✎ Each of us are being affected by a universal law. It’s impact is felt by you, the chair you are sitting on, and your car sitting in the parking lot. Anything and anyone you can see around you submits to this law. Any idea what law it is? It’s the law of gravity. As powerful and far reaching as the law of gravity may be, another law supercedes it–the law of aerodynamics. An eagle can spread its wings to catch the wind and fly effortlessly above the landscape. We can all take our seats aboard an airplane and fly above the clouds. When the law of aerodynamics takes over you gain a new perspective which the law of gravity prohibits you from having.
In the same way laws of physics govern the universe, spiritual laws govern the spiritual dimension, and like the law of aerodynamics supercedes the law of gravity, spiritual laws are greater than the physical laws of the universe. And guess what? When you participate in spiritual laws you have a perspective on life you cannot otherwise have because the physical laws of the universe won’t let you see things that way.
Which brings us back to Malachi–the Final Prophet. Malachi offers us Godly insight for today; God uses this Old Testament prophet to reveal some spiritual laws which will change our lives.
This morning Malachi is going to bring into focus God’s law of finances as it relates to tithing. Those of you who have participated in the “law of tithing” have gained a new perspective on life; you know for instance that you have more with 90% than if you were to keep it all for yourself. Those who are limited to the natural laws of money can’t see how anyone could have more with less.
+ Malachi 3:6-12 6"I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. "But you ask, ’How are we to return?’ 8"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, ’How do we rob you?’ "In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. 12"Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty. (NIV)
Money is important to all of us; whether you have a lot or a little. How we use our money is important to God too. Because money is so important, this message follows a simple outline spelled: M - O - N - E - Y.
$ MERCY CONTINUES
When most folks talk about money the first thing they talk about is wanting MORE! Surprise! The first point M does not stand for More–it stands for MERCY.
+ Malachi 3:6 6"I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. (NIV)
God does not change; He is not subject to mood swings, or temper tantrums. God’s love is not fickle. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (See Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, God’s love will never end; His mercy continues from generation to generation.
Our money should remind us that God’s mercy never ends. I know some of you are scratching your heads and wondering, “how can money do that?”
✎ Let’s imagine today is payday only instead of a check we are all given cash. What do you notice about the money we have all worked so hard for? It’s not enough right? No, M is not for “more” it’s for “MERCY,” so in your minds eye take a close look at your money, and what do you see? Regardless of the amount you were paid we all have an assortment of large and small bills (maybe even some loose change). What else do you see? Some of the bills are crisp and new while other bills show it has been used for awhile. In our stack of money we have all receive a $20 bill like this one. Although it is only 2 years old, this $20 has seen better days; it’s dirty and wrinkled with one corner torn off and a tear right in the middle. What is going to happen to that $20 bill when we take it to the bank? Thankfully, the bank will credit our account with $20, but that bill will be set aside and eventually taken to a paper shredder; it will be destroyed.
Our money and all the things we buy with it will one day be thrown in the trash, its value and use will be finished. Whenever you hold money in your hand it should remind you that nothing lasts forever; nothing lasts forever that is except the faithfulness and love of God; He does not change; His mercy is new every morning!
You and I may be just like that $20 bill; we’re dirty with sin; torn and broken. The world would throw us away; run us through the shredder and put us on the trash pile.
+ Psalm 103:8-10 8God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. 9He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. 10He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. (MsgB)
Let your money become a daily reminder: GOD’S MERCY CONTINUES.
$ ONE GOD
Money is more than just a neutral means of commerce used for buying and selling. Money touches the spiritual reality within all of us. Because money is more than just physical it cannot be dealt with solely according to natural laws or understanding. Money must be handled according to spiritual principles.
Jesus actually described money as a rival deity competing for our spiritual allegiance to God. Who is your god really?
+ Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (NIV) >> You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both. (MsgB)
Money tells us, “you can only have one god.” Who will your god be, Money? If we are going to keep money from taking the place of a god in our hearts we have to handle it according to spiritual principles.
