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Giving - 3/8/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

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  Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
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  Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
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  Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
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  today. If you enjoy today's message, be
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  sure to subscribe, follow, and share
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  with your friends. Now, let's join
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  Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
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  God.
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  All right. If you will take God's word,
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  turn with me this morning to the book of
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  Leviticus.
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  Leviticus, chapter 27.
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  I told you I was going to be more
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  practical uh in Sunday school in the
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  coming weeks. I dealt with the subject
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  of fasting on last week and I want to
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  deal with the subject of giving today
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  particularly tithing and uh just it's
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  been on my heart for a while I was uh in
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  meeting there a few weeks ago
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  one I think it was the Sunday Sunday
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  that we had a 2:00 service I went up to
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  Westside Baptist Church there and heard
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  brother Lindsay preach uh on Sunday
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  night and he was preaching to his church
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  about tithing and uh best message I've
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  ever heard in my life on the subject. I
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  encourage you to go back and listen to
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  that. You just go to the day, whatever
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  day it was that we had the 2:00 service
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  and he preached on it that night and it
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  was absolutely tremendous. I am not at
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  all going to try to give an exhaustive
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  lesson on that this morning. I basically
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  just want to share with you the basic
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  principles of it. And I know you know
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  this this morning. It'll be nothing new
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  to you, just to refresh our memory of
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  it. Maybe maybe share something with you
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  never seen before. I don't know. I just
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  want to be obedient to the Lord and uh
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  deal with this subject. So, we we'll
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  look at a verse here, Leviticus 27. Kind
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  of use this as a launching pad. And uh
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  like I said, I normally don't like to do
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  this. I'm going like to just teach
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  through the verses, but I'm going to use
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  it as a launching pad concerning this
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  subject today. And uh I think partly the
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  reason why I did this in Sunday school
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  is because I know you people tithe and
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  so it ain't going to be so scary for me.
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  But uh uh Amen. And I just try to be
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  obedient to the Lord. Amen. But uh uh
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  it's a a refresher and encourager for
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  us. And I'll say this, there's nothing
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  more encouraging from the word of God.
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  Uh when the preacher preaches or teaches
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  on something and you're already doing
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  it, when you're already doing what
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  you're supposed to be doing, um it's
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  just like a shot in the arm. And that's
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  what I want this to be this morning. So
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  let's look verse number 30, Leviticus
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  27.
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  Look in verse 28 rather.
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  The Bible says says notwithstanding no
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  devoted thing that a man shall devote
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  unto the Lord of all that he hath both
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  of man and beast and of the field of his
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  possession shall be sold or redeemed.
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  Every devoted thing is most holy unto
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  the Lord. none devoted, which shall be
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  devoted of men, shall be redeemed, but
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  shall surely be put to death. And all
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  the tithe of the land, whether of the
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  seed of the land or the fruit of the
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  tree, is the Lord's. It is holy unto the
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  Lord. And if a man will at all redeem
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  all of his tithes, he shall add there to
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  the fifth part thereof.
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  And concerning the tithe of the herd or
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  of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth
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  under the rod, the tenth shall be holy
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  unto the Lord. He shall not search
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  whether it be good or bad, neither shall
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  he change it. And if he change it at
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  all, then both it and the change thereof
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  shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.
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  These are the commandments which the
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  Lord commanded Moses for the children of
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  Israel in Mount Si. Father, thank you
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  for this time. Thank you for uh this
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  lesson this morning. And God, I ask you
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  that you will help me uh to relay these
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  simple truths concerning this thought of
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  tithing this morning. and help us to be
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  practical. And Lord, I pray it'd be
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  fruitful in each of our lives. And we'll
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  be sure to give you thanks for it
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  because we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
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  This principle this morning, it's a
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  touchy subject amongst a lot of people,
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  but I'll say this, if you do it, it's
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  really not that touchy of a subject. Um,
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  it's just what we're called to do from
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  the scripture. Now, I could come in here
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  and say to you this morning, take for
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  granted that you know uh what I'm going
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  to share with you this morning, but I
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  don't want to do that. Okay? I want to I
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  want to give you a biblical basis for
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  why tithing is still biblical in the
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  church uh in this day and time. Now, the
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  number one argument that you hear
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  concerning tithing is is that it's an
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  Old Testament truth. And I would agree
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  with you on that. I would say tithing is
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  an Old Testament truth. Furthermore,
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  when you look at the New Testament and
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  you consider the principle of the tithe,
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  it's almost always used in the negative
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  sense. You look at what Jesus talked
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  about the Pharisees there in the New
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  Testament, they would talk about, you
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  know, the Pharisee and the publican in
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  that instance there when they were
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  praying, the Pharisee made his
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  boisterous prayer, you know, how that he
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  fasted and that he tithed and he, you
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  know, he tithed of all that he
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  possessed, you know, bragging about his
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  his the function of his religious life
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  and and it's almost you always almost
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  see it in a negative sense, but I'm
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  reminded that just because it's not
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  really laid out, the Bible does not say
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  in the New Testament that th you know
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  thou shalt tithe but I'll say this
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  there's some principles that carry over
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  and I'm going to share that with you
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  this morning and furthermore it goes
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  back much deeper than what we realize
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  this tithing principle and so I want to
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  lay three things on your heart here this
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  morning if you write these down I I
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  encourage you I put these in the fly
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  leaf of my Bible and I'll share them
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  with you maybe be something good for you
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  to remember I I titled these thoughts
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  here number one tithing and faith faith,
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  tithing and faith. And then there's the
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  second thought is is tithing and the
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  house of God. And then the third thought
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  here is is uh tithing and blessing. Now
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  I want to look at these thoughts and I
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  just want to give you a biblical basis
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  for what tithing is. Now ti a tithe is a
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  tenth. All right? That's what you notice
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  in this text. He says in verse 30, "And
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  all the tithe of the land, whether the
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  seed of the land or the fruit of the
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  tree is the Lord's." And so the emphasis
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  of the tithe is is it's not first of all
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  it's not what's left over. The tithe is
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  not the money that you have left over
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  after you've paid all your bills and
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  done everything at the end of the month.
