Getting Right with God

I was greatly moved by a story told by Duncan Campbell of the Lewis Revival. He said he was preaching in a church and in the middle of his sermon one of the elders of the church rose from his seat and hastily left the building. And Duncan thought to himself, there, now I've done it again, I've said something to offend someone.

And Duncan Campbell said this man, this elder in the church, did not return to the meetings for the next three nights. On the fourth evening, while Duncan Campbell was preaching, he saw the door of the back of the church open and in walked this elder. After Duncan finished his message, this man approached him and said, I am sorry to have excused myself from your meetings, but the other night, when you were preaching on the subject of entering into a right relationship with God, I heard a little dog bark.

Duncan replied, I heard no dog bark. Oh, yes, said the man, I definitely heard a little dog bark. You see, when I was a lad I stole a Farmer's Prize pup and sold it down the road to an other farm for a handsome price.

I had completely forgotten about that incident these many years, until when you were preaching, and I heard that little dog bark. I immediately knew what I had to do, what had to be done. I got up and left.

The next day I drove to that farm where I had stolen the dog, and a lady answered the door and said her father, the Farmer, was now dead many years. So I confessed to her my crime and paid her for the price of the pup, with all these years' interest added on, and I made her take that money. Then the next couple of days it took me a while to locate the family who I sold the stolen dog to, but I found them, and I confessed my crime to them and paid them the same amount with interest, and made them take the money.

Then I came back home and fell on my knees, and I never had such a glorious reunion with my blessed Lord as I did last night, while I cried and prayed, getting right with God. Now I tell you that story, friends, because the title of my message this evening is Getting Right with God, and my text can be found in the Book of Malachi, in Chapter 3. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament.

Malachi was a prophet whose name means Messenger of the Lord. For surely this is he who was, as he addressed the wayward Jews, whose spiritual state was in decline. Divorce was widespread among God's people, and mixed marriages were being contracted, and tithes were being neglected as God's people were living self-centered lives, where God was pushed into the background of their daily living.

This man Malachi was a prophet who carried a burden for the backslidden people of God. The opening line of his book begins with the following descriptive words. The Burden of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi, and he begins his message to the wayward people of God by declaring God's love for them.

In verse 2 we read, I have loved you, saith the Lord. Then the prophet goes on to describe how Israel had become unfaithful to Almighty God, that not only had they become a backslidden people who had turned their backs on God, but they had robbed God as well. In verse 8 of chapter 3 we hear God declare, through the lips of his prophet, Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me.

Then he goes on to shame them for their withholding the tithes and offerings that belonged to God. But the verse I want to camp out this evening, friends, is found in verses 6 and 7 of chapter 3. Allow me to read this passage of scripture to you now for I believe the church right now in her present state is a backslidden church focused on her own personal affairs, her own personal agenda, her own personal wealth, her own selfish amusements and self-gratification. And the modern church today stands far away, withered back toward the God of the Bible.

We as a people of God have erred grievously in changing the God of the Bible to fit our own standards, to accommodate our self-centered lifestyle. We've gotten out our pocket knives and have carved out for ourselves a God we can live with, a God who won't get in the way of our daily living. And this is the very thing the Jews did in our passage.

They no longer served God, but went out and found them a God to serve them. God in his mercy sent them a God called Prophet, in this man Malachi, whose name means Messenger of the Lord. And he had a message to bring to them, a message to the wayward people.

And it's found summed up in our two verses here in chapter three. Here now is the word of God and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend his holy word. For I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Let me pause here. Why didn't God consume them and destroy them? Because they were a covenant people of a promise from Abraham down to Jacob. But God informs them they need to get in line because he hasn't changed.

He still is a God of justice who is now extending mercy because he is a covenant-keeping God. Now look at verse seven, even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Let me pause again, friends.

God is showing them their disobedience to him. The Jews had quit walking with God even though they had maintained their religious duties. Their heart was far away from the Lord like most of us today.

Now look at what he says next. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. I will stop there.

That's the heart of my message tonight, friends. Getting right with God. Let me ask you a question, friend.

Can you hear a little dog barking in your life? Has the Holy Spirit of God pricked your conscience? Is there a way in your life where you are robbing God with your time or money? Have you drifted away from the heart of God in your daily living? Is your Bible a closed book or your eyes dry when you pray? Has religion just become a mere routine? Have you left your first love? The Lord Jesus Christ, it breaks me up to even say it, and forsaken him for another. God declares in our text, return to me and I will return unto you. The elder in the church heard a little dog bark as he fell under Holy Spirit conviction.

Are you willing now, friend, to ask the Holy Spirit to shine his spotlight upon every area of your life? Return unto me and I will return unto you. Getting right with God begins with a first move, a first step of repentance, turning back to him and being honest with him. And facing him and owning up to your sin like the elder did in Duncan Campbell's story.

God extends mercy before he breaks out in justice. The first verse of chapter four speaks of the justice of Almighty God. For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble.

And the day that cometh shall burn them up. This verse compares God's anger to a burning oven. When I was in high school, I worked in a grocery store as a sack boy.

And one of my duties was to take the cardboard boxes that the produce came in and break them down with a box cutter. Then take them to the back of the store to a furnace and burn them. And every time I opened that cast iron door to that burning oven of swirling white hot flames, I would draw back as my face would be singed from the heat of that oven.

God has two hands, justice and mercy. Return unto me is a plea of mercy drifting down from heaven like a mist that will soon drift away if unheeded. Do you hear a little dog barking, friend? What is your little dog? I wanna take the time now for us to get into a place, if we need to, in getting right with God.

Let us pray.