Tithing Made Simple | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

Let's give First Lady a hand right now. Thank God. If you have your Bibles and would stand with me. Isn't the name of Jesus wonderful tonight? >> You know the name of Jesus is a win-win. You do know that, don't you? Because at the mention of the name at the mention of the name of Jesus, you you get the attention of Jesus. When you call his name, you get his attention. Right? So that's a win. But I said a win-win. When you call on the name of Jesus, you get his attention, but you also get hell's attention. Because there's one name that hell has to stop what it's doing, and that's the name of Jesus. And I call the name of Jesus over my family because my family needs help, right? I call the name of Jesus over my family because my family needs help. I call the name of Jesus over my f my church family because my church family needs help. We call the name of Jesus and he's an everpresent help in the time of need. But not only that, if the devil's at work on my family, he gets served a notice to back out of here, to get off of my children, to get away from my marriage, to get away from them in Jesus name. If you have your Bibles, would be so kind to turn with me to Malachi chapter 3 and we're going to begin reading at verse number 10. Seems like the Holy Ghost has led us. we were into doctrine and we're still into doctrine because tithing tithing is a it's it's a doctrine and we're still we're still into we're still into that doctrine and um Malachi 3 and 10 I'll tell you there's just something special about the first Wednesday we start the morning out with our trendsetters and we have prayer and then we go to the global grounds to have devotion and there's just something anointing there's something precious about our trends setters getting together. It's the first Wednesday. It's the first Wednesday of every month. And then something else, um, Sister Patterson, that's so sweet and precious. The first Wednesday night, they go get the first Wednesday night of the month, they go get the, uh, prodal vases that are filled with the names of our prodals. They bring them, put them in the middle of the prayer room, and we just gather around at 7:15, and we pray over them. And um it's just an anointing. It's just a precious time that that heaven hears our prayer about about our prodals. And I'm so thankful for that. You have your Bibles in Malachi 3 verse number 10. Listen listen to the word of the Lord. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saeth the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, sayaeth the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. That's an interesting way that he signs the Lord of hosts. He's the captain of our salvation. I want the Lord to fight my battles. >> I want him to be my Lord of the hosts tonight. Would you pray with me? Father, I thank you tonight, Lord, for the praise and the worship that went forth. I thank you for the response, God, to the praise and the worship that Thank you, Lord, for the prayer room tonight. I thank you for a people, Lord. I thank you for a people, God, that want to serve you and want to be in your house. And Lord, I understand tonight with this subject of tithing and offerings that we have we have baby Christians that are here. We have those that are brand new to the faith. We have those that are brand new to this new walk. And Lord, I pray tonight that you would somehow help me to prepare the food that they could receive this tonight. them. Lord, I not only pray for the baby Christians that are here, but Lord, I pray for those that simply have not yet developed faith enough to believe you and to trust you in the area of our finances, in their finances, Lord, and because God, you want to bless us, God, in the area of our finances, God, you want to bless us, Lord. And I pray that for the next few moments that you would anoint me as the undersheperd Lord of this church and I would teach this that there would not be condemnation. There would be conviction but there would not be condemnation in this place tonight. Lord may we freely receive the word of God in Jesus' name we pray. If you believe that say amen. >> You may be seated. Tonight I've chosen for a topic tithing made simple. Tithing made simple. Now I believe with all of my heart tonight and I've always used this as a measuring stick that if I can understand it, I've always used this as a measuring stick. If I can understand it, anybody can understand it. I've just I've just you I've just used that. As a matter of fact, uh, in helping, uh, ministers that are getting started preaching, I have told them, if you don't understand what you're saying, the congregation surely doesn't understand what you're saying. If it's a mist in the pool pit, it's a fog in the pew. I got news for you. If you if if you don't know what you're saying, they don't know what you're saying. And uh so I've always used as a as a measuring stick. If I can understand it, then everybody everybody can understand it. And so tonight, if you'll go with me on this journey, you if you'll go with me on if you'll go with me on this journey, tithing made simple. Read your Bible. You don't have your Bible before you. It's going to be up on the screen. And um tithing made simple. We're going to begin tonight. We're going to begin tonight that tithing tithing one's increase of income. Tithing one's either increase or tithing on your income is an act on our part of obedience. All right. Tithing, that's that's 10% of your income or increase is an act of obedience from you to God of of the practice of tithing. Tithing takes an act of obedience. And I'm I'm just going to stay there for a moment because we got to understand