Seven Reasons Christians Should Tithe

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A Life Well Spent  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  30:29
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Honoring God with our finances.

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You're here and Merry Christmas. I think I put them and today is basically

Kinda our last day on this series. Next week, I'm going to talk about sacrifice, which is part of our series, a life. Well, spent, so that's kind of goes with it. But this today is basically the last message cuz I'm going to focus on Jesus next week. And the sacrifice that he made to come to this earth. And that's what we're going to talk about. That'll be our Christmas sermon for next week, and please bring someone I know it's going to be cold. I say it's going to be like the highs going to be in the upper twenties. It's going to be 12 to 15 degrees that morning. So it's going to be cold and people's going to say why I just want to sit here by the fire. Open my gifts. Just drag them if you can just drag them. That's right. Put them in the back of your truck not to wake them up. If you're all right. Well this morning the title of this message is 7 reasons. Christians should tithe. I want to give you seven reasons, why all Christians should tithe and we going to talk about pleasing God in our finances. Not what I want you to look at is the scripture we going to look at because that's the scripture that we looked at the very first sermon in this series. Milatchy orgeat, some call him Malachi chapter 3 verses 10 through 12. So, if you want to, you go ahead and be turning their if you don't know where it is. It's the last book of the Old Testament. Go to Matthew, flip back, a few pages and you'll have it. That'll be Malachi. Now, we've looked at a lot of things and this is the 10th sermon on in this series. So the first 9 sermon we've looked at Financial stewardship in a lot of different directions. We talked about tithing, we talked about, I remember we talked about sowing and reaping God of the Harvest. We talked about God's economic plan, his priorities of generosity ownership stewardship. Commitment, we talked about all of that, and we going to talk about sacrifice next week. So, I think, when you start talking about money, you need to lay a firm biblical Foundation. That should be our first priority as we talked about Christian faith and practice. So out what I want to do in this study, is bringing everything. We've talked about the first nine, I want to kind of bring it together and wrap it up and so we can kind of put a bow on it, and I want to give you seven reasons, why I think all Christians should time out your reason for having may be different from mine. That's fine. But I just want to offer you this. This kind of understanding of the practice of tithing kind of in hope that it would encourage you in your own pursuit of being a good Steward of what God has given you. That let me say this before we get started,

You can't. I thed, there's a difference between tithing faithfully and tithing legalistically. There's a difference. Tithing Faithfully means that we tithe Gratefully. Consistently. Accurately and joyfully. That's our motivation. It's a responsibility before God and we take it seriously. But you can't. I've legalistically you say? What do you mean like like that. Well, you can tie but have no joy in it. You can't I wear the wrong motive. Now, I'm just going to show you one scripture today other than the three. We're going to read. And I won't show it to you right now. Remember this verse in 2nd Corinthians, so let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity for God, loves a cheerful Giver God. Love someone who ties Faithfully, not someone who ties grudgingly like you just can't turn loose of it. You can't trust God, to take care of your needs. So I'll do it. I'll just do it because the Bible says so I'll do it. Cause my wife wants me to but I don't want to do it, that's not good. And you don't want to do it. Because, well, if I tithe

