Money Matters Part Ii

Title: “Money Matters Basics: Tithing” Scripture: Mal. 3:6-12

Type: Topical Where: GNBC 11-10-24

Intro: “Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who made a fortune by inventing dynamite and explosives for weapons. When Nobel’s brother died, a newspaper accidentally printed Alfred’s obituary instead. He was described as a man who became rich by enabling people to kill each other with powerful weapons. Shaken by this assessment, Nobel resolved to use his fortune to reward accomplishments that benefited humanity, including what we now know as the Nobel Peace Prize. Let us put ourselves in Nobel’s place. Let us read our own obituary, not as written by people but as would be written from heaven’s point of view. Then let us use the rest of our lives to edit that obituary into what we really want it to be.” (Crown Financial p. 168) Have you ever thought about the eternal impact your finances can and should have as a believer? Do you know what God’s minimum standard is for the faithful Christian to give?

Prop: Examining Mal. 3:6-12 we’ll better understand God’s requirement of the tithe.

BG: 1. November is Stewardship Month. Today is part 2 in “Money Matters Basics”. Discuss tithing. What is tithing? Dedication of 10% of one’s income to the Lord’s work.

Prop: Let’s Exam. Mal. 3 to understand God’s requirement to tithe.

I. Tithing Distinctly Demonstrates the Disparity Between God & Man’s Character. vv.6-7

A. Assurance of God’s Immutability Should Encourage the Christian to Trust His Faithfulness.

1. Ultimately the challenge to honor God with our resources is based on our understanding and trust in His faithfulness.

a. “I do not change…” Theologians call this the “immutability of God. God’s nature doesn’t change. God’s requirements don’t change. God’s definitions don’t change. God’s standards don’t change. Sometimes the Bible uses anthropomorphic language to give the appearance of change so we can understand better His response. However, God’s fundamental nature does not change. Gives us absolute confidence in Him and His faithfulness. Illust – Unstable people happy one moment and fly off the handle the next. No confidence in them or their response. No the case with God.

b. One of the modern arguments against tithing is the assertion that God has a different standard in the OT as opposed to the NT. “Tithing is OT Law but we are NT Christians and we are under grace.” Really? Tithing preceded the OT Law by hundreds of years. Illust: The first instance of tithing we see in the OT is in Genesis 14:18-20, where Abraham gives a tithe to Melchizedek (Who was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ), the priest-king of Salem, in appreciation for Abraham’s victorious battle. Now, I want us to really carefully think this through…If Malachi under Divine inspiration begins this section which is about tithing, with a reference to God’s immutable character, and he is chastising Israel for not tithing because God doesn’t change, the argument for a different basic minimal standard of the tithe in the NT is ludicrous and the exact opposite of what he is declaring in this passage.

2. God addresses the Character of His disobedient people.

a. Notice the name God calls disobedient Israel by in this passage: “Jacob”. The response to the nation as “Jacob” and not “Israel” here is purposeful. The name “Israel” means “God perseveres” or “Prince of God” or even “Prevails with God”. The name “Jacob” meant: “To supplant, overreach, or circumvent”. Literally “heel grabber” because as Jacob was being born in Gen. 25:26, he grasped the heel of his twin brother Esau. “Israel” was the name he was given after a lifetime of deceitful living after the long night of his soul when he finally decided to trust his life and future to God completely (Gen. 32:27ff).

b. Illust: Some of you may be thinking: “Why the history lesson Chris?” It’s vital to see that God is calling Israel by their old name. They are living carnally. They are not trusting God. They are not living by faith. They are attempting to supplant, overreach, and circumvent God’s plans with their own plans and wisdom jut as their namesake had roughly 1500 years before! Christian, when you and I attempt to reason and rationalize away God’s ownership of our stuff/finances, we too are living like Jacob, not trusting, not living by faith, but rather, attempting to supplant, overreach, and circumvent God’s plans with our own plans.

B. Man’s Inconstant Nature is Highlighter by Israel’s Disobedience and Neglect in v.7

1. Notice the Charge that God brings against the Jewish remnant in this passage.

a. “you have turned aside” – It is a figurative expression. It is making a comparison between turning aside from a path with disobedience to the Law of God. For Israel to follow the Law was idiomatic with following ‘the way”. Isn’t it interesting that in Acts 9 & 19 there are multiple references to the Church or Christianity in general as “The Way” (Acts 9:1-2, 19:8-9,23,23-41). The nuance here is that as long as Israel was not faithfully using their resources as how God had prescribed, they were still off the path and had not turned back yet.