Finding
Financial Freedom 2:
The Floodgates of Heaven: Malachi 3:1-12
‘More’ These four letters probably constitute one of the most powerful words in the English language.[1] Very smart people stay up at night trying to figure out ways to convince us that we are (or ought to be) discontent… That we would experience true satisfaction if we just had more. All day long we are bombarded by the prophets of more.
Use me, buy me, drive me, wear me, try me, put me in your hair. The things we can obtain just for more hair satisfaction are staggering! You can wash it, blow-dry it, condition it, colour it, straighten it if it's too curly, curl it if it's too straight, wax it if it grows where it shouldn't, or Rogain it if it doesn't grow where it should. Just a little more of someone's product and your hair is sure to be happy. ‘More’ is an insatiable desire and, unfortunately, not limited to something as trivial as hair. Serving the "more monster" can never satisfy our souls. Yet in the short run, saying no to "more" can be difficult, even frightening. No one sets out to be a greedy person, but it happens all the time—even in the church. Jesus saw it becoming an issue and made this sobering statement:
"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth" (Matthew 6:24)
Jesus didn’t say this to be harsh. He was just stating things the way they are. There is not room for two masters in our heart. What does it take to tame the monster of more? What does it take to transform a heart from greed to generosity? For most of us, it will not come simply by acquiring more knowledge, applying more will-power, or even by studying more Scripture, as important as those things are. The ‘more monster’ is too strong. We need a way of training. We need a tangible and routine way to say, "Sorry, money, you are not on the throne. You will not be the god of my life today." What we need, God has provided. It's called tithing.
It’s the theme of our passage from Malachi 3 today. Please turn to it with me. Church Bibles, page 962. This is the second in our series of studies entitled, “Good Sense: Finding Financial Freedom”. In Malachi 3 we encounter the Floodgates of Heaven.
There is an unmistakable connection in Scripture between how we use our wealth and spiritual life itself. Israel's giving patterns were a consistent thermometer of the nation's inner spiritual condition. When the Israelites' hearts were kindled with a spirit of worship to God, they overflowed with contagious expressions of generosity freewill offerings exceeding any tithe. But when Israel's hearts turned inward to ingratitude, complaint, and idolatry, their hands withheld. And the more their hands withheld, the more their hearts turned away from God. Where their hearts went, so went their giving.
The times in which Malachi lived around four hundred years before Christ are remarkably typical of our day and generation. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't because human nature is just the same today. The religious leaders were falling to proclaim the word of God. The house of the Lord was in financial difficulty. And God's people were compromising their faith. So what is new?
Malachi lays down the basis of divine blessing the way to finding financial freedom. The principles are as true and relevant today as they were in the days of Abraham or Moses, or Samuel, or David, or Ezra and Nehemiah as it is today.
If we want to experience God's blessing we must do three things.
1. Turn back to God (3:6-7)
2. Stop robbing God (3:8-9)
3. Start trusting God (3:10-12)
1. Turn Back to God 3:6-7
“Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:7)
That's what repentance means. Turning round. Sin is not primarily about breaking God's laws, its about taking God's rightful place on the throne of my life. Sin is about running my life my way and not his. Its going against his will and moving away from his love. Therefore, repentance is nothing less than a return to God Himself. "Return unto me and I will return unto you." says the Lord. In New Testament language John puts it this way: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9). If you do not feel you are experiencing God’s blessing in your life at the moment is it because you have wandered away from Him?
Malachi's message is very simple. Turn back to God. But how do I demonstrate I have turned back to God? How do I show I am repentant? By putting God first where it matters - with our money and not just with our mouths. Turn back to God and prove it. How? Malachi says,
2. Stop Robbing God (3:8-10)
“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’” You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.” (Malachi 3:8 NLT)
The principle here is consistent throughout the Bible. When we give, God blesses; and when we withhold, God curses. So God says, "You are under a curse, the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me." How? By not paying what was due. Notice,
2.1 The Practice of Tithing
What just came to your mind as you heard the word ‘tithe’? A mechanical obligation? A religious tax? A fund-raising mechanism? An impossible requirement. We need to realise that God invented tithing for our good, not his. Tithing was instituted to help tame the more monster. The literal meaning of the word tithe is "a tenth part." People tend to use the word loosely today. They may speak of tithing £10 a week when their income is £50,000 per year.
For the math-impaired among us, giving £10 a week would be tithing only if my income were £100 a week. The Israelites were raised on the practice of tithing. To them, tithing clearly meant giving ten percent, not two percent not four percent. Under the Old Covenant it was compulsory to tithe. That is why Malachi says the people of Israel were robbing God. The implications are quite profound. Tithing is not a principle we can dismiss as something associated with the Mosaic Law that was superseded by Jesus Christ. It is important to realise that tithing as a principle is four hundred years older than the law. Abraham gave tithes to God through Melchizedek (Genesis 14:10). Melchizadek gave Abraham bread and wine, symbols of sacrifice, and Abraham acknowledged his indebtedness to God by giving Him tithes of all his resources. In Matthew 6 Jesus assumes that his hearers already tithe. He merely criticises them for wanting to be seen doing so. The Book of Hebrews also assumes the practice “the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people.” (Hebrews 7:5).
