Amen. All right, we're there in Malachi chapter number three. And of course, as I've already announced today, I'm preaching on the subject of tithing. and I'm preaching a sermon entitled, The Tithe Challenge. You're there in Malachi chapter 3. I'd like you to just look down at verse number 10. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 10, of course, these are very well-known verses in regards to this subject. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 10, the Bible says, 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." This is, of course, one of the most well-known passages on the subject of tithing, although tithing is taught all throughout the Bible. And today I want to speak to you on the subject of tithing. And just to define it for you, when we're talking about a tithe or tithing, we're talking about a one-tenth offering. that is given as a contribution to God, given to God through a local church. Now, of course, whenever you speak on the subject of giving, people often get nervous. You talk about money and church, people don't like it. And I'd like you to keep your place there in Malachi. We're going to come back to Malachi throughout the sermon. If you would not mind putting a ribbon or a bookmark or something there in Malachi chapter 3. But I would like you to flip over to the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter number 6. Now Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. Matthew is the first book in the New Testament. So you'll just flip over to the next book from the Old Testament into the New Testament. And I'd like you to go to Matthew chapter number 6. Just by way of introduction, let me say this and give, I guess, a little bit of a disclaimer when it comes to preaching on giving. First of all, I honestly do not preach about giving a lot. We don't talk about money here at our church very much. I grew up in church where every sermon, there was a point on giving before every offering. There was a mini-sermon given on giving. We don't do those things here. And if you've came to our church for any length of time, you know that's true. Again, if you're a first-time guest, you just chose the right Sunday. This is what God wanted you to hear, I guess. But we honestly don't preach a lot on the subject of giving. However, when I do preach on it, I do not apologize for it, because it is something that is taught in scripture, as we'll see this morning. It's something that the Bible talks a lot about. And I would just say this. If preaching on giving bothers you, you should begin by checking your own heart. Because the Bible says in Matthew chapter 6 in verse 21. I'd like you to see the verse there Matthew 6 21 These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and he said this for where your treasure is There will your heart be also For where your treasure is there where your heart be also and the Bible here in Jesus identifies the fact that giving is a matter Money is a matter of the heart it reveals where our heart is where we put our earthly treasure reveals where our heart is and if it bothers you to think about or to be challenged to put your earthly treasure into the work of God, the house of God, the ministry of God, then you should honestly check your heart and ask yourself, why is it that this bothers me? Because Jesus said, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. This verse also teaches us that this is one of the reasons why, as a pastor, it is my job to teach on the subject because financial stewardship and financial giving is part of discipleship. It's part of Christian growth. It's not the main thing of Christian growth. It's not the only thing of Christian growth. But it's definitely a component of Christian growth. And you cannot be a Christian that is maturing and growing in your walk with the Lord while ignoring the commands in the Bible with regards to giving and tithing. So though we don't preach about this a lot, I do preach on it from time to time. and I'm preaching on it this morning on the subject of tithing and specifically the tithe challenge. Now there are five thoughts I want to give you in regards to this and if you're taking notes and I always encourage you to take notes on the back of your course of the week there's a place for you to jot down some things. The first thing I'd like to talk about is the practice of tithing. The practice of tithing. Now you're there in Matthew and I hope you kept your place in Malachi. We're going to come back to Malachi Malachi was the last book of the Old Testament. Matthew was the first book of the New Testament. I'd like for you to go with me now to the book of Genesis, which is the first book in the Bible. Genesis chapter number 14 should be fairly easy to find. First book in the Bible, Genesis chapter number 14. And I want to begin here with the practice of tithing and the reason for that is because there are some who teach today that tithing was part of the Old Testament law. And they make that point in order to say this, that we as New Testament believers are no longer under the Old Testament law. And it does not apply to us today. Now, there are definitely things in the Old Testament covenant that have been done away with. The Bible is clear about those things. But I want to show you that the practice of giving and the practice of tithing specifically is not one of them. In Genesis chapter 14 and verse 20, we find Abraham speaking to Melchizedek. If you remember, this is after Sodom and Gomorrah has been taken over. This is before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They've lost a battle. Lot has been taken captive. And Abraham has rescued him and rescued people. And Abraham is coming back from that victory. He meets Melchizedek along the way, Genesis 14, 20. And the Bible says this, And bless the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And then the Bible says this, And he, this is Abraham, gave him, that's Melchizedek, you can read the whole story in its context if you like. The Bible says he gave him, Abraham gave Melchizedek tithes of all. So Abraham is coming back from this victory and he's coming back with the gains of war and he meets Melchizedek along the way. They have this conversation. But I want you to notice that the Bible tells us here that Abraham gave Melchizedek tithes of all. And the reason that I show this to you is because we see Abraham tithing here and this was obviously before Moses. This was before the Mosaic Law. So in order for people to say, oh, tithing is something that is part of the Mosaic Law and that's been done away with and it no longer applies to us, is wrong for several reasons. But the reason I want to show you is because tithing was practiced by Abraham before the Mosaic Law. Tithing was practiced by Abraham before Moses and the Bible tells us here that Abraham gave him tithes of all. Not only that, but I think it's interesting that this is the first mention of tithing in the Bible. And I don't have time to get into this. You can study this out on your own. But if you were with us as we studied the book of Hebrews, then you might remember that Melchizedek is an Old Testament appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus, of course, is God in the flesh. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. He is the great I Am. He has always existed and He appears in the Old Testament as Melchizedek. I think it's interesting because here in this first mention we see not only that tithing was done before it was recorded in the Bible before the Mosaic Law, but we see that the first mention of tithing in the Bible shows us that tithing is to be given to the Lord. We see Abraham giving to Melchizedek and Abraham is giving here, of course, to an Old Testament appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you and I tithe That's what we're doing. We're giving to the Lord and we're giving to the work of the Lord. Let me give you another example. You're there in Genesis 14. Flip over to Genesis chapter 28. Genesis chapter number 28 and look down at verse number 22. Genesis chapter 28 and verse 22. Here we find the second example of tithing given in scripture, and this is now Jacob. Jacob is the grandson of Abraham. Of course, the patriarchs are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Genesis 28 and verse 22, the Bible says this, and this stone. This is Jacob leaving He's running away from home due to issues in his life and sin. And the Bible says that he stops here and he says, he makes this vow. The Bible says, in this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that thou shalt give me. This is the vow that Jacob makes to God. He says, of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee. So I want you to notice that here we see another example of Jacob. vowing to give the tenth unto thee, give the tenth unto God. And again, this is another reference to tithing. So for those that say, oh, tithing is something that's only under the Mosaic law, then they are incorrect because of the fact that we see Abraham tithing, which was before Moses. We see Jacob tithing, which was before Moses. And again, here in the second verse, in the second mention of tithing in the Bible, I want you to notice a couple of things. First of all, and I won't take the time to go through it, but here we find Jacob running away from home. He has left everything. He has nothing. And he makes his vow to God. He says, of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Now, what I think is interesting is that 20 years later, Jacob is a very wealthy, successful businessman. And God appears to Jacob and reminds him of this very conversation and says, Hey, Jacob, don't forget to tithe. And don't forget that you made a vow that everything that I gave you, you were going to give the 10th. Now, of course, we know that the house of God changes throughout scripture. Here, it's this place, this stone, where Jacob says, this shall be the house of God. Later, the tabernacle is referred to as the house of God. Later, the temple is referred to as the house of God. In the New Testament, the Bible defines the church as the house of God, the pillar and ground of the truth. But what we see here in the second mention is not only that the tithe is to be given to the Lord, but it is to be given to the house of God. And here we see that Jacob is vowing to give the tenth unto thee, and he's vowing to do it at the house of God. And what we learn is this, that we ought to tithe, and when we tithe, we give to the Lord through the house of the Lord. We give to God through the house of God. You give to the house of God to supply the work of the Lord. Now, you're there in Genesis. I'd like you to go back to Matthew, Matthew chapter number 23. Genesis is the first book in the Old Testament. I'd like you to go back to Matthew chapter 23, the first book in the New Testament. Matthew chapter number 23. And I'd like you to look down at verse number 23. Matthew chapter number 23 and verse 23. We see the practice of tithing, and the practice of tithing is this, that the Old Testament records tithing before the Mosaic law. So those who say, oh, this is something that's, it's the law of Moses, it doesn't apply today, it doesn't apply to New Testament Christians, first we know that it was recorded before the law, so it's not part of the law. Abraham tithed, Jacob tithed before the law. Not only that, but I want you to notice that the New Testament never repeals the practice of tithing. In the New Testament, we're never told. See, in the Old Testament, there are some things we're told in the Old Testament. Hey, in the New Testament, this no longer applies from the Old Testament. Holy days, the Sabbath, the Levitical priesthood. These are all things that were clearly told in the New Testament. Those were a shadow of things to come. Those things have been fulfilled. They no longer apply today. There is no verse in the New Testament that says, hey, tithing is something that no longer needs to be done. In fact, in Matthew 23 and verse 23, we find Jesus speaking on the subject of tithing. And I want you to notice what He says. Matthew chapter 23 and verse number 23, the Bible says, Notice what He says, And this is Jesus speaking to the fact that the Pharisees were so strict and specific about their tithing that they would even tithe in regards to herbs. He says they're tithing. Somebody would give them anise or mint or cumin and they would figure out the value of that and they would tithe a percentage of that back to the Lord. And Jesus says, Now, Jesus here is rebuking the Pharisees. because of the fact that they have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. But in that rebuke, he says, look, you take something that is simple, like tithing, and you take it to Now, oftentimes people look at this and they'll say, this is Jesus saying tithing is not important, tithing is not needed. But I want you to notice what Jesus actually says at the end of verse 23. He says, When he says, these have ye too done, what is he referring to? He's talking about the fact that they paid tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and then Jesus says, I'm glad you did that. These, paying tithe of these things, ought you to have done. He says, the problem that I have with you is not that you were very extreme and zealous and specific with your tithing. He says, the problem that I have is that, he says, these ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone. What is the other that was undone? Judgment, mercy, and faith. See, what Jesus is saying is, I'm glad you paid tithe for men and innocent common, but don't forget judgment, mercy, and faith. So here, not only do we find that Jesus is not repealing or rebuking the concept of tithing, He's actually affirming it. He's confirming it. He's saying, these ought ye to have done. And the these he's referring to, that he's glad they did, is that they paid tithe of mint and anise and cumin. But he also wishes that they would have not left the other undone. What left undone? Judgment, mercy, and faith. These are the weightier matters of the law. So we see that in the Old Testament, we have tithing before the Mosaic Law. And in the New Testament, the New Testament never repeals it. There's no verse in the New Testament which tells us, don't do it, or it no longer applies. In fact, we see Jesus saying, these ought ye to have done. Go with me to the book of Hebrews, if you would, Hebrews chapter number 7. If you go backwards from the book of Revelation, from the end of the New Testament, you have Jude, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st John, 2nd, and 1st Peter, James, and then the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter number 7. Revelation, Jude, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st John, 