The Blessed Life, Part 1January 9th, 2011

Let me ask you a question… How many of you would like to be more blessed? If so, go ahead and raise your hand. And why not, right?

- I mean, we all want to be blessed in different ways. In Spiritual ways (wanting a deeper, more intimate relationship with God)…

- in Relational ways (maybe you’d like to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right or would like your marriage to improve).

- How many of you would like to be Financially blessed? Of course you do… me too!

Well… the truth is that Jesus spent a whole lot of time addressing this issue of how to be blessed.

- In fact, in Acts 20:35, Jesus said that it’s more blessed to GIVE than to what?

- Receive. So, if you want to be blessed, you’ll need to what? Give. - Now, that’s not me talking… that’s not just another pastor talking

about money… that’s Jesus.

In fact, while I’ve rarely spoken about money… a full fifteen percent of all of Jesus’ teaching recorded in the NT is about just that… money.

- In fact, in the Bible there are some 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith… but over 2000 on money and possessions.

- Jesus talked about money in 16 out of the 38 recorded parables we read in the New Testament.

And, when it comes to money, Jesus said that true blessing in life doesn’t come from what we hold on to but from what we let go of.

- Now, if, in any way you might have cringed when I began speaking about financial giving as a means of blessing…

- than I’ll acknowledge that there are some preachers out there… mostly those on TV… who use the teaching of Jesus to further their financial ends.

But you know me better than that. Guys, I’ve spend a lot of time processing through this…

- not just the words I’m sharing this morning… but why I’m sharing them.

- And I’ll tell you. It’s ultimately not for my sake me or for the church… but for your sake.

- Because, no joke… I ache to see you living in all the blessing that is already yours in Christ.

In Ephesians 1:3, Paul tells us that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly realm.

- And yet, living and experiencing those blessing in our day to day lives presupposes a life of humility and obedience.

- You see, when Jesus died on that Cross, He didn’t give His life so He could be a part of our life.

He died on the Cross so that He would be our life. He doesn’t want to be number 10 in our lives… but the very center of our lives. And so…

- If you’ve asked Jesus into your life than it’s presupposed that He will forever more sit on the very throne of our lives… as the very center of all we are and all we do.

- And yet, as each and every one of us knows, it is so easy to place something or someone else on that throne.

In fact, there are three main things areas that trip people where Jesus is no longer on the throne of our lives. The third thing is unforgiveness.

- Maybe you’ve wondered why it is that churches contain some of the most cantankerous, bitter, and mean people around.

- All that nastiness is almost always rooted in unforgiveness that taken over that central place in their lives where Jesus was meant to reign.

“Craig… You don’t know what this person did to me… if you knew, you’d understand.”

- Well, that’s true… I don’t know what that person did to you. - But I know what they did to Jesus… and to them, Jesus prayed,

“Father, forgive them.”- If there is unforgiveness in your heart than you need to know that

right now, it is keeping Jesus from reigning in your life.

The second thing that keeps Jesus from sitting on His rightful place on the throne of our lives is sexual immorality and pornography…

- both of which can get such a tight grip around your heart that there just isn’t enough room for anyone else let alone Jesus.

- But, while those first two things may not be a surprise to you…

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- I would say that the number one area where people refuse to submit their lives to Jesus is the area of… Anyone want to take a guess? Yes… Money.

Now before I go on, let me ask you a very honest question. How many of you, if you trust my integrity in terms of handling the Word…

- and if you trust my intentions for delivering the Word… - How many of you want me to clearly teach the Word this morning

no matter how much it might ruffle your feathers? - Seriously… raise your hands. - Ok. I would have done it anyway… but with your blessing… stay

with me as I keep going… because, I promise… this IS for me and for you… for right now at this moment in our lives.

More than any other area of our lives… without most of us even realizing it, I believe that money most often keeps us from living the blessed life…

- Which is a life lived with Jesus at the very center of all we are and do. So, how are we doing with this?

- If you just take the financial survival income level of $36,000 as a measure of how much each adult in this church makes…

- than less than only 26% percent of this church tithes on a regular basis… and, again, that’s based on a salary of $36,000.

Just five givers in our church make up 39% of the total giving in this church. And, believe me, they’re not the wealthiest people in our church.

- The top 10 givers in our church make up 61% of the total giving in this church.

