Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Let's sing it together on that first verse.
Oh how sweet
Hope of earth and joy of heaven
Precious name
Oh how sweet
Hope of earth and joy of heaven
Good evening everybody.
Welcome to Shore Foundation Baptist Church.
Let's take our bulletins and go through some announcements real quickly.
I don't know if I have a bulletin.
I don't.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Alright on our front cover we have our verse of the week.
Oh if anybody needs a bulletin just lift up your hand.
One of the ushers will bring you a bulletin.
I got that AC going.
But somebody turned it to 67.
Yeah so when you turn it below 68 it just stops working right for some reason.
I don't know why.
That's like the magic number or something.
But anyway.
Hopefully it will start hitting us here.
It is a little warm isn't it?
Alright.
Sure is hot in here.
Alright on our front cover we have our verse of the week.
It says but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah chapter 40 verse 31.
Our service time is for 10.30 for our Sunday preaching service.
Sunday morning.
Sunday evening is 3.30 pm.
And Thursday evening Bible studies is 6.30 pm.
We are going to be in Malachi chapter 3 for one more time tonight.
And then we will move on to chapter 4 next week.
And then we will be moving on to another book after that.
So it was a quick study.
But anyway.
So we are going to be moving on to chapter 4 next week.
And then we will be moving on to another book after that.
So it was a quick study.
But anyway.
If you look down you can see our praise report.
The salvation's baptism.
Say Rylan make a note
that we have nine more baptisms
to add to
the list there.
So.
Anyway, also
what's coming up this weekend is
tomorrow is the
Bible believers Baptist church big
weekend and we are going to have
Deacon Corbin Russell preaching for us
seven p.m. tomorrow night and that'll be at the church building there in Yakima
and our soul winning we're gonna have soul winning Saturday we're gonna meet up at
the building or on location if you so desire we're gonna go to one of the
reservation spots 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. we're gonna have a meal and fellowship at 3
p.m. at the church building and then Sunday there'll be a preaching service
10 30 and 3 30 p.m. now is anybody planning on doing soul winning tomorrow
that's going up anybody okay so I don't think we're gonna need to do a sewing
tomorrow I think that between the services will probably have a soul
winning time on Sunday so we'll have a couple opportunities for soul winning
there brother Roberts telling me that last week when they were up there that
they just went out between the services and had two people saved just like that
so it's a lot it's it's pretty receptive up there so if you're planning on going
up there you know it's it's nice when the fish jump in the boat right so
anyway the bridal shower for oh if you have any questions about the trip this
weekend just let me know I'll be trying to help you answer those questions so
the bridal shower for Madeline Richie is at 11 a.m. here at the church building on
July 8th pastor Anderson's preaching in Spokane at 6 30 p.m. July 19th July 20th
pastor Anderson's preaching here Thursday night at 6 30 p.m. and that's
part of his mega conference so both both stops are part of the mega conference
where he travels around to all the new IFP churches and preaches and then the
pastors of those churches at the same time go to his church and preach so he
calls it the mega conference so hopefully you're gonna be able to be
here that night make a good showing and welcome him and treat him nicely and I'm
sure he'll give you a nice red-hot sermon in exchange for that so I'm
looking forward to that even though I won't be here I'll be here in spirits
and so everybody be on your best behavior okay don't corner them try to
not let them leave the building or something limit your questions to one
or two I'm just kidding anyway pastor Anderson is a good friend so it's gonna be
nice to have him here and then on Thursday also the red-hot preaching
conference is kicking off in Sacramento California and that will be I'm not sure
what time it kicks off but the schedules posted online will probably get this the
schedule put in the next bulletin here and let's see yeah that'll be going on
the whole weekend so Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday red-hot preaching
conference if you are still planning on going there's still time to get your
hotels I think the you'll be able to get a hotel for a reasonable price still if
you get one now but you got to get it soon so July 28 through the 30th is our
five-year church anniversary we'll be having pastor of minutes here preaching
for us at 7 p.m. on set on Friday night Saturday we're gonna have a sewing time
from 1030 to 1 and then 1 30 p.m. we'll have a lunch here at the church building
we're gonna have hammers and hot dogs and then we'll have a bounce house and a
mechanical bull also like we did at the conference and then that'll be from 130
to 430 so once it's over it's over so hopefully everybody plans on coming to
be in a part of our special weekend and Sunday our guest preacher will be
evangelist at Winfield Fisher that'll be on Sunday night so then the August 3rd or
the so the Toronto sewing trip is it says August 3rd through 6th but it's
actually much longer than that so if you're interested in going if you want
to jump in on any of these times more the schedules are up here just come and
grab one or if you're just interested in looking and see seeing all the things
that are going on as some of us taking part the United States and it's just
it's crazy Niagara Falls there's paintball it's just a lot of stuff
going on so like the the theme is like basically have fun for part of the day
and then go soloing part of the day so it's if you have any vacation time and
you just want to go have a good time with your family there's some pretty
cool stuff that they have planned so and then of course we're a family integrated
church please utilize the mother baby rooms and dad baby room for your
convenience and remember the rockers and gliders for pregnant nursing mothers
and elders only and please reserve the back rows for families with young
children please no men the mother baby rooms and vice-versa and no innocent
children any air the building please no food in the assembly area and silence
your cell phones if you need a help to your vehicle or you just need an usher
to escort you to your vehicle be sure to just ask somebody be happy to help you
out so the offerings and all that stuff is at the bottom of the page and then
see I think we got all the birthdays and anniversaries handled so we're gonna
sing another song we'll receive the offering that will have the prayer
requests
all right our next one be song number five when I survey the wondrous cross
song number five when I survey the wondrous cross
song number five when I survey the wondrous cross let's see it together on
the first when I survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died
my richest gain I count but lost and poor contempt on all my pride
or bid it Lord that I should most save in the death of Christ my god all the
things that char me most I sacrifice them to his blood see from his head his
hands his feet sorrow and love for me
did air such love and sorrow me more thorns come post so rich a crown were
the whole realm of nature mine that were a present for two small love so
amazing so the demands my soul my life my all amen good scene for the Shawn
would you bless the offering for us
you would what's his gift for the plus both the gift and the gift in Jesus name
you
the book of Malachi the very last book of the Old Testament Malachi and chapter
3 book of Malachi chapter 3 in Malachi chapter 3 the Bible reads behold I will
send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye
seek shall suddenly come to this temple even the messenger of the Covenant whom
ye delight in behold he shall come sayeth the Lord of hosts but who may
abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appearance for he
is like a refiner's fire and like foolers soap and he shall sit as a
refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purify the sons of Levi and purge
them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the
Lord as in the days of old and as in former years and I will come near to you
to judgment and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and
against the adulterers and against false swearers and against those that oppress
the hireling in his wages the widow and the fatherless and that turned aside the
stranger from his rights and fear not me sayeth the Lord of hosts for I am the
Lord I change not therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed even from the
days of your father's year gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept
them return unto me and I will return unto you say at the Lord of hosts but he
said wherein shall we return will a man robbed God yet he have robbed me but he
say wherein have we robbed thee in tithes and offerings ye are cursed with
a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation bring ye all the tithes
into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now here
with sayeth the Lord of hosts if I will not open you the windows of heaven and
pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it and I
will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of
your ground neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field
say at the Lord of hosts and all nations shall call you blessed for ye shall be a
delight some land say at the Lord of hosts your words have been stout against