+ Malachi 3:7-8 7Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the Lord Almighty. "But you ask, ’How are we to return?’ 8"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, ’How do we rob you?’ "In tithes and offerings. (NIV)
Put simply God is saying “The way you handle your money shows what you really think of Me.” The people of Malachi’s day had turned their back on God just like their ancestors; they had broken God’s law and were living in sin. Although they denied their sin God gave them tangible proof of their sinful rebellion. The people robbed God of tithes and offerings.
The Bible says, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV). Notice it doesn’t say, “Money is evil,” but the love of money is the cause or source of evil. The love of money, the desire for greater wealth and the things it can buy will separate us from God. If we are going to keep money where it belongs (not in the bank, but off the throne of our hearts), then we need to keep God first; He alone is God.
Printed on all American currency are these words: “IN GOD WE TRUST.” Do we really trust God?
✎ I once heard the story about a wealthy man who had no need for pocket change, yet he still took the time to bend over and pick up lost pennies and other coins. Whenever the man found a coin he would stop look at it in his hand, then after standing quietly for a moment, he would then put the coin in his pocket and continue walking. He was once asked about his unusual habit. “Why does a man who has no need for money stand still as though he had just found a gold coin?” The man replied, “When I find a coin I look at the words, ‘In God We Trust,’ and I can hear God asking me, ‘Do you still trust me?’ Once I’m certain that I still trust God more than money I can continue with my day.”
Perhaps we should take the time to hear God ask us the same question, “Do you still trust Me; am I still first in your life?”
Look again at what the Lord says, “Return to me and I will return to you.” Think for a moment about the word RETURN. You can’t return unless you first turn. God is talking to HIS CHILDREN–to us!
What is God telling us? We claim to follow God, but our hearts are divided; we’re trying to serve two gods. God says the proof of your sin is in your wallet. It shows up in how we use (or misuse) our money; we rob God of our tithes and offerings.
Both God and money are jealous for our affection and love. You can only serve ONE GOD. Who will be your God?
$ NOTHING LEFT
What’s the biggest reason people don’t tithe? I’m often told, “I can’t afford to tithe.” Therein lies the problem; nothing is left because they have placed themselves under a curse.
+ Malachi 3:9 You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. (NIV)
What does it mean to be cursed? Put simply a curse is the opposite of a blessing; it is to remove God’s favor and grace from your life.
God wants to bless you financially. Did you hear what I said? God wants to have His hand of favor and blessing upon your finances. That’s not to say God wants to make you a millionaire, but GOD WANTS YOU TO HAVE ENOUGH.
+ Ecclesiastes 5:10 Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! (NLT)
+ 2 Corinthians 9:8 God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (NLT)
This may surprise you, but you and God are not the only one’s interested in your money; the devil is interested in it too. Satan wants to put you into financial bondage, to rob you of God’s provision, to live under the curse of debt. The devil wants you to have more month than money, more worry than wealth. God wants to bless you; Satan wants to steal your blessing.
What does it mean to be in financial bondage? What does it mean to place our money under a curse? The answer is found by looking at our checkbook and bank statements.
A financial curse does not discriminate; it affects both the rich and the poor. The key word is WANT; you are never satisfied with what you have. Therefore to try to satisfy your desires you spend more than you make; the credit cards are maxed out. You borrow money to pay for things like insurance and taxes. You dream about winning the lottery, or having a better paying job. You live your life saying, “if only.”
Would you like a simple diagnosis for being in financial bondage? Honestly answer these two questions: [1] Do you tithe? Before you say yes, understand giving a tithe is not just putting something in the offering. A tithe is the first 10% of your income and not what’s left over, so do you tithe? [2] Do you generously give above the tithe to support God’s work and to provide for those who are in need?
If you answered no, you are under a curse and are financially in bondage. God says, “You have robbed me of tithes and offerings.” Nothing is left when you cheat God. Your finances are cursed; you’re separated from God’s blessing, and in financial bondage.
Fortunately, the diagnosis leads to the cure.
