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Colin Smith: If you have been tempted to feel that your work, your service, your labor, your love, your ministry, your faithfulness—if you've been tempted to feel that they have been wasted, well, Malachi chapter three is the chapter for you.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. Colin, there may be some listening today who have felt that way. If that is the case, I'm intrigued that we’re going back to the book of Malachi, because I think some people may not know Malachi super well. What's so special about what Malachi has to say for us?

Colin Smith: Well, Malachi brought the word of God at a time when God’s people were very discouraged. The wicked seemed to be winning, God didn't seem to do much to stop them, His own people were struggling, and God didn't seem to be doing much to help them. People were really discouraged.

Good people were beginning to say, "Maybe it's vain to serve the Lord." You find that throughout the Bible—that faithful people have come to times when they've had real questions, and they've been seriously tempted to give up. Malachi chapter three just gives the most marvelous encouragement for a faithful believer when you find yourself in that place of discouragement.

What we’re going to look at today is the way that God remembers. He never forgets what you have done. There may be other people who forget what you have done. You may feel that what you have done is not appreciated, that in some way it's not recognized, or that it's not seen for what it is—that people don't know the value of what you've given and what it's cost you to serve the Lord in one way or another.

But the Lord remembers what you have done, and that's a tremendous encouragement when we come to times of difficulty. We’re going to see today from the scripture that your labor in the Lord is never in vain. So, get ready to be encouraged.

Steve Hiller: All right, let's do that. Malachi chapter three is where we are at. So, if you have a Bible handy and you don’t have it open already, I hope you’ll join us there as we begin our message, "God Remembers." Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: We saw last time that this book of Malachi speaks directly to all of us today. Believers in Malachi's day faced some big challenges. They were disappointed with leaders, they had known disruption to worship, and there was a growing coldness of heart towards God all around them. Through it all, we saw that there were some who remained faithful, and Malachi describes them in chapter three and verse 16 as those who feared the Lord.

He tells us what they did: "those who feared the Lord spoke with one another." We saw that when the chill winds of skepticism and unbelief begin to blow around us, what faithful believers do is that they move closer to one another. They speak to one another often.

We saw the principle beautifully illustrated in the story of the Road to Emmaus—that when faithful believers talk together about Jesus, Jesus himself draws near and walks with them. You will find the presence of Jesus in the company of other believers.

So, when we face what believers in Malachi's day faced—disappointment in leaders, disruption to worship, the coldness of unbelief all around us—we must do what faithful believers in Malachi's day did: they spoke often with one another.

Malachi tells us that when those who feared the Lord spoke with one another, the Lord paid attention and heard them. I've called this series "Encouragement for Faithful Believers," and the first wonderful encouragement is that when we speak with each other in a way that esteems the Lord, God himself hears us.

Today, we’re going to look at the second encouragement, which is that God not only hears, but God remembers. We begin today at Malachi chapter three and verse 13, where we read these words: God says to his people, "Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. You have said, 'It is vain to serve the Lord.'"

If you extend yourself in living for the Lord and in serving the Lord, you may find that you come to a place in your life where you are discouraged. You feel defeated, and you realize that you are losing the will to carry on.

The work that you once counted to be a great privilege now feels like a liability. It's a weight. It's a burden. And you say, "Why am I carrying this? What am I getting out of it?" In your darker moments, you may even know what it is to think that it is vain to serve the Lord.

Asaph, who wrote Psalm 73, was a very godly man. But he tells us very honestly that while he pursued a godly life, there came a point in his own experience when, in his private thoughts, this godly man said, "In vain I have kept my heart clean. I've tried to live a life that honors the Lord, and what have I gained? Why am I doing this? In vain I have kept my heart clean." That's what he thought.

If you read the rest of Psalm 73, you will find out how Asaph answered these dark thoughts. But what I want us to notice right now is that he had them. These thoughts went through his mind. This faithful believer knew what it was to feel that pursuing a godly life might be in vain.

Job faced the same struggle. We saw last time that he was commended for speaking well about God, but Job struggled with some very, very dark thoughts indeed. At one point he said, "Why do I labor in vain?"