me say at the Lord yet ye say what have we spoken so much against thee you have
said that it is vain excuse me you have said it is vain to serve God and what
profit is it that we have kept his ordinance and that we have walked
mournfully before the Lord of hosts and now we call the proud happy yea they
that work wickedness are set up yea they that tempt God or even delivered then
they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened
and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that
feared the Lord and that thought upon his name and they shall be mine say at
the Lord of hosts in that day when I make up my jewels and I will spare them
as a man spare with his own son that serve with him then shall ye return and
discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and
him that serveth not for the Sean Conlon would you pray for us
all right well I wanted to take the time to actually preach a whole sermon on
tithe and you're like oh man I showed up for this but you know what it's in we're
in the book of Malachi this is where every preacher goes to talk about
tithing and I think it's a great lesson that we need to learn and you know we
should be preached about at least once a year you know there's other there's a
lot of sermons that just need maintenance and you know some people
don't believe in tithing in the New Testament and so I kind of want to just
take some time and go through the scriptures tonight and kind of debunk
that mindset and I think what that mindset is is really just a cheapskate
mindset you know people want something for nothing and God allows us to earn
our living he allows us to have an income have food have clothing have
shelter all these things and then people seem to get cheap when it comes to God
and that's a bad mindset to get in and you know honestly God really you would
think that you know God doesn't care about money in the sense that he he
really made everything he made all the elements that make up money he made up
gold and silver he made those just by speaking them into existence so in
reality he owns all the money in the world anyway but he allows us you know
and that's kind of the system that we're in it's kind of been the system that
people have been in whether it's money like what we would I mean the money the
the dollars you got in your wallet are not even real money it's just like it's
just you know inflation dollars or whatever but I mean you can use it to
buy stuff or whatever but you know five dollars for a gallon of gas these days
things are things are getting tight for people too and I feel like when things
get tight for people then they get tighter with God too and I think that
that's a bad also a bad mindset because we got to be different from the world in
all different manners of aspects of our lives so what they do they get cheap
they pinch their pennies and they do it so that they can hang on to something I
there's a contractor that I was friends with it was a Christian and during all
that time in the last real bad recession that we had when people were losing
their houses with the Fannie Mae stuff and all that he he dropped his prices as
a contractor and he was stayed busy through the whole time he had so much
work he didn't know what he could even possibly do it all and I believe that
if we're doing right by God that he's gonna do right by us and even in the
lean times he's gonna make it he's gonna help us to make it through I mean think
about Egypt it was pretty lean right and Joseph devised his plan to make sure
that they would have enough food and grain for everybody but Jacob was
faithful and Jacobs over in Canaan and he's like here go get some food and so
God ended up taking care of Jacob and and one of the reasons why Joseph was
taken captive is so he could save basically he saved the world from a big
giant famine and he also saved the children of Israel his faithful people
and Israel himself put him in a land of plenty or they could you know do their
trade which was you know shepherding and things like that and so God will take
care of us even in the hard times but we have to trust him with our finances and
a lot of times people's heart is where their wallet is and we ought not to have
that kind of a mindset when it comes to being Christians so let's look what the
Bible says the title the sermons robbing God so verse number eight and so I skip
these verses in our last sermon so I just want to focus on these verses for
the sermon here and it says in verse 8 will a man rob God yet you have robbed
me but you say wherein have we robbed thee in tithes and offerings so the ties
and offerings obviously the tithe means the tenth okay the tenth of what you
bring in all those things all the things that you increase you pay your tenth out
of the increase of what you receive now in old times some people's wealth was
amassed in cattle and crops and so that's how people tithes in a farming
culture that's how they would tithe but they also had the option to turn if they
would live too far away to pay their tithes on a weekly basis or whatever they
were supposed to bring them they would turn that into money and the Bible
specifically talks about that in the Old Testament and people say well you're
in the Old Testament pastor and it's like yeah I am in the Old Testament but
some commandments are still transcend they still transcend into the New
Testament and you're like well the Levitical priesthood you've talked about
the little Levitical priesthood being changed yeah changed but does it say
it's completely done away with not every aspect of the Levitical priesthood has
been completely done away with because there's still the house of God right
it's not the temple but it's still the house of God which is the pillar and
ground of the truth which is the local congregation so it is tithing in the New
Testament people say well the Bible never says the tithe and it also says
that it's not out of necessity that you would give because God loves a cheerful
giver and they'll use those verses but they're using them out of context okay
they really are so but there is some real clear-cut scriptures in the New
Testament that still allude to the fact that that as far as taking care of the
church taking care of the people that are placed over you in full-time
ministry there is still a purpose for the tithe in today's day and age and we
just signed our new lease so guess what that lease count what comes with that is
is money has to be given to people for that lease and it's not cheap well how
do we come up with that well it's by tithes and offerings that's how our
church operates because if we just said well it's just you know it just doesn't
matter you know maybe the money would come in I don't know but I don't think
that we should deviate from what God says to do and and whether and I'll
explain these things as we go along here but look what God says though once again
in verse 8 will a man robbed God yet ye have robbed me but you say wherein have
we robbed thee and he tells them what what is it in tithes and offerings so is
tithing commanded in the scriptures yes or no is it yes because he says if you
don't give the tithe then what are you doing you're robbing God what does that
mean you're stealing from God and you're like well I don't know about this you
know you're just this is just a scheme to get you to try to get our money and
this is just that's ridiculous folks that's not what it is God wants to see
where you're at and this is a spiritual test with something that's carnal that
he puts in front of us and obviously Israel here is failing the test right so
offerings for this time though you know you had the freewill offerings but you
also had the offerings that were given for sin offerings and so if people sinned
and they didn't give the offering that was supposed to be for that sin then are
they robbing God yes they are because that is what he required from for them
to do when they sinned so the freewill offerings obviously are offerings that
you would make of your own volition which is a total dagger in the heart of
Calvinists everywhere because they can't avoid that verse they can't avoid free
will they're like we don't have free will God makes us believe and then
there's a you know that little meme where the the little furry creature or
whatever he looks like this or whatever he rolls his eyes the other way yeah
they don't like the verses that say free will do they these Calvinists but think
about Ananias and Sapphira I mean in the New Testament so they're they're selling
their stuff and they're saying they're selling their property and they're kind
of living in this communal manner where they're just helping each other out
right early on in the book of Acts I'm not gonna go there for the sake of time
but they what did they do they sold their property for a certain price and
then they kept back a portion of it and told them that they sold it for a
certain amount which was a lie so they lied to God they lied to the Holy Spirit
they lied to the congregation and said this is how much we got but when Peter
explains things he's like if when those things were in your hands were they not
your own you know why lie about something just you know he could he
could have just said well you know we're gonna keep back some of it for ourselves
because we need to live and we're old or whatever it is but they didn't do that
they lied about it so and I'm just saying that God God killed them for
that so is it a serious matter to God well I think it is I mean he's asking
this question have you robbed you know will a man rob God you've robbed me with
tithes and offerings you haven't given the tithe you haven't given the offerings
and here this was their own free will to do and God is so sir you know I mean
Jake they lie the Bible says that they lied to the Holy Ghost which is God
