Malachi 3:6-12

Today I've concluded my PRELIMINARY SHEET in my sermon preparation. Though I've been preaching for almost 15 years, I have only done a prelimary sheet (formally) maybe 4 or 5 times. It is so easy to neglect this important and meaningful step. Particularly when you are called and are certain that God will bless what He will bless. The PRELIMARY SHEET was first introduced (to my knowledge) by Dr. Al Fasol, a preaching professor at Southwestern BTS. I also noted a PRELIMINARY SHEET chronicled by Dr. Ralph West in Dr. Cleophus J. LaRue's Power in the Pulpit. The PRELIMINARY SHEET is the 2nd Phase in my sermon preparation. 1st phase consisting of sripture selection, study of context & study of original language (familiarizing myself with the passage and a general understanding of the passage). Phase 3, once the PRELIMINARY SHEET has been constructed, consists of sermon illustrations, related passages, anecdotes, etc. Phase 4 begins the writing of the sermon (along with the construction of the introduction and conclusion). I hope to get into the habit of constructing a PRELIMINARY SHEET on a consistent basis in my sermonic preparation. CIT stands for Central Idea of the Text; MOT stands for Main Objective of the Text; MOS stands for Main Objective of the Sermon. This is my PRELIMINARY SHEET for the message I intend to preach at Cornerstone this Sunday (October 14, 2007) at the 8:15am worship service, if the Lord says the same!

PRELIMARY SHEET

Text: Malachi 3:8-12

CIT: God’s return and judgment are imminent. You have departed from the command of God; it is reflective your giving. God’s grace abounds with His desire to reciprocate our giving back to Him. Bring the tithe; the relationship will be restored; the storehouse (church) will abound—and God will be pleased and you will be blessed.

MOT: Pastoral & Exhortative

Thesis: The God above has given an awesome promise—to bless those who honor His command. God owns it all; He commands the tithe; He uses His tithe to provide a blessing to somebody else, namely, the storehouse. Paying the tithe flips the script, reverses the curse, and creates a flow that can not be contained.

MOS: God’s goal for his church (his people) is to honor Him in their giving. Disobedience to God’s command for giving dishonors God and curses the robber. Obedience to God’s command for giving honors God and blesses the giver. Ultimately, God’s glory is CONNECTED to our giving.

Practical Themes: Stewardship, Giving, Tithing

Keywords: Flow, Rob, Steward, Manager vs. Owner, Tithe, Prove/Test, Pour

Title: Reverse the Curse

Outline:

I. The Danger of Disobedience (vs. 6 – 9)
a. Rebellion ‘…you have gone away…’
b. Robbery ‘…you have robbed me.’
...............i. You are robbing God
...............ii. You are robbing God's house '...even this whole nation.'
...............iii. You are robbing yourself
c. Result ‘…you are cursed with a curse…’

II. The Grace of Giving (vs. 7 – 10a)
a. The grace of giving is based on your Position ‘return…’
b. The grace of giving is based on Privilege ‘bring you all the tithe…’
c. The grace of giving is based on Purpose ‘that there may be meat…’

III. The Outcome to Obedience (vs. 10b – 12)
a. God promises to reward our faith ‘I will open…not be room enough…’
b. God promises to rebuke our foes ‘I will rebuke the devourer…’
c. God promises to renew our fruitfulness ‘…all the nations…delightful land...’