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  The tithe is the first fruits. That's
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  the offering that we're commanded to
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  give. It comes off of the top. And uh
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  this this may be something I don't know
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  that this has ever been uh dealt with
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  here. I know I myself have not preached
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  it uh in the church particularly, but a
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  tithe, you know, people ask, "Does a
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  tithe go off of the net or the gross?"
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  Well, uh you know, the Lord, he he can't
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  help that the government takes a lot of
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  our money away. And so, we should tithe
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  off the gross. And you say, "Well, do
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  you do that?" Well, here's what I do,
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  and I'll just share this with you. Um I
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  tithe off of the net all year long, and
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  then I give up give the makeup to that
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  after it's over with. All right. Now, if
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  you were to look at the roles, what we
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  have here at the church of my tithing
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  record, it would not match up to what I
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  make here at the church. But the reason
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  that is is because I give a lot of it in
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  cash. Okay? And that's that's what I
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  want to share with you this morning. I
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  tithe. I believe this. Okay? We ought to
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  give over the tithe. All right? And we
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  ought to make sure that we're giving
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  more than that because God's required it
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  of us. And I'll share this first of all,
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  this thought of tithing and faith here
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  in the text. Notice notice Genesis
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  chapter number 14. This is the first
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  mention that you find of the tithe in
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  scripture. Genesis chapter 14
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  under the heading the tithe and faith.
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  Notice what your Bible says here. And I
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  want you to turn with me and keep your
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  Bible open uh on these truths here as we
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  look at each of them together. Genesis
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  14 verse number verse number 18.
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  The Bible says in Melzdc, king of Salem,
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  brought forth bread and wine, and he was
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  the priest of the most high God. And he
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  blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram
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  of the most high God, possessor of
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  heaven and earth. And blessed be the
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  most high God, which hath delivered
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  thine enemies into thy hand." And he
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  gave him tithes of all. And the king of
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  Sodom said unto Abram, "Give me the
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  persons, and take thy goods to thyself."
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  And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I
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  have lift up mine hand unto the Lord,
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  the most high God, the possessor of
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  heaven and earth, that I will not take
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  from a thread even to a shoe latch, and
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  that I will not take anything that is
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  thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have
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  made Abram rich." Now, what you discover
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  in this text here is there's three
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  people that's mentioned here. There is
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  Melzdc, the king of Salem. There is this
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  man Chader Leon uh that is uh the king
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  of Sodom here or it's not his name's not
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  Chader Leon but he's just listed as the
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  uh king of Sodom here in the text and uh
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  you notice here the Bible says in verse
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  20 that Abram here Melzdc's come and
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  he's brought bread and wine here he's
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  the priest of the most high God he
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  blessed Abram verse 19 and verse 20 and
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  Abram Bible says and blessed he the most
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  high God which hath delivered thine
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  enemies into thine hand. And he gave him
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  tithes of all. And so the principle of
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  this right here is that this Melzdc now
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  you know in your Bible Melzdc is a uh
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  what we believe according to the book of
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  Hebrews is a pre-incarnate appearing of
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  the Lord Jesus Christ. And so this king
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  of Salem, the Bible compares him in the
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  book of Hebrews to Christ. He's without
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  father. He's without mother. He's
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  without beginning of days or ending of
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  years. the Bible says and compares him
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  to Christ. And so the comparison is here
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  that Abram here the first principle of
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  the tithe in the scripture is given to
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  Melzdc. And so I thought about this when
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  you think about the tithe and faith. We
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  often at times equate the tithe to a
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  command of the law. Now I'm going to say
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  more about that in a minute. It is a
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  command of the law. But even before the
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  law was given. All right. When did the
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  law come to be? Exodus chapter number 20
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  is when the the law the ten commandments
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  appeared. Isn't that right? And so
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  before the law appeared the tithe was
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  already introduced. It was given to the
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  priest. Melzdc is the high priest uh of
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  that temple there. What this is
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  representing here is he's a priest of
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  the most high God. Abraham gave him
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  tithes. Notice that of all. And so the
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  subject of the tenth is is is clearly
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  laid here. And the subject here also as
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  well that it is of the entirety of what
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  he had is given here in verse 20. He
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  gave him 10 a tithe of all. And so the
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  principle of the tithe, you say, what
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  does that have to do with faith? Well,
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  who is Abraham?
