The Storehouse - Mal 3:10

The Storehouse
February 17, 2013
Mal 3:10

Introduction
- During the Middle Ages people used to bring their tithes to a tithe barn
- They would bring chickens, eggs, cattle, hay, all kinds of produce
- But why is it that we tithe?
- Doesn't God own everything?  So why give money to him?
- Today we are going to take a look at what the Bible teaches about tithing

Reading- Mal 3:6-18

God owns everything, so why should we tithe?- Psa 50:10 - God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, what can we bring to the table?
- Isa 66:1 - Heaven is God's throne, the earth his footstool - why does God need our tithes?
- God is so much greater than anything we can imagine, he does not need us
- And yet we tithe.

Tithing pre-dated the Mosaic covenant- Gen 14:18-20 - Abraham pays tithes to Melchisedec
- Melchisedec was the priest of the Most High God
- It seems that this was a theophany - an appearance of Jesus on this planet, before his first coming
- The tithes were a tenth portion of Abraham's increase as a result of spoiling the kings
- Another instance of tithing was when Jacob was fleeing from Esau, and on his way to Haran
- Gen 28:18-22 - Jacob promises to tithe to the Lord
- Notice that tithing happened here, in both of these instances, before the covenant with ancient Israel
- Tithing is part of God's way of financing ministry, testing our givingness quotient, and teaching us to trust Him!

Moses and the Old Covenenant
- Moses received the law at Sinai
- The people made a covenant with God to be obedient
- A part of that covenant was a restating of the tithing principle
- Lev 27:30-33 - an outline of how to determine the tithe - every tenth animal was the Lord's
- The purpose was the support of the ministry in the Tabernacle
- That covenant passed away when Jesus became the fulfillment for the sacrifices, and the Temple was destroyed in 69 ad
- But the eternal principles of provision for ministry, generosity and faith remained

Jesus and the Kingdom message- What did Jesus teach?
- He taught the Christian walk, the way we should conduct our lives as God's children
- The sermon on the mount, in Matthew 5 through 7, shows that he was not doing away with the Old Testament law
- Instead he was asking us to live in its full intention, not just the letter of the law
- Mat 5:17 - Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
- He describes what he means as he tells about the law Thou shalt not kill
- His intention is that we not hate our brother, but be reconciled with him, reconciliation is more important than offering up prayers or sacrifices
- Similarly he tackes the commands about adultery, divorce
- He also tackles other things not in the 10 Commandments, such as keeping our promises to God, the question of eye for eye, tooth for tooth, and loving our neighbor
- Each of these is taken back to God's intention, not just the letter of the law
- Mat 23:23 Jesus reprimands the Pharisees, not for tithing, but for neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness - he says, You should have practiced the latter (justice, mercy and faithfulness) without neglecting the former (tithing)
- In other words, tithing was still to be practiced

New Testament application
- So under the new covenant a greater depth of meaning has been given to obedience
- The letter of the law was inadequate - God's intention behind the law is now our standard
- God's intention has always been to provide for his ministry, whether that be the ministry of Melchisedec (Gen 14:20), Jesus ministry - Judas had charge of the purse, which implies income as well as expenses (Jn 12:6), the disciples were sent out expecting those to whom they ministered to care for their physical needs (Luke 9:3-5), the ministry pastors who serve the church well should be counted worthy of double honor, especially preachers and teachers (1 Tim 5:17-18), Paul defends his right to be supported by the church (1 Cor 9:3-12)
- God's intention for us is that we learn to be generous and giving, not just abiding by the letter of the law - the generosity we show will be given back to us and more (Luke 6:38), if we sow sparingly we will reap sparingly but if we sow generously we will reap generously (1 Cor 9:6) - this a priciple drawn from God's own nature, he gives everything to us including his own Son
- Finaly God's intention for us is that we live in faith (Rom 1:17, Heb 10:38), he promises to supply our needs (Mat 6:33, Phil 4:19), he gives us peace (Jn 14:27) and an abundant life (John 10:10)