- Which means that everyone combined gives the same as those top 5 givers… who are, by no means the wealthiest in our church

- but rather... those who have chosen to respond to God’s calling to tithe.

Guys, I’m not talking about this as a way or sharing the financial state we’re in as a church.

- I’m sharing this because dramatically expressed the state of our hearts.

- 52% of givers in this church are giving less than 2.5%... and that’s based on a salary of $36,000.

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Guys… this may be hard to hear… but its also hard to say. Jesus doesn’t want our tips… He wants our hearts.

- Now some of you might be thinking, “There he goes talking about my money.”

- Truth is, if I was talking about your money I wouldn’t be preaching this message.

- I’m preaching this message because it’s not your money… it’s God’s money… and He’d like some of it back!

This is what Jesus said about money… In Matthew 6:24 He said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You can not serve both God and money.” These words of Jesus are so overwhelming to me!

I mean, if I were writing it I would’ve said something along the lines that you can’t serve both God and the devil.

- But Jesus said… that you can’t serve both God and money… that the number one competitor for your heart is money… MONEY.

- If ever Jesus is laying down the gauntlet, it’s here in this passage. - He’s telling us that, in our lives, there is one or two masters whom

we can follow… either God… or money.

In fact, He says, that you will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other.

- Think about what He’s saying here. He’s saying that if you’re devoted to money that, in essence, you despise God!

- In other words, the more I put my trust in money and the security IT brings… the less I’m trusting Jesus and the ultimate security HE brings.

- But even more than that… Jesus is saying… not me… Jesus is saying that if we are devoted to money…

- if we’re devoted to the security and comfort and identity it brings… Than, to that degree… we’re despising God.

Now, if you find yourself reacting to that right now… reacting to what Jesus has said here…

- Than know that Jesus intends to reign on the throne of your life. And, because He intends to reign on the throne of your life…

- I believe, right now, the Holy Spirit is wanting to do heart surgery in many of our lives…

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- and, frankly, it hurts when the idol gets ripped out of your heart.

But understand, when talking about money, Jesus isn’t coming after your wallet. He’s coming after your heart.

- But the biggest hindrance to your giving Him your heart will be your wallet.

- He’s not leaving any wiggle room for us here to misunderstand what He’s saying.

- Either you despise & hate him… or you worship & love Him. And, if you worship & love Him, than we’re to lay everything down before Him… including our money.

So, here’s the question for me and for you. In my life… In your life… Is Jesus Lord of some or Lord of all?

- I’m asking this because, with all of my heart, I want you to live the Blessed Life that Jesus promised we could live in John 10:10

- when He said that He “came that we might have life and have it abundantly.”

- You see, the abundant life isn’t something that starts once we die and go to heaven.

It’s meant to begin right now as we live lives full of the Holy Spirit with Jesus sitting at the throne of our lives.

- But, I know so many Christians who aren’t living the abundant life… and do you know why?

- Because you’re holding on to something God told you to let go of. - You see, its only after letting go, particularly in this area of

money, will you really be able to experience what Jesus and the Bible calls the Blessed Life.

But, if you really want to get what I’m saying here, there are a few things you’ve got to accept. The first is this.

1. I need to Accept what God’s Word Has to Say.

Truth is, there are times when we just don’t want to hear the truth… because just as the cliché goes… sometimes the truth really does hurt.

- In fact, I think we’ve become pretty darn skilled at ignoring parts of God’s Word that interferes with the way we want to live.

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- And when it comes to the Bible’s teaching on money and giving and stewardship… it’s like we’re playing a never ending game of hide-n-go-seek… even though the promise of a blessed life is so real and so clear.

In Exodus 13, a big event is about to take place in the land of Egypt called the Passover. And, starting in verse 1, God is laying down His expectations to Moses for what this is supposed to look like.

- “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.’”

- So, if you’re an ancient Israelite woman and you give birth to your firstborn son, then what was expected was that you go and consecrate that son to God.

- And why? Because God says “the firstborn is mine!”

Now, when God makes a definitive statement like that, He shouldn’t have to repeat Himself.

- And yet, sixteen times in the Old Testament does God remind Israel that the firstborn son is His.

- Saying it one time should be enough… but sixteen?! Just maybe He’s trying to get a particular point across.

- So, what point is that? Well… let’s look at that. If you’ve got your Bible, go ahead and turn to 1 Samuel chapter 1.

