Text: Malachi 3:7-11
" Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
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Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
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Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
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Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
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And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
field, saith the LORD of hosts.
Introduction:
Surely this is one of the most unusual texts found in the Bible. But within this unusual text, there are two important truths to help you to grow. The first unusual truth you discover is that Malachi charges that a man can rob God. For one to keep back that which God has declared to be His is robbing God. The second important truth you discover is God’s plan for giving. It is essential that you learn to give biblically if you are to grow spiritually.
There are three things you need to know about scriptural giving. As you begin to apply these truths concerning giving, you will discover that a man cannot out
give God. The more you give to God, the more He will bless you in return.
I. Problems of Giving
The first thing you learn from Malachi is the problem of giving. The problem is that many people are reluctant to give scripturally. Some say they do not have to give the tithe because they are not under the law. Yet, the first mention of the tithe being given was before the law was instituted.
New International Version. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2011. BibleGateway.com. Web. 3 Mar 2011. Accessed 22 April 2014.
In my passage Ephesian 1:15-23, this is Pauls prayer to Jesus of giving thanks, God has given us so much, and when God gives us a lot our perception can be changed based on how much we get from God, but we are blind because we can never be satisfied so we ask for more. We can build a wall of ungratefulness and never see the “light of God”.
N. T. Wright’s The Case for the Psalms: Why They Are Essential reminds us of the differences found within the importance of God’s time, space, and matter in comparison to our time, space and matter perspectives. In our limited human capacity we as human kind take our miscues from the human perspective when chasing after the material gains of this world as we put our prayerful meditations and relationships to God on the back burner of our lives while redirecting our energies toward the relationships we cultivate with our wealth. If we as Christian cultivate our relationship with God we will be recognize the wealth we seek can only be found in our relationship with Our Father and Our Savior Jesus Christ as He is the provider of our wealth. He sees clearly our needs providing for them daily. If we could see the realities of our time, spac...
One day, a rich man turned to Jesus and asked him about how to inherit an eternal life. Even though he had already followed the particular commandments such as not murdering, stealing, lying and honoring your parents, he still could not keep the law perfectly. Because Jesus asked him to give all his fortune to the poor but he would not like to. Jesus told disciples that it would be easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle than the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God. (Mark 10:17-10:25)
The primary religious rituals of Israelite religion involved sacrifices and offerings. The ritual system within the Israelite cult evolved around gifts and offerings that were presented before Yahweh. In examining the book of Leviticus, the sacrificial system of the Israelites can be identified. It is this sacrificial system that was handed down by God through Moses that allowed the people of Israel to cross over the gap between their own weaknesses and corruption to the expectations presented by God. Sacrifices symbolized an acknowledgement of guilt and a need for divine grace and forgiveness.
An instructive and stirring string of verses, this passage from the Bible holds great relevance not only for the Ancient Israelites to whom it was spoken, but also acts as a herald to Christians today. This passage forms part of Moses great oration; his instructive teaching, advice and counsel narrated to the second generation of Israelites who required redirection before moving forward into what God had for them. Similarly, it is also relevant for all Christians as we remember what our faithful, loving and powerful God has done in the past, and what he requires of us to move forward.
...r consulting my Minister (Major Allan Bateman) he said that “The Christian understanding will be that behaviours flow out of the values held. If someone says they belief in serving and caring for others, yet in practice rip them off, what is their TRUE belief? The true value they have, we say, MUST be that value out of which their action comes or flows.”
The stronger will do anything in their power to make a profit, leaving the weak with nothing. Kuyper says, “…the more powerful exploited the weaker by means of a weapon against which there was no defense” (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 26). Additionally, he states that “…the idolization of money killed the nobility in the human heart” (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 31). Kuyper talks about how Jesus felt bad for the rich and sided with the poor (Kuyper, Abraham, and James W. Skillen 32). Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Earthly materials mean nothing because the real treasure awaits in
Byrne, Brendan. The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke's Gospel. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2000. Print.
The bible has teachings that can be applied to any situation in life. The book of Galatians, found in the New Testament, houses just a few of these teachings. Galatians...
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Nashville: Abingdon Press, ©2003.
Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1995. Print. (BS195 .C66 1995)
Find God and His people. Ask: “What is this passage teaching about how people should respond to God?”
give I to the poor. Then come and follow me." In the light of this,
Numerous amounts of people would come to receive bags of food and select some clothing if they needed some. Particularly during Christmas time, the children that would come would receive some books, toys, and a stuffed animal. At these service events, I had made three very important observations. My first observation was the gratefulness of those who came. The adults, especially those who had to wait for a long time because of the sheer numbers of people that came, remained patient and orderly. Some of us can’t even be patient when the drive thru at a fast food restaurant becomes a stalemate. These people could worry less about time. They were grateful for simply being able to receive some goods that could help provide for them and their family. As for the children, the toys that they received weren’t necessarily desirable in the perspective of a privileged child. However, these kids knew how much their parents sacrificed for them. They were appreciative for any of the toys they received. For fortunate kids, they can expect that their parents will buy them a gift for Christmas. Yet, others can only hope that their parents can get them one small gift. Thus, they cherish anything they receive, something that all of us should do. The second observation I made was that we made sure to evangelize those who were there. In Matthew 4:3, in response to the