Right, Malachi chapter 3 then, Malachi chapter 3 and verses 10 to 12, Malachi 3, 10 to 12, where Malachi writes, bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house And try me, test me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the Lord of hosts. And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful lend. says the Lord of hosts. Well, Malachi has been showing how he has been so concerned at the reaction of the people here. Verse 6 has reminded us of the unchanging nature of God. Our God does not change. He is the faithful God, the true God, the absolutely stable God. I am the Lord, I do not change and therefore You are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. That's an amazing thing. Our ever-loving God. That's the wonder of his grace. And he calls his people to return to him. But they ask, how can we return? And Malachi is astonished now at their continuing reaction of unbelief and incredulity at all that God has said and promised. And so he comes with this outburst in verse 8. Will a man rob God? This is Malachi's expression of astonishment. Now, in many ways, we've been kind to the people up till now. We've said, well, there is a measure, and it's true that in Malachi's book particularly, as they come with their questions, there's a measure of almost being taken aback by some of the comments that are made. They don't realize just how bad the situation is. But gradually, this is exposed to them, and in their continued misunderstanding of God's word and God's ways, Malachi, and God through Malachi, deals very gently with them, and very kindly with them, and very graciously with them. And in these great words that we looked at a week or two ago, some weeks ago now, in verse six, for I am the Lord, I do not change. Therefore, you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. You deserve to be consumed. But because I'm the God who keeps my word and because I'm the God who is faithful to my covenant, you're not consumed. That's a blessing. You may not yet see it as that. They will in a bit, we're getting there. But you may not see it as that. Hopefully by the end of this evening we'll begin to see something about how he is answering this and putting this in the context so that hopefully they will understand. But here is Malachi almost incredulous that they just can't get to grips with the wonders of what God has done and is doing in spite of the judgment, in spite of the punishment. Verse eight, will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me. even this whole nation. So how can they continue to rob God, especially in the light of all that he has promised and already done for them? God tells them that they have robbed him because they failed in the matter of tithes and offerings, the whole nation is guilty and yet again God's call is couched to them in terms of blessing as we shall see amazing and in the terms of the promise of great blessings this is amazing but that's what God is like that is just what God is like so let's look at this this evening firstly God's challenge three main headings this evening we're back to three headings after only two on Sunday night, and sometimes four, but we're back to three tonight. All right, so here's the first heading. God's challenge, the first part of verse 10. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me, test me, prove me now in this, says the Lord of hosts. We'll stop there, we'll come to the rest of it in a minute. God's challenge, prove me, the authorize says, prove me now. try me, literally put me to the test. That's a very dangerous thing, isn't it? To put God to the test, to take up the challenge. I wouldn't advise anybody to do that because God is sovereign and God knows what he's going to do. But God is graciously, as it were, putting them to the test by telling them to put him to the test. If that's not double speak, I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. And what is so amazing about this is because they have so signally offended him, he should still ask them to put him to the test. And that shows his grace. And it's an incredible matter that the God we have so signally offended still continues to encourage us and to bring his word to us. Now there are many people on there today who are just talk, they're full of words. You know that, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak, yak. Sometimes you feel, oh, shut up. Do you ever feel like that with people? And you get people sometimes like that with regard to the Bible and to theology, and they can talk the hind leg of a donkey, if you'll pardon the expression, with theological discussion. But do they really know it in their hearts? Has it really taken root in their lives? They may hold the truth, but does it affect their lives? They are orthodox in doctrine, but they're devoid of action. And that's what has led some people to talk about dead doctrine. Now actually that's a contradiction in terms, because if doctrine is true, it cannot be dead. Because the very concept of doctrine is that it is a word about God. And as somebody said years ago, I don't know who originally said this, there are two twin sisters and anyone who dares to separate them is in for trouble. And they are doctrine and devotion. And they are twin sisters and they hang together. And