Praise the Lord Saints of the most High God! Psalm 92:1 says:
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High.
Sermon Part 3B: “Dear Saint of God: The Lord Has a Question for You, and He Deserves an Answer!”
Before delving into today’s Lesson, I want to reinforce some of the things we learned last week.
Yes, the Age-old Question is: Will A Man Rob God in Tithes and Offerings? (Mal. 3:8) As I said last week, instantly, when this question is asked, most Christians cringe, freeze-up, and remain silent. As a Pastor and teacher, my experience is that you really have to ask Christians over, and over, and over again the question in order to get an answer: Hey sister or brother so and so, did you hear me, “Will you rob God in tithes and offerings?”
Sadly, the answer to the question is, “Yes,” Christians certainly will rob God in tithes and offerings, and when asked about it, most of them will lie against the truth to the Holy Ghost and say, “No.”
When confronted with the question, inwardly, many Christians lie about tithing and giving sacrificial offerings to God because they feel guilty, ashamed, and fear being punished by God for their disobedience. That's just the trick of the enemy, the devil. God’s love for us never changes, regardless of the measure of our obedience or disobedience.
God is not angry when we fail to tithe or give offerings, nor is He angry with us, if and when, we commit any other sin. Jesus Christ said I will never leave you nor forsake you—and yes that means even when we sin and do the wrong thing in life! (Heb. 13:5)
Praise Almighty God, all of God’s wrath for the sins, iniquities, and transgressions of the people of the world was taken out on Jesus Christ on the cross over 2000 years ago. (I Peter 2:24) Jesus bore all of our sins, past, present, and future in His own body on the cross.
As such, the Apostle Paul wrote these grace-filled words at Romans 8:1.
There is therefore now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong, or shame) to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Christians must settle the matter once and for all that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by our works lest any person should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9) We are not saved by tithing. We are saved by faith in the name and blood of Jesus Christ! Our salvation is the free gift of God—that cannot be purchased through works. Neither tithing and giving sacrificially, nor any other good deed can gain us eternal life with God, and entrance into heaven. Only belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ can saves us and provide assurance that we will not perish at the last day. (John 3:16-18)
As we shared with you last Sunday, the ultimate goal of tithing and sacrificial offerings is to fulfill a promise God has made to make the body of Christ a “delightsome land,” thereby provoking all nations of the earth to call us “blessed.” (Mal. 3:12)
When the day comes that every Christian tithes and gives sacrificial offerings to God with a cheerful heart, there will be plenty of “meat” in God’s House to fulfill the Will and Plans of God in the earth. Then, the supernatural favor and power to get wealth will come upon God’s people to become wax rich in material wealth and substance—just as God did for Abraham and His seed when they tithed. (More on this in a moment.) For the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just. (Prov.13:22)
However, when Christians refuse to obey God in tithing and giving offerings sacrificially, they open the door wide for the thief, the devil, to come in and steal, kill, and destroy the “fruit” of their harvests. (Mal. 3:11) Yes, the devil steals from the essential fruit of the life of Christians who do not tithe and give sacrificial offerings. He usurps Christians’ authority to speak the promises of the Word of God into manifestation; he cuts holes in the pockets of Christians to cause money earned through righteous labor to go missing and fly away; he places ceilings on educational and employment opportunities and promotions, locks you out from land, housing, and business deals intended for your inheritance, and most importantly, he devours the general welfare of your children in their generations, cracking and destroying their moral values, as well as respect and honor for parents, society, and higher authorities.
Please don’t misunderstand me, as New Covenant Christians, we are not under the curse of the Law of Moses if we fail to tithe and give offerings. However, when Christians withhold the tithe and offerings, they disconnect themselves from the “Love Connection”—they leave the “secret place” of the Most High God (Love of God) where there is refuge and protection from the devourer (the devil) who steals their harvests. Let me say it even more emphatically, when Christians refuse to tithe give offerings, they demonstrate an unwillingness to walk by faith and place all their trust in God. And, remember that faith works by love! (Gal. 5:6)
What I am about to say may be hard to hear, but nevertheless, is it the truth. The reason why we have so many teenagers and young adults all over this nation bullying and fighting, and murdering with guns, using drugs, having sex out of wedlock, and sex with the same sex—is all linked to Christian parents and grandparents in the body of Christ not tithing and giving sacrificial offerings. The reason why most teenagers and young adults are not in Church today, is because 95 percent of Christians refuse to give their money to God as commanded.
