Robbing God

HoHum:

“I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony; I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company; It’s the real thing- Here is Malachi we see a courtroom scene where God is showing the people how to have the real thing, real faith

WBTU:

Malachi ministered not long after the time of Nehemiah- about 400 years before Christ. The temple and the city of Jerusalem have been rebuilt. Nehemiah is no longer there and the people become disappointed with God because He is not making them more prosperous and more powerful than their neighbors. When they compare themselves to their neighbors, they realize that they are poor in many ways. Billy Graham- Give me 5 minutes with a person’s checkbook, and I will show you where their heart is.

Read Malachi 3:7-12

Thesis: Focus on 3 “T” words from this verse

For instances:

I. Tithe- What is a Tithe?

Must establish that everything is the Lord’s- “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” Psalms 24:1, NIV. We own nothing, we are stewards for the Lord.

God asks us to give back to him a portion- a tenth- of all that we have. ““‘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.” Leviticus 27:30, NIV. In the law of Moses this was standard practice. Really, this practice began before the Law of Moses- “Then Abram gave him (Melchizedek) a tenth of everything.” Genesis 14:20, NIV. Jacob (later Israel) said this: “of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”” Genesis 28:22, NIV.

A tithe is owed to the Lord, anything above a tithe is called an offering. Tithes and offering time

Not about how much we give, it is how much we make- our income- and we give a tithe from our income (like the income tax idea). Some say that the tithe system is no longer in operation because we are under the New Covenant, the New Testament today. Well, Paul does not use the word tithe when talking about giving an offering to the Jerusalem Christians but he does say this, “Now about the collection for God’s people... 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.” 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2, NIV.

Take 10% and give it to the Lord. Notice that the verse says, the whole tithe. Do not skimp on the tithe. Leads to a question, from my earnings, should I tithe from the gross or from the net? What about money I receive under the table, or other earnings not reported to the IRS? What about inheritances, or honorariums, or royalties, or Christmas bonuses, etc.? Not going to be legalistic about this- Jesus criticized the Pharisees for this- ““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.” Matthew 23:23, NIV. While this is true, we need to bring the whole tithe as told in Malachi 3:10.

This is a good practice, to sit down and make a budget, right off the top give 10%- need to know what that 10% is-“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;” Proverbs 27:23, NIV. This will help us so much in our finances.

I am on a fixed budget- cannot give much if anything. Need to consider this principle: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”” Luke 6:38, NIV. Give a tithe from our time- used to work 40 hours a week- give 4 hours to the Lord.

Also consider that we give more than 10% in a tip at a restaurant- often give 15 to 20%- so do we want to give the Lord a tip or a tithe.

II. Temple- what was the temple?

That word is not used in this verse. Yes, in the Hebrew it is not used but we see the temple referenced in the words “storehouse” and “my house.” Good News Bible says, “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there.” Looking for “T”

Saving it up, or storing it up, from 1 Corinthians 16:2 is also reflected here with storehouse.

In the law of Moses there were laws pertaining to how to give a tithe when live far away from the tabernacle/temple. Detailed laws on how to give a tithe from agriculture. Yes, the bartering system is still in operation but this is so few in our day- we operate by money.