There was a certain man… whose name was Elkanah... 2He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. 3Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the LORD. 4Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb.

God closed Hannah’s womb... and, you have to ask, why? Why would God do something like that?

- Well, based on what we’re gonna read in just a few minutes, I think God did this because Hannah, even before she ever got pregnant, was unwilling to consecrate her firstborn to God.

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- Now, remember, that when God is talking about consecrating your firstborn son, there are two options you have.

The first is to bring your son to the temple where he would serve God in the temple through His life.

- And the other way is to make the appropriate offering to the temple that would release you to take your son home.

- Well… Hannah may have just poopoo’d the whole system and decided that, if she were to ever have a son…

- even though she knew what God’s word said, that there’s just no way she’d do either of those two things.

Truth is, how Hannah responded to that command from God is not unlike how we respond to God’s Word at times.

- It’s not like we have an information problem. We have an application problem.

- It’s not that we don’t know what God’s Word says about certain things… it’s that we simply choose to not do what His Word says.

- And there’s two reasons this happens.

The first is Fear . Hannah was probably thinking to herself… “If I ever do have a child… I would have waited all these years for it to happen.

- What if I consecrate my firstborn son in the temple… and then never have another son?

- So, God, if you ever give me a baby, than I’m gonna hold on to that baby… because it’s mine!”

Or maybe it was Frustration . Maybe Hannah looked right up at God and said, “Who are you to ask for my firstborn son?”

- “Who are you to ask me to sacrifice my son? You didn’t carry this baby for nine months!”

- I mean, any woman who carried a baby for nine months has said that at least a few times to her husband…

- “You’re not carrying this baby, I am… so you just get out there and get me some pickles and Doritos.”

You see, fear & frustration is why we, so often, don’t do what God calls us to do as well. Take unforgiveness, for example…

- “I can’t forgive him.” Why? Fear: “If I just forgive them then they might try and hurt me again.”

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- And, frustration: “If I just forgive them, then they’ll just get away with what they did. I wont be able to get even with them.”

Maybe you’re unwilling to give up a particular relationship that is leading you further and further away from God.

- You know what God’s Word says… you know you’ve put them on the throne of your heart.

- But how this person makes you feel has become more important than anything else.

And yet, you won’t do what you know you need to do. And part of the reason why is fear and frustration.

- Fear says that “if I let them go there might not be anyone else after them.”

- Frustration says, “God… I’ve invested a lot in this relationship… why are you trying to mess everything up? I know this isn’t a godly relationship but one day when we get married it’ll all be ok.”

What about money? Do you know why it’s a struggle for you to give up your money to God? Fear! “If I give this away I might not have any more.”

- Or, frustration… “Who is God to ask me for my money?” - Well… He’s God… the one who brought you into this world… the

One who gave you the ability to think and work and even receive a paycheck…

- the One from whom “every good and perfect gift” has come to you in your life.

How do we then put God first in our money? What is the first step to our putting God first in our lives?

- What word does the Bible use to describe how we bring our money to God? Through our… what? Through our tithes.

- Tithing… the first 10% of your income… is how we put God first… how we bring the first fruit of our harvest… of our paycheck.

Now, if just hearing that is already rattling your cage… than let me ask you. - When you sang that song earlier… “God you are everything,” what

did you mean to you? - “God in my living, there in my breathing, God in my walking, God

in my sleeping, God in my resting, there in my working, God in my thinking, God in my sleeping.”

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- Well… what about, b

How in the world can we say that our hearts belong to Jesus when we acknowledge through our worship, for example, that “at the Cross” He did it all…

- while refusing to give just a portion of what He’s given us in the first place?

- How in the world can we stand in the shadow of a blood-stained Cross and not at least do the bare minimum God’s asked us to do?

Jesus says it in a way no one can argue… you can’t love both God and money.

- You can’t worship Him while holding on to what He’s asked you to let go of.

- Yes… the worship may lift your spirit but I bet, at the end of the day, you’re still wondering why you’re not experiencing more of the abundant life.

The first 10% goes to God. Now… I know the arguments. Tithing is Old Testament law… Jesus did away with all of that… right?

- Well, actually, Jesus toughened many of the OT laws. In Matthew 5:27, Jesus said,

- “You’ve heard it said that you should not commit adultery. But I say to you, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart.”