right and they kept back that price and then God killed them for it so I'm not
saying if you don't if you skimp on the tie the gods are gonna instantly kill
you but I'm just saying that you know there's ramifications for breaking God's
commandments isn't there so Malachi chapter 3 verse number 9 the Bible says
you're cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation so why
are they cursed because they robbed him because they didn't give their tithes
and offerings and so what is God so is it a sin to not tithe well the Bible
seems to indicate that yes it is that you're cursed with a curse well what's
the curse that he curses you with well we'll get into that but it says bringing
all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house and
prove me now herewith saith the Lord of hosts if I will not open you the windows
of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to
receive it so in the command to give the tithe God also gives this bonus reward
to anybody that would prove him with it because what does he mean by that well
if God says I'm gonna give you a blessing for doing something I've
already given you the money the ability to do and if you're just giving me a
portion back so that God's programs and God's kingdom can operate like they need
to be able to operate then I'm gonna pour you out a blessing now does that
mean that if you touch the screen you're gonna get you know 10,000 times back
what you put in I'm not saying that it just says a blessing what is the
blessing well it could be monetary it could be spiritual because you know
tithing is an act of faith it really is because the numbers don't add up
sometimes you know when you have a strict budget and you make a certain
amount of money and then you count the tithe in there it make it can make
things really tight especially if you have a big family now young single dudes
that don't really have a lot of extra responsibilities you know maybe they
need to not buy a new PlayStation this month or something you know that's it's
not so hard on them to have the tithe but you know it's who it really hits
hard is families because if you have multiple children you you probably know
this that you don't have a lot of extra money to just throw around wherever you
want right and so to have this extra 10% come out of your paycheck you know if
you have the mentality that I can't afford to tithe that's the wrong
mentality you know what you can't afford not to tithe you can't afford not to
tithe because what happens if you don't well the Bible says here that he's gonna
curse you with a curse and that doesn't sound very nice does it you're like God
would curse us yeah that's what it says right I mean I'm not just like working
in some some weird you know lies to try to get over on you this is what the
Bible says right so but if you'll trust him with that tenth then he says he's
gonna bless you and you know I used to hear stories and this is before I was
like a great tither or I'm not saying I'm a great tither I'm just a tither
okay but what I would hear stories that people would say well like I gave you
know when I realized when I decided to start tithing you know and I was like
this isn't adding up and I just trusted God one week later or two weeks later a
check came in the mail of some you know you overpaid your insurance or whatever
that really does happen because it's happened to me before so at first I was
like this is Baptist lore this is you know they're just they're just you know
but I haven't always been the best you know when I I had struggles with this
when I first became a Christian I was just like yeah does God really need my
money and that's not it that's not a good attitude to have it's not and once
you realize that you can trust God with your finances then your life is gonna be
a lot more blessed not necessarily monetarily but he's always gonna meet
our needs God knows what we need doesn't he and God is always gonna provide for
us he he's never gonna leave us nor forsake us but I'll tell you when he
will when he will curse your life is when you're being greedy and and just
nothing and really what it is it's lack of faith to say I'm not gonna tithe it's
a lack of faith and so once you get a hold of the fact that if you put your
faith just in that one simple thing you can prove God he's saying this is one of
the things that you can prove is gonna happen I'm gonna give you a blessing I'm
gonna pour you out a blessing and it says I'll open up the windows of heaven
and pour you out a blessing so this specific commandment is one it's like
if you're good to your parents if you honor and obey your parents there's a
special blessing of a long life now not every single person that's good to their
parents obviously has a super long life but for the most part that is the way it
works if you honor your father and mother and kids listen up if you honor
your father and mother then you're gonna have a long life you know the it's it's
the first commandment with promise and but this is a commandment with promise
also and what's the promise I'm gonna pour you out a blessing you know and God
already said he was gonna take care of us so you know people get weird about
money though people and in the new IFB it's not really a popular topic because
in the old IFB it's a really popular topic it's a topic that gets a sermon
every single time somebody takes up a tithe an offering I mean literally I've
been in churches where the pastor preaches a sermonette every time they
take up an offering and you're just like just kill me now here you don't have to
twist my arm man just let's do this right and you know it gets it gets weird
it does and so the opposite takes place in churches like ours where we just
don't talk about money a lot but it is important to talk about it because it's
in the Bible it's a topic in the Bible and you know people just like I said
they get weird with money they get weird when you're like well how why are you
trying to tell me what to do with my money I'm not telling you what to do
with your money God's telling you what to do with your money so and people say
well God doesn't want our money that's just simply not true you know he wants
he wants a lot of things from us doesn't he and and really that's our reasonable
service is to serve him isn't it but he doesn't want he doesn't just want your
money he wants your time he wants your talents you know he wants your
faithfulness he wants your faith he wants your service he wants a lot of
different things it's it's kind of a package thing God wants a but he wants a
portion give him back to his you know to the local church these days but so that
you know in the Old Testament was for the Levites because they had no
inheritance among the people so the Levites were given the ties you know a
portion of those ties went to them and so they were fed from the ties and
offerings so all those sacrifices that came the priests and it's not just the
priest alone it's not like the the wives had to go glean in the fields or
something with the kids they took care of their whole family their whole family
was fed their whole family you know enjoyed the offerings and that's how
God's God's program helped the Levi's because they could they didn't have an
inheritance and so God gave them the best of everything because that's what
the tithe required right it when you're talking about cattle he said you know
it even talks about it in Malachi you know are you gonna give you're gonna
give your governor a blind sheep or something you're gonna bring a blind
lamb or some kind of you know deranged looking animal some scurvy doll you know
some scurvy animal or something yours they're supposed to give the best to
them and you know that was their inheritance so let's look at verse 11 the
Bible says and I will rebuke the devourer so here's the other blessing if
you would tithe like the Bible says I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes
and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground neither shall your vine
cast her fruit before the time in the field saith the Lord of hosts so what's
he saying he's whoever this devourer is he's rebuking them and he's gonna allow
you to have plentiful so it is a monetary blessing it is a blessing of
the things that you need in your life right everybody needs to eat everybody
needs to drink everybody needs clothes everybody needs a roof on over their
head and so God is gonna allow these things to take place because you're
doing what's right it says and all nations shall call you blessed for ye
shall be a delights some land saith the Lord of hosts so that's a pretty cool
blessing right then if your nation you know and obviously we are the nation and
the New Testament that is not we're not it were Israel after the spirit so what
is what would that say to you well God's probably gonna bless your church God's
gonna bless the families of this church when they give back a portion of what
God's allowed them to have so tithing is a command it's very clear that it is and
is tithing important well it's so important that if you don't do it God's
gonna curse your life and does God care whether you tithe or not I would say yes
he does he brought it up didn't he and so you know I'm about to do a little bit
of a deep dive for you here and answer some of the questions that people have
about tithing and just show you some extra scriptures here but you know
people want to rob God and not tithe well let's just see what the Bible
actually says about the subject because you might be one of those people and I
don't know who all you know there's there might be people in here that don't
believe in it or whatever so why don't you just have an open mind if you don't
believe in tithing why don't you just have an open mind and listen to what the
