Stewardship of Money
Text: Mal. 3:6-10
There are two things that I find hard to preach on. One is the greatness of God and that is because I feel so inept. The other is money. Even though I have been at this church for two years and never have preached on money, some will inevitably say I am only concerned about funds. Let me be clear, God will take care of His church and even in a time of financial disaster in our country, God has blessed and He will continue, so I do not worry about it. However, we do need to be good stewards of God’s money.
So, the principles are the same: all money is God’s, God is in control of all money, and we need to use money to bring honor to Him. So, when you think about getting upset about the message, remember it is all His anyways.
Now, let us apply these principles. First, a tithe is a tenth, Gen. 28:20-22, Lev. 27:30-34. The word tithe literally means a tenth. Also, the tithe comes off the top, Gen. 14:17-20. Not what we net but tithe comes off the gross. When we give God tithe off the net, we are robbing God of what is rightfully His, Mal. 3. Third, the tithe was given on the first day of the week to honor God, I Cor. 16:1, 2.
Continuing on, the tithe is only part of giving to God, Mal. 3, Mark 12:44-f.f. The tithe is that base, starting point for God’s children. And His children gave offerings on top of tithe to meet each others needs.
Lastly, giving is a matter of the heart, Acts 5, Ii Cor. 9:5-8. God is always more concerned about the heart. The heart of man is the only thing that God has to contend for. And when our hearts are focused on honoring him, He always blesses, Mal. 3, Luke 6:38.