Return to Me and Glorify Me, p.3

Sometimes that day of going to be with Jesus just can't come too soon. In the world we live in today. Challenges and the trials. We're in Malachi, chapter 3. If you are visiting with us, we're going verse by verse, chapter by chapter, through the book of Malachi.

And quite honestly, I've been Rather astonished. This is my 29th book of the Bible I've preached through here.

Some of those books of the Bible took over five years, like the book of Hebrews and the book of Isaiah. But I don't remember anything recently that has jumped off the pages with such application for the church. As Malachi has. Let me remind you again that. The precepts, the law, the truths of the old covenant, the old testament.

Are mostly brought over into the New Covenant, the New Testament. And there they are completed or they are perfected. Of course, the primary, premier example. Is Jesus. He's seen and shadowed, and there's portraits of him all in the Old Testament, like the sacrificial system of the temple.

But then you come to the New Testament, and that principle is perfected. Jesus Himself has come, and He is our sacrifice.

So we don't need any of those old priest and old sacrificial systems of the old economy.

So we see a lot of that in Malachi, a lot of practical teachings for the church. Things we need to learn, things we need to sharpen up on, things we need to repent about. As the truths come out of the old part of the book. But have their perfected and completed application for us in the church age. Let's look at it together.

Malachi chapter 3, and this is my third installment. On this exposition of this text.

Now I don't recommend that, by the way, but there was such good practical application. I'm taking two addendums, if you will, out of the outline of this text. to give um applications from the truths of the text And hopefully, rather exhaustively, have I done that? But anyway, Malachi chapter 3: the prophet Malachi writing to the Jewish nation of his day 400 years before Christ is born. And he says in verse 7, chapter 3: From the days of your fathers, you've turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.

Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say How shall we return? The prophet answers, verse 8. Will a man rob God? You are robbing me, but you say, Well, how have we robbed you?

The prophet says, in tithes and offerings. You're cursed with a curse. For you are robbing me the whole nation of you. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. The tithe and offering was mainly for the priest to eat.

That's the primary purpose of bringing the gifts. And test me now in this, says the Lord of hosts. If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer.

So that it will not destroy the fruit of the ground, nor your vine in the fields cast its grapes, says the Lord of hosts. All the nations will call you blessed. For you shall be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts.

Now I've entitled this, Return to Me and Glorify Me. That's the primary truth here. Is exhaustively teaching about tithes and offerings, but that is to the end of. First, you return to me with your heart. Then bring your tithes and offerings with you.

That's basically what Malachi points out. Return to me. You Jewish followers of my covenant, included in my covenant, you have fallen away from our agreement. You are backslidden on the covenant agreement we have one with another. And I want you to return back to me.

Now, in Roman number one, we found out that they had been discipled in this sin. Disciple in this. In other words, he says in verse 7: your fathers did this, and now you're doing this. Numerous times our Lord Jesus would say that to the Pharisees, the leaders of the Jewish nation in his day. He said, You're just like your fathers.

Hardened, stiff-necked, killing the prophets, etc.

So, unfortunately, do we not? I hadn't brought this out yet, but unfortunately, have we not found in our day, in Baptist and evangelical life, there are many things we embrace. Many viewpoints we have and traditions we have. That are at best mildly biblical. And many of them out and out unbiblical.

Because our fathers kind of did it that way. Their fathers kind of did it that way, and their fathers kind of did it that way. And so there's a discipling, and every generation there needs to be a renewal, a reforming. A returning back to the foundations. That's been one of the key aspects of my journey with you for 45 years now: is to look at the scripture and look at Baptist history.

And I find that there were many things that our Baptist forefathers held to many, many centuries ago that we have almost forgotten today. And we have been a church, and God bless you for following me through the turmoil and the trials of this journey of trying to reform our back selves back to more sound biblical doctrine. And to our history. By the way, there's nothing I can possibly come up with that's new. This book is 2,000 years old.

But we do find a lot of things that have been neglected. And left out. Dr. Albert Moeller, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says: this is not a day when we can afford to be mildly biblical. And I appreciate his work of reforming the seminary there in Louisville.

He had to fire a lot of liberal professors, by the way. The only problem is, the problem with the Southern Baptist Convention is we changed the brain of the denomination, which is the schools, to some degree. The state schools are still in a terrible mess. But the seminaries at least, we changed them. Got them back on solid footing.

