THE GREAT TRANSFER OF WEALTH  AND PROSPERITY SERIES

TEXT: Mal 3:6-12

6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 

7 Ever 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. 9 You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me. 10 Bring 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.

11 I 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)

INTRO: We looked at the passages where God is going to release the wealth of the nations to us (Isa 60, 61, Hag 2:7 etc). I shared that there are four areas that we need to be prepared for. We need to be under the Lordship of Jesus. We need to grow in character and in wholeness. We need to see the purpose of prosperity and finally we need to sow. I want to talk about giving with the most foundational aspect of giving which is the tithe. Teaching this is something I am committed to do at lease once a year. But the way I want to teach this message is by answering the common questions people have asked me about the tithe over the years.

I.                              WHAT IS A TITHE?

                                                                                                                                                            A.  TIHE MEANS A TENTH

1.      Or 10% of your income. You can’t tithe five percent. The tithe is holy to the Lord. Lev 27:30-33. Everything belongs to God but 10% was set apart as a reminder that He owns everything and that He is first. .

2.      Why ten percent? The number ten represent a test in the Bible. The tithe is a test. Often I would come to class, people will be talking about the test and I would say what test? Did you know that God gives you a test you every week. There is a test-taking place. I don’t want you to say what test?

3. Why could you not put this in the New Testament? This is a test. If I can get to their heart. They will gladly give to me. They will gladly give more than ten percent. Are you really going to put God first in your life?
4. I have placed that verse exactly where I wanted it, if it were clearly in the NT it wouldn’t be much of a test.
5. The tithe was to establish the test of obedience. It is all about Lordship.
6. And this is only time God says test me when it comes to the tithe
7. The offering is beyond the tithe. Special offering on e.g. Miracle Offering Sunday, special offering for building.

II.                           ISN’T TITHING UNDER THE LAW?

A.           TITHING WAS BEFORE THE LAW AND WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE LAW.

1.      ABRAHAM TITHE 430 BEFORE THE LAW. THEN TITHING WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE LAW.

2.      Gen. 14:18 ¶ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, Gen. 14:19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. Gen. 14:20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

3.      Matt. 23:23 ¶ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

B.           TRANSCENDING PRINCIPLES THAT ARE TRUE IN THE OLD AS WELL AS IN THE NEW.

1.      Did you know that murder was under the law do we say because it is under the law so do can we murder?

2.      Matt. 5:17 ¶ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matt. 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Matt. 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

3.      My experience has taught me when people pull the law card out; they just want to rationalize the tithe because they don’t want to pay.

4.      What it comes down to is a Lordship issue.

II.                           WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TITHE AND THE FIRSTFRUITS?

A.           FIRSTFRUITS IS WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN AS THE FIRST FROM HIS GOODNESS THAT MUST GIVEN OR DEDICATED BACK TO GOD

B.           THE FIRSTBORN BELONGS TO GOD

2.      Ex. 13:2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.”

3.      Ex. 13:12 you are to give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. Ex. 13:13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.

4.      God declares that the firstborn is his 16 times in Scripture.

C.           THE FIRSTFRUITS MUST BE OFFERED TO GOD

1.      Ex. 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shall bring into the house of the LORD thy God.

2.      It says to the house of the Lord. It doesn’t say TV ministry. It is not first to hunger relief although we support a World Vision child. It says bring it into the house of the Lord your God.

3.      Prov. 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; Prov. 3:10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

III.                       WHERE OR WHAT IS THE STOREHOUSE?

A.           THE STOREHOUSE IS THE LOCAL CHURCH

1. I believe the storehouse is the local church where you go to worship. The key word is “bring”. It doesn’t say “send”. It implies that when you come to the temple or the local church to worship you are to “bring” your tithes and offering.
2. Storehouse is where you get fed spiritually.
3. You can give an offering to ministries but the tithe goes to the place where you are spiritual covered can pastorally cared for.

IV.                        SHOULD I TIHE ON THE GROSS OF THE NET?

B.           YOU TITHE ON THE GROSS

1. On the gross and not net. Your company is doing a favor for you by taking money out for taxes. But if you were self- employed, you would first tithe and then give to government second.

I.                              I OWN MY COMPANY, SHOULD MY COMPANY BE TITHING?

C.           ABSOLUTELY

1. Do you want God to be blessing your company?
2. But you tithe on the profits.
3. All great Christian companies, churches and organization should apply the principle of tithing.

V.                            WHAT IF I AM IN DEBT AND I CAN’T AFFORD TO TITHE?

A.           MY DEBT IS FIRST TO GOD.

1.      The tithe belongs to Him. I must not rob God to pay others. God will help you out of debt, but we must first obey God.

2. You cannot afford not to tithe. It is better to have God’s blessing on the 90% than have all without the blessing of God. Giving is not a financial issue; it is a Lordship issue. People under the Lordship of Jesus should stop quibbling about tithing and rationalization.

I.                              SHOULD I TITHE ON THE SALE OF MY HOME?

D.          ABSOLUTELY

1. However, the tithe would be on the profit of your equity. If you bought your house for $400,000 and you sold it for $500,000, your profit would be $100,000. Your tithe of that would be $10,000.

E.           ANY CASH INCOME THAT YOU RECEIVE FROM THE LORD YOU SHOULD TITHE ON

1. Profits from investment
2. Cash gifts
3. Cash birthday and Christmas gifts
4. Money given to you.
5. The tithe belongs to the Lord

IX.                        WHAT IF MY SPOUSE IS OPPOSED TO ME TITHING?

                                                                                                                                                            A.  THIS IS A COMPLEX SITUATION

1.      I think you need to learn how to pray and appeal to the other person.

2.      Let’s try for three months and see if God does bless.

3.      Also if you are earning a separate income from your spouse, you should at least have the freedom to tithe off your income.

4.      If you still have conflict, my pastoral recommendation is that you wait until you are both on the same page.

X.                           WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF TITHING?

A.           BLESSED IF YOU DO THIS

1. More blessed to give than to receive.
2. Tithe- blessed, don’t tithe – cursed.
3. Pour out such a blessing. All nations will call you blessed.
4. Not just a door but windows.

CONCLUSION:

1. Tithing is a Lordship issue. If you are not tithing, I don’t know how you can say that you love God with your whole heart.
2. There is no compromise with God. It is heaven or hell, saved or not saved, light or darkness, blessing or curse.
3. God is testing you. If you have failed the test. There is no condemnation, but repent and receive grace and begin to do what you are to do.
4. God give us grace. Grace follows obedience and faith. I am going to ask you to make a commitment to tithe all the days of your life.

CELL QUESTION:

1. What is the tithe?
2. Should one tithe on the gross or the net?
3. What is the storehouse? Why would it be the local church?
4. What else should you tithe on? What about the profits from the sell of your home?
5. Why don’t people usually tithe and argue that the tithe is under the law?