Financially Faithful - Part 7: Don't Rob Yourself!

REVIEW
 
In our current series called “Financially Faithful,” we are learning how we as Christians can be more faithful with our finances. And if you don’t think you can, think again. We all can stand to improve in this area because it is not one another that we are comparing ourselves against. No, our standard is the Lord and His Word. So, let’s go to another level and learn how to not just be faithful in our own eyes, but to have the Lord look at us and say, “Now that’s my good and faithful servant.” Amen? 
 
So over the past couple of weeks, we have been studying what the Bible calls the tithe. And over the course of the past couple of weeks, we have been answering several questions such as:
 
1.What is the tithe?
2.When is the tithe?
3.Why do we tithe?
4.Where do we tithe?
 
We learned that the tithe simply means “tenth” – or, we might say 10%. So the tithe is not just some random amount that we decide to give a person, place, or thing. No, it’s specifically 10% of our increase, nothing more and nothing less. So the tithe is not an amount; it’s a percentage.
 
Then we answered the question “When is the tithe?”, which is basically that question of whether the tithe was just under the law or do we have to tithe under the New Testament. And we learned that the principle of the tithe didn’t start with the law. No, Abraham tithed well before there was a commandment to do so. Not only that, but the tithe is mentioned in the New Testament as well. So tithing is not just something that was “under the law.” No, it was before the law and after the law. Therefore, tithing is an eternal statute that is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.  
 
Then last week, we answered the question “Why do we tithe?”, and we learned that the simple answer to that question is because His Word teaches us to. That’s really the only reason we need to practice it. However, I think the best motivation for doing it is because it’s the right & honorable thing to do and because we love God and seek to honor Him by returning to Him 10% of what He has blessed us with.
 
So this is the simple answer that should refute all other objections. For example, if a person gave me $1,000, I should have no problem with giving $100 back to them. However, if I don’t see that 1K as a gift – thinking I earned it – and don’t recognize who it is who gave it to me, then giving $100 to that person might not be my tendency. So this is why it is important for us to understand where every good gift and every perfect gift in our life comes from. Once we see that, giving back to Him becomes a much easier thing to do.  
 
But I offered you another reason why tithing is our responsibility as the people of God – We saw that not only should we tithe back to the Lord because it’s an honor thing; we should tithe because it is a holy thing. Yes, we learned that there are some things that the Lord specifically considers to be His, and the tithe is one of those things.  
 
In fact, when you study the principle of the tithe under the law, you’ll find that it essentially was a taxation of Israel. In other words, it was a system put in place by God through Moses for His people to pay for things in the kingdom of Israel. This is why you see the word “render” associated with it – because it is something one “gives back.”  
 
So this is why the tithe is still a good practice for us today. No, not because we have to or because of some rule or law, but because, first, we want to honor the Lord like Abraham did, and secondly, we know it consistently provides for the kingdom of God like Moses put into place.  
 
Then last week, we ended by answering the question – “Where do we tithe?” In other words, where does the tithe belong and where should we be giving it? And we looked at several Scriptures and determined what God’s Word teaches us regarding this …
 
We saw from Malachi 3:10 that we are to bring all the tithe into the “storehouse,” and this word was used to describe the “treasuries” of the House of the Lord. And in this treasury of God’s house, I’m sure you found all kinds of valuable things including crops, fruit, meat, etc. along with gold, silver, and other monetary items.
 
But we saw that the storehouse that the Lord told them to bring their tithes to was located in God’s “House” (See Malachi 3:10): Now God’s House is not to be misunderstood as just a physical building or Structure. Just because a building is called a church doesn’t mean it really is a church in the sense that God intended it. This is why we need to be led where we plant ourselves and where we sow our seed. Not every ministry & church out there, God approves of. 
 
The Lord told them in Deuteronomy 12:1-5 to bring tithes to the place where the Lord chooses, where His name is, and where He has chosen as His dwelling place. So that criteria describes that we bring the tithes to the place God’s tells us, first of all. But we also look for the ministries or churches that represent the Lord’s character & power and the ones where we sense the Lord’s presence.
 
