Malachi 3:6-18
Some Lesser-Known Attributes of God
Introduction
A. When you think about the attributes of God there are certain ones that come real easy
B. God is love
C. God is all powerful
D. God is all knowing
E. God is perfect …
F. (Maybe ask for some)
G. However today we are going to look at three of them that we do not talk about that often
H. Let me give you some background
I. Keep in mind what we learned about last week
J. How we learned that Malachi was making the people aware of the way they were treating God, and how God was going to react
K. The people were treating God bad, and God was going to react, let just say bad
L. The passage that we are dealing with today is talking about repentance
M. God, through Malachi, will tell us how to prevent experiencing God’s wrath
N. By doing so, Malachi reveals three attributes about God
a. Unchangeable
b. Unacceptable
c. Unforgettable
I. Unchangeable (6-7)
A. Explanation
1. “I am the Lord and Do not change”
2. That is a very important verse. This verse tells us that God is unchanging, that God is God and will always be God.
3. That should provide comfort to you
4. Imagine if God did change
5. God would have surely wiped out the people of the land
6. Last week we learn of some of the things they were doing
7. Yet God is still God and will always be God
8. Notice what God says
9. “Return to me and I will return to you”
10. After all that they had done God is still willing to forgive and let them return to him
B. Application
1. So God doesn’t change, what does that have to do with me?
2. Everything, This should be some of the greatest news you have ever heard
3. God offers forgiveness, all we have do it ask for it
4. God is the same yesterday today forever
5. He will always be willing to take you back
6. You can never mess up so bad that you loose God’s love forever
7. He will still let you return
C. Illustration
1. Imagine you get a new job. You start your new job and the boss goes over the rules and procedures and tells you how to do your job. Now somehow you manage to break all the rules follow none of the procedure and do not do your job correctly. What do you think would happen? You would get fired! Now if you were to back to that company and ask them to hire you again what do you think they would say? NO!
2. See that is the difference with God.
3. He will allow you to return
4. He will allow you to join with him again
5. That has to be some of the greatest news that you could imagine
II. Unacceptable (8-12)
A. Explanation
1. Notice how this part begins, It begins in a way that I would never want it to begin, it begins with God telling us that we are robbing him
2. I love the way Malachi gives the human response to the comment just made by God
3. In typical human fashion “How do we rob you” surely we do not do that, never wanting to take blame for anything
4. Well the Lord is not buying it, He tells the people how they have been cheating him on their tithes and offering
5. Back at the time this was written the people were still living under the law
6. Now the law has been fulfilled with the perfect sacrifice being offered on the cross
7. Under the law however, one of the requirements was that you give 10% of everything as your tithe.
8. There was not as much currency available back then as there is today so many people offered cattle, and products that they had made or grown. That was perfectly acceptable
9. However, what was happening was people were cheating
10. They were not offering the best of the best, they were not giving the full 10%
11. This is what was making God upset
12. God offers them a little Challenge. If they were to start giving like they are suppose to give then He would begin to give showers of blessing
13. He would open up the floodgates of heaven and shower of blessing would flow
14. Their crops would not wither
15. Pest would not bother them
16. And their would be enough left over that they could take it and bless others with the leftovers
B. Application
1. That’s nice why should we care though.
2. Let me explain
3. It is true that we no longer live under the law. Hence the 10% is not a hard and fast rule
4. Why do you hear 10% a lot of times though. It is great place to start
5. Now let me a something here. I will be referring to giving as money. However, it does not stop at money. Biblical giving is of yourself to. Your time, your talents. All can be given as offerings
6. When you give you should not give out of guilt, out of duty
7. You should give from and understanding of what God has done for you.
8. Here is what God promises you, he promises that when you give to him he will bless you
9. But it should not stop their, let me explain
10. You give out of your love and understanding for God. You will fill a certain sense of pride when you give.
11. Because you are giving to God, you know what he does? He turns around and gives to you
12. Unfortunately that is were many people go wrong. They give to God to get something in return. They view it more as investment opportunity
13. It should not stop their, if God gives to you after you give to him then the next logical step should be to give to God again, and again and again
14. We do not give to receive! WE all learned that growing up when we were told that we should buy gifts for our siblings
15. It just so happens that God will give back to us. But please don’t stop there
16. Enjoy God’s blessings, they are wonderful things
17. But don’t ever stop giving
III. Unforgettable (13-18)
A. Explanation
1. This section starts off with a little imaginary conversation with God and the People of the land again (Read 13)
2. Of course as we humans often do, once again they are denying the claims
3. Then God goes and proves his point and lets them have it
4. The people of the land were stopping serving God because they could not find the value in doing so.
5. They saw the way that God was treating the ones who were following God’s laws as compared to the ones that were not following God’s laws. They saw no difference
6. However there were a couple of righteous people that realized they needed to separate from the rest of the people or else they would be in serious trouble
7. So that had sort of a meeting with God and came up with a list of those who were following God’s commands
8. If you were one that list you would be as the Bible put is “They will be mine”
9. However if you were not on that list you became fair game for the wrath of God.
10. God does not forget who followed him and who didn’t
B. Application
1. So what who cares, what does that have to do with me?
2. Well it has a lot to do with you
3. It may seem that God is unfair
4. After all I know some really rich people that are not following God
5. It does not seem fair some times
6. But do not worry They will get their rewards
C. Illustration
1. Most of you know that last Sunday I had the privelege of going to the Steelers games. What a great game it turned out to be. Before I was allowed in the Stadium there was a long line. This long line was filled with tonz of people. First you had to be searched making sure you were not brining anything bad in and then you got to the ticket gate. As Heather and I got closer to the ticket gate we noticed some people turning around and were not allow to go in. You want to know why? They did not have a ticket. Without that ticket you could not get it
2. When they were standing in line it looked like they would be let in, But when push came to shove they were ask to leave
3. That is how it with God. If you do not have the ticket you are not going to get in
4. sure you can stand in line with everyone else, but you will not be allowed in without the ticked
5. Do you need the ticket? It is simple. Allow Christ to be your ticket
6. He will let you get into heaven, still confused ask me after service today I will let you know how
Conclusion
A. God is an amazing person
B. If you were to take away some of His attributes, He would not be God anymore.
C. However, we hear about God’s love often
D. But we need to make sure that we understand something
E. God is a God of Justice.
F. If He was not, His would change
G. If He was not, He would accept unfair offereing.
H. If He was not a God of Justice, He would forget how people treated him
I. But He is a God of Justice
J. He will not change
K. He will not accept blemished offereing
L. And He will not forget those who are not righteous
M. Yes, God is in Control, follow and enjoy his love and advoid His wrath
N. Don’t follow him and miss His love and feel his wrath.
O. (Pray)
P. God does not Change
Q. Yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same
R. All may change but Jesus never, Glory to his name
