Don't Play With God / Losing Touch with a Living God

Malachi 3:6–12 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, 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. I 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. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.”

Introduction -

History of Malachi

Gods is Faithful

God is faithfully to faithless people.

“How have you loved us?” (1:2), “How have we shown contempt for your name?” (1:6), “How have we defiled you?” (1:7), “How have we wearied him?” (2:17), and now, “How are we to return?” (3:7), and “How do we rob you?” (3:8). Their other questions are similar: “Why [ʿal-mâ] [do you not accept our offerings]?” (2:14), and, “What [mâ] have we said against you?” (3:13). In each case Judah’s question is not just for information (as in 2 Sam 21:3) but contains an element of complaint and disputation. Here they arrogantly question why they should need to repent. As the NLT renders it, “How can we return when we have never gone away?” The Lord’s patience with his people is indeed amazing.

Taylor, R. A., & Clendenen, E. R. (2004). Haggai, Malachi (Vol. 21A, p. 413). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Decline in the Contribution - v-6-7

Malachi 3:6–7 ““For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’”

Explain:

Listen Im like you. There was many things that God could have pointed out.

I mean there was a long list. The half hearted worship, there treachery against one another , their profaning the Lord’s sanctuary , practice of sorcery , adultery, perjury, economic exploitation of the defenseless. Instead, God chose another route.

That is, Israel’s attitude toward and use of their possessions was one indication of the health of their relationship with God.

They allowed a privilege to pollute their minds. Everything we possess is a privilege. Time is a privilege , life is a privilege , talent is a privilege, Prayer is a privilege, (what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. ) Children of God have perks. We have rights. But if you are not careful we can allow this privilege to pollute our thinking and cause us to lose our memory.

For example, the land they are living on was giving to them. Its nothing they earned, not they sought after. God prepared this for them. God gave them land to be stewards. Leviticus 25:23 ““The land is mine. You are but aliens and tenants.

Because we all have this human tendency to disconnect the Gift from the Giver. We begin to idolize the GIFT. and replace the GIVER with ME, I, SELF.

My might my power. My personality, my resume, my smile, my preparation, my degree, etc.

There is a decline in the giving because you forgot the giver. Caught up in the self-movement, caught up in the commercials, we celebrate the holidays without the holy one.

We give how we want to give, not give how the Lord requires. In other words, we want to change the agreements, change the contract, I am god and I change not. God keeps his promise, God remembers what he says, We all know God doesn't change because you are still here. You are Cursed but not Consumed. Im still in the same place you left me. My love has not changed. Im still a warrior, God is still the lord of the armies, Im still I AM. There has not been a Change in my Character so there shouldn't be a decline in the contributions.

Degrading in the Cupboard - v8-9

Malachi 3:8–9 “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.”

Everything gives a report to God. You rob God when you fail to give. or fail to give your best.

It's about the Quantity and Quality.

The storehouse was filled with blemished sick cattle. With leftovers. With what they didn't want but the church could use it stuff. It's on it last leg but at least its something. Food with tomorrow's expiration date… When you degrade the cupboard you poison ministry.

Listen the Tithe(giving) was for the Levites who were priests but they couldn't own land.

Levites, foreign residents, the fatherless, and widows.

Not only did you take from God you took from your neighbor.

Listen we give God a bad name when we can't contribute to the community. God gets a bad rep not because of anything He has done, but because of the plan we refuse to follow.

YOu see church but that's Gods name on it.

Hard to do ministry with nothing in the cupboard.

God doesn't need it. He owns it all. God gives to you, with somebody else in mind. God gave you strength for the one who had none. God gave you more with somebody who had less in mind.

Giving should stop with you, but continue through you. When you stop Giving you stop the things we can do in this community. The people we can help. The lives we can change. God is upset because they were not giving and when they did give the preacher or the preiest misused it.

I know there is a distrust with my generation with giving. We want to protect the lil money we have lol. We ain't trying to lose these last 2 dollars.

But there are people who give to organizations , clubs , shelters , etc.

organization have a $100 million they can only do a $100 million worth of work if you gave this and they have $100,000 that's as far as they can extend their hand is $100,000 worth of work but when you give to God God say oh I can double I can triple I can quadruple I can make that touch places that your money couldn't reach your money ended there but my Grace pushed it a little while a little further along and that's why God said listen try me he's begging he said just give me one shot. Put God to the Test! When was the last time you tested God? When was the last time you said Nevertheless at your word God?

But God says I will return to you.

3. He will Drop All Chargers / I will Reverse all Curses

Malachi 3:10–12 “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, 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. I 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. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.”

Cursed with a Curse..

Like planting a seed and seeing no increase.

Listen have you ever had money but didn't have no where to go.

Had money but everything was due. Felt like holes in your pockets. Aint fired but still broke. Got food no appetite. God knows how to make us remember him.

Giving is not a duty we have to do, Give is something we get to do. Shows trust I have in the giver to provide.

not advocating giving that will result in blessing but rather blessing that will result in giving.

You cant beat God giving. No matter how you try. The more you give the more he will give to you. He give like no other.

No just financial blessings. God gives by keeping your child out the hospital. God gives by making sure accidents pass by. God gives by making your spouse at right , God gives like no other. He will open heaven. Anybody want God to open heaven.

Open heaven means clothed in your right mind.

Open heaven is peace in pandamonuim

Open heaven is joy that cant be expalined.

Open heaven means all needs are met

BUt God says just return to me.

Ill keep the pests away. ill keep the bugs away. Ill protect you and provide for you.

Here's the Charge - You Robbed from Me. God said I wont Press Chargers. Ill Drop them.

We are guilty , caught on tape. Like David said… My sins are ever before me. But I'll drop all charges.

Just return to me…

We all should be excited when we hear the dropped charges. Because we were all born in sin and shape iniquity. But we had a savoir to drop the charge. What ever case that was against me I was guilty. Guilty of giving less, guilty of giving nothing, guilty of lying, Thank you JEsus for dropping the Charges. Not only dropped the charges but also paid it all.

HE died early Sunday morning he reversed the curse.

death to life

hell to heaven

mourning to dancing

sorrow to joy

law to grace

Jesus reversed the Curse.

Curse is away from the Father, but Jesus brought Adam and God back together,

Im so grateful for that. I graeftul that my presence is accepted. But I cant bring my presence alone, true gratitude is bringing your presents.(Gifts) Presence and Your Possessions. Because He Drop the Charges and He Reversed The Curse just like he said he would.

2 Corinthians 8:8–10 “I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it.”