Rev. David Holwick T Grow Your Faith, #7
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
June 22, 2014
Malachi 3:8-12
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I. A word from the head pig.
A. Some insults are acceptable.
One day a man called his church and said, "Can I speak to
the head hog at the trough?"
The secretary thought she heard right but wanted to be sure.
"I'm sorry -- who would you like to speak with?"
The caller repeated, "Can I speak to the head hog at the
trough?"
The secretary answered, "Well, if you mean the preacher,
then you may refer to him as 'Pastor' or 'Brother," but
I prefer you not call him the 'head hog at the trough!'"
The man replied, "Well, I was planning on giving $100,000
to the building fund..."
To which the secretary quickly responded, "Hang on -- I
think the big fat pig just walked in!"
The church has gotten a bad reputation for always asking for
money.
Cartoons about preachers often show us making people feel
guilty about giving. Sermon #19809
Every week in the bulletin, we include key financial data.
Some of you go straight to the "working balance" part to see
if it has parentheses around it.
A lot of times it does.
It means we are running in the red.
So the pastor preaches on money so we'll be flush again.
It's all very self-serving.
That is actually NOT my agenda this morning.
I am doing a series on personal spirituality and when I asked
some members about what I should cover, one of them
brought up tithing.
You may think the topic of money is about as far from
spirituality as you can get.
Money is worldly and dirty and extremely private.
In reality, it is a very important topic in the Bible.
Money represents our personal resources.
How you use your money shows where your heart is.
Martin Luther, the great leader of the reformation, said:
"There are three conversions necessary:
the conversion of the heart, the mind and the wallet."
Of these three, it seems modern people find the conversion
of the wallet the most difficult. #19812
B. Giving gets noticed.
1) When I was a brand-new Christian, I visited a friend in
New York State.
a) He belonged to a very conservative Baptist church.
b) I remember one family had a stack of Scofield Reference
Bibles in their kitchen.
1> They would talk to anyone and everyone about Jesus.
2> At the end of your visit, they would give you a
Bible, and these weren't the cheap kind.
3> I was also impressed that they gave 10% of their
income to God, if not more.
2) Not many people are like this.
a) Less than 3% of Americans tithe now.
b) Even among Evangelicals, only 9% tithe, or at least
say they do.
c) There is a clear trend, and it is on a downward slope.
1> NPR reported this week that charitable giving in
the United States has come back to where it was
before the recession.
2> Except in one area - religious institutions.
C. I don't care how much you give.
1) I really don't.
a) I don't know, and I don't try to find out.
2) But I do care how much of yourself you have given to Jesus.
a) If you are a truly committed Christian, there will be
evidence in your lifestyle.
b) And one of the most important evidences will be in
your generosity to the things of God.
II. Do I have to give ten percent?
A. Many Christians identify with a tithe, which is 10% of income.
1) It is ordered in the Law of Moses in the Old Testament.
a) Even before then, it was practiced by Abraham.
b) And Jesus seems to endorse it.
1> He criticized the religious leaders of his day for
tithing while being selfish and mean.
2> But he was not against tithing - he tells them
they should practice it. Matt 23:23
B. The tithe is what is called "covenant giving."
1) If they fulfill God's requirement and give their tithe,
God will give them prosperity.
2) If they don't tithe, God will stiff them.
III. Malachi describes this approach.
A. In chapter 3, the prophet is a classic scold.
1) The people are shirking on their tithe so the prophet
accuses them of stealing from God.
2) If they want prosperity to come again, they need to get
back to tithing.
3) Lots of Christians have used this tit-for-tat appeal.
a) If you want to be a millionaire, give more to God.
b) If you are having hard times, it is God's punishment
for cutting him short.
c) It is like tipping a waitress.
1> You insult them if you give less than 15%, and
the typical rate is closer to 20%.
2> Is God less important to you than someone who
puts burgers on your table?
B. There is no doubt that tithing can be powerful.
I heard a story about a rural church that needed a treasurer.
They were pretty desperate and asked the local grain elevator
manager to take the position.
