ARE WE CURSED FOR NOT TITHING?

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY DECEMBER 03, 2022.

SUBJECT : ARE WE CURSED FOR NOT TITHING?

Memory verse: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree." (Galatians 3 vs 13.)

READ: Malachi 3 vs 8 - 11:

3:8: "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. 

3:9: You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me. Even this whole nation. 

3:10: Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of Hosts, "If I will not open the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 

3:11: And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake, 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.

INTIMATION:

Let's us review the Scripture we read today which is the classic passage used to teach on tithing. The prophet Malachi is among the postexilic prophets to Judah (the southern kingdom), and wrote the Book after the return of the children of Israel from exile, and abandoned those godly principles and practices they were used to before they were exiled. 

During Malachi's days the people ignored God's command to give a tithe of their income to the Temple. The Levites (who were the priests) lived off these gifts, and when the people stopped giving, they were forced to work to earn a living, thereby abandoning their God-given responsibilities to care for the Temple and the service of worship under the laws God gave them through Moses.

Nearly everyone who teaches on tithes cite this passage. Usually it is used like a club to beat people into submission. But there is a huge difference between the punishment that came for disobeying the law under the Old Testament, and the grace that we live under the New Testament. 

The motivation for tithing today is out of appreciation for what God has done in our lives. It should come as a response of love from the heart, out of a desire to bring God into your finances, and bless people. We don't tithe in an attempt to keep the law. In fact, it would be a bad idea to even try.

Now, look at Galatians 3 vs 10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." The apostle Paul quoted Deuteronomy 27 vs 26 to prove that, contrary to what the Judaizers claimed, the law cannot justify and save; it can only condemn. 

You are cursed if you don't keep all of the law. You can't just keep some of it, or do the best you can and God will make up the difference. No! If you don't keep every letter of the law, then you are cursed! And because everyone has broken the commandments, everyone stands condemned. The law can do nothing to reverse the condemnation. This is why Jesus came, because we are absolutely incapable of keeping the law. It's impossible.

The Scripture, in Romans 3 vs 20 - 24, says, "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

The people who are trying to say to you that you are cursed if you don't tithe are missing the point. You either trust the grace of God, or you reject Jesus' sacrifice and put your trust in your own performance of the law, and forfeit God's grace. You have to be 100 percent perfect; never making a single mistake in thought, word, or deed for your entire life, or you have to humble yourself and receive the gift of God's grace. Trying to satisfy the law by paying a tithe isn't going to help.

The apostle Paul continued his teaching in Galatians 3 vs 11 - 14, saying, "But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

Yes, we are redeemed from the curse of the law! This passage couldn't be any clearer. It's true that the verse in Malachi 3 says "you are cursed with a curse" if you don't tithe. But this is exactly what we have been redeemed from. The whole idea that God is going to punish you for not paying a tithe is completely unscriptural. 

Some preachers will say, "If you didn't pay tithe, God would take it from you in doctor's bills, or He will make your car break down, or something else like that. In my considered opinion, God doesn't relate with us that way under the New Covenant. Christ freed us from the curse of the law. God is not coming against you. He is not going to take money from you if you don't tithe, but you have denied yourself of the opportunity of godly prosperity. Trying to pay off God like He's some kind of mobster is the wrong motivation. You're not going to benefit from that kind of giving.

It's also worth mentioning that the passage in Malachi 3 vs 8 - 11 says the curse comes from robbing God in tithes and offerings. The ministers who use this verse to teach about tithing from a law perspective conveniently overlook that you also have to give offerings to keep the law. There are so many offerings, that all together outnumber tithe. So if you are trying to live by the law, you are cursed unless you are giving all the offerings.

Prayer: Abba Father, nothing I do can be enough to thank You for all You have done for me. All that is within me bless Your holy name. Endue me with the spirit of perfect obedience to Your instructions and commandments, knowing that it is all for my own good, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Mary’s Magnificent God

 

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46–55)

Mary sees clearly a most remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin.

And where is God? Occupying himself with two obscure, humble women — one old and barren (Elizabeth), one young and a virgin (Mary). And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song — a song that has come to be known as “The Magnificat.”