don't you dare try to separate them. because they stand together. And if your doctrine doesn't lead to devotion, and your devotion doesn't lead to doctrine, then there's something seriously wrong with either one or both of them. And what God is saying here, and it links up again with what we saw on Sunday morning and Sunday evening, what I want here is I don't want your talk, I want to see the action. I want words and action. And of course we saw on Sunday morning particularly, there were words and action, words and deeds, and think, thoughts. Well, God knows their thoughts, and he's heard their words, and now he wants the action, he wants the doing. Lives that are living examples of the wonders of the grace of God, of the truth that you say you believe. You know, people say to me sometimes, I believe in God. I say, do you? Well, prove it, demonstrate it. Well, yeah, I believe there's a God. Well, that's all really well. I can say, well, I believe in Australia. I've never been to Australia, and I really don't know anything about it. Forgive me if any of you Australians are not Australian, but there you are. I don't really believe there is a place called Australia, but what effect has it got on me? Nothing. You understand what I'm saying. I don't mean to be facetious. I believe in this, I believe in that, I believe in that. But when the Bible speaks about believing, and you know that, it means believing that affects us, that acts upon us, that does something to us. Now God doesn't simply challenge He actually tells them what to do in the challenge. That's amazing. And you find that over and over again in the Bible. And the more I study the Scriptures, the more I'm amazed by this. Time and again, God tells us what is wrong with us, and then tells us how to put it right, and then gives us the means to put right, and the very words to say, and the very manner of our coming. One of the classic examples of that, of course, is in Hosea 14, where God says to his rebellious people, take with you words, and these are the words to bring. Come back to me, return to me, and here are the very words to use. It's amazing, isn't it? That's wonderful, isn't it? I don't know about you, sometimes, you know, maybe you fall out with a friend or something, and you think, how can I put this right, what can I say? And you sort of think up words and you think, but you see God in a sense, and I reverently say God has fallen out with us, well maybe not with us, well maybe with us at times. But he's fallen out with his people. And maybe they're sitting there thinking, well what can I do, what can I say? And here God gives them the words and tells them what to do. That's the amazing nature of it. It's incredible. So this is not something that is vague and nebulous, it is very specific. Verse 10a, bring all the tithes into the storehouse. And what God is saying to them here in the Old Testament, if you honor me in material things, I will bless you in spiritual things as well. No, wait a minute, he's not saying that. He's saying I will bless you in material things first, but also in spiritual things. Get the point? You see, we come to it, don't we? We jump immediately to the spiritual. We say, oh yes, we'll do the material, and then God will bless us spiritually. Well, he will. But the point here is that he's actually saying both and. He's saying, you come with the spirit, as we shall see when we get to verse 11 and 12. You come with the spiritual, whether you come with the physical things, the material things, and I'll bless you with the material things, verse 11, but I'll also bless you with the spiritual things, verse 12. We'll come to that in a minute. Now God is no man's debtor. Maybe they asked, as I've sometimes heard people say, you know, if I give a tenth to God, how can I be better off? I can't afford it. Well, God says, bring your tenth and I'll see that you get a good harvest. You prove me, prove me, put this to the test. Look how the Lord had looked after them. In the wilderness, they'd wandered for 40 years. Amazing, isn't it? I don't know, I've never known anything like this. For 40 years, their clothes didn't wear out and their shoes didn't wear out. Now these shoes I've got on now, I've had for, I don't know, 10 years or more. They started splitting the other day. I've actually glued the sole on and it seems to be holding a bit longer. It's beginning to wear out. I shall be very sorry when these shoes, I don't expect them to last 40 years. 40 years? Wow! What money you could save if your clothes lasted 40 years. But that's what happened in the wilderness. They went through the wilderness and their shoes didn't wear out and their clothes didn't wear out, amazingly. God's care of them. God says, prove me now, put me to the test. Now it doesn't mean to say that if you trust God your clothes are not going to wear out for 40 years, we're not saying that. We're not so crass as to try to make that kind of comparison, although some would try to argue like that. What we're saying is put God first and he'll take care of everything else. In fact, that's precisely what our Lord says in those wonderful words in Matthew 6, where he says, don't worry. At the end of Matthew 6, therefore I say to you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, your heavenly