Illus: For example, one of you ladies could make some chocolate pudding, and when you got through it looked good! But just because it looked good does not mean it was good. You never would know that until you tasted it. That is where we get the expression, THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING!
Not only is that true about pudding, but that is true also about other things. For example, you can ask some folks if they love the Lord, and they will immediately say, “I certainly do.” But these are only words. Anyone can say, “I love the Lord!” Almost everyone will say they love the Lord, but according to the Word of God, this is not true.
WHERE IS THE PROOF? When we say we love the Lord, we should be able to have the proof.
For example, when Paul preached at Antioch, the people received the Word of God and became Christians.
HOW DO WE KNOW THEY BECAME CHRISTIANS? They had the proof. Look at Acts 11:26, "…And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
The proof that they truly knew the Lord, was that they were given the name of Christians because they were so much like the Lord.
In other, words, they:
• TALKED LIKE CHRIST
• LIVED LIKE CHRIST
• LOVED WHAT CHRIST LOVED
They were given the name CHRISTIANS, because they were Christ-like!
Can people look at your life and know that you are a Christian?
Illus: Someone said that if many so called Christians were locked up, and brought to trial for being Christians, it would be hard to find enough evidence to convict them.
Anyone can say they love the Lord, but what kind of proof should their life reflect if they truly love the Lord? God's Word says that the PROOF is, if we love him WE WILL KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
There are many areas of our lives that can reveal that we love the Lord. We reveal it by:
• HOW WE SPEND OUR ENERGY
• HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME
• HOW WE SPEND OUR MONEY
Let’s look at the last one of these things. The proof that we love the Lord can be found IN TITHING.
The Word of God says if we love Him we will obey Him. For example, when a person doesn’t tithe, it is because of one of two reasons:
(1) He does not know his scriptural responsibility
(2) He loves money more than he loves the Lord
I. THE TITHER PROVES HE BELIEVES GOD'S WORD
Tithing is interwoven throughout scripture, and in the lives of Bible characters. For example:
A. ABRAHAM PRACTICED TITHING
Look at Genesis 14:20, we read, "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he (Abraham) gave him (Melchizedek) tithes of all."
Illus: During the days of Abraham, he had to come up against his enemies, and when he defeated them, he was left with all their wealth, and he made sure that he tithed of all that God had given him.
B. JACOB VOWED THAT HE WOULD TITHE
Look at Genesis 28:22, we read, "And this stone, which have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee." Jacob vowed to tithe of all that God gave him.
C. THE LAW COMMANDED IT
Leviticus 27:30-34, we read, "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai."
D. JESUS ENDORSED TITHING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Look at Matthew 23:23, we read, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, AND NOT TO LEAVE THE OTHER UNDONE."
They had many faults that the Lord was displeased with. But notice, when it comes to tithing, they were so careful to tithe of everything, that the Lord said, "...THESE OUGHT YE TO HAVE DONE..." If this was not to be a continuing practice, He would not have given the endorsement that this is something they should do.
E. PAUL SHOWS THE NEED FOR TITHING
Look at 1 Cor. 9:13-14, we read, "Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."
Paul is saying that if a man is going to spend his life studying and preaching the gospel, “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."
In the Old Testament, God told the farmers that if they were going to plow with an ox, they should not muzzle the ox while plowing with him.
In 1 Cor. 9:9 we read, "For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?"
God was displeased with farmers who wanted to work an ox from morning till night, and not allow him to receive part of what he was laboring for.
God made provision that the ox would be cared for, and God also made provision that His preachers are to be taken care of. He said in 1 Cor. 9:14, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."
God is not pleased with a church that will "muzzle" a pastor.
The person who practices tithing, which is taught throughout God's Word, is PROVING THAT HE BELIEVES GOD'S WORD. The Lord said one of the proofs that we love the Lord is that we are willing to OBEY HIS WORD.
His practice of tithing proves TWO THINGS.
1. IT PROVES HE KNOWS WHO THE TITHE BELONGS TO
Look at Lev. 27:30, we read "...the tithe...is the Lord's..." When Christians tithe, they are acknowledging that GOD OWNS EVERYTHING!
Look at:
• Psalm 24:1, we read, “The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
• Psalm 50:10, we read, “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.”
• Psalm 50:11, we read, “I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.”
• Haggai 2:8, we read, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.”
• 1 Cor. 6:20, we read, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
God owns everything and we are merely stewards of His possessions.
