CHRIST CREATIVE BAPTIST CHURCH
A SERMON PREACHED ON SUNDAY
APRIL 19, 1998
BY
THE REV. DR. GEORGE ST. ANTHONY FERGUSON, SR.
AUTHOR: Malachi
THEME: Religious Formalism Rebuked
DATE: 450 BC
TEXT: Malachi 3:10
In the last few weeks, we in the Washington area have seen a lot of rain fall down. Rain is a result of hot water vapors evaporating from the earth and floating high in the sky. Rain is a result of warm water vapors floating through the sky and landing on dust high in the air. Rain is a result of cool water liquids condensing on dust high in the air and getting heavier as ice. Rain is a result of heavy cold ice falling back to the earth as gravity pulls it down. Rain is a result of cool ice melting with heat and friction and becoming water just before it hits the earth. Rain is necessary for all life. Water flows from the earth, to the rivers, and to the seas. Scientists tell us that all life came out of water. Theologians tell us that all life depends on water. The Bible says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Bible says that the earth was without form and darkness covered the face of the deep. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit brooded over the deep waters. And God separated the earth from the waters. The old folks use to say God spate out the seven seas. And one day Malachi told us that God wants to rain down a blessing on us. So today on this Youth Sunday and on this Third Sunday, God has directed me to preach on the subject: Melodies from heaven….
We find ourselves in the 3rd chapter of Malachi. Malachi is the last of the 39 books in the Old Testament. Malachi was a minor prophet who lived after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity. Malachi lived when the Jews had reestablished themselves in the nation of Israel and in the city of Jerusalem. Although the Jews were under Persian rule, they lived independent in the land of Israel. They rebuilt their worship. They rebuilt their Temple. They rebuilt their schools. They rebuilt their homes. They rebuilt their lives. But in all their rebuilding, they forgot to live in justice. They forgot to live in righteousness. They forgot to live right before God. The Jews started to abuse their brothers. The Jews started to abuse their sisters. The Jews started to abuse their institutions. The Jews started to abuse their God. And Malachi wrote about these abuses. By the time we get to chapter 3, Malachi wrote about the compassion of God for Israel. Malachi wrote about the complaint of God against Israel. God told Israel that He was against their cheating. God told Israel that He was against their unfaithfulness. God told Israel that He was against their spiritually mixed marriages. God told Israel He was against their lack of spirituality. God told Israel that He was against their robbery. And in V8 God asked, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." My first point is this: If God Is Not First Place In Your Life, You Will Rob God. The Jews had been wonderfully and faithfully returned to their home land after 70 years of Babylonian captivity. God told the Jews he would return them to Israel after 70 years of captivity. When the Persians defeated the Babylonians in 539 BC, they freed the Jews and sent them back to Jerusalem to rebuild their nation. Ezra went back to rebuild the Temple. Nehemiah went back to rebuild the walls. But after God had given them back their land and after God had reestablished His worship in the city, the people started to ignore the things of God. The Jews settled into what I call average worship of God. The Jews settled into weak worship of God. The Jews settled into low level worship of God. They ignored the worship of God. They would come when they wanted to. They would worship when they wanted to. They would praise God when they wanted to. They ignored the Sabbath day. They ignored the 7 Jewish Feast days. They were marrying Gentles who worshipped false gods. They were divorcing their wives for no reason. They were hypocrites. They were having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. But worst of all, they were offering up sick, weak, and deformed animals for sacrifice to God. Now I don’t know if you know this, but when you offer something to God, you are to offer God your best. God doesn't want your leftovers. God doesn't want your average. God wants your best. God wants your number one. God wants your top of the line. But the Jews during that time were offering God their worst. They said to themselves, this animal is sickly. They said to themselves, I have to get rid of the animal anyway. They said to themselves, I might as well offer God this sick and diseased animal since I’m gonna have to kill it anyhow. But to this sick and demented thinking, God said NO, NO, NO. God asked the question will a man rob God? The answer is yes a man or a woman will rob God. We rob God with our talent. We rob God with our time. We rob God with our money. We rob God with our tithes. God told us that people rob Him with their tithes and offering. A tithe is 10% of your money. A tithe is 10% of your time. A tithe is 10% of your talent. A tithe is 10% of what ever you earn or have been blessed with by God. God wants your best.
