A                                                      Will a Man Rob God

 

1.    A 42-year-old housewife from Woodbridge, NH called the police.

2.    The police came and this woman began to point a handgun at 3 officers.

3.    After 11 tense minutes, the police shot and killed the woman who had called.

4.    The woman’s gun was picked up and the police found that it was empty.

5.    The police also found a note, and this is what the note said:  “I don’t have the guts to do it myself, so I am using this empty weapon just for show.  If I am lucky, the police will shoot to kill.”

 

I.     THERE IS A GROWING TREND IN AMERICA.  PEOPLE WANT TO DIE. BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO KILL THEMSELVES.  MANY NOW WANT TO USE THE POLICE LIKE SOME HAVE USED DR. KEVORKIAN.  PEOPLE USE POLICE OFFICERS TO GET THEMSELVES KILLED. 

a.       The problem is great enough that it has received national attention.

b.      For the police, this problem is very, very difficult.

(1)   How does an officer know if a person is a true threat?

(2)   Or if the person before them with a gun just want to die?

c.       One of the things, which hinder police in these situations, is toy makers.

d.      Some of the toy guns that are made look authentic.  Appear to be real.

(1)   Unless someone is able to get a close look at some toy guns there is no way to tell if a gun is real.

e.       Last Wednesday morning I stopped at Wal-mart and bought a pistol.

f.        My pistol cost $3.96.  The real one is at home.

g.       The only thing that this gun will shoot is caps.

h.       Though this gun is a toy, it is pretty realistic. 

i.         When I went to pay for this gun the cashier had a funny look on his face.

j.        “Who are you going to hold up with that thing?” 

k.      I said, “You.”

l.         We will soon be turning to today’s text.

m.     Before we do this, let’s think about the store clerk’s question.

n.       Let’s suppose that this gun were bought to facilitate a robbery.

o.      To be specific, we are going to use this gun to rob a bank.

p.      We pick out a Goshen bank to rob.

(1)   On a day when the bank is somewhat deserted, we enter.

(2)   With our gun hidden we walk up to a cashier.

(3)   We hand over the stick-up note and then pull out the gun.

(4)   We say to the teller, “Give me all the money.

(5)   We rob the bank.

q.      We take what is not ours.

r.        We seize what belongs to someone else.

s.       We take possession of money, which does not belong to us.

t.        What kind of evil must be inside a person to be a bank robber?

u.       Most would affirm that robbers are criminals.

v.       Robbers are people who need to be punished.

w.     Robbers are a threat and a detriment to society.

x.       In the scenario I have given, the robber is not an ordinary robber.

(1)   I spoke of a bank robbery using the pronoun “we”

(2)   We – church members – perhaps prominent church members rob the?

(3)   We not only rob the bank once,

(4)   We not only rob the bank twice, he robs the bank 4 times.

(5)   What should be done to us?

(6)   Many would say that we should be withdrawn from.  Prison.

(7)   We are hypocrites. Profess honesty, but we are dishonest.

(8)   God has no interest in fellowshipping robbers.

(9)   The church cannot tolerate this kind of behavior.

(10)         Robbery from a child of God is unacceptable.

 

 

      OUR TEXT COMES FROM MALACHI 3; THIS IS THE BOOK JUST BEFORE MATTHEW.  MALACHI IS THE LAST BOOK IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.  MALACHI WAS JUST ONE OF MANY MEN WHO SAID THAT THE JEWS HAD STOPPED FOLLOWING GOD’S WILL.  THUS,

 

A.      In Mal. 3:7 God offered both condemnation and an invitation, “Even in 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?

B.     God knew that His people would say, “What have we done?”

C.     “God, where have we erred?  Why are you upset?”

D.     God wanted His people to know what they had done.

E.      Hence, in 8A a question is raised – “Will a man rob God?”

F.      Malachi further records that God answered his question – yes.

G.     The Jews had robbed God.

a.      God had given to the Jews everything they had including life.

b.      The Jews had not created themselves.  They could not sustain themselves.

c.      The houses that the Jews had were not their own.

d.      The cattle and animals possessed by the Jews belonged to God.

e.      This planet and everything on it belongs to God.

f.        It came time for the Jews to worship and bring an offering.

g.      The Jews came to worship and they did bring an offering.

h.      They brought to God an offering, which could be called scrap.

i.        The Jews saved up their rejects and brought them to the assembly.

j.        The animals that were sick, lame, and diseased were given.

k.      God deserved the best but received the worst.

H.     God did not need a contribution from these people.

I.        God has never needed man’s money, love, or worship.

J.       God already is love and He already owns everything.

K.    The point is that God made an arrangement with man.

a.      With the Jews, God had given and given.

b.      As a means to show their love and appreciation, the Jews have to a responsibility to give.

c.      Yet, when it came time to see how their love an appreciation

d.      The Jews were cheapskates.  These people robbed God.

e.      The Jews had a duty to give God their best gifts.

f.        These people showed up with junk that they didn’t want and neither did anyone else.

g.      Maybe the Jews were like many today; perhaps they reasoned:

h.      “If we short and cheat God it’s not a big deal.”

i.        “God will be pleased with whatever He gets.”

