Money
Malachi #trending • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsHow do you use your money? How should you think about money? Most importantly, what would God say to us about money? Money was one of the trending topics in Malachi's day, and it is still trending today. Whether you are rich or poor, this passage affects us all. We encourage you to be open to how God wants to speak to you today through the preaching of this passage.
Notes
Transcript
Please turn to Malachi 3:6.
Malachi 3:6.
The prophet Malachi is speaking to the people of Israel on behalf of God, concerning trending issues in his day. Issues that are still relevant to us 2500 years later.
And the issue we are looking at today is Money.
Now, I know what you are thinking...
There’s 2 temptations for pastors that happen when it comes to money and churches.
The first temptation is churches and pastors are known for talking too much about money. or we can be pushy when it comes to talking about money. “let’s pass the offering plate again.” so here’s another sermon about money. However, I am not bringing this topic up because I want to—but this passage is simply the next topic that Malachi addresses. If you read the Bible, you will see that it brings up money quite a bit, especially Jesus does.
the 2nd temptation is to avoid talking about money. That’s the temptation I feel because money is personal. “we can talk about a lot of things, but Pastor Rick, when you are start talking money, it gets personal.” It gets very personal.
But God cares a lot about us, and He cares about the effect money has on us and His glory.
Let’s stand and read.
6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. 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 there will not be room enough to store it.
11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.
12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
So what is their problem?
Let me put it in a big category and zoom in.
look at verses 6-8 again.
6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
That’s encouraging—that we have a God who is faithful, consistent, stable—and because of this—He is committed to his people—he describes them as the descendants of Jacob—or the Israelites.
God is committed to his people—he made a covenant or commitment to His people.
but look at verse 7--
7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
as part of that covenant—the Israelites, descendants of Jacob were to follow God and love Him—but they haven’t.
and God calls them to return to Him (repent)—and He will return to them...
We have seen in Malachi they broken God’s covenant in worship, in leadership, in marriage and divorce, in terms of justice, and now…in terms of money.
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
The Israelites failed to give God the tithe he deserved.
this takes me to my first point…what is the tithe.. (we have ________ amount of points today).
Tithing: In the OT, God required Israel to give 10% (a tithe) of their crops.
30 “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
so 10% of their crops — was dedicated as holy to the Lord.
and you may say why did God want that?
Some purposes of the OT tithe:
it supported the ministry of the priests and Levites (Numbers 18:21)
21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.
the priests did not own significant land or farm—this was their way to survive, and it was to be a blessing to them and in return a blessing to the people as they were benefiting from the ministry
it provided relief for the poor (Deut. 14:28-29)
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,
29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
look at how God used the tithe to help immigrants, widows, orphans—to help provide for their needs.
it enabled families to celebrate together before God (Deut. 14:23)
23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.
a certain part of the tithe was for celebrating God together...
purpose of the tithe was worship - God didn’t need the crops or money. He owned everything!! the tithe was a reminder to the Israelites that God had miraculously saved them from slavery in Egypt. God had led them and gave them a new land and home. so every time their land produced crops and they enjoyed the fruits of the land—they were reminded that all of this was a gift from God—simply giving Him what He had graciously given them.
verse 8 describes not giving tithes as robbing God…as taking from God what is His...
so by the Israelites failing to tithe—they were missing out on all these benefits for themselves, the poor, their families, the priests, society and most of all—missing out on enjoying God.
and look at what verse 9 says—because of this:
9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. 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 there will not be room enough to store it.
God even says in verse 10—to test him in this (we are not to test God but He does). If they would have done this they would have experienced God’s blessing in their crops, their fields—even the rest of the world would take notice and called them blessed by God .
It’s easy to look at the Israelites or others and say “they should have done this. How could they fail to do this?”
If you put yourself in their shoes back then, you can imagine some of the wealthier Israelites saying, “we have lived under oppression the last few hundred years and now we are under the Persian empire. We better save as much as we can in case times get rough...” “Who knows what will happen?”
Or if you were poorer back then, you can imagine them saying, “Life is hard enough. I barely have enough to survive…how am I going to tithe and give money away?”
whatever their reason might have been—God says return to me—and how you use your money, how you obey it is a sign of your covenant relationship with me.
Now, thankfully today, we don’t struggle with money and generosity. that is an OT problem...
This passage applies to us—this trending issue of money—is so applicable. it took reflects our relationship with God. How? How do we apply this? Final section:
Application:
#1 —Realize we are not required to tithe today. (what do I mean—some of you may say what? I grew up learning about tithing.
The law to tithe was in the OT, law of Moses—which is the first five books of the Bible. This was the law given to the Israelites where God was the head of their nation. We are no longer under the Mosaic law since Jesus has come and started the new covenant—we don’t give animals sacrifices because Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. We don’t meet in a tabernacle or a temple like they had because Jesus tore the curtain in two when he died—and is the final temple. nor do we have priests like that—Jesus is our great high priest.
furthermore—most of us are not farmers—so we would not tithe our produce.
you might say “oh—that’s a relief...”
but even though we are not under that old covenant, the Bible says Jesus came and began a new covenant with us. Because Jesus fulfilled that old covenant, died on the cross, and rose, he began a new covenant with us--
and in this new covenant, we are not given a command to tithe like that…and you may say “whew...”
but instead...