Illus: Someone said, “One of the greatest injustices that many pastors have done to the church is to insist that God demands one-tenth of our income, and one-seventh of our week. The implications are that the other nine-tenths of our income, and the other six days of the week are ours to do as we please. The real truth is that everything belongs to God! Not only the tithe, but everything else; 100% belongs to Him. We are simply stewards of being obedient to our Heavenly Master (Jesus Christ). The tithe is simply the basic starting point in our Christian financial commitment.”
When we tithe, we are acknowledging that it all belongs to God to start with. Also, when a Christian tithes -
2. IT PROVES ALSO THAT HE CAN BE TRUSTED
Often we hear well-meaning Christians as they pray for the offering, say, "Lord, we give our tithes to You..." The fact is, that is not correct! We cannot give something that does not belong to us.
In Leviticus 27: 30, we read, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.”
When we tithe each Sunday, what we are doing is showing that God has entrusted us with HIS TITHES, and we are making sure He receives what is His. We recognize that we are stewards of God’s money.
Illus: We see a good example of this kind of trust, in the life of Joseph. Potiphar had made Joseph master of His house.
In Gen 39:4 we read, "And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand."
When Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, he reminded her he had been entrusted with his household. And he also reminded her that he could not submit to what she wanted him to submit to, because she belonged to her husband - not to him.
That is exactly what God has done with us. The Bible clearly says, "...the tithe...is the Lord's...", and God is trusting us to give Him what belongs to Him.
Illus: That is more than Uncle Sam will do. Because Uncle Sam does not trust us, every now and then we are called in to be audited. Why? Because Uncle Sam wants to see our records and receipts because he does not trust us.
THE TITHER PROVES BY HIS OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD, that he recognizes:
• The tithe belongs to The Lord
• That we have been entrusted to make sure that God receives that which belongs to Him
THE TITHER PROVES THAT HE BELIEVES GOD'S WORD. Also...
II. THE TITHER PROVES HE BELIEVES GOD'S PROMISES
The scripture contains many promises that God has made to His people. But listen, one of the greatest promises that can be made to a mortal man is made concerning tithing.
Look at Malachi 3:10-11, we read, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."
Notice, THIS IS A PROMISE, but it is a CONDITIONAL PROMISE. That is, God was saying that if you place the tithe in the offering plate this way, He will bless you!
When a Christian tithes, he is saying, "GOD, I BELIEVE IN THE PROMISE YOU MADE TO ME, and I ACCEPT THE CONDITIONS YOU REQUIRE!"
Notice, THERE ARE TWO CONDITIONS.
1. BRING YE ALL THE TITHES
In the first part of the condition, look at the word, "ALL." God’s Word says, "Bring ye ALL the tithes into the storehouse…”
The word “Tithe” is derived from the Hebrew word “Asair” which means to give one-tenth. (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)
A lot of folks do not realize this, but we do not tithe until we have given at least ten percent of what God has blessed us with.
God is such a gracious and generous God. Look at the percentages:
• He lets us keep 9/10 of what He gives us
• He only asks for 1/10, that it might be used to care for His work
Illus: A hobo asked a man for $10.00. Ten dollars was all that the man had. He was gracious, and he said, "I will give you nine, but I must keep one for myself." The hobo agreed, but as the man walked down the street the hobo jumped him from behind, hit him over the head and also took the one he kept for himself.
Now wouldn't you consider that hobo to be a real "dirt scum bag"? Well, isn't this what a man does when he robs God of the tenth that belongs to Him?
Some ask, "Why should I give God any money? I earned it all by myself!" REALLY? What if God had not given you:
• THAT JOB
• THE STRENGTH TO WORK THAT JOB
• THE WISDOM TO WORK
• THE AIR YOU BREATHE
In fact, if God had not helped you, you would not be around to even collect your pay check!
Illus: A lot of Christians will say, "I will tithe of my NET INCOME. I do not feel that I should have to tithe of what Uncle Sam gets. I do not get any benefits from that!" REALLY? What about:
• Those roads that you ride on each day
• The schools where your children and grandchildren are educated
• The military that keeps this nation free
• The police who protect your neighborhood
• The fire department that is available to you twenty-four hours a day
• The road service that maintains highways for you to travel on
The first condition you must meet to have God fulfill His promise in your life, is to "Bring ye ALL THE TITHES into the storehouse…”
2. BRING YE ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE
God not only tells us to bring ALL, He also tells us WHERE TO BRING THEM!
Illus: You would be surprised at how many folks think they are tithing when they send $50.00 a month to a television preacher, who promises to send them a piece of costume jewelry (worth about $2.50) if they will make that $50.00 "contribution."
