Return

Return

“Return”, Malachi 3:6-12

Intro, title this morning is “return” 

  • Read Vs. 6 and 7a contrast who and what we are are returning to. 
    • Vs. 6- God: Faithful, eternal, keeps his promise, immutable, eternal, outside of time and space. 
      • Whereas God transcendently exists outside the bounds of history and can “make known the end from the beginning” (Isa 46:10), he also condescends to enter the flow of history to deal with situations on a human level, providing incentives, deterrents, and remedies for human actions as well as comfort and compassion for human pain. New American Commentary, Haggai & Malachi
    • Vs. 7a- Us: Unfaithful & disobedient 
  • Main point- Return to God and He’ll return to us.
  • Read- 7b
    • As we have seen throughout the book of Malachi a statement is made by God, a question is asked and then a clarification is made by God the whole time addressing the slow slide to apathy. 
    • 1. God says, “I have loved you.” “How?” “Because I choose you” God.
    • 2. God says, “You have despised my name”. People ask “How?”, “Your offerings to me are not even fit for a human guest, yet I am God” 
    • 3. God says, “I do not accept your offerings”, “why not?” “Because you have been unfaithful with you wife and family”
    • 4. God says, “You have wearied me”, “How?” “By making wrong right and then asking to justice”. And his answer? Don’t worry, I got a plan… and we finally saw some hope as Jesus was prophesied. What’s wrong mades right in Jesus!
  • Read vs. 7c “Return to me and I shall return to you”. But you say, “how shall we return?”  And once again, his answer is not what we’d expect. 
  • Read vs. 8 Can man rob from God? Taking —> powerlessness. 
    • Trina purse stolen. “You are going to get your money back anyway” RPD. I want justice! 
    • In this sense, God cannot be “robbed”. 
  • Not in our way does God look forward to the future, see the present, and look back upon the past, but in a manner remotely and profoundly unlike our way of thinking. God’s mind does not pass from one thought to another. His vision is utterly unchangeable. Thus, He comprehends all that takes place in time—the not-yet existing future, the existing present, and the no-longer-existing past—in an immutable and eternal present. ST. Augustine, City of God
    • God is not limited by the dimension of time but is immediately present at every moment. How can you steal from a God like this? 
    • So what is he saying? You are “robbing” me of what I want to do through you. You are robbing yourself to reflect my glory and receiving my blessings.” “How? 
  • Read vs. 8c-9
    • Disobedience motivated by a lack of trust. You want God’s blessings but not God’s way. 
      • We do this in many ways (Spirit led) When things get tight, our generosity is the first to go.
  • Return to God and He’ll return to us. 
    • Context; over taxed in a struggling economy.  Anyone? 
      • Asked by God to provide for the priests. Don’t forget, Why are they there? To fulfill some idealistic American dream? NO! To bring restoration to God’s people. To restore the worship of God, to restore lives by the word of God, to restore the people of God to the ways of God to the glory of God and their joy! But… they forgot their purpose. {Trina and her job}  
    • Not long before Malachi proclaimed these words, Nehemiah found himself dealing with the same issue. 

I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field. So I confronted the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” Nehemiah 13:10–11a

  • Before this, look what the prophet Haggai said to the people… 

Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Haggai 1:5–6

  • When will we learn from the history of God’s people? 
    • Return to God and He’ll return to us. How? 
  • Read vs. 10-11- Return to God and He’ll return to us. How? 

#1. Give

  • Why does God go after the pocketbook? Remember, he doesn’t need it. Don’t forget who we are dealing with here. It’s God; outside of time and space, eternal, all powerful, all knowing, ever-present, God. 
  • He goes after the pocket because he is going after our hearts. 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19–21

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Luke 16:10–13

  • God does not change. He has been saying this all along. Jesus comes, the very presence of the invisible God, and says what he has been saying all along! 

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb 13:5–8)

  • We do this in other ways, (Marriage, 
    • Return to God and He’ll return to us. Why? Because God is faithful!

#2. Test God in this.

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 

By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others… Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 2 Corinthians 9:6–15

  • Read Vs. 12– God’s purpose in our returned hearts has been the same since Genesis when he calls Abram and says that his children will be a blessing to the Nations! 

Return to God and He’ll return to us. Communion & Prayer

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