2nd, and 1st Peter, James, and then the book of Hebrews. So we see, number one, the practice of tithing. And the practice of tithing is this, that it applies to all of us. It applies to everyone, and it's applied all throughout history. In the Old Testament, we see Abraham and Jacob tithing before the Mosaic Law. Of course, the Mosaic Law speaks a lot about the subject of tithing. And in the New Testament, we never see it repealed like we see other portions of the Old Testament. But then I want to point out to you, secondly this morning, not only the practice of tithing, but the payment of tithing. The payment of tithing. Now oftentimes when we think of tithing or when we speak of tithing, we speak of tithing as giving. And we might say that someone is going to give their tithe or I need to give my tithe. And don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that if you use that terminology that makes you a bad person or whatever. I use that terminology myself and I understand why we do it. However, what I want you to notice is that the Bible does not speak about us giving our tithe. The Bible speaks about us paying our tithe. Now, you're there in Hebrews chapter 6, Hebrews chapter 7, and I'd like you to look down at verse number 6. Hebrews chapter number 7 and verse number 6. Notice what the Bible says. The Bible says, but he, by the way, this is referring to the story we saw in Genesis 14 about Abraham and Melchizedek. The he that is referring to Melchizedek. Look at verse 8. men that die receive tithes. I want you to notice that the writer of Hebrews is telling us in the point in time in which he's writing he says here men that die receive tithes. So here again we see another affirmation in the New Testament with regards to tithing. The writer of Hebrews is telling us Here and now, men that die receive tithe. Now here's what I think is interesting. The book of Hebrews, we just studied the book of Hebrews not too long ago together. We went verse by verse, chapter by chapter through Hebrews. And what we learned is this, that the book of Hebrews, the reason that it's called the book of Hebrews, is because it is a book that helps us transition from the Old Covenant into the New Covenant. From the Old Testament into the New Testament. It helps us as New Testament believers know how to correlate the Old Testament to the New Testament. The book of Hebrews is one of the primary places where the writer of Hebrews is telling us this doesn't apply anymore, the Sabbath doesn't apply anymore, the temple doesn't apply anymore, the Levitical priesthood doesn't apply anymore. These things no longer apply and what's interesting to me is that the writer of Hebrews then brings up the subject of tithing, he brings it up from an example that's before the Mosaic Law, and he doesn't take the time to repeal it like he does with other things in the book of Hebrews, but if anything, he affirms it. He says in verse 8, But there he receiveth them of whom it is witness that he liveth. And then I want you to notice verse 9. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 9. He says, Notice these words. Paid tithes in Abraham. The Bible says that he paid tithes in Abraham. When the Bible speaks about tithing, it does not speak about giving our tithe, but it speaks about paying our tithe. We're told that Levi also, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. I don't know if you remember, you don't have to go back there, but the verse we just saw in Matthew 23, Jesus said these words, and anise and cumin. So Jesus said in Matthew 22-23, ye pay tithe. Hebrews 7-9 says that he paid tithes in Abraham. And the terminology that God uses is this idea that we pay tithe. Now why does the Bible say that we pay tithe? It says that we pay tithes because we owe tithes. It's not something we give. Look, when you pay your rent, you don't make a donation to your landlord. I'm making this donation to my landlord. whatever, $1,700 a month, you know, out of the goodness of my heart, here's a freewill gift offering for you, landlord. That's not how it works. When you pay that smud bill, you're not making a donation to smud. You know what you're doing is you're paying a bill. You're paying the bill because you owe the bill. And when it comes to tithing, the Bible is clear about using this terminology that we pay tithe. Jesus said in Matthew 23, 23, for ye pay tithe. The writer of Hebrews said, Hebrews 7, 9, Paid tithes. Why? Because we owe tithes. It's something we owe to God and God expects us to be obedient and to pay our tithes. Go back, if you would, to Malachi chapter number 3. If you kept your place there in Malachi. Malachi chapter 3 and I want you to look at verse number 8. I want you to notice how God speaks about this idea of tithing. Malachi chapter number 3 and verse 8. Malachi 3.8, the Bible says this, will a man, notice this word, this is God speaking. He says, will a man rob God? The word rob means to steal. It means to take something that does not belong to you. He says, will a man rob God? God asked this question through the prophet Malachi. Will a man rob God? And then he says this, yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? And then the answer is this, in tithes and offerings. See, God expects you to tithe. God expects you to pay your tithe. It is a bill you owe God. Look at verse 9. He says, ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. So we see that there's a curse associated to not tithing. We'll talk about the curse here in a minute. I'd like you to go with me, if you would, to the book of Leviticus. Leviticus chapter number 27. Leviticus chapter 27. And look at verse number 30. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus. Third book in the Bible should be not difficult to find. Leviticus 27, look at verse 30. See, not only do we not give our tithe, but we pay our tithe. And when you do not pay your tithe, you're robbing God. You're stealing from God. You are taking something that belongs to God. And look, I'm not telling you this is what God said. He says, will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me, but ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Look at Leviticus 27 and verse number 30. Leviticus 27 and verse 30. The Bible says this. and all the tithe of the land. whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree," notice these words, "...is the Lord's." It is holy unto the Lord. So I want you to notice here we see again another verse that teaches us, that tells us that all the tithe is the Lord's. It belongs to God. It is something that God is telling us we owe Him. It's a bill you owe God and we pay the tithe. So we see the practice of tithing. Then we see the payment of tithing. The practice of tithing is that we see it all throughout the Bible. It's not just part of the Mosaic Law. It absolutely is part of the Mosaic Law, but it happened before the Mosaic Law. It was not repealed after the Mosaic Law in the New Testament. We see the payment of tithing. What is the payment of tithing? That you do not give your tithe, you pay your tithe, because you owe your tithe. And when you do not pay your tithe, you're robbing God. The Bible says, curse with a curse, for ye have robbed me even this whole nation. Why? Because all the tithe, Leviticus 27 30, is the Lord's. It belongs to God. It does not belong to you. So we talked about the practice of tithing. We talked about the payment