1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,200 We saw last time that this book of Malachi speaks directly to all of us today. 2 00:00:06,200 –> 00:00:11,060 Believers in Malachi’s day face some big challenges. 3 00:00:11,060 –> 00:00:16,860 They were disappointed with leaders, they had known disruption to worship 4 00:00:16,860 –> 00:00:22,700 and there was a growing coldness of heart towards God all around them. 5 00:00:22,700 –> 00:00:27,420 But through it all we saw that there were some who remained faithful. 6 00:00:27,840 –> 00:00:35,180 Malachi describes them in chapter 3 in verse 16 as those who feared the Lord. 7 00:00:35,180 –> 00:00:41,320 And he tells us what they did, those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. 8 00:00:41,320 –> 00:00:48,139 We saw that when the chill winds of scepticism and unbelief begin to blow around us 9 00:00:48,139 –> 00:00:53,639 what faithful believers do is that they move closer to one another, 10 00:00:53,639 –> 00:00:56,599 they speak to one another often. 11 00:00:56,919 –> 00:01:03,619 And we saw the principle beautifully illustrated in the story of the road to Emmaus 12 00:01:03,619 –> 00:01:07,779 that when faithful believers talk together about Jesus, 13 00:01:07,779 –> 00:01:12,599 well Jesus himself draws near and walks with them. 14 00:01:12,599 –> 00:01:20,080 You will find the presence of Jesus in the company of other believers. 15 00:01:20,080 –> 00:01:25,080 So when we face what believers in Malachi’s day faced, 16 00:01:25,080 –> 00:01:31,800 disappointment in leaders, disruption to worship, the coldness of unbelief all around us… 17 00:01:31,800 –> 00:01:36,320 when we face what faithful believers in Malachi’s day faced, 18 00:01:36,320 –> 00:01:41,239 we must do what faithful believers in Malachi’s day did. 19 00:01:41,239 –> 00:01:46,660 They spoke often with one another. 20 00:01:46,660 –> 00:01:51,760 Malachi tells us that when those who feared the Lord spoke with one another, 21 00:01:51,760 –> 00:01:56,900 the Lord paid attention and heard them. 22 00:01:56,900 –> 00:02:01,260 Now I’ve called this series Encouragement for Faithful Believers. 23 00:02:01,260 –> 00:02:05,699 And the first wonderful encouragement is that when we speak with each other 24 00:02:05,699 –> 00:02:11,199 in a way that esteems the Lord, God himself hears us. 25 00:02:11,199 –> 00:02:14,979 And today, we’re going to look at the second encouragement 26 00:02:15,020 –> 00:02:21,139 which is that God not only hears, but God remembers. 27 00:02:21,139 –> 00:02:27,860 Now we begin today at Malachi 3 and verse 13, where we read these words. 28 00:02:27,860 –> 00:02:41,860 God says to his people, 29 00:02:43,460 –> 00:02:52,580 Now, if you extend yourself in living for the Lord, and in serving the Lord, 30 00:02:52,580 –> 00:02:58,240 you may find that you come to a place in your life where you are discouraged. 31 00:02:58,240 –> 00:03:04,740 You feel defeated, and you realize that you are losing the will to carry on. 32 00:03:05,740 –> 00:03:11,880 The work that you once counted to be a great privilege feels like a liability, 33 00:03:11,880 –> 00:03:15,320 it’s a weight, it’s a burden. 34 00:03:15,320 –> 00:03:17,240 And you say, Now why am I carrying this? 35 00:03:17,240 –> 00:03:19,220 What am I getting out of it? 36 00:03:19,360 –> 00:03:28,020 And in your darker moments, you may even know what it is to think that it is vain to serve the Lord. 37 00:03:29,300 –> 00:03:35,820 Asaph, who wrote Psalm 73, was a very godly man. 38 00:03:36,279 –> 00:03:42,339 But he tells us very honestly that while he pursued a godly life, 39 00:03:42,339 –> 00:03:48,279 there came a point in his own experience when, in his private thoughts, 40 00:03:48,899 –> 00:03:50,279 this godly man said, 41 00:03:50,279 –> 00:03:55,160 in vain I have kept my heart clean. 42 00:03:56,080 –> 00:04:01,119 I’ve tried to live a life that honors the Lord and what have I gained? 43 00:04:02,039 –> 00:04:03,520 Why am I doing this? 44 00:04:04,619 –> 00:04:09,279 In vain, I have kept my heart clean. 45 00:04:09,279 –> 00:04:10,559 That’s what he thought. 46 00:04:11,820 –> 00:04:17,279 Now, if you read the rest of Psalm 73, you will find out how Asaph answered 47 00:04:17,799 –> 00:04:21,540 but what I want us to notice right now is that he had them. 48 00:04:21,540 –> 00:04:24,100 These thoughts went through his mind. 49 00:04:24,100 –> 00:04:29,100 This faithful believer knew what it was to feel that pursuing a godly life 50 00:04:30,399 –> 00:04:31,739 might be in vain 51 00:04:33,700 –> 00:04:36,260 and Job faced the same struggle. 52 00:04:36,260 –> 00:04:41,260 We saw last time that he was commended for speaking well about God 53 00:04:41,640 –> 00:04:47,040 but Job’s struggled with some very, very dark thoughts indeed. 