Obedience

This series is on giving where God challenges us to tithe, to be content and to be generous.

Malachi 3:8-10 (NLT) 8“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. 9You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “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!

1. THE CHALLENGE TO?

When to obey:

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.”
○ God created us, and from the very beginning gave us a commands to obey.
○ He has written His moral code in us that tells us collectively what is right and wrong.
○ Remember: He is God, and we are not.

How to obey:

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NIV) 12And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
o We are to see God for who He is and revere Him.
o We are to walk in obedience to Him whether we feel like it or not.
o We are to serve Him with our whole hearts and souls.

Why obey:

1 John 2:3-6 (NLT) 3And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
o Obedience to God demonstrates our love for Him.
o Obedience proves our faithfulness to Him.

Exodus 20:3-6 (NIV) 3You shall have no other gods before me. 4You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
o Idolatry is bad for us! Money can deceive us about where our sufficiency and dependence comes from. Keeping God first brings peace, blessings, and favor.
o Out of love, God is jealous for us and wants a loving relationship with us.

2. THE CHALLENGE TO?

Malachi 3:10 (NLT) 10“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “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!”

• What & How?
○ Give 10%—a tenth of your best, and of your gross income.
○ We are to give as an act of worship. (Romans 12:1)

• When? Right away.

Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
o Before any expenses or obligations, including taxes.

Malachi 1:6-8 (NIV) 6“A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ 7By offering defiled food on my altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. 8When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.
o If we don’t obediently tithe right away, we can get creative in working things out to our advantage. When we do this, we are robbing God.

Why?: God instituted the tithe to prove in whom His people trust.
• God didn’t need their stuff and doesn’t need ours—He’s God, and He wants what is best for us. It is loving!
• God knew material things would be perhaps the greatest contender against Him for our heart.

Matthew 6:24 (NLT) No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
○ Tithing is an act of faith that helps us keep our priorities straight. It reminds us Who we worship and that we are managers/stewards.
○ God uses the gifts of His people to accomplish His mission.
○ Tithing is the training ground for generosity.

3. THE CHALLENGE TO?

It may seem there is never a “good time” to start walking in obedience in this way. 
• “I’ll tithe as soon as my circumstances change.” 
• “I’ll tithe when I make more money.” or “I’ll tithe after I have some cushion in my budget.” 
• Having more money doesn’t necessarily make it easier to tithe. 
• There will always be a reason to not walk in obedience—in this area of our life or any other.

3 things to do:
• Start tithing. Test God and be accountable.
• As you tithe, look for God’s provisions to supply your needs, even when it’s doesn’t make sense!
• Surrender your greatest area of fear to God and walk in obedience in that area of your life.

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