I'm, I'm kind of bargaining with God, if I wash his hand, he'll wash my hand that's tithing, legalistically your tithing to get something from God. And that's not. The Bible says, we are to be a cheerful. Get we ought to be grateful when we give, and we ought to give with an expectation that we are bringing gory and joy to the Lord. And not only to the Lord, but to ourselves as well, because we are when we do that, that's tithing faithfully, and that's what we want to do. A Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, because they tied legalistically. And he told him, he said, well you keep the letter of the law. But you don't even understand the spirit of the law. So when you see these seven things why Christians should tithe that I got here is one that you will not see. We don't tie to earn favor with God. You will not see that in the list because that's not right. That's timing legalistically. We're not going to give God our money simply because we can earn favor or get on his good side. Let me just say that some people may have a bad week if you know what I mean as far as seeing goes and they come to church that Sunday and they throw a little extra money in because they're trying to cover up for maybe what happened that week, it doesn't work that way. It does not work that way. So I consider tithing a privilege. So let's read this text one more time. Malachi chapter 3 verses 10 through 12. 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 a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the Devourer for your sake so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground. North shell Devine fail to bear fruit for you. In the field says the Lord of hosts and All Nations will call you blessed for you will be a delightful land and hears that phrase again for the third time, says, the Lord of hosts. So, driving is a privilege and the reason it's a privilege is because I know whatever I give to God. Then in some way, he's going to get back to me and blessing, where there is spiritual blessing material, blessing, economic, whatever it may be so that I can continue to. To work, do the work of his kingdom. That's what he's going to do. Let me give you these seven things going to do it quickly. I must say a little bit about each one number one, tithing, the reason every Christian should tithe is because tithing is a matter of priority with God. It is a priority with God. You say, how do you know that? Well, how about the phrase that we read in each of those three verses? It says, says the Lord of hosts in other words, this is God. Speaking, he's peeking through the prophet Malachi and he's calling this Jewish Community. Remember, who had been in Babylon for 70 years, who had come back, and they just kind of throwing their hands up and giving up in the temple was there in Ruins. And they was trying to build your own houses and they wouldn't build in the house of the Lord. So, he tells the people look, he says, bring your tithes into the storehouse. And he says if I won't pour out a blessing on you, he's trying to get them back into the habit of giving to God and putting God first because things were going so bad. They had just forgotten about God and they were kind of drowning in their own Sorrows. So tithing is a matter of priority with God. Now you going to hear people say That will tithing was just an Old Testament obligation and those people were under the law and we don't have that legal obligation anymore because we're New Testament Saints, and we are under grace and not under the law. So we're not obligated to give anyting No, it's not true but you hear that argument a lot now. The longer I look at this. In the longer. I live. The more. I think that that perspective lacks biblical understanding. So let me ask you this. when we give to God, Should I give him to God? Be a laborious obligation to us? No, it should not be an obligation. It ought to be a privilege that we give back to God. What he has given us, we have the opportunity to demonstrate Financial stewardship and gratitude in France. That didn't end when the Old Testament ended that did not end if anything, we have more reason to be thankful and to be good stewards because we have experienced God's grace and mercy on this side of the Cross, we've we've experienced a whole lot more than the Old Testament Saints did. So, we ought to see this as a privilege and God through Malachi, he was severely, rebuking these Jewish Community here for its failure to put God. First, they were bringing their offerings to the altar, but they were bringing animals that were blemished. They were bringing, they were bringing Lambs with a broken leg. They wouldn't given God their best. They were giving him whatever. They thought that they didn't need or couldn't use or couldn't sell and get money. So they were giving him the leftovers and they were treating God, the exact opposite of who he said he was. He told him. I'm the Lord of hosts. I am the Lord Almighty but they wouldn't treating him like the Lord Almighty. It's not at all easy. What? We do with our money and possessions is kind of like a mirror that reveals how our heart really views God. And he uses our money and finances to show us really what type of faith and what type of trust do you have? And when we view him for who he really is, that he is the owner of it. All, we will honor him with what the Bible calls in Proverbs our first fruits. That's off the top of my paycheck, the first fruits. So tithing is a matter of priority with God. It's a way to remind ourselves. That God deserves our very best and riding the first check. If you pay your bills each month, right in the first check to God, is kind of the equivalent of the Jewish farmer, contributing the first fruits of his Harvest to. The Lord, God gets first because he deserves our very best. Amen. He deserves the very best of tithing is a priority to got it all to be a priority us Tithing is a means of proving God. Now, we've talked about this before, but look what he says in verse 10. He says bring all the tithes into the storehouse. There may be food in my house and he says, and try me now in there, that means to test me. The only time in the Bible that God ever told people to test him or to prove him. In other words, what he's saying is you bring your time and you see if I don't do what I said I would do which is open the windows of heaven and pour out for you. Such blessing. There are not be enough room to receive it. He said you'd bring it and see if I don't do that to me, do you understand that this is true. That this is true, you've tied your whole life and you've seen how God has taken care of you through thick and thin. This is what he is saying. So when I Tab, and I don't tithe because I'm trying to prove God, trying to test him all the time. I'm proving to myself over and over again that God is trustworthy, but God is good and that God is generous. Now you can talk to people who are afraid to type, you say why they're afraid, because they think they're going to run out of money before the month runs out. If you ever been there, I have I just can't afford to give this to the church. I don't know if I can pay all my bills. It looks like I'm about to run out of money with this is when you have to encourage people to try God in the matter of having God issue this invitation to his Covenant, people in the Old Testament. And now since we are in Christ, we are his new testament, Covenant people. And he's going to treat us the same way. I can't tell you friend, where the money's going to come from. I know money sometime is tight and you tired. And you say why? I don't know if I'm going to be able to pay this bill but God will always take care of it. He will send you a blast and somehow you will have enough to do. What you need to do is concerning your bills. If you're faithful and trust him to take care of it. That's why he uses our finances. Like this is because it takes Trust. And faithfulness to give 10 + percent of your income. It just does. And I talk to people also who starred in tithing and you know, the thing they always say. I wish I had started this earlier. I wish I would have started this earlier because I never get tired of God pouring out his Blessing on our family. He, he he will do it. So what we said so far, it's a matter of priority and it's a means of proving God and he's the one that said to do that. Number three typing is a means of provision by God. You see, God told these Jews here that he wanted to provide for them that he would put out blessing to them. Based on their faithfulness. Now you have to understand this, this is the way that God intends is his economic system to provide for his people as we trust him and give up part of what he's giving us. He returns even more so that we can do even more and give even more. He returns it. That's, that's his economic system. Right there is, his means of providing for us that we give him 10 plus percent, and then he multiplies and gives up. I can tell you this if you or tie over your lifetime,

