"The Lord Almighty says, ‘The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. The arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw on that day. They will be consumed like a tree—roots and all. But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.'"
Malachi 4:1 & 2

A great deal of air-time and column inches are given over every week to discussing the future. Global warming, glacial retreat, cooling of the Gulf Stream, desertification, flooding, movement of tectonic plates, supplies and use of fossil fuels, population growth, the development of practical electric vehicles, renewable resources, pandemics, the list goes on and yet one subject is always missing. You've guessed it - the Day of Judgment. Natural man always seems embarrassed to talk about such things often dismissing any belief in the Bible as "primitive superstition". As far as the Bible is concerned the day of judgement is not only a reality but a reality that is already on its way. For those who reject the truth of God's word it will undoubtedly come as a shock as the wisdom of the humanly wise will be confounded. For those who believe in Jesus the day will bring unprecedented freedom.

"Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him. ‘They will be my people,' says the Lord Almighty. ‘On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.' "
Malachi 3:16 - 18

We begin our Connect Group (what we call house groups in my church) with a meal prepared by one of us. If you joined in you would find that during the meal there is a constant buzz of conversation and laughter. People share their news or talk about stuff that's happening in our church. The bottom line is that everybody is expressing what God is doing in their lives. If anybody has doubts or questions then these too are shared. We may talk about ourselves and what's happening to us but the real subject of conversation is Jesus. The dynamic to these great times together is explained in today's reading. God listens and our names are being written down in heaven so that we'll not be forgotten by Him. Just look at the promise that comes with our names being recorded "…they will be my own special treasure…" that's awesome!

"'You have said terrible things about me,' says the Lord. 'But you say, "What do you mean? How have we spoken against you? You have said, "What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will say, ‘Blessed are the arrogant. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them go free of harm.'"
Malachi 10:13 - 15

One temptation I have seen come before Christians on a regular basis is the very first one that Satan used - "Did God really say…?" - the opening question of doubt that the serpent put into Eve's mind. I remember somebody who began tithing before I did but they didn't stick at it because they missed the point that initially you cannot keep spending on yourself at the same level as you did before - it's all about putting God first. So pressured by their bank they gave up. Then there are those who say God has told them to do something and then change their minds as if God has lost the plot! Then there are others who blame God for the consequences of their own sin. I guess we've all been there from time to time but the Bible concludes that obedience to God is wisdom and He's motivated by love.

"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,' says the Lord Almighty, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not shrivel before they are ripe,' says the Lord Almighty. ‘Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,' says the Lord Almighty."
Malachi 3:10 - 12

The passage we read today is famous because in it God lays down a challenge. The challenge is simple but hits directly at what can rule so many of our lives - our wallets and purses! God says that if we tithe then He'll open the windows of heaven and pour out on us a blessing of super-abundance. I remember that when I first began to tithe finances were really tight but my wife and I were united in our belief that tithing was the right thing to do. Then, slowly, things began to change, my salary increased, and God made provision for us in many different ways and our family's life experience became enriched. The key thing that happened was that what God wanted in our lives began to matter more than what we wanted. Tithing isn't only about provision it also takes us deeper into a relationship with God.

"'But you ask, "How can we return when we have never gone away?" ‘Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, "What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?" ‘You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me.'"
Malachi 3:7b - 9

Remember that those about whom we are reading are in a covenant relationship with God. If we're born again of God's Holy Spirit we too have a covenant with God, a covenant sealed with the blood of Jesus. Thus we can learn from what God says through Malachi. Today God makes it plain that He expects that those in covenant with Him will pay tithes and give offerings to Him. That means the first 10% of our gross income belongs to God, once we have paid that then everything else we give is counted by Him as an offering. True we are no longer under the Law but tithing predates the Law and introduces us into God's economic system and His channels of provision (please look up Genesis 14:14 -20 and Hebrews 7:1-19 for information about this). God wants us to experience all the benefits of our covenant with Him.

"'I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty."
Malachi 3:6 & 7a

We are so used to the expression "Good News" that we can easily forget just how good the "Good News "in the Bible is. Take today for example. We reminded ourselves yesterday that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever and today we read "I am the Lord, and I do not change". The great thing is that what Malachi records changes a doctrinal point about the nature of God into a revolutionary dynamic to live by. Like the descendants of Jacob referred to may be we're not as zealous for God as we were or may be we've slipped back into an old sin. When such things happen to us the enemy can come in hard to make us turn away from God entirely but just look at what God says:" Now return to me, and I will return to you." What better promise could we want?

"'Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in former times. At that time I will put you on trial. I will be a ready witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,' says the Lord Almighty."
Malachi 3:4 & 5

Malachi has a very serious message to give and it would be all too easy to shrug our shoulders and say "That was for then but I'm living now!" That would be a way out if it wasn't for the fact that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) So let's change the "Do Nots" into "Dos"! and show we fear the Lord. To demonstrate that we do fear the Lord, people will need to see that we believe in the providence of God rather than the black arts, luck or divination, that we remain faithful to our partners and speak the truth. Furthermore, we will never cheat anyone out of what they are due, we bless and help widows and orphans and make sure that foreigners living in our country get justice and are treated fairly. In fact fearing God promotes a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle.