(A)

In our study of the book of Malachl, this was probably the last arrogant statement against God made by the people of God (Malachi 3:14).
Perhaps, this is not the last statement or similar response on the part of God’s people, in the New Testament context, and also in the last days, and particularly in the end times: The Lord Jesus Himself expressed that ‘many will fall away and the love of many would grow cold’.

In the light of this, it may be helpful to examine the factors that lead to such a response and also the “solutions” offered in Scripture.
In the case of the people in Malachi’s time, in the context of the Mosaic Covenant, they expected God to bless them when they kept all the requirements of the Covenant, but in their assessment, God did not: God’s promise through the pre-exilic prophets did not materialise even after coming back from exile for so many years; they kept all the cultic requirements – keeping the sacrifices, the temple sacraments and they even wept and cried before God’s altar – but the crops failed, and they were impoverished, whereas the wicked seemed to prosper (Malachi 2:13; 3:15). Hence they concluded that it was futile to serve God; however, there were those who feared the Lord God and remained faithful to Him. The people in general did not realise fully that they did not, in reality, keep the Covenant with God whereas God remained faithful and true to His Covenant.
The people actually slipped back into ‘formalism’, a version of the religion of aspiration and perspiration that lacks both inspiration and transformation, a religion of mechanical observances, low expectations, deep ruts of routine, and grooves that quickly turn into graves. Does this not describe the ‘religion’ of many individual Christians and churches today? This is also the religion that was practised by the Jews (Pharisees in particular) at the time when Jesus the Messiah arrived at the scene.

We have looked briefly at the book of Hebrews and noted that the Jewish Christians were facing a serious crisis: they were not exempted from the worship of the Emperor of Rome like the fellow Jews practising Judaism – many were persecuted, thrown into prison, had their homes, destroyed and many more were tortured and died at the hands of the Romans (see Hebrews 11). In the face of this persecution, many were tempted to abandon their Christian faith and turn back to Judaism (after all, they were still worshipping God, so they thought). In doing this, they were actually stating: “It is futile to serve God in the Christian faith”.

Let us pause and examine the problems the people of God faced at the time of the book of Hebrews:
There was no let up in hostilities as time goes by and no sign that there ever will be. The people continued to face suffering, torture, imprisonment and death. On their part, was it not reasonable to expect them to ‘abandon their faith’? For the people in Malachi’s time, their problem was also prolonged and we know that for some 400 years, there seemed to be silence as far as prophecies and messages from God were concerned.
For us today, we know from the writings of the Apostles that the spirit of Antichrist is already prominent – there are more martyrs in this generation than the number in all the previous generations before. Christians are still persecuted; some are imprisoned; some are ‘tortured’ to deny their faith; and some die faithfully as martyrs for God.

We are also aware that from the Scriptures (including the revelation by the Lord Jesus) that ‘things’ will not get better but there would be false prophets, false ‘Christs’, false believers, and tribulations of all sorts, culminating with the great tribulation (and the coming of the Antichrist). In the book of Revelation, there are more elaborations, but even as we look at Revelation 6, in the opening of the seals, we see in the ‘four horsemen’ the coming of ‘war and slaying of each other’; ‘famines’ with basic necessities out of the reach of many; ‘death’ of unprecedented proportions; ‘plagues’ and ‘diseases’ at a global scale.

How do we remain faithful in such a context and in such ‘unbearable’ situations? Will we not, with many, declare that ‘it is futile to serve God’ and slip into the camp of Antichrist and Satan? A closer study of Hebrews may be helpful at this juncture, God willing.

(B)

We can sympathise with the Hebrew Christians because most of us can cope with difficulties and sufferings for a short time but to suffer for your faith on a long-term basis becomes much more difficult. Before we query the faithfulness of these brethren, we need to realistically assess whether we ourselves have not felt that it is difficult to go on when the problems and sufferings persist and refuse to go away.

There is a sense of belonging that the Hebrew Christians desperately missed. This is because of estrangement from the Jewish Community and the practice of the Jewish faith – they were progressively cut off from the Jewish community because of their Christian faith. Some today also may be cut off from our families or friends because of our faith, but there is one area which is particularly difficult for new believers and young believers – to be put at a distance and to be treated as ‘those who do not belong to the group’ in, of all places, the church. It is sad but true that in many churches, ‘cliches’ are formed and individuals in those cliques ‘enjoy’ so-called fellowship with one another exclusively and treat other believers with a sense of ‘not belonging’ and ‘not part of the inclusive group’. They have their ‘perculiar language’, their own particular interests and others find themselves as ‘aliens’ when they seek to join in. Here the call to love God and to love the brethren in deed and in truth becomes so very important. The church is not a clubhouse with many smaller exclusive units – it is a community of God’s people – it is a beacon of light to a world of spiritual darkness.