54 00:04:47,160 –> 00:04:52,160 At one point he said, why do I labor in vain? 55 00:04:52,679 –> 00:04:53,779 And then there were times 56 00:04:53,779 –> 00:04:57,619 when even the Apostle Paul himself feared 57 00:04:57,619 –> 00:05:00,959 that some of his ministry might be in vain. 58 00:05:00,959 –> 00:05:03,839 Writing to the Galatians, he says, 59 00:05:03,839 –> 00:05:08,839 I am afraid that I may have labored over you in vain. 60 00:05:12,140 –> 00:05:15,359 Now, if you have been tempted 61 00:05:15,359 –> 00:05:20,359 to feel that your work, your service, your labor, 62 00:05:20,559 –> 00:05:24,739 your love, your ministry, your faithfulness, 63 00:05:24,739 –> 00:05:25,959 if you’ve been tempted 64 00:05:25,959 –> 00:05:29,339 to feel that they have been wasted, 65 00:05:29,339 –> 00:05:33,839 well, Malachi chapter three is the chapter for you. 66 00:05:34,760 –> 00:05:39,760 Because right here, God answers the charge 67 00:05:40,279 –> 00:05:44,320 that serving him might be in vain. 68 00:05:44,320 –> 00:05:46,459 Look at what it says in verse 16, 69 00:05:46,459 –> 00:05:51,459 then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another, 70 00:05:52,160 –> 00:05:57,160 the Lord paid attention and heard them, 71 00:05:57,160 –> 00:06:00,440 and then the part I want us to focus on today. 72 00:06:00,440 –> 00:06:05,440 And a book of remembrance was written before him 73 00:06:07,399 –> 00:06:12,399 of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 74 00:06:14,540 –> 00:06:19,440 Now God knows all things and God does not need a book 75 00:06:19,440 –> 00:06:22,959 to remind him of what we have done, 76 00:06:22,959 –> 00:06:26,320 but God speaks in scripture in a way 77 00:06:26,320 –> 00:06:28,279 that we can understand. 78 00:06:28,279 –> 00:06:31,000 And here Malachi is telling us 79 00:06:31,000 –> 00:06:34,459 that God will never forget 80 00:06:34,459 –> 00:06:38,339 what those who fear him have done. 81 00:06:39,959 –> 00:06:42,640 Now, when we read in the scripture 82 00:06:42,640 –> 00:06:47,640 about a book written before God our first thought 83 00:06:47,660 –> 00:06:51,100 may be the book of life that is spoken 84 00:06:51,100 –> 00:06:53,880 of repeatedly in the Bible. 85 00:06:53,880 –> 00:06:55,839 Paul speaks in the New Testament 86 00:06:55,839 –> 00:06:59,959 of my fellow workers whose names are written 87 00:06:59,959 –> 00:07:02,359 in the book of life. 88 00:07:02,359 –> 00:07:04,959 Jesus says to his disciples rejoice 89 00:07:04,959 –> 00:07:08,760 that your names are written in heaven. 90 00:07:08,760 –> 00:07:10,519 The book of Revelation tells us 91 00:07:10,540 –> 00:07:13,820 that nothing unclean will enter God’s marvelous 92 00:07:13,820 –> 00:07:17,799 new creation but only those who are written 93 00:07:17,799 –> 00:07:20,859 in the Lamb’s book of life. 94 00:07:22,040 –> 00:07:25,660 Notice that the book of life belongs to Jesus Christ, 95 00:07:25,660 –> 00:07:27,859 it’s the Lamb’s book of life. 96 00:07:27,859 –> 00:07:31,700 He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world 97 00:07:31,700 –> 00:07:34,940 and what he gives is eternal life. 98 00:07:35,820 –> 00:07:40,519 And the names that are written in the Lamb’s book of life 99 00:07:40,519 –> 00:07:44,040 are the names of those who believe in the son of God. 100 00:07:44,040 –> 00:07:49,040 It is by believing that you have life in his name. 101 00:07:49,179 –> 00:07:53,760 It is a marvelous thing to know as a believer 102 00:07:53,760 –> 00:07:58,760 that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. 103 00:08:00,880 –> 00:08:04,279 God says to his people fear not 104 00:08:04,279 –> 00:08:06,320 for I have redeemed you 105 00:08:06,320 –> 00:08:10,000 I know you by name 106 00:08:10,000 –> 00:08:12,920 and you are mine. 107 00:08:13,720 –> 00:08:15,640 The Lamb’s book of life 108 00:08:15,640 –> 00:08:19,980 was written before the foundation of the world. 109 00:08:19,980 –> 00:08:23,320 That’s Revelation chapter 13 in verse eight 110 00:08:23,320 –> 00:08:28,320 which reminds us that God knows who are his 111 00:08:28,519 –> 00:08:30,880 he always has, 112 00:08:30,880 –> 00:08:33,119 he always will 113 00:08:33,119 –> 00:08:38,119 and he will never, never, never forget his own. 114 00:08:39,520 –> 00:08:41,340 Now, the book of life 115 00:08:42,380 –> 00:08:45,799 where the names of all who believe are written 116 00:08:45,799 –> 00:08:49,580 is a marvelous, wonderful theme in the Bible 117 00:08:50,859 –> 00:08:53,460 but I don’t think that that 118 00:08:53,460 –> 00:08:56,900 is what Malachi is speaking about here. 119 00:08:57,900 –> 00:09:02,320 Notice, he says a book of remembrance 120 00:09:02,320 –> 00:09:05,700 was written before the Lord. 121 00:09:05,700 –> 00:09:09,200 We’re talking about a book 122 00:09:09,200 –> 00:09:13,400 in which the acts of those who fear the Lord 123 00:09:13,400 –> 00:09:17,700 are recorded and this is stated in response 124 00:09:17,700 –> 00:09:22,340 to the fear that God’s people might serve him in vain. 125 00:09:23,640 –> 00:09:26,739 Dr. Walter Kaiser says, and I quote here, 126 00:09:26,739 –> 00:09:30,960 here that’s in Malachi and chapter three in verse 16 127 00:09:30,960 –> 00:09:35,039 we see something similar to the Persian custom 128 00:09:35,039 –> 00:09:38,880 of entering into a book all acts 129 00:09:38,880 –> 00:09:43,260 that should be rewarded in the future. 