Our money, and giving God His rightful share of it, is the “least” of all the commandments we have from God. (Luke 16:10-13) Tithing and giving sacrificial offerings to God is the least of the ways in which we demonstrate our faith and trust in God—Wow!
Think about it, if you can’t demonstrate love and trust for God in the smallest of things, which is tithing and sacrificial offerings, how can you comport with the more weighty commands of God—like loving God with all your heart, soul, and might—like loving your neighbor as yourself, like loving one another as Christ loved you, and like going into all of the world and preaching the gospel to the lost? (Matt. 22:37-39, John 13:34, & Mark 16:15). If money obedience is going to trip you up with God, then the devil can and he will have a field day in every other area of your life!
Oh, let me say one more thing that Christians seemingly are unaware of when it comes to money. Please make note of this: You cannot rob God, and not also expect to be robbed yourself! Oh, let that truth sink in for a minute.
You can be sure, if you steal something that belongs to someone else, another person will eventually come along and rip you off too! Why would you think it is any different if you steal from God? If you steal God’s money—the tithe and sacrificial offerings—Satan will surely put his hands in your pocket and steal your money! The Apostle Paul stated at Gal. 6:7-8:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall also reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
When Christians decide to withhold the tithe and offerings from God, their finances become corrupted.
Money is always out of order and misused when God is not placed first-in line to receive His portion, because it is being handle in ways not prescribed by God.
Therefore. I encourage you, even to the point of begging you, to get rid of your trust issues with tithing and giving sacrificially to God. From your heart, obey the voice of the Holy Ghost and tithe and give offerings to God. Whenever you make a Love Connection with God through giving money, the windows of heaven open to you. (Mal. 3:10) These are the windows of possibilities, and with God all things are possible (powerful) unto him that believes: healing, deliverance, prosperity, longevity, and security to name a few are to be claimed as you sow your money seed into the kingdom of God. (Matt. 19:26 & Mark 4:26-29)
That’s right, when you cheerfully and willfully give tithes and sacrificial offerings, you make the “Love Connection” with God, and if for example, you are sick or ill in your physical body, God through Jesus Christ will heal you. Whatever you need God to do, sow your financial seed as the Holy Ghost directs into the offering plate, and by the faith of Jesus Christ it shall be done for you. (Luke 6:38) So Watch-Out, be sober, and do not let the devil pick your pocket!
Now, let’s continue on with our teaching on tithing and sacrificial giving, as the third way in which God transfers wealth into pockets of His People.
God first used Abraham, the father of many nations, as a fore-shadowing of the mighty promise behind tithing. Remember how with 318-trained servants in his household, Abraham went and rescued Lot his nephew and family, who were captured along with the people of Sodom and other nations by the great armies of the five kings. (The story is told at Gen.14:1-24.)
When Abraham returned victorious from the battle of the five kings and collected all the spoils of the armies, Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the most High God, blessed Abraham. Abraham then gave to Melchizedek “a tenth of all the spoils.” (Gen.14:20)
Abraham tithed unto God, not by written commandment or ordinance, as he lived and walked with God long before the Law was given to Moses. Abraham tithed because he loved God, and as an expression of thanksgiving for the victory won in battle, his first action was to give a tenth of all the wealth collected to God.
The king of Sodom and all the people of his kingdom, along with the people of the other kingdoms in alliance with Sodom, were so grateful to Abraham, that they wanted to give all of the spoils of war to Abraham. On that day, all of the people of the kingdoms saw that God was with Abraham, and blessed of the Lord. But, Abraham took nothing from the spoils for himself, and instead, he insisted that the men from his household eat and be given their individual shares of the wealth. (Gen.14:1-24)
Praise Almighty God that through the finished works of Jesus Christ on His cross, God has made us the children of Abraham, and we are blessed with faithful Abraham. (Gal. 3:6-9) Through Jesus Christ we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9) The Church, has been called and established by God to be the envy of the world, as we receive the wealth of the wicked. (Prov. 13:22)
Furthermore, Jesus Christ, is our eternal King and Great High priest, forever after the order of Melchizedek. Jesus Christ, appointed of God, has forever been seated as our High Priest to faithfully accept and bless our tithes and offerings made unto God. (See Heb. Chapters 8 & 9.)
