 I want to look at the second verse, the second scripture in Malachi and we hear this verse all the time And so I want us to look at it through a fresh way one more time in Malachi chapter Three verse seven. It says the following Return to me and I will return to you says the Lord of hosts, but you said in which way should we return? So I want you to see that God tells people of Israel Return to me and then God says I will return to you and of course people have common sense So they say God, how should we return to you? Do you want us to do what and then God answers how we can return to God and he answers with this question He says will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me, but you say in what we have robbed you again. God says can you rob God and God says you robbed me and we say how could you rob God and God explains if we go to the next verse in Tides and offerings you are cursed with a curse for you have robbed me even this whole nation and then God gives an instruction He says bring all the tides into the storehouse Means into God's house that there may be food in my house and try me now in this says the Lord And then he gives awesome promises So I want to look just for a few minutes right now into what is tithing We practice tithing as Christians and once a year or once in two years We'll give it just a brief explanation of what it is. So I want you to write this down Those of you who are coming maybe today for the first time You came to a very good service Those of you who've been coming for some time and the issue of money Raises your blood pressure in church and you hate church because pastors always talk about money and they want your money and everything We are going to kind of dismantle a lot of these arguments today through the word of God God's word says a lot about a lot of things in our life that we sometimes Don't maybe even want to hear but just because we don't want to hear that does not mean we don't need to hear Number one number two money is something you need Money is something that you come in contact every single day and Jesus talked a lot about it The first thing about tithing is that tithing is returning to God According to the scripture. We see that God says return to me one of the ways You will know that somebody's heart begins to come back to God is when their wallet gets converted Talk is cheap Amen Come on if you're if you're a young lady if a guy says he loves you, but he won't pay for dinner He don't love you I don't care how many emojis he sends you every single day. He doesn't buy anything for you. Okay, what will you tell him? You say listen, honey talk is cheap That's it And that's exactly how God sees the Bible says where your treasure is there is your heart and many people who will come and say things like Oh, I love God. I love God and everything but when they're not generous God says you're now reflecting my nature because I didn't just love you. I gave my son I didn't go I didn't give a janitor from heaven. Maybe some of the other lower angels. I gave the best Because that's how love is reflected number two tithing is about trusting in God God said try me now This is the only time where you can test God and and not get in trouble Israel tested God and the Bible says it didn't go so well for them But in here God invites us and God says test me Number ten in the Bible is a number of a test God gave ten plagues to test the horror fair To test the heart of Pharaoh God gave ten commandments to test the heart of Israel. We see the ten virgins We see also the ten day of fasting the ten day of testing in book of Revelation So number ten is the number of testing one of the reasons it's a ten percent is because Tithing is the only thing where you're testing God and God is testing you It's about a test which is about trusting in God Number three is tithing is about bringing not giving We read in Malachi where God says bring the tithes into my house God didn't say give the tithes into my house when we were in North Carolina and the guest speaker who was there One of one of the guest speakers was there. He wanted to meet with us for dinner But we didn't have a car there And so a guy named Vlad from Arkansas Borrowed me his Ford really nice and beautiful car Took me a while to get used to it because it has so many nice little bells and whistles I remember took his car. We went to the restaurant We came back and the next day Imagine what would have happened if the next day I would come to a guy named Vlad and tell him Hey, I just really fell led by God to give you this beautiful car and Give him his car keys and say I just want to bless you with that car. I Didn't give him his car keys. I brought him his car keys So when God says bring the tithes, he's saying you're not giving it to me. You're returning what's already been mine I'm just letting you keep the rest of the 90% So let me take a step further if you don't return the keys Who do I become then a thief That's why God says you rub me I mean, this is how God sees it. I didn't write this wouldn't have the audacity I wouldn't have the cleverness God says this bring it and he says when you don't bring it So God has this view that he owns everything. We tend to sing that as well We agree with him. He owns us because he created us He died on the cross for us to redeem us and so God actually owns everything and God says I want you to return 10% as your way of trusting in me and Acknowledging that I own everything and I will bless the rest of the 90% and I'll let you keep it And you should be grateful That means when you give 10% you should you should not feel generous you should be grateful that God let you keep 90 Amen Number four tithing goes to a local church Bible says we give tithe God says bring the tithe to the storehouse and that there will be food in my house So practically what it means is tithing goes to the church where you serve church where you go Church where you help church where your local church Some people, you know, they give their time. I had one person who one time came in is like a pastor I just want to sew my tithe into you and I said that's not scriptural You can't be sowing your tithe into me. You got to bring the tithe into the local church I bring my tithe to our church and so should you I'm not the church. I am one of the Servants here. I am not the church. You can't bring your tithe and give to somebody on the street That is not tithing according to the scripture tithing according to the scripture is we bring it to the local church We can do charity outside of that tithing. We can do other things But the tie the 10% goes to the church where you go and Last one tithing was encouraged by Jesus This one I get a lot of questions on because people say well, that's great lad. It's all Old Testament This was all under the law. Well, first of all Abraham the father of faith who received righteousness by faith tithe Jacob tithe other people way before the law came in they practice that I don't know who taught them But somehow they discovered God's character and God's nature and they practice that and God blessed them But I want you to see a verse in the Bible and let me settle a lot of questions and doubts that you might have By presenting to you what the scripture says in the New Testament about tithing in Matthew 23 23 it's so easy to remember Matthew 23 23 woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you pay tithe of mint and anis and Sometime something good and have neglected the way dear manners of the law justice and mercy and faith These are to you have done without leaving the others undone So these are the words of Jesus. They're in red. I Want you to see what Jesus is convicting the religious people of the day is they were tithing and they were focused on tithing so much They even were tithing leaves on the trees of their backyard. I mean that's pushing it, okay? That's really pushing it. They were like tithing mint So if they have a tea they took they saw like three leaves that they would try to cut one tenth of that I mean they weren't really really radical and Jesus says and Jesus says you know guys But the bigger things which we know what's bigger than tithing is justice is mercy and faith He says you guys neglected these and then Jesus summarizes He says these things you ought to have done means justice mercy and faith without without Without Jesus didn't say oh you should focus on love mercy and justice period He says you should do this this without leaving others Undone Jesus wasn't cancelling them tithing out of their backyard leaves He was saying make sure you put priorities in order and don't just tide out of the leaves in your backyard And then you go around killing people But he wasn't saying that tithing shouldn't be practiced by followers of Christ In fact, I believe if you're follower of Christ tithing is just a baseline. It's only where you start It's not where you finish Don't focus on that why Jesus never focused so much on tithing most of the guys he asked to follow him gave everything So I'll stick with the tithing first We'll work to that part a little bit later. Are you with me?