father feeds them. And then he talks about the lilies of the field and so on, and yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of them, and so on. And if God clothes the grass of the field, which is today's and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, how much more will he clothe you? God is concerned about the physical. He's concerned about the material as well as the spiritual. So don't worry saying, what should we eat, or what should we drink, or what should we wear, for after all these things the Gentiles seek. Your Heavenly Father knows what you need. He knows what you need. Now that doesn't mean to say we must sit back and just fold our arms and say, oh well, whatever will be will be and God will take care of me. Of course not. That's foolish, that's stupid. What does God say? Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all these things will be added unto you. And then look what he says. Seek first the kingdom of heaven of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Literally all these other things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things. God is concerned. Yes he's concerned about the matter of your possessions, food, drink, clothing and such like. Luke chapter six and verse 38. Luke chapter six and verse 38. Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. What an amazing thing, what an amazing thing. If you put God first, then he guarantees to take care of you. And even when you die, if you're his, you're not the loser. You'll be taken straight into his presence. So be faithful to God and see whether he will be faithful to his promises. That's God's challenge. Secondly, God's promise. Verse 10b. If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be enough, well we've got room, that there will not be enough to receive it, well we'll come to exactly what that may mean and refer to in a moment or two, but it's something that's quite amazing, isn't it? But here is God's blessing. And what do we have? Again, we have material blessings and spiritual blessings coming to the obedient child of God. That's one of the reasons why I read those words from 2 Corinthians 9. What wonderful words those words are in verses six to eight, or what a challenge actually. This I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give us he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful, literally a gladdening giver. That's the meaning of the Great word at that point. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work. And again, it's both material and spiritual. What an amazing thing. What a wonderful promise. Now what do these words mean in Malachi 3 verse 10, the end of the verse here? If I will not open to you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it, to contain it. Well, if we want to be absolutely literalistic, the Hebrew words at the end there literally mean until the sufficiency ends. So whose sufficiency and what sufficiency is it talking about? Is it right to say there won't be room enough to receive it because the sufficiency is so great? Or is it saying something more or something as well? Thomas More in the Banner Commentary on Puritan says, literally it means until a failure of sufficiency. And the exact interpretation depends on the exact reference to the sufficiency. our version, that's the old version, understands sufficiency of room, a sufficiency of room to receive the blessing. But, says Thomas More, it seems most natural to refer it to the source of this sufficiency, God. Now some of the other godly and spiritual Hebrew commentators have some very interesting things to say about this word. And the phrase that is used, the Hebrew phrase, and forgive me I'm not going to even attempt to give you the Hebrew, I'm not a Hebrew expert by any means, I know a little Hebrew but I certainly am not qualified to. But the same phrase that is used here in verse 10 in the Hebrew is actually used in Psalm 72 verse 5. Very fascinating when you look and see what Psalm 72 verse 5 says. We sang a paraphrase of Psalm 72 verse 5 on Sunday. And those of you, the one or two of you who were here for the in-service training day when Mike Plante took his session, he read Psalm 72 for his reading. And then we sang another version of Psalm 72 on Saturday, but we sang, well, we sang a couple yesterday, didn't we? No, we sang one of Psalm 72 and two of Psalm 92, that's another matter. Look at these words, Psalm 72 verse 5, the exact same phrase is used here. How is it translated? Well in the New King James it says this, they shall fear you as long as the sun and moon endure throughout all generations. Now the same phrase is used there, literally, until the sun and moon fail. Until the sun and moon run out of sufficiency. Now when are the sun and moon going to fail? only when God comes back again and we don't need sun and moon. They'll last forever until God comes back again and then God will replace them with something better. So what is happening here? They shall fear you as long as the sun and the moon endure throughout all generations. It's speaking about the eternity of God's purposes, the never-ending nature Well that's the phrase that's used here in chapter 3 verse 10, that there will not be room enough to receive it. So what is the sense of here? Well there are