So we've changed the brain of the seminary, but we haven't touched the heart. That's the local churches. Our local churches have some good and godly pastors and some good and godly people, but on the whole, they're in dire need of revival and reformation of the way they view things.

So I just wanted to throw that out because this discipling in sin didn't just happen in Israel. It's a common malady of fallen men.

So many times, as I you know, we work with a lot of churches and a lot of pastors around the world, literally, and I'll talk to them and counsel them and try to mentor them. And so very often they have a very hard time. And they're good guys, basically. They're not just out for evil, but it's a generational thing of compromise. It is hard to break out of it.

So the fact that to a good degree, and we have not arrived, but to a good degree, God has allowed us to establish patterns of ministry and structures that are more like Baptist function two and three hundred years ago and are more in keeping with biblical truth, that's rare. And so we've been given a lot and we're going to be accountable for a lot. I'm kinda chasing a rabbit, but that's a pretty good rabbit to chase.

So, your discipled in sin, and if I spend this much time on every review point, we'll never get this third part done. I'm going to try to hurry on. Roman numeral 2, we saw from our text. That they were in another dispute with God. Remember, all through Malachi, the Jews keep retorting back.

The prophet will say something on God's behalf, and they'll say, Well, what do you mean by that? How can that be true?

Well, that's not accurate. And by the way, they really believed that. They really believed they were doing right. And yet they had hardened sinful patterns in their lives, in their worship, in their ministries. And they dispute back with God, and here they are disputing back with God.

Verse 7. But how shall we return, they say?

Well, what do you mean return? We think we're doing pretty good. We're biblical. We believe the Bible. It's like the uh Christianity of modern sports stars and country music.

When they talk about Christianity or Jesus, sometimes I wonder which Jesus are you talking about? Especially when you look at their professed willful lifestyles.

So they dispute with God again. That was Roman numeral 3, another dispute with God. And then we come over to. That they were God robbers. They challenged Prophet Malachi and said, Well, just how are we messing up?

How are we falling short? And Malachi's okay, you're a God robber. He just comes right out the gate and just lays it out there. You're robbing God. And you're robbing God because you're not faithfully bringing tithes and offerings to my temple.

That my ministers might be supported. and have plenty for their needs.

Now, in building on that, we talked about how they were robbing God with holding tithes and offerings. And I kind of went on an addendum there, and we explored the principle of tithing. We talked about how tithing was a thoroughly taught and practiced ordinance in the ancient world. Before God had established the law in Israel, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, and others tithed to their gods. I think it's something of a natural law, if you will, that men innately know they're to bring offerings to their.

Gods that they worship, even though those were false gods, it was something that God had put in their heart. Then we talked about tithing is thoroughly taught, of course, in the Old Testament, it's commanded, it's under law. Then we talked about tithing in the New Testament. It's not a command of law because we are not under law. But we tithe under love.

We should never excuse ourselves. Under grace, this side of the cross. As saying we're going to do less than the Jews did under law because we're under grace. Grace means we ought to do more. Under grace, everything is expanded.

And I've given you many illustrations of that over and over: of how there's a law in the Old Testament, but the New Testament expands on it, builds on it. Men are head of their wives. That's what the Old Testament teaches. The New Testament teaches says that men are head of their wives, but they're to love their wives like Christ loved the church. The law is there, but it's expanded upon.

It's perfected, if you will. And on and on we could go about these things, but this is a review.

So I'm going to try to resist the temptation of going on and on. And then he said, You're cursed with the curse because you're withholding tithes and offerings. There is a sense in which God's blessing is withheld from you. And in a very literal way, the prophet talks about their crops, their grapes, their vineyards. They're an agricultural people.

It's not going to go well with you. Materially, if you dishonored God. with your material wealth. Um We talked about how um thirdly The pointed emphasis of tithes and offerings from Malachi was that there may be food in my house, he says. That means the storehouse of the temple.

I want it full and overflowing. I want you to take good care of my ministers. I'll bring this out again, but this is a powerful thing. This is what happens when you meditate on scripture, insights God will give you, and that is that. Malachi in the previous chapters has expressed the most damning Rebuke on the priest for their ungodliness and their out and out wickedness.

Then he turns right around and tells the people, and you're sinning by not bringing tithes and offerings to support those priests. Pastor, how do you balance that? I don't try to balance that. Bringing your tithes an offering. Is a duty of worship and honor that has nothing to do with anybody else or anything else.

