Scripture
Author John MacArthur wrote that you and I spend 50 percent of our time thinking about money—how to get it, how to spend it, how to save it, and how much of it we need to pay for different things. If we spend that much time thinking about money, it is obviously very important to us.
You would think that with all that time and thought put into acquiring money, we would be good at managing our finances. But the truth is that most of us are not good at managing our finances.
Financial author Ron Blue has called our attention to the following facts:
• 60% of couples in marital counseling say money is the problem,
• 80% of Americans owe more than they own,
• 85% of Americans at age 65 have not saved $250,
• Only 2% of Americans are financially independent at age 65,
• The other 98% of Americans depend on relatives, seek help from charities, or continue to work to survive, and
• The average American churchgoer gives only 2.5% of his income to the work of God through the church.
Because we spend so much of our time and energy thinking about money, earning it, spending it, fighting over it, and because we handle it so poorly, God talks a lot about money in the Bible.
The Bible has over 2,350 references to money and the management of money. Of Jesus’ 38 parables, 16 deal with money. One out of every 10 verses in the Gospels has to do with money or possessions—a total of 288 verses. It has been said that Jesus talked more about money than about any subject other than love.
One of the major financial themes discussed in God’s word is giving. God talks so much about giving because he knows that you and I will never get the rest of our financial house in order until we get our giving straightened out. And in talking to his people about money, God is not shy. He doesn’t pull any punches. He tells it like it is.
This morning I want to take you to a passage that could change your giving life and, as a result, improve your financial life in a radical way. Turn to Malachi 3:7-12. In this passage, God confronts the people of Israel about their giving. And what he said then applies in many ways to us today. Let us read Malachi 3:7-12:
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. (Malachi 3:7-12)
Introduction
Four weeks ago I began a new series of messages titled, “Taking the ‘Stew’ Out of Stewardship.” This is the fifth and final week of Forward by Faith, our Capital Stewardship Campaign. The leadership of the Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church believes that God is calling our church family to move forward by faith to fulfill the mission that he has set before us.
The mission of the Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church is to bring people to Jesus Christ and membership in his church family, develop them to Christlike maturity, equip them for their ministry in the church and life mission in the world, in order to magnify God’s name.
Today, every one in our church family will have the opportunity to participate in making a commitment to Forward by Faith. The Session has approved a campaign target of $575,000 to be given over a period of three years for three specific goals: (1) to retire our current mortgage early, (2) to refurbish our grounds and facility, and (3) to add pastoral staff. The leadership of our church has already committed $168,015 towards Forward by Faith.
Lesson
As I mentioned, God is not shy about talking about money. In today’s passage, Malachi 3:7-12, we learn that when we return to God with obedient giving, he will return to us with financial blessing. God confronts us with two challenges regarding our giving:
1. We are robbing God when we are disobedient in our giving (3:8-9), and
2. We can trust God to bless us financially when we are obedient in our giving (3:10-12).
I. We Are Robbing God When We Are Disobedient in Our Giving (3:8-9)
First, we are robbing God when we are disobedient in our giving. Malachi teaches us some important truths.
A. Robbing God is a Terrible Act (3:8a)
First, robbing God is a terrible act.
The Lord asked in verse 8a: “Will a man rob God?” This is a rhetorical question expressing shock.
For a man to rob the God to whom he owes his existence, and every good gift he enjoys in life, is unthinkable! If we are guilty of robbing God in our giving, we have committed a terrible sin.
B. Many of God’s People Are Regularly Robbing God (3:8b)
Second, many of God’s people are regularly robbing God.
The Lord said in verse 8b: “Yet you rob me.” This was an ongoing, regular practice by God’s people. God’s observation, indeed God’s declaration, was that his people were robbing him.
And what took place several thousands of years ago has not stopped. Many of God’s people are still regularly robbing God. Believers who rob God are like a mugger who robs the same victim repeatedly. When the offering is received every Sunday morning, they rob God all over again.
C. It Is Possible to Rob God without Being Aware of It (3:8c)
Third, it is possible to rob God without being aware of it.
