1. The story is told of a very wealthy man who, on the occasion of his daughter’s marriage, sent a check for $5,000 to the bridegroom as a wedding present. He sent it by the hand of the bride’s sister and when she returned, the man eagerly asked: “What did your new brother-in-law say when you gave the check?” The girl replied. “He didn’t say anything, but when he looked at it he began to cry.”
“And how long did he cry?” was the question. And she replied, “Oh, I imagine for about a minute.”
“Only a minute?” roared the giver, “Why, I cried for an hour after I had signed the check!”
Does giving make you cry?
2. Two weeks ago we ended our series, “On Point” by talking about our opportunities to give to God. He is our Source of blessings and we are the Streams of those blessings. We only give to Him what He has given to us.
3. The elders are continuing to take our Purpose Cards so I wanted to do one more lesson on giving from a slightly different angle.
4. Malachi 3:6-15
a. Preachers have been known to use this passage to shame their congregations into giving
b. National average in giving – 3.5%
c. Some congregations a few carry the load (one I know 90% of the budget is carried by 10% of the people; in that congregation 40+ families give 0)
d. Talk show host Dave Ramsey once observed how different America would be if all those who claimed to be Christians tithed. He said, “There would be no more welfare in North America. In 90 days, there would be… no existing church debts. And in the next 90 days, the entire world could be evangelized.”
5. So do we “tithe” – sacrificial, planned according to prospering or “tip” – minimal and affordable? Keys to our giving revolve around our God:
I. Key #1 – God is Unchanging (6)
6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.
A. No “God of the OT” and “God of the NT” – one God – Hebrews 1:12
But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
B. His Nature is Reflected in His Expectations of People
1. 10 Commandments sprinkled throughout Job
2. 10 Commandments at Sinai
3. 10 Commandments in NT
C. His Nature is Reflected in Keeping Covenant
1. Abraham 2. Moses 3. David 4. Jesus
II. Key #2 – God is Honoring to the Penitent (7)
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?’
A. Repentance (Returning to God):
1. Shows a humble, God-dependent heart
2. Enables a giving spirit (opposite of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35)
B. A Sacrifice to God – Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
1. Costly – trespass offerings
2. Emotional (Passover Lamb)
C. A Place for God – Isaiah 66:2b
But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
III. Key # 3 – God is Intolerant of Theft (8-9)
8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
A. Wealth is God’s – Psalm 50:10
For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
1. He is not a fundraiser but a people raiser
2. He teaches us to be like him in giving
B. We Can Rob God of Tithes and Offerings
1. Tithing started with Abraham (Genesis 14); Jacob (GN 28); Israel
2. “Cover, Defraud, Hide (Achan @ Ai in Joshua 7)
3. Intolerant
C. In Robbing God we Rob:
1. Rob Ourselves of Blessings to come
A minister took his son with him one night to a small church where he’d been invited to preach. At the entrance of the church building, they passed a little table with a box on it and a sign which read "Alms Box."
Reaching into his pocket, the preacher took out $10 and dropped it in. When the service was over, one of the deacons approached. "Preacher," he said, "we have a custom in this church of paying our evening minister the contents of the alms box." Whereupon he removed the lid, poured the money into the preacher’s hand, and you guessed it! One lone $10 bill.
As they made their way to the car, the boy turned to his father and said, "Hey, dad, I just thought of something. If you’d put more in, you’d have got more out."
2. Others of Blessings
IV. Key #4 – God Withstands Our Tests (10-12)
10 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. 11 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.
A. Receive Abundance (sowing and reaping principle)
B. Be a Witness (12)
12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
The owner of the Wolf Mountain Ranch in Southeastern Oklahoma had all of his cattle branded with an MX3 brand - meaning Malachi 3:10. He wore that symbol on his ties and had it burned into his furniture. When asked, he said that he desired to emphasize not only tithing but also the blessings that God promised to those who practiced it. In other words, he wanted to witness about God’s faithfulness.
1. So when we think of our God do we “tip” or “tithe” or something in between?
2. God’s giving – John 3:16
3. Our Giving: "We so loved God we gave _________________." The key is loving, sacrificial giving as God gives.
4. A preacher wrote a wealthy and influential businessman, asking for a gift for a certain mission project. He promptly received a curt refusal which ended by saying, “As far as I can see, this Christian business is just one continuous give, give, give.”
The preacher wrote back: “I wish to thank you for the best definition of the Christian life that I ever heard.”