130 00:09:44,280 –> 00:09:47,320 Now, there is a fascinating example 131 00:09:47,320 –> 00:09:51,179 of this in the Bible itself in the book of Esther 132 00:09:51,179 –> 00:09:53,200 that comes from the same time 133 00:09:53,200 –> 00:09:57,559 as the books of Nehemiah and the book of Malachi. 134 00:09:57,559 –> 00:09:59,380 You may remember the story, 135 00:09:59,380 –> 00:10:02,020 Esther in God’s providence, 136 00:10:02,020 –> 00:10:05,820 had become the queen in the royal court 137 00:10:05,820 –> 00:10:08,299 of King Ahasuerus. 138 00:10:08,299 –> 00:10:11,900 And she had a cousin by the name of Mordecai. 139 00:10:12,900 –> 00:10:16,359 Mordecai I was a good friend 140 00:10:16,359 –> 00:10:21,359 and a wise counselor to his cousin, Queen Esther. 141 00:10:23,099 –> 00:10:25,179 And he made it for that reason, 142 00:10:25,179 –> 00:10:29,820 his business to hang around the king’s courts 143 00:10:29,820 –> 00:10:32,219 wherever he could. 144 00:10:32,219 –> 00:10:36,859 And one day when he was sitting at the king’s gate, 145 00:10:36,859 –> 00:10:41,859 Mordecai overheard to have the king security guards 146 00:10:42,580 –> 00:10:45,440 plotting to take his life. 147 00:10:46,340 –> 00:10:49,500 Mordecai told Esther the queen 148 00:10:49,500 –> 00:10:52,260 and Esther the queen told the king. 149 00:10:52,260 –> 00:10:55,799 So the plot on the king’s life was foiled 150 00:10:55,799 –> 00:10:58,299 and the king’s life was saved. 151 00:10:59,340 –> 00:11:00,619 Now in the Book of Esther, 152 00:11:00,619 –> 00:11:03,580 we find that sometime later, 153 00:11:03,580 –> 00:11:08,500 there was a night when the king could not get to sleep. 154 00:11:08,500 –> 00:11:11,080 And we read in Esther chapter six and verse one, 155 00:11:11,080 –> 00:11:12,140 on that night, 156 00:11:12,140 –> 00:11:15,859 the king could not sleep and he gave orders 157 00:11:15,859 –> 00:11:20,859 to bring the Book of Memorable Deeds, 158 00:11:21,280 –> 00:11:25,500 the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 159 00:11:26,559 –> 00:11:28,440 Now when this book was read, 160 00:11:28,440 –> 00:11:33,239 it was discovered that Mordecai had given the intelligence 161 00:11:33,239 –> 00:11:36,479 that had foiled the plot on the king’s life. 162 00:11:36,479 –> 00:11:40,159 And so the king asked what honor has been bestowed 163 00:11:40,159 –> 00:11:42,739 on Mordecai for this. 164 00:11:42,739 –> 00:11:47,419 And he was told nothing has been done for him. 165 00:11:47,419 –> 00:11:51,419 So the king commanded that Mordecai should be honored 166 00:11:51,419 –> 00:11:53,719 because what he did 167 00:11:53,719 –> 00:11:58,719 was written in the book of memorable deeds. 168 00:11:59,679 –> 00:12:01,960 Now, the point here is 169 00:12:01,960 –> 00:12:06,140 that the king had a book of remembrance, 170 00:12:06,140 –> 00:12:11,140 a book where honorable deeds that were to be rewarded 171 00:12:11,159 –> 00:12:13,679 were written down. 172 00:12:13,719 –> 00:12:16,719 And Malachi tells us 173 00:12:16,719 –> 00:12:21,400 that God has a book of remembrance. 174 00:12:21,400 –> 00:12:23,419 So when you are tempted to think 175 00:12:23,419 –> 00:12:26,960 that perhaps your service for God is in vain, 176 00:12:26,960 –> 00:12:31,960 you need to know that God remembers what you have done. 177 00:12:33,960 –> 00:12:38,960 A book of remembrance was written before the Lord. 178 00:12:39,419 –> 00:12:43,979 Now, what does God remember? 179 00:12:43,979 –> 00:12:47,659 Well, let me just identify a few things. 180 00:12:47,659 –> 00:12:52,419 First, God remembers your work. 181 00:12:52,419 –> 00:12:56,440 Hebrews chapter six and verse 10 states this so clearly. 182 00:12:56,440 –> 00:13:01,440 God is not unjust so as to overlook your work 183 00:13:02,619 –> 00:13:06,179 and the love that you have shown 184 00:13:06,179 –> 00:13:08,580 for his name in serving the saints 185 00:13:08,880 –> 00:13:10,700 as you still do. 186 00:13:12,299 –> 00:13:17,299 Now, perhaps you feel that no one sees what you do 187 00:13:17,960 –> 00:13:21,039 and that no one cares about what you do. 188 00:13:22,359 –> 00:13:24,880 Who knows the love and the care 189 00:13:24,880 –> 00:13:27,640 that you are putting into the work 190 00:13:27,640 –> 00:13:30,900 that has been trusted to you by almighty God? 191 00:13:30,900 –> 00:13:32,659 And the answer to that question is, 192 00:13:32,659 –> 00:13:36,099 God sees what you are doing 193 00:13:36,159 –> 00:13:39,880 and he will not overlook your work. 194 00:13:41,080 –> 00:13:44,960 Now this theme of God remembering our work 195 00:13:44,960 –> 00:13:49,039 is written all over the words of the Lord Jesus Christ 196 00:13:49,039 –> 00:13:51,359 to the churches in the book of Revelation. 