“God Expects His People to Give”
Malachi 3: 6-12
February 7, 2016
Intro: A homeless man was looking for a handout one day in a picturesque old English village. He was hungry almost to the point of fainting, when he stopped by a pub called “The Inn of St. George and the Dragon.” He knocked on the kitchen door of the pub A lady answered the door and he said, “Please, ma’am, could you spare me a bite to eat?”
-She yelled back at the man, “Why would I give a sorry, smelling beggar a bite to eat? Get out of here!” She then slammed the door in his face. The man began to leave when he noticed the sign of the pub again which said “St. George and the Dragon.” He turned around, went back and knocked on the door again.
-The same lady opened the door and was surprised to see him again. She yelled, “Now what do you want?” He said, “Well, ma’am, I’d like to try and speak w/St. George this time.”
-When the subject of giving or $ is mentioned in church it can sometimes make people feel like the dragon instead of St. George! As a matter of fact I think most of us probably get a little more riled up @ the subject of giving in the church than we do @ the subject of hell.
-Talking @ $ isn’t an issue w/most people…as long as you’re talking @ someone ELSE’S money. When the richest man in America list comes out every year, we see names like Bill Gates on the list. And there’s always a conversation @ what people like him should do w/HIS $. We like to talk @ what other people should do w/their $.
-But the conversation becomes a little different when the subject turns to OUR $. And we think, “Is this really a topic to be covered in church?” It’s interesting to see some stats of giving in the Bible. 1/6th of the Gospels and 1/3 of Jesus’ parables address the subject of Xian stewardship.
-To be honest w/you, I believe so many Xians get nervous @ this subject b/c deep down they know they’re not as generous as they should be. And then others get nervous b/c they didn’t realize that giving their life to Christ meant you gave Him everything.
Sermon Idea: Today in our passage of Scripture we’re going to see the importance that’s placed on giving for those who are followers of God. And in our text we’ll see a few facts given @ giving that can be helpful for us as we move forward.
TEXT: MALACHI 3: 7-12
Bckgrd: The Jewish people had returned to Israel after spending 70 years in captivity in Babylon. But after a period of time their zeal for God started to wane and the people got slack in their obedience to the Lord. They were living as though obedience to God was optional. But obedience is a requirement. One of the areas where the people had been disobedient to God was in their tithes and offerings. So Malachi shared w/the people some reasons why giving is a requirement and not optional.
-So what are the reasons? The 1st reason the tithe is required is simply b/c:
DIV. 1: GOD COMMANDS WE TITHE (vv. 7-9)
Exp: I want you to understand God doesn’t need our $. He’s already the owner of everything we’ve got. He made this world and it all belongs to Him. So, understand that tithing isn’t @ $. Then what’s it about? It’s @ obedience.
A.God calls for His followers to give back to Him a tithe. You know what tithe means? I always tell our Discovery Class it means 25%. It means 10%. Now contrary to popular belief, preachers didn’t come up w/this concept!
1.I’m not trying to make a sales pitch to you. This isn’t the Jerry Lewis telethon where you’re being ASKED to give. The tithe is a COMMAND that comes from God. Listen to what we’re told @ it. In Lev. 27: 30, “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.”
a.You know, in Genesis God called for man to the steward of the earth. This set a precedent to show us that we’re not owners of the things around us. We’re merely stewards, caretakers. And that includes our finances.
b.Well, then why does God want us to give Him a tenth of what we have? B/c when we tithe we’re showing that we recognize all things are His. It shows our submission to HIS will instead of our own. As you can imagine, this is an area where many people struggle.
2.The people in our text were struggling w/it as well. Since they’d returned home, Israel hadn’t been quite as prosperous as they’d hoped she would. And it seemed as though the people who were ungodly were doing better than the people who were trying to live by the commands of God.
a.I’ve thought the same things as well. But you know what that is? It’s just me simply making excuses; making excuses as to why I can’t be obedient to God. When tithing is discussed it’s real easy to start making excuses as to why you can’t do it. We say things like, “Hey, I’d love to tithe but I just don’t have enough $ to make ends meet. I’ve got to pay my bills and if I tithe I can’t pay them.
b.I’ve got kids in college and I’ve got to get them thru school.” Believe me! I understand! It’s scary giving away $ when you’re living on a tight budget. Would you agree w/that?