And we learned from Deuteronomy 26:12 that one of their tithes was specifically intended for the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows – which we saw describes everything from the full-time ministry workers to the lost and the poor. And while we can all certainly be used of God to individually give to these things, the tithe being brought into the storehouse of God’s House is a means to taking care of a lot of these needs corporately rather than just individually. I bring this up because I believe that if you are a part of a good church that properly stewards their resources to take care of the needs of folks – both naturally and spiritually – then you don’t have to go seek out people who fit this category. You trust your local church to distribute to the appropriate parties.
 
So based on what I read in the Scriptures and believe is wisdom from above, I believe the tithe predominantly belongs in your local church. And why? Because a good, healthy church contains “Levites” (i.e. workers that have devoted themselves full-time to the ministry). It also will take care of the strangers, widows, and orphans. It’s where your children & grandchildren are cared for. It’s where your pastor will visit you, call on you, pray for you, etc. It’s where the physical building is located where you can gather together with other believers. These are not things other ministries provide for you.
 
So I for one, choose to “bring” my tithes to this here storehouse and trust the leadership team to distribute to the needs contained both in our gathering place and to the needs God puts on our hearts outside of these walls. This is where I tithe – because I believe HPC is good ground and is doing the work of the ministry. Amen.  
 
AN UNCHANGING ORDINANCE
 
Now I want to finish up our look on the tithe this week by looking at the benefits of this particular type of giving. Yes, there are some very specific promises given to the tither that I for one hold on to. So let’s go over to Malachi chapter 3 and look at some powerful verses about the tithe and what’s promised to the tither. Let’s begin in verse 6 …
 
Malachi 3:6-7 says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers, you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them.”
 
Notice that He didn’t say, “For I am the Lord, and I like to switch things up sometimes.” Nor did He say, “For I am the Lord, and you never know what I am going to do.” No, the Lord does not change, and nor do His ordinances, precepts, and statutes.

So when it comes to the principle of the tithe, unless we are specifically told in the New Testament that the tithe has been done away with, then it is wrong to assume that this statute has passed away. I mean, to say such things sounds eerily similar to saying tongues, healing, miracles, etc. have passed away. And I believe most of us would agree today that these teachings are “doctrines of devils.” So one just needs to be careful about talking about all the things that are repeated in the Scripture as “passing away.” In fact, if you study First Corinthians chapter 13 where they get these ideas from, you’ll find that the time frame when things like tongues, prophecies, etc. will pass away is when His kingdom has fully come in the form of the new heavens and the new earth. These verses are not even referring to a dispensation that has occurred yet.
 
No, things like tithing, which was mentioned even before the law, in the law, and after the law is not to be presumed as having changed for us in the church. Now our motivation for giving it might have changed. Our heart in “rendering” it back to Lord might not be the same. But the fact is, it was, is, and always will be a good practice for the people of God. Not to mention, giving above and beyond 10% ought to be New Testament standard. Amen? Therefore, the tithe is just a bare minimum of what every disciple should be giving. And if that’s the case, then why are people squabbling about it? No, those are usually the people who aren’t giving 10% -- and I cannot see a way that those people who say we ought to just be led and purpose in our hearts when & how much to give are being led by the Holy Spirit and by a generous heart if they are  not giving at least 10%.
 
God does not change, saints! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore! This is why I wholeheartedly believe that tithing is the same today as it was yesterday. Amen?
 
Now the rest of Malachi 3:7 says, “Return to Me, and I will return to you, Says the Lord of hosts. But you said, In what way shall we return?”
 
Now this phrase – “Return to Me, and I will return to you” reminds me of the New Testament verse that says, “Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.” (James 4:8). And this is an eternal statute as well – for when one decides to make the steps to draw near and return to the Lord, He will respond by meeting you somewhere in the middle. We see this with the prodigal son when he decided to return to his father’s house and the father ran out to meet him on the road. This is the Father’s heart!
 
