4. More monster Matthew 6:24:
"No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth"

5. Opening the Floodgates of Heaven
Malachi 3:6-12
Tithing
Opening the Floodgates of Heaven

6. Israel’s Giving
Worshipping God
Ingratitude, complaint, idolatry

7. Malachi 3:6-12
If we want to experience God's blessing we must do three things.
1. We must turn back to God (3:6-7)
2. We must stop robbing God (3:8-9)
3. We must start trusting God (3:10-12)

8. We must turn back to God (3:6-7)
“Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:7)
Repentance

9. We must stop robbing God (3:8-9)
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever rob You?’” You have cheated Me of the tithes and offerings due to Me.” (Malachi 3:8 NLT)

10. 1 The Practice of Tithing
God invented tithing for our good, not His.
Tithing was instituted to help tame the “more monster” inside us all.
Tithing is timeless.
It was neither instituted by the law nor terminated by grace.
It was neither given by Moses nor cancelled by Jesus.

11. 2 The Principle of Tithing
The whole tithe
Ten percent, not two percent not four percent.
The tithe was not a ceiling, it was merely a floor.
Offerings were over and above tithes.
“Honour the LORD with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9)
God deserves better than the leftovers!

12. 2 The Principle of Tithing
Every time I tithe,
I remind myself that God is on the throne.
I remind myself that all I have is from him.
I remind myself that God is the owner and I’m his steward.
I make a declaration: "I will trust you, God" even when trusting doesn't feel easy, safe or natural.
I am reminded of how much I've been given.

13. 3 The Place for Tithing
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse" (Mal 3:10).
The New Testament equivalent is the local church
If you give elsewhere, directly to mission agencies or to Christian charities, that is well and good, but it should not be at the expense of the ministry of the local church.

14. 4 The Purpose of Tithing So that…
you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.” (Deut. 14:23)
the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied,” (Deut. 14:29)
the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” (Deut. 14:29)

15. Malachi 3:6-12
If we want to experience God's blessing we must do three things.
1. We must turn back to God (3:6-7)
2. We must stop robbing God (3:8-9)
3. We must start trusting God (3:10-12)

16. We must start trusting God (3:10-12)
"Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3:10).

17. We must start trusting God (3:10-12)
“All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had. And the apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great favour was upon them all. There was no poverty among them.” (Acts 4:32-34)