“God’s Designated Storehouse”
Malachi 3:6-12
Although Mosaic Law remained in effect for 15 centuries, from the time of Moses to the time of Christ’s death at Calvary, the people often ignored, defied, or buried it.
When their spiritual life was low, their giving fell off and when their spirituality revived, their giving rose again.
God sent prophets, such as Malachi, to warn them about their greed and backsliding and invite them to return to Him.
With their return God promised to meet them in reconciliation.
In our Scripture Passage for this morning there was a major problem going on—a problem that is very close to the heart of God.
If we were to look back at the verses proceeding the ones we just read we would see that bosses were defrauding their workers of their wages, people were not taking care of nor looking after the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners
And the immigrants were being deprived of justice.
The people of God were abusing people.
They were corrupt, greedy, selfish, mean, without love nor empathy, out for themselves with little interest in God.
These are things that lots of folks can probably relate to experiencing—even today.
In any event, in verse 6, God says: “I the Lord do not change.”
Then He goes on, “Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them.
Return to me, and I will return to you…
But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
Will a mere mortal rob God?
Yet you rob me.
But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
In tithes and offerings.”
You see, our relationship with God is reflected in how we give.
Giving also helps us to concentrate on the plight of others, to shake the selfish out of us, to get outside ourselves, to care, to love—giving transforms us because giving makes us more like God Who has given everything to us and for us.
But, if we keep what God gives us to ourselves, or only throw a couple bucks or a couple hundred bucks a year in the offering plate when 10% of our income is thousands of dollars—are we are robbing God?
Are we being too self-absorbed to be involved in kingdom thinking?
And, perhaps without us knowing it, are we are impairing the church from helping to transform other’s hearts so that they will pay their employees what they are owed?
Are we impairing the churches ability to lift up the widows, the orphans and foreigners, the marginalized, the oppressed, the hungry, the naked, the least and the last?
The local church is the most effective means by which God makes disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
The local church is the most effective means by which God fulfills Jesus’ mission which is to, as He announced in Luke Chapter 4, “preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed.”
But if we withhold our tithes from the church the church cannot function as it should nor accomplish what God has planned for us to do.
And so the world suffers and people go without knowing and experiencing God’s love and hearing and seeing the Good News of Jesus lived out by God’s people.
To the Church in Laodicea, in Revelation Chapter 3 Jesus says, “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’
But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”
How can that be?
How can Jesus say that?
They are rich.
But they are not rich toward God and thus toward other people.
When we give to God’s Church we the world comes to know Christ because they see Christ’s love emanating from His followers.
But when His followers don’t share Christ’s love; the world turns and says, “They are just like everyone else—greedy, stingy, miserly, uncaring, cold, hard-hearted.”
“There must be no God, or if there is, these people do not know Him.”
I want us to ask ourselves this morning…and it is only between us and God…
…are we holding back our giving to God?
Do we need to get on with what we are supposed to be about—giving our all for God—for the salvation of the world?
The Bible mentions money and our addiction to it, and our need to give—more than any other subject under the sun.
Our giving to the local church is a reflection of our relationship with God…not Red Bank United Methodist Church…but with God.
God tells us that He has a special place for His children to bring their tithes and offerings.
In the wilderness, it was the Tabernacle.
Today, the designated place is the local church.
The act of giving the substance of our lives to God goes back to the beginning of Scripture, and from the outset money was involved with the act of salvation and worship.
“Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not.”
In other words, Able brought his very best meat—the top cut.
Cain brought some already rotten broccoli.
What are we bringing God?
As you know, the Gospel is not “inside stuff”; it is something to be shared.
And in order for it to be shared we must support our local church…
…so that our outreach ministries can occur and grow…
…so that we can do what God is calling us to do…
…make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of this lost, sad, broken world!
The local church is God’s designated storehouse.
God says in Malachi 3:10: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
Test me in this and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it.”
I am convinced that if everyone in this church were to tithe, this sanctuary would be filled with new Christians—packed full of young families with children.
Are we bringing our whole tithe into the storehouse?
