Today is the final message in our series called Next Steps. As you have moved into the new year (and this series), has the Lord impressed upon you an area where you might take a next step to grow in your relationship with Jesus? Our final area to discuss in “returning” or taking the next step is a sensitive but powerful one. It has to do with our relationship with money and our level of generosity. If the love of money is the root of all evils (1 Timothy 6:10), it would be wise to reflect on its power and place in our lives in connection with our love and worship of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Malachi 3

3 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Robbing God

6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”

The Book of Remembrance

16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

For Adult Homes & Groups

1. Who paid the bills in your family growing up? Was money ever talked about among family members (saving, spending, investing, or giving)? Why do so many families rarely bring this up with their children? 

2. What do you discover about the meaning of the term “return” as you survey the Bible? (See Joel 2:12-13, Zechariah 1:3, Lamentations 3:40-42, Isaiah 55:6-7, Mark 1:14-15. Recognize that “repent” is the same as “return”.) What is behind God’s desire to see His children return to Him?

3. Read Malachi 3:7-10. What is a tithe? Why would a tithe brought to the storehouse be such an important action in returning to the Lord? 

4. Trace the word tithe through the Scriptures. (See Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:22, Leviticus 27:30-33, Deuteronomy 14:22-29). Why was a tithe commanded? What was God ultimately seeking? Is the tithe outdated for today? 

5. How is the understanding of the tithe expanded in the New Testament? (See 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 2 Corinthians 8:3, 9:7-8, Luke 3:11, 19:8, Acts 4:34, 2 Corinthians 8:2-3.) 

6. Share any testimonies among the group about how God has provided for you and/or your family. What motivation do we have today to be generous?

For Families with Kids

1. Being generous looks like giving money, a favorite toy, or even your lunch to someone in need. Name some generous people in your life. How did they show generosity, and how did it make you feel?

2. Share a time you were generous to someone. How did it make them feel?

3. Read Proverbs 11:24-25. Why are greedy people unhappy in the end? Why do generous people feel free and refreshed?

4. Jesus gave up His entire life so everyone can be saved from sin and death! Think of someone you can be generous with this week and show it.