The people of God rebelliously sneered the question at God, “How do we rob you?” (3:8c).
Their spiritual insensitivity and rebellion against God caused them to forget God’s commands to give tithes and offerings.
You may be robbing God without even being aware of it, but God still holds you responsible. However, if you are not aware of God’s instructions about giving, your guilt is less than the person who has heard the teaching and yet disobeys. Nevertheless, you are still guilty of robbing God.
D. Believers Rob God When They Disobey His Commands on Giving (3:8d)
Fourth, believers rob God when they disobey his commands on giving.
In response to their surprised, sneering question about how they were robbing God, he said, “In tithes and offerings” (3:8d). God explained that the Israelites were robbing him by failing to bring the tithes and offerings.
The word “tithe” literally means “tenth.” As one studies the texts of Scripture, one discovers that from the time of Moses to the time of Jesus there were in fact three annual tithes in effect. The first tithe was called the Levites’ tithe, the second tithe was the festival tithe, and the third tithe was the poor tithe. Let’s look at each of these tithes more closely.
The first tithe was the Levites’ tithe. The nation was divided into twelve tribes. One whole tribe, the Levites, served as the nation’s priests and did not receive land as an inheritance. The tithe from all the other tribes was a taxation that went to supply the needs of the Levites. And so Numbers 18:20-21 says: “The LORD said to Aaron, ‘You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites. I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.’”
The second tithe was the festival tithe. This tithe was to be brought to the central sanctuary appointed by God. The purpose of this tithe was to stimulate devotion to the Lord and national unity among all the people. It was like a national potluck because it made everybody share. We read about this in Deuteronomy 12:4-7: “You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.”
The third tithe was the poor tithe. Deuteronomy 14:28-29 says: “At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” Here is a third tithe that went to the poor. This was welfare, and it was required every third year.
So we have 10%, 10%, and 3.3% (that is 10 % every third year) that was required by God. So when someone says that the Jews gave 10% a year, that’s just plain wrong. They gave 23.3% per year. And all of that was required giving. The tithe was never related to freewill giving; the tithe was a required taxation.
Now, offerings (or freewill giving) were given to God in gratitude for his blessings over and above tithes. Exodus 25:1-2 says: “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.’”
Now this doesn’t refer to one of their tithes. It was whatever they were willing to give from their hearts. That’s a beautiful spirit, and that’s the way it had always been. God didn’t tell Abram how much to give when he was joyous; he just gave what was in his heart. God didn’t tell Abel what to give; he just gave as his heart prompted him to give. God didn’t tell Noah what to give when he made an offering to God after the flood; he gave as his heart prompted him to give.
In the New Testament, believers are not commanded to give a specified percent or amount of their income. We are no longer required to give 23.3% of our income to God.
Instead God provides guidelines to help us know how much we should give.
The first guideline is sacrificial giving. We read in 2 Corinthians 8:2-3: “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” They gave out of deep poverty—more than they could afford. They gave sacrificially.
In the account of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44), Jesus taught that the value of giving is not determined by the amount of the gift, but by the extent of the sacrifice. Giving that costs you nothing has little value in God’s eyes. To please God, you must give until you have to sacrifice to do so.
The second guideline is proportional giving. We should give in proportion to our level of prosperity. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” We are to give an amount determined by the level of our financial prosperity. The more money we make, the greater the percentage of it we give to God. We not only give more money when our income goes up, but we are to give a greater percentage of our income when it goes up.
The key to proportional giving is the use of a percentage. We should choose a percent of our income to give and use it on a regular basis to plan our giving. But, that raises the question, “What percentage should I give?” I believe that most of us have received such prosperity from God that we should start with a minimum of 10%. This would seem the least we can do since all our money belongs to God anyway. Moreover, most families could live off the 90% left over after giving 10%.