of tithing. I'd like you to notice thirdly this morning the proportion of tithing. the proportion of tithing. Notice verse 31 of Leviticus 27. You're there in Leviticus 27, verse 31. The Bible says this, and if a man will at all redeem out of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof, verse 32, and concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock, even of whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. Now, of course, in the book of Leviticus, Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, is speaking to an agricultural society. For them, when they speak of herds and flocks and things of that nature, they are talking about money. That's their currency. That's their money. But I want you to notice here that God defines what a tithe is. He says, and concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock, even whatsoever passes under the rod, he says, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. So when we're talking about the proportion of tithe, here's what we see is that the tithe is the tenth part or one tenth or 10% of what you have. It's a 10% portion or proportion that we give back to the Lord. So the word tithe actually literally just means the 10th part. That's what the word means. And when God talks about us tithing, He is referring to us giving back the 10th part. Now, here's what I think is interesting about this and just a little application for you to take away. Sometimes people will make the argument and they'll say, well I don't make a lot of money, I can't afford to tie them. Well, here's the thing. First of all, I would say this. I don't think you can afford not to tithe. And we'll talk about that later on in the sermon. But more than that, let me just say this. The good thing for us is that God is just. And unlike the United States government, God is actually fair when he levies a tax, if you want to call it that, upon his people. It's a percentage. It's 10%. That's it. So what that tells us is that not everybody tithes the same, but we all sacrifice the same because God offers the same percentage. When somebody says, well I don't make a lot of money, I can't afford to tithe. That makes no sense because it's a percentage. So if you don't make a lot of money, guess what? Your tithe is not a lot. It's not very big. You say, well, I only made $100 this week. That's all I made. Well, good news for you is all you got to tithe is $10. That's it. And then other people say, well, I make too much money. I can't afford to tithe. Again, that doesn't make any sense. Because of the fact that it's a percentage, you get to keep 90%. You say, well, I made $1,000 this week. Well, then you give $100, and you keep $900 for yourself. See, God is just in the way He does this. And the fact that it's a percentage means there is no excuse not to tithe. You say, well, I made $0 this week. OK, well, first of all, what are you doing? But secondly, You say, I didn't make any money. OK, then you don't have to tie it. Because it's a percentage of your increase. You said my increase was zero. Well, here's the thing. 10% of zero is zero. 10% of 100 is $10. 10% of 1,000 is $100. 10% of 10,000, it's $1,000. So the tithe is a percentage, and in this way, it is very just, and it is something that we can all do, because it's a percentage of what you have. It's a percentage, and if you have very much, then your tithe is going to be higher. If you have very little, then your tithe is going to be lower, because it's simply 10%. Now, you're there in Leviticus. I want you to go to Numbers and then Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 14 is where I'd like you to go, Deuteronomy 14. You go past Numbers into Deuteronomy. And let me say this, we're talking about the proportion of tithe. And this is really helping you understand what is a tithe. A tithe is a tenth part or 10%. And again, no excuse because you say, I don't make a lot. Well, then your tithe is not very much. And you say, well, I make too much. Well, then your 90% is a lot. You should be able to live off that. But secondly, I want you to notice that the Bible teaches that it's 10% of your increase, not your income. In Deuteronomy 14 and verse 22, the Bible says this, Now I want you to notice those words, truly tithe. The reason that God says truly, is because I think God is referring to the fact that there are a lot of people who don't truly tithe. They might think they tithe, but it's not an honest tithe or a real tithe. He says, thou shalt truly tithe. And then he says this. You say, well, how do I know that I'm truly tithing? He says, when you tithe all the increase, thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed that the field bringeth forth year by year. I want you to notice that God says that the true tithe or a real tithe or the truly tithe is a tithe of all the increase. I want you to notice that God says increase, not income. Let me give you another verse. Look at verse 28, Deuteronomy 14 and verse 28. The Bible says this, at the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase. Notice it doesn't say income, it says increase the same year and shalt lay it up within thy gates. So here the Bible is teaching us that we are to tithe. What have we learned? The tithe is 10%. It's a tenth part. And now we're seeing in Deuteronomy that it is the tenth part of all your increase. Now the reason I bring this up is because, again, look, if I'm going to tithe, and we're going to see later in the sermon that it's connected to God's blessing or God's cursing upon my life, then I want to make sure I do it right. And when it comes to tithing, the Bible says that we should tithe all our increase. Now, usually when you speak about tithing, people think of income. They say, well, I make this much money, so I have to tithe 10%. But the Bible doesn't say income, it says increase. And the idea is this. Anytime you increase, you should tithe. Now, here's the thing about increase. Your income is in your increase. The income that comes into, the money that comes to you is part of your increase, but your increase is bigger than your income. Why? Because what if somebody hands you a $100 bill on your birthday and says, happy birthday? You say, well, that's not my income. That was just a gift someone gave me. Okay, but it is part of your increase. You just increase by $100. You understand what I'm saying to you? So the true tithe is a tithe because, look, what is the purpose of tithing? What is the point of tithing? And there's lots of purposes of tithing, and we can talk about the spiritual purposes. In fact, we're gonna talk about the spiritual purposes of tithing here in a minute. But let me just explain to you some practical purposes for tithing. A practical purpose for tithing is that God is teaching us to live below our means. to live on less than we make, because that's just a good way to live your life. To not spend every dime that comes into your bank account. God is teaching us to live with some restraint, to realize that just because I made $100 doesn't mean I get to spend $100. I have to live below that. But not only that, one of the purposes of tithing is for us to acknowledge God. is for us to acknowledge the fact that everything that I have came from God, every good gift is from above, and look, whether it's the paycheck that I receive from my job, I give 10% back to God as an acknowledgement that this is from