Obedience

SERIES INTRODUCTION
• We are starting a sermon series this week called “Challenge Accepted,” and we are going to be talking about challenges that every follower of Jesus should accept. This series is about what God has to say about our stuff, possessions, and our money. We do a series like this each year to remind us of what God has to say about money.

Statistics about verses about money:
o Some scholars estimate that 11-16 of Jesus’ 39 Parables deal directly with money.
o 1 out of every 10 verses in the Gospels deal with the subject of money.
o There are over 2,000 verses throughout the Bible that talk about money.
o Money is the second most talked about topic in the Bible, right behind God and His Kingdom.
• Just as Satan lies to us about our value, worth, and identity, he also lies to us about money and how we are to use it, manage it, save it, and spend it.

Today’s challenge is issued by God, and it’s the only place in the Bible where God allows and tells us to test Him.

Malachi 3:8-10a (NIV) 8“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.

• Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament, the last time before John the Baptist comes on the scene, that God tells a prophet to tell the Israelites what to do. Tithing was not a new concept to them. They knew that this was a command from God that they were to follow. Over and over in the Old Testament they were commanded to tithe. (See Leviticus 27:30-33 and 2 Chronicles 31:4-6)

At this point, the Israelites are just being disobedient. This is where the challenge comes in.
Malachi 3:10b-12 (NIV) “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 there will not be room enough to store it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says The LORD Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

• This message, yes is a message on tithing, but it’s even more of a message on obedience. This is a message about God’s people doing things God’s way and receiving God’s blessings.
• This isn’t the prosperity gospel theology that teaches God will give you whatever you want if you have enough faith.

This is about a good and loving Father wanting to give His kids good things. (See Matthew 7:9and James 1:17)

John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
o God also blesses us with our relationships, health, and wisdom. (See James 1:5)

God wants us first to obey Him. We see the first command to obey in the 47th verse of the Bible (out of 30,000 verses).
Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV) 15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

• Obedience is a very important thing to God. If we desire to have a close and intimate relationship with God, it cannot happen apart from obedience. (See Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 1 Samuel 15:22, John 14:15, 1 John 2:3-4)

SO HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO OUR MONEY?

HOW: Tithe 10%. This is the starting line in our financial obedience
WHEN: Right away. “Firstfruits” was not only a designation of when but also what: the best. (See Proverbs 3:9-10)
WHY: This is where being obedient in giving goes from my head to my heart. It’s the why behind the what.

1) Being obedient in giving tests my trust.

Proverbs 3:5-9 (NLT) 5Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 7Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. 9Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
• The question is, “Do I truly trust God and what He says in His word? Do I truly trust that He is going to provide, He is going to take care of me and my family, and He is going to give me what I need?

2) Being obedient in giving turns my worry into worship.

Matthew 6:24-34

3) Being obedient in giving brings God’s blessings.

Malachi 3:10b-12 (NIV) “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 there will not be room enough to store it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says The LORD Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

• There’s never a good or convenient time to start walking in obedience in this way.
o “I’ll tithe as soon as my circumstances change.”
o “I’ll tithe when I make more money.” (The problem is it hurts just as much when we have a lot.)
o “I’ll tithe after I get some cushion in my budget.”
o There will always be a reason to not walk in obedience—in this area of our life or any other.
• There’s never a bad time to start walking in obedience.
o God will not let you down. God will always give you what you need. (See Philippians 4:19)

THE CHALLENGE
• Start tithing. Tithing is the training wheels for being a generous giver. It’s the starting place, not the destination.
• Give more. Maybe tithing has become comfortable for you; it has become mundane, routine, just another bill that needs to be paid, and it’s no longer worship. Give more: give 1, 2, or 3% more. You cannot out-give God, I promise.
• Walk in obedience in another area of your life. Maybe you are living in obedience in the area of money, but there is another area of your life you know you are being disobedient in. start walking in obedience in that area of your life today. Consider how you spend your time, or how you are treating those around you.
• Give God your heart. God wants your heart more than your money.

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:
Passages to consider: Joshua 24:14-15, Proverbs 3:5-9, Malachi 3:8-10, Mathew 6:19-24.
Icebreaker: When was a time you had to do something that felt risky? How did it feel? What happened?
• What stood out to you from the sermon?
1. Read Joshua 24:14-15 and Proverbs 3:5-9. What do these passages tell you about God, trust, and obedience?
2. What has moved you to trust and serve God? A) How do you grow in trusting Him over your own understanding?
3. How has obedience been a part of your journey in trusting? A) What can be challenges to trusting and obeying?
4. Read Malachi 3:8-10 and Mathew 6:19-24. What do these passages tell us about God, us as people, and what shapes our hearts and loves?
5. How does trusting and obeying God impact your view on money and possessions? A) What, do you think, makes our hearts compete for allegiance between God and money?
6. What has been your experience with tithing and giving? A) What would be a growth step for you in this area?
7. How does serving God through trusting, obeying, and tithing impact you, your family, and your work/business? A) What conversations do you need to have as you explore what God is saying to you on this topic?

Passages to prepare for next week, Challenge Accepted (Week 2) Contentment:
Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:4-13, 1 Timothy 6:6-11, Luke 12:15