After thirty years of pastoral ministry, I've learned that there are essentially three kinds of givers in the church. Some believers are characterized by flint. To get anything out of them you have to repeatedly strike them with a piece of steel, and then all you get is chips and sparks, and a lot of aggravation. Some believers are like a sponge. They give readily, but they have to be squeezed first, and the more you squeeze them the more they give. But some believers are like the honey comb - they just ooze generosity, and do so with a sweet attitude.

Let's be honest: Some believers are stingy and hard. They give nothing away if they can help it. Others are good-natured, and readily give, but only if constantly reminded, squeezed, or pressured. A few believers delight in giving because it has become a part of their nature to do so. They've discovered what it means to be cheerful givers.

God has called every believer and every church to be bold in their giving. Through our giving, our dollars become an instrument though which we touch our community, our nation, and our world with the Gospel message, and Christian ministry.

I. THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD v. 6

"For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed." (Malachi 3:6, NASB95)

immutability is a big theological word, and I know that some Baptists don't like big theological words

but immutability is a good and important theological word

it means that God does not change - He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow

our passage for this morning begins with God's self-proclaimed congruity

He says of His own nature, For I, the Lord, do not change ...

God is always true to Himself

because God is consistent, it means that we can trust Him implicitly

He doesn't change the rules half-way through the game

it also means that we can trust the consistency of His Word

it also never changes
what God said 3,000 years ago to the Prophet Malachi still rings true today 3, what-in-the-world does this have to do with tithing you ask?

A. GOD DOES NOT CHANGE AND NEITHER DO HIS PRINCIPLES OR PLANS

men are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone - this principle has never changed

this is an Old Testament doctrine as well as a New Testament doctrine

God's plan of salvation has never changed
faith has always been the means of coming into a relationship with God

the Apostle Paul was a man who was saved by faith in the risen Christ

he writes that Abraham - the father of the Jewish nation - was also saved in the same way

"For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation. For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all," (Romans 4:13-16, NASB95)

notice that Abraham is not merely the Father of the Jewish nation, but also the Father of the faithful

the only difference between my faith, and Abraham's faith is the direction of that faith

I looked backward in faith to the Christ- the anointed one - and His redemptive work on my behalf
Abraham looked forward in faith to the Christ - the anointed one - and His redemptive work on his behalf

men have always been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone

men are redeemed by the shed blood of the innocent for the guilty - this principle has never changed

this is revealed very early in the Old Testament story when God slays one of His own creatures to make cloths for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness

under God's old covenant with Israel, salvation was purchased by the blood of bulls, and goats and sheep
under God's new covenant with spiritual Israel, salvation was purchased by the blood of God's own son

blood atonement is both an Old Testament and a New Testament principle

the First Fruits of our lives still belong to God as a worthy offering that expresses our love and worship for God

the principle of First Fruits is another way of saying 'tithing'

now here's where a lot of believers begin to squeal
"Tithing?!! Why that's an Old Testament principle. Isn't that getting legalistic? After all; we're saved by grace - which if free."

but God's principles do not change

men have always been saved by faith
redemption has always been bought by the blood of the innocent for the guilty
God still deserves the First Fruits of our wealth, our time, and our abilities

in the Old Testament God demanded the First Fruits of the labor of His people

under the Old Testament religious law, the people were compelled by the covenant to tithe

it was a sign of obedience
if the people broke their vows, the covenant was negated

in the New Testament, the offering of the First Fruits is just as necessary, but the motivation is far different

now it is our love for Christ that compels us to be obedient

it's easy to give abundantly and joyously to someone you love

B. THE NEW BIRTH MAKES US NEW CREATURES

everything about us is changed

our minds are made different - we receive the mind of Christ
our spirits are made different - they are made alive in Christ
our wills are made different - they are conformed to the will of Christ through the Holy Spirit

sadly, the last thing to be made different in many believer's lives is their attitude toward wealth

ILLUS. Martin Luther, the great 161h-century Reformer once quipped; "Every man needs two conversions: The first of his heart and the second of his pocket book."
ILLUS. I once heard a story about a new convert. On the day of his baptism, his wife told him that before they headed down to the river, that he had better remember to take his wallet out of his back pocket, or he might forget and ruin everything in it. The husband replied, "No, I plan to keep it with me because I want my pocketbook baptized with the rest of me."

there are too many 'unbaptized' pocketbooks in the church today

ILLUS. In a recent survey by the Barna Research Group, some interesting figures were discovered about Christian stewardship. Fifty percent of church members give nothing, absolutely nothing, to their church. We have 303 members on the books of this church. That means that 151.5 of them are spiritual free-loaders. Twenty percent of church members give eighty percent of the church's annual income. My guess is that there are approximately one hundred people here this morning. That means that twenty people - perhaps just ten couples - are supporting the bulk of this congregation's ministry. Thirty percent of church members make up the remaining twenty percent of the church budget.

The same research also discovered that only 5% of adult Christians give a tithe of their income to the church. That means that 95% of adult believers - according to the Prophet Malachi - are robbing God.

God has not changed his attitude about the doctrine of First Fruits

the principle of tithing is as valid today as it was when God revealed His will to the Prophet Malachi

God is immutable - He does not change nor do his principles

so why do 95% of believers fail to trust God in this area of their life?