B.But let me tell you something. God has commanded that His children tithe; that His children give. No matter how you slice it, not to tithe is offensive to God.
ILLUS: There was a church member having trouble w/the concept of tithing. And one day he revealed his doubts to the pastor. He said, “Pastor, I just don’t see how I can give 10% of my income to the church when I can’t even keep on top of my bills.” The pastor said, “Well John, if you promise to make up the difference in your bills if you should fall short, do you think you could try tithing for just 1 month?”
-After a pause, John said, “I could do that for a month if you promise to make up any shortage.” The pastor then said, “Isn’t that strange that you’d trust a mere man like me, who possesses so little materially, but you couldn’t trust your heavenly Father who own the whole universe?”
1.God’s offended b/c when we don’t tithe we’re showing that we don’t trust Him to meet our needs. Phil. 4: 19, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” How serious of an offense is it not to tithe? Malachi said it’s robbing God.
a.That’s a pretty serious offense. It’s robbing the Creator of all things; robbing the one who is greater than all things. Doesn’t sound like He’s one you’d want to steal from. Think @ it like this. How wise would it be for me to walk up to Rhonda Rousey and pick a fight w/her? How many of you feel like I could take her out?
b.None of you would believe that. You’d say, “Erik, that would be a foolish and embarrassing mistake.” Those of you who follow Jesus, I’m here to tell you it’s a foolish mistake when we rob God. B/c the Jews weren’t giving God the tithe, their land was going thru severe drought.
2.Their crops were dying. And I believe the same thing happens today. Some of you are wondering why your spiritual lives feel dead. When you pray you don’t feel as though your prayers go any higher than the ceiling. You’re facing difficulties in your life that au don’t know how to handle.
a.And it very well could be the reason why is b/c you’re robbing God. Folks, God commands His people to give. When He tells us to follow Him, it means to follow Him w/every bit of our lives. That’s a part of following Him. Is that easy to do? No. But He never said it would be.
b.Jesus said in Luke 9: 23, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Reit: The 1st reason Xians are required to tithe is b/c God commands we tithe. The 2nd reason Xians are required to tithe is b/c the:
DIV. 2: THE TITHE BLESSES THE RECIPIENT (v. 10)
Exp: A question some of you might have is, “Who’s supposed to receive the tithe?” Obviously we don’t just hand it directly into God’s hand, so where does it go? Look at v. 10. It tells us our tithe is to go to the storehouse.
A.What’s the storehouse? The storehouse was the treasury room of the Temple. It was the place where the offerings and tithes were stored. And the tithes were used to take care of the priests and to provide important ministries outside of the Temple.
1.Now where would the the storehouse be today? The storehouse would be the church. And the tithes are to be used to help maintain the church but also to perform ministries outside of the church building. Do you realize that when a tithe is given at VillageChurch, that a percentage of it goes across the world to help missionaries tell other people @ Jesus.
a.Not only does our giving minister to people spiritually, but also physically. A part of our budget is directed towards the Christian Assistance Bridge in Blythewood. This ministry offers emergency assistance, such as utilities, rent, food, medication, transportation and traveler’s aid, to residents in Blythewood and surrounding communities.
b.Another part of our giving goes towards Alex’s House Children’s Home in Haiti. This home was set up in order to provide a home for children who are orphans or whose families can’t provide for them. Since 2010 our church has done the lion’s share of construction at this ministry site. We have another team heading down next month.
2.Sometimes we just don’t realize the great effect our giving has on the lives of others. I’m afraid what happens is that we look at giving like it’s another bill we have to pay and miss seeing the big picture, which is the great blessing that it causes in other peoples lives.
a.When you give…let me encourage you to look at the big picture.
ILLUS: An America shoe salesman went to Africa to sell shoes. When he got there he was angry for having ever gone there. The reason why was b/c as he walked around the villages everyone there was barefooted. He called his boss back in the States and said, “Get me out of here now! Nobody wears shoes in this part of the world!”
-So they brought him home and hired a new salesman and sent him over. When he got there he looked around and he also noticed no one was wearing shoes. But his response was totally different. He ran back to his room and grabbed the phone to call his boss.
-When his boss answered the phone he said, “Send more shoes! Everyone here needs them!”
b.There are people all around us who are walking around WITHOUT Jesus. As you give, think of the big picture. Remember lives will be changed for an eternity thru your faithfulness in giving.