God, this is a blessing of God, but when somebody gives me a gift, when somebody gives me money, when I... you know, you get some inheritance or whatever, you are increased somehow financially, then you should acknowledge that that also came from God. And that God is the one that has blessed you with that and you should tithe 10% of your income. Let me also say this, another thing that we can learn from the increase, for those of you that are business owners or you're in business, this is something that I'm often asked about and I want to be clear about it. You are to tithe from your increase Which means that you don't have to, if you didn't, in the portions of business where you have not made money, you don't have to tithe. And here's what I mean by that, and again, I'll just, this is not the majority, but some of you may have this question. Let's say you're in business for yourself, and you go and do a job, and you charge, whatever, $500. OK, but let's say it costs you $250 to do that job. You went out and bought $250 worth of materials to do the job. You charge $500. You say, what do you tithe off? You don't tithe off the $500 because you didn't increase $500. Because it costs you $250 to go and get the materials or whatever. What did you increase? You say, well, I increased $250. And that's what you tithe off. You tithe off the increase. So hopefully that helps some of you business guys out there and make sure you understand. Because look, I'm not going to stand up here and lie to you and try to get you to give more than you're supposed to or whatever. You tithe off your increase, what you make. But let's be honest about what we make, because sometimes people give us things. We come into money other ways. You have other... incomes or other streams of money that you don't consider income. The Bible doesn't say income, it says increase. So we see that tithing is 10%. We see that it's 10% of our increase. And then I want you to notice, thirdly, that it is the first 10%. Now, I'm not going to have you turn here because, just for sake of time, And I'm only going to read one verse to you because there's lots of verses we could look at. But in 2 Chronicles 31.5, if you want to jot this down for your notes, 2 Chronicles 31.5, I'll just read it for you. The Bible says this, of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase, that's what we just got done talking about, the tithes of the field, and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. Now the verse that I just read to you used these terms. The increase, the tithe, and the first fruits. And it used all of those terms interchangeably. The tithe is also referred to in the Bible as the first fruits. What does that mean? Not only is it 10%, but it's the first 10%. And literally, in the Old Testament, when somebody had a herd, and they had increased as a result of a herd, the Bible explains, we won't take the time to go through this, that they would take a rod, and they would begin to have the animals go down that rod, through that rod, and let's say they had 100 cows, or 100 sheep, or whatever, they were just, the first 10% just belonged to God, the first fruits. when they would bring in corn or wine. The first 10% of that harvest was just given to God. Because the Bible teaches that we are to give God the first fruits. And this is something that some people ask me about and I want to answer the question. Number one, when you're doing your budgeting and you're paying your bills, I believe that we should pay God first. It's the first fruits. So this is not the way we tithe. We don't pay all our bills and see if there's any money left over to give to God. That's not how it works. We give him the first 10%. We pay Him first. You know what the Bible says? The Bible says that in all things He should have the preeminence. The Bible says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. By the way, referring to physical needs, financial needs, God says you seek God first, all these things shall be added unto you. So we can learn from this is that we give God 10% We give God a true tithe, which is of all our increase, which means that you sit down on Saturday and you ask yourself, how has God blessed me? How has God blessed me this week? Well, I got paid this week, so I need to give 10% of that. Well, somebody gave me a $50 gift card to a restaurant. I'm just telling you, I'm going to tithe off that. Somebody gives me a $100 gift card to some restaurant, we're putting $10 in the offering plate because that was a gift that came from that individual. That individual will get a thank you card and God will get 10%. Because it's the increase, but not only that, we pay God first. It's the first fruits. Here's another question that I'm often asked. People will ask, do you tithe before taxes or after taxes? And when it comes to your paycheck, is it from the gross number or from the net? Well, here's the thing about tithing, is that who do you want to pay first, God or the government? I think we should seek ye first the Kingdom of God. I think that in all things ye should have the preeminence. I'm just telling you the way that I apply those verses to myself, because by the way, the Bible teaches that pastors should tithe, and my family and I tithe, of course. We pay God, we don't let the government take their cut first. I'm not gonna allow the government to put themselves before God. We tithe off of the gross or off of the increase even before the taxes are taken out. Why? Because the true tithe in the Bible is 10%. It's 10% of everything that God has increased you. And it's the first 10% It's the first fruit. And one of the reasons we do this is because it allows us to put God first, it allows us to acknowledge God, it allows us to acknowledge that God is the source of all these things, and we pay back the tithe that He has told us that we owe Him. Go back to Malachi chapter number 3. We talked about the practice of tithing. We talked about the payment of tithing. We talked about the proportion of tithing. It's 10%. It's 10% of your increase, not your income. And it's the first 10%. It's the first 10%. But let's talk about number four this morning, the purpose of tithing. The purpose of tithing. Now, we already talked on a practical level, personally, a practical level, that one of the purposes of tithing is that it teaches you to live below your means. And I think that's something good that everyone should do. And on a practical level, it allows us to acknowledge God first, and it allows us to acknowledge on a spiritual level that God is the source of all our things. But what is the stated purpose of tithing as to why God implemented it in Scripture? The purpose of tithing, first of all, it is this, to pay for the ministry. Remember, we saw in Genesis that we give to the Lord through the local church. We give to the Lord through the local church. You're not giving to Verity Baptist Church, you're giving to the Lord Jesus Christ. You're paying God, but you do it through the local church. This is what he has commanded. Malachi 3, look at verse 10, bring you all the tithes into the storehouse. The storehouse here, and you can study this out on your own, is referring to the temple to the storage area of the temple, which in the Old Testament was the house of God. In the New Testament, 1 Timothy tells us that the house of God is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. But he