But when they asked the question – “In what way shall we return?” – The Lord immediately answered with what He said in verse 8 – “Will a man rob God?” and then proceeds to talk about them not giving tithes & offerings as prescribed in the Law.
 
Did you know that one of the first things to go when someone departs from the Lord is their giving? It sure is!  If you want to find out the condition of a person’s heart, all you have to do is look at their “treasure” – for where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. So once a person’s heart becomes cold towards God and the things of God, their money is usually one of the first places that gets affected.
 
Likewise, one of the things that is the first to come when someone returns to the Lord is their giving. Why? Because once the heart is converted, gratitude is the natural response for the grace given. And therefore, giving becomes the natural response.
 
Now that doesn’t mean that the person automatically knows about giving. This is where knowledge comes into play. We must be taught. We must be educated. Then information coupled together with a right heart will result in giving.
 
 
 
 
DON’T ROB YOURSELF
 
Now let’s deal with this response that God gave them to their question of how shall they return to Him. He asks a question – “Will a man rob God?” – and then He answered it by saying, “Yet you have robbed Me!”
 
And I’m sure like many of us would have been, they were legitimately puzzled with this. They had never gone into the treasury of the House of God and taken from it. They had never stolen anything from His tabernacle/temple. So how on earth could they have “robbed” God? So when they asked in what way had they robbed Him, His response was – “In tithes and offerings.” But I’m sure their question was – How is us not tithing or giving offerings robbing God? Well, consider two things:
 
Number one, as we learned last week, the tithe is the Lord’s. He said it was holy to Him – meaning, it was to be set apart unto Him and He viewed that first 10% as His. Therefore, they were simply “rendering” it to Him. So if they weren’t giving back to God what was set apart or consecrated to Him, what were they essentially doing? They were robbing God – that is, taking what was His and using it for themselves.
 
Number two, even the offerings that they were instructed to give under the Mosaic & Levitical laws were not even what they purposed in their heart. They were prescribed. So God evidently viewed what they were choosing not to “render” to Him as stealing from Him.
 
I wonder if God has the same mentality today? Are there things that God considers His today? Well, while we are not commanded to give specific offerings like they were, we have seen that tithing was and is still being practiced both before and after the law. However, I do not go as far as saying one is robbing God if they don’t tithe or give offerings because we do not have commandments to do so like they did under the law. However, like with Abraham, it is something we practice out of our love & honor for the Lord, not out of a grudging obligation.
 
So if I do not tithe, I don’t see it as me robbing God, but I do see it as me robbing myself. Yes, if I choose not to honor the Lord with 10% of my increase, I am robbing myself of the privilege and honor of giving a sacrifice back to the Lord that is a sweet-smelling aroma, holy & acceptable in His sight. I am robbing myself of the opportunity to give to my Creator and Savior with a thankful heart for all the blessings He has already bestowed on me. If I don’t tithe and give offerings, I am the one being robbed; not God. Therefore, it is in my best interest to honor Him with my financial gifts.
 
He even went as far as saying in verse 9 that “You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.” Usually, people read this as the curse of God coming upon them, but that’s not exactly how it works. He’s not in the cursing business; God’s in the blessing business. However, when one departs from the Lord and from His ordinances, they open themselves up to being cursed – for the absence of light is darkness. So the withdrawing from light Himself will naturally result in darkness.
 
 
TRY ME!
 
Then in verse 10, the Lord says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this …”
 
You know, you will be hard-pressed to find another example in the Scriptures where God invites us to “try Him” (i.e. test Him). He’s usually not too keen on us testing Him. But in this case of the tithe, He readily invites us to test Him on it.
 
Now I don’t encourage one to do it with the attitude of – “Well, I’m willing to give it a try to see if God will indeed give me a return on my investment.” Do it for the right reasons. Don’t do it because of what it will do for you. Do it because it’s righteous. Do it because it’s honorable. Do it because you love the Lord. Amen?
 