That is not tithing! That is being dumb! All you did was pay fifty dollars for a piece of jewelry that was worth $2.50. If you took that same $50.00 downtown to any Jewelry store, you would get a lot better deal than that.
Many folks have been tricked into believing that they could send tithes off to different places, and receive the blessing promised for tithing. NOT SO! God says BRING, not SEND!
The blessing is promised to those who would bring God’s tithes "...into the storehouse..."
Look at God’s response, and question, to the people who did not tithe in this scriptural passage. He asked the rhetorical question, “WILL A MAN ROB GOD?”
And the answer to that question is, Yes! Every week, God blesses mankind with jobs and strength to go to work, and when it comes time to receive their pay check, they will take every penny God has blessed them with and spend it on themselves.
Listen, man should never rob anyone, but especially not God. He then shows us how a person can rob God, “In tithes and offerings!”
But a man that loves the Lord will not rob God of His tithes and offerings. He loves the Lord to much to do such a thing! He brings the tithes that belong to the Lord to the STOREHOUSE OF GOD.
WHERE IS THE STOREHOUSE? It is where you receive your spiritual food.
Illus: You would not go to a Winn Dixie store and get your groceries, and walk out and go down the street and pay for them at the Food Lion WOULD YOU? No! You pay at the store where you get the groceries.
Some might be saying, “Preacher, when I watch some of these television ministers I get fed spiritually.”
There are some who do preach the Word on television. Dr. Charles Stanley, Dr. Jerry Falwell and men like Dr. Adrian Rogers preach the Word of God. And it is commendable that their churches voted to go on national television and spread the Word of God around the world.
But listen, that was their decision. And with that decision comes their responsibility to finance what they voted to do. We had no part of making that decision, and we do not have any responsibility to finance what they voted to do.
If they are going to take the tithes people send to them, then they should be the ones to:
• Come and marry the young couples
• Come and visit the sick in the hospitals and nursing homes
• Come and bury the dead
• Provide a place for you and your family to worship in
• Provide a full time preacher to be at your disposal whenever you need him, day or night
• Provide electricity so that you can worship in a comfortable atmosphere, summer and winter
• Provide for an organ and a piano so that you will have instruments to sing with during the worship service
• Provide for a song leader to lead the music
• Provide the money to send missionaries around the world to preach the gospel
• Provide the money to buy Sunday School literature
But the fact is, many of these “Hucksters” will take the tithes that are for the purpose of spreading of the gospel, and -
• Build air-conditioned dog houses
• Wear jewelry on their hands worth more than some people pay for their houses
• Buy yachts to travel on
• Buy thousand dollars suits
• Buy expensive cars
• Buy houses all over the country
• Buy jets to travel in
And not give back one dime to the local church.
People never cease to amaze me. If I got up before the congregation before we took up the offering, and said, “Make your check out to me”, you would run me out of the church. But that crowd of “Hucksters” can get up and say, “Make your check out to _________________,” and people reach for their check books.
Decency and fairness requires that you do as God’s Word says, BRING GOD’S TITHES TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU RECEIVE YOUR SPIRITUAL FOOD!
People who want everyone in the church to provide these things for them, and are not willing to be trustworthy stewards of God’s money, remind me of people in this society that want the tax-payers to do all the sacrificing, while they sit back and do all the reaping.
The same principal applies spiritually. When you are receiving your "spiritual food" at your church, God would have you give His tithe there, not at some other church.
Conclusion:
Before we close this sermon, I would like to bring to your attention that there are some people who are floating around, professing to be Christians, that will tell you that they do not believe the Bible teaches tithing. Well it does. They might not like it, but it teaches tithing from cover to cover.
And if all Christians were like these who profess to be saved:
• There would be no churches to worship in
• There would be no missionaries to go abroad and spread the gospel
• There would be no Sunday School classes
• There would be no Sunday School literature
• There would be no denominational headquarters
• There would be no full time preachers
If everyone was like these who do not believe in tithing, there would be NO CHURCH!
Look at the marvelous promise God has made to the tither. When this was written, most of that day's society was made up of farmers, and depended upon what they raised for their livelihood.
He told them in Mal. 3:10-11, to bring all the tithes to the "storehouse," and they would receive many blessings. "...prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."
The proof is in the TITHING! Do you exhibit the proof?
I. THE TITHER PROVES HE BELIEVES GOD'S WORD
II. THE TITHER PROVES HE BELIEVES GOD'S PROMISES