says, So look, you give to your local church, you say why? That there may be meat in mine house. That there may be meat in mine house is what God says. The word meat is referring to food and to supplies. So what is the purpose of tithing? One of the purposes is to pay for the ministry. It's how we do ministry here at Variety Baptist Church. Look, these lights don't turn on because we show up here early on Sunday and pray that they turn on. You know, there's bills and costs to ministry, things that need to be paid for, and God has determined that the tithe pay for the work of the house of God and the ministry of God. So, a couple takeaways. Number one, the Bible teaches, and I believe, that you should tithe to the church you attend. You should tie to the church that feeds you, that ministers to you. Sometimes people get this idea. They'll say, okay, well, I'm supposed to give 10% to God, but I'm going to give 10% to, you know, I'm going to give to this charity and the Red Cross. I'm going to give to that charity and I'll give a little bit to church and whatever. And look, here's the thing. I'm all for you giving to charity. Nothing wrong with that. It's good to be generous if you are able to do those things. But please understand this. This is not 10% that God says you can use it however you want. This is 10% that is to go to the local church that you attend. You say, well, I like this other church that I listen to online. I'm going to tithe to them. Then why don't you move there and tithe there? But if you go to church, and look, I'm not just talking about Verity Baptist Church. I'm saying if you go to a church physically, you go there, the pastor, the pastor's wife, the staff are all working and ministering to help you, then you ought to pay your tithe at that local church, bringing all the tithes into the storehouse. But what is the purpose that there may be meat in my house? to pay for the supplies, to pay for the work, to pay for the ministry of the church. And look, please understand this, and I'm teaching this to you because it's what the Bible says, and I think it's good for us to understand these things, but I truly believe that every financial need of Verity Baptist Church would be covered if the members of Verity Baptist Church would tithe. Because there's no church in America where 100% of the members are actually doing what they're supposed to do and bringing a true tithe unto the Lord. But I believe that God has already provided for the needs of our church through the practice of tithing and the teaching of tithing. And I believe that every financial need of our church will be covered if every member just decided, I'm gonna obey what God says and I'm going to tithe. Now, our church obviously has its ups and downs financially, and I believe that for the majority of our ministry, God has blessed us abundantly financially. Obviously, we just moved into this building earlier this year. We've done a lot of work and a lot of construction. It's taken its toll. We've not been able to do everything that we need to do, and that's okay. We can do it slowly, and we'll take our time, and I understand that. But I'll just be honest with you. I don't think there needs to be a playground, a dissembled playground out on the field right now that we honestly can't afford to set up if God's people would just tithe. I don't think we need to have a bunch of lights laying on the ground right now that we honestly just don't have the money or the manpower to set them up in this dark parking lot if God's people would tithe. I honestly don't think that we would have to walk through these undone hallways and undone fellowship hall and undone areas of this building if God's people just truly brought the tithe and did what they were supposed to do. I honestly believe that all of the costs associated with ministry will be covered. Because this is what God has ordained. He has ordained that God's people are to tithe and that would meet the needs of the church. Tithe into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house. So we see that the purpose of tithing is to pay for the ministry and look everything we do around here all the activities all I often joke with our church people that you're spoiled I mean the things we do here we do so many things and we pay for them the church doesn't ever charge you we don't charge anyone for anything but every once in a while I preach on the subject of tithing Because I'm not going to charge you for anything, but God does. God says you owe Him 10%. So, the purpose of tithing is to pay for the ministry, but let me say this as well, the purpose of tithing is to pay for the ministers. You don't have to turn here, but in 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 13, the Bible says this, This is referring to the Old Testament and how the Levitical priests and the priesthood, they ministered about holy things. When people brought the tithe, they ministered with those sacrifices and those things, but they also lived off those things. They which minister about the holy temple live of the things of the temple, and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar. And what Paul is saying here is, he's saying, don't you know that in the Old Testament, the priest got paid, the staff got paid through the tithe? Then he says in 1 Corinthians 9, 14, he says, even so, the words even so means in the same way, hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. So the Bible was clear about the fact that not only does your tithe, when you tithe faithfully to your local church, Does it go to pay for the ministry, to pay for the activities, to pay for all the things that we do around here? But it also goes to pay for the ministers, those that work in the gospel ministry and that work in full-time ministry. It says they that which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. So we saw the practice of tithing. We saw the payment of tithing. It's not something you give, it's something you owe. We saw the proportion of tithing. It's 10%, it's 10% of your increase, and it's the first 10%. We saw the purpose of tithing, to pay for the ministry, and to pay for the ministers. But let me give you the fifth point this morning, and I would say maybe the most important point, and it is the promise of tithing. The promise of tithing. Go back to Malachi chapter 3 if you would, and I'd like you to look at verse number 10 again. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 10, We see the command to tithe. God commands it. It's not an option. It's not something you decide to do. Obviously, you can disobey God. But if you want to honor the Lord and be a follower of the word of God, the command is clear. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse. It's commanded by scripture, that there may be meat in mine house. And then he says these words, and I'm going to come back to them here in a minute. He says, and prove me now, hear where? Say it, the Lord. 