Some believers could be giving 15, 20, 50% or more of their income to the Lord’s work. Frank Barker was the founding pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL. I believe he was the pastor of that church for about 40 years before he retired several years ago. The Lord wonderfully blessed the ministry of Frank Barker. Briarwood Presbyterian Church is one of the largest churches in the PCA, with about 8,000 communicant members. They have started scores of ministries impacting the city, region, and the world with the gospel of God’s grace. In fact, I read about a year ago in The Barna Update that the city of Birmingham has one of the highest percentages of Christians in the nation. Personally, I have no doubt that part of the reason for that statistic is Briarwood Presbyterian Church and Frank Barker. Anyway, Frank started by giving 10% to the Lord. Over the years, he and his family maintained a very simple lifestyle so that by the time he retired he gave 75% of his income to the Lord! God wonderfully blessed Frank for his proportional giving.
Don’t let a 10% guideline limit your generosity to Christ! According to Rod Rogers, the sad reality is that only about 4% of the members of churches in the USA give 10%. Only about 30-40% of church members even use a percentage guide. Only about 50% of members even knew what percentage of their income they did give. It is very difficult to be giving according to the level of prosperity God has blessed you with if you don’t even use a percentage to figure your giving!
Let me make another point about proportional giving: It is important that you work to grow in your giving like you do in every other aspect of your Christian life.
You work to grow in self-discipline, love, faith, and service. If your income rises, God may also want you to keep growing in the percent of your income you give to him. Some people make it a goal to increase their giving by 1% every year.
Withholding our giving from God is robbery because it is hoarding money that belongs to him.
The Bible teaches that God owns all our money. For example, the Lord says in Haggai 2:8, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine.” And David says in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
If all my money belongs to God, and I refuse to give it back to him in the way he commands, I’m stealing from God.
Suppose you deposit a large sum of money in your checking account at the bank. Then one day you walk up to the teller and put in a request to withdraw $200.00. But the teller says, “I’m sorry, Sir, but you can’t have your money.”
“Why not?” you ask.
“Because Mr. Arnold, the president of the bank has used your money to buy a new BMW.”
Of course you would be shocked and outraged. “This is robbery!” you exclaim.
Yet, when we refuse to return of the wealth God has entrusted to our care, we commit a similar outrage against God.
E. One Result of Robbing God May Be Financial Trouble (3:9)
And finally, one result of robbing God may be financial trouble.
The Lord said in Malachi 3:9, “You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.” God had cursed Israel’s income because they had robbed him of the tithes and he required and the offerings he desired.
Today, ironically, people often rob God of his money because they think they can’t afford to give. They say, “If I give 10% to the church, I won’t have enough left over to meet my own needs.”
That’s exactly what the people of Israel thought: “If I bring all those tithes to the temple, I’ll go broke!”
But Malachi is saying that your financial troubles may be due to your failure to give to God. The great 19th century preacher, Charles Spurgeon, put it succinctly: “Many are poor because they rob God.”
The Israelites were suffering financially because they were disobedient to God’s commands to give. That may explain why some among us have financial problems. Why should God bless us with more money when we are so selfish with what he gives us?
Would you continue to make deposits in a bank after discovering that your bank manager had stolen your money and refused to give it back?
So, God’s first challenge regarding our giving is that we are robbing God when we are disobedient in giving.
II. We Can Trust God to Bless Us Financially When We Are Obedient in Our Giving (3:10-12)
Second, we can trust God to bless us financially when we are obedient in our giving.
God promised tremendous financial blessings to Israel for obedient giving. He began by commanding them to return to giving in complete obedience to the law. God said in verse 10a, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” They were to bring the whole tithe, and not just part of the tithe. They were to be fully obedient to his commands to give.
Then God commanded them to test him to see if he would keep his promise to bless them. God said in verse 10b: “Test me in this.” This is the only place in the Bible where God invites his people to put him to the test in anything. He does so because he knows that giving is the hardest area in which to trust him. It takes faith to believe that you’ll be better off financially by giving your money away than by keeping it. So God says, “Put me to the test, try me, accept my challenge, and put me in a position where if I break my promise you will suffer.”
Now, I want you to notice God’s promise of blessing to Israel. First, God promised that he would pour out blessings until they overflowed. He would give them more crops than they could eat. He said in verse 10c, “. . . 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.”
