Prove Me!
Malachi 3:10-12
 
If you have been coming to church for the last couple of weeks, you know we’ve been in a series called “Trust Me, Try Me, Prove Me” based on a hymn of the same name.
 
Song
 
Basis for the song is our text this morning:
 
Malachi 3:10
 
We’ve looked at two thoughts already. God says, “Trust Me”. In fact, that is the invitation of all of Scripture. All through the Bible you find God inviting people to trust Him.
 
Then we looked at “Try Me”, and the challenge of this passage is to try Him in regard to the tithe. As far as I can determine, this is the only place in Scripture where God invites a test of Himself. As we saw last week, it is a “Triple Dog Dare”. 
 
As Mike Haggard pointed out to me, triple dog dare invites us to prove ourselves, but we have a triune God who invites us to prove Him.
 
And that really is the focus of today’s message. God says “Prove Me” in this and see if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you, and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.
 
 
Can you imagine that? Having more than you know what to do with? When I read that verse I couldn’t help but think of this old classic from the Golden Age of TV
 
Video Clip, "I Love Lucy" - Candy Factory.
 
Now remember what we’ve learned from Malachi so far: God loves us and we can trust Him, and if we doubt that we should put God to the test. In fact, He invites us to do just that.
 
And the setting of that challenge is a classic scriptural thought: God honors obedience. Study the history of the Jews and you will discover that God promises abundant blessing and provision if they will simply trust and obey. 
 
Here is the same concept in regard to our financial stewardship. God says, “Tithe, and I’ll bless you.” In fact, I’ll bless you so much you won’t know what to do with it. 
 
It's just like that clip we watched just a moment ago. You give to God, the first dime out of every dollar, the first day of every week, the first hour of every day; you give God the first fruits of your increase, as the bible says, and God says, "I'm going to open up the windows of heaven and bless you so much you won't be able to keep up with it." 
 
This morning, I want us to finish up this series by sharing with you about the reward that God promises . And the reward is wrapped up in that one little word found in verse 10. "Blessing." 
 
 
I went back and did a little word study on that word 'blessing.'  This particular word is used over 76 times in the Old Testament and it can have one, or all of, three meanings. 
 
It can refer to "praise." We see that quite often in the Psalms: “Bless the Lord, O my soul. . .”
 
Quite a thought, is it not, to think about God praising us? I couldn’t help but think about the baptism of Jesus and transfiguration, and how the heavens opened for God to praise His Son.
 
It can refer to "prosperity."   Psalm 21:3 says, "For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head." God delights in prospering His children. After all, healthy sheep are a testimony to the ability of the shepherd to take care of His flock. 
 
I’ll say more about that in a moment. But for now, God desires to bless us with praise, prosperity, and  
 
It can also be associated with peace. Isaiah 36:16 says, "Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern. ."
 
So when God says, “I will pour such blessing you won’t have room to receive it, to which is He referring?
 
I think the text indicates all three. 
 
 
 
 
The context of this promise is bringing the tithe to the storehouse. And the implication is when we are obedient, God will focus His attention upon us and His approval (praise) of us will be evidenced by the blessing itself. Further, He promises to prosper us as we seen in verse 11, and the peace is seen in verse 12. 
 
Further, the text indicates that this blessing will be  immediate. 
 
"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. . ." The reward for obedience is immediate blessings. 
 
And it's abundant. That's exactly what it says. ". . .and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." I want you to imagine that. "Not enough room to receive it." 
 
W.A. Criswell, 'Your hearts aren't big enough and your arms aren't wide enough to receive the abounding blessings I'll pour out upon you if you will return to me with a sense of stewardship."
 
That's the reward for being a good steward of the gifts, grace and goods of God. 
 
So, let me take just a few moments this morning, and show you here from this passage, the kind of blessings, the reward, that God pours out on those who practice faithful stewardship in with the tithe.
 
 
First of all, when you return to God what is His,
 
1. You Will Receive A Personal Blessing. 
 
Look at verse 10 again.
 
Now, I know that many of you here this morning are like me. You grew up in church. 
 
And I know that you've heard this passage preached on all of your life, just like I have. But let me show you something that maybe you’ve not noticed before. Obviously the book of Malachi is addressed to the nation. All the way down through, he is addressing the people of God in general and he is speaking to them as a group. It's corporate. It's plural if you will. 
 
But then in verse 10 he talks about the tihe. Now tithes were brought individually, and even though the whole nation was guilty, the response that was to be given had to be given individually. And the reward applied both ways. 
 
No doubt there would be a corporate reward as we see in verses 11 and 12. But the text indicates a personal blessing as well. 
 
“See if I will not open for you. . .”
And pour out for you. . .”
 
He personalizes it. He says, "When you return to me in the way that I have prescribed, you will receive a personal blessing." 
 