Conclusion- The principle of tithing has been in existence ever since God started working with his people
- Tithing is for the purpose of supporting the ministry God is doing among us
- Tithing is intended to be done out of a generous heart, not out of obligation (2 Cor 9:6-11)
- Tithing is a test of our trust that God will take care of our needs and ensure that our generosity continued
- God promises blessings when we obey him
- Blessings will be given to enable us to be generous on every occasion (verse 11)
- Let us be an obedient church, experiencing the joys of tithing and seeing God's hand as he provides for our needs

Getting to know ourselves - 1 Thes 5:23

Getting to know ourselves!
February 10, 2013
1Th 5:23

Introduction

• Sometimes we read in the news about someone who went hiking in the mountains, but without adequate clothing
• Often they become a statistic, dying from hypothermia
• Having the right clothing for the weather can be a life or death matter
• Can you imagine going out in a rainstorm without your umbrella?
• Imagine walking out in the freezing cold, teeth chattering, wishing you had made sure you were protected from the weather
• There is nothing you can do about the weather, it is beyond your control
• But you can make sure you are protected from its effects
• Having adequate protection is totally important
• But just as I had to learn how to prepare myself for storms in the mountains, we also need to learn how to live under God's protective covering.
• This requires knowing who we are, what we are made of
• So today we will continue finding out about our basic make-up
• And next week we will start to discuss this protection
  

Spirit soul and body

• A few weeks ago we discussed the way that we have been made by God
• We saw that we have been made in God's image
• This means that we are like God in some respects
• We think, so does God
• We have emotions, so does God
• We have a form or shape, and so does God
• But God is spirit, and there is a part of us that is spirit
• 1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• So we have a part of us that is spirit
• Spirit by its very nature is invisible to our five senses
• And yet we have it
• This human spirit is what enables us to connect to spiritual things
• I can relate to a person who is like I am
• I cannot relate to something which is not like me
• For example this wall
• So because we have this spiritual component, we are able to relate to God, who is spirit

Before we were saved

• Eph 2:1-3
• We used to be like everyone else
• We did not know about God nor did we care to know him
• Our human spirit was there, but it was dead
• It took Jesus to bring life to our spirit
• That life comes through the Holy Spirit
• 2Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
• So now we are alive through the dwelling of the Holy Spirit

But what about the other parts to us

• 1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• What about our body?
• We know what that is, it is our physical substance of which we consist
• It is what gets up every morning, and goes to sleep every evening
• So it is a part of living things
• But when our human spirit goes back to God who gave it, our body remains
• Our body is the temporary shell in which our spiritual life is played out
• 2 Cor 5:1-2 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
• This body is temporary

So what have we not yet spoken of?

• We are spirit soul and body
• What is left is our soul
• The soul must relate to those parts of our physical experience we have not yet discussed
• What would they be?
• Our mind, our ability to think
• Our emotions and our personality
• And our ability to evaluate and make choices
• This soul is the area in which we have our struggles
• Our spirit has been surrendered to Jesus, no problem there
• Our body may not be healthy as we would like, but this does not affect our eternity - it is temporary
• But it is in our thought life that the battle rages
• Paul speaks of this in Romans 7
• Rom 7:15-25 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

So where do we go from here?

• How do we win this battle?
• How can we be conquerors as Paul calls us in Rom 8:37
• Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
• Come along next week when we will discuss how we can walk in the spirit, rather than being subject to our human nature
• It is when we put all these pieces together, that we will see the way to live under God's protective umbrella
  

God saves the best till last - John 2:10

God saves the best till last
February 10, 2013
John 2:10

Introduction

• Today we will be having a membership meeting, where we discuss the business of the church
• Last couple of years have not been easy
• Yet God has been working in thge background
• We tend to look at numbers
• But God looks at quality
• It is not about those who start the race, but those who finish well
   

Reading

• John 2:1-11

How does God work?