Thus, it is vitally important for born-again Christians to understand that when they give their tithes and sacrificial offerings—they are not giving it to Church leaders, but in faith, to the Head of the Church and Great High Priest, Jesus Christ!
As I stated earlier, by the finished works of Christ, no longer are tithes and offerings a requirement of Law as they had been under the Old Testament, and failure to do so was met with profound curses. (Mal. 3:11 & Gal. 3:13) Christ’s death and sinless blood atoned once and for all for the sins of the world and abolished the curses under the Law.
In so doing, God made a New Covenant, in which Jesus Christ, is the mediator. A Covenant with far better promises than the Old Covenant. This is the Covenant that we have with God as born-again Christians. The Apostle Paul wrote at Heb. 8:10-12:
For this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.
And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother saying, know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I shall be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
In that he saith, a new covenant he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Under the New Covenant, our passion for financial giving (tithes and offerings) to God is motivated purely out of love for God and people—like unto our father Abraham. Our hearts, and the mind of our souls, have received the Circumcision of Christ, and the Law of love has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. (Rom. 5:5) Our born-again hearts have been made to know to give liberally to God.
Thus, the manner and amount of giving for every born-again Christian, should only be by the leaning and unction of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost should always be the director of our giving to God, and to others in need. At offering time, if we fail to give our money to God, as the Holy Ghost directs, we lie against the truth because the Holy Ghost always brings to our memory the things God has commanded!
The Holy Ghost always seeks to inspire us to demonstrate acts of kindness towards God, as God is exceedingly kind in His riches toward us for all eternity. (Eph. 2:7) If Christians refuse to tithe and give sacrificial offerings, they fail to demonstrate love for God and all people. Christians therefore must stop suppressing the kindness of God in them!
Examine the following Scriptures that talk about the kindness and hospitality of the Saints of God towards others all because the love of God dwells within us.
Galatians 6:2
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Romans 12:13
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
Philippians 2:3-4
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
James 2:14-17
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Hebrews 6:10
“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”
As I said earlier, when the people of God get on one accord and tithe and give sacrificial offerings, God causes wealth to flow into the Church so that the coffers of the Church run-over full. (Eph. 3:20) This is the power of corporate Church giving to God, it causes there to be plenty of meat in the Lord’s house in abundance! The needs of widows, orphans, the poor, the disabled are provided for through the local Church. (James 1:27, & I Tim. 5:3). And of course, support is provided to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into every nation and do mission work, causing the Saints of God to abound in blessings more and more. (Acts 20:31-35, II Cor. 8:1-14, & Php. 4:14-17)
Only the Church of Jesus Christ is anointed to eradicate poverty and bring hope and restoration to the despondent. The Church of Jesus Christ is uniquely anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. (Luke 4:18) Government welfare programs and worldly non-profit charities are a good work, but will never eradicate poverty. It’s the name of Jesus Christ preached that saves, delivers, heals, and sets captives free and brings jubilee (debt cancelation and financial prosperity) to every man’s life! (Luke 4:18-19) Thus, from the heart, every born-again Christian ought to be greatly inspired to give as directed by the Holy Ghost to fulfill God’s Agenda in the earth—and not hold back any part of their tithes and sacrificial offerings.
This all puts me in mind of the story of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. The couples’ story is recorded at Acts 5:1-11, and illustrates the dangers of giving money to the local Church with a carnal (fleshy) mind-set, rather than under the direction of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Luke wrote:
- But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
- And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
- But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
- Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
- And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
- And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
- And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
- And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
- Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
- Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
- And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Wow, what a sad story! Ananias and Sapphira were born-again Christians, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ in its infancy.
Remember we read earlier, Philippians 2:3-4:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
The problem here is that Ananias and Sapphire lied to
the Holy Ghost and people of God, saying they gave the whole amount, but in actuality they held back a portion for themselves, and tried to make themselves appear to be holy and more loving and generous than they really were.