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  Abraham's the father of Israel. But what
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  do we know Abraham as? He's the father
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  of the
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  faith, right? Isn't that what the Bible
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  teaches us? The Bible says in Romans
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  chapter number four that Abraham is the
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  father of the faith. Now what do we
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  operate under? We operate under the
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  faith of Abraham. Isn't that right?
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  Genesis chapter 15 and verse number six
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  the Bible says and Abraham believed God
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  and it was counted unto him for
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  righteousness. And so as he represents
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  the faith unto us. So at the beginning
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  of the faith, isn't that interesting
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  that the first thing you find with him
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  is the tithe. So the principle relays
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  back to the message of faith. Let me say
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  this. The tithe is not to is not meant
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  to be given out of faith.
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  Now we we think a lot of times you know
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  well you know I just I don't have it to
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  give preacher. Well the truth is you can
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  you don't have it not to give.
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  >> You can't afford not to give the tithe
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  >> because the tithe is at the beginning
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  and everything else that comes out of
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  that we're to frame our life around
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  that. It's a lot of what you know the
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  principle in our mind is we build we
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  build church around our life in this day
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  and time but the the truth is we're
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  supposed to build our life around
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  church. This is the principle of the
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  tithe. We build we build you know our we
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  build our giving around our lifestyle
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  what we can afford. But the truth is we
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  ought to to build our lifestyle around
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  what we're before what we're giving. You
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  know what I'm saying? We it ought to be
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  measured first and foremost. And so
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  Abram here in the text, he is firstly
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  giving tithes unto king of the king of
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  Salem. There's a lot more I could say
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  about that. And so tithing is emphasized
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  in in the faith first and foremost
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  before the law was ever given. It was
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  emphasized here by Abraham. But I'll say
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  this also, not only the emphasis of
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  tithing and faith, but there's also the
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  emphasis of tithing in the house of God.
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  And this is even before the law is given
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  as well. Notice Genesis chapter 28.
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  Genesis chapter number 28.
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  Genesis 28 verse number 18.
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  this chapter here the Bible says that a
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  that uh uh in the text that there is he
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  Jacob has a visit with the Lord. Verse
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  number 16 Jacob awaked out of his sleep
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  said surely the Lord is in this place
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  and I knew it not. Verse 17 and he was
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  afraid and said how dreadful is this
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  place. This is none other but the house
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  of God and this is the gate of heaven.
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  And Jacob rose up early in the morning,
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  took the stone that he had put for his
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  pillows and set up for a pillar and
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  poured oil upon the top of it. And he
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  called the name of that place Bethl. Now
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  what do we know that word Bethl means?
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  It's the house of God, right? Look what
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  he says. Verse 19. But the name of that
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  city was called L at first. Jacob vowed
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  a vow, saying, "If God will be with me,
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  will keep me in this way that I go, and
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  will give me bread to eat and raignment
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  to put on, so that I come again to my
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  father's house in peace, then shall the
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  Lord be my God. This stone which I've
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  set for a pillar shall be God's house,
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  and of all that thou shalt give me, I
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  will surely give the tenth unto thee."
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  So the principle of the tithe carries
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  over not just from Abraham as he's the
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  father of the faith but here Jacob is
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  the father of Israel. Now mind you this
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  this is all before the law has come
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  about. Okay this is before the ten
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  commandments are given. This is before
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  Moses exhorts the children of Israel to
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  give the tenth uh there as it's measured
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  uh in the book of numbers. We'll talk
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  about that in just a minute. But I've
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  noticed this in this text. Now what did
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  Jesus tell us? Matthew chapter 6 and
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  verse 33 said, "Seek you first the
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  kingdom of God and his righteousness and
• 15:02
  all these things shall be added unto
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  you." Well, what was he talking about
• 15:06
  when he said all these things? He was
• 15:08
  talking about food and raignment. Wasn't
• 15:10
  he? You know, he said after these things
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  do all the gen do all the Gentiles seek.
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  You know, your heavenly father knoweth
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  that you have need of all these things.
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  And I find it interesting what Jacob
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  says in this chapter. Listen to what he
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  says in verse 20 again. If God will be
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  with me and will keep me in this way
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  that I go, listen what he says, and will
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  give me bread to eat and raignment to
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  put on. Jacob's not asking for anything
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  else. Now, I'm reminded of the principle
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  in the New Testament. The Bible says,
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  "Having food and raignment, let us be
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  let us be there with content." Amen.