• A new Christian
• God does not expect a new Christian to immediately have it all together
• He starts small, then grows us
• Mark 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
• He works in us, sometimes he doesn't change the things we think are important, first
• But change is happening
• Like a caterpillar going into a cocoon, and then coming out as a butterfly!
• Over a period of time we see the results
• God is not into instant coffee
• God is into quality
• And he prepares us for our task

How about the church?

• God starts small
• A church plant
• People are fired up
• God moves in big ways
• The church grows
• But growth that is based on excitement will soon wither away
• Like the seed sown on the rocky ground
• The tough stuff comes, and people give up
• The kingdom is not made up of quitters
• It is those who persevere to the end who will be saved
• It is the overcomers who will have a place in God's presence

Growth is not always consistent

• Sometimes there will be down times as well as up
• In Jesus ministry this happened too
• There were times when huge multitudes flocked to Jesus
• Feeding of the 5000
• Mark 6:44
• Yet when all was said and done, people fled away when things got rough
• Mark 14:27-31
• During recent years this church has gone through some of the rocky patches
• Most have stood firm during the trial of fire
• Some have quit for various reasons
• We do not judge them, they have to follow where the Lord takes them too
• But there was a prophecy in 2010 that God would be shaking the tree
• And he did
• He gave a year of peace for people to consolidate
• But 2012 was a year of change
• This last year has been both traumatic and exciting
• Some left our fellowship
• But God replaced them with people of his choosing, to prepare this part of the body for the move he wants to do now
• We will now take a look at the encouraging way God has worked in our church during 2012

Church business meeting

Baptism - an expression of faith! - Matt 28:19-20

Baptism - an expression of faith!

February 3, 2013

Matt 28:19-20

Introduction

• This evening we will be baptizing a number of people
• But why do we baptize?
• Why is it important to take this step?
• Today I want to talk about different aspects of baptism, and then we will witness 7 people taking this step of obedience

A commandment

• The new testament church recognizes two ordinances given by Jesus
• These ordinances are each a commanded ceremony, which pictures the saving work of Jesus
• These ordinances were instituted by Jesus, taught by the apostles and practiced by the early church
• They are:
• The ordinance of communion
  • Commanded - Mat 26:26-29
  • Taught - 1 Cor 11:23-26
  • Practiced - Acts 2:42 (breaking of bread), 1 Cor 11:17-33

The ordinance of baptism

• Commanded - Matt 28:19-20
• Taught - Rom 6:3-4, Acts 19:1-5
• Practiced - Acts 2:41, 8:36-39

What is the meaning of baptism?

• Romans 6:3-4
• Just as Jesus died and was buried, carrying the sins of the world, when we go into the water it symbolizes us burying our old way of life, with all its sins, in a watery grave
• Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, our coming up out of the water represents our being raised to new life!
• The ceremony of baptism represents the salvation that happened inside us when we accepted Jesus

How should we be baptized?

• The new testament example of baptism is always by immersion, in other words by being dipped or submerged in water
• The greek word baptizo is used for this, around 80 times in the new testament. It means to immerse or submerge. No other greek word is ever used for baptism
• The greek word rantizo is used 4 times in the new testament (Heb 9:13, 19, 21, 10:22). It means to sprinkle and is never used for baptism
• Examples are:
  • Jesus baptism - Mat 3:13-17
  • Ethiopian eunuch - Acts 8:36-39

Why be baptized?

• To be obedient to Jesus commandment
• As a public testimony that we have repented of our sins, and are now followers of Jesus
• Sometimes we may feel the need to be rebaptized
  • if our original baptism was not understood at the time
  • if we were not baptized in the new testament manner
  • if we have walked away from the Lord and want to rededicate our lives to him

Prerequisite for membership in a local church

• Just as receiving the Holy Spirit adds believers in our Lord Jesus Christ to the Church which is His body (1 Cor 12:13), so water baptism is the means by which believers are publicly inducted into discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20) and added to the local church.
• The New Testament teaches the following order of events: people heard the message regarding Christ, responded in saving faith, were baptized and united with the local body of believers - Acts 2:41-41

Conclusion

• Baptism is is an outward expression of the change that happened in our heart when we repented of our sins, and asked Jesus to be our personal Lord and Savior
• It is a ceremony Jesus commanded
• It is a public testimony that we are followers of Jesus

Prayer

A Glimpse of Heaven - 1 Cor 13:12

A Glimpse of Heaven ...