If you are tired 10%, you will find that his provision back to you will greatly greatly be more than your 10% to him, throughout your lifetime. It all weight you can outgive God, you cannot out, give him he will. Multiply everything that you give tithing is a means of provision and not only did he promised them that he would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing. Look, what else? He promised in verse 11. He says, I will rebuke the Devourer for your sake, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground. In other words, what he said here part of the provision is God going to protect you. From the evil one. He's going to protect you from their crops being robbed their livestock, as their harvests are protected, their provision would grow larger in it. Something know that if I give back to God, that he's going to protect what I give to him. He's going to protect me from going into Financial ruin. If I am faithful to him, you can't get that promise from anywhere else. You can't go on the stock market. Say, would love to find best in these stocks and sell the stock. I'm going to make a killing and it's always going to be like that. No. You can lose your shirt, you can lose everything, you won't lose anything. When you give it the guy, he has not only said, I will provide for you, but I will protect what you have number for.

The real, another reason we should tithe is tithing, is a method of participating in God's work. I've been in church, long enough to know. And I've seen this that the people who are most excited about the local church are the people who Faithfully Give to the local church. Those are the ones who are most excited. What did Jesus say that? We looked at last week, for where your treasure is there? Where your heart be also? I know I was ready to read a story one time of this lady. She was the small church and she was writing to this pasture for some advice. And she said, our church is trying to raise money. Every way that we can imagine, we've had cake Waltz. We've sold shotguns. We just had car washes. We've done everything to try to raise money and we can't hardly keep the doors open. And she asked Pat. She said, do you have any, any advice on what we could do? And he asked her, he says, we have, you tried God. Have you tried God? Yeah. In other words, they had tried all the world's methods without success. Why don't you try God's method to support the church WIll, what's his method the tide? That's how that's how is supported. God has a plan and it works. And when we Faithfully support the local church, where there is ever missionary that we support, or every person that comes up to be baptized every person that walks this all for salvation. Every person that we meant her, that we trained at that, we disciple, even the Children's Program, all of that, you're that, all that money you gave is going as an investment in that work, is what it's doing to the local church. And that's a great encouragement for us. Our hearts should be in our church, because if her heart is in the church, that's where our treasure is. And I think God wants us to love kids, kids work. Number 5, Another reason that Christians should tithe is tithing is a means of putting God first in our life, Proverbs 3:9 says bring in the first fruits of the Harvest as a tithe to the Lord. The first part of the Harvest was not to be consumed or sold. Why? Because it was sacred to the Lord, and it was to be devoted to him while you still had it. There was no presumption involved. Well, I'll, I'll harvest my first and then I'll use the first fruits to pay this bill off or something. And then when I harvest again, I'll give the Lord, I'll give the Lord some of that. Remember them? Gentlemen, I talked about last week with the heavy equipment, he made $100,000 or 30 and 30, some thousand dollars. The first year, he said, was what I do. I'll just invest more in heavy equipment and then I'll make, who knows? How much and next year, I'll give the Lord a bigger offering and what happened? He lost a hundred thousand the next year, and he couldn't give the Lord in it. For two years. What does that mean? It means this that we need to put God first and when he blesses us We need to give him as soon as he gives to us, we need to give it back as soon as he gives to us, we don't know what the future is going to hold back. So we should give to the Lord. What is he is? When he gives it to us. In other words, When you sat down to write your bills, each month, if you do that, right? Your tithe to God first. Do it first before you ever look at the bills, cuz if you start looking at Vincent is now having car trouble to got to pay for this, this, this you'll never start, you have to give to God first and bye-bye not doing that by looking at all the other bills before you do anything. Here's