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  That's what the That's the New Testament
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  principle that we're to be content with
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  clothes to wear and food to eat. And I
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  know this morning we've all got much
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  more abundance than that. Amen. But the
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  truth is still the same here. That
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  principle follows along with the tithe.
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  Verse 22. And of all that thou shalt
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  give me, I will surely give the tenth
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  unto thee. Now, he's not saying just,
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  you know, Lord, I'm going to take off
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  what I have to require to live and I'm
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  going to give you a tenth out of that.
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  I've heard people do that. Okay? That's
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  not what this is. It's a tenth of all.
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  It's a tenth of all. Look what he says.
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  I will surely give and of all that thou
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  shalt give me I will surely give the
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  tenth unto thee. Now the truth here I
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  want to relate to you is is that he was
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  there at the at Bethl the the house of
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  God. It's the the place where Jacob met
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  with the Lord and it was there that he
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  instituted the tithe for himself. You
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  understand that up to this point this
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  didn't mean anything to Jacob. He might
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  have offered it. We don't have any
• 16:41
  record of that in the scripture. But it
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  wasn't until Bethl that Jacob realized,
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  "All right, I I need to give back
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  because he's given to me." Now, truth
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  is, we could give a 100% never repay God
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  for what he's given. Amen. But we ought
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  to give what he's asked us to. All
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  right? And so this prince, you say,
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  "Preacher, these are willful offerings."
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  Well, I'm going to I'm going to get to
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  that in just a minute. Okay? These are
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  are willful offerings, but it's
• 17:06
  scriptural. Amen. I'll say this. You
• 17:08
  don't find the command to fast nowhere
• 17:10
  in the scriptures. But I'll tell you
• 17:11
  this, there's an exhortation, there's an
• 17:13
  expectation to do so, just as the tithe
• 17:15
  is. So, we consider here uh the tithing
• 17:19
  and faith with Abraham tithing and the
• 17:22
  house of God. Um there it's represented
• 17:24
  with with Jacob first and foremost. Turn
• 17:27
  with me to the book of Numbers.
• 17:30
  Numbers chapter number 18.
• 17:43
  This chapter deals with the the Levites,
• 17:46
  the charge of the priest and Levites and
• 17:48
  their portions,
• 17:50
  what's given to them.
• 17:53
  You can look through this chapter. Not
• 17:54
  going to take time to do so, but the
• 17:58
  summary is found in verse number 21
• 18:02
  of this chapter. Numbers 18 verse 21.
• 18:06
  Verse 20. And the Lord spake unto Aaron,
• 18:08
  Thou shalt have no inheritance in their
• 18:09
  land, neither shalt thou have any part
• 18:11
  among them. I am thy part in thine
• 18:13
  inheritance among the children of
• 18:14
  Israel. And behold, I have given the
• 18:16
  children of Levi all the tenth in Israel
• 18:20
  for an inheritance for their service
• 18:22
  which they serve, even the service of
• 18:25
  the tabernacle of the congregation. So
• 18:28
  there the principle is that the tithe is
• 18:31
  for the operation of the temple. Now
• 18:35
  that principle, you know, people use
• 18:37
  that a lot of times to, you know, say
• 18:38
  that, you know, to pay the pastor. But
• 18:40
  I'll tell you what it's for. It's for
• 18:42
  the the work. It's for the operation of
• 18:44
  the church is what it's for. Okay? When
• 18:46
  you tithe, that is for the support of
• 18:49
  the local church. That's what keeps the
• 18:51
  assembly operating. It's what keeps the
• 18:53
  lights on. It's what keeps the power
• 18:55
  bill paid. And everything else that goes
• 18:57
  on around here is operates out of the
• 18:59
  tithe. And missions is over and above
• 19:02
  that. So, this is what tithing has to do
• 19:04
  with the house of God. There's a lot
• 19:06
  more I could say about the Levites and
• 19:07
  all that goes with that. Of course, we
• 19:09
  know that they were they were not given
• 19:11
  an allotted land. They were not given an
• 19:13
  inheritance. Their inheritance was the
• 19:15
  house of God itself. And they were
• 19:16
  tenants. They lived in that land. Uh
• 19:19
  that was not theirs, but their
• 19:20
  belongings. They were fed out of the
• 19:22
  house of God. They were kept out of the
• 19:23
  house of God. And it was they were kept
• 19:26
  by the tithe. Now, I want to remind you
• 19:28
  of this. All right? They didn't tithe
• 19:29
  money. Okay? Uh what did they tithe?
• 19:32
  They tithed their crops. They tithed
• 19:34
  their animals. And so it was a tenth of
• 19:37
  their flock. And so let me just say this
• 19:40
  as well. You say, "Well, how would they
• 19:41
  have measured that? How would they have
• 19:43
  measured a tenth?" I'll say, "It's a lot
• 19:44
  more easy for us in this day and time."
