Sermon Tone Analysis

*How Have I Robbed God?*  \\ \\ Malachi 3:8-3:12 \\ \\ Intro: Please turn with me to the Book of Malachi chapter three.

This morning we’re continuing on in our series of messages from the Book of Malachi which we’ve entitled, “Questions People Ask.”

This morning we’re going to look at our fifth question that people ask.

This question comes from God’s people who thought they were doing all the right things and yet God says that they were failing in their relationship with Him.

\\ \\ Malachi 3:8 - "Will a man rob God?

Yet you rob me.

"But you ask, ’How do we rob you?’ \\ \\ There is one subject in preaching that some people really take offense to, and it isn’t the subject of "sin" … or of Jesus’ 2nd coming … or "Hell" … it is money!

\\ \\ More people have worshipped money than any other idol or god, and perhaps this is why it hits close to home when it is the subject of a sermon.

There is no other thing in life that touches every area of our life more than money -- except God Himself.

Money can be used for good or evil, it is a necessity for life.

Perhaps this is why Jesus spoke about stewardship or money issues in 17 out of the 36 parables He gave … nearly half the total!

\\ \\ It is one thing when the world has a bad attitude about money being given to God, you would kind of expect this, but many times it isn’t the unsaved that get in a huff when the subject of giving is brought up … it is people who know about God!

While in principle most Christians agree that we should do something for God there seems to be a power in money that as soon as we have more of it there is a greater degree of hesitation to let go of it to God or anyone else.

\\ \\ ILLUS: John Maxwell story: \\ My 14-year-old son, Joel Porter, has a job this year.

He got his first, official paycheck.

Boy, was he thrilled.

He came home and showed me his paycheck.

Then he marched into the room where Mom was and said, "You know, I’ve thought it over and I’m not sure I can afford to tithe."

He has more money in his hand than he’s ever had before, and what happens?

All of a sudden we say, "I really need this money for something else."

Out of the mouth of a 14-year-old boy, true to his human nature, comes this whole question, "Where do I put God?" Is he first?

Is he second?

Is he fifth?

Is he twenty-third in my life?

Where is God? -- John Maxwell, "God’s Trust Test," Preaching Today, Tape No. 156.

\\ \\ Our sinful nature has a hard time giving to God.

This is an old story, Israel too discovered how hard it can be to give, and also how much harder it is NOT to give to the Lord! \\ The Bible teaches us that God takes seriously the use of money, that we cannot say we honor God with words but not with our wallet.

Refusal to give to God is tantamount to robbing or stealing from God and thus removes us from under many of God’s blessings.

Worship INCLUDES the giving of our substance in recognition that God is the rightful owner of all things.

The people ask, “How Have I Robbed God?” It is a question we all need to ask this morning.

So let’s see what God says.

But first, let’s pray.

Background

\\ There is little difference in the ancient Near East between tithes and taxes.

Both were exacted from villages as payment to the government and usually stored in temple complexes, from which the grain, oil and wine were then redistributed to maintain royal and religious officials.

In collecting and redistributing the tithe, the distinction between sacred and secular is blurred.

The tithe (literally, the “tenth part”) mentioned here was a compulsory contribution for the maintenance of both the cult and the government of ancient Israel.

*The storehouse,* contrary to much popular preaching on the subject, is not the local church (which in no sense was in existence at that time or the subject of prophecy).

When one understands the nature of the tithes and offerings he understands that *the storehouse* is a reference to the chambers in the Temple where the tithes were brought (cf.

Neh 10:38; 13:12).

The NT teaches believers to give systematically, liberally, cheerfully, and as the Lord has prospered them, that is, proportionately.

But no mention is made of tithing.

Rather, the suggestion is that if a Jew living under law gave a tenth, how much more should a Christian living under grace give!

The reward for faithful tithing in the OT was material wealth; the reward for faithful stewardship in the present age is spiritual riches.

\\ \\ I. CIRRHOSIS Of The GIVER! 3:8-9 \\ A. Believers CALLED To ACCOUNT 3:8 \\ 1. God begins this section with an indictment, Israel had attempted to "steal" from God! \\ a) It is one thing to steal from man, but to rob God really takes guts!

\\ b) But this is exactly the language God used about their failure to give to Him! \\ 2. Their response to God’s charge is simply, "How have we robbed God?" \\ a) At the same time they were angry with God for not blessing them they were resistant to giving to God their tithes and offerings.

\\ b) It was ironic that they didn’t like God withholding His blessings but they were withholding their giving to Him and didn’t see anything wrong with it!

\\ \\ 3. What had God commanded?

\\ a) Deut.

14:22-23 – “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.

23Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and 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.”

\\ b) The tithe was commanded for God’s storehouse where the Levites would draw their wages.

\\ c) Numbers 18:21-32 \\ d) Leviticus 27:30-33 \\ 4. The world sees giving to God as a crazy thing, if you need to give something only do as little as possible.

\\ a) ILLUS: For years we lived in a small town with one bank and three churches.

