The “Trust” Fund
Malachi 3:6-12 6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
God is interested in your money. Not because He needs your money…for He certainly does not!…but because YOU need it! Since you are important to God, your money is important to God.
God is interested in how you secure it/spend it/save it/share it. Immediately, some people say…don’t talk about money! Talk about something spiritual. That kind of statement shows a lack of Biblical knowledge, and a lack of spiritual insight. For nothing is more spiritual than how you handle your money. It is the supreme test of where our heart is.
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Adrian Rogers: “a faith that hasn’t reached your wallet, probably hasn’t reached your heart.”
Money is something we use everyday, it’s our medium of exchange, our very survival depends on it. How can Jesus Christ be Lord, and not be Lord over our money? How can he care about us, and not care about that which is so intrinsically tied to our very survival?
“But, it’s uncomfortable…I don’t like it when the preacher talks about money.” If that’s true, you would not have liked the preaching of Jesus Christ. When He walked this earth, he gave 36 parables, and 16 of them had to do w/ our attitude toward money! 1 out of every 10 verses in the NT deals w/ our attitude toward money!
Verses about faith…about 500 / prayer—500 / money—over 2,000
Remember the story Jesus told about the widow’s mites? The Pharisees were giving their large offerings, and the little lady gave her 2 mites. That whole story has to do w/ our attitude toward money. If God’s not interested in money, then why include that story in His Word?
Unjust steward—Lk. 16…at the end of the story Jesus said, if you have not been faithful w/ your money, who do you expect to commit to you the true riches? That whole story has to do w/ our attitude toward money. If God’s not interested in money, then why include that story in His Word?
Rich Young Ruler—came to Jesus and asked what he had to do to be His follower…Jesus said, sell all you have, come and follow me. But he couldn’t do it, he went away sorrowful, because he didn’t own his possessions…they owned him! That whole story has to do w/ our attitude toward money. If God’s not interested in money, then why include that story in His Word?
Clearly, God is interested in your money!
I’ll tell you who else is interested in your money…Satan! It is his desire to keep you under a curse/in bondage. And the best way he can do that is to affect your attitude toward money in a negative way.
Ever use fly paper? It has on its surface a sweet, honey-like substance, which is also very sticky. It’s a simple principle: the fly approaches saying, I want the honey, want the honey, want the honey! He lands and begins to eat, saying, I got the honey, got the honey, got the honey…and he tries to leave and the paper says, I got the fly, got the fly, got the fly!
Many people today run around saying, I want the money, want the money, want the money…and before they know it, the money has got them!
So yes, God is interested in your money/so is Satan…
…and one more person is interested in your money: You are! You know you are!
By the way, let me just say that because several of you already get this message and could probably preach it better than I could, our per capita giving is fairly high. And it has remained so without an imbalanced plea from your pastor to give more. You guys are amazing! However, just as we preach the basics of repentance and forgiveness regardless of how many people already get it, it is my responsibility as your pastor to preach the basics of honoring God with His money.
So our church average is pretty good. But obedience is not about a church average, it’s all about what YOU give.
The word “tithe” literally means tenth…ten percent…it’s God’s perfect plan. The wisdom of God planned for us a method of giving which is completely fair and equal to all who will obey, no matter what you make!
No, I can’t make sure everyone is walking in obedience…but I can make sure and preach it just like God said it. I don’t work on a commission, and this message is not self serving!
3:7 We don’t give to God, we return to Him, for He owns it all anyway.
3 groups in this room right now:
1. It’s all mine/I worked/earned it/deserve it/can do what I want to…and when offering plate goes by, they say, I can give if I want to, but I don’t have to. If I feel led to give a dollar, I will/$20…but it’s all mine, I can do what I want with it.
2. Tithe belongs to God, and the rest is mine (90%). In obedience I give Him 10%, and with the rest, I’ll do what I want to with the rest.
3. It all belongs to God…the tithe/the rest of it. I return to Him what He has commanded, and He entrusts me with the rest of His money. Just because I return the tithe, that doesn’t give me the right to do whatever I want w/ the rest of it. I still have to pray about every expenditure/my lifestyle…and be a good steward of ALL of His money. I will be judged someday for what I do w/ this…and with this!
There is a huge difference between the first 2 groups, and the 3rd group. These first 2 say, I am the owner, and I share w/ God.
First-I share w/ God when I want to
Second-I share w/ God because I have to
Third-It’s all God’s, and He shares w/ me!
Now that we understand we are to return the tithe…what is the tithe?
I. A Definite Proportion
10% is a simple calculation, it’s as simple as moving the decimal point 1 place to the left. What is the tithe on $100/$1,000/$482
Since the beginning of time, tithing has been God’s method. God’s people all throughout history have maintained the practice of returning to God the first 10%.
“That’s the old testament law!”
No, God put that in the heart of His people long before the law was ever given.
Genesis 14:17-20 17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
The tithe: Abraham commenced it
Genesis 28:22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
Jacob continued it
Then Moses came along, and God gave him the law:
Leviticus 27:30-32 30 "'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 The entire tithe of the herd and flock-- every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod-- will be holy to the LORD.
