Tithing - Counter Culture pt 1

The same Spirit where Jesus rose from the grave live in you, the same spirit that rose Jesus from the grave, where there was judgment upon him live in you. The same spirit that rose Jesus from the grave lives in you. Come on, Church. I need you to believe that the same authority that Jesus rose from the grave lives in you with all power, with all authority.

It lives in you today. So the same authority that you have to to trample upon scorpions and those evil spirits lives in you today. You have that authority. He reminds us, after telling us that that same authority, that same spirit lives in us. He says, You know what? Now, even though that we may suffer for a little while, the glory he will reveal to us later that all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God reveals to his children who we so church.

I need you to know today that we are being called victorious no matter where you are, what suffering that you may be faced with today, that you have that same power in the same Heavenly Father. Empty us today, Father. We give you an invitation to reside in this place. Shall we stand before the throne of God? We cast down our crowns before you and we cry.

Holy, holy, holy.

So in these next few moments, I pray that you will open up the windows of heaven for your blessings upon this church in God that we may live in the overflow. The Holy Spirit had your way today we worship you in this place is for him. We live, we move and we have our being. Father, Have your way today We love you.

We honor you in your matchless and majestic name. We say Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Let's give. Got a round of applause, man. Thank you, worship team, for all that you do. Thank you. Tick department. They do everything back there every day. You know of. You may not know I'm a seventies, baby. I may not look like I may look like I'm in the eighties.

But yeah, I missed the eighties just a little bit. Born in the great year of 1977. If you do the math, I'm 45. A man. I know how to look that way. You know, it's all good. And growing up in the seventies, you know, for me was just an iconic time frame back then with some of the best games that you can find, some of the best music that you can listen to, because it was truly music back there, right?

There was no dub over there or anything like that. You you had to know how to sing. You had to be a DJ, right? You had to be a DJ. Mitchell About the bus to know what I'm going to best embarrass myself like that. I'm like, Scott, Scott, we're in the same boat, bruh. I'm like the two or three.

This is my say so right here. That's all I do, bro. Just left and right it and I can't, but I can't sing so. But it's all good though. You know, we've been in the season in a series of revival for these these past couple of months. God has given a word to our church and he gives a word every year that really shapes who we are.

And back in October, Guy said, Ryan, next year is a year for revival for your church. Who would have known that revival would have taken place all across this world? And so as we begin to transition from our series from Being in Revival, we're now going into a series that is called Counter Culture Reloaded. And so over the next several weeks are going to begin to talk about things that is counter culture to what we believe in the scriptures, what the words say that we should do, the gospel says that we shouldn't, and what the gospel proclaims that we should do.

The world says we should not. And so my challenge over these next several weeks to get out of you feel, is to begin to live out the gospel in such a way that we are reflecting the scriptures that is counter culture to being born in the seventies and being raised in the eighties. One of the privileges that we had to do is basically we did listen to one of the greatest genre of music of all time, and it's Motown.

Come on now, my baby boomers out there. And I would even throw Elvis into Motown if y'all like Elvis, because Elvis is not, you know, Elvis is Elvis Costello stolen them, right? Actually, he got a lot of soul in him, man. And one of the things that we did there during this time for him, I'm reminded of a band that came out of Philadelphia, and this band had one of the craziest basslines ever known to Motown.

Many of you may even know it just by hearing the song that we're about to play, and they had to decide over here, come on site R.E.M. to give it to me. All right, here we go. Okay, before you do one more time coming back to you, don't you?

Come on, Middle. Yeah. All right, let's go. All right, now, this is everybody. Like your past, you can direct the Quarrymen. What's your album is Run. Don't come before you, man. One of the craziest basslines of the seventies and eighties. We still hit that bassline in church today. Amen. Keith was back there from the He was getting a boy, one of the greatest bass lines known to music.

But in all reality, the song itself is talking about money. For the love of money. People will do things, do things, do some things. Things not things This things for the love of money. People will still alive. For the love of money, people will kill for the love of money. People will use their mortgage and lose it For the love of money.