what you do, you're creating a gap of time, you say, what do you mean by that? You're creating a vacuum in which Satan can come and tempt you to do something else with God's money? There's always something else would do with their money. Do you know that there's always something else is always something we can buy or something. We feel like we need, always, every single one of us could sit down every month and never give any money to the church. And we would still never have any more money because we would use it on something else we can always Don't create a gap of time because Satan is going to come in, and he'll take a foothold. And he, he'll tempt, you say what you need to do this. Why don't you pay for this? Or you need to pay for that? You need to get you that down a little bit. You need to do that eliminate that Gap by giving to God immediately. Just write the first check to him and then whatever is left, then than that. That's what. That's what you have. Number six, Ivan is a method of protecting your investment. So, Jesus last week, explain how to protect our investment. Remember, he says, lay up for yourselves Treasures. We're in heaven. He says, lay up Treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust and thieves, can't steal. You see when we accumulate Treasures on Earth? They deteriorate and they'd appreciate quickly. And that's why over a lifetime. We need to be moving gradually away from storing up, Treasures, on Earth, to storing treasure in heaven, and remember what we said. There's two two things that we can our Heavenly Treasures, what are they We give to the Eternal Word of God and we give to the Salvation and Souls of men and women because that's the only two things that's going to last, for eternity, the word of God will last for eternity, and your soul will last for eternity. So, when we give money, to support the getting out of the word of God, when we give money or give our time and talents to men, trained somebody discipling, somebody getting active in someone else's life, you are storing up, Heavenly treasure in friends, that Heavenly treasure will go before you to have an end. When you get to heaven, Jesus, he will keep your investment safe and it will be there waiting for you. That's why we get the crowns that we get when we get to heaven. That's why when he said he'll say Well done good and faithful servant. It will go with us. How about an Earthly Treasures? How much of it are? We going to take? None, not going to take any going to leave it all to the chiller, then I going to sell it or they're not going to use it, right? If we was alive, we can go crazy. So it's probably best, we not a lot, but only having will reveal the amount of treasure that we will lay up for ourselves because of how the money we gave had brought people to Christ directly, or indirectly, as a result of our investments, in the kingdom of God archives. Go, we some go to the RBA, we go, we support missionaries will never know till we get to heaven, how our money that we gave help, maybe bring someone to Christ or disciple, someone in China, or Africa, or somewhere else. And that's why he said store up for yourselves. Treasures in. And that's what we need to be doing in the number seven, and we'll close with this. Tithing is a means of practicing your faith. You say, well what do you mean by that? Well, there's two things that we that it takes As we are practicing our faith intitle, number one or a tithing is a discipline. It is a disc the longer we live the more we realize that anything of any value or importance only comes through. Discipline friends very little in life is going to come naturally. God's bass comes when we learn To deny what is second best or even deny what is good. So that we can get his best. Sometimes we settle for good when we could be selling for his best and we don't want to do that but nobody naturally wants to give away 10 plus percent of their money. You say you are falling, nature are self-centeredness. We want to do the opposite, the all the money we get, we want to keep and we want to hold on to it and we want it to grow. We don't want to give it away even if it's the something that is good. But just like anything that is new, It takes discipline to stick to it. If you're going to tie this going to take discipline to set down each month, and write that check, because, who knows what's going to happen in a month's time? And you could use that money for something. It takes discipline, you start an exercise regimen. You start a new job or like me, you try to lose weight. It takes discipline to lose 73.2 lb in 6 months. It takes discipline and I had to discipline myself. Not only exercising the way I eat several different ways anything like new like that takes this one. If you got a time it's going to take discipline. Now something else.