Early one Monday morning, the bank called all three churches with the same request, "Could you bring in Sunday’s collection right away?

We’re out of one-dollar bills."

-- Clara Null, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Christian Reader, "Lite Fare." \\ b) While the world may not expect much from our giving, God does! \\ c) Why? \\ (1) Because it shows our submission to God’s ownership.

\\ (2) It makes us realize that all we have comes from His hand, not our own cleverness and skills.

\\ (3) Keeps us humble, we don’t own everything!

\\ (4) It prevents us from worshipping "things."

\\ (5) When we learn to give of our material elements it is much easier to give our immaterial things to God, like our soul!

\\ \\ B. An Awful CURSE Is ACTIVATED!

3:9 \\ 1. Stinginess had put them under a curse … God’s choice of words, not mine!

\\ a) The Old Covenant had provisions of both "blessings" and "curses" -- Deut.

11:29 "When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses."

\\ b) Obedience brought the blessings, disobedience brought the curses.

\\ c) The choice and quality of their life was literally depending on the choices they made concerning whether to obey the covenant or not.

\\ 2. Because they had chosen to disobey the covenant made with God they were now experiencing the curses … things could change however if they changed!

\\ 3. We blame God way too much for the troubles of our life, much of the kind of life we experience is up to us.

\\ 4. To "steal" from God was the worst choice they could make, they would gain nothing from keeping what belonged to God, in fact, they were actually losing out on God’s blessings!

\\ a) This is a hard concept for some people to grasp … giving to God won’t leave you with less, in so many ways you gain! \\ b) God is always faithful to help those who obey His ways, and giving is one of His ways! \\ 5. Israel had discovered that by taking away from God they were declining, not gaining.

\\ a) ILLUS: In the Middle East of the Old Testament era it was not uncommon to see an eagle swoop down and steal your sacrifice right off the altar while it was being burned.

But, the eagle that did this was in for a big surprise when it returned to its nest to share the stolen sacrifice with its young.

Usually, the stolen sacrifice had several hot coals clinging to it when it was quickly taken off the altar, hot coals that were stuck into the flesh as it was burning.

These hot embers would continue clinging to the sacrifice as the eagle soared away with it flaming the coals into an even hotter burn.

When the mother eagle would drop the sacrifice into its nest to feed its young the hot coals would quickly ignite the flammable material of the nest and her young would quickly be killed by the flames, and the nest which took so long to build would go up in smoke making it necessary for the mother to have to start all over again building another home, and raising another brood.

Stealing a sacrifice off God’s altar that didn’t belong to them cost the home and lives of its chicks, it was not theirs to take.

-- Copied -- unknown source \\ 6.

It is ironic that they were mad at God for withholding blessings from them while they withheld their tithes and offerings from Him, how blind!

\\ \\ \\ II.

CHALLENGE To The GIVER.

3:10-12 \\ A. God’s CHALLENGE Is OFFERED 3:10 \\ 1. God offers them a solution in the form of a challenge, things can change for them.

\\ a) Notice clearly the challenge: "Bring the WHOLE TITHE into the storehouse … TEST ME IN THIS, says the LORD Almighty, …" \\ b) The challenge was not about starting incrementally, it was to bring the WHOLE TITHE … a step that required faith!

\\ c) Without faith it is impossible to please God! \\ 2. What was at issue here is TRUST … will they TRUST God to take care of them if they do their part in giving the WHOLE TITHE, not a part, but the whole!

\\ a) Tithing is really an issue of trust, not in money but in God! \\ b) Who could you possibly trust more?

\\ c) ILLUS: A church member was having trouble with the concept of tithing.

One day he revealed his doubts to his minister: "Pastor, I just don’t see how I can give to the church when I can’t even keep on top of our bills."

The pastor replied, "John, if I promise to make up the difference in your bills if you should fall short, do you think you could try tithing for just one month?"

After a moment’s pause, John responded, "Sure, if you promise to make up any shortage, I guess I could try tithing for one month."

"Now, what do you think of that," mused the pastor.

"You say you’d be willing to put your trust in a mere man like myself’ who possesses so little materially, but you couldn’t trust your Heavenly Father who owns the whole universe!"

The next Sunday, John gave his tithe, and has been doing so faithfully ever since.

-- James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 461.

\\ 3. It is somewhat ironic that those who have more tend to have less trust in God than in their money while those who have little money have great trust in God! \\ a) This has always been the case historically.

\\ b) The widow who gave her 2 mites, all she had gave evidence of this in Jesus’ time while the rich often just threw in a few pennies.

\\ 4. Sometimes when there aren’t so many things to distract us with lots of money it is easier to see God! \\ a) ILLUS: A handful of our people went on a mission trip to Eastern Europe several weeks ago.

When they came back, they said they were really impressed with the dedication of the Christians in Rumania.

Christians there don’t have very much, but they believe they should tithe.

They think that’s God’s standard.

But the government of Rumania is repressive, and they are allowed to give only 2.5 percent of their income to charitable organizations.