II. THE INCLINATION OF GOD'S PEOPLE TO BACKSLIDE v. 7a

"From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them...'" (Malachi 3:7, ESV)

the Bible warns us to guard our hearts

the attitudes of men, even Christian men, are often fickle
what we love today, we may suddenly hate tomorrow

we like living for Christ as long as all the benefits of the Christian life benefit us

but let the Word of God reveal the deeper truths such as tithing, and many begin to mumble and grumble about the hardness of the way
"Tithe? But Lord, that's so hard! Why, it's even unfair. Why God, I've worked hard for my money. It's mine!"

by the time of Malachi, the people of Israel had become disobedient and many were no longer practicing tithing

the result was that the people of Israel were suffering because of their sin and disobedience

A. THE LACK OF CHRISTIAN GIVING IS NOT A PROBLEM OF THE POCKETBOOK BUT A PROBLEM OF THE HEART

for those of us who tithe, that tithe has not kept us from educating our children, building a home, paying the mortgage, taking a vacation, or putting groceries on the table

Linda and I tithe our incomes

I tell you this not to boast in any way, but to let you know that I practice what I preach in this area
I'm not asking you to do something that I don't

learning to tithe is not a matter of pocketbook obedience, but heart obedience

ILLUS. Chuck Swindoll tells the story of an exceedingly rich Executive of a Fortune 500 Company who was solicited by a neighbor for a gift to the United Way. The Executive told his neighbor that he had many obligations. "Did you know that my Father's farm is about to be foreclosed on, and that my mother needs an operation?"

"Well, gosh; no,"stammered the man.

"Did you know that my brother-in-law is going to prison unless I make up a shortage in his accounts, and that if he does go to prison my sister says that she will shoot herself and the children?"

"Well, holy cow," exclaimed the solicitor.

"Well," said the executive, "If I'm not giving a dime to any of them, why should I contribute to the United Way?"

this man obviously had a heart problem

the church can obviously get along without the tithe of any one of us
but the real question is whether-or-not true believers can get along without tithing

III. THE INVITATION TO RETURN TO GOD vv. 7b-11

"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?' Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 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. 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." (Malachi 3:7-11, ESV)

God tells the Hebrews, "Return to me, and I will return to you..."

but they raised a cry of injured innocence

they inquired as to where they had gone that would necessitate a return
what had they done wrong that needed to be rectified?
what had they taken from God that needed to be restored?

the problem with the Hebrews was that they were hopelessly self-absorbed

they were not even aware that they had a spiritual problem until God came and told them
their problem, like the executive of our earlier story, was a heart problem
they had forgotten how to worship God with all their heart

what was the evidence that they had turned away from God?

they were robbing from God

"Oh yeah, sure. How have we robbed from you, God?"
God's answer - "You have robbed me of tithes and offerings."

there are believers in every church in our nation who have turned away from God, and like the Hebrews, don't even know it

they are living in stolen homes
they are driving stolen vehicles
they are eating stolen groceries
they are wearing stolen cloths

the sad truth is that there are some here this morning are also robbing God of tithes and offerings

God's people are cursed when they do not abide by His principles

"You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you." (Malachi 3:9, ESV)

A. THE PROMISE IF THEY COME BACK

God says, "Test me in this thing... and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it."

ILLUS. I cannot read that verse without thinking of one of the most powerful events I've ever witnessed. 1973 was the year of one of those "Hundred-year-floods." The Mississippi River was sending torrents of dirty brown flood waters down river. I can remember standing at the foot of Lock and Dam 23 at Alton watching the water pour through the floodgates. The sound was deafening. The water thundered through the wide-open floodgates at millions of gallons a second. The floodgates could not have been closed if they had tried.

this is an illustration of God's promise to us

IV. LESSONS FROM MALACHI

A. First, Christians are encouraged to tithe as recognition of God's ownership

everything belongs to God, not just 10%

God owns everything and we are His managers

# when we tithe we are being good mangers of all that God has given us

tithing helps us to resist materialism and selfishness

tithing helps us to be less self-centered and focus more on God as the creator of the earth and all that is in it

B. Second, Christians are encouraged to tithe because blessings are dependent upon our obedience

the Scripture clearly teaches that God desires our obedience in bringing the tithe and offerings to His storehouse
it also seems to be clear that obedience leads to His blessings

Malachi exhorted the people to give tithes and offerings to God as a means to receive His blessings
we become a witness of God's goodness when we bring the tithe into the storehouse

C. Third, encouraging the tithe teaches Christian discipline

1. many of you were taught from a very early age to give a tithe of what you have earned

as a child you were taught to give a tithe and that practice has become a discipline in your life
giving a tithe doesn't just happen when we feel like it - it is the result of discipline

ILLUS. When asked whether-or-not he tithed, John P. Rockefeller responded, /"Yes, I tithe, and I would like to tell you how it all came about. I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother. My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I went to work, I took the $1.50 home to my mother and she held the money in her lap and explained to me that she would be happy if I would give a tenth of it to the Lord.

I did, and from that week until this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I want to say, if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made. Tell your readers to train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord."/

it's a discipline that can be learned at any stage of life

D. Last, tithing brings glory to God

when Christians tithe God is glorified and we bear witness to the world of the life-changing power of the Gospel
as we bring our tithes to the church we make it possible for the Gospel to be shared with all nations and people
it all begins with a conscious act on our part to be obedient to God by recognizing His ownership and then responding by giving the tithe to God

The language of Malachi is plain. The principle it teaches about our stewardship are as true today as when God first revealed them to the Prophet. If we will acknowledge God and His claims on us; if we will give to Him the First Fruits of our labor from a loving heart, then He will pour out upon us all of these promises of blessings. Let us ask the question of ourselves - Am I robbing God? and in asking that question, to ask yourself, "Am I robbing myself of God's blessings?"

Encourage the Tithe