For the Hebrew Chrisians, the Author reminded them that they were going to Mount Zion and not Mount Sinai; they were going to the heavenly Jerusalem. In the meanwhile, they may have to suffer for a while; their responsibility was to respond in faith and be willing to bear the disgrace that Jesus went through.
We have stated that the Hebrew Christians possibly missed the outward and visible aspects, the ceremonies and sacrifices associated with the Old Covenant worship.
For believers today, there should be the awareness that Christianity is not primarily a religion of ceremonial and sacrament but of faith in Jesus resulting in a way of life lived in response to His sacrifice.
Externalism is a desire to feel and handle things and have them as supports to our faith. This is felt by some to be an easier option than living by a faith based on God’s word and promise alone. This means that for such believers, their experience of humiliation and suffering on the way to glory, and the delay in the fulfilment of all God’s promises in Christ, presented them with a persistent and nagging problem (we see this among God’s people in Malachi).
In the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-23), Jesus warned His disciples that some believers will last ‘only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word , he quickly falls away. In other words, such believers cannot live by faith when faced with serious and painful difficulties. A similar problem has shown itself in recent years when several prominent Christians have joined the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches because they need to join a visible Christian community with historical roots as compared to evangelical churches with the lack of visible external ‘icons’. What we truly need to seek is spiritual and relates to shared faith rather than institutions and ceremonies. But there is certainly a place for helpful liturgies and sacraments(ordained by God) to bolster our faith but it is in Christ and HIs person and sacrifice that should be central in our focus.

We have looked closer at some of the problems; God willing, we shall next look at what God offers us in Scripture to face such period in our lives as individuals and as a church.

(C)

In Jewish thinking there would come a day when God would intervene in the world’s affairs through the Messiah. Before this date God’s people were humiliated and suffered and then they would be triumphant because vindicated and honoured by God (this is in line with their understanding in the Old Testament). There are two ages and the second one will follow on from and replace the first.
The Christian gospel alters this understanding: The two ages overlap and the last days (of the present age) are days in which the final triumph still awaits but in which the decisive events which guarantee this have already taken place.
Jesus has died, has risen, is glorified and will come again in triumph. But suffering and humiliation, as the way to glory, characterised His life on earth and will characterise His people’s life experience as well.

The New Testament affirms this understanding:
“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Our follow up teaching for new Christians should mention that ‘everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim.5:12).
The same wisdom displayed by God in creating the world for His glory is being displayed by God in the humiliation and suffering of the Messiah. Jesus’ relationship with Christians is based on his becoming a real human being and sharing all our experiences of suffering and so in our sufferings we can always be grateful that our Saviour walked the same pathway before us.

Christians must realise that Jesus has not only dealt with sin once for all but also that He is now in heaven as one who knows the reality of living a life of faith amidst temptation and so is able to send help and support to the believers.
The sufferings of life and death are what qualify Jesus to be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The Israelites whom Moses led out of Egypt failed to enter the promised land through lack of faith and resulting disobedience. By contrast, the Hebrew Christians as well as believers today are encouraged to perseverance and to vigorous obedient faith.

Perseverance is grace given; it is also a duty to be performed by Christians. This is the message to God’s people in the time of Malachi; it is also the message to the Hebrew Christians as they face the persecution of Rome; it is certainly the message for us Christians today. The Chrisian life has been likened to a race; we must persevere and finish the race despite the pain and suffering which accompany the training as well as the actual race.

(D)
As Christians, many of us expect that good living will give us good results in this life on earth: we do our best to do the right things in the right way – we go to church, we read the Bible, we pray, try to be a nice person etc. We do all these things and expect that because we have stayed on the straight and narrow path, we will be okay and our good expectations for our life will be fulfilled.
Some of these expectations: I will not have health problems; all my loved ones will live long and fruitful lives; I will get married and live ‘happily’ with no family upheavals; etc.
But we may meet up with unexpected times in our life: bad news from the doctor, arguments among friends, family members. And this can happen to those who live lives that are not negative or ungodly from the human point of view. But for those who are pleasing to God in general – ‘bad things can happen to good people’.
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?…..Having sorrow in my heart all the day? (Psalm 13: 1-2). This was the cry of King David, a man after God’s heart.

As for the people in Malachi’s time, their expectations were unfounded and selfish and they concluded that it was futile to serve God. As for the Hebrew Christians in the time of the book of Hebrews, their suffering and pain were because of their desire to be faithful to God in Christ – however, their sufferings continued and were prolonged – their expectations for God to intervene and deliver seemed unanswered.
But we noted that sufferings of life and death are what qualify Jesus to be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

As we considered Jesus’ faithfulness as a high priest, we can conclude the following:
-Jesus has been faithful under pressure to abandon his obedience to God
-Jesus has fully experienced temptations and can empathise with us in our temptations
-The fact that he has successfully dealt with temptation means he has now gone, in his human nature, and with all his human experience, into God’s presence as a ‘great High Priest’
-As our great High Priest, he assures us that we can continually enter God’s presence with confidence and receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need from one who feels our situations with us
-The assurance of help means we can continue in ‘the faith we profess’.So the presence of Jesus in heaven as our ‘great High Priest’ guarantees we will receive acceptance, understanding and appropriate help as we draw near in prayer to God. Hence we will be enabled to continue strongly and confidently as those publicly committed to the Christian faith.

Understanding brings with it responsibility and, as these great truths lay hold of us, we must in turn take up our responsibility to encourage others with them.
Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them (Heb.7:25).

The continued existence of grace in our hearts is a great miracle. Our enemies are so strong and our strength are so small; the world is so full of snares and temptations that it seems impossible for us to reach heaven. But we have a mighty Friend at the right hand of God, who ever lives to make intercession for us. It is indeed not futile to serve God!