20230625 Malachi 3:6-12 Trust, Obey, and Enjoy God's Blessing
The prosperity gospel teaches that God wants you to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. But he will only allow those things to happen if you have faith. A way God will know that you have faith is if he sees your faith in action. You can show God, your faith, by planting a “little seed” of faith, with a bit of money. God will see your faith, and he will answer your prayers. This is the prosperity gospel. Mal 3:6-12 connects tithing with blessing. This sounds like the prosperity gospel. It is still very different from the popular prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel is wicked. It takes advantage of the vulnerable, the poor, and the sick. It produces wealth for its teachers. Our text calls Israel to return to God, by tithing. The prophecy connects giving with the promise that God would bless them. Healthy Christians must navigate a text like this with care. We want to avoid twisting its teachings, and we do not want to fall prey to false teachers. The prosperity gospel is so dangerous because it is so prominent today. SIOS: Trust, Obey, and God will bless you!
Application: There are areas in all of our lives in which we need to return or turn to the Lord. We can trust the Lord. We trust what is dependable and predictable. God is the only unchangeable one. So, above all else, he is worthy of trust. Every day we have faith in a lot of things. We trust our cars, public transportation, elevators, friends, spouses, parents, medication, and food. God is worthy of more trust.
A man shares about learning to fly. His instructor told him to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. He did that, and the engine stalled and began to plunge out-of-control. It became evident that the instructor was not going to help. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, he was able to correct the situation. He then vented his frustration at his instructor, who did not seem to care that they were both diving to their death. The instructor calmly responded, “There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go back up there and do it again.” What incredible faith is required to learn to fly! We can place more faith in God.
Even though God is invisible, trusting God is tangible. If we trust God, we obey God. We trust that his way is best. We trust that his way of salvation is the way of salvation. Trusting God does not put you in a category of people who have correct thoughts about God. In a very practical way, it means we follow Jesus and want his character. It means denying ourselves. Surrendering our will to God’s. It means resisting our sinful nature's desires. Trusting God affects our thought life and our emotional life. Trusting God means that we let God affect us. We found our lives on God's promises in the Bible. The goal to trust and repent is connected with the gospel. This is the gospel according to Mal 3:6. Based on Israel’s behavior, The Lord would be perfectly justified in destroying Israel. But the good news is that God is unchanging. His promises stand. He is gracious to his people. They do not get what they deserve. He does not punish them for their sin. God promised to Abraham that in him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. He is sticking to his promise. A few centuries after Malachi’s day, he fulfilled this promise in Christ. The only way for God to keep his promise to Abraham was to preserve Israel until the coming of Christ. Christ brings blessing to all the families of the earth.
We can trust God because he does not change. If we are disappointed and disobedient, we can return to God. He is reliable and faithful to his promises. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. We know God is faithful. Two thousand years later, His people still exists today. Today, this text does not apply to the secular nation of Israel in the middle east, but to the church. The church includes the remnant of Israel who trust the Lord Jesus as their savior, and all the gentile believers who have been brought in. Some of Abraham’s physical descendants are still coming to faith. They are brought into the church. God will preserve his people until the end. God preserves his people as a whole.
Now, another application from this verse concerns the preservation of individual Christians. I met a Catholic a few years ago. She had been fighting cancer. She told me she was very scared that she had not been good enough and would go to Hell. We talked about God’s grace. The forgiveness of sins does not depend on whether we are good enough. It depends on God’s grace and his free gift of salvation. Doubting our eternal security is equivalent to doubting God’s faithfulness. Sometimes, this doctrine is called the “perseverance of the saints.”Others prefer to call it “the perseverance of God” because he will persevere with us and despite us. We can trust God. Because he does not change, we know that he has brought us into his covenant people, he will not later turn us away.
As it was throughout Malachi, these verses contain a disputation. It is the fifth disputation. The Lord calls his people to return to him. As they have been doing, they respond, “How shall we return?” This is their version of: “We are doing perfectly well. There is no way for us to return because we have never left the Lord!” In the next point, we learn about how to return to God.