that tithing takes an act of obedience. Good intentions will not bring God's blessings upon your life. There's a lot of people that are in tremendous financial issues and trouble that have good intentions about tithing. They have good intentions. They know they should do it and uh they've just not yet developed what it is. They've just not yet developed the faith to step out and to obey God. They just they just they just haven't developed that. They just have de developed that faith. It's kind of like this. You've heard the story. I know you have many times of the man that stretched a tightroppe across Niagara Falls and he took a wheelbarrow and he drew he drew quite a crowd. He got that empty wheelbarrow and he walked that tightroppe across Niagara Falls and back. The time he got back, he had a large crowd that was wa watching. And he looked down at a man and he said, "Do you believe that I can go over and come back?" And the man said, "I believe you can." He said, "Get in the wheelbarrow." Well, he had second thoughts about that. Isn't it amazing that we can believe something that it works for somebody else, but yet we've not yet developed the faith to step out of the boat and give God that act of obedience that says to God, "I trust you, God. God, your word would never your your word would never do us wrong." This act of obedience. Turn with me now to 1st Samuel 1st Samuel chapter 15. And I do apologize to those running the scriptures tonight that I did not pass these did not pass these uh to you. And I will give you plenty enough time. 1st Samuel chapter 15 and verse number verse number 22 is where I want to start reading. 1st Samuel uh chapter 15 and verse 22 and and really um I really sister I really want to start at 1st Samuel chapter 15 verse one um tricked you didn't I 1st Samuel chapter 15 and verse number one Samuel also said unto Saul the Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over Israel king over his people over Israel Israel. Now therefore hearken, that word hearken means listen intently unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalecch did to Israel, how he laid weight for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go smite Amalecch and utterly destroy all that he they have. Spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling. ox, sheep, camel, and ass. Now Saul is being sent on a mission from God. God has remembered. Boy, God's got a good God's got a good memory. You hear me? God said, "I remember what Amalecch did to my people when they came out of Egypt. Do you realize that was 400 years ago?" Some of us can't remember what happened four hours ago. God said, God said, "I remember what Amalecch did to my people 400 years ago. said, "It's time for them to pay up." Said, "I want you to go down. I want you to utterly destroy all that they have. I want you to totally annihilate these people, these Amalocites. That's your orders. That's what you're to do. That's what you're to go be obedient." But we realize, go down to verse number seven. Saul goes down. Saul smokeote the Amalocites from Havala until thou comest to shure, that is over against Egypt. And he took Aag, king of the Amlikites, alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge with the edge of the sword. But but Saul and the people spared Aag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen, the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them, but everything that was vile and refused that they destroyed. Now, this is what's called partial obedience. And I want you to know tonight that partial obedience is always total disobedience. All right? Late Johnny James said, "Almost in is always out." All right? You can't almost be obedient. You got to go, you got to go all the way. What happened with Saul? Saul got down there and God started giving him the victory and he wanted to have a big sacrifice. He was going to sacrifice a gag and the sheep, but he was going to do it in the town square so everybody could see what Saul had done. Well, that's not what God said. God said, "Go down there and utterly destroy all of them." But he didn't. He saved Aag. He saved the best of the sheep and he he he he brought them he brought them back. Look at verse 10. Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel saying, "It repent of me." This is what God is saying. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the Lord all night. It just so it just so grieved Samuel that Saul was not obeying that Saul was not obeying God. It grieved him and he he cried all night. Verse number verse number 12. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel. And behold, he set him up a place. He built him a monument there, and is gone about and passed on and gone down to Gil. Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said unto him, "Blessed be thou the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord." In other words, Saul met Samuel, and first thing he said, he said, "Oh, blessed be the Lord. Bless you. I have obeyed. I have obeyed the word of the Lord. And Samuel said, "What meanth then this bleeding of the sheep in mine ears and the loing of the oxen which I hear?" He said, "If you've done the word of the Lord, how come I hear sheep? How come how come I hear how come I hear oxen?" Now it's believed because sa Samuel the prophet used the word I hear the sheep and I hear the oxen. It is believed that uh brother Ericson that Samuel was partially blind. All right. It's believed that he was partially blind. But let me tell you something. God is never partially blind. The eyes of the Lord are open to all. And so although Samuel might have been partially blind, God has never been nor ever will be partially blind. And he said, 'Well, what meanth