197 00:13:51,359 –> 00:13:53,299 Remember God knows your work. 198 00:13:53,299 –> 00:13:57,020 He says, I know your works, 199 00:13:57,020 –> 00:14:00,780 your toil, and your patient endurance. 200 00:14:01,640 –> 00:14:04,599 And not only does God know your work, 201 00:14:04,619 –> 00:14:07,359 he knows the difficulty of your work. 202 00:14:07,359 –> 00:14:10,799 He say, I know your tribulation, 203 00:14:10,799 –> 00:14:12,739 and I know your poverty. 204 00:14:14,119 –> 00:14:15,940 He knows where you dwell. 205 00:14:15,940 –> 00:14:17,400 He says I know where you dwell. 206 00:14:17,400 –> 00:14:19,159 I know where you are 207 00:14:19,159 –> 00:14:21,059 and I know how difficult it is there. 208 00:14:23,039 –> 00:14:25,979 And he knows all that goes into your work. 209 00:14:25,979 –> 00:14:27,960 I know your work, 210 00:14:27,960 –> 00:14:29,679 your love, 211 00:14:29,679 –> 00:14:31,380 your faith, 212 00:14:31,380 –> 00:14:33,359 your service, 213 00:14:33,359 –> 00:14:35,840 and your patient endurance. 214 00:14:37,320 –> 00:14:40,200 Now what you are doing for the Lord, 215 00:14:40,200 –> 00:14:43,359 faithful brother, sister in Christ 216 00:14:43,359 –> 00:14:46,039 may not attract the attention 217 00:14:46,039 –> 00:14:48,539 or the praise of other people. 218 00:14:48,539 –> 00:14:52,460 It may be largely hidden from their view. 219 00:14:53,840 –> 00:14:58,239 But it is not hidden from Almighty God. 220 00:14:58,239 –> 00:15:00,659 God knows your work. 221 00:15:01,479 –> 00:15:05,059 And what you do in His name 222 00:15:05,059 –> 00:15:09,400 is written in his Book of Remembrance. 223 00:15:11,340 –> 00:15:14,900 And not only does God know and remember your work, 224 00:15:14,900 –> 00:15:18,979 God knows and remembers your words. 225 00:15:18,979 –> 00:15:22,140 Back to Malachi, chapter three, in verse 16. 226 00:15:22,140 –> 00:15:24,460 Remember what we have just learned, 227 00:15:24,460 –> 00:15:27,940 that those who feared the Lord spoke, 228 00:15:27,940 –> 00:15:30,559 spoke with one another. 229 00:15:30,599 –> 00:15:32,679 And the Lord paid attention and heard them. 230 00:15:32,679 –> 00:15:35,640 And the Book of Remembrance was written before the Lord. 231 00:15:35,640 –> 00:15:37,840 The connection is very clear. 232 00:15:37,840 –> 00:15:40,719 God is remembering and writing down 233 00:15:41,859 –> 00:15:43,599 the words that are spoken 234 00:15:43,599 –> 00:15:46,900 that were the words of faith that honored Him. 235 00:15:48,640 –> 00:15:53,640 God hears us when we speak to Him. 236 00:15:54,700 –> 00:15:56,840 But what we’re seeing here is something else. 237 00:15:56,859 –> 00:16:01,780 God hears when we speak about Him. 238 00:16:01,780 –> 00:16:05,500 Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another 239 00:16:05,500 –> 00:16:06,940 and the Lord heard them. 240 00:16:06,940 –> 00:16:10,460 God hears what we say to one another. 241 00:16:10,460 –> 00:16:13,260 When you speak to a brother or a sister, 242 00:16:13,260 –> 00:16:15,599 when you speak even to someone who does not believe, 243 00:16:15,599 –> 00:16:18,500 and you speak with faith, and you speak with hope, 244 00:16:18,500 –> 00:16:21,400 and you speak with love, and you speak with courage, 245 00:16:21,400 –> 00:16:25,039 God hears what you say and He will never forget it. 246 00:16:27,039 –> 00:16:29,200 When they spoke to one another, 247 00:16:29,200 –> 00:16:34,200 a book of remembrance was written before the Lord. 248 00:16:36,559 –> 00:16:40,479 And then God remembers your tears. 249 00:16:41,340 –> 00:16:46,039 I love this verse in Psalm 56 in verse eight, 250 00:16:46,039 –> 00:16:51,039 where David says to God you have kept count of my tossings. 251 00:16:51,760 –> 00:16:56,760 Put my tears in your bottle. 252 00:16:56,799 –> 00:17:00,859 Are they not in your book? 253 00:17:00,859 –> 00:17:02,840 In your book. 254 00:17:04,280 –> 00:17:05,699 You see what he’s saying, 255 00:17:06,560 –> 00:17:09,780 God knows your highest hopes 256 00:17:10,760 –> 00:17:14,699 and God knows your deepest fears. 257 00:17:14,699 –> 00:17:19,479 And on a night when you cannot get to sleep, 258 00:17:19,479 –> 00:17:23,939 God knows how many times you turn over in your bed. 259 00:17:23,939 –> 00:17:25,199 It’s all known to him. 260 00:17:26,380 –> 00:17:30,099 If the hairs of your head are numbered 261 00:17:30,099 –> 00:17:32,500 by your loving heavenly father, 262 00:17:32,500 –> 00:17:36,319 you can be very sure that every troubled thought 263 00:17:36,319 –> 00:17:39,339 that ever goes through your mind or through your heart 264 00:17:39,339 –> 00:17:42,520 is completely known to him. 265 00:17:43,660 –> 00:17:46,140 And God knows every tear 266 00:17:46,160 –> 00:17:50,000 that has ever rolled down your face. 267 00:17:50,880 –> 00:17:54,099 David says, collect my tears in your bottle. 