- In Matthew 5:43, He said, “You have heard it said, love your neighbor hate your enemy… but, I say to you, love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you...”

As we’ll see, the Old Testament talks about bringing the tithe to the House of God… But what does Jesus say?

- He says bring it all. He didn’t tell the rich young ruler to give 10% of his income away… He told him to give it ALL away.

- In fact, when the Church was birthed after Pentecost, according to Acts 2, the believers began selling everything they had and giving all their money away.

- In 2 Corinthians Paul encourages the church to give everything the Lord has profited you.

- In other words… everything above what you need to survive in terms of food, clothing, and shelter.

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So, you’re a New Testament guy… and the Tithe is from the Old Testament. Fine… give everything away.

- But what God’s Word is asking for, instead, is for 10%. - He owns it all… but He’s asking for 10% back… leaving 90% for

you to spend wisely.- But, as Christians, we no longer live under the law, right? Right!

But, tithing isn’t merely an Old Testament law.- It was written into the law that the Israelites were to tithe to the

Levitical priests. - In fact, in Matthew 23:23, Jesus affirms this practice… encouraging

the religious leaders to continue their tithes.

And yet, the truth is that the principle of tithing was established, in Genesis 14, 450 years before the law was even written…

- when Abraham gave his tithe to Melchizedek, a “priest of God Most High” as we’re told in Hebrews 7.

- In Hebrews 7:8 we see that just as Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, we’re to give our tithe to Jesus who lives forever.

- We’re going see later in this series just how important this. But for now, let me just say this…

If Abraham, the Father of our Faith made tithing a practice of his faith… then shouldn’t we?

- If our faith and practice is to reflect the father of our faith… than can we do anything less that give God what is already His?

- We’re told in Scripture that Jesus was a priest… not of the Levitical line… but of the order of Melchizedek…

- A priestly order that will never end… one that is eternal… one that would continue through the OT and the NT to today.

You see, this principle that the first 10% belongs to God… is not just an Old Testament idea.

- In fact, in the New Testament, we’re reminded over and over again that it’s not the first 10% that is His… but that it’s ALL HIS.

- It sounds good in our worship songs… “All I have is yours.” But when the rubber meets the road… it’s mine, mine, mine.

But guys, it is time we stop holding on to what Jesus has been calling us to let go of.

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- And, guys… this may be a hard thing to take… but if we don’t… if we continue to hold on to what which is already his…

- Than we won’t ever fully experience the abundant life He so desires to lavish out in our lives…

- And we wont ever experience the joy of real obedience to Him.

Paul writes in Galatians 7, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

- You see, there’s a reason why we don’t feel full of life… there’s a reason we’re not experiencing more of His joy in our lives.

- Guys… God wont be mocked by the tips we offer Him. He’s not asking to be number 3 or number 10 in our lives.

- He’s asking to be the very center of our lives… and, according to His Word, the starting place for this is returning to Him the first fruits of our income.

If you really want to experiencing His blessing… you not only have to pay attention to what His Word has to say about this… but… secondly…

2: I Need to Stop Holding On To What God Says to Let Go Of!

Listen… when we read the Bible, we should always read with a readiness to respond and a willingness to make adjustments in our lives.

- In the Book of James, the Word is described as a mirror we’re meant to look into in order to make adjustments.

- Most of you, this morning… when you got up… within just a few minutes you looked into a mirror.

- And, based upon how good you look, its clear that you just may have made a few adjustments!

You see, this is what was going on in Hannah’s life. She was struggling to let go of the idea that her firstborn would be God’s.

- But then something happened. In 1 Samuel 1:9, we read this… “After a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.”

- Verse 10… “In deep anguish Hannah wept bitterly and prayed to the Lord.” Deep anguish!

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- Have you ever experience a time of deep anguish? It’s that moment when you look in the mirror and realize that some serious adjustments need to happen in your life.

You see, if God’s coming after your heart this morning… than you might just experience some measure of anguish…

- Because it’s not easy to let go of something you’ve held on to for so long.

- God was never content in leaving Hannah in that place of disobedience. He wanted more for Hannah…

- He wanted to pour out His blessings on Hannah. And so, He comes after her…

- wanting her to surrender her heart back to God in her life… not just a part of her life… but all of her life.

“Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord And she made a vow, saying, ‘O Lord Almighty…”

- This is crucial… because for Hannah, it may have been the first moment where she fully acknowledged who God really was… that He was the Lord God Almighty.