two senses, not simply that the blessing is abundant, but the blessing will never fail. That there won't be room enough to contain it, today and tomorrow and the day after and the year after and the year after that. I can remember when our kids were young and we had, I don't know, it was one of our early computers and we had this, there was a game on it, a sort of, a game where you sort of had to go around and you had to get all sorts of clues and work out and it was a sort of It was a sort of detective game and you had to work it out and all the clues and things and you went around and I can't remember the details of it but I can remember on one thing you had to go and you went into the stable and you found the cow and you had to feed the cow and you had to find a way of getting carrots to feed the cow and when you got all the different, forgive me this is a silly illustration, but when you got all the pieces into place and you click the button on the computer it wasn't one carrot that appeared but a whole shower of carrots filled the whole screen you know obliterated everything and then you click the button you went on with the next part of the game well I often think of that that jolly game when I read this passage he'll open the windows of heaven you know it wolf and down will come the blue and it'll be swamped where we swamped by it you get the picture But the thing was, and again, once the screen was filled, the thing stopped. The point about this blessing is that it won't stop, it'll keep on coming. And we'll continue to be swamped by the blessings of His grace. You understand? That's the amazing nature of it, the fantastic nature of it. This utterly I can't quite think of the word. This incredible sufficiency, there's a word that's right at the back of my mind that gives that sense of the increasing and ever, sorry, forgive me, the word's gone. But it's that picture. Until the sun and moon fail, will there never? God's promise goes on, God's blessing goes on. There isn't room enough to contain it, but even if there were, there's still more and more to come. What a promise. It is a perpetual blessing. That's incredible. Well, why is it incredible? Because that's what God is like anyway. So in one sense, it shouldn't be incredible, and yet it is incredible, isn't it? Do you get the point I'm trying to make? Hopefully you do. When God fulfills his promise, there is not room enough to contain it, and it will keep coming. It will never fail. As long as God endures, he will bless you abundantly. How long does God endure? Eternally. That's the picture. That's the picture. That's the amazing, amazing nature of this promise. So his blessing is never-ending. It is an inexhaustible supply. What bounty? What grace? Well, that's God's challenge and God's promise. Thirdly, God's blessing. Look at verses 11 and 12, we won't stay long with this, but just look at it briefly this evening. Here's a great description of what happens when God comes upon his people. I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the Lord of hosts, and all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts. A great description of what happens when God comes upon his people. Sometimes we refer to it as a revival, don't we? Now in the Old Testament, whenever we come across an event that can be described in those revival terms, it is always coupled with the giving of God's people. In fact, revival and giving always went together. As the people obeyed God, as they gave him his due, so they were blessed. And their enemies were defeated and God's kingdom advanced. Well, what do we mean when we talk about blessing? Well, I don't know about you, but sometimes when I talk to people about blessing, what do they think? Well, you know, they had a lovely meeting, and they go away, oh, we had a lovely meeting, what a blessing. What they mean is they've got a nice, warm, gooey feeling inside. And they go away feeling happy. Now, forgive me, there's nothing wrong in doing that in one sense. What is a good meeting? A good meeting is maybe a meeting where we feel good. But feelings are fickle. Feelings are unreliable. God says, prove me now, put me to the test. Well, what's the alternative to putting God to the test? Well, it's not putting him to the test. Sorry if that sounds obvious. And I wonder if sometimes we're in danger of not seeing God at work because we are not putting God to the test. We're in danger of robbing God and therefore robbing ourselves of the blessings he promised. Now I gave part of this quote last week. Let me give you the full quote again from T.V. Moore, page 162 if you've got the banner commentary. We may try to defraud God but in the end we'll only defraud ourselves. The eagle who robbed the altar set fire to her nest from the burning coal that adhered to the stolen flesh. So men who retain God's money in their treasuries will find it a losing possession. No man ever yet lost anything by serving God with a whole heart, or gained anything by serving Him with half a one. We may compromise with conscience for half the price, but God will not endorse the compromise. And like Ananias and Sapphira, we will lose not only what we had purchased so cheaply, but also the price we paid for it. So put God's word Put God's honour to the test. Act in obedience to