Bible says and don't just go oh this is a boring sermon about tithing or
whatever then you know pay attention and learn something now when did the
first tithe take place in the Bible well it goes back into Genesis turn to Genesis
chapter 14 it's the first time we see someone tithing and it's the father of
the faithful Abraham himself and he's tithing to a man named Melchizedek so he
kills these kings gets all of his people back frees all these people that were
captured by all these wicked kings and he's met by Melchizedek here in verse
18 the Bible says and Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine
and he was the priest of the Most High God and he blessed him and said blessed
be Abram of the Most High God possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be the
Most High God which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand and he gave him
tithes of all so all the stuff that Abraham brought back he gave him tithes
of all what does tithe mean again it means the tenth right so was Abraham
under the Mosaic covenant no he wasn't he came before the Mosaic covenant right
so why is he why is he tithing you know if this is he free in Christ bro at that
time he didn't have to he wasn't under law man and he gave tithes of all to the
priest and the priest you know was the you know the priest of the Most High God
and so he was able to receive these tithes and the New Testament talks about
this turn to Hebrews chapter 7 verse 1 Hebrews chapter 7 verse number 1 and the
Bible talks about Melchizedek here in Hebrews 7 1 it says for this Melchizedek
king of Salem priests of the Most High God who met Abraham returning from the
slaughter of the kings and blessed him to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part
of all first being by interpretation the king of righteousness and after that
also king of Salem which is king of peace without father without mother
without descent having neither beginning of days nor end of life but made like
unto the Son of God abideth a priest continually now consider how great this
man wasn't to whom even Abraham excuse me even the patriarch Abraham gave the
tenth of the spoil so you see how it it talks about the tenth and then he gave
tithes of all in Genesis chapter 14 so the tenth means the tithe right so and
then it says and verily they are they that are of the sons of Levi who
received the office of the priesthood have commandment to take tithes of the
people according to the law that is of their brethren though they come out of
the loins of Abraham so they have see how it says in verse 5 how they they
have the commandment to take tithes of the people so it was a commandment in
the Old Testament it was a you know and you know how do you explain how Abraham
knew to do that well I mean I believe that there probably was an oral law that
went that went forth I think that Abraham knew the laws of God to a
certain extent and you know some of the people you know there was because you
have like Enoch who prophesied well where do we see the prophecy of Enoch at
we don't see it till the till the very end of the Bible in the book of Jude it
just gives us a little portion of what he preached about so you know just
because it wasn't written down until Moses gathered it all together doesn't
mean there wasn't a word of God you know like it's it's weird to believe that
there was no word of God before Moses I mean that's just weird so anyway it says
and verse 6 it says but he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes
of Abraham and blessed him that had the promises so when Abraham tied them well
what what happened he was blessed wasn't he and he was really blessed I mean
Abraham was rich and he gave inheritance to his sons and he lived basically like
a king in the land of Canaan and God really blessed his life now look at
Genesis chapter actually I'll just read Genesis chapter 28 verse 2 22 it says in
this stone so this is actually just go ahead and go to it go to Genesis 22 or
28 verse 22 I kind of figure there wasn't gonna be a lot of Amen's in this
sermon but you know it is what it is all right Genesis 28 verse 22 the Bible
says and this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house and of all
that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee so here's his
son Jacob telling God that I'm gonna give the tenth unto you and people you
know there's another instance where before the law of Moses was given you
have godly men giving the tithe to God to the tenth to him so and then the New
Testament says the church is the pillar and ground of the truth so that picture
that Jacob was setting forth in Genesis chapter 28 is a picture for us that in
Timothy where it tells us that it's a pillar and ground of the truth right so
and Moses you know he commanded the tithe to support the full-time workers
the family of priests and the Levites now if you remember Nehemiah in the book
of Nehemiah like some of the Levites like he left for a while and then he
came back and the Levites were out working in fields like trying to make a
living because the people weren't tithing and he's like what are you guys
doing like the priests are supposed to be taken care of you guys need to start
tithing again right away and he really gets on to him for it because if there's
nobody to serve as as you know the full-time servants of the church or the
of back then of the temple and all that then it's it's gonna make God's work
black isn't it because that's just the way it is you know if you if you have to
be bivocational like some small towns have pastors they're like just tiny
towns and I in the sword of the Lord I always see the sort of Lord newspaper
I'll kind of skim through it sometimes when they send it to me and there's
always a wanted section pastors and it's like the same place is asking for a
pastor in the same town because it's a bivocational pastoral job now in the
Baptist world a lot of times pastors will be like I feel like I'm being
called to this big huge church that is gonna be able to fully support me you
know instead of just you know being in there and being in the trenches and
building the church from the ground up of course by the hand of God himself and
people just you know there's just there and obviously there's a there's a place
for small town churches but they can't fully take care of them because the
church isn't big enough to do that and so the pastor has to go out and work a
job outside of the church you know and a lot of pastors are okay with doing that
it's fine but what does God intend to happen what is the the perfect will of
God well what did he tell his apostles did he say keep on working no he said
quit your jobs and you're full-time now and obviously God took care of them
people took care of them you know Judas had the bag and he was skimming off the
top but like that's how they lived they had a bag of money they gave to the poor
but they also bought things for their own needs for their own food and things
like that and God provided for them so that's kind of how he ran that early
group of apostles but let's turn to Numbers chapter 18 verse 21 here's the
clear command in the Old Testament about it it Numbers chapter 18 verse 21
the Bible says Numbers chapter 18 verse 21 it says and behold I have given the
children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance for their service
which they serve even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation so were
they fully taken care of by the tithe right that's not what it says they gave
them all the tithe right and so like and some people are against having like
special you know money-raising things but that's because Baptists and other
churches you know a lot of churches they have the permanent building fund where
they're just continuously building onto their church and like you know they're
asking for above the tithes all the time and I think that those things should
only be in special circumstances where you would say hey you know we're really
having this issue or maybe we need to repair the building that we're in or
something because some people buy buildings you know and when they buy the
buildings eventually those things need to be maintained and so you can even see
in you know in the times of the Kings where they would just put a chest out in
the foyer and then I don't know if you remember that story but it was to repair
the house of the Lord and then they just kept putting all this money in there and
then there was so much that he finally just said hey quit giving because we got
plenty we got enough to fix the house but that was a special offering you know
and something the things that were given for the temp the tabernacle special
offerings and they were they were freewill offerings but that's what was
needed and then you read through numbers and it's like in this tribe gave this
this this and like all these different golden platters and you know just all
these all it's all the silver and gold and candlesticks and just all this stuff
and it literally goes through like all their tribes and tells you everything
that they gave and those are the parts that are really hard to read in the
Bible for me but I'm just saying that there there is a time to give an extra
above the tithe offering but I don't think that's every week I don't think it
should be a continuous thing and I think that the tithe should take care of the
needs of the church so the fat of the land was to be brought and given to the
Levites and they judged the things and like they had all these little systems
they did and they count and like if they wanted to turn it into money then they
could do that they could redeem those animals and keep them if they wanted to
but they had to pay you know a certain estimation and it was a it was kind of a
