Controversy from Malachi 3:8-12 It takes money to run the house of the Lord. Sorry to sound so carnal but that’s just the way it is. Why do you think God set up the tithe and offerings in the first place? Paul either worked to make the money he needed or people from the churches he had already started sent him money (2Cor.8-9). I make no apologies for this, because God set the whole thing up. You cannot walk up to a ticket counter, start speaking in tongues and expect the clerk to give you a ticket to the mission field. She will say, “Show me the money.” It takes money to print Bibles and feed people. Malachi speaks to that. I. A Question, 8 Will a man rob God? The question is asked to provoke an animated response. You may steal from your mother’s purse. (I don’t advise it.) You may steal from Wal Mart. (I don’t advise that either.) You many even rob a bank, or rob the church house, but who in their right mind would rob God?! Who would take what belongs to the Almighty God, who is able to crush you as easily as you can crush a roach? No way! That is insane! But God says that these people had robbed Him. He anticipates another question: “But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed you?’” Nobody would do that on purpose. Surely… Apparently these people had. How do you rob God? God Himself answers the question: “In tithes and offerings.” The tithe is 10% of your gross income. Top dime of every dollar. It belongs to God. He claims it. It is His, and if you don’t give it to Him you it is the same as robbing from Him. If you don’t tithe, you should buy a bucket of paint and a brush, go home and with it write in huge letters across your house, “I STOLE THIS HOUSE FROM GOD.” Take that same paint and write in large letters on your car, “I Stole This Car From God.” Write it on your boat, and on everything you own. You have bought those things with money you stole from God. How can you steal from God by not giving offerings? Tithes are involuntary. Offerings are voluntary. “Tithing is a debt I owe; giving is a seed I sow.” Yet you can rob God of the offerings He lays on your heart to give and you didn’t give it (Ecc.5:1-6). II. A Curse, 9 This is the curse of God. God blesses and He curses. He blesses the generous heart and curses the covetous heart. The curse is “the devourer” in v.11 which brings the destruction of your income. You bring it in but it goes away and you have nothing to show for it. Haggai is a contemporary of Malachi and God spells out the curse in his little prophetic book. “This speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, ‘This people says, ‘The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.’ Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins? Now consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but you do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.’ Consider your ways! Build the temple (the house of God), that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified. You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.” They were only interested in their own lives and houses, and not God’s. In today’s language we are not talking bricks and wood that builds a house made with man’s hands. We are talking people whom God uses to build his living temple, made up of living stones who have been saved and added to His house. “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house...” (1Pet.2:5). Because they had been robbing God of His tithes and offerings they never had enough. Their earned wages were put into pockets and purses with holes in them. Can I get a witness? According to 2Cor.9:6 if we sow bountifully we will reap bountifully, but these people under the curse sowed bountifully and reaped sparingly. Why? Because the curse of the devourer was upon them. And who is the devourer? God is! “I blew it away!” Why? Because all they thought about was themselves: “Because of My house that lies in ruins (people are not being reached with the gospel), while every one of you runs to his own house.” The curse of God is on those who rob from God. III. A Command, 10 To reverse the curse, just obey this simple command – “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse.” The temple in Malachi’s day had these rooms built onto the sides of it where the tithes for the Levites and priests were stored. The temple thus was the storehouse for taking care of those who worked full-time for the Lord. The storehouse here would be the church of Jesus Christ. The tithes and offerings should be brought to the church (Acts 4:34-37. Look it up!). What we have in Mal.3:10 is a command, not a suggestion or request. IV. A Consequence, 10-12 The result of bringing the tithes and offerings to the Lord’s house would be that God would “open for you the windows of heaven.” This is the same expression used in Noah’s day for the flood. God will flood you with blessing. “And pour out for you such blessings that there will not be room enough to receive it.” He promises to rebuke the devourer and no longer destroy the fruit of your ground. “And all nations will call you blessed.” The curse is reversed and you will have plenty. “Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Prov.3:9-10) Now who doesn’t want that? God says to prove Him in this matter. Put Him to the test. Try it and see what happens, the Lord says. The GOSPEL using this text: I. A question Would a man rob God? In what way could you rob God? In keeping yourself from God. He made you and owns you by virtue of creation. You belong to him. And yet you have not accepted His ownership. You have not bowed to His lordship. You live for yourself and not for Him. You do what you want to do instead of what He wants you to do. You have robbed God of His most important possession – YOU! II. A Curse Because you have not given yourself to God as you should, you are under the curse of the law. You are doomed to die and take the punishment for your own sin. You will die, and that involves the second death which is the lake of fire (Rev.20:14-15). This is the curse of sin and “all have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death.” (Rm.3:23, 6:23) III. A Command The command of God is to repent. “God now commands all men everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world…” (Acts 17:30-31) Give yourself to God. Deny yourself and gain your life. Repent of your sins and turn your life over to Christ. That is the only way to reverse the curse on yourself. When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you will discover that Christ became a curse for you on the cross (Gal.3:13). He bore the curse of the law so you could be justified in His sight. This is the gospel. Believe and be saved. IV. A Consequence The result of repenting is more that ‘you won’t perish.’ God will not only open for you the windows of heaven, He will open for you heaven itself. You will be given the gift of eternal life. You will be forgiven of all your sins and have peace with God, and be given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. You will become an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. An 8 year old boy stood in the offering plate. When his parents rebuked him he said, “I’m giving my life to Christ.” First put yourself in the offering plate and then put in your tithes and offerings.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 12:34:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015