Will Man Rob His Faithful God?

TITLE: WILL MAN ROB HIS FAITHFUL GOD - Malachi 3:6–12

POINTS:

1. The God Who Never Changes (v.6)
2. It’s People Who Must Change (vv.7-9)
3. The Results of Repentance (vv.11-12)
4. An Invitation to Test God (v.10)

Main Idea: God is faithful to His promises and holds out repentance to lavish blessings on His people.

Kids’ Words: Rob, Give, Test, Faith

SERMON OUTLINE

WILL MAN ROB HIS FAITHFUL GOD

Quote: No one robs God without robbing himself at the same time! – W. Kaiser

1. The God Who Never Changes (vv. 6)

Quote: God cannot get better, because that would mean that he was less than perfect earlier, in which case he would not have been God. But God cannot get worse either, because in that case he would become imperfect, which he cannot be. God is and remains perfect in all his attributes. – J.M Boice

2. It’s People Who Must Change (vv.7-9)

Two challenge points

• First, under the of the covenant of grace, grace always demands what(?)—more than the law, right?

Quote: Ten percent can be used as a guide for giving, much like training wheels on a bicycle guide those learning to ride. We should seek to show our worship to the Lord through our giving and, therefore, should never be satisfied with presenting the bare minimum. No other practice allows you to exercise your faith and trust in God on a weekly basis like giving.

• The second challenge to grace-inspired giving is when to give.

Quote: No one robs God without robbing himself at the same time! – W. Kaiser

3. The Results of Repentance (vv.11-12)
4. An Invitation to Test God (v.10)

Quote: He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. – Jim Elliot

Conclusion:

What can we learn from the actions (or inactions) of Israel and the promises of God in Malachi 3:6-12?

• We learn that if we obey the mandates of God in humble and faithful service, we can expect reward. This does not mean that reward is immediate, or even that we will ever receive it on this side of heaven. But we are guaranteed to experience God’s blessing, either here or in the coming kingdom.

• We learn that what defines us is not what we have or what we think we have earned. Rather, it is what we do with the resources God has provided. No one will say when standing before the judgment throne of God, “If only I had had more money to spend on myself!”