The following are a few more principles for Christian giving. The first is that according to James 1, every good gift comes from above. All the money that we have was given to us. In his sovereignty it comes indirectly from God. 1 Cor 4:7 teaches explicitly that everything we own was given to us. When we give, we are acknowledging humbly these theological truths. The lie is, “This is mine, I’m keeping it!” The truth is “God has given it to me, I am giving it back.”
The second principle for giving is from 2 Cor 8-9. Christians must give with a joyful heart. This does not mean that if you do not have a joyful heart, you should not give. It teaches rather, to keep giving and develop a joyful heart.
Third, the topic of giving is an awkward topic in churches. Being taught to give truly is for our good. No one ever feels like they have enough money. Learning to give away rather than keep helps us to avoid turning money into an idol.
Fourth, we need to think about giving through the gospel lens. The gospel is the good news of the greatest gift. God gave us his Son so that we can enjoy eternal life. A heart truly captivated and moved by this great gift will want to give. What we have to give away is nothing compared to what we have received in Christ.
Fifth, the people of Israel did not just give money. They also gave parts of their produce. We can broaden our category for giving. We can give our energy and time to God and the church. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7). Trusting means obeying.
This is not the prosperity gospel. This is not a promise that if you give money, God guarantees that he will make you rich. Prosperity preachers blame people’s faith when their prayers are not answered. This is spiritual abuse and is destructive. There are many examples in the Bible of faithful believers who have hard lives. Job, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Paul all know immense hardship for their faith. The prosperity gospel does not work. Here is a tip for avoiding prosperity gospel books. I find that, if the author’s picture is on the front cover, it is often prosperity gospel.
Now to speak more to the blessings promised. God’s commands are for our good! If a society as a whole would obey the Bible society would be better. There are direct consequences of obedience. I hope we can all look back on a time when we chose to do the right thing even if it was not the easiest path. I hope you experienced God's blessing following that choice.
When I think of faithfulness and blessing, I think of Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A is a fast-food chain in the US. The founder is a devout Christian. His trust and obedience led to prosperity. The company’s official statement says that their business exists “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.” I’m sure they are not perfect. Since 2010, Chick-fil-A has led the fast-food industry in average sales per restaurant. They manage this despite being open only six days a week. They earned an average of $4. 8 million per restaurant in 2016. This is almost twice as much as the company in second place, per restaurant. They give millions of dollars away in charity each year.
Ultimately, every Christian will experience the blessing promised. The Bible sets principles to live by. As we can expect God’s favor, we need to keep Job in our theology. Job was righteous and yet he endured a lot of suffering during his life. Even when things seem to be almost unbearable, every Christian will have a Job-like ending.
Christians are already blessed. We have a church family. We enjoy loving relationships. We have the joy of knowing the God of the universe and peace that our sins are forgiven! Giving money away changes our hearts so that money is no longer an idol. When we give to kingdom work, we participate in kingdom growth, life transformation. God blesses this every time. Even for Christians who endure an abnormal amount of suffering, the promise of blessing remains. The presence of God is more precious than perfect health and all the money in the world. In Christ, God has reversed the effects of sin. We are still waiting for his return for the fullness of New Creation. Rev 21:4 promises that all Christians will experience an existence of no more pain, sadness, or death.
1 Mal 3:6-7 Trust
Mal 3:6-7 calls disappointed and disobedient Israel to repentance. In Mal 3:7, God says, “Return to me.” This is the definition of repentance. Repenting is turning. This can only happen if they trust God. The reason they can return with confidence is that God does not change. Proof that God does not change is that his people are not destroyed. In her history, Israel faced many enemies, and yet God protected her. Foreign oppressors such as Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon threatened Israel’s existence. God has preserved Israel against each threat. Based on Israel’s actions Israel deserve judgment. But God does not change. Because God is faithful. Israel is safe. They can trust him and turn to him.Application: There are areas in all of our lives in which we need to return or turn to the Lord. We can trust the Lord. We trust what is dependable and predictable. God is the only unchangeable one. So, above all else, he is worthy of trust. Every day we have faith in a lot of things. We trust our cars, public transportation, elevators, friends, spouses, parents, medication, and food. God is worthy of more trust.