POURING OUT A BLESSING
 
But He said to try Him now in this and see – “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
 
Now the phrase “windows of heaven and pour out” can certainly be used to describe the opening up of the atmospheric heavens and rain being poured. We see it used this way in Genesis 7:11 when describing how God opened up the heavens to flood the earth. But it is also used to describe how like rain is a blessing from God, heaven’s blessing is poured out, like He goes on to say in this verse.
 
And again, it’s important to understand that for their predominantly agricultural society, the abundance of rain was definitely a blessing. So the rain was symbolic of the natural resource that created increase in their fields. Rain likely won’t do that for you. For example, if we start tithing, having the forecast change to rain might not be a blessing to us. In fact, for some people that work outside for a living, it might be considered a curse.
 
So what I see the windows of heaven opening up and God pouring out a blessing on us describing is, God’s favor & blessing coming from heaven on whatever type of ground that our increase comes from and supernaturally bringing forth that increase. So if your increase comes from the stock market, we can expect some kind of blessing on our investments to see increase. If your increase comes from sales in a particular vocation, then you can expect opportunities & favor to increase. The list goes on. But the bottom line is God’s blessing is released from heaven on the tither to see increase in their life.
 
This is what the Lord described in Deuteronomy 8:18 when he said it is He who gives us the “power” to get wealth. Church, we need God’s strength to increase financially. We could work our fingers to the bone and burn the candle on both ends, but it’s God’s ability that will yield the best results.

In this example, you can till the ground and plant seed all day long, but if the Lord doesn’t give you rain, then all your labor will be in vain. We need God’s blessing upon our hard work. And this is what is promised to the tither. Tithing doesn’t replace hard work and setting your hands to something. But it does release blessing on what you set your hands to, and blesses it. Amen
 
So no, this doesn’t mean that God is going to open the windows of heaven and start raining down money on you. However, what it does mean is that God will send His blessing on whatever you set your hand to and whatever it is that produces your harvest and supernaturally bring that increase.
 
And the cool part about it is, you won’t always be able to put your finger on how these blessings are coming in your life. The bread will supernaturally multiply in your basket. The sandals on your feet will supernaturally last longer. You might not be able to put your finger on it, but it seems like your money is just going further. This is part of the blessing on the tither – It released God’s blessing on us and our things to create increase. So much so that – “That there will not be room enough to receive it.”
 
Did you know that this is EXACTLY what happened to tithing Abraham? The Bible says that God blessed him with so much that the land could not hold him (Genesis 13:6)! This is why he and Lot had to split up. It was because of God pouring out on him such a blessing that the land did not have room enough to receive it. That sounds like Malachi 3, doesn’t it?
 
That same blessing continued to the sons of Abraham as well … We learned that Jacob had instilled in him the principle of tithing (See Genesis 28:22), which undoubtedly was passed down from his grandfather. So while we are never told that Jacob’s father, Isaac, tithed, it is clear that he did. Why, you ask? Because look at the blessing that was on his life:
 
When he dwelt in Gerar, God blessed him so much there that even in the year of famine, he reaped a hundredfold harvest. The Scriptures teach us that “The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous” (Genesis 26:12-13) to where even when the Philistines stopped up his wells, he was able to find another one. Like the cork that always rises to the top, he was the blessed of the Lord!
 
But my point is that the blessing on the Patriarchs’ lives was a literal fulfillment of the tither’s blessing. They knew how to honor the Lord with the tenth of their increase, and they were so blessed that the land couldn’t hold them, and they were envied & hated by the other nations of the land. 
 
So the tithe is one of the means by which heaven’s blessing is released on our lives. Again, we might not be able to quantify it. It might not be something that we can explain. But God’s blessing will multiply our seed sown and increase the fruits of our righteousness. No doubt!
 
But it’s important to know this – God’s blessing is generally not going to come straight from Him. He uses other people oftentimes to bless us. Jesus taught us this in Luke 6:38 – Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over shall men give into your bosom. He didn’t say “shall God give into our bosom”; no, He said men shall give it to you.
 
