Malachi 3:5-15

Intro: Last week we ended with the prophecy of the Lord returning, but this time He will come to be the judge

1.(V5-6) God will judge and be a witness against all sorcerers, adulterers, and liars

Two things about God:

A) (V5) God defends the weak or those who have difficulty defending themselves

B) (V6) God does not change

His love and promises remain unchanging

Covenant promises to the descendants of Jacob, which God extended mercy, even at a time when they did not deserve it

1.1 (V7) Now return to me and I will return to you

A) They respond with, we’ve never left

Their hearts grew cold and they didn’t realize they left the presence of God

Jer 17:9-10 ““The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

Application:

We must evaluate where our heart is...

Does it belong to the world and the things of the world or does it belong to God

Are you more concerned about the things of the world than the things of God?

What’s important to you? Do you think about God, pray, spending time in the word

2. (V8) They have cheated God of tithes and offerings

A) Leviticus 27:30 God ordered a tenth of the produce to be set for a tithe

B) The priests (The Levites) were charged to work full time at the Temple and they depended upon the tithes as their survival (Pay).

C) More than the issue of not paying their tithes, it was the condition of their heart (Not wanting to sacrifice to God)