Now there's a balance there. I certainly wouldn't stay in a local church whose pastor was a clear charlatan and a hireling and a false teacher. No, but you are to bring tithes and offerings to your local church. Find you the most solid church you can find, and pour your heart in that church and bring your tithes and offerings with it as a duty in worship to God.

So here these priests are Strongly condemned for their ungodliness, but the people. Are condemned for not being faithful in bringing tithes and offerings to support. the office, the ministry. of the priesthood. All right, now we come to this long addendum where we take these Old Testament principles and we look at the New Testament to see.

How is it that God wants us to be supporting his work, his ministers in the New Testament? And by review again, we call these conclusions for practical application. And these conclusions for practical application of giving and supporting God's ministers from the church age where you and I are living today. First of all, we pointed out that it was based on the Old Testament pattern. It's very clear.

Paul, on two different occasions, shows the parallel that as the priest was supported in the Old Covenant by the tithes and offerings of Israel, so the New Testament pastor, our gospel preacher, is to be supported by tithes and offerings as they function in this era.

So it's based. on the Old Testament principle. But you're not giving any more to a temple to support a priesthood. You're giving to a local church to support the pastorate of that local church. Let's see, moving on in review.

Secondly, it fulfills the principle of work and income. Since we have some politicians here today, God never intended anyone to get income who was not willing to work.

Now, obviously, there are dear folks who need our help who are not able to supply for themselves or support themselves. We all agree with that. But work and income is a divine ordinance of God. And so Paul goes to lengths here to talk about in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 how we all accept that. I believe it's something of a natural law.

We all know this is right. If you hire somebody to plow for you, it's right that they receive compensation. Then Paul said, if you hire somebody to thresh your wheat, It's right for them to receive payment, income, or compensation. If somebody keeps your vineyard, it's right for them to receive some of the proceeds from that vineyard and the sale of the crop. And then he goes on to say: therefore, the gospel minister is to receive compensation back from those he serves.

In the local church. He said, Don't make this hard. Uh the pilgrims would call this Spiritual common sense. We know these precepts, Paul is saying.

So it's the natural principle that all cultures grasp, even though we have some in our culture today that deny everything that's naturally true. That there is work and then there should be income, and that should apply over. Into the coffers of the local church for the local church pastor.

Now, number three, still reviewing. Giving your tithes and offerings in the local church to support the ministers fulfills a great debt we all owe. Paul made this very clear, of course, in his illustration in 1 Corinthians 9: if a guy works for you, you owe him. There's a debt you owe him. Matter of fact, the Bible's very clear.

Any employer. Who does not properly compensate his workers is under the judgment of God. God deplores that. And a worker is owed The support He has earned through labor or service for you in your company. It honors God to do that.

And then of course that letter. Paul wrote to his dear, dear friend Philemon. And you will remember in writing to Philemon, he says, now Philemon. your runaway slave, Onesimus. has run into me.

And he's running. I don't know where Paul was at the time, but Onesimus was converted under Paul's ministry. And Paul sends him back home to Philemon. Paul's dear friend. And Paul gives him a letter.

He said, You take this letter to Philemon. And explain to him, it will, let me say it this way: it will explain to him everything that's gone on about your conversion, and in that letter. Paul tells Philemon, now, if this runaway slave, who's now a Christian brother, if he owes you anything, Paul said, Now I'm writing this with my own hand, I'll pay the debt. Paul said, I'll pay his debt. Then Paul says, but.

Philemon, let me remind you, you owe me your life. I brought you the gospel. I preach the gospel to you. You have been converted. Your household has been converted.

And what you owe me is far more than what Onesimus could ever owe you.

So basically he's saying please forgive this debt And so Paul points out a principle there, and it's not nearly about the amount of financial support you give a minister, but it's the heart condition that you prize and you cherish, and you are grateful to God for the instrument God has used. to bless you for time and eternity. Are you with me, church? And now I pointed out this before, that I'm very thankful. Our elders, I think, have been very biblical through the years of supporting me and supporting my staff, and I appreciate them.

They've thought outside of the old traditional box, if you will, and tried to follow scripture.

Now that doesn't mean They are not like myself. We need to sharpen ourselves at times. Gird up the our minds, if you will, and be more accurate in our thinking. We can slip and slide away from some of these truths. But overall, our guys have done a good job.

So I'm not preaching this with me in mind. I'm well taken care of. But in the churches we work with, in the churches we mentor, in the churches we're helping plant around the world, this is a tremendous. Uh uh shortcoming. Both in their thinking and the way they view it and the way they live it out.