People will gamble their children's college tuition away For the love of money, people will go bankrupt trying to gain more money. I b I believe that the apostles of the O'Jays, if I can use them as an apostle, they wrote scripture Not really, but just framing it first. Timothy, Chapter six The Apostles of the O'Jays. Sid For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

I, I know some people eager for money have wonder from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs. See, oftentimes we just throw the part A of that verse. We just say for the love of money, it's the root of all evil. But what's more important there is the Part B is that some people has even wonder from the faith.

Come on. Church You mean that we're chasing money so much in our pursuit of money, so much that we are leaving the faith? Come on. We have to reprioritize what God has called us to chase after. Yeah. For the love of money, people will steal from their mother for the love of money, people will rob their own yacht.

No to song for that lean, mean, mean green almighty dollar. For the love of money. People will lie, Lord, They'll put the gospel in the sun They say, Lord, they will cheat for the love of money. How you get money is connected to what you would do with it. Let me just explain what I'm talking about. If you have your first money, you're probably wearing it right now.

Trinity I was going to call her out. Now I get to use her for a sermon illustration. So just got a new job last weekend. So she's just she's excited. But I'm on. I'm even call her out now. She was even tithing today for her money so so how you get your money is connected to what you do.

So if it's new money you were probably sitting on twenties outside right. 20 rooms. Let me shape it up. If you earn it, you're probably invest in it. If you worked for you, probably enjoying it. If you prayed for it, you probably are tithing it. How you get money is determined, how you will basically spend it. Many of us have not been taught how to handle money.

Many of us have not been taught the kingdom principles that is attached to your finances and money. So this is another plug for our financial stewardship class. You need to be in that class. And I think there's only a cap of 30 people. I believe there's just. We only have seats for 30 people. And the reason why I call $10 just for the material, the church is not making anything out of this.

This is just a cover. The material that we want to help educate you put some biblical principles into how you should steward money.

Many churches has led a bad example about financial stewardship. We all know somebody who left the church because how the church stewarded their money. You know, growing up in Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. As a peek, there are some things that I remember our church doing every Sunday. You know, a choir marching, not like our choir carried in March.

In Sunday, I remember going to Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. The choir would typically march in and it would take about 20 minutes. They would rehearse their walking more so than the music. They made sure that they got to like, you know, to just just Google. I promise you, our church rehearse how to walk it more so than the music itself.

But I remember growing up in church as the peak and going to church. There are some things that we did every Sunday. I can guarantee you that we had a meal after service every Sunday. Guess what it was Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, some pound cake. It was kind of boozy. Was like a boozy church, Baptist church.

We used to have Kool-Aid. We have frappe a for those who don't know what frappe is, it is like sherbet and ginger ale mixed together.

Our next church picnic. We're going to have some frat boy out here, man. So that way you guys can experience what I experienced growing up in church. So our hospitality committee, which is in information right now, put that on your checklist that we will have some frat pay for our church gathering. But there's some things that we did every Sunday growing up in church.

We took offering every Sunday. And as the deacons and the stewards would go back to the back to count the money if the plate came up short. Yes, we're happy about it. Come back and have another offer. The deacons will go back to the accounting office. Y'all laughing because I know it's true. Yeah. Mm. They will go back to the to the offerings, say, okay, we're short.

We did have an offering one more time. Guess what they're going to do this time? Because we took offering every Sunday they will call for $100 line and the all my $100 line people. How did you come up front way way you hundred dollars they'll bring it up. No we'll talk, lay down and plead. All right. My $50 lawyer.

Come on. No, I need you. Raise your money up. Come on, $50. Come on, bring it up. Bring it to bring it to the offering. Laid in a plea. They will bring it to $20. We'll hold it up. Walk it up. Then we stop right there. Then we show whosoever That was the leftovers. Right? Whosoever had another offering.

Come on up. I remember being an assistant pastor of another church and we went to go visit another church. This is real stuff. The pastor see the number, the devil. The pastor was in connection with the other pastor. And this started doing all these running these these money life. And one of my members turned to the pastor, the senior pastor at that time and said, because they say if you have your hundred dollars, come up front and come and get your blessing.

