Malachi 3:8-10 “Will
a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed
You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed
Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says
the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of
heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there
will not be room enough to receive it.”
Continuing my notes and
thoughts from Pastor Kyle Sunday Sermon message, he explains that the tithing
commandment of God boils down to three issues. (1) Our Heavenly Father God
loves us. Ephesians 2:1-5 says,
“You He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in
which you once walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works
in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted
ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which
He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Let’s not forget
that.
(2) The Sovereign Creator of
heaven and the earth owns everything, provides everything and has access to
more than we’ll ever need. Remember that not every blessing is about receiving
or financial prosperity. The Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:35 to “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that
He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” There is
a false doctrine called the “Prosperity Gospel” that is neither biblical or
factual. Bogus claims that when a person accepts and believes in the savior and
Lord Jesus Christ, money problems, health issues, and all other troubles in
life disappear. The fact is that we live in a “fallen in sin” world on this
side of eternity. Some of us have not learned to be satisfied in the Lord and
the life He has provided.
(3) God says that “giving/tithing”
is good for us. 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 says
that “the point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful
giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that
having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every
good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has
given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed
to the Sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing
and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in
every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce
thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only
supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many
thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this
service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes
from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your
contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray
for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God
for his inexpressible gift!”
By faith, we believe in Jesus
Christ as our Savior and Lord. Everything we do is by faith really. Money is
not our God. We need to be sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit. The
greatest spiritual growth happens in obedience to God in areas that we are “tight-fisted”
and fear exists. On the issue of tithing, all God desires is to have us respond
in obedience in giving back a tenth of what He first has given us. James
1:17-18 says, “Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of
lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His
own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a
kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” In light of our sin nature, God is extravagantly
generous to all of us. God is our providence; most importantly in forgiveness
of sin and salvation. God sent Jesus to die in our place on the cross to pay
for our sins, so that we could have eternal life.
In Christ, Brian
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