Our text this morning comes from the book of Malachai, chapter 3, versus 7 through 12.

Malachai chapter 3, versus 7 through 12.

From the days of your fathers, you have 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?

Will man rob God, yet you are robbing me. But you say, how are we robbing thee? In your ties and

offerings, you are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.

Bring the full tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house, and thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of

hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.

I will rebuke the devour for you so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil,

and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of Host.

Then all nations will call you blessed,

for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

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 tit 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. 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 in 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

...