OFFER GOD THE BEST OF YOUR PRAISE
OFFER GOD THE BEST OF YOUR WORSHIP
OFFER GOD THE BEST OF YOUR FAITH
OFFER GOD THE BEST OF YOUR HOPE
OFFER GOD THE BEST OF YOUR LOVE
OFFER GOD THE BEST OF YOUR OFFERING
OFFER GOD THE BEST OF YOURSELF
Stop robbing God with your tithes and offerings, and start offering God your best. Say amen, somebody. Melodies from heaven….
Giving your tithes and offerings is a ministry to God. That’s why I always want us to clap and shout praise the Lord when we give our money to the Lord. We should always give a praise offering with our tithes and offerings. But the Jews thought that they were doing God a favor by offering Him some old run down, sick animals. I could just see them coming into the Temple and saying to themselves, hey, at least I made it to the Temple. At least I brought something to give in the Temple. At least I did my part by offering the least, the last, and the lost. That’s the way some of you think when you put that $1 in the plate. You think you’ve done your best. Its one thing when $1 is all you have. Its another thing when you hold back on God and only give a $1. The poor widow woman with the mite put two half pennies in the offering and Jesus said she gave more than everybody because she gave all that she had. Today, if a working man or woman put in $1 or $50 when he or she should have put in $100, that person has robbed God. And back then the Jews were saying to themselves, at least I’m better then most Jews who are not even coming to the Temple. But God was not impressed with this half baked, half hearted, ad half holy effort. You either give God your best or rob God. You either give God His tithe or rob God. You either give God your offering or rob God. You either give God the glory or rob God. God is saying you either come strong or don’t come at all. God told the Jews that from the days that they had returned to the land, they had turned aside from Him and had not kept His statues. God told the Jews to return to Me and I will return to you. God told the Jews I know you want to ask me how shall we return to you? In other words, the Jews thought that by offering these disease animals as a sacrifice and paying less than their tithes that they were right in the will of God. They thought they were doing their best for God. But God told them that they were not in His will. God told them that they had left him behind. So God said return to Me. God said come back to Me. God said do an about face and come home to Me. All they had to do was to come back to God. All they had to do was to take one step towards God. The old folks use to say, you take one step and God will take two. You come back to God and God will come back to you. But if you turn your back on God, God will turn his back to you. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather come back to God than to turn my back on God. You see when you turn your back on God, you put yourself outside of the will of God. You put yourself outside the protective umbrella of God. You put yourself under the curse of God. God said it this way in V9, "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." My 2nd point is this: Even A Christian Can Live His Or Her Whole Christian Life Under The Curse. When Adam sinned, God put a curse on all mankind. But when Jesus rose from the dead as the Second Adam, God put a blessing on all those who would believe in Him. This might sound strange to you but although Jesus has saved your soul, you as a Christian can still live your life under the curse of God. You can live far below your privileges in Christ. You can live like the Prodigal son. You can live in sin. I hear you asking, how can this be? I thought that when I was born again I was forgiven of all my past sins? I thought that I was cleansed from all my past sins? I thought that I was given a new life in Christ? I thought that I was put under the blessings of God? I’m glad you asked those questions so I can tell you the answer. Yes, all of that is true. But let me ask you some questions. What have you done for Christ lately? Have you faithfully studied the Word of God? Have you become a disciple of Christ? Have you become a growing Christian? Have you become a faithful Christian? Have you faithfully come to Christ Creative? Have you faithfully tithed in Christ Creative? Have you faithfully tithed to God? If you have not done these things lately or you have done it half heartedly, then you put yourself back under the curse. You might wonder what is the curse that God is talking about? Well, in Deuteronomy 28 beginning in V15, God lists a host of curses that will come on you if you don’t obey His will. Listen when you don’t tithe, here are some of the curses God will allow to come on you. God said if you will not listen to His voice and observe to do all His commandments and His statutes, all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city. Cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your store. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your land. Cursed shall you be when you come in and cursed shall you be when you go out. I didn’t say this. God said this! God will send upon you cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that you set your hand to do until you are destroyed and until you perish. You may ask why would a loving God do such a thing? God said He will do it not because he is a vindictive God but because of the wickedness of your doings and because you have forsaken Him. And instead of raining down a blessing from heaven, God will rain down a curse. The Lord shall make the rain of your land to become powder and dust. From heaven shall the powder and dust come down upon you until you are destroyed. God said moreover all these curses shall come upon you, and shall pursue you, and overtake you, till you are destroyed. And the Lord shall make you the tail and not the head. You shall be below and not above. Why would God allow all this to happen even to a born again Christian? God said because you did not listen to My voice to keep My commandments and My statutes which I commanded you. God does not want to let curses come on you. God wants to bless you. But if you rob God in your tithes and offerings
GOD WILL ALLOW CURSES TO FALL ON YOU
GOD WILL ALLOW SATAN TO CURSE YOU
GOD WILL ALLOW THE DEVIL TO CURSE YOU
GOD WILL ALLOW THE DEMONS TO CURSE YOU
GOD WILL ALLOW ALL MANNER OF EVIL TO CURSE YOU
GOD WILL ALLOW ALL MANNER OF SINS TO CURSE YOU
GOD WILL ALLOW YOU TO LIVE UNDER A CURSE
But Peter told us that Jesus bore the curses of our sins on the Cross because the Bible said cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Isaiah said He was bruised for our transgressions he was wounded for our iniquities… Can I get a witness? Melodies from heaven, Rain Down On Me.
Now, I don’t know about you but I want God to rain down his blessings on me. God in V10 said, "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." My last point is this: God Wants To Wants To Pour You Out An Abundant Blessing Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. God told us to bring all the tithes into His storehouse. What was the storehouse of God back then? The storehouse of God was the Temple. The Jews had to pay two tithes. One was an annual tithe for the maintenance of the Temple and the second was brought to Jerusalem for the Lord’s feast. And every third year, the second tithe was used to help the poor. God always looks out for His Church and the poor. And what is the storehouse of God today? The store house of God is the Church. Every time you get paid, you ought to pay 10% of your money to the church. Every time you receive money, you ought to pay 10% of it to the church. How would you like it if somebody said I’ll give you 100% of what I want you need if you give me back 10% as a tithe to me? God told us to tithe to Him. God told us we can live of 90% of the money if we give Him His 10%. Not even the government lets you live of 90% of your money. By the time you pay all your Federal, State, local, and sale taxes, you will pay about 50% of your money in taxes. We just finished paying our taxes last week and some of us even have property taxes to pay later on this year. But if you bring all the tithes into His storehouse, there will be meat in God’s house. There will be provisions for His Church. God said prove Me with the tithes and see. God said test Me with the tithes and see. God said try Me with the tithes and see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing. God is saying if you tithe, He Himself will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing. God said He will do it and God is not a man that He should lie. You can take God at His Word. You can bank on God. And what are some of the blessings God will bless you with? In Deuteronomy 28 beginning in V1, God said and it shall come to pass, if you shall listen diligently to My voice, to observe and to do all My commandments which I command you this day, that I will set you on high above all nations of the earth. God said and all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you shall listen to My voice. God said blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground. Blessed shall be your basket and your store. Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord shall command His blessing upon you in your storehouses. The Lord shall bless you in the land which the Lord shall give you. And the Lord shall make you the head and not the tail. You shall be above and not below. Why will God do this? Because you have listen to His commandments to observe them and to do them. When you do what God told you to do when it comes to tithing, what else will God do for you? God said and I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes. Who is the devourer? Satan. The devil. Old slue foot. Beelzebub. God said the devil shall not destroy the fruits of your ground. God said the devil shall not vine cast the fruit of your garden down before the time of harvest. God said and all nations shall call you blessed. God said you shall be a delightful people. If you want to be blessed by God be a reader of His Word. If you want to be blessed by God, be a hearer of His Word. If you want to be blessed by God, be a doer of His Word. I want God to bless me.
GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU IN YOUR HEART
GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU IN YOUR HOME
GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU ON YOUR JOB
GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU IN YOUR LIFE
GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU IN THIS CHURCH
Praise God, Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Am I right about it? I Want The Melodies from heaven To Rain Down On Me.