So it's very necessary, and that's part of what I think when I'm preparing these sermons, because a lot of pastors and church leaders download our sermons every week, that they need these exhortations. Uh it's one of those areas Preaching on giving and primarily specifically preaching on the support of the pastor financially. It's one of those areas where our natural conclusion seems right and spiritual. But it's not. It's not.

We have been so averse to. And rightfully so, The charlatans and the false teachers we see on TV, on the internet, who are clearly. Manipulating the things of God for their own advance materially. And we're turned off by that. Then we go to the other end and get in another dance that says, well, since my pastor is a man of God, then we don't want him to look like that.

So we're going to be kind of meagre and kind of stingy and kind of slack because he's not in it for that anyway.

Well, you're not in your job for that anyway, are you? You're supposed to work for your employer like working under the Lord, the Bible says.

So why don't you go to your employer and say, don't give me any more raises? No more consideration because I'm in this for the Lord. I didn't hear too many amens on that one. Brother, listen to me. We are all in the service of God.

We're just called and led to different responsibilities. Where did we get that?

Well, I know where we got it. We got it from the false Roman Catholic system that teaches a poverty doctrine for ministers. It's unbiblical.

Now, for a short period of time, Paul refused money from the Corinthian church, but that's only because they were so carnal and selfish and immature. He said, I don't want any of your doggone money.

Now that doggone's not in the text, all right? That's a southern middle Tennessee translation. But Paul basically says it like that. He's very sarcastic, he's to the point. He's quite cutting about denouncing their viewpoint.

So we get on one extreme, then we get on another, and my purpose is to help. Get all of this on track. Number four, new material now. Goodness gracious alive. Y'all killing me.

You listen so slow. And it takes me so long. The minister should expect compensation. That is, my point is. It's righteous and right.

for a pastor to take a church. And hope. They're going to take good care of me. And see, I wasn't really taught that. I spent many years thinking it was sin for me to get anything.

Honestly, I was converted at 19. I didn't know anything. And that's been a help in some ways, by the way. And I really believe the first year or two after my conversion that I could never have a dog because it would be improper for me to spend money on dog food.

Now, I'm not saying I lost sleep over it, but those are the kind of wacky, extreme thoughts about. Material things. And then I learned through the years, Charles Haddon Spurgeon helped me there, that God has no shortage of funds, but God does have a shortage of faithful men. The funds are easier to come up with than faithful men. Yeah.

But, brothers and sisters, God's given us a large number of good men to work with, both locally and globally. And Brother Steve, Brother Phil Baggett helps us a lot here. We go out to these churches in one of the areas. Brother Steve, just done it two or three times the last few months. Had to sit down, church leader said, Y'all are thinking so wrong on supporting your pastor.

Well, he can expect that. It's righteous and good that he expects that. And I know very well-meaning brothers. Will say sometimes, look, I don't expect anything. I'm doing this work for the Lord.

Well, everybody does their work for the Lord if they're a Christian. For example, in Colossians 3:23 and 24, work for your master like working unto the Lord.

So, as I said facetiously a little while ago, you don't go to your boss and say, Man, don't pay me hardly anything. I'm in this for Jesus. In the same way, your pastor's nothing wrong with him. Or your whole staff. Laboring, thinking, and expecting.

I hope they take good care of me for the service I'm rendering to them. And just to expand this out a little bit further. Here's a man. He's been married 25 years. And his wife is a godly, faithful woman.

She really strives to submit to him in all things. And she doesn't do it under cold legalism. She loves him. She respects him. And so it's come to their 25th wedding anniversary.

And he goes down to Chick-fil-A and he decides I'm going to give her a dollar for every year we've been married. I'm going to buy her a $25 gift card to Chick-fil-A. Mm-hmm. And he gives her that card with that $25 gift card, the Chick-fil-A in it. He says, sweetheart.

You're godly, you're biblical, and we know from the Bible you do all you do in this marriage unto the Lord. It's for the Lord. You don't expect anything.

So I didn't give you anything. I gave you this $25 gift card to Chick-fil-A. Ain't gonna work. It's just not going to work. Because it's right for her to say.

I've done what the Lord's commanded me to do. I expect some. At that point, 25th anniversary, lavish gratitude. Can I get old man? Amen there, ladies?

That's just right. There's nothing doesn't mean she's ungodly. Matter of fact, it means she is godly. If you've got a wife that's striving to be that kind of a biblical wife to you, you ought to dote on her, man. You ought to do some big stuff.