Tithing is also a decision that you have to make and it's a decision that requires faith. If you're not typing in your Christian Life, Then, I hope that all these scriptures that we looked at the last ten weeks in these lessons. I I hope it's touched your heart and open your heart up because the Bible says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And we are called as Believers to walk by what walk by faith not by sight. All right. So when I say at my kitchen table and I'm looking at my checkbook and I'm looking at my bills, what am I doing walking about what I'm walking outside? I'm saying, wait a minute. I don't have enough money to give this here. If we're going to tithe not only does it take discipline. It's going to have to be a decision of faith in your life. And see in terms of tithing that means we trust that God is going to meet our financial needs. We trust that he will provide for us and we also trust that he will protect what we give him, as we can form our life to his wheel. We may not be able to see how God's going to make this work out most time, we can't, but we have to believe him and we have to trust him and his word friends. Tithing is a matter of discipline. It is a matter, it is a matter of a decision of Faith. So here's what I trust. You'll do as we close this series out. I trust that you'll give God the opportunity. To prove to you. That he is faithful. And that he will bless you more than you can imagine. As you decide and are disciplined enough to put him first in your finances, they meant. Well, let's pray. Father, we thank you. And praise. You and love you today, Lord. Lord. We know it's a touchy subject. When we talk about our money in How we handle it. but Lord, you've called us to be good stewards and we know that you own it, all you own the cattle on a thousand hills. And we know that if we're able to make a big paycheck, it's only because you've given us to help, then you open up the door so that we can have a good job to make money. It can be taken from us so quickly. Lord help us to see through this series that it all belongs to you. And we're just going to give you back a portion of what you've given us. We're going to test you. And we're going to prove you on this, and we will see your faithfulness. If we will have the faithfulness and the trust to do what you say to do in Malachi chapter 3. Lord, I Thank you for each one is here. I think you for the, the offering that they gave Martha and myself this morning. Lord, we just thank you for that or thank you for these people. We love them. We love them all in the Lord, I pray Lord. That each one would have a very Merry Christmas and that each would celebrate what Jesus have done in their life. And or we just come to you this morning, just thanking you that you decided that you would come to this earth, even though you were in the form of God, you took the form of man, you made yourself poor. So that we could be Rich Lord, we thank you for that in Christ's name, I pray. Amen.

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