Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction

 

Tithing – a hotly debated topic ~/ can offend people with set ideas either way.

Some churches preach “you must tithe”, some churches teach “complete freedom”.

Some avoid the topic entirely because it is too controversial.

But somehow, in all of the debate, the principles of the Bible about giving get forgotten.

Principles that lead us to one very important conclusion: *It’s not about the tithe*.

It’s *all about* the reason *WHY*.

Our aim today is NOT to enter into the debate, but to explore some of the key “/principles of the tithe/” as they relate to “/giving to God/”, because when you get a real understanding about this, it becomes one of the most *exciting* and most *motivating* topics of the Bible –

· These /principles/ can completely change the way you think about God and relate to Him,

· They can radically change your whole world,

· and you feel motivated to get involved in “changing the world” for the people around you too…

!

Background

 

Tithing did not originate with the OT laws and statutes.

It is not something that came into being under the law of Moses.

Abraham tithed (Gen 14:20).

He lived 400 years before the Moasic laws.

Jacob tithed (Gen 28:22) he also lived hundreds of years before Moses.

Nevertheless, the time of Moses was when the principles of giving “a tenth” were written into Jewish law.

(The main reference for this is Deut chapters 14-18) and this covers not only *what* to give, but also *where* and in what *spirit* the giving was intended.

But we will start our journey today at about 430BC, more than 1,000 years after the Old Testament laws were established by Moses.

The Book of Malachi – a short book, and the *most often quoted* book for the topic of “tithing”.

We are going to move around quite a bit, but keep a finger in Malachi 3.

Malachi means “my messenger”, a term that was used to describe both Old Testament priests and prophets.

Malachi 3:6-8: “A Call to Repentance”

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change.

That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.

*Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them.

Now return to me, and I will return to you,*” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’

8 “Should people cheat God?

Yet you have cheated me!

“But you ask, ‘What do you mean?

When did we ever cheat you?’

“You have cheated me of the *tithes and offerings* due to me.”

First point to note – this passage is not just talking specifically about tithes, but of tithes */and/* offerings, so it is talking about “giving to God” in general.

To understand this passage, we have to look into the context and background of /tithes and offerrings/ and find out what is God really angry about.

When we do that we discover that….

POINT-1

!! 1       It’s not just about money, it’s also about ministry.

Malachi 2

 (v5) “The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and this is what I gave them.

This called for reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name.

6 They passed on to the people all the truth they received from me.

They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin.

7 The priests’ lips should guard knowledge, and people should go to them for instruction, for the priests are the messengers of the Lord Almighty.

8 But not you!

You have left God’s paths.

Your ‘guidance’ has caused many to stumble into sin.

You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the Lord Almighty.

9 “So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all the people.

For you have not obeyed me but have shown partiality in your interpretation of the law.”

The situation was dire – the priests had become corrupt and as a result, the people had lost their guides and had drifted into corruption too.

The people had lost confidence in the priests.

In this passage God himself gives a very succinct definition of the role and function of the priests.

o              “…pass on to the people all the truth they received from me…”

o              “…turn many people from lives of sin…”

o              “…guard knowledge, and people should go to them for instruction…”

o              “…messengers of the Lord Almighty…”

 

 

In our modern church, the role of the “ministers of the church”, such as it was then, has changed in only one thing – the ministers are */no longer/* the */only/* way that you can interface with God.  (Hebrews chapter 7-8).

Because of Jesus sacrifice we can now relate directly with the Almighty God, and He with us.

We no longer have to have a priest intervene for us.

God is a personal God.

We can know Him personally.

We can walk with Him and talk with Him, sometimes we can feel His presence, but even when we /can’t/ feel it, the Bible says that he walks beside us, His hand on our shoulder…  (Paslm 37:23-24)

The rest of the function of the “church” is just the same today as it was then:

 

Nehemiah 13v10-12   (a “problem solver, doing a “cleanup”)

10 I also discovered that the Levites had not been given what was due them, so they and the singers who were to conduct the worship services had all returned to work their fields.

11 I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, “Why has the Temple of God been neglected?”

Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties.

12 And once more all the people of Judah began bringing their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple storerooms.

This was recorded at about the same time, 440BC, (in fact some believe that Nehemiah and Malachi were contemporaries.

*The Principle*

The principle here is a very simple one… without money, ministry suffers…

 

* *

\\ *So to summarise our passage in Malachi 3*

o the priests had become corrupt, and as a result were despised by the people and the people, without a guide and proper ministry, had lost their way.

o In their corruption, they stopped making tithes and offerings to God.

o But, more importantly, in doing this the people had stopped giving God the honour that he was due.

(which leads to POINT-2):

 

!! 2       The “tithe” is not as much about giving money as about giving your heart.

* *

*Malachi 2:1* : “Listen, you priests; this command is for you! 2 Listen to me and take it to heart.

Honour my name,” says the Lord Almighty…”

 

The warning that rings out again and again in the book of Malachi is the need to give proper honour, worthy honour to God.

God makes it even clearer in the preceding chapter, that *it’s not about the money!*

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Mal 1:10-13

“I wish that someone among you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered!

I am not at all pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will not accept your offerings.

11 But my name is *honored* by people of other nations from morning till night.

All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in *honor* of my name.

For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

12 “But you *dishonor* my name with your actions…”

 

 

*What does it mean to Honour  *

* A mark of respect; to pay tribute to.

* We honour God when we give FIRST FRUITS, sample of the best, not the worst, not the last remnant.

* Paying a tribute is as much about HOW we give as WHAT we give.

* The WHOLE book of Malachi is all about *getting right with God*.

It’s about *getting back to giving* Him the honour that is due to Him.

*Malachi 3v7* “…Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty…

\\

* Tithing, or giving money, seems to be the *last bastion* of getting right with God.

It’s as if there is a gradual process of drawing closer, (learning, repenting, and doing), that *giving* has a large part of finishing off:

* Matthew 6:21: “Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.”