Malachi 3:8-3:18
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Outline
Sermon Outline: "Robbing From or Returning To God”
Sermon Outline: "Robbing From or Returning To God”
The Call to Generous Giving (Mal 3:8-12)
8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 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. 11 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. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Recognizing God's Ownership
Psalm 24:1 “1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”
Psalm 50:10 “10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
Romans 11:36 “36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Quote: "Stewardship is not about raising money, but about raising Christians who willingly trust God's provision." - Randy Alcorn
Test God with Tithes
2 Corinthians 9:6 “6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”
Mark 12:44 “44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.””
James 4:3 “3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
Quote: "To test God with our tithes is to step into His promise of provision." - John Piper
Reap The Blessing of Obedience
Malachi 3:10 “10 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.”
Proverbs 3:9–10 “9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
Deuteronomy 11:26–28 “26 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.”
Quote: "God’s blessings are not always material, but they are always perfect." - Charles Stanley
Illustration: Consider a farmer who must plant in faith, trusting that the harvest will come. He does not withhold seed out of fear of losing it, but gives it to the ground, trusting the process. It is God who gives the growth !!
Zacheus & Rich Young Ruler…
Application: Encourage the congregation to evaluate their giving as an act of worship and trust, not merely obligation.
Recognize that it is Jesus who has given most generously to us, that which we could never repay !!
The Call to Joyous Living (Mal 3:13-15)
13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?
Don’t Speak Against God
Psalm 73:11–12 “11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.”
Philippians 2:14 “14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,”
1 Corinthians 10:9–10 “9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.”
Job 2:9 “9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.””
Quote: "When we question God's justice, we reveal our own impatience and lack of faith." — Charles Spurgeon
Illustration: Like a child questioning their parent's decisions without understanding the full picture, we often speak against God without seeing His greater plan.
Don’t Envy the Proud
Proverbs 23:17 “17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.”
Psalm 37:1 “1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!”
Proverbs 3:34 “34 Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.”
James 4:6 “6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””
Quote: "Envy blinds us to the real prosperity found in God's presence." — A.W. Tozer
Illustration: Like envying a flashy car that constantly breaks down, envying the proud overlooks their spiritual emptiness.
It Is Not Vain to Serve God
Job 21:15 “15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’”
Mark 8:36 “36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Matthew 25:23 “23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
Quote: "The wicked see service to God as burdensome because they miss its eternal rewards." — John Piper
Illustration: Imagine someone viewing exercise as pointless because they don't see immediate results, missing the long-term benefits.
Application: Reflect on any areas of discontent with God’s ways. Commit to trust and patience, knowing His justice prevails in His time.
Recognize the Reward for the Righteous (Mal 3:16-18)
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
God’s Attention is on the Faithful
Psalm 34:15 “15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.”
Psalm 33:18 “18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,”
John 9:31 “31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.”
Zechariah 1:3 “3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the Lord of hosts: Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.”
Quote: "God's eyes are always on those who seek Him earnestly." — Charles Stanley
Illustration: Think of a parent always attentive to their child's needs; God attentively watches over the faithful.
The Righteous Are God’s Treasured Possessions
1 Peter 2:9 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Zechariah 9:16 “16 On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.”
Exodus 19:5 “5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;”
Quote: "We are God’s treasures, cherished beyond measure." — Timothy Keller
Illustration: Just as a jeweler treasures a rare gem, God treasures those who are faithful to Him.
God’s Compassion and Mercy are poured out
Psalm 103:13 “13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”
Exodus 34:6 “6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”
Matthew 7:7–11 “7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
John 15:13 “13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Quote: "God's mercy is the balm for the wounds of His people." — A.W. Pink
Illustration: Like a tender father showing compassion to his children, God extends His mercy to us.
Application: Cultivate a heart of reverence and awe for God. Return to Him don’t Rob Him !!
Application: Embrace your identity as God’s treasured possession. Live in a way that distinguishes you as His beloved child, reflecting His mercy and compassion.
Remember the Destruction of the Damned (Mal 4.1-3)
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.
Matt 25:31-46 = talks about this…
Warn the wicked
Genesis 4:9 “9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?””
Ezekiel 3:18–19 “18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.”
Romans 10:14–15 “14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!””
Quote: "The righteous shine distinct in a world of shadows." — D.L. Moody
Illustration: Consider a lighthouse standing out in the dark, guiding ships safely; so do the righteous shine in the world.
Rejoice in the restoration of the Lamb
Application: We have been given the duty and privilege of sharing the testimony of Jesus Christ. Let us do so with joy and gladness knowing that we are both serving our good master and fellow man well.
Conclusion:Malachi 3 & 4 reminds us of the distinction between those who arrogantly dismiss God and those who reverently fear Him. Let us choose to be among the faithful, treasured by God, living with purpose and distinction in His eyes.
Group Questions
How do our spending habits and our hearts relate?
What does it mean that “grace never expects less; it always expects more”? How is this grace?
Why do you think we rarely feel like giving, even when we have an abundance?
Where else in the Bible is God tested? How are those times similar to and different from God’s command in Malachi?
How are New Testament Christians to understand the promise that God will bless Israel if they obey? Will they have no material lack if they give generously? How have some abused this concept?
How do you think New Testament Christians should think about the tithe?
Read Lamentations 3:19–24 and Hebrews 13:8 and compare the message with Malachi 3:6. What’s the consistent message in those passages?
In what sense should you fear God? What are some examples of an unhealthy fear?
How do you see Christians adopting a mentality of reciprocity when it comes to serving the Lord?
Where do you see the error of license in your own life? In the wider church culture?
Where do you see the error of legalism in your own life? In the wider church culture?
How would you explain the “fear of the Lord” to an unbeliever?
Is it comforting or troubling to you that the Lord keeps a record of all that is done in this life? Why?
What is the day that the Lord is preparing (v. 17), and why is it significant for Christians to understand?
What NT passages also talk about dividing the righteous and the wicked? How do these passages resemble Malachi 3:13–18?
