53.900 --> 08:57.400 They not only listen but start to talk to one another like, kind of 08:57.400 --> 08:59.800 encouraging one another say we need to return to the 09:00.000 --> 09:00.500 Lord. 09:00.600 --> 09:01.600 Yes, we do. 09:04.100 --> 09:07.300 The Lord was not pleased with the harsh words that he heard 09:08.900 --> 09:10.500 being spoken against him. 09:11.900 --> 09:17.300 But indeed he was paying attention and realized that some of the 09:17.300 --> 09:20.000 faithful repentant and return to him. 09:23.700 --> 09:25.200 And then God says, 09:26.900 --> 09:28.600 I have a book of remembrance. 09:30.100 --> 09:32.400 That is written before me. 09:33.100 --> 09:35.800 So those who fear the Lord and esteem my name 09:37.200 --> 09:38.500 they shall be mine, 09:39.400 --> 09:43.400 says, the Lord of hosts. In the day when I make up my treasured 09:43.400 --> 09:48.500 possession and I will spare them as a man would spare, his son, who 09:48.500 --> 09:49.300 serves him. 09:51.000 --> 09:52.400 In the ancient times 09:53.700 --> 09:57.200 Kings in the Middle East, they had a book that they called book of 09:57.200 --> 09:58.200 remembrance. 10:00.300 --> 10:05.600 This book, they recorded names of people that are loyal to the king. 10:07.400 --> 10:10.600 And when they had their names written in the book, that means that 10:10.600 --> 10:14.900 they would receive something from the King, even if the king would 10:14.900 --> 10:15.500 die. 10:18.700 --> 10:23.800 Now, the Lord says that he also has a book. 10:24.900 --> 10:26.900 A book with names written in. A book 10:26.900 --> 10:29.200 that is book of remembrance. 10:30.600 --> 10:32.700 And the names that are written a there are your names. 10:33.100 --> 10:34.100 it's my name. 10:37.600 --> 10:42.500 I started my sermon this morning talking about this resentful 10:43.400 --> 10:48.600 complaint about God, that God is detached of us. 10:49.200 --> 10:51.400 God, the doesn't care far away. 10:54.300 --> 10:58.000 Malachi, however reminds us that God does care. 11:00.000 --> 11:00.900 That He care-a-lot. 11:00.900 --> 11:02.600 He cares a lot about us. 11:04.300 --> 11:06.600 Even when we don't serve him faithfully. 11:08.100 --> 11:09.100 We change. 11:09.600 --> 11:11.600 We are not faithful ones. 11:12.200 --> 11:15.100 But God, Malachi says he doesn't change. 11:15.600 --> 11:16.800 He is faithful 11:16.900 --> 11:20.500 and he fulfill all his promises. 11:21.700 --> 11:25.300 Yesterday, if you've been have been in church, 11:26.400 --> 11:31.500 You knew that or you heard that is the Sunday of the Fulfillment. 11:34.800 --> 11:36.600 What has been fulfilled? 11:37.800 --> 11:39.400 The end of the liturgical year. 11:39.700 --> 11:42.300 Yes, but it's more than that. 11:43.400 --> 11:45.400 Is the fulfillment that Christ 11:45.400 --> 11:50.300 the King is coming back to judge the living and the dead. 11:51.500 --> 11:55.700 Yeah, he's coming to fulfill what God have said in promise in the 11:55.700 --> 11:56.500 scripture. 11:57.900 --> 11:59.400 That is the last day. 12:00.600 --> 12:02.900 Appointed by God, when he will judge 12:05.800 --> 12:08.200 and then will see what's happening Malachi. 12:09.800 --> 12:14.100 God will make a distinction between the righteous oneand the wicked 12:14.100 --> 12:18.300 one. But during the one that have served him and the ones that didn't 12:18.300 --> 12:19.100 serve him. 12:23.000 --> 12:23.700 But don't fear. 12:25.700 --> 12:28.200 As we look forward to Christ that he is coming 12:29.500 --> 12:31.000 with his power and mighty. 12:31.400 --> 12:36.500 As we look forward we have to look to the mirror near mirror and see 12:36.500 --> 12:37.700 what is behind you. 12:39.300 --> 12:40.600 What is behind you? 12:41.100 --> 12:46.400 What do you see behind? You you see Christ the crucified. 12:47.700 --> 12:51.100 The son that God did not spare. 12:53.200 --> 12:59.400 The Son that served God faithfully, so that we could be spared. 13:00.800 --> 13:06.100 What do you see you see Christ on the cross interceding, and praying for 13:06.100 --> 13:10.100 people that said and did things that didn't know what they're doing. 13:12.000 --> 13:13.800 What you see behind you. 13:15.000 --> 13:21.700 You see Christ, the King inviting, the repentant sinner into his 13:22.000 --> 13:22.600 kingdom. 13:24.400 --> 13:27.400 That's what you see, as you look forward 13:27.400 --> 13:28.600 waiting for Christ. 13:28.900 --> 13:31.100 Remember what he has done on the cross for you. 13:32.900 --> 13:39.200 And then you are reminded that you are also a treasured possession 13:39.800 --> 13:43.200 that you are and you shall be his. 13:44.600 --> 13:49.000 And that what God is telling us, you know, how much I care for you. 13:50.500 --> 13:54.500 Look, not only ahead of you, but look behind. 13:54.900 --> 13:57.200 Look what my Son has done for you. 13:58.000 --> 13:59.800 Welcome into my kingdom. 14:01.400 --> 14:01.900 Amen. 14:04.200 --> 14:07.200 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard 14:07.200 --> 14:09.200 our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 14:09.700 --> 14:10.100 Amen.