268 00:17:54,099 –> 00:17:57,459 Are they not written in your book? 269 00:17:59,400 –> 00:18:01,560 Perhaps you’ve endured something 270 00:18:02,479 –> 00:18:06,160 that nobody else can really understand. 271 00:18:07,479 –> 00:18:10,959 Other people, they don’t know the trouble 272 00:18:10,959 –> 00:18:12,400 that is in your heart. 273 00:18:12,400 –> 00:18:15,199 Your tears are cried in secret 274 00:18:16,780 –> 00:18:19,800 but God knows the pain that you carry 275 00:18:20,819 –> 00:18:25,420 and God remembers your tears. 276 00:18:27,339 –> 00:18:31,739 And then God remembers your desires, 277 00:18:31,739 –> 00:18:35,420 Psalm 38 and verse nine, David says, 278 00:18:35,420 –> 00:18:40,420 oh, Lord, all my longing is before you. 279 00:18:41,540 –> 00:18:45,400 My sighing is not hidden from you. 280 00:18:46,540 –> 00:18:49,800 Now, one of the things that you discover very early 281 00:18:49,800 –> 00:18:51,459 in the Christian life 282 00:18:51,459 –> 00:18:56,459 is that your desire exceeds your grasp or your reach. 283 00:18:57,319 –> 00:18:59,459 You want to be more godly than you are. 284 00:19:00,780 –> 00:19:03,939 You want to accomplish more for the Lord Jesus Christ 285 00:19:03,939 –> 00:19:05,439 than you actually do. 286 00:19:06,579 –> 00:19:08,500 This is true of the most mature believers. 287 00:19:08,500 –> 00:19:11,060 Paul, towards the end of his life, 288 00:19:11,060 –> 00:19:14,099 says, I want to know Christ 289 00:19:14,920 –> 00:19:17,000 and the power of his resurrection, 290 00:19:17,000 –> 00:19:19,180 not that I’ve already obtained all this. 291 00:19:19,180 –> 00:19:21,699 I’m still pressing on, that’s what he says. 292 00:19:21,699 –> 00:19:24,280 God knows what you want to be. 293 00:19:24,280 –> 00:19:27,500 And he knows that you haven’t got there yet. 294 00:19:28,800 –> 00:19:30,660 And God knows what you want to do. 295 00:19:32,540 –> 00:19:34,099 This is a wonderful encouragement, 296 00:19:34,099 –> 00:19:37,160 by the way, in times of disappointment. 297 00:19:38,260 –> 00:19:42,099 Perhaps there was something that you thought you might do, 298 00:19:42,900 –> 00:19:46,479 wanted to do, something good, 299 00:19:46,479 –> 00:19:49,780 and the door just didn’t open. 300 00:19:51,140 –> 00:19:55,319 Or perhaps a door that seemed to be open was closed, 301 00:19:56,640 –> 00:19:58,939 and you live with a sense of disappointment. 302 00:19:58,939 –> 00:20:03,939 I wish that I’d been able to do this, but it was not. 303 00:20:06,180 –> 00:20:08,579 You know, David was in that position. 304 00:20:08,680 –> 00:20:12,660 He really wanted to build the temple for God, 305 00:20:13,540 –> 00:20:16,400 and that privilege was given to his son, Solomon. 306 00:20:17,400 –> 00:20:19,859 And there’s a wonderful statement that Solomon makes. 307 00:20:19,859 –> 00:20:23,979 He tells us in first Kings chapter eight in verse 18 308 00:20:23,979 –> 00:20:27,780 that God said to his father, David, 309 00:20:29,119 –> 00:20:33,420 whereas it was in your heart 310 00:20:33,420 –> 00:20:35,619 to build a house for my name, 311 00:20:35,619 –> 00:20:40,619 you did well, you did well that it was in your heart. 312 00:20:44,420 –> 00:20:46,400 Now, David didn’t get to build the temple. 313 00:20:46,400 –> 00:20:49,119 It was a huge disappointment to him, 314 00:20:49,119 –> 00:20:52,380 but God knew that it was in his heart. 315 00:20:52,380 –> 00:20:55,140 God remembers not only what you did, 316 00:20:56,099 –> 00:20:57,699 but what you wanted to do. 317 00:20:58,599 –> 00:21:03,599 Oh Lord, all my longing is before you. 318 00:21:03,640 –> 00:21:04,439 But I don’t see you. 319 00:21:05,579 –> 00:21:09,260 Now friends, here is something wonderful 320 00:21:09,260 –> 00:21:13,359 to encourage faithful believers. 321 00:21:13,359 –> 00:21:17,119 Your work, your words, 322 00:21:17,119 –> 00:21:21,680 your tears and even your desires 323 00:21:21,680 –> 00:21:26,680 are all written down in God’s Book of Remembrance, 324 00:21:26,680 –> 00:21:31,479 all recorded, never to be forgotten. 325 00:21:32,479 –> 00:21:36,520 Now what God remembers is wonderful 326 00:21:37,880 –> 00:21:40,819 but what’s even better 327 00:21:42,319 –> 00:21:46,339 is what God chooses not to remember. 328 00:21:47,640 –> 00:21:50,739 You see, there are other things about us 329 00:21:50,739 –> 00:21:54,819 that the Bible tells us are also written down. 330 00:21:56,380 –> 00:22:01,400 Jeremiah tells us the sin of Judah 331 00:22:01,420 –> 00:22:05,599 is written with a pen of iron. 332 00:22:06,800 –> 00:22:09,359 With a point of diamond, 333 00:22:09,359 –> 00:22:12,540 it is engraved on the tablet of their heart 334 00:22:12,540 –> 00:22:15,699 and on the horns of their altars. 