He looked at the senior pastor and asked him a question. He said, Does it mean that I can't get my blessing because I don't have any money?

Needless to say, we did not go back to that church ever again because they prostituted the gospel. They used the gospel to prostitute the members of the church to give more money. You know what the owner would do? The pastors would typically go back to his office and they were split the pot and give it to two different churches.

Yes, sir. Not in this house. It's not going to happen. I've even seen where they will, you know, passes. You know, he's preaching that things are good and good. They come up to the altar laying $20 down. And the next thing you know, guys, you know, the pastor is preaching. The pastor give a little signal on the side for those Baptist folks.

You know, if that means get on the keys, the kind of give it your emotions. The piano player we get on the keys or the organist are hyping up the organ and he start preaching and wife in his forehand come down. These are more money at the altar. Right. Right. I'm let you know right now, Please don't do that.

This church. That's not the culture that we have. Or because you're your blessing is not connected to you laying down on the altar with your money, your blessing coming before you, when you lay yourself down before the altar, when you lay your sins down to the altar where you lay everything that God has asked you to let go and let God.

And he said out what He wants for me to lay down, not your offering for the church. So today I want answer three questions. What is a tie? Do we tie though, for gross or net and for those biblically astute people who may want to come back? What I'm saying, many people in the church would say the tie is not in the New Testament, so we're not governed by the tide any longer.

I'm going to address that for you to God has given us two hands, one to receive and the other to give. That's a quote from Billy Graham, one of the greatest pastors of our time, Billy Graham, said God has given us to has one is to receive the other ones to give and so to really shape our scripture for today and where God has taken us.

We're going to go to Malachi chapter three versus six through 12, and we have to begin to really understand that money and giving or just giving has always been a part of God's plan. We see that from the very beginning, beginning of time, even in the Book of Genesis. If you go to the Book of Genesis, even before Abraham Right, let's go way before Abraham.

Let's start with Cain. And Cain and Abel did what they gave an offering unto God, one with a good offering. The other one wasn't so good. So we see that God was giving, that God presented giving early and throughout scriptures. And so if you are in Malachi chapter three, if the last book of the Old Testament and right before the New Testament is Malachi, Malachi, Chapter three, if you dare say man already, I, the Lord, do not change.

Verse six. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroying. Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from my decrees, and I have not kept them returned to me. And I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, How are we to return? We will a mere mortal rob God. Yet you rob me.

But you ask, How are you robbing you? How are we robbing you? He says, in tithes, in offerings. He says you are under a curse your whole nation because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tide into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Then says, Test me in this says the Lord Almighty and see if I will now open up the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessings that there will be no room enough to store it.

I will prevent pests from devouring your crops and vines in your fields would not drop their fruit before is right, says the Lord Almighty. Then your ancestors will call you blessed for yours would be delighted, delightful, delightful. And says the Lord. So my message today is simply put, tithe in offering. And before you check out on me. Oh, here they go.

I'm not coming back here again. We don't teach on tithes offering a lot at this church. We don't. We typically make it in a twice a year. But you begin to look at the teachings of Jesus as we get through here to shortly, even just throughout the Bible. Money or finances is the most talked or talked about subject in the Bible.

Money or finances. Jesus talked 11 out of 39 parables about finances. 11 out of 39 parables that Jesus Tall was taught about finances. So if for those who are offended, I'm sorry. So we're going we talked about revival, right? For the past several weeks. We can talk about salvation, We can talk about health and strength, and we can talk about, you know, Jesus walking on water and change of water to why.

But yet we don't talk about finances. If we were to move out of the act to church, to how Jesus walking through the scriptures, we should be talking about for this one third of a year and you should not be offended because we are model of Jesus Christ and how he taught. But many people get offended when we teach about finances.

One third of the year, that's four months. Three months out of the year, we should be teaching about finances. And then the other nine months, you guys, we can teach about everything else, actually. Yeah. How would you look at your neighbors and neighbor? Oh, neighbor. Can you spare dime just in case your neighbor was not friendly? I don't want you look at your other neighbor and say neighbor.