• 19:46
  But you know, if they would have had so
• 19:48
  many animals, they would have took a
• 19:49
  tenth of that. That's basically what
• 19:51
  I've looked at and studied off of that.
• 19:53
  They would do a tenth out of their
• 19:54
  flock, a tenth out of the crop, however
• 19:56
  they would measure that and the
• 19:58
  bartering that they did. And that was
• 20:00
  that was one of the uh condemnations
• 20:02
  there in the book of John. I'm going to
• 20:04
  turn there and read that for just a
• 20:05
  minute
• 20:07
  just because it's on my mind while I'm
• 20:09
  thinking about it. Jesus got upset with
• 20:11
  the Pharisees over this matter.
• 20:14
  John chapter number John chapter number
• 20:16
  two.
• 20:20
  John 2 verse number 14 verse 13.
• 20:24
  The Jews Passover was at hand. Jesus
• 20:26
  went up to Jerusalem, found in the
• 20:28
  temple that those that sold oxen and
• 20:31
  sheep and does and the changers of money
• 20:33
  sitting, you know the story. He makes a
• 20:36
  scourge. Verse 15, he drives them out,
• 20:39
  runs out the sheep, the auction, pours
• 20:41
  out the changers money. Verse 16, take
• 20:43
  these things hence, make not my father's
• 20:46
  house a house of merchandise. What they
• 20:48
  were doing is is they were taking
• 20:49
  advantage of the people of God that were
• 20:51
  traveling in to offer sacrifices. They
• 20:54
  some of them would travel hundreds of
• 20:55
  thousands of miles, hundreds of miles to
• 20:57
  come and worship. And so what they would
• 21:00
  do is instead of bringing their offering
• 21:02
  with them when they would get to the
• 21:03
  temple, these people would sell them an
• 21:05
  offering, but they were robbing the
• 21:07
  people of God and patting their own
• 21:09
  pockets with it. Jesus was very upset
• 21:11
  about that. God doesn't take lightly
• 21:13
  about about the money of his of the
• 21:15
  house, the operation of the church. He
• 21:17
  does not take that money lightly. And we
• 21:19
  ought to be careful. I'll give an
• 21:20
  account for what I do with that as the
• 21:22
  pastor. And so there's the principle of
• 21:24
  tithing and faith. Tithing in the house
• 21:26
  of God. Now let's deal with this thought
• 21:28
  of tithing and blessing. Okay. What does
• 21:30
  a tithe have to do with blessing? Now
• 21:32
  the verse that we always go to, you've
• 21:34
  probably heard it a thousand times.
• 21:36
  Malachi chapter number three. It's the
• 21:38
  last book of the Old Testament. Malachi
• 21:41
  chapter number three
• 21:44
  verse number eight.
• 21:47
  The Bible says, "Will a man rob God? Yet
• 21:50
  ye have robbed me. But you say, "Wherein
• 21:53
  have we robbed thee?" In tithes and
• 21:55
  offerings. Verse number nine, "You are
• 21:57
  cursed with a curse, for you have robbed
• 21:59
  me, even this whole nation." Now,
• 22:02
  obviously, you say, "Well, that's a a
• 22:04
  precept to Israel." Let me remind you
• 22:06
  something. This this same commandment
• 22:08
  carries over. Okay? It's a command to
• 22:10
  give the tithe. And so, where this
• 22:12
  command is disobeyed, there is a curse
• 22:14
  that follows that. Notice verse number
• 22:16
  10. Bring ye all the tithes into the
• 22:18
  storehouse, that there may be meat in
• 22:20
  mine house. And prove me now herewith,
• 22:23
  sayith the Lord of hosts, if I will not
• 22:24
  open you the windows of heaven, and pour
• 22:27
  you out a blessing, that there shall not
• 22:28
  be room enough to receive it. So the
• 22:33
  tithing command here comes with a
• 22:35
  blessing. Now, this is the thing about
• 22:37
  our Lord. Now, he's not obligated to do
• 22:39
  this. All right? But isn't it
• 22:42
  interesting? What is God obligated to
• 22:44
  do? What is the only thing God is
• 22:46
  obligated to do?
• 22:48
  Is fulfill his word, isn't it?
• 22:51
  Isn't that right? If God says his word,
• 22:53
  what does he say? He said, "Heaven and
• 22:55
  earth will pass away." He said, "But
• 22:57
  one, there not going to be one jot or
• 22:59
  one tit that's left unfulfilled." Amen.
• 23:01
  You know that's paraphrasing. But God
• 23:03
  says on the authority of his word,
• 23:06
  notice it again. Bring ye the tithes,
• 23:09
  all the tithes into the storehouse.
• 23:11
  Notice that that's that's that's put
• 23:12
  there again. And it's total to total all
• 23:14
  all the tithes into the storehouse that
• 23:17
  there may be meat in mine house and
• 23:18
  prove me now herewith sayaith the Lord
• 23:21
  of hosts if I will not open you the
• 23:22
  windows of heaven and pour you out a
• 23:25
  blessing. God is saying you can prove me
• 23:27
  by this.