February 3, 2013

1 Cor 13:12 

Introduction

• One of my colleagues lost a close friend this last Tuesday
• Pat Kesler also lost her mother the same day
• I believe both Cynthia and Pat's mom are now in heaven, both of them had accepted Jesus into their lives, and Jesus told us that he was preparing a place for each of us, in heaven
• But what does heaven look like?
• What will it be like to be on the other side of the great divide, when we pass from death into life?
• The Bible does not give an enormous amount of detail on this subject, but this morning I want to look at some verses which give us some clues, and perhaps speculate a little about what things could be like
• But please remember some of this will be speculation, all we really know is what the Bible tells us

What does God's throne room look like?

• Rev 4:1-11
• Picture what this looks like
• The apostle John was on an island in the Mediterranean
• He had been banished there for a period of time
• He sees a vision of God's throne room, an open vision
• He sees a throne with someone sitting on it
• Eph 2:4-6 - we are seated with him in the heavenly realms
• Right now, in this life, we are in Christ and he is in us!
• In some way, we are with him in heaven! We can't comprehend this but this is what it says!
• What is it like to be with someone?
• We talks, share, communicate, plan
• Acts 7:49 - heaven is God's throne - how can we think we can provide a temple for a God who fills the universe!
• We are with him and he is with us
• When our spirit goes to heaven, we will be in a place of total intimacy with Jesus
• Him in us, and us in him, you can't get closer than that!
• We will be with Jesus all the time, in total communion
• Just like Jesus with the Father - where you go I'll go, what you speak, I'll speak
• Jesus was in constant communion with the Father, we will be too

What kind of body will we have?

• 1 Cor 15:42-49 - a body which is spirit, imperishable (it cannot die), glory, no more weakness, but powerful instead
• 1 Cor 13:12 - we see only a glimpse of God today, only a hazy impression
• But then we will have a full understanding
• Rev 6:9 - given white robes, conscious, speaking to Jesus
• The white robes may imply that they moved around, were not just disembodied spirits under the altar
• They were clothed and thinking and communicating
• 1 John 3:2 - we will be like him, seeing him face to face
• This means we will be able to see his glory, Moses was only allowed to see a part of it
• We will have glory, just as Jesus has, because we will be like him
• How incredible!

Are we going to be stuck in one place, at the throne?

• First of all, let's read the following
• Rev 3:11-12 - we will never leave the temple of God
• Obviously there is some symbolism here - we will not become literal pillars
• But we will never leave the temple of God
• Rev 21:23 - the Father and the Lamb, are the temple in the new Jerusalem
• The physical temple was only a representation of God
• Psa 139:1-12 - God is everywhere, he is omni-present!
• The universe is not big enough to contain him!
• And yet, we are in God and He is in us!
• This means we will have access to the whole universe

Created in God's image

• Gen 1:26 - created in God's image
• God is the creator of all things
• He has also place a creative gift in mankind
• That is in this life
• How much more will that be developed when we receive our spirit body!
• We will have incredible capabilities and no doubt God will send us to express that creativity in the universe
• Luke 13:21 - leaven goes through the whole lump of dough
• Dan 2:44-45 - kingdom will never be destroyed, endure forever
• Isa 9:7 - of the increase of His kingdom will be no end

Conclusion

• Those of us who have lost loved ones and are experiencing the pain of loss, be encouraged
• The present pain is on our side of the great divide - the other side is a wonderful place and experience, which our loved ones are now enjoying, living, laughing, planning and working in total closeness with Jesus
• The things we experience today, including miracles, storms being stilled, mountains moved, people being healed of all manner of illnesses, are only a small foretaste of what is yet to come for us, but which our loved ones are now experiencing.
• So be comforted
• 1 Thes 4:13-18

Prayer