Second, he promised that he would remove his financial discipline. They were suffering from locusts and poor grape harvests because they weren’t giving as they should. God said in verse 11, “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit.”
And third, God promised to bless them so much that all the pagan nations would see their prosperity. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land” (3:12).
God also promises New Testament believers tremendous financial blessings for obedient giving. Now, I should note that we do not give in order to be blessed. But, there is a principle that as a result of giving sacrificially and proportionally to God, he does bless! You can put God to the test to keep three promises.
First, he will meet your financial needs. The apostle Paul said to the generous Philippians in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (see also Matthew 6:33; 2 Corinthians 9:6, 8). God promises to bless your sacrificial and proportional giving with the money you need to meet your needs.
Second, he will provide you with more money than you need. The apostle Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” God is not promising to make you rich, but to provide abundantly so that you have more money than you need.
And third, he will provide you with an abundance of money to give to his work. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:8, 10, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. . . . Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” God wants you to have money to give to his work so you can experience the joy of giving and receive eternal rewards as you “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20).
Conclusion
Malachi summarized his message at the beginning of this section in Malachi 3:7, where God said, “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.”
God said in effect, “Return to me with obedient giving, and I will return to you with financial blessing.” When the people asked how they had strayed from God, he gave them two challenges:
1. We are robbing God when we are disobedient in giving.
2. We can trust God to bless us financially when we are obedient in giving.
Today’s message can be summarized as follows: When you return to God with obedient giving, he will return to you with financial blessing.
You must take the first step in becoming obedient in your giving. Then, and only then, will God bless you financially. Don’t pray for God to bless you financially before you start giving. Start giving, then he will bless you financially. Your part always comes first.
Does this really work? Does God really keep his promises? Can you really afford to trust him to bless you like he promised?
To encourage you to trust God in this matter of giving, let me present the testimony of one of our church members, who wrestled with this very issue just this past week:
When I heard “Capital Stewardship Campaign” a few months ago, I right off thought “fancy name for a fund-raiser.” Then, I promptly started feeling naggings of dread. My husband and I had just committed to an expensive home remodeling project and, in doing so, had pretty much tapped out our savings. We’d planned on extra property taxes, and increased insurance costs, but never considered “above and beyond giving.” Before Forward by Faith I figured after-tax tithing was maybe fudging a bit but since no one was judgmental of my confession of doing so, I generally felt comfortable with my giving. Oh, I had so much to learn!
After we officially started the Campaign, I found myself really enjoying the lessons. It wasn’t pressured or anything to dread at all and has actually been a very encouraging time for me. God’s Word says really logical things about finances and stewardship, including some really amazing stuff that I would’ve never expected–like that we shouldn’t co-sign loans. . . who’d have thought?!?! Freddy’s sermons helped me understand that the Bible teaches we are not owners, but rather stewards of God-given resources and that we therefore have responsibilities to use his gifts wisely.
Things I’ve learned during this Campaign also provided great opportunities for my husband (who does not go to church) and me to talk about the Bible in non-threatening ways. I’ve sensed the Holy Spirit helping me find the words to share with my husband about my growing acceptance of our total dependence on God and to explain my desire to more fully express that faith financially. Honestly though, I’ve been wrestling about how to give more.
Last Sunday, as Freddy publicly announced the early Leadership commitments, I came to the decision that I would give at the level of that bar from my own personal money, even though I still wasn’t quite sure how I would manage it. (Notice all those “I’s”?!?!??!)
Then, later that afternoon, my husband and I found water stains in the rafters over our kitchen; they were evidence of a pretty serious leak in the roof. We considered our options for handling the unexpected expense and I privately wondered about the decision I’d made earlier in the day. I affirmed it to myself and determined not to spin in a field over it.
The very next morning, God honored that decision in an incredible way. In his perfect timing, I received the awesome, totally unexpected news that a family member is sending me a $5,000 gift this month. Even after giving a tithe, that goes a long way toward roof repairs!
Thank you for being my family and allowing me to share with you for his glory!
May the Lord bless each one of you as you give to God. Amen.
