The Blessed Life — Week Two

WHAT TEST?!

March 27 2022 

OVERVIEW: Malachi’s theme:

Chapter 1: In our faith

Chapter 2: In our families

Chapter 3: In our

Chapter 4: God returning to us

MALACHI 3:6-12 

6“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

8“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.’

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse – your whole nation – because you are robbing me. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.

“Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

WHY MASTER THIS TEST?

It’s never about the dollar – it’s about the

THREE POWERFUL TRUTHS

ABOUT TITHING

1. Tithing is about  

“‘I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”  (vv. 6-7)

DECREE OR ORDINANCE (Hebrew hΩoq):

A clear communication of what someone should do; an accepted practice or prescription of

“If a person gets his attitude about money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area of his life.” 

-BILLY GRAHAM

2. Tithing is

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – your whole nation – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” (vv. 8B-10)

KEY TERMS:

A Tithe = The of the whole

A Curse = The of ignoring God’s decrees 

3. Tithing is a

“‘Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,’ says the Lord Almighty.”  (vv. 10B-12)

TWO REPORTS:

1. Non-Tithers – “”
2. Tithers – “”

THREE OPENINGS: 

1. Heavenly (“floodgates”)
2. Potent (“prevent”)
3. Divine (“delightful”)

This is the only place in the Bible where God urges us to test Him. and take the 3-month challenge!

WILL YOU (RE)TAKE THE TEST? 

Click here to take the test

OVERVIEW:

Tithing through Biblical history:

• GENESIS 14:18-20 – 500 years before the law
• GENESIS 28:22 – Jacob – 400 years before the law
• LEVITICUS 27:30 – The Law given to Israel
• DEUTERONOMY 26:1-2A; 13-15 – The practice of Israel
• MATTHEW 23:23 – Jesus “this you ought to do”

Tithing is connected to the Old Testament, the New Testament and the

Tithing is the established, ordinary, wise, expected, practical, effective, spiritual,  practice of believers in the Old and New Testament

BOTTOM LINE:

For those who are forgiven the question is:

should we give?