- You see, you’ll never give God your tithe if you don’t understand that He is not only our Heavenly Father who calls us to intimacy,

- but the Lord Almighty who owns everything!

“O Lord Almighty,” she continued… “if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life.”

- In other words, Hannah had come to the place where she just threw her hands up into the air and said,

- “You win, God! You’re right… and I’m wrong. I’m tired of holding out on you. I’m tired of pretending that everything around me is mine when, in fact, it’s ALL yours. Father, I’m letting go… and from this day on… will choose to trust You alone.”

That’s the place God longed for Hannah to come to… the place He longs for all of us to get to…

- The place where He can really begin to pour out His blessing…- Where we recognize that, because of fear and frustration, we’ve

been holding on to something God’s called us to let go of.

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- But, in order to make the life adjustment required, it might just take a “deep anguish” moment.

- The question is… are you willing to look in the mirror? And if so, are you willing to make any necessary adjustments?

For some of you, you already know that letting go is gonna to be a fight. The question is… who’s gonna win that fight?

- “Come on… I’m a NT kind of guy… I live under grace… it doesn’t matter to Jesus how much or how little I give as long as my heart’s in the right place.”

- Well, you’ve got that a little confused. Yes… we should all live under grace. Grace means that you will experience God’s love no matter what.

- But to say that you can experience the abundance of God’s blessing without tithing is to not just ignore… but reject what God’s Word says.

Hannah recognized that the God she no doubt loved was the Almighty God… and from that, she surrendered… she let go.

- Truth is, that’s one of my deepest prayers through this series. - That we’d recognize who God is like never before… and, as a result,

let go of those things that have replaced Him on the throne of our lives.

- And, from what we spoke about earlier… money is that one thing, perhaps more than any other thing… that usurps His place on the throne of more lives in this room than any other thing.

And if you want to know how to measure that… than know that the Bible has offered a clear standard. Do you tithe?

- Have I been tipping God… or have I been giving Him back a full portion of what is already His.

- Will we give to God what is God’s? Will you lay that down or will fear keep you from allowing Jesus to assume His rightful place as Lord of your life?

Maybe your sitting here trying to figure out how you can bargain with God… come on, God… ten percent?

- Guys… this isn’t an auction house. Jesus has asked us to take up our Cross and follow Him…

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- and as much as you might want to carry a bag of money as security along with His Cross… we can only carry one or the other.

And that’s why giving is such an important part of worship. Seriously guys… almost anyone can be moved by beautiful worship.

- That’s why I’m so often asked about having a night of nothing but worship. Don’t get me wrong… I’d love that.

- In fact… I’ll often come here on a Saturday evening and worship for a while by myself. It impacts me.

- But what if I were to suggest a night of nothing but giving? Would you come?

You see, until you’re willing to surrender and let go, I don’t care how much you extend your hands in worship…

- you’ve never learned to truly surrender your heart to God until you learned to let go of what is already His…

- until we learn to stop tipping and start giving God the portion of our income He’s asking for.

- “Well, I worship Him in other ways.” Well… you don’t have that option. Jesus said that you can either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other.

So, then, in verse 20 of 1 Samuel 1, having poured out her heart to God, we’re told that, in the course of time…

- Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to son whom she named Samuel, which means, “God heard.”

- For Hannah, it was at the point of total surrender to God that she experienced God’s blessing.

- Now, what that blessing looks like is something that’s up to God to define for each of us. At that moment in time in Hannah’s life… it meant giving birth to a son.

But know this… God isn’t just willing to bless… He’s anxious to bless… He can’t wait to shower His blessing in your life…

- but for too long you may have convinced yourself that you could experience that blessing without bringing God the first fruit of your income… without bringing your tithe.

- “Well, I’m too broke to give God 10% of my income.”

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- Guys… if you’re paying for cable… if you wouldn’t run right out to Walmart to buy a new TV if your current TV broke… than you’re not broke.

It’s easy to just dismiss this whole thing… “I can’t afford it. I can afford $52 for cable each month… $35 for Internet… I can afford my cell phone… and trips to Starbucks…

- But God… “I’m too broke to give you what is already yours.” - Listen… if your paycheck allows you to write your rent check, put

some clothes on your kids back, and some food on the kitchen table… and nothing else…

- Than just like He provided a way for the poor to sacrifice a dove at the temple instead of a lamb… So, He would allow you to give what you can.