• 23:29
  Now I can't promise you that you'll have
• 23:31
  more money if you tithe. But I can tell
• 23:33
  you this. You'll have more joy if you
• 23:34
  tithe. You'll know more of the blessing
• 23:37
  of God if you tithe the way you're
• 23:40
  supposed to. Now you say, "Preacher,
• 23:41
  what is that blessing?" Well, I'll say
• 23:43
  this. For those of us who are saved this
• 23:45
  morning, we could talk about, you know,
• 23:47
  the dispensational truth and all of
• 23:48
  that, but for those of us who are saved
• 23:50
  this morning, if you haven't tithe,
• 23:52
  you're not right with God.
• 23:56
  And so, if you are refusing to tithe,
• 23:58
  you don't have fellowship with the Lord.
• 24:00
  But if you do tithe, you have you you
• 24:02
  have the peace of knowing I have open
• 24:04
  open fellowship with the Lord. That is
• 24:06
  promised to those that operate on this
• 24:10
  type. God says, "Prove me. See, if I
• 24:12
  don't pour you out a blessing, I'll say
• 24:14
  this. You cannot outgive him. If you
• 24:17
  give what he commands, he'll give what?
• 24:19
  What he wants to give into your life and
• 24:22
  bless you the way that he wants to. You
• 24:24
  say, "Preacher, well, what does this
• 24:25
  have to do with New Testament? Where
• 24:27
  does where do we see the principle of
• 24:29
  giving in the New Testament?" Well, I'm
• 24:32
  going to I'm going to not going to be
• 24:33
  preaching on that particular subject
• 24:36
  today, but I'm going to be dealing with
• 24:37
  another thought that leads into that.
• 24:40
  So, let let me say this before I go any
• 24:42
  further. We've established this. Number
• 24:43
  one, tithing was before the law. We
• 24:46
  could say we can all agree with that.
• 24:47
  All right. This morning, tithing was
• 24:49
  before the law. It was offering offered
• 24:52
  unto the Lord there. It's offered first
• 24:54
  under the king of Salem, Melzdc, the
• 24:56
  type of Christ. It's pledged to him. And
• 24:58
  then Jacob offers that unto the Lord at
• 25:01
  Bethl at the house of God. And so,
• 25:04
  tithing was before the law. Tithing was
• 25:06
  introduced by the father of the faith.
• 25:09
  And we've noticed that tithing was
• 25:11
  reinforced by the law. If you need
• 25:13
  another verse for that, you can turn to
• 25:14
  Deuteronomy chapter 14 verse number 28.
• 25:18
  The same truth is relayed. Tithing is
• 25:20
  reinforced. It is a command of the Lord
• 25:23
  to tithe. It's it's reinforced there in
• 25:26
  chapter 27 of Leviticus verse 34. These
• 25:28
  are the commandments which the Lord
• 25:30
  commanded Moses for the children of
• 25:32
  Israel on Mount Si. So it is a
• 25:34
  commandment. We realize that. Okay. But
• 25:36
  where does this come into the New
• 25:38
  Testament? Where does this fit in our
• 25:40
  lives? Well, Jesus said this in the
• 25:42
  Gospels. Luke chapter number six
• 25:48
  concerning giving. Luke chapter number 6
• 25:53
  verse number 38.
• 25:59
  Notice what your Bible says. He says,
• 26:01
  "Give and it shall be given unto you.
• 26:05
  Good measure pressed down and shaken
• 26:08
  together and running over shall men give
• 26:11
  into your bosom." Notice what he says,
• 26:13
  that last phrase. For with the same
• 26:15
  measure that you meet, with all it shall
• 26:19
  be measured to you again. Now, I don't
• 26:23
  think it's coincidence that Jesus worded
• 26:25
  it that way.
• 26:27
  You say, "Preacher, you saying that if I
• 26:29
  give a tenth, God's going to give a
• 26:30
  tenth back to me?" No. What he said in
• 26:32
  that text is is that what we are
• 26:34
  commanded to give? We are commanded to
• 26:36
  give by the text. Let me say that. Verse
• 26:38
  38. What's the first word? Give. That's
• 26:42
  a command from God to give. All right.
• 26:44
  Now, the measure, look what he says
• 26:45
  about the measure. Give and it shall be
• 26:47
  given unto you good measure, pressed
• 26:49
  down, shaken together, and running over.