Oh, neighbor. Can you spare a dime? A man. And you're laughing because the dime is very is very just moderate. Is this not asking much of your neighbor? Right. Would you agree with everybody? We all agree. Okay. This is the dime. Let's raise your head. Who would agree with me, not your neighbors. Raise your hand. I'm glad that you agree.

That's salesmanship coming out here to second. What you do is you build up a yes is an affront. Is that I can't tell, you know, in a vacuum. So you guys just told me $0.10 out of a dollar is okay, let's run out and play one more time. I'm just your jerk when you stand before God, he's not going to ask you how much money you make when you stand before God.

He's not going to ask you how many hours you work when you stand before God. He's not going to ask you where you hourly your salary. When you stand before God. He's going to ask you, What did you do with I gave you how have you stewarded the blessing that I gave you. So God, you mean to tell me how do I honor you with my money?

Yes. So what has? Why? Why does God of all creation command us to give? Why? Why does God give us something? Says he wants something back. How is giving a discipling posture of Christianity? Why do we have to bring in a tithe and an offering? That's what we read in Malachi, right? They say brings the tides and the offering to where the storehouse.

And we give you a lot of scriptures because I want you guys to understand what biblical stewardship looks like. Matthew Chapter 19, verse 24 says this again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle. Therefore someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. So they understand that the context of that Scripture, you have to know what an eye of a needle is in that time frame.

The eye of a needle was basically it was a passageway from one side to the other. And so it basically is a doorway. And so oftentimes in that time frame, what they used to do is basically if you had a camel, they used to carry all of their supplies on that camel. And so what the owner of that camel would have to do is this They would have to unload the supplies off of the camel.

The camel will have to get down on all four legs and scoot its way through the eye of the needle and then put the other the properties through the eye of the new to below the camel again. So what God is saying that he needs you to let go of some things and let go of some your mentalities of of thinking so that way he can get you where he desires you to be.

How do I honor God with my money? Right. That's what many people are asking the question that's the wrong question to ask. If you're asking, how do I honor God with my money? That's it. You're in error in the question should be, how do our honor God with his money say, if you don't believe it's God's money, let me let me just take you back to the old miracle log.

Let's go to Leviticus chapter 27, verse 30. And those who are taking notes, I'll give you time to write this down. Leviticus chapter 27, verse 30 says this A tide of everything from the land, the tide from something, no tie, from air, everything earthy or a tie from everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees belongs to the Lord.

Then it says this Yeah, it is holy, it is wholly unto God. That means everything that you have is holy and is unto God should solve it wholly in its original context. And it says Kadesh. In Kadesh means that is sacred, that it is consecrated, that is dedicated, hallow, holy by itself means to set apart your everything that you own.

You don't is God. I remember the parable where Jesus told the rich one young ruler, He said, Go sell everything and come on, follow me. He tapped out. Now I got him good. Like, you know, I like living the lifestyle that lived. Like, you know, what he says sells everything. Come. Come on, Follow me. I will show you things that you can only imagine.

You know what I think God would have done if he'd done it? Go with it. Multiply his his giving a hundredfold, you know? My God, are you honoring God with all that you have? I know it's not your time is a 10th of whatever you receive. Pastor Jason, Chris, Can you guys do me a favor? Can you bring this table up from from your quick is off to my left.

A tide is a 10th of whatever we receive. So I'm gonna give you a great illustration of what that looks like. Cory, I got your flags of Hebra. That's an inside joke. I'm sorry. Yeah, it was later. That what Christopher Jose was to Korea, was to. So a is a 10th of whatever you have. So that's one, two.

Thank you. So tie there's a 10th of whatever we have right. You told your neighbor that her brother Bardem came in. Can I get it done? So what we have to begin to realize this is all Leviticus 2730 says that this is all Lord the gods. Anyways, this is Lord our Lord. All 100% of it. And so what we have to do, and I'm sure what we're going to learn in our financial stewardship class on March the 18th is that there are often times that, you know, we we budget all of this, we budget all of this when in all actuality you should only budget this right here.