At anniversary time, and it's right for her to expect it.

Now Sometimes a wife has an awful husband.

Sometimes you have an awful employer, but you're still to work for them and serve them and submit to them as unto the Lord, the Bible says. But there's nothing wrong for you to expect them to be Christian. and respond back in a proper way. Paul made this very clear. in one particular text, several texts, but well, I'll just mention Uh Three, real quick.

Paul says in Romans 15, 24, whenever I go to Spain, He's writing to the church in Rome. for I hope to see you in passing And to be helped on my way there by you after I first enjoyed your company. What's Paul saying? I'm coming there. On my way to Spain.

And I hope to hang out with you guys in fellowship a while. And I expect you to help me financially as I'm going on to more church mission work. That's exactly what he's saying. He doesn't say it like, would you kind of, sort of, please? I don't want to be outfront about this, and I don't want to be brash and selfish about it, but would you consider taking up an offering for me while I'm there?

Maybe, sort of, maybe on Wednesday night. That's the way you think a godly man would say it.

Well, your thinking's wrong. Paul says, I'm doing God's work. You know that because I brought the gospel to you, Romans. And I've helped you now. As I go through there and visit with you, now you support my work to go reach others with the gospel.

It's an expectation of Paul. And then again, referring back to Romans chapter 9, particularly in verse 10, he talks about the plowman should plow in hope. The thresher should thresh in hope. His point is that they are expecting a compensation for their labor, and then he parallels that to the pastor. The pastor labors with the same spirit.

And then four times at the end of 1 Corinthians, middle and end of 1 Corinthians chapter 9, four times Paul uses the word right. I have a right to your compensation. I have a right to. to these offerings. I have a right to you gifting and supporting me.

Study it sometimes. It's quite emphatic and quite clear. Paul was expecting. those things.

So again, some of the caricatures we have of what a godly man is like are not really biblical and don't fit Paul well at all. Galatians 6:5 and 6: Each one will bear his own load. But the one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.

Now, what does it mean that the one who is taught the word is to share all good things with him who teaches him? His pastor.

Well, here's what it means in the Greek. Yeah. That you're to share all good things with the one who teaches you the word. That's what it means in the Greek. The idea is basically, are you hearing me?

The idea is basically there's not one level of lifestyle for the church and another lesser one for the man of God. All good things. It should be your heart. Not every church can do this. I understand that.

But their heart desire should be: we want him to be blessed the way we're blessed. We want him to enjoy nice things the way we enjoy nice things. Isn't that what it says? All good things. Shall be shared?

Number five. How in the New Testament giving And support of God's minister. is laid forth. Generous, joyous giving brings substantial reward.

Now, we don't have time. We're going to actually talk about this some more in a moment.

So, I'll not spend much time there. Malachi 3 taught this. Verse 10, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me now, and this says the Lord, if I not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out this is materially speaking, blessings until it overflows. I'll keep disease away and pestilence away, and your crops are going to do great.

The New Testament, Luke 6.38, give, it'll be given to you. They will pour into your lap good measure, pressed down, shaking together, running over. By your standard of measure, the way you've given. Yeah, we measured back to you in return. Oh, I don't have time, but 2 Corinthians 9:9 through 15.

Let me just peruse it this way. Paul says to the church at Corinth, You've given a bountiful gift. To the mission's offering to take money to support the local church in Jerusalem. And because you've given that bountiful gift, Your righteousness Extends into everlasting, or it extends into eternity. And I think here's what he means: You've done right.

It's proper and right for you to have given this way. And God's going to see to it that you're blessed now with rewards and on into eternity with rewards. That righteousness will follow you all the way through. And then he says further that and furthermore, when they get this gift, they're thanking God and glorifying God for what you've done, and therefore they're praying for you.

So you get a gift back. These people are praying for you. And now God's getting more glory in more places because of your giving. And that's what we're all here for: to see that God is glorified. To the ends of the earth.

So there's substantial rewards promised when we are generous and faithful in these ways. Number six. When we give in the New Testament, To support God's ministers. And I might add an addendum here if it's generous and joyous. It's a pleasing gift and a worship to God.

Now again, Paul is dealing with the backdrop that all of these churches were well versed in the priestly ministry of the Jewish nation. They he knew that they all had an esteem for. That when the priest went into the temple, presented your sacrifice, and put it, lit the incense, and lifted up prayers, it was all a service on your behalf. And it was always viewed as, oh, God is so pleased with that. That's an acceptable worship to God.

