Sermons

Malachi and Christmas  

Intro: Coming up to Christmas, I always want to say something that matters.  

• Christmas is a holiday that is either, inspirational punch or a traditional thud.  

• Christmas matters for one reason: “The Prophecy Came True,” so there is hope.  
• Either OT predictions real and true or not. 

• If not, no hope.  

 

• Our climate growing darker and more binary: politically, morally, and spiritually is cause for discouragement. 

• This should drive us to the Bible.  
• To find categories for our heads to go.  

• To find hope.     

[KEY] Leading up to Xmas Eve, I was considering Malachi as a parallel to our times. 

• Last OT prophecy before 400 years of silence.  

• How God’s people felt year after year with no sign of Messiah.  
• Darkness and hopelessness coloring all of life.  

[Illus] I was looking for a way to tie together their mindset then with ours today and was ready to look elsewhere, when Oleg Bondar (TMS student) sent me a sermon link from a John Piper sermon he preached doing this with Malachi. Piper preached it as a pre-Xmas sermon on December 19, 1982, 40 years ago. Times are different but the sentiment is the same.  

[KEY] A lot has changed in 40 years and a lot has not.  

• Sins are same, applications seem more poignant.  

• 40 yrs ago, Church needed a wakeup call from apathy where with today’s pressures we need hope.  

 

• World aggressively trying to cancel Christianity, we need to go somewhere to resonate and come clear on how to think. 

  

[Illus] I tried to invite (to tonight’s service) a club sports team (over 10 years) I’m on, and one of the players walked away (back to the locker room) as I gave my invite. Christ is now not relevant and is off putting to people, not the moral figure that could accommodate the times. The sins are now flamboyant, so there is not room for accommodation.  

 

• To be clear, I used Piper’s Malachi sermon notes as a commentary and for my research, for this talk [Quotes etc.]. To make this parallel.  

[Context] Malachi is the last OT book, latest, just before everything goes silent.  

• Haggai and Zechariah preached during temple rebuilt in Jerusalem post Babylonian exile.  

• Promised completion of the temple (516 BC). 

• Messiah would come and usher the Messianic age.  
• Think, Christ’s return, think Millennial Reign.  

 

• Greater temple than former, believers coming from nations (cf. Hag. 2:4-9). 

  

• This isn’t happening.  

 

• Temple finished, time has passed, leaders who lead construction, dead and gone and the Lord has not returned.  

 

[Appl] In our country today, there was a massive push of evangelism and the construction of conservative denominations, but much has fizzled, and we feel like we are a remnant, small few left, with a bible voice.  

 

• It was 450 BC (years) before Jesus would arrive.  

• Breaking a voiceless darkness for 400 years.  
• God appeared canceled; OT cancel culture.  

[KEY] Sins of the day. 

• Illegitimate divorce and intermarriage with unbelievers (Mal. 2:10, 11). 
• Withholding tithes (Mal. 3:8). 

• Oppression of hired workers, widows and fatherless, and sojourners.  

 

• No fear of the LORD of hosts (Mal. 3:5).  

 

[Appl] In other words, no conscience in the nation. This is not unlike what is happening in our country today. Church is being canceled, believers are discouraged, people are digressing to practicing sins of adultery, Christians compromising on marriage decisions, neglecting the church, neglecting others, with no integrity.  

 

[Appl] 40 years ago, the church was asleep in passivity, and now our sins are born out of discouragement breeding the “who cares” attitude. Money and Sex to fill the void.  

[POINT] Solution for holiness is to know with rock-solid certainty that the prophecy came true.  

• Christmas prophecy begins in Malachi 3.  

 

• Begin reading in Malachi 2:17.  

 

• “You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, ‘How have we wearied him?”  

 

• “By saying, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them.’”  

 

• “Or by asking, ‘Where is the God of justice?’” 

[KEY] Malachi casts this dark hour not first in terms of God’s people but God.  

• We have wearied the LORD with our sins.  

 

[KEY] What’s the solution? Xmas Prophecy.  

 

ESV  Malachi 3:1 a“Behold, I send bmy messenger, and che will prepare the way before me. And the Lord dwhom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and ethe messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. (Mal 3:1 ESV) 

 

[Question] So, where is Christmas in prophecy? It’s found in the three persons spoken of here.  

1. The messenger (…my messenger, and he will prepare the way) 

 

1. The messenger of the covenant (v. 1 “…the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to this temple, and the messenger of the covenant” cf. Haggai 2:7 God coming to his temple) 

 

1. The LORD (v. 1 “…behold, he is coming, says the LORD of host”; cf. 2:17 “…the LORD…the God of justice”).  

 

• Not talking directly about the Trinity, but John the Baptist, God, God’s Son.  

 

[Context] One final detail is to see that prophets spoke with broad strokes.  

• Time gaps stripped out when they foretold what’s going to happen.  

 

• We know what the prophets didn’t know, there’s at least 2,000 years (so far) between Christ’s first and second coming.  

 

• Peter clarified that prophets were serving a later generation, implying these gaps (cf. 1 Pt. 1:10-12).  

 

• Understand that God works within time and outside of time, at the same time (…a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day).  

