INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• How would you like to have more money left at the end of the month instead of more month left at the end of your money?
• Are you tired of feeling like you are just getting by? Are you tired of stressing over finances all the time?
• How would you like to feel a sense of financial peace in your life?
• Today marks the end of our Equip series. Today’s messages will dovetail into a short three-week series on the issue of everyone’s favorite subject, MONEY!
• Money is the second most talked about subject in the bible behind love. God has a lot to say about the subject and over the next three weeks we are going to take a look at some things God has to say about the subject.
• I will follow up what we examine this week with messages entitles “The Money Pit”, followed by a message entitled “Money Myths”.
• Today we are going to begin this short series by looking at how we can loosen the enemy’s grip on our finances.
• If Satan can keep us in debt, anxious and worried over money. If he can help feed our insatiable appetite for more, if he can keep us from being content, then he can distract us from the blessings that God wants to give to us.
• In life we always need to realize that whatever we put ahead of God slowly becomes our god.
• The things I mentioned in the opening of my remarks are things you can possess, but only if we are willing to put God FIRST in all areas in life but specifically in the area of finances.
• My hope is that these messages will give us a better understanding concerning God’s will for our finances and that as a result of having a better understanding we can make changes that will put us more in line with God’s will for our finances.
• Today we begin our series by looking at the Old Testament book of Malachi.
• Let’s begin by looking at verses 8-9
• SLIDE #2
• Malachi 3:8-9(ESV) 8Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. The crisis.
• The nation of Israel, God’s chosen people were in crisis, things were not looking good for the nation.
• The contents of this book show that, in the time of Malachi, religion was in a very low condition. The people robbed God by keeping back the tithes and offerings, and the priests polluted God’s altar.
• They offered to God what they dared not to have offered to a human governor, and what a human governor would not have accepted at their hands. And yet they seemed unconscious of the evil of their conduct.
• When you read the whole book of Malachi, you see a sad picture painted of what was going on.
• The crisis was that the people were no longer putting God first in their priorities. This is something that happened over a period of time.
• Sin can so blind us that we can miss what is really happening in our lives.
• God is trying to get the people to turn back to him because they were paying a price for turning their backs on God.
• Malachi tells the people they are cursed with a curse because they are robbing God of His due.
• The word “rob” denotes to take by force. They were taking their tithes, which was the annual contribution of 1/10th of the yield from the fields the people were called to give to the Levites to be used for the operation of the tabernacle and for the support of the priests.
• Contributions were monies given on top of the tithe. In Exodus 25:2 God asked the people for contributions to build the tabernacle.
• The principle, of course, always applies. God’s people have the responsibility to support the work of God, rather than to heap luxuries on themselves (Haggai 1:4-11; 2 Corinthians 8:6-13; etc.).
• The nation was hurting economically because of their disregard for God.
• Think about this, in whatever area in our lives we do not turn over to God, in whatever area of our life we do not put god first, we will suffer a loss of God’s blessing.
• The people had disobeyed God by robbing Him of tithes and offerings. Actually, when God’s people are not faithful in their giving, they not only rob God, but they also rob themselves. God had shut off the rain and spoiled the crops because of their selfishness.
• When our personal economies are in shambles, it is possible that we are trying to run our own economy instead of letting God do it.
• The people were not only disregarding God, when they were giving Him an offering, it was inferior.
• SLIDE #4
• Malachi 1:8(ESV) 8When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.
• Tithing, of course, is not “making a bargain with God”; but God does promise to bless and care for those who are faithful in their stewardship (Phil. 4:10-19). Certainly God is not bankrupt; He wants our tithes and offerings as expressions of our faith and love.
• The people were in crisis, a crisis of their own making but now God is going to try to help them. Look at verse 10a
• SLIDE #5
• Malachi 3:10-11(ESV) 10Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts,…
• SLIDE #6
• God does something really awesome. He issues them a challenge.
II. The challenge.
• Instead of just tossing in the towel with His chosen people, God issues a challenge.
• Bring the tithe into the storehouse, the WHOLE tithe. He says He wants them to do that so there would be food in His house.
• God is telling the people they can put Him to the test!
• What a challenge!
• God was inviting the people to come back to Him, to come experience the blessings He wanted to pour out on them.
• The folks were having a tough time, they were struggling economically.
• If Malachi were written today the issues would include the produce of the land as written about in the book, but I would image that he would write about high unemployment, high personal and national debt, high energy and oil prices, high foreclosure rates, climbing food prices… OPPS! WAIT A MINUTE!
• I believe the challenge is still good today, I took God’s challenge years ago and God has delivered!
• This is all about making the decision to put God first and to trust Him.
• SLIDE #7
• Matthew 6:33(ESV) 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
• In the context Jesus is speaking of our needs being met!
• There are times when God will surprise you with even more!
• SLIDE #8
• Psalms 37:4(ESV) 4Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
• I want to challenge you this morning. This challenge is not about getting more money in the FCC treasury, it is about you enjoying the full blessings of God!
• Put God first in your finances and see what He will do. If you cannot start at the 10%, look and see what you can commit to Him and vow to do it with the promise that as God prospers you, that you will get to where He wants you to be.
• By the way, it took me only two years when I committed to Him.
• Let us look at verse 10b-11
• SLIDE #9
• Malachi 3:10-11(ESV) …says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.
• SLIDE #10
III. The commitment.
• Why can God issue such a challenge to the people? It is because He offers a commitment!
• He makes promises that are tied to their economic well-being. He will open the windows of heaven (context RAIN) and pour out as much blesses as needed. He would destroy the things that were eating away at the crops.
• In other words. God would make the commitment to take care of the needs of those who will commit themselves to Him.
• The challenge I issued in the last point is not back up by anything I can do, but it is backed up by what God can do.
• Matthew 6:33 tells us that if we seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, He will take care of us.
• Does this mean we sit back and quit work or go on a spending spree? NO!
• God will be the God of your economy.
• Think about our country, we have gotten so far away from God’s principles, we think that if we are debt, if we go in deeper that we will prosper? By the way, we will deal with debt in our Money Myths message.
• God’s commitment to us is conditional. It is conditioned on our commitment to Him.
• Do you trust in God’s commitment, God’s promise to you enough to let him be the Lord of your economy?
• It is amazing that when you put God first, what He can and will do.
• We are not talking about cashing in a lottery ticket; we are taking about god providing your needs, giving you financial peace.
• We are talking about the fact that when we put God’s financial principles into practice we will be blessed.
• The foothold we give the enemy in our wallets will be gone!
• Let’s conclude with verse 12
• SLIDE #11
• Malachi 3:12(ESV) 12Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
IV. The corollary.
• The corollary or the natural consequence that will result from taking on God’s challenge is that the world will look in awe at what God has done.
• This will bring glory to God; it could lead to more people committing their lives to Him!
• In the midst of economic chaos when the world sees how God’s people are being taken care of, they will take note.
• When the world sees the peace that God brings into the lives of those who trust Him, they will marvel!
CONCLUSION
• Do you want financial peace, financial blessings, and God’s general blessings in your life, try taking the challenge of putting Him first.
• Try to let Him be the Lord of your economy!
• I could tell you personal stories of how God has provided for us and I know there are others who could give you similar stories.
• It is all about trusting God and building a relationship with Him, are you ready?