Now, Paul brings that Old Testament pattern into the New Testament. It says, now there's a different way you bring offerings and sacrifices to God. And he points it out by the way the church at Philippi had supported him. Philippians 4:18. I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance.

That means to superimbound. I'm just almost in luxury here. You've given so much.

So, therefore, let's take some of that back. Paul doesn't say that. He says, I'm amply supplied, having received from Epaproditis what you have sent. A fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. This giving to support my preaching ministry, Paul says, that you've, Church at Philippi, given in an abundance.

And it's pleasing to God. It's an acceptable worship to God, just like you believed it was true in the Old Testament when the priests brought those sacrifices.

So now it's been transferred over to the support of God's ministers in his church. Brother John O. Sims is the pastor of the Shelbyville Mills Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Tennessee. You all know Brother John O. Several years ago, they had a crisis.

Several years ago, they found out that their number two guy, their senior associate pastor, had been embezzling church money. And you could not have handled it better than Brother John O. and his men handled it. And right away, everything was thoroughly investigated. It was true.

The civic authorities were brought in, the police department. But Jono had a meeting before his people. And said, I'm telling and he told them everything he knew, absolutely everything. And he said, I'll answer any question you have. And I asked Johno to give me this in writing so I'd get it right.

And Johno said, You know what happened? The janitor of our church was the first one to speak. And he was well respected. A godly man, simple man, godly man. And he didn't say much, Jonah said, but usually when he said something, people listened.

He raised his hand and said, Pastor, I want to say something first. And here's what he said.

Some of you may be reluctant to give. due to the money of our church being stolen. I just want to say to you that every time I gave my tithes, I gave them to Jesus. As a gift to him in worship. I am not responsible for what happened to that money.

My responsibility Is to obediently bring it to Jesus. And even though this happened, I'm still planning on bringing my tithes and offerings to Jesus through my local church. And Brother Jono said, after that janitor said that, the whole place went quiet, and everybody was fine.

Now, they did have the assurance that they had thoroughly dealt with the issue. and put in extra accountability. Yeah. But I thought that man had it right. Immediately, he thought people are going to be tempted to dishonor God and withdraw their worship of giving because of this event, and I need to encourage them not to do that.

Number seven. Giving to support your minister in the New Testament era is a part of properly honoring the pastor.

Now we're taught to do that, are we not? Hebrews 13:17, you're to obey your pastor, you're to submit to your pastor. 1 Thessalonians 5, 13, you're to esteem your pastor very high. You're to love him. The Bible says.

And then he goes on to elaborate: because of his work, he's doing a work that is essential for you. And you ought to hold him in that kind of esteem. But then Paul comes back in writing to Timothy. You know, Timothy's responsible for setting up the local church at Ephesus. And one of the things they needed to get down was: how are we going to deal with pastors, elders in the church?

Because all they knew was the Old Testament priest approach. And there was a lot of misunderstanding of how it's supposed to work in the New Testament. And so Paul progressively lays these things out. And when he deals with it talking to Timothy in the local church at Ephesus, he says, quote, Now that's uh 1 Timothy 5, 17 and 18. The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor.

Jamison, Fawcett, and Brown, the esteemed Bible scholar, says: honor there means honor which is expressed by gifts. Elders who rule well are be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle the ox while he's threshing. And the laborer is worthy of his wages.

Well, there are a few, not very many, but there are a few Bible commentaries that say, well, we don't know that he's really talking about financial contributions here or support here. When he talks about double honor, well, why would he say the worker's worthy of his wages? That's the context. Payment. for service.

And then earlier in the chapter, he used the same word honor to speak about the widows who are put on the list to be supported. Honor the widows who are widows. Indeed, he says, put them on the list for financial support.

So the whole context is that.

Now scholars point out there's an ascending level here. First of all, pastors or elders are to be honored. Then those who work hard are worthy of double honor. Then those who work hard at preaching and teaching Are worthy of steel. More.

Now, Paul uses the terminology very specifically, double honor. I would argue that doesn't necessarily mean a double salary. It just means generous. And I would like to add what's more important to me, joyously. generous Out of love for God and love for his wisdom.

And you know, because of my occupation. This can almost be a disobedient attitude, but sometimes I wonder: God, why would you base the health of your eternal church? And the eternal souls of men and women so thoroughly on the preaching of the word, and I'm a preacher. I know we're nothing special. I know we're weak like all men.