You get God his off the top. You know, you don't wait after you pay your mortgage, pay Duke, you buy the diapers, you pay you like do your gas bill groceries the night mayors, you treat gas for your car. I know I'm leaving out something, man. Come on now. You know, we things are tight. My starter went out on my truck.

Mm. But God is saying I'll give you all of this if you just give me this. This 10%. The problem with America today, this Western culture that we budget and live our lifestyles out of all of this versus all of this. And when things get short, things get tight, you know what happens? We're gone. That wine club that I'm in every month where they ship my shipment, air my.

So let me let me just save a little bit off of that income because, you know, Jesus took community, too, right? He took a little one little wine for his stomach is healthy. That's what Scripture reads. Bible. That's what it says. Okay. Got things are super tight this month because is my wine subscription. I got Netflix and Hulu, Disney Prime.

Oh my better Amazon Prime. Okay, now my tie looks like this, but I'm still spending all of this guy. You know, I got to get this new Yeezys that I want That's $300 the new JS that I won't $200 for y'all Sneakerheads You know, Young I know Johnny Yeah. Okay. My, my time is cut down to this right now.

God is saying that you can have all of this if you just give me all of this right? But we live a lifestyle in this culture in such a way that we're taught to live like the Joneses, like, but not live like the kingdom or the church. We have to get back to a place where we're tithing like this.

Even our offering in savings account should be like this, right now.

If you are set aside, 30% goes. You know, Billy, I'm not there just quite yet and I'm here definitely, but I'm not like here all the way. Just see, I'm just keeping it real, right? Yeah, I'm more like this. But my desire is to even be more like this rock and give God his everything because this his anyways.

So the one thing I want you guys to begin to understand, you young adults and you guys begin to live your lives. Don't don't max out your budget. Don't buy, don't, don't buy because you're qualified for a $500,000 house. Don't have to buy a $500,000 house. Start off with a $200,000 house at $150,000 house. And in that way you can do some things off to the side.

Don't don't get into a place where, man, my first car that I've been by, car that I was proud of passed a leveled up my first car that I bought myself was a Dodge Neon, a Dodge Neon that with that, that was me. That was my budget. Guess what? I went after that. A Ford Expedition. I mean, I was just roll and type.

Oh, man. I was floored, Sonny boy. I'll tell you, it was off the chain. This is my I'm. I'm a seventies, baby. So. Ford, they first came up I was Big Pimpin have the Eddie Bauer edition with the leather seats and everything. But guess what happened with that Ford expedition? My car pain was $486 a month. My shoes was 100 and, like, $90 a month.

Guess what happened to the Ford expedition? I left it in the parking lot of Walmart off of Apple Battleground because I couldn't afford any longer. I've voluntarily let go that car. You can come get it now. I can laugh. It's okay. It's okay. I had to let it go because I outlived out budget of what I was doing.

Yeah, I just didn't know. Church. We have to get to a place where if God has given us $99, just give him his ten. Just give me 10%. That's just a tie. Biblically speaking, there's an offering on top of that as well. There's there's there's several offerings in a in the New Testament. Jesus talk about even the Old Testament grain offering sin offering burnt offerings is getting quiet is getting quiet.

It's getting quiet. It's gone quiet. Great prices. So the question is, do we off our growth or net? Let me just. GROSS For everybody who may not know those new employees, growth is what you get before your taxes. Your net is after Uncle Sam. Grab all of his stuff out afterwards. You know why Uncle Sam takes his taxes out?

Because he don't trust you did that. You're gonna pay him anyways. The government says I'ma get mine before you get yours. Would if God did that to you, why? What if God says I'm gonna get mine before you even get yours? If the government don't trust you paying taxes, the God who created you trusted you enough to honor him and say, God, I'm forgive you.

What's yours? Good. And what about those bonuses and birthday moneys in that mega million? Those scratch off every now and then you pass to go get a scratch off? Just because. I'm just saying I feel kind of lucky. I have no one ever under scratch. All Bama say this. If you received it, you need to give it come or if it's birthday money.