$ EXERCISE YOUR FAITH
+ Malachi 3:10-11 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. (NIV)
Financial bondage is not the problem; it is only the symptom of spiritual disease. The real problem is a lack of faith, or an inability to trust God. When you give of your tithes and offering, it is a tangible way of saying, “God I trust you!”
Tithing is not a fund raising campaign dreamed up by the church board, nor is it just an abstract theological truth. Tithing is actively trusting God; it’s a practical and tangible way to move towards God. Tithing is an act of faith, and the more you exercise your faith, the stronger it will become.
✎ What if I told you about a man who was struggling to give his tithe to the Lord; let’s call him BILL. He wanted to please God, but he just couldn’t see how he would be able to pay all his bills if he gave 10% of his income to the church. I told Bill some great news; a multi-millionaire–we’ll call him RICH–had made a pledge to help people just like him. I said, “Bill don’t worry! Rich has millions and has promised he would pay any unpaid mortgage, utility bill, car payment, or any other obligation left unpaid at the end of the month for anyone who tithed to the church. Bill if you come up short, just go see Rich and he will take care of it.” >>Bill was smiling. “You mean pastor if I go ahead and tithe I won’t have to worry about paying my bills? Rich will really help me out if I don’t have enough?” >>“That’s right I said. You know what Bill did? He wrote out his first tithe check right there on the spot.
Bill’s story may sound far fetched, but many of us are just like him. If we had a millionaire friend named “Rich” who was willing to pay any bill we couldn’t afford to pay at the end of the month because we gave 10% of our income to the church, then we would worry about our bills either. We would gladly tithe if we knew “Rich” was there to back us up.
Why would we be more willing to trust a man with millions of dollars than to trust God who owns the entire universe? The real issue is faith. Will I trust God to do what He has promised?
The same loving Heavenly Father who sent His Son Jesus to die upon the cross for your sins and give you eternal life has also promise to “throw open the windows of heaven” and pour out a blessing you can’t contain if you’re only willing to give Him your tithe.
Will you trust God enough to give? Will you exercise your faith and believe that God will meet all your needs because he loves you?
$ YOUR CHOICE
+ Malachi 3:12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty. (NIV)
We all want to be blessed; however blessings don’t happen by chance. We have to put ourselves in a position to be blessed; IT’S YOUR CHOICE.
+ Joshua 24:15 "If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God." (MsgB)
One god–your choice; will you serve the god of money? Or will you worship the living God, Jesus Christ our Lord.
When confronted with a choice, many Christians will say, “Pastor, live under grace! Tithing was an Old Testament practice based upon the Law.”
Alright then, you choose–the Old Testament standard of tithing or the practice of the New Testament and grace. However, before you pick perhaps you ought to know what you are getting into.
+ Acts 2:45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. (NIV)
+ Romans 12:13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (NIV)
+ 2 Cor. 8:14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, (NIV)
And don’t forget to be careful if you hold out and decide to keep something for yourself and are not willing to share everything you have. That could be a very costly decision!
+ Acts 5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. (NIV)
(Tell the rest of the story.)
The New Testament standard doesn’t just require 10% of your income as a tithe. New Testament grace demands it all. That is if you want to be legalistic about it.
Actually, the New Testament does not make the Law of tithing null and void. Tithing was actually practiced long before Moses received the Law; in Genesis 13 Abraham gave a tithe to the high priest Melchizedek.
And tithing continues after the Law is fulfilled.
+ Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (NIV)
Grace does remove the Law as a standard from our lives. Rather it is by God’s grace that we are able to fulfill the law.
We can’t get into heaven by the good works we do–even if we give 100% of everything we have, but our good works do make God’s glory known to those around us. God sends a little bit of heaven to earth as we live for Him fulfilling His promise in Malachi 3:12, “the nations will call you blessed.”
+ 1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.(NIV)
Even Jesus validated the giving of tithes and offerings.
+ Matthew 23:23 "You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. (MsgB)
It’s your choice. God has given you His promise, “Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. If you’re not tithing; we’ll even give you a money back guarentee! If God fails to meet your need at the end of the month, we will give you your money back.