And it's as if the Lord responds back to me and says, I've ordained it that way, and that's the way it's going to be. Just like those Jewish Men back in Malachi's day who thought the priesthood isn't working out. You've condemned these men for their ungodliness. But God says, look, you're still to honor me with tithes and offerings to support. the office of priest.

All right. Real quick.

Now we return back to Malachi, the addendum of an application exhortation for New Testament era. I come back to the original text. There are applications here as we continue, but not as thoroughly as the courses I've just given you. Number four, a window of hope with divine blessing. Verse 10: Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house.

And test me now in this. Says the Lord of hosts. If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Now, this is very rare indeed, where God specifically challenges the people, test me, do this, and see what's going to happen. It's possible this could have been a one-time thing.

For these people in this day, but I don't think so. He tells them, I'm going to pour out for you great material and spiritual blessing. But what I'd like to point out at this point, because I've mentioned this already, that God blesses back when you're faithful to Him first. And that is put first things first. What did Malachi begin with up in verse 7?

You Return to me. And by the way, If you return to God with your heart. Tithes and offerings will take care of themselves. I believe God just told Malachi to point that out to try to startle them into repentance. That your heart is far away from me.

Of course, the New Testament parallel. Give and it be given to you. They will pour into your laps, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over by your standard of measure. It will be measured to you in return. You see, brothers and sisters, God cares nothing about a cold ritual, a drudgery of you returning tithes and offerings to your local church.

Here's what I'm going to tell you, Pastor, in love. I don't mean this in a cademic way. Keep it. Keep it. If there's not at least the germ of love for God in there.

That's motivating you to do it. We learned a long time ago that if God puts some men in your church who are of means. And they'll give big offerings if they get their way to the pastor. That I was not the kind of pastor that you do that with. We could probably load up a 15-passenger van with men of significant means who.

Found that out and decided God was leading them somewhere else. That's probably why I started with absolutely nothing because I know what nothing's like.

Now, am I tempted with material things? Yes, just like you. But I purpose that that doesn't control me. That doesn't own me.

So, first, bring your heart. Prophet is basically saying, and then bring your ties with it. Roman 5, the great all-encompassing purpose, which is the glory of God. Look at verse 12. We always get to this, don't we?

It always comes back to God being the center of everything and God wanting to be glorified, honored, praised, esteemed, loved, respected by all people. And by the way, that's coming on planet Earth one day. And we get to play a role in that. It appears very clear from the text. There's going to be a nation of Israel that will play a role in God's universal praise and glory.

But not like the Perfected, glorified church. which is where we are all headed.

So he said here in verse 12, all the nations will call you blessed. For you shall be a delightful land, says the Lord of hosts.

All the other nations are going to look to you and say, Your God is amazing. Look what he's doing for you. Look how you're blessed. Look how your system works. That's what our founding fathers were trying to get across when they said America is a.

A shining light. City set on a hill. That if you'll follow these divine precepts. Our nation is built on We will do fair better. Than the rest of the nations of the world.

And by the way, that's true. We've fallen away from that, hadn't we? But we can always fight to return back. Zechariah 8:23 points out this principle that in the Old Testament God was glorifying Himself through a nation.

Now, what's the parallel? In the New Testament, he's no longer glorifying himself through a nation, Israel. He's glorifying himself through local churches throughout all the nations. Are y'all with me? See how it progresses in God's economy?

But it seems to me that he's got a a purpose for a Repentant, regenerated, restored Israel, because it says in Zechariah 8:23. Thus says the Lord of hosts, in those days, ten men from all the nations. Will grasp the garment of the Jews, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. Oh, that's what I want for Grace Life Church. That people in the shows will not say, man, what a great leader.

How creative. How strong. How persuasive. Have you seen the music program? Look at the children's program.

I don't care. I want them to know, hey, look at those people. God. is with them. And you'll see that by the way we love one another.

By the way, we hold the truth and we're not compromised. I think that's one of the things. that has won us the respect of so many in the Shoals area. Is that when we were so criticized in those early decades. We didn't stop.

We didn't compromise. And we stayed to what we believe. Perfectly no. But when we fell down in a ditch, we didn't just lay there for six months. We repented and got up and started over again for the glory of God.

Can I get amen right there? At least that's my testimony. Maybe you've been perfect the whole time, but that's my testimony.