And for those super holy go fill saints. That money that you find in a larger room that you forgot was in somebody's pocket. There's a dollar in a drawer. You're asking the kid, Don't touch that dollar. You're not put in there. Yeah, I can tie of off that too. But I want you to realize this. I'm tired of the enemy using kingdom money.

All right? We don't want to endorse gambling or anything like that, but I'm tired of the world using it long enough. We should have it for the kingdom. Right? And so if you are blessed and you win a mega meal and just a which is what, 10% mega mill, I take 5%. I'm sure God would be like God is saying, do something, start somewhere, start somewhere good for the saying super saint Christians that want to tide out their laundry money.

They're probably the same ones. The same what Pastor Tithing is not the New Testament or Jesus. Then teach on tithing. You're absolutely right. Tithing is actually in the New Testament two times the word tide itself. It's in the New Testament two times. And write this down as a Luke chapter 11, verse 42. And it's also Matthew chapter 23, verse 23.

But what Jesus was, was was speaking to in this context. He was speaking to the Pharisees, He was calling them hypocrites because they would give their money, but they would not serve the church well. Wow. And so they had a posture of that. They thought they can buy their way into something good for Jesus, was convicting and condemning them, said, You hypocrites, you tithe, but your service, your heart is not in where the church should be.

And so Jesus talks about finances all throughout Scripture. So let's look at Second Corinthians Chapter nine. We're going to highlight verses one through a Second Corinthians chapter nine, verses one through eight. And it says this This is Apostle Paul writing to the Church of in the second letter, he says, There's no need for me to write to you about the services, to the Lord's, to the Lord's people, for I know your eagerness to help and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year, you and your were ready to receive and give, ready to give, and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.

But I'm sending the brothers in order that they are boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready. As I say, you will be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you, I'm prepared. We not to say anything about you would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it was necessary to urge you brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift giving give generous gift that you have promise that it would be ready for you as a generous gift so that as grudgingly given, let me just kind paraphrase this scripture.

What Paul is saying is this, that he's bragging so much about you and how you gave that. We want to continue that you that you should continue to support the ministry of what's taking place. And in that context, is the church that Paul was writing about. Tithing isn't giving is returning. Tithing is not good giving. It's returning good.

What do you mean tithing is not given to God, is returning to what is already his. Leviticus 2730 says that all of it, everything from the dirt, from the from the season, everything from the trees is all the Lord's tithing isn't giving is returning to God was already his Paul did not teach about tithing. Paul wrote most of the New Testament books Well, he wrote the most books out of the New Testament imparting teach about tithing.

He talked about giving to the church so that church should be sustainable so that the Old Testament and the New Testament. Right. Some would say that the Old Testament is the mosaic law, which we're not under the law anymore. Amen. We're not. Thank God for that. But the New Testament says that we're by receive by grace through faith.

So what have we have? The Old Testament, then? We also have the New Testament. So we have both and not in contention, but in direction of of both together is saying that our belief in Jesus Christ alone allows us have what God has given us, but what He desires is that we to give back to the church in a certain way.

And that's where our lesson for today. I'm just now getting started. Malachi Chapter three is going to be quick Malachi Chapter three verse six says this I am the Lord and I do not change. That is why you, the sins of Jacob, are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to fail to obey them.

Now return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heavens and armies. How can I return if I've never gone away? Verse six through eight and may pull up new King James version quick Because I just like the Old Testament that it says this verse six through eight highlights a problem. And what is that problem?

The problem is that they have rebelled against God. Malachi Reisner says that there's a problem, and the problem is that they rebelled against God and we're calling them robbers and there's repercussions about it. Are you saying that you rebelled against God in such a way that you failed to give your ties and your offering and he calls them robbers?

What's one of the Ten Commandments? Thou shall not hidden? And he, Malachi, did not write that. He does not call them thief. He calls them robbers. Two different positions. Walk with me here. When you steal, you know, like you're going to a place to take something, right? But a robber does it in a malicious position like you're going to.

