Malachi 3:6-18 - Blessing and Curse: Tithe

Introduction

Please stand as we read the Word of the Lord together.

Matthew 6:19–21 NLT

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Good morning LC!

Today we enter our next to last week of the book of Malachi.

The passages we will be dealing with today are the exact reason I appreciate preaching from 1 book and going verse by verse.

I am held to preach the Word and not skip the portions that make me feel uncomfortable.

TODAY IS GOING TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE TO SOME.

Today, the Word of the Lord has us addressing the topic of Tithing!

HOW MANY OF US STRUGGLE WITH THIS?

DON’T RAISE YOUR HAND

I DID AS A YOUNG CHRISTIAN / NOT MAKING ENOUGH / SPENDING TOO MUCH / NEVER HAVING ANYTHING LEFT OVER / OVERDRAFTS /

GOD HOW CAN I GIVE?

I AM PREACHING TODAY FROM A PLACE OF EMPATHY AND FROM A PLACE OF OVERCOMING.

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GOD’S WORD

TURN WITH ME TO

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Malachi 3:7–9 NASB95

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 a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!

THE ISSUE OF TITHE IS GOD’S RESPONSE TO, ‘HOW SHALL WE RETURN”

OF ALL THE ISSUES, GOD CHOSE TITHE, AS THE DIRECTION OF REPENTANCE.

Insulting worship - lame an stolen sacrifices (not my best but my unwanted) (1:4)

Israel is dealing with one another in treachery (cruelty, robbing, lying, etc) (2:10)

The priesthood is divorcing their wives and marrying pagan women so to be in covenant with their false gods. (2:11)

All of Judah is following the example of the Priests and divorcing their wives and making covenant with pagan gods through marriage. (2:14)

They have tolerance towards sorcery (brought in my pagan marriage), adultery (divorce of God’s daughters to marry pagans), perjury (likely lying to gain a legal divorce), economic exploitation of the most vulnerable. (3:5)

SO WHY HAS GOD CHOSEN TITHE AS THE PATH OF REPENTANCE, THE MEANS OF RETURNING TO COVENANT LOVE?

TITHE CUTS RIGHT TO THE IDOL MAKING FACTORY, THE HUMAN HEART, AND SHOWS THE SIN THAT HAS LED TO ALL THE OTHERS.

This takes us back to chapter one verse 2.

Malachi 1:2 NASB95

2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob;

God started this prophetic book by pointing out their biggest issue. They no longer believe God loves them.

They have bought into the biggest lie, “when things are going well it is because God does not love you.”

If Go does not love me,

How can I trust he will secure me?

How can I trust that obeying Him alone will lead to security and safety.

If God is not watching out for me and my family, then, I must do what ever is neccacry.

THE LAW OF TITHING CUTS RIGHT TO THE HEART OF THE ISSUE.

You will not, cannot tithe when you do not trust God.

You will rely on your own ability to bring security if you do not fully believe He loves you.

You will eventually lean on false gods and false doctrines to secure yourself.

GOD SAYS TITHE AND YOU SAY, I CAN’T.

WHY? I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH? NEXT MONTH WILL BE TIGHT? I COULD LOSE MY JOB?

OK, BUT WHY WON’T YOU TITHE?

BECAUSE I DO NOT BELIEVE GOD WILL PROVIDE?

WHY? I DON’T BELIEVE HE REALLY LOVES ME.

OUR BIGGEST ISSUE IS NOT HOW LITTLE MONEY WE HAVE, THE BIGGER ISSUE HOW LITTLE FAITH WE HAVE THAT HE LOVES US!

HERE IS THE CRAZY PART.

They were bringing the very curse they were fearful of on themselves.

God created the world to work in harmony - shalom and for us.

Sin is when we go outside of God’s created order.

This sin causes hell to break out in our lives.

We are prone to this - we have a sin problem

We like Israel do not believe God really loves us.

