In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament Scriptures. It was written about four centuries before Christ's birth. In this verse of Scripture, God was telling his faithful believers that their waiting was almost over. Here the Lord assured his people:

“Suddenly” does not mean right away, it means unexpectedly. The time of the Savior’s coming would be a surprise. Yet the people would need to be ready. So, God would send a messenger. He said, “See I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” “See” is the same word as “behold.” It indicates that something important is going to follow. "See," God says, "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me." We know how this prophecy was fulfilled. We know the identity of this special messenger who would prepare the way for the Savior.

1. THE PREPARING MESSENGER IS JOHN THE BAPTIZER.

Three hundred years before Malachi, God had revealed this same truth through the prophet Isaiah. God was saying, "Before the Savior comes, look for someone who prepares the way." That someone was John the Baptizer. We are absolutely certain of this because Jesus himself said so. Christ said of John, “This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Mt 11:10-11). John would “prepare the way” for the Lord.

Ponder what those words mean. Some translations translate these words, “Clear the way,” and that is a very good and literal translation too. The picture is of clearing anything that is in the path of the Lord. So, I picture a person clearing brush and moving stones, and sweeping dirt, and whatever else is needed to clear a path, to prepare the way for the Lord.

Think about it. The Savior was coming to take away sin. But first, the people needed to recognize their sinfulness and their need for salvation. John would have to point to people's sins and say, “Look at those sins! Repent! You are in trouble with God! You need a Savior!” And, John was faithful in this ministry. He began by preaching a message of repentance. Because, if people don’t think that they have sins, they will have no use for a Savior from sin. They will say, “Why do we need a Savior, we are pretty good.” So, John’s called task was to show the people that they were not good. He pointed to their sins, and then pointed them to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In Advent we also seek to prepare the way for the Lord who was born that first Christmas. Have we loved God above all things and loved our neighbors as ourselves, or have we been guilty of loving ourselves too much? Have we been perfectly faithful in our service to the Lord, or have we fallen short? Have our words been kind, or thoughtless and sharp? We have not always obeyed God's commands perfectly. None of our excuses will take away the fact: we have sinned.

Yet, take comfort, dear friends in the fact that God has had mercy on us. He promised a Savior. He is mentioned in this very verse. The promised Savior is the messenger of the covenant, and...

2. THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT IS JESUS.

{1} "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.” God said that the messenger would prepare the way before "Me," that is, before God himself! The Savior is speaking here. He is the “me” in this verse!

Yet, in the next sentence, he is called, “the Lord you are seeking.” The Promised Savior is and would be true God. Old Testament believers were watching and waiting for his coming. It promises that he would He will "come to his temple." Jesus did go to the temple in Jerusalem, but more importantly, he would come to his people, the church. God's temple is where God dwells, and this Savior would live among his people.

He is called "the Messenger of the covenant." We’ve been learning about the Angel of the LORD in our study of Old Testament Bible History. Well, this is Him! This is the Angel of the LORD, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Messenger of God’s covenant. He proclaims God's covenant promise of forgiveness. Jesus brought the gospel, personally. He lived a perfect life for us. He died on the cross to pay for all of our sins. He rose from the dead, so he could proclaim God’s new covenant of forgiveness. God’s covenant is his solemn promise to forgive sins through Jesus. And whoever believes in Jesus, receives that forgiveness, and receives eternal life. So, pay close attention to that baby of Bethlehem who would be placed in a manger. He is our Savior. And, because of him, we believers will spend eternity in heaven with him.

He is called the one "whom you desire." Remember Abraham, Simeon, and Anna, who all desired the Savior's coming. These Old Testament believers were saved by faith in the Savior who was coming. God told those Old Testament people that the Savior, the Messenger of the covenant, the messenger of God’s promise of good news “will come.”

After four hundred years, suddenly, it happened. God kept that promise. The Savior came! The Savior was born in the little town of Bethlehem. Everything happened just as God said it would. Let’s look forward to reviewing the fulfillment of God’s promise in worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Jesus was born and saved us, just as it was foretold.

As we heard in last Sunday’s sermon, God always keeps his promises. God has made some promises to you that may seem a long time in coming. Don't worry, when the right time comes, God will keep his promise. God keeps his promises in just the right way and at just the right time. Those Old Testament believers would have to wait 400 years, but suddenly, at just the right time, the Savior came.

God has promised to make everything work out for our good. Sometimes, we can make no sense out of why things happen the way they do. But trust God. He knows what he’s doing. He can make it turn out for good for those who love him.

Jesus promised that he would return soon. Nearly 2000 years have passed since Jesus ascended, but he will return as the glorious Judge, and take his believers to live with him forever. Suddenly, it will happen. God always keeps his promises.

Be thankful that God kept this one. He said, “Suddenly the Savior will come.” That first Christmas, it happened. Let’s prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth and worship him this Christmas. Amen.