this? And here's the excuse, and I'll go through this. Here's the excuse. Well, we saved the best sheep for sacrifice. And well, Samuel said, "The people did it." He tried to pass the buck. The people did it and turned around. It was Saul and the people that did it, and we're going to have a we're going to have a sacrifice. But it came all the way down to verse 22. Saul had offered his excuse for why he hadn't totally obeyed God. he partially did it, but how he hadn't totally obeyed God. And Samuel said, "All right, now it's time for the lesson." And Samuel said, verse 22, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken, to listen, to pay attention than the fat of rams." Now, now listen to this. Samuel offered to him, "Oh, we we brought this back. We're going to have a sacrifice. I've got a reason for why we hadn't done fully what the word of the Lord said." Samuel said, "No, let me tell you about God. To obey, to be obedient is better than sacrifice." Said to have an obedient spirit is better than sacrifice. And to hearken to listen to pay attention. You know you can hear but are you listening? You can hear but are you paying attention? He said and to hearken to listen is better than the fat of ram. Said you can bring the best sacrifice but if it's not a total obedience it it's not a better sacrifice. It's not it's not the best that God has. If you're not listening, it's you can bring the best fat of the ram you want to, but it's not in God's sight as valuable as as listening. Verse 23 really says it. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. Now, now, now look at this with me. Rebellion, God said, God said, you know, not church, it doesn't matter what we say about rebellion. In God's eyes, rebellion is as the sin of what? >> Witchcraft. What is what is witchcraft? Witchcraft is man's attempt to use a spiritual power other than God. It is man's attempt to use a spiritual power other than God. Brothers and sisters, tonight there's only two spiritual powers in this world. The power of God and the power of darkness. And if you're looking for any other power other than the power of God, you will get into the power of darkness. And the power of darkness is not there to to bless you. The power of darkness is there to destroy you. The power of darkness is not is not there to make your life better. The power of darkness is to make your life miserable. So he said, "You have you have rebelled and you have tried to to use your mind to get another answer and you've actually entered into witchcraft." And then he said, "You're stubborn." And he said, "That's idolatry." What is idolatry? What's he mean here? It's the worship of you. It's the worship of you. Because when we're not obedient to God's word, in essence, we are saying to God, I know better than you. I I know better about this than you do. I know what this word says, but listen to me. I know better. We although you you'll never say that, but our actions do. Our actions are saying that. So here in this rebellion, but I want to get off that. And I want to get on this. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Obedience is better than sacrifice. And to listen tonight, to listen is better than the fat of the rams. Let's go this evening to the origin of tithing. I believe a lot of things can be found in the book of Genesis. So turn with me to Genesis chapter 4. Genesis chapter 4 and and verse verse number um three. Genesis chapter 4 and verse number three. Can everybody say amen tonight? >> Genesis 4 and verse number three. And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. An offering. Cain brought an offering. And Abel, he also brought of the first lings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering. Now, the first lings, the first lings of the flock was the firstborn of the sheep. Whatever the first ling was was the first offspring that a ulam would have and that would be called the first ling. And it was able it was able that presents to us a typology a typology that tithing is first. Tithing is is the very first that we give to God. It is the first that we give. It's it's it's really if we could if we could just get this in our minds. It's it's it's not even yours to begin with. You have been entrusted with it to bring it to the storehouse to the house of God. You've simply been in you you've been entrusted. It's the it's the first thing that should come out of your income. It's the first thing that should come out of your increase. Because here Abel brought the first ling and that would be a type of tithing. And then it says that he not only brought the first lings but he also brought the fat thereof which that would just simply mean an offering. So here in the book of Genesis we have typology. We have typology just like uh the altar in the tabernacle represented typology repentance and the labor represented typology baptism and uh the altar of incense represented typology of prayer and the table of shoebre typology the word the candlestick typology of revelation the veil was typology of the flesh of Jesus Christ the holy of holies was the typology of baptis baptism of the holy ghost we also have here the typology of tithing and offerings as early as Genesis 4 and verse number three. Although we see that Abe Cain only brought an offering, it was Abel that brought both tithe and offerings. And let me say this, at the end of the day, it was Abel that was accepted and it was Cain that was rejected. But the Bible doesn't use the word tithe. As a matter of fact, the word tithe is not used until the 14th chapter of the book of Genesis. The 14th chapter of the book of Genesis and verse number 14. Let me just tell you what's going on here. So, we don't spend a lot of time reading tonight. Uh