Mary and Elizabeth are wonderful heroines in Luke’s account. He loves the faith of these women. The thing that impresses him most, it appears, and the thing he wants to impress on Theophilus, his noble reader of his Gospel, is the lowliness and cheerful humility of Elizabeth and Mary as they submit to their magnificent God.

Elizabeth says (Luke 1:43), “And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” And Mary says (Luke 1:48), “He has looked on the humble estate of his servant.”

The only people whose soul can truly magnify the Lord are people like Elizabeth and Mary — people who acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by the condescension of the magnificent God.

TITHE IS A SELF-SACRIFICIAL GIVING FOR OUR BENEFIT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY DECEMBER 02, 2022.

SUBJECT : TITHE IS A SELF-SACRIFICIAL GIVING FOR OUR BENEFIT!

Memory verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3 vs 16.)

READ: Second Corinthians 9 vs 6 - 7:

9:6: But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 

9:7: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

INTIMATION:

The entire Gospel comes to focus in our memory verse. God's love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationship. When you love someone dearly, you are willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. This was what God did—sacrificially offering His Son for our sin due to His love for us. We are expected to love Him in return, and sacrificially offer to Him as He did for us.

We have been taught to believe that the tithe is mandatory. We were told that we owed God a tenth of our income and if we didn't pay up, we'd be cursed. Not tithing, we were told, is the same as stealing from God. "You're robbing God," they will tell us, and God is going to get you." Fortunately, none of that is true. God loves us independent of our performance, which includes whether or not we tithe. New Testament giving isn't a debt or an obligation.

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul reveals that we are not of any necessity to give. I don't know how any Christian can read these passages, and still think we are of necessity to tithe, or that we are cursed if we don't. It says we're not supposed to give "grudgingly, or of necessity." If the reason you pay a tithe is because you don't want to be under a curse, then you are paying out of necessity and it isn't cheerful. It's paying hush money to God. 

Some ministers are vicious about tithing. They harp on the curse of not tithing and talk about the wrath of God. Disappointingly this is not right. Yes, tithing is a biblical principle that existed before the law, and curses on tithing came from Moses. Abraham paid tithe over 400 years before the law came. 

Abraham wasn't living under the law, yet he tithed. I believe very strongly that we are supposed to tithe too because it is to our own benefit of letting God into our finances, and actually it should be our starting point. It's unwise not to tithe, but God will still love you if you don't.

The teaching on curses of not tithing is based on prophet Malachi's preaching to the children of Israel after their return from exile and their abandonment of those godly principles and practices they practiced before they were exiled. (See Malachi 3 vs 8 - 11.) During Malachi's days the people were not giving tithes, so the Levites went to work to earn a living, thereby neglecting their God given responsibilities to care for the temple and the service of worship. I will discuss those verses in detail later.

Some people, reacting against the ‘curse’ teaching, have swung in the completely opposite direction and say that the tithe was an Old Testament thing. They don't think it has any bearing on our lives today. I don't believe that is true. In the New Testament Book of Matthew 23 vs 23, Christ talked about tithing, and this shows it is a fundamental biblical principle. 

Christ admonished the scribes and the Pharisees who were very precise and faithful about giving ten percent of their money to God, but were neglecting the weightier matters of justice, mercy and faith. Christ said these things they have to be do without leaving the others undone. Therefore, they should do the right things as well as pay their tithes.

Since God doesn't send payment overdue notices, it is easy to take care of other financial responsibilities while letting our gift to Him slide. Giving to God first out of what He has allowed you to have demonstrates He has first priority in your life. It's always tempting to shortchange God because we think we won't get caught. But our giving shows our real priorities. When we give God the leftovers, it's obvious that He is not at the center of our lives. It's absolutely important to give God the honor of having first claim on your money, time and talents.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are our Sacrificial Savior. For the love You have for us You gave Your Son to die for our sins. Endue me, most Loving Father, with the spirit of love that I may give sacrificially to You in demonstration of my love and faith in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Prepare the Way

 

He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:16–17)

What John the Baptist did for Israel, Advent can do for us. Don’t let Christmas find you unprepared. I mean spiritually unprepared. Its joy and impact will be so much greater if you are ready!

So, that you might be prepared . . .

First, meditate on the fact that we need a Savior. Christmas is an indictment before it becomes a delight. “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). If you don’t need a Savior, you don’t need Christmas. Christmas will not have its intended effect until we feel desperately the need for a Savior. Let these short Advent meditations help awaken in you a bittersweet sense of need for the Savior.