L.      If this how the Jews perceived things, they were wrong.

M.   Verse 9 continues the thought, “ Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

a.      The Jews wanted God’s protection and favor.

b.      They cried out for God’s blessings.

c.      They wanted sunshine, but God said, “ I’m sending a storm.”

d.      The Jews wanted to be blessed; God promised to curse them.

 

II.   LET’S TRANSLATE THIS INTO 1999.  THERE ARE BRETHREN WHO WOULD NEVER TAKE A GUN AND ROB A BANK.  TAKING A GUN OR SOME OTHER WEAPON AND ROBBING ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL WOULD BE UNTHINABLE.

A. Yet when it comes to the first day of the week.

B. And an offering to God is robbed.

C.I have heard my wife & some teachers say to BC students

D. “We give to God.” This is exactly right.

             E. According to Malachi, the Jews were giving to God.

             F. Christians give to God.

            G. We do not give, as many say,” to the church.” We are the church.

            H. We do not give to ourselves.

I.    We give to God. Maybe the money will be used fro the church

J. When we look at our income and our lifestyle.

K. And we compare that to what we put into the collection plate,

L. Are we like the Jews? Are we guilty of robbing God?

        M. Are we like a bank robber who robs a bank once each week?

1.      We can tell whether or not we are like those OT Jews.

2.      If we wan to give or do something to God – something other than our best-

3.      The scraps, leftovers, what we can scroung up; a little bit-

4.      We are probably robbing God.

5.      If we give in a way which does not dig into the pocketbook,

6.      If our giving is an amount that we do not really notice,

7.      We are likely robbing God. This is a problem. It is a sin,

8.      According to God, we have nothing. All we possess in on loan.

9.      When it comes time to give, robbing God is wrong.

10.  When it is time to give, heaven is a clear picture of who is right, and

11.  It is clear who is greedy and tight fisted.

                 

N.    The Jews did not want to hear that they were robbers.

O.    No one in our day and time wants to consider that they are a robber.

P.      Yet, we must admit that there are robbers in the church.

1.      Tax time is upon us.

2.      This time forces us to look at last year’s income.

3.      Many must also look at charitable contributions.

4.      As we looks at our income and what we gave to God, was he robbed?

 

Q.    We may read our Bibles and attend, and do many mighty works;

R.     Do we want as part of the wonderful record the word “robber”?

S.      This sin is one that we can commit not only week after week,

1.      But year after year

2.      We can rob God on a regular basis, and this can occur in worship.

3.      Take a moment to think of robbery and worship in the physical world.

4.      What if during our worship assembly a man comes in with a gun?

5.      During a period of worship we are robbed!

6.      How would we feel? We would not forget that assembly any time.

7.      How must God view things in heaven?

8.      Week after week some assemble to worship Him.

9.      In some of the assemblies, people rob God- worship is used to rob God.

10.  Not once, not twice, but time after time.

 

T.      There is no way that our world would tolerate this kind of behavior.

U.     God is kind and merciful, but He requires people to repent.

V.     This was His message to there OT Jews- repents or else.

W.   “If you refuse, you will be cursed.”

X.     On the Internet I found an interesting web page about robbers.

Y.     This web site is entitled, “Tips for Bank Robbers.” Here are some examples.

1.      Rob a bank with money- one tried to hold up bank with out some

2.      Find the right teller- one teller followed the R into the R.

3.      Do not sign the demand note.           

a.       One man wrote his note on the back of a subpoena.

b.      Another wrote on an envelope, which contained his home.

 

4.      Beware of vegetables; one man tried to use a zucchini.

5.      Avoid being fussy.

6.      Be careful about disguises.

a.       One man bought some mercury ointment.

b.      The man’s features were actually accentuated.

 

 

7.      Provide your own transportation.

a.       One robber commended a teller’s car.

b.      She was able to give a very accurate description of the vehicle.

 

8.      Have nerves of steel.

9.      When one robber was told that the bank had no money, he fainted.

10.  Robbery is a dumb crime.

 

CONCLUSION:

1.      If we understand that joking a gun and robbing a bank one time is wrong.

2.      We must resolve in our hearts to not rob God.

3.      God has given us His best gifts- His son; the church; heaven.

4.      Will we now say to God, “Thanks, but its not enough,”

5.      “I so greedy and so much of a hoarder that I am also going to rob God.”

6.      “Not only will I rob you once or twice, I will rob you week after week.”

7.      I will be like those Jews and withhold what I should be giving.”

8.      Our record is our own. I cannot tell you how much to give.

9.      In this country this happens every week.

10.  If we need to repent as a Christian, or we are ready to change our

11.  Life and become a Christian, we have the opportunity to do that now as we stand and sing.