Moses commanded it
A few hundred years later, Malachi confirmed it, we read that a moment ago.
Then, a few years later, Jesus commended it:
Matthew 23:23 23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-- mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-- justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Jesus said, you were right to have tithed, but you also should have done these other things…tithing is a basic foundation, but there’s much more to add to that…and tithing is not an excuse for unholy living. You can’t buy God off…but notice, He does commend them for being obedient in the tithe. [also, tithing is not “serving God” in total…a good start, but not enough!]
Abraham commenced it/Jacob continued/Moses commanded/Malachi confirmed/Jesus commended it…who am I to cancel it?
Besides, the NT always demands more than the old! (kill-hate/adultery-lust)
It has always been God’s method…He has always used His people to do His work.
As one preacher said, the water of life flows freely here, but the plumbing costs money! [utility bills/mortgage payment/ministry to kids and teens, missionary support/ transportation, supplies, etc.
And for those we mentioned before, tithing wasn’t just a duty, it was a delight!
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. We need to print bumper stickers that say, tithe if you love Jesus, any fool can honk!
Tithing is a privilege! And it’s a definite proportion.
II. A Designated Place (to bring it to)
The local church where you have your membership, or where you are fed, if not a member.
Mal. 3:10 “storehouse” A reference to the OT temple. Part of the temple was the storehouse…this was an agricultural society. When they harvested, they brought the first tenth of their wheat/corn, etc. and put it in the storehouse. When their herds gave birth, they took one out of ten to the storehouse.
It was used to feed the priests/for animal sacrifices/medium of exchange to continue the work of God.
The tithe was brought to the place where the people worshipped. Today, that’s the local, NT church. Some think they have a “side deal” w/ God, or that He has “told them” to put their tithe somewhere else…but what He tells us is in this passage…they are talking about rationalization.
“We come together on God’s day, w/ God’s people, to study God’s Word, and we ought to bring w/ us, God’s tithe”
Also, tithe where you are fed…don’t eat and run, you wouldn’t do it at a restaurant…don’t do it at church…and don’t send your tithe to para-church organizations! You want to give to them, fine, give over and above the tithe, which you’re commanded to bring to the storehouse from which you are fed! (try going to McD’s and saying, I have a burden for Burger King, I’ll send it to them!)
God has promised to meet the needs of CLC whether you tithe or not/my needs…my salary doesn’t change by one dime if you start tithing…but if you do decide to tithe…you can expect a great blessing!
3:10 “prove me”….that’s an important phrase which means “put me to the test”, “try me”! Normally, we’re not supposed to tempt God, but in this case, He says, it’s an unconditional promise, “put me to the test…see if I won’t bless you for it…I will pass that test!”
Ever heard someone say, “I can’t afford to tithe”? That is not a viable statement. Don’t ever be caught saying that, for it reveals that you’re tithing last, instead of first.
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.
That kind of person looks at their budget and says, I’m going to deal w/ all these obligations, and then, if I can afford it, I’m gonna tithe…oops! Look here, I can’t afford it! Don’t give God the leftovers!
God says in Malachi, try me…try this…see if I won’t open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing bigger than you’re even capable of receiving!…see if I am able to take the other 90%, and make it go much farther than 100% ever possibly could.
Then He goes a step farther in v. 11, look at it:
“rebuke the devourer”
These agricultural people had enemies to their crops:
Floods/drought/locusts, etc.
And God said, put me first, and I’ll rebuke these enemies of your finances.
Now, most of us aren’t farmers, but do we have enemies to our finances? Sure! They’re called hospital bills/car repairs/tuition/fuel/
How will you fare w/ 90% and God as your partner?
How are you doing w/ 100%…how’s your plan workin’?
(in some cases, seems fine. Remember, Satan can reward disobedience too!)
“If God really blesses me, I’ll tithe” (cart before horse)
“We can’t afford to add that to our bills”
-I’m not trying to put you into a straight-jacket, I’m trying to set you free!
“But we’ve got a lot of debt”
Hey, you can talk about financial freedom all you want, but as a believer, you’ll never be free until you obey this…no Christian can skip over this step. When you tithe, there’s always a blessing, and when you don’t, there’s always a curse!
v. 8-9 curse
Definite portion/Designated Place/for…
III. A Divine Purpose
Ill.—in Africa, there’s a certain monkey that’s considered a delicacy to eat. They have a proven method for capturing these monkeys. The build a little box, put a hole in the side of the box, and fill the box w/ nuts and fruit. The hole is just big enough for the monkey to slide his hand thru, but once he grabs the food, making a fist, he can’t get it back out thru the hole! And he will stand there for hours, rather than to drop the food!
Matter of fact, he’s so greedy for the food, the natives can actually walk right up to him, and knock him in the head…he would rather die than to drop that food.
There’s undoubtedly people here today who are committing financial suicide, because they won’t let go of the tithe!
Who’s in Charge? Tell God He’s in charge of your finances, by returning the tithe! It’s a trust fund!
Never been saved? All God wants from you IS you! He gave everything for you! Christian, will you give everything to Him?
[Sermon adapted from Jerry Shirley, sermoncentral.com]