Second, engage in sober self-examination. Advent is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24). Let every heart prepare him room . . . by cleaning house.

Third, build God-centered anticipation and expectancy and excitement into your home — especially for the children. If you are excited about Christ, they will be too. If you can only make Christmas exciting with material things, how will the children get a thirst for God? Bend the efforts of your imagination to make the wonder of the King’s arrival visible for the children.

Fourth, be much in the Scriptures, and memorize the great passages! “Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:29)! Gather ’round that fire this Advent season. It is warm. It is sparkling with colors of grace. It is healing for a thousand hurts. It is light for dark night.

Happy new month of December 2022.

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TITHING DEMONSTRATES YOUR FAITH IN AND LOVE FOR GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY DECEMBER 01, 2022.

SUBJECT : TITHING DEMONSTRATES YOUR FAITH IN AND LOVE FOR GOD!

Memory verse: "You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.” (Deuteronomy 14 vs 22.) 

READ: Malachi 3 vs 10 - 12:

3:10: Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may food in My House, and try Me in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

3:11: “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.

3:12: And all nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.

INTIMATION:

Tithe means a tenth part, and tithing is the act of giving a tenth of your increase (income) back to God. Tithing is a biblical principle that has been practiced long before the law came through Moses. Even in some heathen religions, it was traditional to give a tenth of one's earnings to the gods.

Tithe was first mentioned in the Scripture in Genesis 14 vs 20 when Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of the Most High God. This incidence happened more than 400 years before Moses gave the Law of tithing to Israel. It is noteworthy that Abraham wasn't living under the Law, yet he tithed.

The Bible makes the purpose of tithing very clear—to teach us to fear the Lord and put  him first in our lives. We are to give God the first place in our lives to show our faith in Him. And we give first part of our earnings to demonstrate our love for Him. For example, what we do first with our money shows what we value most. 

Giving the first part of our paycheck to God immediately focuses our attention on Him. It also reminds us that all we have belongs to Him. A habit of regular tithing can keep God at the top of our priority list and give us a proper perspective on everything else we have.

God really has no needs for our money! All the gold, silver, and riches in the earth already belong to Him. (Haggai 2 vs 8.) He doesn't need our donations. God could have set up church finances differently. He could have made every minister of the Gospel independently wealthy like He made Abraham, Isaac, David, Solomon, and all the rest. The tithe exists for our benefit, not God's.

It all comes down to faith, and that's why God told us to give. God could establish His kingdom using other principles. He could give every person in ministry creative ideas that would generate incredible wealth. He could have done all sorts of things, but God set up His kingdom around giving because He wants you to remember that even though you have money, you didn't get it by your own power. Remember nothing is either difficult for, or impossible with Him.

Giving to God demonstrates our love for Him and His place in our lives. Giving Him the first place in your life puts Him under obligation to care for you, and always come through to you. He will return to you as the Owner of all things both in heaven and on earth. The blessedness of giving, especially to God, is exceedingly overwhelming. 

For instance, God demanded that Abraham should give Him His only son Isaac. God's intention then was to find out how Abraham loved Him. Abraham was very willing to offer his son in a sacrifice to God as requested without any form of hesitation because of his love and faith in God. When God saw really that Abraham loved Him, He came through for Abraham, spared his son, and gave him the animal for the offering to Him:

"Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." (Genesis22 vs 15 - 18.)

God doesn't need your money any more than He needed those Old Testament sacrifices. The point of the tithe is for you to demonstrate your love and faith in God, recognizing Him as the source of all you have. It's one thing to say you believe God is your source, but it's another thing to prove it. The way you prove to yourself, not God, that you believe God is your source is to give a portion of what you make back to Him. 

People who don't really see God as their source are going to balk at giving part of what they have away. They are going to think, I need that money! But giving back some of what God has already given you is nothing when you see God as your source.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for all You have given to me. Endue me with the spirit of giving that I may never hesitate to return to You a little of all You have given me in demonstration of my love for You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PUT GOD FIRST IN YOUR LIFE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30,2022.

SUBJECT : PUT GOD FIRST IN YOUR LIFE!

Memory verse: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6 vs 33.)

READ: Psalms 37 vs 4 - 5; 145:19; Isaiah 58 vs 14:

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

37:5: Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to,pass.

145:19: He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him, He will also hear their cry and save them.

Isaiah 58:14: Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

INTIMATION:

Jesus is telling us not to be preoccupied in getting, worrying about our daily essentials and needs that are already known to Him. All we need do first is come to the knowledge of Him—His reality, His initiatives, His provisions, and His faithfulness. When we do, we will realize that He will supply all that we need, and every human concerns of ours will be met. 

Now, let us look at Jesus’ admonition, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6 vs 31 - 33.)

It’s by God’s grace that we exist. We never entered into any agreements to be created by Him. It’s all His doing, and for His purposes. Therefore, if He has done all by Himself, and for His purposes, it’s obvious that to live and do rightly—living according to His preordained purposes—You must know Him and His ways thoroughly. It’s your quest and thirst to know Him and His ways that commits Him into revealing Himself to you. 

He created you and has put in place everything you require to live for Him, and according to His purposes. You can only know and have access to His limitless provisions when you delight in Him—strive to know Him and His ways better. Remember He said do this first—seek to know Him and His purposes for you first, and all other things you need, including your desires, will be added to you without struggle. All you have to do is seek Him first, and other things flows your way as additions!

The Scripture tells us to delight in the Lord and commit everything we have and do to Him. To delight in Him means to experience great pleasure and joy in His presence. This happens only when we know Him well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know Him better. The knowledge of God’s great love for us, that love that drove Him to give His only begotten Son as a propitiation for our sins, will indeed make us delight in Him.

To commit ourselves to the Lord means entrusting everything—our lives, families, jobs, possessions—to His control and guidance. It means to trust in Him, believing that He can care for us better than we can care for ourselves, while we willingly wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us. Whatever He does is permanent, and His blessings makes rich and adds no sorrow with it.

The Lord gave this insight to Joshua, saying, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in It day and night, that you may observe do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1 vs 8 - 9.)

Before all else, strive after God’s way of doing and being right. Steep your life in God-reality through the wisdom and revelation of the knowledge of Him, never worrying about missing out. Then you find that all your everyday human concerns will be met.

God Himself taught Joshua the principle and strategy of ensuring a prosperous living, gaining good success, and having the pleasure of God’s companionship at all times. God said that to ensure the aforestated, Joshua must put Him first:  (1) Constantly read and study the Book of the Law—God’s Word, (2) ensuring your obedience to God’s law—doing according to all that is written in it, (3) always being strong and courageous; not being afraid nor dismayed.

Therefore, to be successful, follow God’s words to Joshua. Delight yourself in the Lord, put Him first in all you do—let Him take the driving seat in your life. Resolve to set aside time each day to read and think about God’s Word, reminding yourself of it day and night, and God will be your constant companion, ensuring your success in carrying out His purposes. You may not succeed by the world’s standards, but you will be a success in God’s eyes—and His opinion is most important. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, that the eyes of my understanding being enlightened that will I know the hope of a Your calling, and the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in those that believe, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Triumphant Shame of the Cross

 

Christ did not] offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:25–26)

It is not to be taken for granted that there should be a welcome for sinners in heaven.

God is holy and pure and perfectly just and righteous. Yet the whole story of the Bible is how such a great and holy God can and does welcome dirty, unholy people like you and me into his favor. How can this be?

Hebrews 9:25 says that Christ’s sacrifice for sin was not like the sacrifices of the Jewish high priests. They came into the holy place yearly with animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. But these verses say Christ did not enter heaven to “offer himself repeatedly . . . for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 9:26).

If Christ followed the pattern of the priests, then he would have to die yearly. And since the sins to be covered include the sins of Adam and Eve, he would have had to begin his yearly dying at the foundation of the world. But the writer treats this as unthinkable.

Why is this unthinkable? Because it would make the death of the Son of God look weak and ineffective. If it has to be repeated year after year for centuries, where would be the triumph? Where would we see the infinite value of the sacrifice of the Son of God? It would vanish in the shamefulness of a yearly suffering and death.

There was shame in the cross, but it was triumphant shame. “[Jesus despised] the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

This is the gospel of the glory of Christ, the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). I pray that no matter how dirty or unholy with sin you are, you will see the light of this glory and believe.