 
 
You see, we are living in a day and age much like the people of Malachi's day were. Oh, they believed in God. They knew that there was a God out there somewhere that had created everything that is. They knew that God had worked in the lives of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. 
 
They had heard the stories about the Exodus, the deliverance from Egyptian captivity. They had heard the marvelous, miraculous stories about the parting of the red sea and the conquest of Canaan. 
They knew that God had guided them through the wilderness by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. 
 
They knew about all of that, but that was way back then, surely God wouldn't, or couldn't work in their personal lives today like He had back then. But God says, "I want to work in your life like I did in your father's and grandfather's lives. I'm waiting to. I'm longing to, but you've got to return to me."
 
I heard about an old man and an old lady that were driving down a dusty road one day in their old pickup truck. The man was behind the wheel driving, and the woman was all the way on the other side of the truck. All of a sudden the old lady looked over at her husband and said, "I can remember a day when we used to sit right next to each other. I can remember when we used to sit so close that people had to look close to realize that there were two people in here. What's happened? Why don't we sit as close as we used to?" The old man just kept driving, and said, "I haven't moved." 
 
 
 
That's what's so amazing about this passage. God is saying, "Hey, I'm still here. I haven't moved. I'm still the same God that I used to be. I still have the same power I used to have. I still have the same strength that I used to have. I'm the same yesterday, today and forever. 
 
And I am still Jehovah God, the one true God, but I am also the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
 
And while I have national blessings and corporate blessings to share, I also long to bless your life personally. 
And that’s true of us as well. It’s wonderful to come to church and be involved in corporate worship. It’s good to know that God is at work at Trinity, or hear the reports of what Southern Baptists are doing around the world. 
 
But you can enjoy a personal relationship with God. That’s what the cross is all about. He died for you. He longs to bless your life. He wants to be personal. 
 
There are some of you here this morning, and you look at other folks that you know - maybe you work with them, maybe they're family members, maybe you're sitting next to them - and they tell you how God's working in their life, in the lives of their children and loved ones. 
 
God answers their prayers. They enjoy their quiet time. They're happy. They're healthy. They have a holy walk with the Lord. It seems like they are on a first name basis with God. Then you look at your life and it seems so different, God seems so distant to you, and you wonder why? What's the difference?   
 
I’ll tell you what the difference is: they have a personal, intimate relationship with God and He blesses them on a personal level. 
 
Now in regard to this text, what many people never realize is the vital connection between their material resources and their spiritual blessing. The way you
handle the material resources of God is going to affect how much of the spiritual resources of God He is going to trust you with. 
 
Look for a moment at Luke 16:1-10
 
Do you know what those "true riches" are? I'll tell you what I believe they are. I believe it's the praise, prosperity and peace of God. So, when you begin to tithe, when you begin to manage the master's materials according to the prescription that He has set forth, the first thing that will happen is you will receive personal blessings.
 
2. You Will Receive Financial Blessings. 
 
Now, I know that when a pastor in a Baptist church begins to touch on this point, there are some people who are going to get a little nervous. They'll say, "I knew it. He's one of those charismatics. He's one of those health, wealth and prosperity preachers."  
 
Hey, let me tell you something. All the way through scripture, there is one thing that I have seen, and it's this. God desires to meet every single need you have, financial, physical, and spiritual, and the my Bible teaches me that God delights in blessing His people. I don't think that necessarily means that you're always going to be rich, healthy or happy. 
 
I know that is a popular message, and the TV is filled with them. But be careful about disregarding the whole idea of financial blessings just because some kooks out there distort the teaching.
 
I want you to look back down there in Malachi chapter 3, and let's work our way down through what God says will happen to you financially when you begin to bring your tithes and offerings to the storehouse. We’ve dealt with verse 10. 
 
That emphasizes the personal blessing
 
But then notice verse 11
 
What’s the point?
 
Once we get in on doing things God's way of doing things; once we quit trying to make it on our own; once we quit trying to get all we can and can all we get, and begin to return to the Lord what belongs to Him, then there will come the supernatural protection and provision of God. 
 
If that devourer is a plague upon your crops, God will rebuke that plague. If that devourer is a illness, God will rebuke that illness. In a way that I can't understand, God will see to it that every single need that you have is met, and that you will have enough to continue to give back to Him, so He can give you more, so you can give back more to Him, so that He can give you more, so that you can give even more back to Him. 
 
There are personal blessings, financial blessings and
 
 
3. You Will Receive Spiritual Blessings.  
 
Verse 11, "And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts." 
 