• 26:52
  Now, he just said to give. what he is
• 26:54
  saying is what's going to be given back
• 26:56
  to you. He says good measure. He said
• 26:59
  that fullness it's pressed down. It has
• 27:01
  the image you know I I remember this I
• 27:03
  use this illustration just for sake of
• 27:05
  you know trying to express it to us. Uh
• 27:08
  the one time that I worked in the
• 27:09
  tobacco field growing up we put tobaca
• 27:13
  in the racks. Now I didn't know anything
• 27:14
  about hanging burly or anything like
• 27:16
  that. And I thank God that I didn't know
• 27:18
  anything about that. But we had flu
• 27:21
  cured. We didn't have it. another a
• 27:22
  family a friend family friend we knew
• 27:24
  had tobacco and they wanted us to come
• 27:26
  help one day and they had these racks
• 27:28
  these big tubs and what you would do is
• 27:30
  is you would fill that thing completely
• 27:32
  to the top and then you would get in the
• 27:34
  top of it and you would trump it down
• 27:36
  and in in that thing you would trump it
• 27:38
  down. You probably probably people
• 27:39
  probably don't like the thought of
• 27:40
  people's dirty boots and feet being
• 27:42
  that. But anyway, we would pack it down
• 27:45
  and what we'd do is we'd put more on top
• 27:47
  of it and keep packing it down and put
• 27:51
  more on top of it and keep packing it
• 27:52
  down till it was so tight you couldn't
• 27:54
  get any more in it. Then we'd close it
• 27:56
  up. You know what it would be doing? It
• 27:57
  would be sticking out of the sides of
• 27:58
  that thing everywhere because it was so
• 28:00
  tight. The imagery here in this verse,
• 28:02
  he says, "Good measure be given, pressed
• 28:05
  down, shaken together, and running over.
• 28:07
  It's going to be completely full and
• 28:09
  overabounding. It has the idea of a
• 28:12
  super abundance. That's what this means.
• 28:15
  It means an immeasurable amount. He
• 28:16
  says, "Give the amount that that that
• 28:19
  you know, whatever God puts on your
• 28:20
  heart." And we'll see that in just a
• 28:22
  minute. I'm going to go to another
• 28:23
  verse. But he gives that stipulation in
• 28:25
  the end of the verse. For with the same
• 28:26
  measure that you meet with all, it shall
• 28:28
  be measured to you again. And this comes
• 28:31
  back to the phrase that I said before.
• 28:33
  You cannot outgive God. If you give him
• 28:36
  a tithe, like you know that that's the
• 28:39
  minimum what we believe from the
• 28:40
  scripture. God is going to bless you for
• 28:43
  giving what he commanded you to give.
• 28:45
  But I'll say this, you go beyond that,
• 28:47
  the blessing is exponential.
• 28:50
  And u notice this. Notice this verse
• 28:53
  with me. Notice the book of 2
• 28:56
  Corinthians.
• 29:00
  This is what Paul says concerning this
• 29:02
  subject.
• 29:13
  2 Corinthians chapter
• 29:17
  chapter 9
• 29:24
  verse number six.
• 29:27
  2 Corinthians 9:6.
• 29:30
  But this I say, he which seweth
• 29:32
  sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and
• 29:35
  he which sweth bountifully shall reap
• 29:36
  also bountifully. Verse seven, notice
• 29:38
  this. Every man according as he purpose
• 29:41
  purposeth in his heart, so let him give,
• 29:45
  not grudgingly or of necessity, for God
• 29:49
  loveth a cheerful giver. Now, people
• 29:53
  want to argue the tithe, whether that's
• 29:55
  a principle in the New Testament. We've
• 29:57
  already displayed that. All right? It's
• 29:59
  a principle of the faith. It's something
• 30:01
  that is expected. But he says here in
• 30:04
  verse number seven, when he says, "Every
• 30:05
  man according as he purposeth in his
• 30:07
  heart, so let him give." That in has in
• 30:10
  mind that there is a minimum that we are
• 30:12
  to give. All right? That's not, you
• 30:14
  know, well, you know, I I I can't give
• 30:17
  this month and so I'm not going to give
• 30:19
  this month. No, there's a minimum that
• 30:20
  is to be given. All right? That's that's
• 30:23
  that's the tithe. That's the first
• 30:24
  fruits. But you also understand there
• 30:26
  are the offerings and there's there's
• 30:28
  places in the Old Testament talk about
• 30:30
  that. The offerings that go above that.
• 30:32
  And so we're to give as what God we're
• 30:35
  we're to give what God puts on our
• 30:37
  heart. Notice that according as as he
• 30:39
  purposeth in his heart, so let him give.
• 30:41
  And what's said here about this is is
• 30:44
  what reveals to us the truth. Now he
• 30:46
  says not grudgingly. Let me say this.
• 30:49
  your gift. God is not so much concerned
• 30:51
  with your gift as he is the attitude in
• 30:54
  which you give it.
• 30:56
  I need to say that again. God is not so
• 30:59
  much concerned with your gift as he is
• 31:02
  with the attitude in which you give.
