All For A Quarter
Sunday Morning, 07-30-11
Text: Mal. 3:1-12
Intro:
Most of you know we had a garage sale Fri. and Sat. It was a fairly typical garage sale, people looking, asking how much, and maybe a little haggling over a price. That’s what garage selling is all about, getting what you think you need at the best price, and that’s ok. All of that was typical as I said, but there was something else that in my years of holding sales usually happens, and that is someone changes the price tag on an item. I believe the items were some cups that had no price tag but were quoted at one price to this individual, but when it came time to check out one of the cups had a tag that said 25 cents. When asked about it, this person said “well it says a quarter”. Rather than cause an argument, my wife let them go for a quarter apiece.
Now some of you may say. “Preacher, it’s only a quarter...let it go, what does it hurt?” To some extent you are right, it isn’t about whether we “lost” or “gained” anything, it goes beyond that. As soon as Lisa told me what happened a thought came to me, “what if a quarter is all that separates you from Heaven or Hell?” Is it worth it, is one, or for that matter millions of quarters worth going to Hell? By now some of you may think I’m putting a lot on just 25cents. You know what? I am, because when we read our text this morning I believe you’ll see where I’m coming from.
(Turn with me please to Mal. 3: 1-12)
Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
Mal 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
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Mal 3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Mal 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Mal 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?
Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Mal 3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Mal 3:10 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.
Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightful land, saith the LORD of hosts.
I. Why Was The Quarter Important?
A. Because The Day of The Lord Is Coming
1. Verse 1 says He is coming
2. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world is coming
B. Who can stand it? (v2)
1. Because He is coming as “refiners fire and fullers soap”
a. Why? To cleanse and purify His Bride...the Church...You and I
C. Unless we are purged or cleansed we can’t take the heat
1. None of us like going thru trials(heat) but we must
a. It gets all the junk out of our lives...so Jesus can fill the void with Himself
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D. It’s so we can be a righteous offering
1. The Word tells us in...Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2. Jesus told His disciples in...Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
3. The Disciples had them, Paul had them, and Timothy had them. If
anyone tells you you’re not going to have tribulations (heat) after you
accept Jesus as Lord is wrong. But praise His name...He helps us get
through them!
II. The Quarter Is Important Because Of Whose It Is
A. In verses 8-10 Malachi is talking about robbing God
1. How? In tithes and offerings
a. The quarter was an offering...yes they got cups...but as a fund raiser, it’s really an offering.
b. All we have is from God in the first place
1. He gives us everything...all He asks is 10% in return
2. Most of those who do give only give 6-8%...not 10 (Barna Study)
B. Verse 9 speaks of a curse
1. What curse? Jos 22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
a. Achan was told with the rest of the people to “take nothing” it all was to be destroyed. Achan took what was not his...resulting in his family and himself being stoned.
b. Verse 6 talks of God not changing...If He is this serious about stealing, lying, sin in the heart. He is the same today.
c. That “accursed” thing brought trouble down on the nation, Achan’s family, and him. Sin affects all of us.
1. They did not “get away with it” then just as we don’t today.
a. Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
b. Act 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
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Act 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Act 5:4 While it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
Act 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
C. It is ultimately the curse of sin in your life resulting in
separation from God...Eternity in Hell
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
1. This does not list thieves...but if you have stolen something, you are lying when asked if it’s yours or where you got it.
III. The Quarter Was Important Because It Confuses Our Love
A. It’s not the money it’s self
1. It is our “love” for it
1Ti 6:10 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.
B. Money is a tool, it is neither good or evil
C. Jesus said in...
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
And in...
Mat 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
D. We are to love God
1. When asked which was the greatest commandment Jesus said...
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
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Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
2. Malachi said in verse 7 of our text they had gone away from God’s ordinances, or His commandments
a. When we lie, steal, oppress the poor...any thing that goes against God’s commands...we bring the curse upon us
Conclusion:
So you see, it’s not just a quarter, it’s a heart condition. It may start as a small thing, but sin never stays that way. I worked with a guy that believed churches should never have any kind of fund raiser. He thought the people should support the church, and I suppose he is right...IF they all do as our text says in...
Mal 3:10 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.
The trouble with that is not everyone does that in every church, and what my friend failed to see, is that believing the way he did, he too was robbing God. Not only was he robbing God, he was robbing himself of a tremendous blessing by giving to God’s house. It says so in the second half of this verse, God will open the windows of heaven and pour them out!
The reason I brought up this friend of mine, he had a great deal of money...but his household, as well as his spiritual house was in shambles. One son hooked on drugs, another which disrespected him, a wife that was only there for his money, almost everyone trying to cheat him out of his money, you know the story. We see it all of the time, lives hurt and in disrepair and if something doesn’t change in their lives they are headed to Hell. One definition of insanity is: “Doing the same thing in the same way over and over and expecting a different outcome each time.”
It’s time people came to their senses and the only way that is going to happen is when they come to Jesus. The only way they are going to come to Jesus is when we the “Church” start truly acting, believing, being the “Church” Jesus called us to be. For those of you who got to come Tues. night you got to see what the “Church is supposed to be.
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Those young people from Ignition Student Ministries were on fire for Jesus! They loved the Lord; they wanted others to love Him as well. They were prayed up and fired up. They worshiped freely and genuinely. Yes, their music was kinda loud...but they are kids after all. The main thing is they truly worshipped. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well...
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
You see, even here we must obey His commands. We must not put on a show of worship when we are not, because if we do we are lying, robbing God. We must worship in spirit and truth! This is why I said it’s a heart condition. Our hearts must be right with Him if we ever expect to see others come to Him!
Let’s pray....
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