He agreed under two conditions.
No treasurer's report would be given during the first year.
No questions were to be asked about finances during that year.
The people were surprised but finally agreed since most of them
did business with him and he was known as an honest man.
At the end of the year he gave his report:
* The church indebtedness of $228,000 has been paid.
* The minister's salary had been increased by 8%.
* The mission program had been doubled.
* There were no outstanding bills.
* And there was a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked, "How did you do it?
Where did the money come from?"
He quietly answered: "Most of you bring your grain to my
elevator.
Throughout the year I simply withheld ten percent on your behalf
and gave it to the church in your name.
You didn't even miss it!"
#4722
C. The problem is that the tithe belongs to the Old Covenant.
1) It easily turns into legalism, where you do the right
thing for the wrong reason.
A Pentecostal church in Boston that believes in tithing
sent a collection letter to those whose giving was short.
It read:
"Please be advised that you are in default in the payment
of tithes to the Holy Tabernacle Church of God in
Christ, Inc. for a period in excess of 90 days."
If the money isn't paid, the letter warns, "all privileges
of membership in the Church will be immediately
suspended...."
#9677
I am sure that letter did wonders for their church
attendance.
2) The New Testament suggests a better system.
IV. Grace giving.
A. God gives more to us than we can ever give to him.
1) He gave his very son to us so we could be saved.
2) Our giving should be a form of worship to our Lord.
a) It shows your gratitude to him.
b) It doesn't in any way put him in your debt.
B. Have a good attitude about giving.
1) You don't have to "give until it hurts."
a) In 2 Corinthians 8:13, Paul says he doesn't want
anyone hard-pressed.
b) Instead, he says they should give until they are
cheerful. 2 Cor 9:7
2) You don't have to give just to our church.
a) Some Baptists teach this, and call it "storehouse
tithing" from Malachi 3:10.
1> Everything goes to the church, then the church
distributes it as it sees fit.
2> However, Malachi was referring to the Temple which
is different from a church.
b) I think you can give to any organization, or
individual, as you see fit.
1> God's Kingdom is much broader than any group.
3) You don't have to give just money.
a) Your time, your skill and your love all make a
wonderful contribution.
b) And this summer our church will give you some great
opportunities to use them.
C. The problem with grace giving.
1) People don't tend to give as much.
a) A rigid standard seems to yield more.
b) If you prefer the simplicity of a rigid percentage,
talk to me after the service and I will give you one.
2) But perhaps grace giving is better at revealing the most
important truth - do you really love Jesus?
a) Or do you just think you love him, and you actually
don't value him very much?
V. Your treasure matters.
A. It comes before your heart.
Dr. Timothy Johnson makes an interesting observation:
Some say dedicate the heart and the money will follow;
but our Lord put it the other way around.
Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also."
If your treasure is dedicated, your heart will be
dedicated.
If it is not, it simply won't.
It is as simple as that.
Sermon #17487
B. You have an opportunity to come close to God right now.
1) God doesn't want your money - he wants you.
2) Do you get what he is all about?
a) Many don't, but you can.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 4722 “Ignorant Tithing,” James Carter, adapted from "A Sourcebook for
Stewardship Sermons,” Fredericksburg Collection.
# 9677 “Church Torn By Ultimatum Over Tithing,” Kathleen Burge, Boston
Globe newspaper, April 16, 2001.
#19812 “The Three Conversions,” Martin Luther; I substituted “wallet”
for the original “purse.” Rev. Brett Blair's Illustrations by
Email, www.sermonillustrations.com, September 9, 2001.
Sermon #17487 “The Trust Test, part 2: Take God At His Word,” Rev. Mark
Murphy, Ypsilanti Free Methodist Church of Ypsilanti, Michigan,
http://ypsifree.org, March 21, 2004.
Sermon #19809 “Proving God's Faithfulness,” Rev. Brian Bill, Pontiac Bible
Church of Pontiac, Illinois, http://www.pontiacbible.org,
June 2003.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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