A man shares about learning to fly. His instructor told him to put the plane into a steep and extended dive. He did that, and the engine stalled and began to plunge out-of-control. It became evident that the instructor was not going to help. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, he was able to correct the situation. He then vented his frustration at his instructor, who did not seem to care that they were both diving to their death. The instructor calmly responded, “There is no position you can get this airplane into that I cannot get you out of. If you want to learn to fly, go back up there and do it again.” What incredible faith is required to learn to fly! We can place more faith in God.
Even though God is invisible, trusting God is tangible. If we trust God, we obey God. We trust that his way is best. We trust that his way of salvation is the way of salvation. Trusting God does not put you in a category of people who have correct thoughts about God. In a very practical way, it means we follow Jesus and want his character. It means denying ourselves. Surrendering our will to God’s. It means resisting our sinful nature's desires. Trusting God affects our thought life and our emotional life. Trusting God means that we let God affect us. We found our lives on God's promises in the Bible. The goal to trust and repent is connected with the gospel. This is the gospel according to Mal 3:6. Based on Israel’s behavior, The Lord would be perfectly justified in destroying Israel. But the good news is that God is unchanging. His promises stand. He is gracious to his people. They do not get what they deserve. He does not punish them for their sin. God promised to Abraham that in him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. He is sticking to his promise. A few centuries after Malachi’s day, he fulfilled this promise in Christ. The only way for God to keep his promise to Abraham was to preserve Israel until the coming of Christ. Christ brings blessing to all the families of the earth.
We can trust God because he does not change. If we are disappointed and disobedient, we can return to God. He is reliable and faithful to his promises. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church. We know God is faithful. Two thousand years later, His people still exists today. Today, this text does not apply to the secular nation of Israel in the middle east, but to the church. The church includes the remnant of Israel who trust the Lord Jesus as their savior, and all the gentile believers who have been brought in. Some of Abraham’s physical descendants are still coming to faith. They are brought into the church. God will preserve his people until the end. God preserves his people as a whole.
Now, another application from this verse concerns the preservation of individual Christians. I met a Catholic a few years ago. She had been fighting cancer. She told me she was very scared that she had not been good enough and would go to Hell. We talked about God’s grace. The forgiveness of sins does not depend on whether we are good enough. It depends on God’s grace and his free gift of salvation. Doubting our eternal security is equivalent to doubting God’s faithfulness. Sometimes, this doctrine is called the “perseverance of the saints.”Others prefer to call it “the perseverance of God” because he will persevere with us and despite us. We can trust God. Because he does not change, we know that he has brought us into his covenant people, he will not later turn us away.
As it was throughout Malachi, these verses contain a disputation. It is the fifth disputation. The Lord calls his people to return to him. As they have been doing, they respond, “How shall we return?” This is their version of: “We are doing perfectly well. There is no way for us to return because we have never left the Lord!” In the next point, we learn about how to return to God.
2 Mal 3:8-9 Obey
The answer to the question: “How will we return?” God responds with another question, “Will a man rob God?” God connects returning with obedience. The command in question concerns the tithe. The law commanded the people of Israel to give one tenth of their produce or income. Deut 14 gives three reasons. The tithe is a celebration of the abundance of the Lord’s provision (Deut 14:22–26). It supported the Levites (Deut 14:27; Num 18:20–24). The third reason is that the tithe provided for the poor (Deut 14:28, 29). In Malachi’s day, refusing to tithe meant robbing from God but also from the Levites and the poor.The following are a few more principles for Christian giving. The first is that according to James 1, every good gift comes from above. All the money that we have was given to us. In his sovereignty it comes indirectly from God. 1 Cor 4:7 teaches explicitly that everything we own was given to us. When we give, we are acknowledging humbly these theological truths. The lie is, “This is mine, I’m keeping it!” The truth is “God has given it to me, I am giving it back.”