But know this… that God will not be mocked. You can’t outtalk Him, you can’t fool Him, and you can’t outwit Him.

- That kind of arrogance before an Almighty God is a dangerous thing.

- Cain tried that in Genesis 4 when he brought his offering to God… an offering God refused to accept.

In verse 24, we read that “When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle, the house of the Lord, in Shiloh…”

- Where did she bring her offering? To the house of God. Maybe you’re saying, “I give money… but not just to the church. I support a Compassion child and a missionary and St. Jude’s hospital, I help my family members and so on.

- Well… all that is great. But where the Bible tells us to bring our tithes is to the House of God.

The house of God is the place where God’s children gather to worship Him and to enjoy His presence together.

- “There he goes… that’s what he’s after. He just wants my money.” Ok… listen. This is God’s church… not my church.

- He’s the head of it… not me. If God wants us to be here next week than we’ll be here next week whether or not you give a penny.

- So, if you think that I’m sharing all of this simply because I want your money than just find another church to give your tithes to… but DO TITHE… DO give your money to the House of God.

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Unapologetically, though… as much as this shouldn’t be our ultimate motivation… I think thing this church is an amazing investment of God’s money.

- Seriously… how many people here have had your lives impacted, in some very real way, by this church?

- Can you imagine what could happen if everyone tithed… what that release of resources would mean to our community… what it would mean in the lives of those around us?

Jesus has given us a God-sized vision to see the Kingdom expressed in power and compassion…

- to see the widows and poor cared for and loved. To see young people discover a purpose for their lives worth living for.

- I love this church. I love that it’s HIS church… and that His purposes are written all over this place.

- I love that He’s going to grow this church… that He’s going to grow our influence so that we become more and more that unique City on a Hill that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5.

- But bottom-line… we’re meant to give our tithe to the House of God.

Then… real briefly… I want to share the last thing you to understand in order to grab hold of what I’ve really saying here. And, that is…

3. I Cannot Out Give God!

You can’t out give God! How many sons did Hannah have? She had one… and she gave him to God.

- Look at 1 Samuel 2:20-21. “Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the LORD give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the LORD.” 21 And the LORD gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.”

- She gave up one son… and got back THREE sons and TWO daughters… while her firstborn son, Samuel, went on to be one of the great prophets of the OT. You can’t out give God!

Do you believe that? God says in Malachi 3 that if we tithe to the house of God that God will open the floodgates of heaven.

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- The only other time in Scripture where God spoke about opening the floodgates of heaven was when he flooded the earth with rain back in Genesis 6…

- except now He’s saying that He’s wanting to flood your life with blessing.

God wants to bless you. Truth is, He’s already blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

- And yet, there’s something that keeping many of you from experiencing these blessings.

- Guys… it’s time you stop holding on to what God is calling you to let go of.

- In Malachi 3:8, God says to Israel, “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me! But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ ‘You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to Me.’”

- Guys… God will not be cheated.

If you’ve not been bringing your tithes to God… than it’s time you started. Will it be easy? Probably not.

- It may be with deep anguish that you begin… because it’s hard to let go of something that brings security and comfort.

- And yet, as an act of true worship… would you do it?- In verse 10, God then calls Israel to “Bring all the tithes into the

storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, says the Lord Almighty, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

Here’s what I’m going to ask you to do. Before God, right now, I want you to do just that. I want you to response to Him… and put Him to the test.

- Before God… I want to you to make a three-month commitment to tithe 10% of your income.

- And if, as an act of worship, you tithe each week… then see if God doesn’t make good on His promise…

- Just see if God doesn’t pour out His blessing on your life. It’s His challenge… not mine. He’s asking that you put Him to the test.

- Just see if God doesn’t pour out His blessing on your life.

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Instead of asking Matt and the team to come up… I’m going to play a song in the background while you take a moment to decide.

- As the music begins, you may want to come up front here and get on your knees as you consider your response.

- I want everyone to be fully engaged in this. Guys… I believe this is a God-moment.

- And, if you decide to begin the tithing challenge this morning, I’ll like for you to write that on the connection card in the seat in front of you along with your name.

- If you’re married… than you and your wife should talk about it. If you have a unique situation than talk to me or Clint.

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