uh Lot has moved to Sodom. He has taken his family and moved to Sodom. Sodom has been invaded by five kings. They have taken the They've taken the people of Sodom captive. They've taken all their houses. They've taken all the goods. They've taken their wives, their children. They've taken them captive. And uh they're they're they're leading them out of Sodom. Word comes back to Abram Abraham that his nephew Lot has been taken captive. Abraham arms 318 men in his house and he goes to get his nephew. He goes to get Lot and his family. That's where we're going to start reading tonight. Verse number 14. Genesis 14. When Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. He divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smoked them, and pursued them unto Hobab, Hobab, which is on the left hand of Damascus. He brought back all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods and the women also and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after he's returned from the slaughter of Ched or Leammore. Give me a hand for pronouncing that right tonight. Come on now. Come on. Come on. Got that right? I'm going to say it again. and of the kings that were with him at the valley of Sheva, which is in the Kingsdale and Mazdc. All right, king of Salem. Here we have two kings coming to Abram. We have two kings. The king of Sodom and the king of Salem. His name is Melzdc. He is a typology of Jesus Christ. He's the type all of Jesus Christ because he is Melzdc. He is king and he is priest. All right. He has the authority of the king. He has the intercessor of a priest. He has the typology. He's a typology of Jesus Christ. So he met the the Melzdc and the king of Sodom met Abram. But the notice this, the king of Sodom, the world brought Lot nothing. All right? Just like the world will bring you nothing. But now this Melzdc, king of Salem, brought forth bread, that's the word, and wine, that's the spirit. He was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." So here we come now. Here we come. Lot, Sodom's king, gives nothing to Lot. Gives absolutely nothing to Lot. But Melzdc, king of Salem, which Salem means peace, we get the word Jerusalem, which means city of peace. And so Melzdc comes being priest and king. And he brings wine, spirit, and bread, word. And not only that, he brings a blessing to Abram. He starts blessing Abram. Blessed be Abram, possessor of heaven, the God of Abram, possessor of heaven and earth, bringing me the word, bringing me the spirit. And look at what happened. Look at what Abram did. Look at what Abram did. Verse 20, Melzdc said, "Blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand." And he, which is Abram, gave him tithes of all. All right? He gave him the tithe of the spoil here. Now, I want I want you to I want you to realize something. I'm I'll say it here in a few moments. I'll say it here in a few moments. We're not living under the law right now. When we think about tithing, we think, "Oh, the tithing tithing was under the law." You're correct. Correct. I say mazes, but we can't say correct. You're you're correct. Tithing was under the law. But let me give you a little information. Tithing was before the law. And tithing was after the law. >> And I'll tell you why tithing is really known in the law. As a matter of fact, before before Moses came down from the mountain saying, "Thou shalt not commit adultery, there was a young man by the name of Joseph that when Piper's wife tried to seduce him, he said, "How can I do this wickedness before my God? How can I sin before my God?" Wait a minute. Moses ain't even come down from the mountain yet. I got news for you. There were some things that God put in the nature of man that was already established. Although it wasn't written, it was already established in their heart. And tithing, here's one of them. Abram, he gave Melzdc tithing. Tithing of all. Well, I'm I'm going to have a little fun here. I'm going go down here for a moment. Abram gave him tithing of all. Verse 20. And the king of Sodom said unto said unto Abram, "Give me the persons and take the goods to thyself." He said, 'Well, just give me the people. Give me the people. All right? And you keep you keep the goods of Sodom. You you you you give me the people back, but you keep the goods. Now, listen to this now. Listen to this. This really gets good. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from thee a thread." I don't want you closed. I will not take from thee a thread even to a shoe latchet. That I will not take. I will not take anything that is thine lest thou should have say I have made Abram rich. He said, "Oh no." He said, "I don't want your clothes. I don't want your sodomite clothes. I don't want your sodomite shoes. I don't want your sodomite way of walking. I don't want your sodomite way of dressing. I don't want anything you have." Because you know what you're going to do, king of Sodom, world? You're going to say, "I made Abraham rich. I made him rich." But he didn't want any of that. Let me tell you something. If you want the blessings of God, it will be apparent on your life that it is God that has blessed you. >> It is God that has made us and not we ourselves. It it it it is not. We often wonder we often we often wonder, you know, well, wouldn't it been wonderful? We could have got in this church in no time, Brother Perry, if some multi-millionaire had come by here and just stroked us a check for millions of dollars. But guess what we would be known by today in Mville? The church that a millionaire built. >> But because we bind together and tithe and offerings and sacrificial giving, people say, "Look what they did for the Lord. Look what look what they sacrificial." I I tell you what, that's