So just know that when God is blessing you, it will sometimes happen through other people. And sometimes, they won’t even know why they are doing it. But you can! When you see these things from Malachi chapter 3, you’ll know exactly why this person just had it on their heart to do good to you. It’s God’s blessing being poured out on you! Amen. 
 
HE WILL REBUKE THE DEVOURER
 
But wait! There’s more … Not only did the Lord promise to pour out the blessing from the windows of heaven, but He also said, “‘And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ Says the Lord of hosts;”
 
Now the literal “devourer” that they were concerned about was all those pesky pests that liked to devour their harvests. But this obviously means more than just locusts or other insects & animals that tended towards consuming their crops. This describes the devourer—that is, the devil and his minions.
 
You see, the devil is ultimately the thief, destroyer, and devourer. Sure, natural things like insects, animals, and people can exhibit the same characteristics, but at the root of it all, the devil is one who steals, kills, and destroys.
 
So when the Lord says, “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes …” we are seeing the Lord stand in the gap between our increase and the devil’s desire to consume it.
 
Have you ever had situations where maybe you received some windfall in your life like a financial gift of some kind but as soon as you received that money, unexpected bills arose that drained you of that money? Maybe it was that you were believing God for a new car, and then someone comes out of nowhere and gives you a chunk of money that will help go towards that new vehicle. However, at the same time, you receive that money, something breaks in the house that requires you using that money on it instead of going towards the new car. Well, a lot of times, that’s the devourer. It’s like having holes in your pockets. One step forward and two steps back.
 
Well, the blessing of the tither is that the Lord will rebuke the devourer for our sakes. In other words, on our behalf and for our behalf. So no more one step forward and two steps back. More like one step back and two steps forwards and having another pocket or two to hold more.
 
So the devil cannot destroy the fruit of our ground. No, we have a hedge around us like Job did originally. He doesn’t have access to our stuff. It’s like having a fence up around us. So all of our fruit is protected from being devoured.
 
But the devourer doesn’t just consume fruit that comes up. In some cases, he keeps fruit from ever being produced. This is why the Lord said, “Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field.” So all of those things in our life that don’t like to “work,” we can speak to them and declare that our vines will not fail to bear fruit! Amen!
 
MIXING FAITH WITH GOD’S PROMISES
 
But let me end by saying this, that when it comes to the promises of God, it is important that we don’t just view God’s promises as something we sit back and watch Him perform. It’s extremely important that we mix faith with the promises of God (See Hebrews 4:2). God can give us His Word – He can say many things – but if His people don’t mix faith together with His Word, we can miss out on some good eatin’.
 
So these specific promises we have learned about – take & use them! Especially when it seems like they are not happening. That’s when a person of faith will apply these things – when they don’t see it – for they walk by faith and not by sight!
 
No, this is not all just something that we need to expect God to do while we sit back. Under our new & better covenant, we are taught that we all our kings & priests. Yes, we’ve all been anointed and given authority. Therefore, the power to bless is in our hands & mouths! The power to rebuke the devil is ours as well! So the idea of just letting God do all of this isn’t completely New Testament. We need to cooperate with and work together with Him on these things.
 
So let me give you a couple of examples: When you tithe, bless your tithe. Speak over your gifts (spouses, do these things together) and proclaim in faith that you are honoring the Lord with these gifts and use Scripture to remind God of what He has said.
 
And when it comes to time where it seems like the devil has come in to devour your harvest, stand up in faith and rebuke Him. The Bible teaches us that you and I are to resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7). So when he is infringing on our property, we run Him off. We do this by saying something to the effect of – “No sir! Not today, satan! I’m a tither and you have no right to devour my harvest! My finances are blessed, not cursed. So, get!”
 
This is how we mix faith with God’s promises to the tither. And when we tithe in faith, receive the blessing of the tithe by faith, and resist the devourer by faith, we will more consistently see the manifestation of the promise for the tithe. Amen.