• 31:05
  You can give 50% of your income, but if
• 31:08
  you do it with a heart, you know that
• 31:10
  you know full of pride and saying I'm
• 31:11
  I'm keeping this place operate. Brother
• 31:14
  Gravely tells a story about a man in his
• 31:16
  church and through different set of
• 31:18
  circumst
• 31:24
  they built the fellowship hall you know
• 31:25
  is having a problem with rules of the
• 31:27
  fellowship hall and uh you know he said
• 31:30
  uh you know I I want to do this at the
• 31:32
  fellowship hall are you going to allow
• 31:34
  us to do this certain activity in the
• 31:36
  fellowship hall and brother brother
• 31:38
  brother brother Gravely said this no
• 31:39
  we're not going to do that man looked at
• 31:41
  him and said you know my my tithe pays
• 31:43
  your salary. $300 a week. His tithe was
• 31:47
  $300 a week. And brother Gravely said
• 31:51
  said, "No, you don't pay my salary. God
• 31:53
  pays my salary."
• 31:57
  And he said, you know, he said, "That
• 31:58
  man left." He said, "But God sent us
• 32:00
  three more families in that paid tithe
• 32:03
  and went beyond that." Truth is, God's
• 32:06
  not concerned with how much you give,
• 32:08
  but how you give. Verse number seven,
• 32:11
  not grudgingly or of necessity for God
• 32:13
  loveth the cheerful giver. Notice verse
• 32:15
  eight. And God is able to make all grace
• 32:18
  abound toward you, that ye always having
• 32:21
  all sufficiency in all things may abound
• 32:23
  to every good work. God does not want
• 32:25
  you to be impoverished, all right, to
• 32:28
  pay your tithe. You shouldn't be
• 32:31
  impoverished to pay your tithe. Okay? If
• 32:33
  somebody has a $100, that's $10 off of
• 32:35
  that. You're not going to be
• 32:36
  impoverished by that. All right? that
• 32:39
  that 90 is going to do the same thing
• 32:41
  that the hundred would do. Let me say
• 32:42
  it'll do a lot more when you give God
• 32:44
  the 10. Amen. But the truth is God wants
• 32:48
  you to give in the effect to number one
• 32:51
  to support the work of God to carry it
• 32:53
  on. But he also says here in verse
• 32:55
  number eight, the principle is that God
• 32:57
  is going to take care of what you have
• 33:00
  to lay down. Now what is that? Where is
• 33:03
  that scene? Let's go back to Abraham for
• 33:05
  just a minute. What what is the emphasis
• 33:07
  of Abraham? This is a beautiful picture
• 33:09
  of this thought. What did God promise
• 33:11
  Abraham? Promised him a seed, didn't he?
• 33:14
  Who was that seed? Isaac. Isaac was the
• 33:17
  promised seed. And we know the story
• 33:19
  goes on. Isaac is born in their old age.
• 33:22
  God comes to Abraham. He says, "All
• 33:23
  right, Abraham. I want you to take your
• 33:25
  son, your only son, Isaac. What I what
• 33:27
  do you want to do?" He want to go up on
• 33:29
  the mountain and offer him.
• 33:32
  And you know what? He didn't say a
• 33:34
  tenth, did he?
• 33:36
  He didn't tell him to cut off his foot
• 33:38
  or his leg. Amen. He said, "I want you
• 33:39
  to offer all of him." And when he got up
• 33:42
  there, what happened? He went to he
• 33:44
  raised the sword to slay his son. And
• 33:46
  what did God do? There was a ram called
• 33:48
  in the thicket. And God spoke from
• 33:49
  heaven. Now, I'm not telling you that
• 33:51
  God's not going to say, you know, you
• 33:53
  don't have to give your tithe this week.
• 33:55
  Now, that's not what it is. God is
• 33:57
  saying, if you'll give your tithe, I'll
• 33:58
  give you more than you could have ever
• 34:00
  had keeping that 10% yourself.
• 34:02
  >> Amen. And what happened? God blessed
• 34:05
  Abraham because of his faithfulness. So,
• 34:09
  something else I was going to say, but I
• 34:11
  think we're going to end it off there.
• 34:13
  Truth is, tithing it is a principle in
• 34:15
  the in the Old Testament, but it carries
• 34:17
  over to you and I. It's a principle of
• 34:20
  the faith or offered unto Christ, and it
• 34:23
  belongs to the Lord. And first and
• 34:25
  foremost, and like I said, I'm not
• 34:27
  concerned about this crowd doing that. I
• 34:29
  just wanted to reiterate that uh this
• 34:31
  morning. and I'll probably preach on it
• 34:32
  sometime because the ones that need to
• 34:34
  tithe ain't here. Amen. And uh so I love
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  y'all. I appreciate you. And uh Amen.
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  Thank you for bearing with me through
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  that. Amen. Let's pray. Father, thank
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  you for this time. Thank you for the
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  truth of your word. And Lord, we don't
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  have to give grudgingly, but God, we can
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  give cheerfully
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  knowing Lord, you own the cattle of a
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  thousand hills. Lord, you're able to.
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  >> Thank you for joining our service today.
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  We'd love it if you join us in person
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  the next time you are able at Meadows
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  Baptist Church. Our physical address is
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  2988 Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
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  Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
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  school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
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  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
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  worship at 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday
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  evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
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  information, visit us at
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  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
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  Thanks again for tuning in.