The robbing of God and yourself
Malachi chapter 3:6-3:18
Introduction-
This morning I want you to take out your wallets and pocketbooks and hold them up. (Wave them)
I would like the ushers to come and collect them. Just kidding, that would be terrible. That would be unacceptable.
If someone came in your house and went into your dresser, took your money out, that would be stealing. We would call the police, and we would want justice, and we’d want our money back.
But what about cheating God? What about if we take and spend something that belongs to God?
Don’t worry, I am not taking wallets, and I am not taking an extra offering at the end of service. I am not sending out bills. I not approaching anyone.
I know that if God is not in it, people won’t give, and know if God is not in it, they would not tithe and give offerings back to God.
Are we robbing God? Only you can answer that question, are you robbing yourself? God’s Word promises blessings to those that are faithful in their giving and by not doing it, are you missing out on some of God’s promises?
God is interested in your money, not because He needs your money. He certainly does not. But because money is important to you and you are important to God- your money becomes important to God.
I want you to see something
If we as the church at Rosedale believe that God has put us here to reach this community and we are doing what God says about giving,
He will supply all our needs. (repeat)
That would come from each one of us doing our part.
He promises blessings for our faithfulness not only in the church but also in our lives.
If we did not do our part and the church would close tomorrow, God would move and bless the faithful, move the pastor, and those that were unfaithful in their giving and attendance would continue to struggle. The church would go on because the church is people, not a building. The building could close because of unfaithfulness, but the church can never be stopped.
This church has been blessed in so many unexpected ways. At our concert this summer I was handed a check by a lady that does not attend our church. I thanked her for the check and placed it in my pocket. I did the things needed for the concert and looked later at the church. She had given to the church before and I assumed that it would be the same. I looked at the check, not only was she a blessing, but the check was made out for the full amount of the concert. The band, bounce house, dunk tank, all the food, paid in full and told us to do it again. This lady is not rich, God used her and she was obedient to God to be a blessing to us.
Malachi chapter 3:6-3:18
This is Old Testament.
A lot of people want to think all things from the Old Testament are no longer in effect because of the grace of God.
Giving has more never changed.
Surrendering our lives to Christ has not changed
The promises of God have not changed.
This portion of Scripture is a warning to Israel about robbing God and missing God’s blessing. It is stuck right between “the day of judgment” and “the day of the Lord”.
What we do right now is before our day of judgment and the return of Christ.
Do you think it is important how we live that out?
Let me set this up
Israel has always struggled in their walk with God.
They were always being corrected and brought back in obedience to God.
Malachi, the prophet of the day was telling them to return to God and again receive the blessings of God.
They asked- “how are we to return”? They were being sarcastic because they knew what Mosaic law told them to do. God answering in the third person. Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me, but you ask, how do we rob you? In tithes and offerings- you are under a curse, the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me.
God is interested how you make your money, spend your money, save your money, and how you share your money.
Matt 6:21-
“For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”
Adrian Rodgers
“A faith that hasn’t reached your wallet, probably hasn’t reached your heart.”
How you handle your money is a spiritual test of where your heart and attitude for God is.
Just so I address all levels this morning, I want to tell you it is not only people with money holding out on God. If you have not learned the principal of God and give when you have little, you will not give if you have a lot. You are fooling yourself.
God told the Israelites, and he is telling each one of us today, just like our forefathers, we have struggled to give God what belongs to God, and if you want the blessing of God you have to be obedient to God.
He told them and he tell us (10) “Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven, and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
The blessing or the curse
Deuteronomy 11:26-11:28
“See I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods.”
For some, money is their god, and they cannot let it go. They have not yet trusted God to keep His promises.
For some it is time, commitment, His church, because there is no time for anything except themselves.
If you go out of here today and the only thing you heard from your pastor is that I was trying to get more money out of you- you have missed the message from the Lord. I want you to get into position to receive all the blessings that God has for you.
You want God’s blessing- you want it to rain blessings down on you, well then have enough faith that you open up your umbrella and wait with expectation for God to do something in your life.
Remember, we don’t give to God, we return to God what is already His. He gave 100%, we return at least 10 %. 10% is not the ceiling, it is the floor. Blessings start as we are obedient.
One more thing on giving and then I want to talk a minute on the blessings.
The storehouse is the local church. We are to give to the local church that we attend. We can give extra to other ministries on TV and online, but the tithe is to come to the local church.
Illustration-
Heard it said this way, you tithe where you are fed. You do not eat and run. You would not go to McDonalds to eat and then when it is time to pay say I have a burden for Burger King so I am sending my money there.
He says 3:10- “prove me” which means try me, put me to the test, God tells us not to tempt Him, but in this verse and on the promise of giving- He tells us to trust Him, see if I won’t bless you. I will definitely pass this test!
How would you feel if your pastor didn’t tithe? You would think that my words don’t match what I do? I heard of a church that had financial troubles and the church before they paid their pastor, they took the tithe out of his salary. I would not like that done to me- the word tells us to bring out tithe and offerings. My wife and I take serious that God says he loves cheerful givers, and we enjoy bringing our offerings, and the day it becomes mandatory, it loses it joy. There are some churches who want to know what peoples salaries are so they can figure the tithe. That will never happen here as long as I am pastor, it is not about law, it is about obedience and attitude.
(10) “See if I will not throw open the floodgate, New Revised Standard says “see I will open the window of heaven and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”
Heard one preacher say God doesn’t do windows of blessings until we are committed and faithful with what He asks.
God’s shovel is always bigger.
God can take the 90% and do more with that than you can do with 100%
God can stretch a dollar like no one else. He is the best penny pincher and dollar maker.
He has unlimited resources that you don’t know of.
The Lord said to Israel- you have said some harsh things against me. (13)
(14) “it is futile to serve God”
Some saying it is not worth it to serve God
Some are not willing to wait for their blessing.
They watch evildoers prosper.
Remember one thing as I bring this to a close, Malachi, the prophet came to these people Israel 430 BC. They were on one side of the cross and we are 2000 years after the cross. There is a day of blessing today, here and now. If Christ did nothing else for us, One day the ultimate blessing will be given to all who profess Christ as Lord.
(17) “They will be mine, says the Lord Almighty, in the day when I woke up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son, who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those
who serve God and those who do not.”
Amen.