We also know from early church history that tithing was promoted by the church fathers. In England as early as A.D. 786, it was already common practice during the reigns of King Alfred, King Edgar, and King Canute. And if you check out the Anglican Prayer Book of 1662 you will find this injunction at the end of the Communion Service,
“And note that every parishioner shall communicate at least three times in the year, of which Easter shall be one. And yearly at Easter every parishioner shall reckon with the vicar; and pay to him all Ecclesiastical duties, accustomably due, then and at that time paid.”
That means in previous generations you met with me and I would assess your liability, just as the Inland Revenue does today. Tithing is therefore timeless.
It was neither instituted by the law nor terminated by grace.
It was neither given by Moses nor rescinded by Jesus Christ.
It is true that we are no longer under law but under grace. However, if the requirement of the law was that believers gave 10% then how can we who are recipients of God’s grace give less.
2.2 The Proportion of Tithing 3:10
“Bring the whole tithe” (Malachi 3:10).
For many “the whole tithe”, will be one tenth of the total income (as the word indicates); for others, it will mean more. In his book “Rich Christians in an age of Hunger” Ron Sider argues the case for proportional tithing. That is, the more one has the more one should give, just as our taxation system assumes. So for example, after deciding the basic amount you need to live on, for every £5,000 more you earn you might choose to give 1% extra. So if you began at the national average of £25k @10%, on £30k you might give @11%; say on £35k @12%; on £40k @13% and so on.
As a church we try and model this and give at least a tithe and a half of our income to outward mission.
Tithes and Offerings
Notice God refers not only to tithes but also offerings in verse 8 “In tithes and offerings”. These are not the same thing. In the words of Randy Alcorn, "The tithe was not a ceiling, it was merely a floor." Offerings were over and above tithes. The word “offering” means free will giving. The Bible teaches that God demands the tithes, whereas he deserves our offerings. He demands the tithe because everything belongs to Him and giving reminds us of that fact. It reminds us we are managers not owners.
He deserves our offerings because they are an expression of our love and appreciation. It is inevitable that you will not always agree with every decision made by church leaders as to how the church’s resources should be invested. Nevertheless the Scriptures teach us that we demonstrate our obedience to God through respecting and submitting to those in authority over us. There is a difference though between our obligation to maintain the regular ministry of the church - that is what our tithes are for, and our freedom to respond to particular appeals for funds such as for the Tsunami relief or Tearfund project. It is for you to decide before the Lord, secretly, willingly and joyfully.
First Fruit Giving
Strategically linked to the concept of the tithe was the concept of firstfruits. “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9). Why firstfruits?
Firstfruit giving was a concept that largely overlapped with tithing and probably referred to the same gifts. But where tithing stressed the exact amount, the giving of firstfruits emphasized a spiritual principle: God is the Giver of the harvest. All we have is a gift from God, and we want to honor him with the first and best that we've received. For Israel, the first and the best of the wheat harvested, the first and best of the wool sheared, the first and best of the fruit gathered all belonged to God.
Last week I asked the children why God gave us ten fingers. I tried to teach them the 1:1:8 principle - or the 10:10:80 rule. Remember what it means? It’s a good way to train children to handle money responsibly. As adults we are as little more sophisticated at handling money.
There are basically five things we can do with money. We can spend it, pay off debt, pay taxes, save it and give it away. Researchers tell us that typically this is in fact the order in which we dispose of money… First of all we spend it, then we pay off debts, then we reluctantly pay our taxes, and if we have any left we will save some and if there’s any left after that we give it away.
Interestingly the biblical pattern is the exact opposite. We are told to give our first fruits, then save some, pay your taxes, pay off our debts, and then learn to live of the rest.
Giving of your first fruits and giving a specific proportion of our income at the beginning of the week, beginning of the month, beginning of the tax year - rather than what is left over is the biblical way of acknowledging our indebtedness to God for all that He has done for us.
In our family Joanna does a superb Sunday lunch - especially when we have guests - chicken, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, roasted parsnip, sprouts, carrots, sausage wrapped in bacon and lashings of gravy. In the history of our family however, we have never invited guests round on a Monday to eat the left overs. The family gets to eat the left overs re-heated on a Monday, if there are any. The message of firstfruits was not complex: God deserves better than the leftovers. Firstfruit tithing is one of the richest spiritual practices in all of Scripture. It provides a powerful series of reminders built into the very rhythm of our lives. Every time I tithe, I remind myself that God is on the throne. Not me. Not money. Every time I tithe, I reinforce that all I have is from him. The tithe is not a tip for good service, as though God were some helper I could patronize. Every time I tithe, I remind myself that God is the owner and I’m his manager. Every time I tithe, I make a declaration: "I will trust you, God" even when trusting doesn't feel easy or natural. Every time I tithe, I am reminded, even as I calculate the amount of my check, of how much I've been given. I count my blessings, and in doing so, I put to death (or at least injure) the ‘more monster’ in me. The practice of tithing; the proportion of tithing.