#2 — (instead of tithing), Now, we must be generous with all of our resources.
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
so instead of an animal sacrifice—do we give 10% of our lives? our entire life is to be a sacrifice to God. when it comes to giving—money is one piece…instead our lives, bodies, minds, money, time, energy…are to be given...
in terms of money...
2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
Paul challenges them to give—but he doesn’t give a certain percentage. He challenges all Christians proportionately to their income.
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
We are challenged to give generously....cheerfully…what God has led you to give. (God cares not just the amount but HOW we give.)
so even though the tithe is no longer required, what we are instructed to do is give abundantly, generously, sacrificially, proportionately.
don’t compare what you give to someone else—you ask God, you deal with God, and listen to God...
even if you don’t have much money...
2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
Here’s how one author says it: While the New Testament never locks down a specific amount—whether a 10 percent tithe, 2 percent, or 50 percent—those guidelines do suggest that something like 10 percent should be more of a floor than a ceiling. (Duguid, I. M., & Harmon, M. P. (2018). Zephaniah, Haggai, Malachi (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; p. 168). P&R Publishing.)
so you are permitted to give 10% but not required. instead you are urged to give generously...
#3 Assume that you struggle with being generous. (or greed)
why do I say this? certainly Malachi mentions this.
but in the NT—Jesus preached often against the dangers of greed and money.
Jesus knew that money could become our idol, our god. look at Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
money has a godlike power over us.
and the tricky thing about money is that we often look to it for 1 of 4 things:
some of us look to it for security—if I just have enough money in my bank account or investments; you don’t spend it on stuff but as long as you have enough you feel secure.
some of us look to it for pleasure—we have money to have fun…so you spend it thinking it will bring a kind of happiness.
some of us look to money for status—we want to maintain and keep up with our friends or community, so that we feel like we belong…(we might go into debt for this)
some of us might use it for control or power—if i have money I have influence and can either make a difference or control people…in politics or business or communities
you really have to identify which one—because money is a deep idol.
which one are you? (turn to neighbor) btw—this is why conflict with money happens in marriages.
and Jesus even told us—Luke 12:15
15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
watch out—be on your guard!! Jesus does not always use that language with other sins. b/c we can’t see it...
One writer says it like this (Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods, pages 52-53) “Why can’t anyone in the grip of greed see it? Everyone tends to live in a particular socioeconomic bracket. Once you are able to afford to live in a particular neighborhood, send your children to its schools, and participate in its social life, you will find yourself surrounded by quite a number of people who have more money than you. You don’t compare yourself to the rest of the world, you compare yourself to those in your bracket.” You can always find someone that lives higher than you. I am modest compared to them. “as a result most Americans think of themselves as middle class, and only 2 percent call themselves “upper class.” But the rest of the world is not fooled. When people visit here from other parts of the globe, they are staggered to see the level of materialistic comfort that the majority of Americans have come to view as a necessity.”
Jesus also challenged the rich and the poor.
look at how he challenged the rich:
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.
17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.
19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
then look at how he challenged the poor, the every day person:
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.
23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
assume whether you are rich or poor that you struggle with your relationship with money. that’s the challenge here—following Jesus means surrendering everything including our resources to God.
assume that you need to return to God constantly—God is inviting you to return to him. that’s good news!
#4 Preach the Gospel to your heart.
The Gospel is the good news, not advice, but news—it’s done of what God did to save you from your sin to himself through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus if you believe and repent. (most of us hear the voices in our head…do more, you are not doing enough, you are not good enough---the Gospel is good news that is it done…finished!)
and the Gospel is very practical to your heart…for giving.
I could stand up here all day and tell you to give— “I could guilt you into it—you have so much, they have so little.”
look at what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:8-9
8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
9 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 through his poverty might become rich.
if you struggle with money and security—think of Jesus—he left the security of heaven, and became incredibly insecure on the cross so you would be so secure in Him. You have treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy or thieves break in and steal. your inheritance spiritually in Christ will never go down or be lost.
if you struggle with money and status—remember Jesus he left his status, he took on the very status of a servant, so that you through his poverty on the cross might become rich. and he gave you greatest status...
if you struggle with money and pleasure—remember that the Gospel promises that in Jesus Christ is eternal delight, pleasures forevermore. Jesus went through the worst displeasure as He became sin who knew no sin—so we would experience joy in God now and forever.
if you struggle with money and control—you got to use money to have power or influence—Jesus lost everything on your behalf on the cross, so that you could gain everything. He became nothing, a servant—it was through serving that he made the biggest impact—and when we serve like Jesus—we follow in His footsteps.
one reason that Malachi railed against the people, and Jesus spoke against it—he wants us to be free. free from the idolatry of money, the rat race, being consumed by it—free to pursue God and the joy of following Him. that we are not controlled by our stuff—our identity is not in money—our life does not consist in our possessions--but it’s in God who freely gave, who spent everything, so that we through his poverty might become rich.
when we confess our spiritual bankruptcy before God—our neediness and sin, God makes us rich spiritually speaking in Christ.
we are children of God—that the Son sets free—and that’s what matters.
let’s pray...