Return to God Lessons from Malachi From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ - Malachi 3:7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ - Malachi 3:7

Malachi - Outline ✦ Chapter 1 - Rightly Worshiping God ✦ Chapter 2 - Rightly Serving God ✦ Chapter 3 - Right Relationship with God

Book of Malachi ✦ Book of Disputation of God with Israel spoken through Malachi. ✦ God is bringing a case against Israel through prophet Malachi ✦ There are 6 Charges against Israel

6 Questions asking God How do you love me? 1:2-5 How did we defile you? 1:6-2:9 Why are we faithless to the covenant? 2:10-2:16 Where is God of justice? 2:17 - 3:5 How shall we return? 3:6-12 What profit is to serve God? 3:13-4:3

Right Relationship with God ✦ Israel wearied God with their words ✦ Israel turned away from God ✦ Israel spoke harsh words against God

Israel wearied God with words ✦ God’s Disputation Pattern ✦ Assertion - Wearied with Words ✦ Questioning - How did we wearied? ✦ Answer - Everyone who does evil is Good in sight of God, Where is God of Justice ✦ Implication - God will come like, Refiner, launderer

Israel wearied God with Words ✦ Israelites - words against God’s character ✦ Evil is good in sight of God - Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! - Isaiah 5:20 ✦ Where is God of Justice? - He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? - Ps 10: ✦ Experience of Psalmist - For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. - Ps 73:3-4

✦ God’s Covenant Messenger (Heb: Malak) ✦ Messenger is Jesus - Lord of covenant - It is not Malachi, Elijah, John the Baptist, but Lord Jesus Christ - Phrase - He will come to his temple. - Malachi 3 ✦ Work of Messenger ✦ Refiners fire - Mal 2:2, Dt 4:24, Heb 10:31 ✦ Launderers Soap - Mal 2:2, Ps 51:7,1 John 1:7 ✦ Silver Smith refines - Mal 3:3, 1 Peter 1:5-7, Job 23:10 ✦ Result: Pure Offering, Righteous Offering Israel wearied God with Words

Israel turned away from God ✦ Return to me, I will return to you ✦ How to Return to God? ✦ Can man Rob God? Robbing God in Tithes and Offerings ✦ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Mal 3:8-10 ✦ Give it will given to you - Luke 6:38

✦ Reasons for Not giving Tithes & Offerings ✦ Not Enough -cannot afford to give to the Lord ✦ Not Right Use - Church may not use right ✦ Not Right Attitude - giving myself why money ✦ Not Right Perspective - Giving Lot of money ✦ Not Right understanding - Others will not see ✦ “ Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. - Matthew 6:1-4 Israel turned away from God

✦ Where to give?Local Church - Store House You cannot eat in one house and give another. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. - Mal 3:10 ✦ Why to give? Food in the House: Church responsibility to take care of poor & needy. Not Para-church organizations. Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables - Acts 6:1-2 Israel turned away from God

Israel spoke harsh words against God ✦ What profit is to serve God? - You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? - Malachi 3:1 ✦ Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.- Ps 73:1-2 ✦ Benefits of Serving God - God Honors those who work for him 1 Sam 2:30 - Gives rewards - Matthew 25:21, Luke 19:17