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. But I want you to notice the command, is that we are commanded to bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse. We are commanded to do it. But along with that command, I want you to notice that there is a compensation. And God makes a promise. He says there at the end of verse 10, Well, let's just read verse 10 again. Notice what he says. This is the promise. He says, God says that there's a connection between our financial giving on earth and the blessings we receive from heaven. In fact, God says, I want you to see if I won't bless you, 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. Now, this terminology is used in Genesis about the flood, that God opened the windows of heaven and he flooded the earth. And I think the idea is this, when God opened the windows of heaven and he threw water out, there was so much water it flooded the earth, that's not a good thing. But if God replaces the water with His blessing, He says, I'm going to flood you with blessings. He says, The idea is this, that there's a compensation to the command. If God commands you to tithe, but then God says this, if you tithe, there's a blessing of prosperity. There is a blessing that God can help you. I'd like to just run a few verses real quickly. Go to Deuteronomy chapter number eight. Deuteronomy chapter eight. I meant to tell you to keep your place in Deuteronomy. I think I might've forgot to do that. But if you can find Deuteronomy chapter eight, you have Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, then Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter number eight, And the idea is this, that God can bless you. And God says, look, pay your tithe and don't rob me and see 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. In Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 15, God is speaking to the children of Israel after he brought them out of captivity in Egypt. And I want you to notice what he says, Deuteronomy 8, 15. He says, who led thee, this is Moses speaking through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, who led thee through the great and terrible wilderness, of course referring to God, wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions and drought, where there was no water, who brought thee forth water out of the rock of a flint, he's referring to the fact that God provided for them, look at verse 16, who fed thee, In fact, if you don't mind marking in your Bible, I would draw a line between the words in verse 15, who led thee, and verse 16, who fed thee. Aren't you thankful that God does both? He leads and He feeds. who led thee and fed thee in the wilderness with manna, he's saying, look, I provided for you, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee to do thee good at thy latter end, verse 17, and thou say in thine heart, he said, after all those blessings I gave you, I don't want you to say in your heart, my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. Look at verse 18. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, For it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant, which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And the idea is this, that God can lead you and God can feed you. And you're saying that God can help you. And God can open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing. And he can give you a blessing of prosperity in your life. Go to Proverbs chapter number three. You open up the Bible just right in the center. You're more than likely to fall in the book of Psalms. Right after Psalms you have Proverbs. Proverbs chapter three. Now let me just say this. I'm not standing up here like some prosperity preacher and telling you, you sow a seed of $100 and God's gonna give you a thousand. Okay, that's not, that's a bunch of charismatic garbage. The Bible doesn't say that. But the Bible does say that God will meet your physical needs and your financial needs. And the Bible does say that God's going to bless you. And listen, aren't there some things that are better than money? I mean, obviously we want God to bless us financially and we want God to take care of us financially, but there's other ways that God can bless you that would be better than money. For example, a good relationship with your spouse, a good relationship with your children, health for yourself and your family. And again, I'm not saying if you don't have those things, you don't have the blessing of God. I'm just saying that God does promise that He will bless us if we are faithful in our tithes and it's more than just money. But God does promise, if you faithfully tithe, He will take care of you financially. Who led thee and who fed thee. It is God who has the power to give you wealth, for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth. Are you there in Proverbs 3? Look at verse 9. Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 9. The Bible says this. What is that? Substance. It's the things you have. Look at this. First fruits. That should sound familiar. That's the time. Does this sound familiar? Increase. That's the tithe. Here's what God says. Honor the Lord with thy substance. Honor the Lord with your increase. Honor the Lord with what he's given you and with the firstfruits of all thine increase. He says, if you're faithful to God with the firstfruits of all thine increase, verse 10, so shall. So shall means that what he's about to say in verse 10 is connected to verse 9. He said, you do, verse 9, honor the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase. And God says, I'll do, verse 10, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. And I'm here to tell you that God can help you. God can make things go your way. God can open those windows. God can open that door for that promotion, for that raise, for that sale. God can help you. And people say, well, I don't know that I can live off of 90%. Listen to me. I would much rather live off of 90% with the blessing and help of God than with 100% and the curse and hindrance of God. Because God says, look, I'm going to bless you. He says, 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. So there's the blessing of prosperity. God can help you. But then there's also the blessing of protection. Because notice what he says, if you go back to Malachi chapter 3 and verse 11. He says, not only am I going to bless you, he said, I'm also going to protect you. Verse 11, Malachi 3, 11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes. The devourer. When I think of that, I think of Satan. The devourer, the destroyer. The Bible says that he walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes. I don't know about you, but that's worth putting 10% in the offering plate right there, if God will rebuke the devourer for my sake. 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. So God says, look, not only is there the blessing prosperity, but there's a blessing of protection. And because this is not something we do voluntarily, but God has commanded us to do it, there's also a flip side, which there's a curse. Malachi 3, verse 9. If you don't tithe, he says, ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have wrought me, even this whole nation. God says, if you do it, I'll bless you. If you don't do it, I'll curse you. Go to Haggai chapter 1. You're there in Malachi. You just go backwards, pass Zechariah into the book of Haggai. Haggai chapter 1. We saw in Deuteronomy that God can help you, right? He can lead you, He can feed you, He can feed you from manna, He can make water come out of a rock. He's saying, look, I can provide for you even in situations where it seems like nothing's going to help. Even out of areas where it looks like you shouldn't get water from a rock, you shouldn't get manna from heaven. But He said, I'm the one that gives you the power to get wealth. But then God also says, He says, I can help you, but He says, I can also hurt you. I can hinder you. Look at Haggai 1, verse 6. Here's the curse. Because He said, ye are cursed with a curse. What does that curse look like? Here's what it looks like. Haggai 1, verse 6. Ye have sown much, and bring in little. You say, what if I work a lot, but it seems like it just, it doesn't last. Ye have sown much, and bring in little. He says, ye eat, but ye have not enough. He says, you know, we eat and it seems like it's just never enough. Ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink. Ye clothe you, but there is none warm. He says, and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. God says, you go out there and you make money, you're putting money into this bag, but it seems like it's a bag with holes, like it keeps disappearing. We eat, but we're never full. We're clothed, but we're always cold. We're thirsty, and we drink, but we're always thirsty. We sow much, but we bring in little. You say, what is that? That's the hindrance of God. That's the curse of God. And here's what God says. God says, he tells the children of Israel, I can make those shoes on your feet last 40 years. or I can make them be destroyed. See, it's all about whether you trust God and whether you're obedient to God. And again, I'd rather live off of 90% with the help of God than 10% with the hindrance of God. Because he says there's a curse. And you say, well, why does God do that? It's not fair. Why does God do that? Well, please understand something. You didn't pay your bill. It's not voluntary. You owe it to God, and here's what God is saying, and I'll just put it into plain words for you. God is saying this, I'm gonna get my tithe out of you one way or another. Now, you'll either give 10% willingly and cheerfully to the work of God and the house of God, and then I'll bless you and pour you out a blessing, or you can pay it to the mechanic, or you can pay it to the dentist, or you can pay it to this bill or that bill. You'll have this breakdown, and you'll have this cost, this unexpected. He says, If you want to sow much and bring in little, if you want to eat but have not enough, if you want to drink and not be filled, if you want to clothe yourself and not be warm, if you want to earn wages and put it into a bag with holes, he says, we can do that too, but you're not going to steal from me. So he says, look, you get a choice whether you want to obey God or not. And this brings us to the point that I've been trying to make, that I wanted to make this whole time. I wanted to teach you about tithing, the practice of tithing. It applies to all of us. Not just part of the Mosaic Law, it is in the Mosaic Law. When we saw Abraham and Jacob doing it before the Mosaic Law, we never see it repealed in the New Testament. We saw the payment of tithing. It's not something we give to God, it's something we pay to God, we owe it to God, and when we do not do it, we are robbing God. We saw the proportion of tithing. It's a 10%. That makes it just. That makes it fair. It's 10% of your increase, not just your income, everything that God has blessed you with. And it is the first 10%. We pay God first. We saw the purpose of tithing, to pay for the ministry and to pay for the ministers. And then we saw the promise of tithing. It's a command, bring you all the tithes into the storehouse. And there's a compensation. God says, I'll open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you cannot contain. He said, or you can be cursed with a curse. He said, you can have the blessing of prosperity and the blessing of protection. He said, I will revoke the devourer for your sakes. He shall not destroy the fruit of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field. He said, or I can take it out of you in different ways. But what I really want to point out to you is this tithe challenge that God gives. In Malachi chapter 3 and verse 10, just look at it one more time. He says, bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house. And I want you to notice these words. In fact, if you don't mind marking in your Bible, maybe you should underline these words. He says, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts. He says, prove me now herewith. The word herewith means with this. And as far as I know in scripture, and I've read the Bible a lot, I'm not saying I know everything about the Bible. If I miss something, please let me know. But as far as I know in scripture, this is the only time in the Bible that God says this. Where he says, I promise you that if you do this, I'll bless you. I also promise you that if you disobey me, I'll curse you. And then God says, prove me. We see the proving of tithing. God says, I challenge you to try it. He says, I dare you. I dare you to prove me herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, there shall not be room enough to receive it. This is why over the years we have called this the tithe challenge. And it's not me challenging you, it's God challenging all of us and saying, prove me herewith. Prove me and see if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you cannot contain. And I want to challenge you this morning. If you're a tither, I want to challenge you to stay at it. Stay with it. You say the economy is bad. I know. Inflation is high. I know. There's this reason and that reason. Look, God didn't say prove me as long as the economy is good. He just said prove me. And I want to challenge you if you are a tither and you are a faithful tither to continue to bring your full tithe of all your increase first unto the Lord. And if you're not a tither, maybe you're new to this Christianity thing. You're just becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. You say, I don't tithe. I hadn't really been taught on the subject of tithing. I want to challenge you. I want to challenge you to prove God. The one time he says, prove me, see if I'll let you down, to bring a full and complete tithe consistently to God. Look, I can tell you, for my wife and I, we tithe. Our entire adult lives, I've tithed my whole life growing up in a Christian home. And we're not rich and we're not wealthy, but I can tell you this, that God has never let us down. He's always met our needs. He's always taken care of us. Sometimes it's a little harder than others. I'm not going to sit here and tell you it's always prosperity. But I can tell you that I've taken the tithe challenge and I've never seen God let us down. And I want to challenge you with the words of God. 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. Will you take the tithe challenge? Inspire her tonight with a prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do love you. And we thank you that you take care of us. You take care of our needs. You keep your promises. and you bless us with these things, and Lord, I pray that you would help us and our church to develop Christians that will say, I will be a consistent tither. I will give a true tithe, 10% of all my increase, first fruits, pay him first. And Lord, I believe that all our needs could be met. if God's people were tied to the Lord through the local New Testament church. Lord, I pray you'd help us to learn this lesson, apply it to our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. All right, we're going to have Brother Matt come up and lead us. Any final song you just want to