2.3 The Place for Tithing 3:10
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse." In the sanctuary there was a storehouse built for depositing the tithes and offerings of the people. It was God's prescribed method that all the tithes and offerings were to be brought to one place. The New Testament equivalent is the local church. The distribution of money will naturally include needs beyond the local church, but the responsibility to bring the tithes and offerings to the local church is assumed in the NT. It is right to bring your tithe and offerings to the place where your membership is established, your spiritual life is nourished, and your church privileges are enjoyed. If you give elsewhere, directly to mission agencies or to charities, then it should be over and above the required tithe needed to maintain the ministry of the local church, not in place of it. The practice of tithing; the proportion of tithing; the place for tithing.
2.4 The Purpose of Tithing 3:10
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” (Malachi 3:10)
If you were with us last Sunday you will remember how we traced the origin of the Harvest Festival. In Deuteronomy 14 God instructs his people, “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.” (Deut. 14:22). Why? Three reasons - three ‘so that’s’
Training “so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.” (Deut. 14:23) - tithing is a way of training us in spirituality. As John Ortberg points out “Money is a litmus test of our true character. It is an index of our spiritual life. Our stewardship of money tells a deep and consequential story. It forms our biography. Tithing reminds us that God is the owner and we are his managers.
Testing “so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, (Deut. 14:29) - tithing ensures we use God’s resources to do God’s will and clothe and feed those who serve and those in need.
The tithes and offerings were the only means by which the servants of God lived. They had no inheritance of their own. In a similar way, God has ordained that those who preach the gospel shall live by the gospel. The church lives and functions by means of the tithes and offerings of His believing people.
Last week I introduced you to our Levites - here they are. The bulk of our tithes and offerings goes on modest salaries and accommodation for those who lead our various ministries. The buildings and administration take a small proportion. This year we will also be giving away to wider mission work around £35,000. The presence or absence of the poor and the hungry in a community is a litmus test of the church’s obedience to God.
Trusting “so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” (Deut. 14:29) - tithing demonstrates that God can trust us with more of his resources. The purpose of tithing? So that we revere the Lord, provide for Christian workers and the poor, and prove trustworthy in small things. Our giving is tangible evidence that we have turned back to God and we are not robbing God. Thirdly it is evidence that we are trusting God.
3. Start Trusting God 3:10-12
"Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3:10).
I hear you say, "Stephen, you don't know my circumstances. I cannot afford to tithe." My answer is simple. On the basis of these verses, "You cannot afford not to!" God's purpose for the church is that we should be as "a delightful land" (Malachi 3:12) - a paradise of fruitfulness and fragrance. When we give freely, secretly, regularly, sacrificially, in proportion to our income, God’s blessing will be so evident that even seekers to see it and marvel at our response to God’s generosity in Jesus Christ. I remember when one of our girls was younger they asked who decides the price of things in the shops. I said, the value depends on how much someone is prepared to pay for it. If you want to know how much you are worth, don’t look at the house you live in, where you take your holidays, the name of school your children attend, the make of car you drive or the style of clothes you wear.
Look to the cross. For there you were bought with “the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:19). That is what you are worth to God. That is what it cost to buy you. “You are not your own, you were bought with a price, therefore honour God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)… with your salary, your pension, your investments, your savings. Look to the cross and see the pure and unadulterated grace of God. The grace that penetrated the heart of every-one in the infant church. Grace-filled hearts that led to open hands. This is how Luke describes their response:
“All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had. And the apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great favor was upon them all. There was no poverty among them.” (Acts 4:32-34)
In the next few weeks we are going to look at some other passages in the Bible in which God shows us how to manage the resources he has entrusted to us. We are going to learn how we can become more diligent earners, more generous givers, wiser savers, cautious debtors and prudent consumers. In your CC news there is a leaflet filled with biblical passages that will help you get the most out of this series and become more responsible for the way you manage God’s resources.[2]
For background reading to this series see Biblical Principles for Wise Financial Management
This
is the way God's describes his blessing, "the floodgates of heaven"!
“"Test me in this," (Malachi 3:10) God says. This is the only time in
Scripture when you are invited, no, urged to test the goodness of God. This is
the only way to defeat the more monster. Will
you? If you do, God promises two things in return: He will open the floodgates
of heaven pouring upon you blessings on earth and treasures forever in heaven.
What are we waiting for? Let us pray....