Somebody says, stick them up, Give me what you have. We're robbing God. We're going to God and saying, give me back what I've earned. Give me back what I work 40 hours a week for. Give me back what is mine. We are robbing God. Verse nine tells us that we will be coerced if Malachi, that's reverse. Now I am going to new King James version.

Well, a man robbed God, yet you have robbed me. But you say, In what way have we robbed you? Scripture says and ties and offerings. It says that you are cursed with a curse. So the problem is rebellion. That we become robbers. And there's a repercussion for us being rebelling against God in this way. That we are cursed right?

Let us thinking quick. It says you are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. He said, You know what? Not only you, The entire nation has robbed me. They have followed suit like everyone else, which is counter culture. If you're wondering why you're struggling, you have financial problems. Is it possible that you have a tie or you don't have a lifestyle?

Giving? Come on. Like I want you to add up everything that you've been faced with. And I'm just talking to those who don't tithe on a regular, like consistently on a regular basis. I want you to add up everything that you spin out of pocket, that maybe being a car payment or your bills that maybe do, or your cell phone bill, add it all up and see if it's your time.

Yeah, like I get it. Like, now we know what the struggle is. We know the struggle is where we know what to look to look like to live paycheck, to paycheck. Like, I mean, we're just normal people, but we put best practices in place that where we can honor God with his money. And we we get we get struggles to like we stuff breaks, things happen.

But I'm still giving God his money. Right. Right.

And verse six is that how highlights is a problem? But then there's prescription about this problem. This is a prescription how to address the problem that we that we're talking about. Right. The problem that we're cursed with the curse. How do you begin to reverse that curse in such a way that you can begin to live out the decrees, what God has for your life?

We find that in verse ten and it says this Bring the tie into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house and in my in my scripture. There's a capital M, You know what that means? That's God, right? Any time that there's a capital letter to God or anything like that, that means, yes, that's God, that's Elohim, That's that's God with us.

It says my house. So the prescription to get out of the probe, the problem is that we have a verse six, seven and eight. We find in verse number ten, it says, Bring my tie, bring my 10%, Just just bring me my 10%. Then it tells us where to go. There's a prescription about the priority of what needs to take place, which is the tie.

Then there's a place which he talks about, which is his store house in translation. That means his church. And so what God is saying, where you should be tithing if you are a member, we don't call a member. But just so that we understand language, we call it in that you belong like your family. That's what we call our membership.

We don't call the members because membership expires. But if you belong to one church, your tithe should be fully come into this house may not like that or pass. You know what I sees into other ministries. That's great. But he says, Bring my tithing to my house. You're fed your minister too. We're doing life and we do a ministry together as a as a church to affect our community.

I encourage you to continue to give out information that we give to multiple nonprofit agencies over and above our tie. So the prescription is this The priorities, the tie, the place is the storehouse. Then he says, prove it. He says, Test me. He says, Just test me if you don't believe in my math. And he said, Just test me.

He's asking you, will you just try the kingdom versus this worldly man? I get it, guys. Math just doesn't add up. Who can feed thousands of people with a couple of pieces of fish and bread? That's guys, man, who can water into wine out of empty vessels when he pours water into it. That's God's man. Guys, I've been tied in that bragging tie them for me is natural because I've been such a rhythm of doing it over and over over the years, like, I don't even second guess it.

Like I hate even when I get direct deposit from the church. Thank you. Like, I don't even, like, go and get my beer shaped up before I'm my beard treatments. It's 1030 every morning on Fridays I'll go get my beer cleaned up and before I even pay my beer treatment when I get paid. Oh, my God, I give you yours first before I go to Bojangles.

I got to get got his first. Like I just for me, that's a personal conviction. I don't want anything going before God willing to give God his first now sloppy seconds. There's a fourth and then there's a promise. There's a promise that is connected to verse ten and verse 11. So there's a problem with your rebellion. The robbers and repercussions.

There's a prescription. But then verse ten is a promise. What is that promise? Is this. He says, Try me. And if you do, he says, This, try me. And this is the Lord of Hosts. If I would not open for you the windows of Heaven, that there will not be room enough to receive it. He says that he will pour out a blessing on you from a window or windows.