Now, remember, blessing can also refer to a peace treaty. So, when you return to the Lord what is His, yes, He pours out and you receive personal blessings. That's praise. Yes, he rebukes the devourer and you reap financial blessings.   That's prosperity. But the third result of His opening up the windows of heaven is that there is peace between you and God and all the nations will call you blessed.
Think about how that fleshed out in the history of the Jews. God gave them the promised land, and even though they rebelled and wound up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, God brings a man named Joshua on the scene and he is able to get the job done. 
 
They cross over the Jordan River and make their way toward Jericho. The city of Jericho is an impenetrable obstacle; a walled city with a mighty army that seems invincible. And so Joshua sends a couple of spies to check things out, and of all things they wind up being protected and hidden by a prostitute whose name is Rahab. 
 
And I want you to listen to her testimony: Joshua 2:9-11
 
The promise that God delivered through Malachi about the nations calling them blessed, they had already experienced that. 
 
 
Now here’s the point: When you decided to be obedient to God and God starts pouring His blessing into your life, it will affect your testimony. It will affect your witnessing. 
 
How in the world are you going to tell somebody to trust God with their life if you haven't trusted Him with your money and material things? 
 
That's one of the blessings that comes from being faithful to return to God what belongs to Him. You’ll be at peace with God, and all of those that you work with and come in contact with will notice it and know that God is real in your life.
 
You give, God gives back. You pour out, God pours back in. You send up, God sends down.
 
Have you ever heard someone say, “You can’t out give God”? Did you realize that is a Scriptural truth?
 
Listen to what Jesus says Luke 6:38. "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom."
 
POEM: John Bunyan,  
"There was a man,
                Some called him mad;
        The more he gave,
                The more he had."
 
You see, the more that you give, the more comes back to you, because God is the greatest giver in the universe, and He won't let you out give Him.
 
 
You giving the first dime out of every dollar and the first day out of every week and the first hour out every day is a powerful witness to those around you that God is real and moving and working in your life. 
 
One of the most amazing ‘rags to riches’ stories is the life of RG LeTourneau, as told in his biography
“Mover of Mountains and Men”. Many people see Letourneau as one of the most influential people of the past hundred years. 
 
LeTourneau began his career in obscurity in Stockton, California, where his first job was transporting earth to level out farmland. His frustrations with moving dirt drove him to find a better, more efficient way. In 1922 he constructed the first all-welded scraper that was lighter, stronger and less expensive than any other machines.
 
As the father of the modern earthmoving industry, he was responsible for 299 inventions. These inventions included the bulldozer, scrapers of all sorts, dredgers, portable cranes, rollers, dump wagons, bridge spans, logging equipment, mobile sea platforms for oil exploration, the electric wheel and many others. He introduced into the earthmoving and material handling industry the rubber tire, which today is almost universally accepted.
 
R. G. LeTourneau became the greatest obstacle-mover in history, building huge earth-moving machines. During World War II he produced 70% of all the army's earth-moving machinery.
 
 
 
But what set him apart from many other successful business men was his faith in God. He was raised in a Christian home, was a faithful member of Christian Missionary Alliance churches, served as the president of Gideons, and was a special friend of Billy Graham. In fact, in the early days of Graham’s ministry, he designed a portable dome building intended for Graham crusades. He spoke of God as the Chairman of his Board.
 
His life's verse was Matthew 6:33: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."
 
As a multi-millionaire, LeTourneau gave 90% of his profit to God's work and kept only 10% for himself. He also founded a university named in his honor in Longview, TX that is thriving to this day.
 
LeTourneau said that the money came in faster than he could give it away. He was convinced that he could not out-give God. "I shovel it out,” he would say, “and God shovels it back, but God has a bigger shovel."
 
Indeed He does! It’s really true; you can’t outgive God. And if you need evidence, I would take you to the cross. 
 
Today, we are having a “Prove the Tithe” Day, but as I told you a couple of weeks ago, it is really more a “Prove God” Day. Now that word “prove” means to test, but it also carries the idea of demonstration or verification. 
 
 
 
And in that regard, God loves to “prove” Himself. In fact, Romans 5:8 tells us that God was demonstrating His own love for us when Christ died for our sins.
 
And when we learn to take God at His word and trust Him and rely on Him, we are demonstrating, proving to those who observe what kind of God our God is. And in that regard, in response to what God has done to prove His love for us, tithing really ain’t that big of a deal is it? The poet said:
 
When I look up at that cross
Where God's great Steward suffered loss,
Yes, loss of life and blood for me,
A trifling thing it seems to me
To pay the tithe, dear Lord, to Thee.
 
Time and talent, wealth or store,
Full well I know I owe Thee more.
A million times I owe Thee more.
 
But that is just the reason why
I lift my heart to God on high
And pledge thee by this portion small,
My life, my love, my all in all.
 
This holy token at Thy cross
I know there money seems but dross.
But in my heart, Lord, Thou dost see
How it has pledged my all to Thee.
That I a spirit true may be.