Will a Man Rob God Part 3

Malachi 3:7 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?

What do you feel you owe God? 

Some of you are shouting, “EVERYTHING!!!”  Remember what we learned on the previous lesson?  God does not count your words alone as faith.  Let me read Isaiah 29:13.  I know it is also repeated in both Matthew 15:8 and Mark 7:6 but it misses something in the New Testament version.  Isaiah 29:13 NIV says, “The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”

Doesn’t that sound like a description of life today?  How many times have I told someone, “I know how you feel, but what does scripture say?”  What does that last part mean – merely human rules?  Aren’t scriptures human rules?  They were written by humans.  How are they different?  What makes the Bible AUTHORITATIVE?  2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”  Scripture which has passed the canonization process is inspired by God and may be used to instruct, correct and reprove (in spite of all those people who believe reproof is judging).  This means that God Himself watches over His Word to perform it and prove it (Jeremiah 1:12). 

I know it’s terribly hard for others to believe someone was that submitted to God that he wrote every word, every letter and every phrase and name exactly as God wanted but it’s true.  God expects that same obedience and submission from us.  We are to submit beyond our feelings, beyond our desires and beyond our hopes.  He really doesn’t mind our scientific endeavors because God is not fearful of what will be proved.  His Word is truth.  Perhaps if scientists didn’t try so hard to prove the Bible a lie they might discover even more truths hidden within it’s text.

This means that man’s wisdom is of no consequence unless it lines up with God’s wisdom; in fact, God said that even His foolishness is greater than the wisdom of man (1 Corinthians 1:25).  We have now established that God will rush to perform His Word and bring it to pass.  We have established that God’s word is authoritative – and this is just one of MANY scriptures that do – so we know that God honors and upholds His words.  If we choose to honor God with words alone, He will not accept those words without corresponding actions.  If you think to yourself, “It doesn’t take all that,” the Word of God wishes to disagree with you.

Now we have arrived at the second part of this verse where God is saying, “Return to me and I will return to you;” and I might add that He will return with all those miracles and wonders you have been seeking.  Beloved, there must come a time in each of our lives where we decide that serving God is our first, best and only responsibility.  When you come to that point it becomes natural (I hesitate to say natural for something so spiritual) to ask yourself at work, play or rest, “How can I best serve God where I am?”

The best way you can serve God is first ask Him for faith to believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  The second way is to know that this world was founded upon His Word and that His Word maintains and keeps it moving.  The last part of this verse is somewhat sad.  Even after learning what God requires of us and desires from us we still rationalize our actions and with a straight face say, “Lord, how can you possibly say that we have left you?”

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Do you suppose that God knew money would be a stumbling block for us?  1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

I have been told time and time again that tithing is under the law.  Nonsense.  Tithing came to Adam and Eve.  Cain and Abel both tithed and Cain’s failure in that area led to Abel’s death.  Abraham tithed before Moses came with the law.  There can only be one reason someone does not want to tithe.  They do not trust God and are unwilling to give their tithes to the church.  Men in business used to have honor and respect for one another.  Now the mantra is, “If you don’t like it, sue me.”  When we sue one another rather than trust God it offends Him.  Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 6:7-11.

7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

WHAT???  First it says you should allow yourself to be wronged and even cheated by your brother.  Then it goes on to say that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.  The list of unrighteous actions is really offensive to some in today’s moral and political climate.  What fascinates me is that the earlier scripture says the love of money is the root of all evil.  Apparently the love of money also leads to these actions that God hates so much.  The end of this says, “But you are sanctified (set apart), you were justified (made worthy), in the name of Jesus by the Spirit of God.”  You were cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and have repented of your old ways.  So now what do we do?

10 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.

Okay, if the root of all evil is money then the first thing we need to do is make sure we give God and the church their due.  This puts responsibility upon the individual saint to pay their tithes and the church for being a storehouse.  Tithes aren’t there so the preacher can drive a Bentley and live in a mansion.  There is no problem with the priest receiving a reasonable salary for a difficult job, but part of his job is to make sure that the church is a storehouse to help meet the needs of the congregants when necessary. 

The priests are first partakers of the tithes.  There have been times when Levites were forced sell their services to the highest bidder in order to have food to eat and a place to sleep.  Had the nation remained faithful to God and the needs of the priesthood this would never have happened.  Because people began to cheat the priesthood and temple of much needed tithes, God stopped providing divine protection as He had been.  The people were complaining of how difficult things had become and God complained that the needs of the priests, the poor, the fatherless and the widows were not being met. 

God’s answer to all the complaints was, “Pay your tithes.  Test my Word.  See if I will not open the windows of Heaven and pour you an unquenchable blessing.  Over the centuries the Jews have learned this lesson.  The biggest complaint levied against them is how sharp they are in their financial wheeling and dealing.  The truth is that all wisdom comes from God and He honors their faithfulness with health and financial wisdom.  Many Jews have been persecuted, not because they have done evil things to those around them but because they trust in God and He honors them with great blessings.  Many Christians have been persecuted as well.  Of all the religions in the world, only Judaism and Christianity serve the true God of the universe.