335 00:22:17,020 –> 00:22:19,979 Now you see what Jeremiah’s telling us. 336 00:22:19,979 –> 00:22:23,760 That our sins are also recorded 337 00:22:25,000 –> 00:22:26,760 and they’re not written in pencil 338 00:22:26,760 –> 00:22:29,439 so they can be easily erased. 339 00:22:29,479 –> 00:22:32,079 They’re not even written in ink. 340 00:22:33,160 –> 00:22:38,140 They are, he says, engraved with a pen of iron. 341 00:22:39,319 –> 00:22:43,400 They’re chiseled out with a diamond point. 342 00:22:44,839 –> 00:22:47,140 Our sins are written down. 343 00:22:48,760 –> 00:22:50,380 The small things, 344 00:22:51,520 –> 00:22:54,119 small sins that you hardly remember, 345 00:22:55,119 –> 00:22:59,579 the secret sins that you think no one else knows about, 346 00:23:01,520 –> 00:23:04,319 the great sins that you wish that you could forget, 347 00:23:04,319 –> 00:23:05,739 they’re all written. 348 00:23:06,959 –> 00:23:11,680 And with every year that passes the list gets longer. 349 00:23:13,939 –> 00:23:18,319 Now here is the wonderful news of God’s grace. 350 00:23:19,900 –> 00:23:22,099 In Jesus Christ, 351 00:23:22,920 –> 00:23:27,640 God remembers your work, your words, 352 00:23:27,640 –> 00:23:31,300 your tears, and your desires. 353 00:23:31,300 –> 00:23:36,300 But in Jesus Christ, God does not remember your sins. 354 00:23:39,420 –> 00:23:42,760 Jeremiah chapter 31 and verse 34, 355 00:23:42,760 –> 00:23:47,760 God says, I will forgive their iniquity. 356 00:23:47,979 –> 00:23:51,839 I will remember their sin. 357 00:23:52,579 –> 00:23:53,859 No more. 358 00:23:55,319 –> 00:23:56,880 Now, you ask the question, 359 00:23:56,880 –> 00:24:00,199 how can God remember our sin no more 360 00:24:00,199 –> 00:24:03,180 if it is written with a pen of iron? 361 00:24:03,180 –> 00:24:08,180 Well, Paul tells us that when Jesus went to the Cross, 362 00:24:10,140 –> 00:24:15,140 he canceled the writing that stood against us. 363 00:24:15,839 –> 00:24:18,119 Colossians chapter two and verse 14, 364 00:24:18,119 –> 00:24:21,719 he tells us that God forgave our sins 365 00:24:21,800 –> 00:24:25,959 by canceling the record of debt. 366 00:24:25,959 –> 00:24:27,959 Literally the writing. 367 00:24:29,040 –> 00:24:30,180 The record of debt, 368 00:24:30,180 –> 00:24:34,640 the writing that stood against us with its legal demands, 369 00:24:34,640 –> 00:24:37,040 he set it aside, how? 370 00:24:37,040 –> 00:24:39,979 By nailing it to the Cross. 371 00:24:41,219 –> 00:24:43,119 The written charge sheet 372 00:24:44,239 –> 00:24:47,459 with all of the accumulated writing 373 00:24:47,459 –> 00:24:49,859 over all the years of our lives, 374 00:24:49,859 –> 00:24:53,579 the small sins, the secret sins, the great sins, 375 00:24:53,579 –> 00:24:56,040 all that was written against us. 376 00:24:57,020 –> 00:24:59,699 Jesus Christ took that charge sheet 377 00:24:59,699 –> 00:25:02,900 and nailed it to the Cross. 378 00:25:02,900 –> 00:25:06,239 When he was nailed to the cross, 379 00:25:06,239 –> 00:25:09,459 our sins were nailed there with him. 380 00:25:09,459 –> 00:25:11,660 And when he hung there 381 00:25:12,880 –> 00:25:15,459 under the charge sheet, 382 00:25:15,459 –> 00:25:20,459 he dealt with all that would have been ours 383 00:25:21,819 –> 00:25:23,859 and all that would rightly 384 00:25:23,859 –> 00:25:27,239 have been otherwise charged against us 385 00:25:27,239 –> 00:25:30,719 so that in Jesus Christ, God says 386 00:25:30,719 –> 00:25:34,719 your sins and your inequities, 387 00:25:35,640 –> 00:25:39,920 I will remember no more. 388 00:25:40,359 –> 00:25:45,359 Now, how are we to use this wonderful truth 389 00:25:49,439 –> 00:25:51,040 that we’ve been focusing on 390 00:25:51,040 –> 00:25:56,079 in Malachi 3, verse 16, that God remembers? 391 00:25:57,400 –> 00:25:59,000 Well, let me suggest four ways 392 00:25:59,000 –> 00:26:01,000 that we can make this very practical 393 00:26:01,000 –> 00:26:04,420 and use this wonderful truth in our lives 394 00:26:05,380 –> 00:26:08,839 and the first is very simply use this 395 00:26:08,859 –> 00:26:12,479 to help you treasure Jesus. 396 00:26:13,880 –> 00:26:17,319 I think about it, how can it be 397 00:26:18,280 –> 00:26:21,560 that God would remember your works, 398 00:26:21,560 –> 00:26:24,719 your words, your tears and your desires 399 00:26:24,719 –> 00:26:28,880 but he would not remember your sins? 400 00:26:28,880 –> 00:26:32,400 And the answer to that is, as we’ve just seen 401 00:26:32,400 –> 00:26:37,400 because of His great mercy to us 402 00:26:37,520 –> 00:26:39,599 in and through Jesus Christ. 403 00:26:40,760 –> 00:26:42,520 Lord, this is amazing, 404 00:26:44,199 –> 00:26:46,199 that you would remember my work 405 00:26:46,199 –> 00:26:48,900 but you would not remember my sins. 406 00:26:50,520 –> 00:26:52,180 That is mercy indeed. 