Giving to God

This morning I had a totally different message planned, I actually planned on continuing our study in Acts with next part of the story of the healing of the Lame man, where Peter begins to preach his message.

But as I came in this morning and was praying, God started to speak to me, I have had a burden on me for quit some time, and it has been heavy, and it has gotten really heavy lately.

God said it is time, and I said okay, but what do I say, He said, there is a message.

So this morning we will not be in Acts but God willing we will pick back up next week in Acts.

This morning we are going to the Old Testament, to a subject that I really do not want to preach on, actually I do not believe I have every preached on it, because it is one that you hear people say every time I go to church, that pastor preaches on money.

Well I can tell you this is a first or maybe a second for me in seven years, which really is not good, but any ways, this morning we will be in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament.

This morning we are talking about Giving to God, and again will be in the book of Malachi and chapter 3.

I am not sure how many of you have noticed or even know it, but on the back of your bulletin, toward the bottom is a Financial report, which is what was recieved in the offering from the week before.

If you have a bulletin and flip it over at the top it says, welcome to Red Level, then it has our deacons names and numbers, then a little welcome paragraph, a picture of our arena, and the financial report.

Last week our offering was 310.00 dollars, the week before it was 525.00 dollars. Therefore, for the last two weeks we have brought in 835.00 dollars.

Now granted we have had some people out, some traveling, and believe me I know we are facing some major inflation right now, with everything.

Things are tough for everyone, and there does not look like much of a end in sight.

And believe me this is the last message I wanted to preach this morning, but when God says speak, I open my mouth.

I have been praying a lot about this financial low right now in the church, we are paying more in bills than we are bring in, through our offerings.

And because of that, and normally I would not make this, but I really feel like God is telling me too, I will be taking a 100.00 a week pay cut starting in July, until the churches finances pick up.

I also struggle to know how to give my tithes, but that is something God has convicted me of recently, that it must be, no ands ifs or buts, it must be first and foremost before anything else.

And He will supply all my needs, He has proved it to me in the past and He will show it to me again now.

A matter of a fact He tells us this in His word, which we see in our text this morning. If you are able please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Malachi 3:8–12 (CSB)

8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!”

“How do we rob you?” you ask.

“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. 9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing me. 10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Armies. 12 “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Armies.

Pray

I. Robbing God

God had commanded the Israelites to give of a tithe, a tenth of what he had given them.

This started early on in the Old Testament, we could actually say we see it with Cane and Able, but then Abraham, which at the point in story was still called Abram, gave a tenth of what he gathered from a battle to the priests Melchizedek in Genesis 14:20.

By giving back to God a tithe that ten percent of what He has provided us, we acknowledge His sovereignty, expressed gratitude to him, and demonstrate faith that he would continue to provide.

When we do this we come under the cover of His covenant. Which means we come under God’s promises.

I hear people say, well, the command to tithe was abolished when Jesus came in the New Testament.

Matthew 5:17 CSB

17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

And they use this verse out of context, thinking that this gives them away out.

But what Jesus was saying here, is that he came to fulfill the law, that is to live by it perfectly, or sinless, in order that he could go to the cross as a blameless, spotless, and perfect sacrificial lamb for our sins.

The practice and purpose of tithing continued into the New Testament, because Jesus continues the priesthood of Melchizedek who received the tithe.

Our level of spiritual seriousness and development will always show up in our checkbooks.

We have to have faith that God will take care of us, that He will supply our needs.

Statistics typically report that the average local church is supported by twenty percent of its members and that the average Christian gives less than three percent of his or her income to God.

Many times when it comes to giving to God, we hold back worried we will not have enough to pay the bills.

But amazingly when we get out to the car, and we start to think about lunch, the bills are no longer a concern, we are thinking about what restaurant we should go to, what store we need to stop at.

We cannot accomplish Kingdom work when we rob God.

Now I know some people think, well, if your are going to take a 100 dollar a week pay cut then we do not need to give as much any ways, well let me tell you, that the tithes and offerings go to a lot more than just my pay.

The A/C that you are enjoying right now, comes from your tithes and offerings, the electric which supplies the A/C, the water, the yard being mowed, and the buildings being cleaned, all comes through your tithe and offerings, the building insurance, and many many other things besides my salary comes from tithes and offerings, but yes it comes from there too.