Reit: The 1st reason Xians are to tithe is b/c God commands we tithe. The 2nd reason is b/c the tithe blesses the recipient. And the final reason Xians are to tithe is b/c the:
DIV. 3: TITHE BLESSES THE GIVER (vv. 10-12)
Exp: Remember in our text that Israel was going thru a drought b/c they weren’t giving their tithes and offerings to God. But God told Malachi that if the people would just give, He’d make the land productive again; that He’d pour out His blessings upon His people.
A.I don’t think there’s anyone here today who doesn’t want to be blessed by God. I covet God’s blessings on my life and in this church’s life. So how do we go @ receiving the blessings of God?
1.By being obedient to Him. And one of the areas where we’re to be obedient to God is in the giving of the tithe. Notice that v. 10 says “bring the full tenth.” It doesn’t say, “bring the full 8% or the full 2%.” It says, “bring the full tenth.” That’s pretty clear. God’s not interested in a tip. He’s interested in obedience. But God has a promise for us in the midst of our obedience.
a.What’s the promise? God says that He’ll bless us. Apparently the people in Malachi’s day weren’t any different than us. They were skeptical @ God’s ability to bless them just like we are. And God basically responds to our skepticism by saying, “Test Me. Be obedient to Me and see what happens. Before you say you don’t believe it, try it out for yourself and see what happens.”
b.You know what that tells me? That God’s confident that He will come thru on what He says. When God makes a promise He keeps it. Josh. 21: 45 tells us, “None of the good promises the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.”
2.God doesn't lie. Heb. 6: 18 tells us it’s impossible for God to lie. Simply put, when God says He’ll bless us, that’s exactly what He’ll do The Jews had trusted in their own abilities and look where it had got them. It got them into a heap of trouble physically and spiritually.
a.And you might be just like that. You might be placing all of your faith in yourself, in what you can do; trusting in your own abilities to pull you thru whatever need you might have. But I want to tell you something. You will never be greatly blessed by God until you let God reign in your life; until you give God control of everything you’ve got.
b.When Jesus said in Acts 20: 35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” He knew what He was talking @. There’s no doubt that one of the most satisfying things to do is give.
ILLUS: Some of you may remember Aesop’s fable @ an old crow who was out in the wilderness looking for something to drink. It was hot outside and he hadn’t had anything to drink in a long time. As he was flying around he spotted a jug sitting on the ground. He approached the jug and looked into it and noticed a little water at the bottom of it.
-Excitedly he put his beak in the jug only to realize he couldn’t reach the water. So guess what he did? He began to pick up pebbles lying all over the ground and one at a time put them into the jug. One by one the pebbles began to accumulate in the jug until the water in the bottom rose to the top and the old crow was able to drink the water.
-I think this is a parable of the way God has chosen to work out His plan in our lives. You see, God calls for us to give to Him what we have. And at 1st our giving might not seem that significant. It might seem like our giving to God is a waste of time. But I do know that if the old crow hadn’t been willing to give the pebbles he would’ve died of thirst.
B.So as we give faithfully to God, His blessings will come our way and our thirst for a meaningful life will be satisfied by the blessings of God. Our part is simply to trust that the blessings of God will come our way; to trust that God will bless us as we’re obedient to Him.
Conclusion: Xians, this message has been mainly directed towards you. And I hope you leave here today w/a better idea of why we’re called to give. Tithing isn’t an option for believers. It’s a command. But it’s a good one. There are 3 reasons we’re called to give: 1st, b/c God commands us to give. 2nd, b/c the tithe blesses the recipient. And finally, b/c the tithe blesses the giver.
-Some of you may be struggling w/finding the purpose of your life. you’re seeking for purpose but you’re coming up empty every time. Let me share w/you who provides that purpose and meaning: Jesus. Jesus said in John 10: 10, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
-God wants to bless you. The question is, “Will you let Him?” Let’s use this time as a time of prayer where you tell God you want to follow Him; that you’re willing to trust Him w/every part of your life. This might be the day where you commit to God in your giving.
-For others of you, you need to begin by surrendering your life to Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you’d like to do that, then pray this prayer after me: Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you and ask you to save me.
-If you prayed that prayer, open your bulletin and fill out the contact form. Then tear it out and place it in the offering basket.