Personally, I believe the Holy Ghost initially prompted the couple to sell the land and bring the full amount to give to the Apostles for distribution to those in need among the assembly. However, we can see more clearly how Satan, the master thief, gained entry into the couples’ lives to tempt them to conceive the sin, by examining parts of the preceding Chapter 4.
First note that Chapter 5, verse 1 starts off by saying, “But a certain man named Ananias.” This signals to us that Chapter 5 is a continuation of the last part of Chapter 4.
In short, in Chapter 4, the Apostle Luke, details how after the Apostles Peter and John were arrested and persecuted and subsequently released by Temple authorities for preaching on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The congregation together prayed to God a prayer of boldness—that the Apostles would have free course in preaching the gospel, in spite of persecutions. (Acts 4:23-30)
After they had prayed, there was a great earthquake of God where they were gathered, and everyone, including the Apostles were filled-full again with the Holy Ghost. The Apostles spoke the Word of God with boldness, and did many signs and wonders among the multitude of people gathered.
Luke wrote that during the Church meeting, the love of God was so present and filled the hearts and souls of every person, such that “they had all things in common.” “There was no lack among any of the people because everyone who owned properties, houses, and lands sold them and laid them at the feet of the Apostles and distribution was made according to the needs of the people.” (Acts 5:32)
This was the second occasion recorded in Acts, that after the Apostles preached on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that signs and wonders followed and the Holy Ghost ignited a supernatural outpouring of love and giving, in which houses and lands were sold and the proceeds distributed to every person who had a need. (See Acts 2:42-46.)
This was not the practice of socialism or communism by any means, as some religious experts have commented. Rather, these were supernatural manifestations of the Spirit of God, in accordance with the Covenant promise God made to Abraham. (Genesis 12:1-5, and Galatians. 3:6-9 and 13-14) That through Jesus Christ, all families of the earth would be blessed.
These early miraculous works of Church served as examples of how a unified body of Christian believers, under the unction of the Holy Ghost, could show forth the love and kindness of God to share their goods freely with all other believers in need, such that there would be no lack among them.
The ultimate goal of God being that people from other nations would see and hear of the great signs and wonders and equality among the Saints, and call the Church of Jesus Christ blessed, and God’s people would be a delightsome land, as promised at Malachi 3:12.
At the end of Acts 4, Luke specifically mentions that Joses, whose nickname was Barnabas, sold land and laid it at the Apostles’ feet. Then in Chapter 5, Luke begins to tell the story about the dishonorable giving and demise of Ananias and Sapphire. Thus, it is apparent that the couple, witnessed, and were also a part of this great move of God.
We can therefore surmise from reading the full text of Chapter 4, that Ananias and Sapphire were attempting to compete with other Christians like Joses, who were generously selling their properties and giving to those in need, and they wanted to be looked upon favorably by the Apostles and assembly, rather than giving to God from their hearts.
Likely, after the couple had sold the property, is when they began to hear another voice, the voice of Satan, tempting them with tampering with the proceeds of the sale. They knew the Holy Ghost had told them to sell the land, but perhaps greed, or the thought of not really being able to afford to sell the land, and give it all away, resulted in their carnal thinking. But, because everyone who had properties freely sold their goods and gave them to the Apostles, Ananias and Sapphire decided to listen to Satan and pretend as if they had, done the same. They brought their offering to the Apostles in carnality with vain and deceitful intents.
The deaths of Ananias and Sapphire were not due to God judging and condemning them, as some believe in Christian circles. No way! Unfortunately, when confronted by the Apostle Peter about their lies, in front of the Church assembly, I believe the weight of the guilt and shame of the sin of Ananias, and later the lie of Sapphire, were too much for them to bear. (Heb.12:1)
While the Apostle Peter was given divine knowledge that Sapphire would also die, just as her husband did, the Church, at that time, had not received the full revelation and knowledge of the finished works of Christ on His cross and New Covenant, revealed by Jesus Christ to the Apostle Paul—as he had not yet been converted.
Remember, we have a New Covenant with God in which God has sworn to forever be merciful unto all our unrighteousness. God was not angry and out for revenge because the couple kept back a part of the money from the sale of the land. I noted before all of God’s wrath was poured out on His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. God had already forgiven and forgotten all of the sins of Ananias and Sapphire.