A little boy was scolded by his mother for taking the largest piece of pie at the dinner table.
“Son, why did you take the largest piece of pie and leave the smaller pieces for our company?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” her son replied.
Which piece would you have taken?
I would have taken the smallest piece,” she answered.
“Well Mom,” the little boy said with a smile that covered his face, “it’s still there!”
The Apostles were tithers.
In 1st Corinthians Chapter 16 Paul directs: “Now about the collection for God’s people.
Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income.”
In two New Testament accounts, Christians gave beyond 10 percent and gave all that they had.
Money is needed to pay the bills for this 50,000 square foot building which houses the Red Bank Community Food Pantry which feeds over 1,000 people a month in the name of Jesus Christ.
Money is needed to house our brand- new preschool which has 75 families bringing their children here during the week.
And preschools do not make money, they barely eek-by.
This preschool is an integral part of our evangelism strategy for the future life of this church.
If we weren’t using this Preschool to bring people to Christ we would not have it.
Nacor, our music director is teaching children songs during the week—creating a children’s choir out of the preschool children.
Isn’t that exciting?
Their first performance will be at our “Hanging of the Greens” service on Sunday, December 5th at 6 p.m.
Their parents and other family members will be coming to hear them sing.
I hope all of us will be here as well…
…enjoying the children…
…introducing ourselves to the families…
…being the ministers we are all called to be.
Robin, our Children’s Director is working with Lindsey, our Preschool Director on a daily basis.
She is getting to know the parents who bring their children here.
One of the reasons we had 600 people show up at our Trunk-or-Treat event last month was because it was promoted through the Preschool.
And look at the lives that are changed by Safe House…
…well, you do know…
…many of you are volunteers.
All these things take money, and all the other plans which are in the works take money.
Only a tithing church is able, not only pay its bills, but also expand its outreach in order to be used by God to save souls.
Giving 10% of our income is one of the opportunities God offers us as His adopted children; it is a gift of grace from God to us.
It brings us joy.
It strengthens our faith.
It makes us more generous, caring, loving.
It helps us to focus more on Jesus and less on self.
When we tithe it’s like we go into business with God.
God becomes our partner.
Now it isn’t 50-50 or even 90-10…
…because God owns everything, and we give only 10% back to Him.
What a deal, what a gracious God we have.
What an exciting opportunity and privilege to be partners in ministry with God.
In this often dreary, dog-eat-dog life we have the opportunity to be a part of something so much bigger than just ourselves.
The money we give to God is not lost.
We will see it again.
We will see it in lives that are changed, in souls that are saved, in mouths that are fed, in pews that are filled, in children that are learning that Jesus loves them for the first time ever.
You know, in all honesty, the biggest beneficiary of consistent, methodical giving is yourself, myself.
We develop a sense of inner integrity which only God alone can know…
…and that is the deepest satisfaction of all.
I didn’t start giving 10% of my income to the church until 10 or 15 years ago.
And I haven’t missed the money.
I have to remind myself that Clair and I both tithe to our churches.
Whether we make $100,000 a year or $25,000 a year we can all work toward the goal of giving 10%.
And if we do so, our relationship with God will grow and grow and grow more than we could have ever imagined…
…and that is because we are trusting God with what we have.
And we are also loosening our grip on materialism; we are being freed from that ugly monster.
Miraculously, it works.
It works amazingly well.
All those Dave Ramsey guys and the other money gurus advise their clients to give a portion—ideally 10%--of their income away…
…and these gurus are all about trying to help people manage their money better, maximize what they have and so forth.
It’s interesting.
“Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.
But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
‘Will a mere mortal rob God?
Yet you rob me.’
But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
‘In tithes and offerings.’”
Let us now bow our heads and ask God what God would have us give to His designated storehouse in the year 2022.
Now, if you have not done so, please write down your pledge on the card in your bulletin.
If you have already written a pledge card but need to adjust it, write it down on a new one.
And then bring it forward to the chancel rails and place it in one of the baskets.
Thank you and God bless you.
And may God bless Red Bank United Methodist Church through our tithes and offerings.