And there is a difference from tithe and offerings, a tithe is the ten percent that we are told to give, the tenth of everything we are to return back to God, an offering is above and beyond that ten percent.

II. Suffering

Malachi 3:9 CSB

9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing me.

Here God is telling the people you are suffering under a curse, why are they suffering under a curse because they have been disobedient.

God had already warned the people, and this was nothing new to the Israelites, they should have known if they are not obedient then God will bring judgment or curses against them for their disobedience.

He tells them earlier in Malachi 2:2

Malachi 2:2 CSB

2 If you don’t listen, and if you don’t take it to heart to honor my name,” says the Lord of Armies, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart.

Therefore, they have been warned either turn their hearts back to God, honor him by being obedient to his commands, his laws, his teachings or else there will be curses.

He tells them in our text there you are under a curse, why because they are robbing Him.

How were they robbing God, well, He had just told them that in verse 8, in tithes and offerings.

Therefore, for this curse to be removed they had to turn back to God and honor him again by giving of their tithes and offerings.

III. Test Me.

Malachi 3:10–12 CSB

10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Armies. 12 “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Armies.

Here God says, you want the curse gone, well, bring the full tenth into the storehouse, bring the your full tithe into the church, that the needs may be meet.

He did not say bring what you can afford after you have paid your bills, see the original command was the first fruits of your labor.

That is the first tenth, not the last tenth, or what was left over, but the first tenth, the top tenth, that is when you get paid, your write the tenth before anything else, then pay your bills.

I have heard people say, do I give off my gross or net, the answers I have heard is this, do you want God to bless your gross or net.

Do you want God to bless your pay before taxes are taken out or after they are taken out, that is how you figure it out.

God continues with test me, go ahead and give your tithes, and see if I do not supply your needs. Give above and beyond your tenth and see if He does not bless your beyond that.

I have heard people say it all my life, you cannot out give God, and they will say if you think you can, just try.

See he says there, Test me, and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.

Now let me say this, not every blessing from God is financial or material, some times they are just heavenly blessing which Jesus told us to lay up any ways.

Matthew 6:20–21 CSB

20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The greatest blessing I have ever recieved have been things that were not financial or material, the greatest blessing was my Salvation, then my wife, then my three daughters, the three grandchildren, my parents, my grandparents, and it has been a blessing to still have my grandmother with me.

God says I will pour out blessings, and I will rebuke the devourer, that is Satan for you, that is if we are obedient to God in what he has called us to do, if we give our tithes and offerings, God will rebuke, he will chase Satan off from us.

The text continues, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit.

This was the peoples way of living and therefore, God was saying I will not allow Satan to interrupt your job.

Then verse 12 says, then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land.

Another words, you will prosper if you are obedient to what God has called us to do, which is to give tithes and offerings.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 CSB

6 The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.

God calls and commands us to give back to him what he has given to us, we are to do this with a cheerful heart, that is we are not to give out of duty, or because that is what we are commanded to do, but because we love God and we want to do it out of our love relationship to God.

When we hear this text we may think oh I can give and God is going to pour out the money on top of me and I am going to be rich, or that pastor Chris is preaching one of those prosperity gospels this morning.

Well let me say, those who preach the prosperity gospel through this text misuse this passage.

Understand: God does not promise to give you earthly wealth when you give generously to the kingdom. He’s not a slot machine.

What is a blessing from God, then?

It’s experiencing, enjoying, and extending the goodness of God in your life. After all, you can have money and not be blessed. You can be wealthy and have no joy or peace.

You can have all the money in the world, all the fame in the world, all the power in the world, but until you have a relationship with Jesus, you will not have peace, and if you have that relationship with Jesus and are not being obedient to his commands and teachings then you will not have peace.

Therefore, this morning the question is, first, do you have a relationship with Jesus, a personal intimate relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

Then second, are you being obedient to Jesus as Lord, following his commands and teachings found in the entire Word of God?

If not as we sing a song of invitation, the altar is open for you to come and repent, to come and get right with God, to come and receive him as your Lord and Savior, if you need prayer, salvation, baptism, church membership I will be down front here.