So much more to say, but let me close Romans 6. I'll be brief. Faithful giving is an essential spiritual discipline.

So we see in Malachi Did you notice? Did you see it? Did you see that exclusionary phrase in the early chapters of Malachi where the prophet said, if the priests are ungodly, and unfaithful. Then you are excused from bringing your tithes and offerings to the temple. Did you say that?

No, you didn't because it's not there. It's just not there.

Well, how much more if you've got faithful priest? It parallels Paul's teaching to Timothy about the church in Ephesus. If someone is proven faithful, especially in preaching and teaching the word, bless them. But You're to be honoring God's principle of bringing tithes and offerings, even if the leadership isn't all they ought to be. It's not there.

Matter of fact, I did some research. From trustworthy Old Testament scholars. And said, Is there any place where God told the people, don't bring those tithes and offerings? Those priests are wicked and corrupt, they don't deserve it. The answer is?

The Old Testament contains many rebukes of corrupt priests. But no text that authorizes God's people to withhold covenant-required tithes and offerings because the priests are ungodly. God consistently judges the priests for their corruption, and then the people. If they are disobedient. According to reputable conservative Old Testament scholars.

There is no passage That gives Israelites permission to withhold tithes required or offerings because the priests were ungodly, corrupt, or unfaithful. Why? Because more than anything you're given. is a worship and an essential spiritual discipline. I need that.

Can I make a confession to you? It's just us in here, and you're not going to tell anybody this, are you?

Some weeks I don't want to bring my tithe. But I can say to you in 45 years, I've never failed to bring it. And always was happy after I did it. Because you know what? I need the discipline.

I need the reminder: he's my source. He's my force, and he's my course. He's everything. Not this stuff. Are you okay?

You're going to have a little meeting this afternoon about your pastor? That won't work because we'll discipline you next week if you do. By the way, if you're new, we do that. You've got a problem with me, come see me. Don't talk to everybody else about it.

Love me enough to come see me, and I'll see you. Just bring an open Bible. I don't want your opinion. You don't need mine. But we do need the Bible.

So Giving the way God's instructed us to give shapens us. 1 Timothy 4:7 says, Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. This is one of those many disciplines we need. to be godly. Discipline your heart to treasure God and His purposes through His church.

and do not treasure chiefly that which rots and corrupts. Where thieves break in. and steel. Matthew 6:21, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. That's Jesus, by the way.

He said, You find a man's treasure, you'll find his heart. Literally your treasure, your heart is what the text says in the Greek. Martin Luther said, what a man loves, that is his God. They needed the people in Malachi's day, and we need the discipline of faithful giving to train our hearts to treasure that which is true gold and not just refuse with a gold veneer on it. There is a renowned doctor.

I've dealt with some of this recently, some tests. There's a renowned doctor that Points out that there is a major Nerve. And it connects to your heart. And it goes down to your digestive tract. Did y'all know that?

That way, if you have heart goofy things, sometimes you have stomach goofy things. They're connected. But this particular Physician. Said not only that. But that nerve goes from your heart Down through your digestive tract.

And it goes down to your hip. And it goes out and it connects to Your wallet. I've got mine down there. Pam, hold up my wallet. There, I was going to pull it out, but I took it out a while ago.

Well, Pastor, what doctor? Said that. The great physician he's called. Jesus Because he says For your treasure is there your heart. There's something about that checking account, that bill fold, that stock account.

And your heart. It not only reveals what you are, now, listen to me. If you do it right, you can help train that heart. To honor what's right, we all need that essential spiritual discipline.

Now, with everything I've said over three weeks, here's my final statement to you. Love Jesus more. Don't you bring in gifts to this church out of cold. Legalistic, the pastor's fussing at me about it. Don't do it.

I give you a disclaimer: keep it. But love Jesus. to where you will love what we're about. And want to honor the Lord. with your tasks And your offerings.

By the way, it's none of your business what the guy sitting beside you does or doesn't do. That's between him or her and God. Just like yours, it's between you and God. I never check anyone's giving. Had somebody challenge me on that a few decades ago because I used to check my staff's giving.

Because I said, guys, we can't work here and challenge our people and be hypocrites. And I had to listen. Senior staff member go because he just wouldn't tithe. He had plenty of chances to tell me he didn't believe in it. He didn't say that, he just didn't do it.

So in all Transparency, I have checked on my leadership. But I've never checked on you. Love Jesus more. And bring the tithe with you. Mm-hmm.