The second principle for giving is from 2 Cor 8-9. Christians must give with a joyful heart. This does not mean that if you do not have a joyful heart, you should not give. It teaches rather, to keep giving and develop a joyful heart.
Third, the topic of giving is an awkward topic in churches. Being taught to give truly is for our good. No one ever feels like they have enough money. Learning to give away rather than keep helps us to avoid turning money into an idol.
Fourth, we need to think about giving through the gospel lens. The gospel is the good news of the greatest gift. God gave us his Son so that we can enjoy eternal life. A heart truly captivated and moved by this great gift will want to give. What we have to give away is nothing compared to what we have received in Christ.
Fifth, the people of Israel did not just give money. They also gave parts of their produce. We can broaden our category for giving. We can give our energy and time to God and the church. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7). Trusting means obeying.
3 Mal 3:10-12 Enjoy a Blessing
Now, for the part that resembles the prosperity gospel. Mal 3:10 is famous. It is the only passage in the whole Bible where God invites his people to test him. He says, “Test me. Give your offering and see the abundance of blessings that you will receive.” This text uses a beautiful image. The windows of the heavens will open to pour out an abundance of blessings so that no need will remain. According to Mal 3:11, the blessing includes the protection of crops. What Malachi suggests is counterintuitive. If you want to prosper, you need to give some of your prosperity away. Like an investment, instead of keeping all your money, you put money aside in the hope to make more money. To keep this analogy going, giving money is investing in God’s kingdom.This is not the prosperity gospel. This is not a promise that if you give money, God guarantees that he will make you rich. Prosperity preachers blame people’s faith when their prayers are not answered. This is spiritual abuse and is destructive. There are many examples in the Bible of faithful believers who have hard lives. Job, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Paul all know immense hardship for their faith. The prosperity gospel does not work. Here is a tip for avoiding prosperity gospel books. I find that, if the author’s picture is on the front cover, it is often prosperity gospel.
Now to speak more to the blessings promised. God’s commands are for our good! If a society as a whole would obey the Bible society would be better. There are direct consequences of obedience. I hope we can all look back on a time when we chose to do the right thing even if it was not the easiest path. I hope you experienced God's blessing following that choice.
When I think of faithfulness and blessing, I think of Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A is a fast-food chain in the US. The founder is a devout Christian. His trust and obedience led to prosperity. The company’s official statement says that their business exists “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.” I’m sure they are not perfect. Since 2010, Chick-fil-A has led the fast-food industry in average sales per restaurant. They manage this despite being open only six days a week. They earned an average of $4. 8 million per restaurant in 2016. This is almost twice as much as the company in second place, per restaurant. They give millions of dollars away in charity each year.
Ultimately, every Christian will experience the blessing promised. The Bible sets principles to live by. As we can expect God’s favor, we need to keep Job in our theology. Job was righteous and yet he endured a lot of suffering during his life. Even when things seem to be almost unbearable, every Christian will have a Job-like ending.
Christians are already blessed. We have a church family. We enjoy loving relationships. We have the joy of knowing the God of the universe and peace that our sins are forgiven! Giving money away changes our hearts so that money is no longer an idol. When we give to kingdom work, we participate in kingdom growth, life transformation. God blesses this every time. Even for Christians who endure an abnormal amount of suffering, the promise of blessing remains. The presence of God is more precious than perfect health and all the money in the world. In Christ, God has reversed the effects of sin. We are still waiting for his return for the fullness of New Creation. Rev 21:4 promises that all Christians will experience an existence of no more pain, sadness, or death.
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