407 00:26:53,199 –> 00:26:55,119 Use this wonderful truth 408 00:26:56,160 –> 00:27:00,260 to help you treasure the Lord Jesus Christ. 409 00:27:01,760 –> 00:27:03,500 Then here’s the second application, 410 00:27:03,540 –> 00:27:06,199 use this to strengthen you 411 00:27:07,000 –> 00:27:08,160 in service. 412 00:27:09,099 –> 00:27:11,020 Remember that when Malachy says, 413 00:27:11,020 –> 00:27:14,459 a book of remembrance was written before the Lord, 414 00:27:14,459 –> 00:27:18,300 he says this by way of answer 415 00:27:18,300 –> 00:27:20,959 to those who were tempted to think 416 00:27:20,959 –> 00:27:24,839 that it might be vain to serve the Lord. 417 00:27:26,099 –> 00:27:27,579 Friends, 418 00:27:27,579 –> 00:27:30,420 it is never vain 419 00:27:30,420 –> 00:27:32,760 to serve the Lord. 420 00:27:32,760 –> 00:27:34,439 And here’s why, 421 00:27:34,439 –> 00:27:38,020 a book of remembrance is written before him. 422 00:27:38,020 –> 00:27:39,800 God remembers your work, 423 00:27:39,800 –> 00:27:42,520 your words, your tears and your desires. 424 00:27:42,520 –> 00:27:44,920 And even a cup of cold water 425 00:27:44,920 –> 00:27:47,280 given in the name of Jesus Christ 426 00:27:47,280 –> 00:27:49,520 will not go without its reward. 427 00:27:49,520 –> 00:27:51,339 It will be rewarded, Jesus says. 428 00:27:53,199 –> 00:27:55,260 So, use this wonderful truth 429 00:27:56,119 –> 00:27:59,699 to strengthen you in service. 430 00:27:59,699 –> 00:28:02,079 Your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 431 00:28:02,239 –> 00:28:03,420 He remembers. 432 00:28:05,119 –> 00:28:07,079 And then here’s a third application. 433 00:28:07,079 –> 00:28:11,420 Use this to sustain you in patience. 434 00:28:11,420 –> 00:28:13,160 A book of 435 00:28:13,160 –> 00:28:15,239 remembrance 436 00:28:15,239 –> 00:28:17,579 was written before the Lord. 437 00:28:17,579 –> 00:28:19,920 Now, of course, the whole point 438 00:28:19,920 –> 00:28:22,239 of a book of remembrance, 439 00:28:22,239 –> 00:28:26,479 as we saw from the illustration in the book of Esther, 440 00:28:26,479 –> 00:28:30,800 is that there will be a day of future reward. 441 00:28:30,839 –> 00:28:34,880 God does not promise to us immediate recognition 442 00:28:34,880 –> 00:28:37,660 or immediate reward in this life. 443 00:28:37,660 –> 00:28:41,739 What he does tell us is that he remembers. 444 00:28:43,000 –> 00:28:45,040 And when you know that he remembers, 445 00:28:45,040 –> 00:28:47,719 that will sustain you in patience. 446 00:28:47,719 –> 00:28:49,540 Jesus said repeatedly, 447 00:28:50,599 –> 00:28:52,800 when you pray, 448 00:28:52,800 –> 00:28:54,920 when you give, 449 00:28:54,920 –> 00:28:56,319 you do this in secret. 450 00:28:56,319 –> 00:28:57,319 But your Father, 451 00:28:57,319 –> 00:28:59,439 who sees what you do in secret, 452 00:28:59,439 –> 00:29:02,319 well, that he’s going to come when he rewards you openly. 453 00:29:04,239 –> 00:29:07,839 Right now, we are like servants 454 00:29:07,839 –> 00:29:11,119 who are trusted by a great king 455 00:29:12,319 –> 00:29:16,859 to do certain work that has been given to our hands by him. 456 00:29:17,920 –> 00:29:20,079 The King has gone to a far country 457 00:29:21,520 –> 00:29:23,339 and no one really sees the work 458 00:29:23,339 –> 00:29:25,439 that we are doing in his name. 459 00:29:25,439 –> 00:29:27,119 But one day, 460 00:29:27,119 –> 00:29:28,579 this King will return 461 00:29:29,680 –> 00:29:31,040 and when he returns, 462 00:29:31,839 –> 00:29:34,239 what we have done will be made known. 463 00:29:35,599 –> 00:29:37,040 Then the king will say, 464 00:29:37,040 –> 00:29:40,959 well done good and faithful servant, 465 00:29:40,959 –> 00:29:44,239 enter into your master’s joy. 466 00:29:45,359 –> 00:29:49,119 The day of your reward is coming, 467 00:29:50,479 –> 00:29:56,239 well now use that to sustain you in patience. 468 00:29:57,040 –> 00:29:59,839 But then I want to give you one more application 469 00:29:59,920 –> 00:30:02,880 of this truth that I think speaks very powerfully 470 00:30:02,880 –> 00:30:07,439 to us in these difficult days in which we are living, 471 00:30:08,160 –> 00:30:12,479 and that is that we use this truth 472 00:30:12,479 –> 00:30:15,439 to help us grow in grace. 473 00:30:17,119 –> 00:30:19,760 Brothers and sisters, you don’t need me to tell you 474 00:30:19,920 –> 00:30:26,079 how desperately our world needs an infusion 475 00:30:26,719 –> 00:30:28,800 of kindness, 476 00:30:29,680 –> 00:30:31,199 of grace, 477 00:30:31,839 –> 00:30:33,040 of love, 478 00:30:33,920 –> 00:30:35,439 of patience, 479 00:30:36,239 –> 00:30:37,760 of forgiveness, 480 00:30:39,199 –> 00:30:40,640 and of peace. 