a whole lot better testimony that's worth waiting eight or nine years for, wouldn't you say, to be able to say, "Look what God blessed those people with. I don't want your shoelatches. I don't want your clothes. I don't want anything that you have, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich." Look at verse 24. Save only, said the only thing. save only that which the young men have eaten and the portion of the men which went with me uh Aner Esther and Mamray let them take their portion said I don't want anything I'd got my blessings and here it is it started Abram Abram paid tithe to Melisedc let's turn over a few chapters to chapter number 28 let's turn over a few chapters 28 we have a dysfunction functional family here. I don't know about you, but I enjoy reading the Old Testament. Um, all the dysfunctional I find in teaching home Bible studies and going through going through the Old Testament and showing all the dysfunction that there's a lot of families that find comfort. I've had I've had families say, "Man, I don't feel so bad after all. That's brother killing brother and and that's this going on." Well, that was a lot of dysfunction. Esau is going to kill Jacob. Jacob has deceived his father and Esau is going to kill uh Jacob. And in chapter 28 verse number 10, and Jacob went out from Bersea, he's got to run now because Esau going to kill him. And Jacob went out from Burshiba went toward Hon. He lied upon a certain place and tried there all night because the sun was set. He took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows and lay down in that place to sleep. He running for his life. He's exhausted. The sons went down. And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest. to thee will I give it into thy seed, and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and that shall spread abroad, to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south, and in thee, and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all the places where thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken of." Man, what a dream. What a dream he had. In the midst of dysfunction. in the midst of dysfunction. What a dream. What a dream that he had. Verse 16, Jacob awoke out of his sleep and he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not." He was afraid and said, "How dreadful," that word really means awesome, incredible, unbelievable is this place. This is none other but the house of God and it is the gate of heaven. Jacob arose up early in the morning and took the stones. Pay attention to this now that he had put for his pillows and set it up for a pillar and poured oil up on the top of it. Man, he he stacked up the rocks and poured oil that was expensive. He called the name of that place Bethl, which means house of God. But the name of that city was called L or light at the first. Jacob vowed a vow saying if God be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and will give me bread to eat and raignment to put on so that I come again to my father's house in peace then shall the Lord be my God. Let's go back to verse 20 and look at this again please. Jacob vowed a vow and said, "If the Lord if God be with me and will keep me in the way that I go," that is God's presence and God's protection. That is God's presence and God's protection. And keep me in the way that I go and will give me bread to eat and raignment to put on. That is God's provision, God's presence. How many wants God's presence, >> God's protection, >> God's provision, and give me raignment to put on so that I come again to my father's house in peace. Then shall the Lord be my God. That's peace in troubled family. Come on. Tell Can I tell you, Jacob woke up and he said, "If if God will be with me, it's your presence and and God will protect me and God will provide for me and God will straighten out this dysfunction in my family. My brother wants to kill me. I've been the favorite of my mother. Esau's been the favorite of my father. We've got dysfunction. I've cheated my father. I've lied to my blind father. I've got dysfunction in this family. He said, "If God could bring me back in peace," can I tell any dysfunctional family here tonight, God is able to give you peace. >> I'm going to say that again. Any dysfunctional family here tonight, God is able to give you peace. >> But here's the catch. And this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house. Are you looking at this? AND OF ALL THAT THOU SHALT GIVE ME, I will surely give the tenth unto thee. What a great deal we get. What a great deal we get for a little measly tenth of our income. A measly little tenth of our income. We get the presence of God. A measly little tenth of our income, we get the protection of God. A measly little tenth of our income and we WE GET THE PROVISIONS OF GOD. And a measly little tenth OF OUR INCOME, THE PEACE SPEAKER WALKS INTO OUR DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES. AND THE PEACE speaker brings peace to I don't know about you, but God deserves a hand clap of an offering right now. Now we go to the law. Let's go over here to Leviticus chapter 27 verse number 30. Now we come to the law. Leviticus 27 verse 30. This is the law. The mountain has shook with fire. Moses has come down glowing with the glory of God. He's got the ten commandments and he's got the law in his hands. And here it is part of it. and all the tithe of the land where the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree is the Lord's. It is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem all of his tithes, he shall add therefore the fifth part. Man, why wasn't this used in other places? And I'm going to show you why. The hardness, the hardness of man's heart. the hardness