The Problem of Evil and the Promise of Justice

| 3/18/26 | Malachi 2:6-3:5

When the news is heartbreaking and it feels like evil is getting away with everything, it's natural to ask: Where is the God of justice? That's exactly the question the people of Israel threw at God in Malachi 2, and God's answer is more surprising, and more personal, than anyone expected. In this sermon from Malachi 2:17–3:5, Pastor Sam unpacks the prophet's uncomfortable back-and-forth between a frustrated people and a patient God. God responds to the cry for justice not by pointing at everyone else's sin, but by promising to refine his people first. Using the images of a refiner's fire and fuller's soap, the passage reveals that God's justice isn't delayed. It's also aimed at us. Through the story of Lazarus, C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, and the simple illustration of messy shoes, this message asks a hard question: Are we more interested in other people's punishment or our own refinement? God promises to deal with every evil, but his invitation right now is to let him start with you.