The curse is not God beating us. It is us walking away from His order and trying to live outside that order.

tithe is an issue of trust, trust in the goodness of God, the love of God, the power of God, and the provision of God.

When we live outside of that reality, we are living inside a curse.

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SO WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF TITHING? IS GOD POOR, DOES HE NEED OUR MONEY?

Malachi 3:10–12 NASB95

10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11 “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.

THE TITHE IS HOW GOD PARTNERS WITH US IN BEING A BLESSING.

Tithe is the means of which God uses us in His plans to be a blessing and to bring security for His people.

10% of the first fruits

Storehouse in the temple

To feed the Priest who were not given land (no ability to provide but rather must be dependent on God and His people).

To feed the most vulnerable.

SUCCESS TO THE KINGDOM SUCCESS TO YOU. SUCCESS TO THE KINGDOM SUCCESS TO ME.

ACTS 2 - SELL OFF LAND / NO ONE WENT WITHOUT

NOT ONLY DOES TITHE HAVE A PURPOSE, IT HAS A PROMISE!

Here God tells us to test Him. No where else are we called to do this.

Test Him and see if He is really Good.

Pour out a blessing up you / until it overflows onto others /

Rebuke the devourer.

All the nations will call you blessed.

The law of Blessing. Marriage, civil society, the Church - when we all live to be a blessing, we are all blessed.

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PASTOR THIS IS WONDERFUL BUT WE ARE NOT ISRAEL AND WE ARE IN THE COVENANT OF GRACE NOT THE LAW THEREFORE, THERE IS NO TITHE.

LET ME GIVE YOU TWO ARGUMENTS AGAINST THIS KIND OF THINKING.

First, tithe predates law and therefore is not an issue of grace or law but of faith in the goodness of God.

Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek the priest of Salem.

Genesis 14:20 NASB95

20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.

Jacob vowed to tithe to the Lord at Bethel.

Genesis 28:22 NASB95

22 “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

THIS IS COMPARABLE TO THE SABATH. THE SABATH WAS ESTABLISHED BEFORE THE LAW, YET IT IS PART OF THE MOSAIC LAW. TO THIS DAY WE STILL PRACTICE THE SABATH.

SECONDLY, GRACE DOES NOT LOWER THE BAR BUT RATHER RAISES THE BAR AND ENABLES US TO LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY.

Matthew 5:27–28 NASB95

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:43–45 NASB95

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

TITHING IS NOT A LAW, IT IS A PRINCIPLE AND ONE THAT WORKS.

That principle is, out of worship we are to give God our first and our best, because all we have comes from Him, and all we create is because of His goodness.

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THE PURPOSE OF TITHE IS STILL IN AFFECT TODAY.

It supports full time ministers who give themselves to the Church.

It supports the most vulnerable and those who are in need.

IF THE PURPOSE IS STILL IN AFFECT TODAY, THEN THE PROMISE IS ALSO STILL VALID TODAY.

The devourer will be stopped / blessings from God will shower over us until it over flows on to others/ The nations may rage but they will have to admit we are blessed and take care of our own and theirs.

Giving to the Lord is an act of faith in His goodness and in His provision.

It is a baramoter of our Love and faith in Him as a Good and Gracious God.

Matthew 6:19–21 NASB95

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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CONCLUSION:

THE TOPIC OF TITHING PIERCES THE VERY CENTER OF OUR TRUST ISSUES WITH GOD. IT HITS THE BULLSEYE, REVEALING THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR IDOLS.

THE SIN OF NOT TRUSTING GOD.

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Ask yourself, do you really have faith that God loves you?

Do you really believe that He rewards those who seek Him?

I am not asking you to give out of guilt.

I am not even going to ask you to give today.

I am asking you to be honest with yourself and God.

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The Best Plan,

Give before you have spent it all - 10%

Give in faith

Watch God do more with your less than you ever could with more.

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I want to end with a short testimony. Callie.