Winter Conference Morning Session (12/27/11)

1. Winter ConferenceMorning Session (12/27/11) Peter Ho

4. Introduction Session Lesson 6 – Manifestation of God’s Justice: God Will Judge the Evil (Malachi 2:17 -3:6) This section is the fourth argument of this whole book. The content structure is analyzed as follows: 1. God’s proclamation: The Israelites have wearied the LORD with their words (2:17a). 2. People’s retort: “How have we wearied Him?” (2:17b) 3. God’s evidence: First He pointed out their distorted view (2:17c); then pointed out evidence with the affirmed facts (3:1-6). Scriptures Outline 1. Israelites’ questioning God’s injustice (2:17) 2. God’s response: He will judge with justice (3:1-6) a. The messenger of judgment (v. 1) b. The result of judgment (vv. 2-4) c. The objects of judgment (vv. 5-6)

5. Lesson 7 – Challenge of Offerings: God Blesses Those Who Give Offerings Willingly (Malachi 3:7-12). Scriptures Outline • The call to return (3:7) • The challenge to action (3:8-12) a. Questioning: robbing God’s offerings (vv. 8-9) b. Challenge: bringing all the tithes (v. 10) c. Promise: receiving God’s blessing (vv. 11-12) The fifth argument (3:7-12) A1. God’s proclamation: The Israelites are required to return to God (v. 7a). A2. People’s retort: “How shall we return? (v.7b)” The underlying message – they did not feel they had problem nor needed to return. A3. God’s evidence: God brought up the evidence with the affirmed facts (vv. 8-12) – they robbed the things of God. Out of this it came out the sixth argument (3:8-12) a1. God‘s proclamation: The Israelites robbed God’s offerings! (v. 8a) a2. People’s retort: How have we robbed you? (v. 8b) a3. God’s evidence: Bring up the affirmed facts to prove. (vv. 9-12) We can arrange two sets of arguments structure as follows: God’s proclamation (A1) People’s retort (A2) God’s evidence (A3) -----------------------------------God’s proclamation (a1) People’s retort (a2) God’s evidence (a3) ____________________ _________________________ The fifth set - The sixth set - (The call to return) (3:7-12) (The challenge to action) (3:8-12)

6. In the Law of O. T., it includes three kinds of Tithe Offerings: • The tithes for God (the need of God’s household) • Ref. Lev. 27:30-33 & Numbers 18:21-32 • The tithes for enjoying eating/drinking (when the time of harvest) • Ref. Deut. 14:22-27 • The tithes for the Levites and the benefaction (at the end of every 3 years, for giving to the Levites & the aliens, the fatherless & the widows.) • Ref. Deut. 14:28-29 • So the annual average offering the Israelites would bring in is 23.33%. • {(1/10+1/10+(1/10x1/3)}x100% = 23.33%

7. You have wearied the Lord with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” Malachi 2:17

8. “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness. Malachi 3:1-3

9. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:10-12

10. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

11. I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High. Psalm 50:9-14

12. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:6-10

13. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is; his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

14. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Psalm 34:8-10

15. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. Jeremiah 32:38-41