little bit of a complicated system to be honest with you but they were supposed
to bring the best of the flock the best of the corn the best of the wine the
best of everything and bring it unto the Lord ten percent of whatever their full
increase was and again they could turn those crops and animals into money and
then they would just give that under the house of the Lord so so here the
argument about the Levitical priesthood being done away with is you know here's
one thing Abraham paid tithes I mean if it was being done before the Levitical
priesthood where it was commanded by God in the law then obviously it's something
that God wanted them to do before and it was right and God blessed them for that
and Jacob gave the tenth now here's here's a here's what I think is like
the coup de gras for the people that say there's no tithe in the New Testament so
obviously the priesthood has been changed we are the priests of God as far
as spiritual priests and obviously the men of the households priests of God and
that that Levitical priest has changed because there now is the order of
Melchizedek which is Christ being our high priest forever and we are like the
little priests that can come to him right and he can go to the Father with
our requests and things like that so now look at 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse
or excuse me 1st Corinthians 9 1 1st Corinthians 9 1 so the question is does
God still have full-time ministers that live off of tithes and this is a
question and Paul forsook that but he didn't have to do that he and and I
probably I think that Paul probably ended up getting some kind of full-time
pay at some point because I can't imagine him being like 60 or 70 years
old still spinning tents you know with all this work and all these churches
that he had to do I mean obviously it doesn't really say that but to think
that he's still making tents at you know at an old age I mean was he making tents
in prison he probably wasn't maybe there was a work release program that they had
him on or something like that he's maybe they forced him to make him I don't know
but anyway look at 1st Corinthians 9 1 it says and this is Paul speaking am not
I an apostle am I not free have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord or not ye my
work in the Lord if I be not an apostle and others yay yet doubtless I am to you
for the seal of my apostleship are you in the Lord mine answer to them that do
examine me is this so people are asking him questions about this specific
subject have we not power to eat and drink have we not power to lead about a
sister a wife as well as the other apostles and as the brethren of the Lord
and Cephas so what is he saying he's saying well there's other apostles that
are married you know Cephas being one of them the
brethren of the Lord talking about James and Jude and so they had you know there
were pastors you know Peter was an elder he was a pastor he was also an
apostle but it says have we not power to do these things and it says or only or I
only in Barnabas have we not power to forbear working that means what stop
working a secular job isn't that what it's saying anybody disagree with that
so far look at verse 7 it says who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges
who planteth a vineyard and eateth not the fruit thereof who feedeth a flock
and eateth not the milk of the flock so what's he comparing this to he's
comparing it to it like you know we are we're the Lord's army and so if you're
like a general in the Lord's army don't or even if you're in the Lord's army you
know if you're in any army you know a secular army they you don't have to buy
your own guns you know unless you're a third world country or something I know
they make you buy your own outfit sometimes or the extra things that go on
your stuff but for the most part if someone's sending you to war they're
not making you pay for it they're already drafting you or and trying to
get you to come into the service and to make you pay for everything would be
kind of weird so it says and who planted the vineyard and it's not the fruit
thereof so if you're planting you know and these things are things that relate
to God's work right we are an army we do so in the fields and we do and then we
do feed the flock so that's what pastors are supposed to do this was to feed the
flock and so if they would not if you don't partake of any of that stuff then
then it's like that person's gonna get frustrated because what what is Paul
saying well look what it says in verse 8 say these things as a man or saith not
the law also the same is this the New Testament or is this the Old Testament
why is he referring back to the law when it comes to tithing saith not the law
the same also I mean look the Old Testament we are not under the Old
Testament we're under the New Testament but there's still things in the new in
the Old Testament that still pertain to our lives here they're there for our
moral at morality to know what's right and wrong and there's principles
involved that help our life and yeah we're not saved by keeping the law
worse but we're saved and so we should keep the law now unless it's been
specifically done away in Christ now the Levitical priesthood has been done away
in Christ but there's a portion here apparently that hasn't been because why
is Paul saying about this about you know paying some some full-time worker it
says say these things as a man or say if not the law the same also verse 9 for it
is written in the law of Moses thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox
that treadeth out the corn and and he's basically so that's it's you know it's
like why would you muzzle an ox when he's doing when he's working and and
stop him from being able to receive nourishment and food and it says saith
not or excuse me doth God take care for oxen he's like do you think that this is
written for animals like do you I mean we kill those animals and eat them you
know we're I'm a member of PETA people eating tasty animals you know I like
meat but look it says or saith he altogether for our sakes for our sakes
no doubt this is written that he that ploweth should plow and hope and that he
that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope so he's like if
you're doing the work you should get paid for it that's what he's saying
right it says in the law of Moses so he's taking something so so there's this
principle where people will say well everything that's done away that's in
the law is done away in the New Testament unless it's specifically
stated and I mean that's that's ridiculous because if you restated
everything the New Testament would be about the same size as the Old Testament
okay why does God have to keep saying things that he's already said now he
will specifically point out certain things and I think that he specifically
points this out so that we can know well when people will say well the Levitical
priest is already done we don't have to tithe anymore is that what Paul said
though he's specifically pointing to the law and saying this is how you pay a
full-time person in the work of the Lord right so it says if we have sown unto
you spiritual things is it a great thing we shall reap your carnal things is it
you know and like you got churches that will you have people there's Christians
that say this all the time that you shouldn't have to pay the pastor it's
just like do you get paid at your job I mean that's a weird thing to say you
know it's just like someone being a pastor is a harder job than people think
it is it really is so and there's a lot of things that you're responsible for
there's a lot of things that you're always constantly thinking about and the
more churches you have the more you have to think about but and that's my
fault but but you know it's just a fact and so what's Paul saying if you're a
full-time worker if you're doing a full-time job for the Lord then you
should be able to expect to be paid for it now I'm not talking about being some
kind of a millionaire or something you know I don't understand how these guys
can get up and preach one sermon a week that's 20 minutes long and then they're
making like $500,000 a year or something or a million dollars a year I mean
that's just crazy they're flying around in jets I don't know how much Kenneth
Copeland makes but I'm sure it's a lot he's got his own I think he has two
private jets and you got these pastors out there that are just you know they
give pastors a bad name don't they but what does the Bible say what does Paul
say he says go back and look at the law of Moses this is what it says that you
should the people that work for the Lord should be able to do that in hope that
they're gonna be able to be taken care of because you know as a pastor you're
supposed to have a family and so just like in the Old Testament when they
brought the tithes into the Levites who it wasn't just the Levites themselves
that got to partake of it their family got to partake of it too their family
was part of the package so they didn't just make them you know go to the
welfare line or something to get you know food stamps and and then go to you
know they were taken care of so look what it says in verse 12 if others be
partakers of this power over you are not we rather nevertheless we have not used
this power but suffer all things lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ do
you not know that they which minister about the holy things live of the things
of the temple and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar even
so hath the Lord ordained so what ordained right he's ordained it that
they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel so he's saying the Lord's
ordained it and what the New Testament right based upon the Old Testament
scriptures so here's here's where so that's I mean I think that's super clear
right I mean if you want to say that there's no tithe in the New Testament
then you have a reading comprehension problem and you need to go back to
school get your GED or something but anyway so now there's the people that
would say well God doesn't command us to do it in the New Testament it's God just
loves a cheerful giver we're just supposed to give whatever we want but
then some pastors will take this and they'll say we're supposed to tithe way
more than 10% in the New Testament you know it's whole check Sunday and you
know just stuff like that it's like that's insane but that's what people do
so well look what it says turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verse 6 2nd
Corinthians chapter 9 verse 6 so here's the scapegoat that they use to get out
of tithing that says but this I say he was so sparingly shall reap also
sparingly and he would soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully
every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him
give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver God is able
to make all grace abound toward you that you have always having so all excuse me
all sufficiency in all things may have bound to every good work as it is
written he that dispersed abroad he hath given to the poor his righteousness
righteousness remaineth forever now he that minister a seed to the sower both
minister bread for your food and supply your your seed sown and increase the
fruits of your righteousness you're like well why did you read all that well
because the context of this passage is talking about special offerings that
Paul was taking to Jerusalem to give to the poor that's why it said as it is
written in verse 9 he had dispersed abroad he hath given to the poor his
righteousness remain forever it's talking about giving to the poor so Paul
would take up these offerings and they would take those things to Jerusalem so
yeah as it per as you know if you're gonna if you're gonna sow sparingly
you're gonna reap sparingly he's talking about that principle of sowing and
reaping and if you want to give extra above the tithe that's great and if you
do it sparingly then you do it sparingly you know I mean I'm sure everybody in
this room has given other above the tithe to things to help other people
whether it's your brothers and sisters in Christ someone who's needing help at
another church that's I mean that's still a thing and that's that's still a
thing that happens within even our own movement where people will get in
terrible accidents or terrible things will happen and people bind together and
just give that person some money and and that's kind of something that that I
think is a good thing to do it's called giving alms giving alms to people that
need it and that's not talking about tithing so that's you know people will
use that and take it out of context and say that's talking about tithing when it
actually isn't now turn to 1st Corinthians 16 verse number one because
Paul alludes to it here also about this special offering in 1st Corinthians 16
one it says now concerning the collection for the Saints who what's it
what is it the collection for the Saints as I have given order to the churches of
Galatia even so do ye upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay
by him in store as God hath prospered him that there be no gatherings when I
come and when I come whomsoever you shall approve by your letters then will
I send to bring your liberality on to Jerusalem so what is this talking about
tithing it's not talking about tithing it's talking about a special offering
that's going to Jerusalem it's a collection for the poor Saints it talks
about that in the book of Acts so you know obviously God doesn't you know he
the tithe is something that God commands and anything over that is a free will
offering and you have a choice of whether you want to do that or not you
don't have to but you can if you want to now let's look at Luke chapter 12 verse
15 and the mentality of people that that are really greedy and covetous you can
see when someone starts to become covetous when that's all they want to
talk about is money that's all they want to talk about is you know fancy things
and new cars and all this other stuff it's very easy to see and it's a
dangerous position to put ourselves in you know when our church stops talking
about things of God after the church services and that's all we're talking
about is things and stuff then that's a bad look for our church I'm not saying
you can't ever talk about I'm just saying if the you know predominantly
most of the conversations at this church after church we're guys are with their
Bibles like talking to each other and stuff you know that's that's kind of
what's going on so look at Luke chapter 12 verse 15 so here's the danger of not
being rich toward God says and he said unto the unto them take heed and beware
of covetousness for a man's life consist is not in the abundance of the things
which he possesses so the things that we have that's not the main thing is what
he's saying don't take heed beware don't be covetous and it says any
spake a parable unto them saying the ground of a certain rich man brought
forth plentifully and he thought within himself saying what shall I do because I
have no room where to bestow my fruits so he's got a lot of stuff doesn't he
and he said this will I do I will pull down my barns and build greater and
there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods and I will say to my soul soul
thou is much good goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be
merry God said unto him thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee
then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided so you can work all
your life and and just care about your stuff and making sure your retirement's
good and that you have enough laid up in store but if you're not rich toward God
that's a danger that you're in the danger zone look what it says so is he
that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God your life could
end tomorrow and if that's what that's what your life consists of it is
worrying about your wealth and your riches and your real estate and all the
money you have sacked away for your retirement you can got a lot of people
die in the first year of their retirement did you know that it's a big
statistic because God put man on earth to work and so the day you stop working
you know you're you just put turn the clock on because if you think you're
just gonna kick back and watch jeopardy and travel around the country and see
all the national parks or something and that's all your life is gonna consist of
don't be surprised when you drop dead soon so but what's he saying what's the
moral of this story so is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich
toward God see when you're not rich toward God you're in a dangerous place
he said this day thy soul shall be required of thee it says that he sent
to the disciples verse 22 therefore I say unto you take no thought for your
life what you shall eat neither for the body what you shall put on the life is
more than meat and the body is more than raiment consider the Ravens for they
neither sow nor reap which neither have storehouse nor barn and God feedeth them
how much more are ye better than the fowls and yeah those types of birds eat
some pretty disgusting things but God still feeds them that's what they eat
dead animals that are rolled over by tires multiple times squirrels they
ever seen crows they'll just come down they'll pretty much eat anything very
smart birds but God feeds them and the nasty annoying things that they are and
what are those one kind of birds that are not starlings they're magpies those
things are just filthy but they kind of clean up the road for you you know those
squirrel bodies the oldest mass mass squirrel murders that go on in our in our
fine city here there's a cleanup process it's called magpies well magpies don't
really live around here so much but it's the crows and the Ravens and stuff so
anyway says if you then be not able to do that thing which is least then why
take ye thought for the rest oh sorry I skipped verse 25 excuse me and which of
you with taking thought can add to a stature one cubit if you then be not
able to do that thing which is least then why take you thought for the rest
consider the lilies how they grow they toil not they spin not and yet I say
unto you the Solomon in all his glory was not a raid like one of these if then
God so clothed the grass which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast in the
oven how much more will he clothe you oh ye of little faith so I mean he's
just admonishing the disciples to you know God is taking care of nature he's
taking care of things that are lesser than us then why are you so worried
about everything why are you so worried about stocking up for the end times and
you know you got to have all your food I have a couple food kits I'll admit it
right I got about two three weeks where the food try to come to my house during
that time you're gonna get shot don't try to ride at my house it's not gonna
work work out for you very well but you know for emergency what if there's an
earthquake or something I mean there's no there's no there's nothing wrong with
like storm up a little bit but if you're like building a silo in your backyard or
something and you're like trying to grind out the end days you're you're
taking too much thought for tomorrow aren't you and it says and seek not ye
what ye shall eat or what you shall drink neither be doubtful of mind for all
these things do the nations of the world seek after and your father knoweth that
you have need of these things so what's he saying the mentality of the world the
nations or the Gentiles as as that would be said also this is what they worry
about this is what they seek after this is what they want but your father know
with it you need these things so why are you worried about it it says but seek
you the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you so if you
put God first you store up you know stacks of treasures in heaven by doing
works on the earth for God then he's gonna take care of you he's gonna make
sure you're that you have all those things you need all these things are
gonna be added unto you when you what do the right thing which is serve God and
part of that is helping with the things of the Lord and giving unto the
programs of the Lord and you know we are in the you know we are the kingdom
of heaven the kingdom of heaven is within us and we are a group of
believers here in Vancouver Washington and I'm just telling you this right now
if you're not rich toward God then you got problems and your your problems are
gonna be far-reaching into your life because the more greedy you are with
your money you know you're gonna lose it you think that you're gonna just hang
on to it but you know somehow God will make sure that you have to spend that
money this is a principle that you need to learn because you're like yeah I got
my taxes back got my brand new wash stack of the washer and dryer and you
know I got the new sofa and all this other stuff it's like God can curse
your life still he can make sure that piece of garbage brand new you know
washer and dryer those they suck nowadays I still have an old one it's
still runs I got it when I moved in it was used when I moved into the place and
the people that moved out just left it there for us and we've been using it
ever since it's got rust all over around it where I think she was using like
vinegar or something I don't know what was going on I don't know why it has
rust but you know what it's worked for years and I believe that God will allow
the things that you have in your life the things that you you know he's gonna
make sure that those things last a long time so but you know for the people that
love their money and they they just want to amass everything to themselves and
they're they're not rich toward God then God's gonna put holes in your bags God's
gonna you know well what happened to the I gotta get a new transmission you know
it's just like he'll find a way to take that money out of your bank account
trust me and it says sell all that you have and give alms provide yourselves
bags which wax not old a treasure in the heavens that faileth not where no
feet thief approaches neither moth corrupt us for where your treasure is
there will your heart be also this is Jesus Christ telling us hey where your
treasure is that's where your heart's gonna be so if your treasure is money
your treasure is things then that's where your heart's gonna be and that's a
bad place to be in the Christian life look at Matthew chapter 6 verse 24
Matthew chapter 6 verse 24 I'm almost done calm down
Matthew chapter 6 24 alright says no man can serve two masters free he either
will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise
the other you cannot serve God and Mammon you cannot serve God and Mammon
what is Mammon well I did a little bit of research and and I thought this was
really interesting but Mammon was a Syrian deity of riches and I think that
it kind of became just a common thing to say that Mammon just meant riches or
wealth so I'm not saying you know I don't think that Jesus is meaning you
can't serve God and then this Syrian God I think it's just a term that kind of
just became a common saying but it means riches it means wealth or material
things so what's he saying here you can't serve two masters and so that's
why he says that to take heed about covetousness take heed about these
things because your life doesn't consist of the things that you have these things
are gonna burn up one day these things are gonna be gone and then what and then
what are you gonna do with it what did the rich man with the barn do he just
died he's building bigger barn so he can amass all this wealth oh I'm gonna build
bigger barns I'm gonna tear these ones down and build new ones what so you can
you know so you could be the world's biggest hoarder I mean that's really
what it is it's like but this is what people do they want to amass wealth and
and then so their kids can fight about it and in the will later on and the
house that you spent all those years just keeping up and making sure it was
tip-top and and all this you know what's gonna happen when the when the lawyers
get a hold of it they're gonna split it however many kids you're how many ever
many kids you have are gonna get that house and they're just gonna sell it and
divide it up it's gonna be gone unless you just have one kid or if you you know
you give it to your wife or whatever but it's not gonna last forever it's not
gonna it's not gonna fly up to heaven with you it's all your it's all gonna be
here when you leave so look at Haggai chapter 1 this is the last verse I'll
have you go to last passage here Haggai chapter 1 verse 4 the Bible says is it
time for you oh ye to dwell in your sealed houses and your house lie waste
so God is talking here about the temple like all these people are caring about
themselves and their houses and all the stuff they have but they don't care
about the fact that the temple still needs to be built so Haggai through the
through the word of the Lord is is admonishing the children of Israel to
get right with God here it says now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts
consider your ways you have so much and bring in little you eat but you have not
enough you drink but you're not filled with drink you clothe you but there is
none warm and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put into a bag with
holes so he's saying you can work all you want you you know all this stuff you
have but you're not gonna have enough I'm gonna make sure you don't have
enough I'm gonna make sure you're when you earn these wages that somehow it
falls through your money bag have you ever had a pair of pants guys or ladies
you had like a hole in something that you kept money or some kind of riches in
and then it falls out I've had like holes in my pockets and like I put
change in there just falls down you know and I hate that I'll just throw a pair
of pants away that has a hole in the pocket like that but that's that's what
he's saying he's like you can earn money all you want but it's gonna be a bag
with holes in it your money's gonna go away says thus saith the Lord host
consider your ways go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house and I
will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified saith the Lord you look for
much and lo it came to little and when you brought it home I did blow upon it
why saith the Lord of hosts because of mine house that is waste and you run
every man unto his own house so what's he saying you're putting everything else
in before me and the things of God and so this place here where we meet it does
cost money to upkeep it costs money to have air conditioning it costs money to
have lights and when we forsake the things that God tells us to put first he
says that you know the first of our increase is supposed to go back to the
Lord but you care more about whatever you wanted to buy for Christmas for all
your kids that year you went broke and got a credit card and then didn't want
to give any money to the Lord you know God he what's he saying here consider
your ways are you putting everything else before me are you putting every
your house before my house you know are we supposed to put God first what about
the things of God what about the people of God those things come first love the
Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength and love your neighbor
as yourself those are the two things that all the commandments hang upon
right the put the apostle or the prophets and the apostles right so that
is what God finds important and you know this is a building that we meet in yeah
and you're like well it's just a building the people or the church yeah I
get that but isn't it nice to have a good building to be in I think it is and
obviously have to meet in a cave someday that would suck but at least we'd be in
a place where we had a cave right but for now it's nice to have air
conditioning isn't it would you rather be outside in a parking lot or in some
bum infested grassland over here where you don't know if you're gonna step on a
needle or not I mean it's nice to have these things that we have here the
luxuries we have the never-ending you know what gallons of water that we all
drink here and just all the I mean think about all the advantages that we have
because we have this place but you know what it takes to operate this place it
takes money it takes money you know what it takes to get leases for buildings it
takes money you know what it takes to you know have a conference where we feed
everybody at every service pretty much it takes money and you know you get to
enjoy that but you know I just hope that we don't end up acting like spoiled
brats when it comes to the things of God you know when when God is like blessing
our church you know we should be thankful for those things and when you
stop have you've stopped saying thank you to God for the things that he
provides for us you know maybe we don't get a better building next time maybe we
don't get the least maybe God wants to teach us a lesson because we're putting
our things before his things I'm just saying the Bible commands us to tithe