Then there were times when even the Apostle Paul himself feared that some of his ministry might be in vain. Writing to the Galatians, he says, "I am afraid that I may have labored over you in vain."

If you have been tempted to feel that your work, your service, your labor, your love, your ministry, your faithfulness—if you've been tempted to feel that they have been wasted, well, Malachi chapter three is the chapter for you. Because right here, God answers the charge that serving Him might be in vain.

Look at what it says in verse 16: "Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them." Then the part I want us to focus on today: "And a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name."

God knows all things, and God does not need a book to remind him of what we have done. But God speaks in scripture in a way that we can understand, and here Malachi is telling us that God will never forget what those who fear him have done.

When we read in the scripture about a book written before God, our first thought may be the Book of Life that is spoken of repeatedly in the Bible. Paul speaks in the New Testament of "my fellow workers whose names are written in the Book of Life." Jesus says to his disciples, "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

The book of Revelation tells us that nothing unclean will enter God’s marvelous new creation, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Notice that the Book of Life belongs to Jesus Christ. It's the Lamb’s Book of Life. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And what He gives is eternal life.

The names that are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are the names of those who believe in the Son of God. It is by believing that you have life in his name. It is a marvelous thing to know as a believer that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

God says to his people, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I know you by name, and you are mine." The Lamb’s Book of Life was written before the foundation of the world. That's Revelation chapter 13 and verse eight, which reminds us that God knows who are his. He always has, he always will, and he will never, ever, ever forget his own.

The Book of Life, where the names of all who believe are written, is a marvelous, wonderful theme in the Bible. But I don't think that that is what Malachi is speaking about here. Notice he says a book of remembrance was written before the Lord.

We’re talking about a book in which the acts of those who fear the Lord are recorded. This is stated in response to the fear that God's people might serve him in vain. Dr. Walter Kaiser says, and I quote here, "Here, that’s in Malachi chapter three and verse 16, we see something similar to the Persian custom of entering into a book all acts that should be rewarded in the future."

There is a fascinating example of this in the Bible itself, in the book of Esther, that comes from the same time as the books of Nehemiah and the book of Malachi. You may remember the story: Esther, in God's providence, had become the queen in the royal court of King Ahasuerus. She had a cousin by the name of Mordecai.

Mordecai was a good friend and a wise counselor to his cousin, Queen Esther. He made it for that reason his business to hang around the king’s courts wherever he could. One day, when he was sitting at the king’s gate, Mordecai overheard two of the king’s security guards plotting to take his life.

Mordecai told Esther the queen, and Esther the queen told the king. So the plot on the king’s life was foiled and the king’s life was saved. In the book of Esther, we find that some time later, there was a night when the king could not get to sleep.

We read in Esther chapter six and verse one, "On that night the king could not sleep, and he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king." When this book was read, it was discovered that Mordecai had given the intelligence that had foiled the plot on the king’s life.

So the king asked, "What honor has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" He was told nothing has been done for him. So, the king commanded that Mordecai should be honored because what he did was written in the book of memorable deeds.

The point here is that the king had a book of remembrance, a book where honorable deeds that were to be rewarded were written down. And Malachi tells us that God has a book of remembrance.

So when you are tempted to think that perhaps your service for God is in vain, you need to know that God remembers what you have done. A book of remembrance was written before the Lord.

Steve Hiller: You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called "God Remembers." We’ve been looking at how a book of remembrance was written before the Lord. But what does He actually remember? We’re going to answer that question in just a moment, so I hope you’ll stay with us.

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This message has been one of the most listened-to messages of this past year. So, we’ve taken this message and the other top nine and put them together in a series called "Listener Favorites 2026." If you’d like to find out more about how you can get a copy of these listener favorite messages, visit our website at openthebible.org.

If you joined us late, we’re in the book of Malachi chapter three. Back to the message, here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now, what does God remember? Let me just identify a few things. First, God remembers your work. Hebrews chapter six and verse 10 states this so clearly: "God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints as you still do."

Perhaps you feel that no one sees what you do and that no one cares about what you do. Who knows the love and the care that you are putting into the work that has been entrusted to you by Almighty God? The answer to that question is God sees what you are doing, and he will not overlook your work.

