One of the most quoted stewardship passages in the Bible is
the culmination of this core value message. With the advent of specific stewardship
month emphases in recent years, this theme fits nicely into a summer preaching
series as a reminder of our commitment to the proper handling of our time,
talents, and treasures.
As usual, Malachi uses the negative reality of a people who
are shortchanging God, in order to emphasize the need for Christian stewardship:
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me . . . in tithes and offerings. You
are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing
me” (vv. 8-9). This is strong language that opens the door for an opportunity
to preach a message on the subject of whole life stewardship.
While people tend to grow weary of messages dealing with money,
this sermon can help our congregations grasp the importance of honoring God
with our finances. It is true: “Where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also” (Matthew 6:21). When people rebel by refusing to pay their
tithes and give offerings to God, it is a sure sign of self-centeredness.
The common thread woven throughout Malachi depicts a people
who know better, and still refuse to honor God with authentic worship. They
question God, they are bored with God, they take shortcuts with their temple
sacrifices, and as this text reveals, they are withholding their tithes and
offering. In spite of this pathetic picture we see the grace of God: “I
the Lord do not change. So you, O descendents of Jacob, are not destroyed”
(v. 6).
The problem is not new: “Ever since the time of your forefathers
you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them” (v. 7).
Again, this underscores the amazing grace of a holy God who really expects
more out of us. Martin Luther once said, “If I were God, I’d blow
the world to bits.” Because God is God, He doesn’t do that. In
fact, His message is, “Return to me, and I will return to you”
(v. 7).
The subject of stewardship needs to resonate with our people
today. Everything in life is a test of our stewardship. We will be graded
accordingly. Everything in life is a tool. How do we really view our “stuff?”
Is it our home, or God’s? Is it our car, or is it God’s? When
our day is ruined because someone gets mud on our carpet, or scratches our
car, the question of ownership really needs to be answered. Everything in
life is simply a trademark that reveals to whom we belong.
As we progress through this passage, we find an incredible promise:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in
my house. Test me in this . . . and see if I will not throw open the floodgates
of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough
for it” (v. 10). This is actually the only time in Scripture where we
are admonished to “test God,” or prove Him. The onus is on our
obedience to pay tithes and give our offerings to God, then watch as He provides
blessing and spiritual prosperity.
This is not a promise from which to shy away, or of which to
be afraid. The reality is striking: “I will prevent pests from devouring
your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit . . . then
all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land”
(vv. 11-12). The rendering of “a delightful land,” is a prosperous
land. This is a message that fits with our preaching of full salvation. The
Apostle John wrote to his good friend Gaius, “I pray that you may prosper
in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John
1:2, NKJV).
The notion that we give in order to get must be dispelled. We
must implore our people to be good stewards because it is right, and it is
required. The context of Malachi’s day suggests times were hard and
the people were economically stressed. However, stewardship is not something
in which to engage only when it is convenient. One is a good steward because
it is right, regardless.
(For the full manuscript of this sermon
go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons”)
Using verse 10 of Malachi 3, you can challenge your church to
take the “test.” The test of stewardship forces us to take personal
inventory of all we have, and all we would hope to be. Ownership issues must
be dealt with. A quick illustration will suffice.
Give someone in the congregation a $100 bill. At a certain point
in the sermon, reference a family in attendance whom you are going to take
out to a restaurant that day. Say, in effect, “The only bad thing about
this dinner date is that it will probably cost me $100.” Then approach
the person to whom you earlier gave the money, and simply ask for $100. Make
sure you have instructed that individual to pull out the $100 bill and give
it to you promptly. Proceed with your sermon. After awhile return to the incident
(the people will be wanting clarification). Say something to this effect,
“You are wanting to know why it was so easy for that individual to give
me $100. The answer is simple: it wasn’t his/her money to start with!”
When we understand that God is the owner of it all, we are on our way to passing the test of stewardship.
