Today we are turning to a set of verses often used to anchor the health and wealth gospel teaching one might hear on television today.
Malachi 3:6-12
6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors 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 mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—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 there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
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Observations:
1) This is a "nation" based thing, not an individual thing. If you bring the tithe, your nation will be blessed.
2) Return to God - this is what God wants. The nation has turned away from God, and God want them to return. What will show that the nation has returned? When the nation gives the full tithe to God.
3) The question is: What kind of blessing are we talking about.
Health and Wealth gospel:
John Piper video:
How do we balance these two ideas.
Here is a passage that promises that if we give the tithe, we will be blessed beyond our ability to store it, and yet here his a video from John Piper saying that the prosperity gospel is poison being spread by ministries in America around the world.
God wants Israel to return to him.
They ask, how are we to return.
He says, for starters, you can stop robbing me.
The tithe belongs to God.
If we say, well we will work towards that goal, its like saying, last year I robbed six convenience stores. This year, I am only going to rob three.
If we continue to give less than 10 percent, it is like being a Fedex delivery man, who takes ten packages from you. Delivers three of them, and keeps the other seven for himself. Those packages were never intended for the delivery man, they were to be given to the person they were sent to.
If on the other hand, we will give to God, it is a way of "transmuting" our ordinary money into eternal currency.
A.W Tozer quote
“As base a thing as money is, it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted to food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the Gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal treasure can be transmuted into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” ~ A. W. Tozer
Jesus teaches us to give (and not to neglect the more important stuff)
Matthew 23:23 (New International Version, ©2010)
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. 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.
Where is grace in this matter?
Grace is the sole reason for our salvation. You are saved by grace through faith, not works lest any one should boast.
If we are saved by grace, should we then continue to sin that grace might abound? no
Is it a sin to not give 10 percent? Actually this is a tough question. And historically Christians have been all over the map on this one.
Without going into great detail, there are some that would argue that the OT law on tithing was one of the things that Jesus came to free us from, and that now we are to be guided by Paul's words to give as you are lead to give.
Some would argue that God would not expect less of those living under the new covenant, instead he would raise the bar. So 10 percent is the starting point. And we will probably be able to give much more as God blesses our obedience to him. I think this makes more sense of the whole teaching of the Bible.
I would like to close today by making an observation. Our giving has been very good this month, and I have noticed a change in the mood in the room. I expected that once I started teaching on money, people would get cranky and angry. I have watched the opposite. There is more joy in the room. There is more laughter. I believe that we are discovering the reason we call our box in the back the JOY BOX. I have discovered it in my own life. When I give, it brings joy to my heart. And the more I am able to give, the greater the joy. The greater the satisfaction.
I believe this is the true meaning of this passage in Malachi. If we will live obedient lives, our lives will be blessed. We will discover that God is truly all that we need, and that a life lived with Him at the center is a life lived with greater purpose, greater meaning, and greater joy.
Mark Kraakevik
The EDGE Colorado - live the message
720-308-4051
We all have demons, don't face your alone***
"Faith is our relationship to and with God. And it is given life and meaning in our relationship to and with each other."
Mark Kraakevik
The EDGE Colorado - Live The Message
720-308-4051
www.theedgecolorado.org
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
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