his command. Bring the tithes into the storehouse. Every member prepared to take God at his word, proving his promises and believing his word. Well, how do you do that? Here is a book full of promises, the promises of God. I can remember when I was a teenager, One of the men who was teaching us in the Bible class used to say, when you come across a promise of God, when you first meet it, put a T in the margin of your Bible by it. Because you're going to try it, you're going to test it. And when you come to discover that it works, put a P behind it, proved, tried and proved. Or if you like, tent peg, because it's something you can hang your life upon, you can hang yourself upon. Here's something that is firm and secure. Isaiah talks about putting a peg in the wall, doesn't it, that won't move. And here are the promises of God, and we can hang our faith upon the promises of God. So we can have a teepee, we can have a tent peg, we can also have a tried and proved, test it, we proved it. How many of God's promises have you tried and proved? None of them will ever fail. Now I have met, and please I don't want to stop with the whole matter of tithing now, but I've met arguments of all sorts used against the principle of tithing. But I say there's one thing that's unassailable, try it, and God never fails. Thousands can give glad testimony to the fact that God keeps his promises. Well, here are two of them in these verses. Verse 11, their enemies defeated. Verse 11, I will rebuke the devourer for your sake so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground. Now, I think that the devourer here is not a specific enemy, but any and everyone who comes against God's children. If you turn back, well, you don't need to now, but if you remember back in Jonah, he talks about the locusts coming and destroying the land, destroying the crops. Not Jonah, Joel. What did I say, Jonah? Joel. That was me. Joel 1, 2 to 4, 4. Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land. Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it. Let your children tell their children, and so on. What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. And what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten. And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine. you know, get away from your sin. For a nation has come up against my name, my land, strong and without number. He's laid waste my vine and ruined my fig tree and stripped it bare. Lament. Why? Because God's judgment is upon you. And what was the answer? Well, Joel tells us later, it's a call to repentance. Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord, for he is gracious and merciful. It was a sign of God's judgment. And the result is described later in Joel, later in chapter 1. Be ashamed, you farmers, and wail, you vine dressers, for the wheat and the barley and the harvest of the field has perished, and the vine has dried up and the fig tree has withered. It was a sign of judgment. But here is God's word, and he will reverse the judgment. Now in Malachi chapter 2 in verse 3 God says to his people, Behold I will rebuke your descendants and spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your solemn feasts and one will take you away with it. This is the judgment that will come upon you, a curse come upon you. But here is God's word in verse 11 that he would reverse the judgment, he would rescind the punishment on the condition of repentance and obedience. And if the defourer is defeated, if the punishment is revoked, then the harvests will not fail, be destroyed or be stolen, and the ground will again become fruitful, and the vines will produce their grapes, verse 11. So the enemies will be destroyed, defeated. Secondly, they will delight in God. Verse 12, all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts. And here is a description of plenty of the best. Blessings abound where'er he reigns. Verse 12, all nations will call you blessed, a delightful land, attractive to all. as God said back in 1 Samuel, all them that honour me I will honour but him that despises me will be lightly esteemed. These are promised blessings and that's the nature of God to give. And we see that all through the Old Testament don't we? We see it all through the New don't we? Deuteronomy 33, 29. Happy are you, O Israel, who is like you, O people, saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty. Your enemies shall submit to you, and you shall tread upon their high places. That's in the context of those wonderful words. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. That's what God is. That's what God is to his people. even though they rebelled against him, even though they, but he was there, and he was their refuge. Zechariah 8, 13, and it shall come to pass that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you and you will be a blessing. Do not fear, let your hands be strong. God's blessing. You will be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts, verse 12. So let's show to the world by our obedience that the gospel we proclaim works, that this gospel is attractive, is desirable, it's full of blessing, it's full of glory, because it's rooted in God and his word and his faithfulness. It is a gospel to make people happy. So let's delight in God. All right.