 

ESV  2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and aa thousand years as one day. (2Pe 3:8 ESV) 

[TRANS] With that said, let’s unpack Christmas in view of these three persons from Malachi 3:1.  

1. The messenger 

 

• The messenger connects to Malachi 4:5, 6.  

ESV  Malachi 4:5-6 a“Behold, I will send you bElijah the prophet cbefore the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will aturn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and bstrike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”1 (Mal 4:5-6 ESV)  

 

• Taking this NT, remember what an angel told Zechariah, John the Baptist’ father. 

ESV  Luke 1:16-17 And he [John the Baptist] will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and ahe will go before him bin the spirit and power of Elijah, cto turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and dthe disobedient to the wisdom of the just, eto make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luk 1:16-17 ESV)  

 

• Jesus confirms, Malachi 3 syncs with John the Baptist (Matt. 11:3; Luke 7:27).   

ESV  Matthew 11:3-10 and said to him, “Are you athe one who is to come, or shall we blook for another?”  

4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 

5 athe blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers1 are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and bthe poor have good news preached to them. 

6 And blessed is the one who ais not offended by me.” 

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out ainto the wilderness to see? bA reed shaken by the wind? 

8 What then did you go out to see? A man1 dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 

9 What then did you go out to see? aA prophet?1 Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 

10 This is he of whom it is written, a“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ (Mat 11:3-10 ESV)  

  

 

• Jesus further confirmed John came as proxy for Elijah at Mt. Transfiguration.  

 

ESV  Matthew 17:9-13 abAnd as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, b“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”  

10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say athat first Elijah must come?” 

11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and ahe will restore all things. 

12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but adid to him whatever they pleased. bSo also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands.” 

13 aThen the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. (Mat 17:9-13 ESV)  

 

 

• John knew he came to prepare the way Messiah.  

ESV  John 3:28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, a‘I am not the Christ, but bI have been sent before him.’ (Joh 3:28 ESV) 

 

1. The messenger of the covenant  

 

• Jesus, “the Lord” is this messenger and this means that Jesus is God because, God is being prophesied to “…suddenly come to his temple” (v. 1).  

 

• Not a problem because we know Jesus is God who came in flesh.  

ESV  Isaiah 9:6 aFor to us a child is born, to us ba son is given; cand the government shall be dupon1 his shoulder, and his name shall be called2 Wonderful eCounselor, fMighty God, gEverlasting hFather, Prince of iPeace. (Isa 9:6 ESV) 

 ESV  John 1:1 aIn the beginning was bthe Word, and cthe Word was with God, and dthe Word was God. (Joh 1:1 ESV) 

• The coming of Messiah is the coming of God, the promise of Christmas.  

 

 

1. The LORD 

 

• The LORD is speaking of Jesus in the third person, like he always does (cf. 3:1b; Ps. 110:1).  

ESV  Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. aThe LORD says to my Lord: b“Sit at my right hand, cuntil I make your enemies your dfootstool.” (Psa 110:1 ESV) 

 

ESV  Luke 3:22 and athe Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and ba voice came from heaven, c“You are my beloved Son;1 with you I am well pleased.”2 (Luk 3:22 ESV) 

 

[Question] “Is Malachi 3:1 a Christmas prophecy?”  

• The answer is “Yes” because Malachi is prophesying the coming of a forerunner and a messenger of the covenant.  

 

• John the Baptist and Jesus who came and both claim to fulfill these roles.  

• Bear in mind is that Malachi unwittingly compresses Christ’s first coming with his second!  

 

• Key to being blessed by Christmas is to see that both prophesies go together. 

 

[KEY] First coming makes second coming true!  

• You cannot have one without the other.  

 

• Having both means We Stand in the Middle of these Prophesies.  

• Is it hopeless these days.  

• Did the LORD’s promise fail, has the church failed?  

 

• Not anymore than before Jesus’ first coming.  

 

[TRANS] Nowhere in the NT does someone tie together John the Baptist and Jesus like John 1.  

Listen to John 1 to complement Malachi’s Christmas prophesy.  

ESV  John 1:1-16 aIn the beginning was bthe Word, and cthe Word was with God, and dthe Word was God. 

2 He was in the beginning with God. 

3 aAll things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

4 aIn him was life,1 and bthe life was the light of men. 

5 aThe light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

6 There was a man asent from God, whose name was bJohn. 

7 He came as a awitness, to bear witness about the light, bthat all might believe through him. 

8 aHe was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 

9 aThe true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet athe world did not know him. 

11 He came to ahis own,1 and bhis own people2 cdid not receive him. 

12 But to all who did receive him, awho believed in his name, bhe gave the right cto become dchildren of God, 

13 who awere born, bnot of blood cnor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 

14 And athe Word bbecame flesh and cdwelt among us, dand we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of egrace and ftruth. 

15 (aJohn bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, b‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 

16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. (Joh 1:1-16 ESV) 

 

[Conclusion] The New York Times published an article called, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Except When Christmas Falls on a Sunday” which is somewhat of an indicting title.  

The article is meant to expose the debate as to why churches are closing on Sunday when the calendar collides with December 25.  

 

It’s an interesting thing to think through but what was more interesting was note that the world is watching what we do, how we conduct ourselves.  

So come back tomorrow and let’s apply what it means to live — considering Jesus coming and Jesus coming again!