This theme of God remembering our work is written all over the words of the Lord Jesus Christ to the churches in the book of Revelation. Remember, God knows your work. He says, "I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance."

Not only does God know your work, he knows the difficulty of your work. He says, "I know your tribulation, and I know your poverty." He knows where you dwell. He says, "I know where you dwell. I know where you are, and I know how difficult it is there."

He knows all that goes into your work. "I know your work, your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance." What you are doing for the Lord, faithful brother, sister in Christ, may not attract the attention or the praise of other people. It may be largely hidden from their view.

But it is not hidden from Almighty God. God knows your work, and what you do in his name is written in his book of remembrance. Not only does God know and remember your work, God knows and remembers your words.

Back to Malachi chapter three and verse 16. Remember what we have just learned: "those who feared the Lord spoke—spoke with one another." And the Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before the Lord. The connection is very clear. God is remembering and writing down the words that were spoken, the words of faith that honored Him.

God hears us when we speak to Him. But what we’re seeing here is something else: God hears when we speak about Him. Those who feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord heard them. God hears what we say to one another.

When you speak to a brother or a sister, when you speak even to someone who does not believe and you speak with faith and you speak with hope and you speak with love and you speak with courage, God hears what you say, and he will never forget it. When they spoke to one another, a book of remembrance was written before the Lord.

Then God remembers your tears. I love this verse in Psalm 56 and verse eight, where David says to God, "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" In your book.

You see what he’s saying? God knows your highest hopes and God knows your deepest fears. On a night when you cannot get to sleep, God knows how many times you turn over in your bed. It's all known to Him.

If the hairs of your head are numbered by your loving Heavenly Father, you can be very sure that every troubled thought that ever goes through your mind or through your heart is completely known to Him. God knows every tear that has ever rolled down your face.

David says, "Collect my tears in your bottle. Are they not written in your book?" Perhaps you've endured something that nobody else can really understand. Other people, they don't know the trouble that is in your heart. Your tears are cried in secret. But God knows the pain that you carry, and God remembers your tears.

Steve Hiller: You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called "God Remembers." We’ve been looking at what God does remember: He remembers your work, your words, and we’ve begun to look at how He also remembers your tears.

We’re going to continue to look at that on our next broadcast, as well as the fact that God also looks at your desires and he doesn't look at your sins. If you ever miss a broadcast, you can always come and listen online. Our website is openthebible.org.

Open the Bible is a listener-supported ministry. It is your generosity that allows us to bring you Pastor Colin’s teaching whether you listen on the radio, online, or through the app. As you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a copy of Brad Wetherell's new book called "Saved to Sin No More." Colin, what's one thing that you’d like people to take away from this book?

Colin Smith: Well, I think the number one thing is encouragement in the Christian life. I think a lot of folks have the idea that to be a Christian is basically to commit to a disciplined pursuit of a good and a moral life. It's so much more, and that's the heart of what's in this book, speaking about union with Christ.

I was just talking to someone who's past the age of 70 this week. He told me that for 35 years he had regarded himself as being a Christian and everyone else would have regarded him as a Christian too. He said, "But it was only in the last five years that he really came to understand a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ."

He said, "I had religion for 35 years. I’ve only had a relationship with Jesus for five." There's all the difference in the world. The first thing he said when I said, "Well tell me about the difference," he said, "Well I’ve begun to experience victory over sin."

Then he spoke about peace and he spoke about joy and he spoke about hope. It's simply not possible to gain victory over our besetting sins if all we’ve got is our best effort to live a good life and to overcome the things that plague us.

What makes it possible to really make progress in the Christian life is that Jesus Christ himself lives in the life of a believer by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. That makes a whole new life possible.

This book really gives an introduction to the central, though sadly I think little understood, truth of the Christian life: Christ in you. That's the hope of living a new and a transformed life. It's a wonderful book, and I think it'll be a great encouragement to all who read it.

Steve Hiller: Again, the name of the book is "Saved to Sin No More: How Union with Christ Empowers a Life of Holiness." We want to send you a copy as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month.

You can give your gift online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. That’s 1-877-673-6365. Or again our website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

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