Well, as I head to my seat, you need to know that you can live in the abundant life in Christ if you let God rain his blessing down on you. You see, God wants to bless us abundantly above all that we can ask or think. He wants to bless us abundantly. Don’t you want the abundant life in Christ? Aren’t you tied of being a mediocre church? Aren’t you tied of being an average church? Do you know what the word average means? To be average means you are the worst of the best and the best of the worst. To be average means you are holding on but going no where. To be average means you’re not too good and you’re not too bad. That’s average. That’s a C student. That’s a middle of the road Christian. Christ Creative was not founded to be an average church. Christ Creative was founded to be an abundant life in Christ church. You might like being an average Christian but God don’t like average. God wants excellence. Jesus in Revelation said because you are neither hot or cold but lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth. Jesus in Revelation said I wish that you were either hot or cold. To be lukewarm is to be average. God can’t use average people and Christ Creative can’t grow with average people. We need above average people. We need abundant life in Christ people. We need more people who are willing to do the will of God. We need more people who will come to church regularly. We need more people who will witness for the Lord. We need more people who will bring others to our Church. We need more people who will tithe and let God pour out a blessing on our church. God said he will pour out a blessing on our church when we become a tithing church. God said try me and see if I will not open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a bless more than you will be able to contain. Christ Creative, we are living in the dew drops of mercy but that is not what we need if we want to be an abundant life in Christ church. We need the showers of blessings. The song says dew drops of mercy but for the showers we plea. Aren’t you tied of the little dew drops when you want the overflowing showers of God’s blessing? The song says Spirit of the living God. Spirit of the living God. Fall fresh on me. Ain’t you tied of just living with the Holy Ghost in you when you need the power of the Holy Ghost on you? Jesus said and you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. It’s one thing to have the Holy Ghost in your heart. It’s another thing to have the Holy Ghost living on you and through you. Aren’t you tired of being high in the world but not being high on God? Paul said be not drunk with wine to excess but be ye full with the Spirit. God said I will pour you out a blessing. The song says melodies from heaven rain down on me. Rain down on me. Melodies from heaven rain down on me. Rain down on me. Full me with your precious Holy Ghost. Rain down on me. Rain down on me. And that’s what God wants to do in Christ Creative. He wants to rain down on us and abundantly bless us. Tithing with your money is the way for God to pour out His blessings on our church. Tithing with your time is the way for God to pour out His blessings on our church. Tithing with your talent is the way for God to pour out His blessings on our church. If you tithe, God will open the windows. If you tithe, God will pour out a blessing. If you tithe, God will give more than we have room to store. If we want to see God pour out a blessing through Operation Multiplication, then we must tithe our time, talent, and money. Those of us who are team members and prayer partners in Operation Multiplication are already seeing God’s blessings. Our church is growing. Our baptism rate is up. Our witnessing is increasing. And the Lord has already begun to pour out His blessings. And this is just the beginning. Jesus said I have come that you may have life and life more abundantly. Am I right about it? Noah said it’s gonna rain… Those were destructive rain. But now God wants to rain showers of blessings in our lives and in our Church. Thus says the Lord God to us today, It’s gonna rain… God, rain down on me. Jesus, rain down on me. Holy Spirit, rain down on me. Christ Creative, don’t you want the abundant life in Christ? Don’t you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Don’t you want to receive the power of the Holy Ghost? Don’t you want to be blessed by God? Christ Creative, God wants you to know if we do what we ought to do, then pressed down, shaken together, and running over… David said the Lord is my Shepherd… And I don’t know about you, but I want to live in the overflow. I want to live in the abundant life. I want to live in the filness of the Holy Spirit. I want to live in the power of the Holy Ghost. I want to live in the over running cup of the Lord. Only the Holy Ghost in me living the life of Christ through me can cause the melodies from heaven to rain down on me. You can’t beat God giving… Jesus paid it all… God will pour out a spiritual and material blessing on Christ Creative. When the praises go… And I just want to ask you one question, "Will You Bring Your Tithes and Offerings To Church So God Can Rain Down His Blessings On You?" The doors of the church are open.
© 1998 drsax989238@msn.com
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