Have you ever heard God pleading with you to let him bless you and make you happy. Are you listening? That's what verses 10, 11 and 12

are doing. The outstretched hands of a bountiful God pleading with a money-loving people, let me bless you with

heaven!

How does our relationship to money change when we experience the infinite generosity of God?

That's the question John Piper answers from Malachai 37 to 12 in this episode of Light and Truth.

This sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on December 6th, 1987.

Before I say anything about that text, I want to try to answer a question namely why when Paul in the

New Testament endeavored to motivate Christians to give money to the cause of Christ,

did he never use the command to tithe as part of that effort.

I want to begin by giving three things that are not the answer to that question.

First, it is not because Jesus abolished the tit.

You never read anywhere in the teachings of Jesus. You have heard that it was

said to you, bring ye all the ties into the storehouse, but I say to you 5% will do, or 2 or 1.

In fact, what you do read in the Gospel writers is Luke 1142,

Woe to you Pharisees for you tithe, mint and rue, and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God.

These you ought to have done without neglecting the others.

In other words, what Jesus said was never used tithing for a cloak or cover of injustice

horizontally or lovelessness vertically.

Rather, do those great things without neglecting tithing. So Jesus never condemned or wrote it off. He said it's not the most important

thing, but do it.

Second, Paul chose not to command tithing to his churches. not because

proportionate giving is out of place in the new testament.

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