481 00:30:42,160 –> 00:30:47,040 We live at a time where people have so often become used 482 00:30:47,839 –> 00:30:51,839 to thinking the very worst about each other. 483 00:30:52,880 –> 00:30:58,239 And we’re not immune from the effects of that in our own hearts and in our minds. 484 00:30:59,040 –> 00:31:00,640 The Apostle Paul says, 485 00:31:00,880 –> 00:31:03,199 Brothers, sisters, whatever is honorable, 486 00:31:04,319 –> 00:31:05,920 whatever is true, 487 00:31:06,880 –> 00:31:10,239 whatever is just and pure and lovely and commendable, 488 00:31:10,560 –> 00:31:12,599 if anything’s worthy of praise, 489 00:31:13,040 –> 00:31:16,680 think about these things. 490 00:31:17,920 –> 00:31:24,640 The Puritan Thomas Watson makes reference to a story 491 00:31:25,280 –> 00:31:27,119 about Alexander the Great. 492 00:31:27,280 –> 00:31:32,719 Apparently, Alexander the Great had an ugly scar 493 00:31:33,040 –> 00:31:35,199 down one side of his face. 494 00:31:36,160 –> 00:31:39,760 And when his portrait was painted, 495 00:31:40,160 –> 00:31:45,199 the story goes that the artist chose to have him seated 496 00:31:45,839 –> 00:31:49,040 with his elbow on a table 497 00:31:49,359 –> 00:31:55,040 so that the fingers of his hand covered the scar. 498 00:31:55,520 –> 00:31:57,439 Watson says and I quote, 499 00:31:57,680 –> 00:32:01,520 the painter who drew Alexander’s picture 500 00:32:01,839 –> 00:32:06,400 drew him with his finger upon the scar. 501 00:32:07,359 –> 00:32:12,479 So God puts a finger of mercy 502 00:32:12,959 –> 00:32:15,520 on the scars of his children. 503 00:32:15,680 –> 00:32:17,040 That’s beautiful. 504 00:32:18,400 –> 00:32:23,040 God puts a finger of mercy 505 00:32:24,479 –> 00:32:27,839 on the scars of his children. 506 00:32:30,000 –> 00:32:33,680 Sarah once laughed at the promises of God, 507 00:32:35,680 –> 00:32:36,959 but in the new testament, 508 00:32:37,040 –> 00:32:39,439 God just passes over that 509 00:32:39,920 –> 00:32:41,920 and simply commends her. 510 00:32:43,199 –> 00:32:46,959 As a woman with a gentle and quiet spirit, 511 00:32:48,239 –> 00:32:51,839 God’s finger was over the scar. 512 00:32:53,760 –> 00:32:55,839 We saw earlier that Job said, 513 00:32:55,920 –> 00:32:57,199 in his darkest days, 514 00:32:58,239 –> 00:33:00,160 some terrible things. 515 00:33:00,160 –> 00:33:03,839 On one occasion he cursed the very day that he was born. 516 00:33:04,959 –> 00:33:06,160 But as we saw last time, 517 00:33:06,239 –> 00:33:07,760 at the end of the book of Job, 518 00:33:08,160 –> 00:33:10,000 God passes over all that. 519 00:33:10,079 –> 00:33:12,560 He puts his finger on the scar 520 00:33:14,079 –> 00:33:16,719 and simply draws to the attention of his friends 521 00:33:17,760 –> 00:33:20,000 the ways in which Job has spoken 522 00:33:20,079 –> 00:33:21,439 well of the Lord. 523 00:33:23,040 –> 00:33:25,280 Peter denies the Lord Jesus Christ 524 00:33:25,359 –> 00:33:27,760 with cursing and with blasphemy, 525 00:33:27,760 –> 00:33:30,800 and when the risen Christ restores him, 526 00:33:31,920 –> 00:33:33,520 there’s simply a question. 527 00:33:35,119 –> 00:33:36,319 Peter, do you love me? 528 00:33:38,719 –> 00:33:41,199 And Peter says, Lord, you know that I love you. 529 00:33:43,040 –> 00:33:45,439 And Jesus does not go back 530 00:33:45,520 –> 00:33:48,640 to rehearse all that went on 531 00:33:48,719 –> 00:33:50,000 on that awful night. 532 00:33:50,079 –> 00:33:52,560 He simply says to Peter, who loves him, 533 00:33:53,839 –> 00:33:55,199 feed my sheep. 534 00:33:56,640 –> 00:33:58,380 Feed my lambs. 535 00:34:00,079 –> 00:34:03,680 God puts a finger of mercy 536 00:34:05,040 –> 00:34:07,439 on the scars of his children. 537 00:34:08,719 –> 00:34:14,879 His love covers a multitude of sins. 538 00:34:15,520 –> 00:34:19,280 And if God can remember 539 00:34:20,080 –> 00:34:22,639 our works, and our words, 540 00:34:23,360 –> 00:34:25,439 and our tears, and our desires, 541 00:34:26,080 –> 00:34:29,199 and yet not remember our sins, 542 00:34:30,159 –> 00:34:34,239 then we can learn also to do the same 543 00:34:34,879 –> 00:34:36,320 towards others. 544 00:34:36,959 –> 00:34:37,919 Let’s pray together. 545 00:34:40,080 –> 00:34:43,679 Father, we bow in your presence with a sense of awe 546 00:34:45,840 –> 00:34:50,879 that you would remember what is feasibly offered into your hands, 547 00:34:52,320 –> 00:34:55,520 and that you would choose for Christ’s sake 548 00:34:56,959 –> 00:34:59,919 to remember our sins no more. 549 00:34:59,919 –> 00:35:06,479 Lord, teach us to show something of the grace that we have received. 550 00:35:08,399 –> 00:35:14,959 To others, we pray that we may reflect something of your likeness 551 00:35:16,560 –> 00:35:21,520 and shine like lights as you call us to in a darkened world. 552 00:35:21,520 –> 00:35:37,879 For these things, we ask in the wonderful name of Jesus, our Saviour and our Lord. Amen.