The word is plural. He's not talking about one window, and he's not talking about a little crack to let the air in. Like he said, he will open up the windows. In our house. We have about 30 windows. And imagine if God were to put in a blessing through your homes with the number of windows you have in your house.

Then he says there would be so much of a blessing that you're the capacity for you to receive It is beyond you. My God, if you want the capacity to receive all that God has for you, try him on this. What does that look like? If you need to let go a car, let go of a car. If you need downsize, downsize your house, downsize your house.

If you need to go and shop in thrift shop, come on, I'll go with call me. I would love to go through a shopping like make some adjustments in your lifestyle if you need shop on wish you are too busy for me. The point is this if you need to come down so you can elevate God higher than do that and then Kevin.

Jason. Chris. If you got some gravity bomb my extra choir members to make your way back up front and watch this. It's beyond our ability to out give God's possibilities. Let me say that again. It's beyond our ability to out give God God's possibilities. And so today, I don't know where you're at with this. This drug or where you just if you're giving in a way that you give continually just to let you know how accountable we are to you guys as our church, because you guys are entrusting the church with the finances.

Everyone who's in leadership has to tie in. There's not a leader or staff person that works for our church that's in leadership that does not tithe regularly. Now, let me just I don't look at that. I ask our county two questions. Do they tithe yes or no, and do they tied on a regular basis, yes or no? That is a prerequisite to being in leadership at this church?

And you guys, you hold us accountable for that because you don't want anybody getting paid by the church is not tithing, who's not giving to the church. And so if you are desiring to be in leadership of the church, we have leadership opportunities within church. And you're not tied in a regular basis. Pull it together. And it's not about being in leadership.

It's about honoring what God is calling you to do. And so Jesus God is saying, trust me and imagine this. Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. I find it ironic that God addresses money when He's absent for 400 years. Think about that. Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament before Jesus, before God silence his voice until.

Jesus comes on Earth for 400 years. He addresses money and the family. Two things that we have to get back in order. I believe that is so important that God speaks more about financial stewardship throughout the entire Bible and before He's absent with his people to speaking to the prophets for over 400 years, he talks to us about financial stewardship.

Think about that. If I were to leave my kids before I leave this earth, what would be my last statement to them? We know what Jesus said, and that's the whole mantra of why we're one church. John 1721 He calls us to be unified, that we are one faith that they may believe who sent me. And so would you believe and trust God today?

Can you just believe that He knows where you are? Can you just believe that God knows exactly where you are today? For those who are struggling have struggle year after year, month after month, week after week about their finances. I mean, we're going to pray for you today. We will pray for everybody because I want everybody to have the abundance of what God has forth.

Would you just believe me? Regards as just try me. He says he knows your shortcomings. He understands your fears. He knows your shame. Got to say, just believe in. Try me. But God, he knows exactly where you are. He knows your secrets, He knows your lies. He say, Just try me. God is saying take my grace, Take my grace.

The grace that I giving you through my son Jesus Christ, Because we are saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 289 lease Any man shall boast just believe, just believe to get into his presence. Try him. Just believe that God is working for you. Try him just believe that God wants to breathe His breath upon your life. Just try him.

Just believe that when you're weak, that your history is based on history. It is by perfect your weakness. Destroy him. Just believe the greatest ideas, images of the world. Destroy him. Just believe that God who created the heavens and earth has a purpose and a calling on your life. Just try him. Just believe that you are the heirs of the most high God and try him today.

Just believe that you have victory. Can you stand today? We're going to stand and sing when I speak victory because we want you to know that you have victory in the name of Jesus. And we're going to speak victory of your life today. We're going to call victory in the situations and in circumstances that you may find yourself in.

We're going to speak victory to every trial, every situation. We're going speak victory to what God has called us to do. We're going speak victory that will be going to take over High Point. We go speak victory that will begin to take over. Thomas will begin to speak. Victory that God has called us to step out. The enemy's attempts on your life.

We speak victory. You may not know this song, but I want you to sing it like you mean. I want you to own. I want you to embody victory. Because the same power that rose Jesus from the grave live. And you may man made.