and if you're in this church and you've been in this church for a long time what
does the Bible say I mean I went through a lot of verses so you can try to wiggle
out of it all you want like the Apostle Paul you know I go by Jesus not what the
Apostle Paul says you're not right with God then this it's all scripture isn't
it so so what's God say he's gonna blow upon your stuff why because you know
because of mine house that is waste and you run every man to his own house
therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew and the earth is stayed from
her fruit and I have called for a drought upon the land and upon the
mountains and upon the corn and upon the new wine upon the oil and upon that
which is which the ground bringeth forth and upon men and upon cattle and upon
all the labors of their hands see God does care about his house he you know
and obviously I know the church is the people don't get me wrong but he does
care about the things that we invest in you know he cares about the things of
this place being trashed you know if we get a bunch of brand new song books
there shouldn't be little kids drawing and coloring them I mean it's just a
just an example I mean you probably have paper you could bring from home
right I haven't seen that I'm just saying I mean but I have seen I have
seen it but I haven't seen it being done because I might just go shit knock that
book out of their hand but anyway so you can work hard you can labor to get ahead
as much as you want but if you're not putting God first and first and if
you're forsaking the house of God he will curse your life you're cursed with
a curse that's what the Bible says I just understand they go so many once a
week I go to church you know I just understand you're not tithing and your
life is cursed that's why I mean it's it's it's not elementary Watson I mean
it's pretty easy to deduce what's going on if you're not tithing then you're not
right with God and you need to have some faith in God that he can take care of
you you're like well I don't have a lot of money well then you don't have a lot
to tithe you tithe less you know I mean it's like if you only have $100 is you
know ten bucks or whatever so but you know does God need your money it doesn't
need your money but he wants to prove these principles to you and here's what
he has to say about it Psalm chapter 50 verse 10 says for every beast of the
force is mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills everything God owns so
you know you're like well God just wants my money God invented money God made the
money so I think he can get by without your tithe but again what's the
principles what's the commandments is tithing biblical I would have to say yes
is tithing right yes what happens when you don't tithe what happens when you
don't tithe cursed say it loud cursed and if you don't tithe the Bible says
what that you are what God you're robbing him and are you holding back
some of the price maybe you're like well I'm just gonna tithe the 5% you know and
obviously doing that is better than nothing but it's still not right okay
and also this is another thing that people do and I'm not really trying to
be mean about this or anything because I was the same way I just I just I've
meant to say this before and I just never have but we don't get to decide
where the money goes when it's given to the Lord after at that point we had a
lady that we used to go to church with and she always bragged about how much
money she gave the church and that she said well I told him it was supposed to
go for this this this and this and that person just held that over that
pastor's head and held that grudge and told that stupid story to probably
everybody that she talked to in a church but once you give that back to God it's
God's it's that's it and we don't get to dictate what our tithe money goes to and
here's how people do the end around they'll say and sometimes people it's it's
an innocent thing and they don't realize that what they're doing is not right but
here's what they'll do they'll say well I'm just gonna buy this thing and give
it to the church and that's my tithe money but that's not your choice you
understand that like I hope that that makes sense to you it's not our we give
the tithe belong belongs unto the Lord right so you don't get to decide what
you know I'm just gonna buy some drapes for the for the church and I'm gonna
just take that out of my tithe that's not your choice to make so I know that
people do that and I've had people say well I'll just take this out of my tithe
and I always just go that's not how it's supposed to work folks that's not how it
works they didn't go here here Levi it's here's my best cow now I'm gonna tell
you how to cut this thing and you know it's just that's not how it works if you
just cut it just this way it's just people kind of get weird about stuff
like that and like and again I'm not trying to be mean some people just they
they're like well I just want to do something nice for the church but that
is that isn't tithing that is an offering that you're giving extra but so
if you're counting as you're tithing then I just think that it's not it's not the
right mentality because then you're dictating what your tithe is and where
it's going because a lot of churches you can you can say well I'm giving it for
this this is for missions and you'll yeah who's going to a church where you
can designate ties we have a general fund everything goes into general fund
there's no extra all the only other account we have is a savings account and
money fluctuates in and out there as we need but it all goes in the general
offering so you can designate it all you want but still going to the general
offering okay but I have told this story before I I gave to J Vernon McGee one
time which I was okay I was new all right I didn't realize he was a
Presbyterian I just listened to us through the Bible radio and it was King
James Version so I was just like I did it said like they're on the tithing
envelope it had other like you could give to tithe missions something else
building fund or something than other and so I was like well other I'll just
give like two dollars and 75 cents to J Vernon McGee at the end of the year
that came to me at the business after the business meeting or maybe it's
before and said do you know where to send this to because you designated this
amount and at that moment the light bulb clicked on and I'm like how is it
their responsibility to send money that I'm giving to the Lord I'm designating
it to something else and that's not my that's not my right to do like I just
from that point on I was just like no more J Vernon McGee yeah and and people
you know everybody tries to get a slice of our pie don't they you know what I
tell people at the Salvation Army I give to my local church and you know do you
want to round up at Panda Express do you want to round up to this for the
Children's Hospital or whatever it's like I'm not against children but I want
to give to the Lord before I'm gonna give to anything else and I think that
the Lord's work is far more important and whatever is done for the Lord is
far more important you know I'd rather get a kid saved then heal their burn I
mean obviously I'd like both but that's you know we're not called to do that and
so I just kind of want to you know make sure that people understand that that
you know you telling me what your tithe is is you know as some extra thing is
not it's not legitimate so and I'm again I'm not mad because I've done the same
thing I just didn't understand so I hope you understand that and so here's the
last three questions are you tithing or are you a cheapskate for things for
yourself because there are two types of people people are generous and people
that are cheapskates there's nothing wrong with being a cheapskate if the if
a bird flies over your house and says cheap cheap cheap you know there's
nothing wrong with that as long as you're not cheap when it comes to God
that's it so don't be a cheapskate when it comes to God let's pray Lord we thank
you so much for the scriptures and how clear they are about what the Bible says
about tithing Lord I pray that you just help us to have a good heart toward
these things and not put our heart where our treasure is when it comes to the
mammon of this world I pray that you just help us to put things in
perspective and Lord we have far more riches for us in heaven for the things
that we do right here on this earth and where we can't take it with us so I pray
you just help us in these in these things help us not to be covetous help
us to love you with all of our heart mind soul strength and to love our
neighbors in Jesus name we pray amen
all right our last song we saw number 60 face-to-face song number 60 face-to-face
song number 60 face-to-face six oh let's sing it together on that first verse
face to face with Christ my Savior face to face what will it be
when with rapture I behold him Jesus Christ who died for me face to face I
shall behold him far beyond the starry sky
face to face in all his glory I shall see him by and by
only family now I see him with the darking veil between
but a blessed day is coming when his glory shall be seen
face to face I shall behold him far beyond the starry sky
face to face in all his glory I shall see him by and by
what rejoicing in his presence when our banished grief and pain
when the crooked ways are straightened and the dark things shall be plain
face to face I shall behold him far beyond the starry sky
face to face in all his glory I shall see him by and by
face to face a blissful moment face to face to see and know
face to face with my Redeemer Jesus Christ who loves me so
face to face I shall behold him far beyond the starry sky
face to face in all his glory I shall see him by and by
Amen.