The couple’s misdeed in holding back a portion of the money from the sale of the land was not intended to be a death sentence. Rather, the Apostle Peter, by the Holy Ghost, was trying to correct and admonish them! Repentance, reconciliation, and then restoration was in order, not the continual cover-up of sin. Notice that Peter asked Ananias and Sapphire about their actions to lie against the Holy Ghost in keeping back the price of the land. Look again at what he said to Ananias.
Peter, said to Ananias:
…Ananias why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own? Why has thou conceived this thing in thou heart? Thou has not lied unto men but unto God. (Acts 5:3-4)
Peter then said to Sapphire:
And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. (Acts 5:8-9)
God’s questions of both Ananias and Sapphire deserved an answer of truth, but neither of them responded with the truth. Ananias said nothing and Sapphire maintained the lie that they had given the full price to the Apostles. In so doing, they showed no remorse, made no confession of their sin, nor offered to give the amount they had held back to the Apostles. The Bible says we are to confess our faults one to another, and pray for one another, that we might be healed. (James 5:16)
It was solely Ananias and Sapphire who gave the devil a place in their lives to lie against the Holy Ghost, maintain the lie, and suffer immediate mental and physical sickness and death that resulted from their evil actions. They allowed the devil to steal, kill, and to destroy them—to pick their pockets empty! Not only did the couple lose all their land and money, but also it resulted in their premature deaths.
Christians should learn from the example of Ananias and Sapphire, to never take giving to God lightly, but with full integrity of heart give generously to God. When we give to God, every Christian must examine themselves on whether they are sowing to the flesh, or to the Spirit of God? Listen to the Holy Ghost and obey His voice in giving tithes and sacrificial offerings to God.
I ask of you, at offering time: Are you obeying the voice of the Holy Ghost and bringing the tithe and offering in love and cheerfully to God? Or, are you withholding all or a portion of what you have been instructed to give?
Are you listening to another voice, that of Satan, who fills your head with excuses for not tithing and obeying God? Do you teach your children to honor God with tithes and sacrificial offerings? Are you creating a legacy of giving to God, or teaching your children to be generational robbers of God?
I say to all Christians who are not giving tithes and sacrificial offerings, never try to cover up robbing God. Always tell the truth, and lie not against the Holy Ghost. No man can prosper by concealing the truth about his sins. (Prov. 28:13) Lying will only create weights and burdens that can be harmful to you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Consult with God and your local Church leaders about your unwillingness to tithe and offer sacrificial offerings to God. Be open to repentance, receive prayer, and then by the faith of Jesus Christ go and do the right thing as you have been taught of the Holy Ghost.
I close this Series with this Scripture: “Submit yourselves to God and resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) I wonder how blessed and fuller the lives of Ananias and Sapphire would have been had they only resisted the devil, rebuked their vein conceits, and given the whole price of the land to God.
Satan by any means necessary desires to sift your financial prosperity like wheat. For each of God’s three methods for building wealth we have discussed, the devil has designed road blocks to keep you from being rich. Preaching the gospel and winning the lost to Christ, doing business/investing your earnings from righteous labor, and giving tithes and sacrificial offerings to God are God’s fundamental pathways to legacy wealth building. Test the Lord’s methods and see for yourself, that all things will be added unto you, such that you lack no good thing.
Tithing and sacrificial offerings must be done regularly by all Christians, not out of legalism, but from a pure heart of love for God. The Church of Jesus Christ is the royal nation of God, blessed of the Lord. Let us obey the Lord from the heart, and make haste to fill the offering basket with our tithes and sacrificial offerings to God. God is faithful to keep His promise, and make us a delightsome land, and cause all other nations of the earth call us blessed.
Instead of Satan picking the pockets of the Saints, he will be forced to restore seven times all he has stolen from us. (Prov. 6:31) We want it all back, everything that the devil stole from us! So we may open-wide our holy hands and give generously to our brothers and sisters in need, such that there is no lack among us. Amen for the Word of God engrafted into our souls today.
Please send your tithes and offerings in support of Exousia Ministries, Inc. to the PayPal link below. May God exponentially multiply your cheerful and hilarious giving to our Ministry and ever take you deeper into the knowledge of Himself.