of man's heart. God had to say under the law. If you hold back what's God's, then you're to add the fifth part to it. You're to add a greater you're to add a greater percentage to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tent shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it. And if he change it at all, then he then then both it and the change thereof shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed. These and I want you to pay attention to verse 34. He comes to the end of it. These are the commandments which the Lord God commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Si. He commanded. Why? I'll tell you why. Because man's heart over time had God hardened toward God. Why did Abel tithe? His heart wasn't quite hardened. He had sin, but it wasn't quite hardened. Why did Abraham pay tithe? Because his heart was hard. He He He wasn't perfect, but it wasn't as hard. Why did Jacob say that? Because they they still wasn't their hearts weren't hardened. But you got hundreds of years of the nature of rebellion of flesh in man. And now man's heart is hardened. And God has to command it to be. God has to say things like if you hold back the tithe, then you're to add the fifth part. You're to add a greater percentage to it. God. Because man's heart was hardened, God had to make it a stiff commandment of God. Well, turn with me to Matthew chapter 19. I hope I hope chapter 19 of Matthew helps helps us out here. Matthew chapter 19. I love God's word tonight, church. Don't you? >> I just love God's word. If you love God's word, would you say amen? Huh? Amen. >> I I just I just love I just love God's word tonight. Matthew chapter 19 verse number three. I think this is going to help us. The Pharisees also came unto him Jesus tempting him and saying unto him, Jesus is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? They came to him and said, "Hey, Jesus, can can a man put his wife away for every cause?" Jesus answered and said unto them, "Have you not read that which he made that which made that that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God had joined together. Let no man put us under. Now they spoke about Moses's law, and God took them back to the very beginning. You see that? They spoke about what Moses law was, but God took them back to the very beginning. Then verse seven, they say unto him, why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you. Now, look at how they get things twisted. They said, well, Moses commanded it. Moses didn't command it. Moses suffered it. It was an allowance. Why was it an allowance? Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives. But from the beginning, it was not so. So, we see that as time went on, man's heart grew harder and harder and harder to where God had to give a law. God had to give a stiff command. You do this or die. You have to do this or you're cursed. YOU GOT GOD gave a law. Why? Because our hearts were hardened. But isn't this where salvation comes in? I'm so thankful tonight that we're not serving God under the law. We're serving God under a new heart. We've got a new heart. Here's the problem with the law. This is why it NEVER WORKED. THE LAW was weak because it dealt with your flesh. It dealt with flesh. The law, brother Wales, tried to come from the outside and go in and change the heart. The heart DID NOT HAVE GOD'S law written upon it. It was trying to be a habit. And you will ne you will never habit yourself into holy living. You the only way that you'll you'll become holy and living is to have a heart change to have a Ezekiel said IN THAT DAY I WILL TAKE THE STONY heart out of you and I will give you a heart of flesh and I will write my laws upon your heart under the law. The law was trying to come in through the flesh and get to the heart and it never could. But under this NEW BORNAGAIN PLAN OF SALVATION, GOD GIVES US A BRAND NEW HEART. WE'RE BORN AGAIN. We've been given this brand new heart. It's brand new heart. >> We're not living under the law anymore. We're not living under the law, man. We're not living under Oh, wait a minute. You need to read what Jesus had to say about the law. He came around and said something like this. He said, "You have heard it said that thou shalt not kill." But I say to you, he that is angry with his brother without a cause. I say to you, if you call your brother fool, I say to you, if you have anger in your heart, you've murdered your brother already. You think that say all I got to do is restraint. I can hate your I can hate your guts. As long as I don't kill you, I'm safe. God said, "No, if you've killed them in your heart, God said, in my eyes, you've already done it." See, it's not, "Man, we're not under the law anymore." No, we've been given a new heart, and we are been we have been given the ability to live a stricter life than they lived under the law. Well, let me throw another one at that. If the murder deal didn't get you, let's throw another one out. Jesus said, "You have heard it said THAT THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY." But I say to you, he that lookketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. I want you to know something. I am thankful that God has given us through the plan of salvation, through the death, burial, and resurrection. It's as simple as simple could be. He died for our sins. HE WAS BURIED FOR OUR SINS. And he rose again to give us victory so we could be victorious over our sins. We have repented for our sins. WE HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED FOR THE REMISSION OF OUR SINS. AND WE HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST TO GIVE US VICTORY OVER FUTURE SINS. You see, repentance will take us out of the bar. Water baptism will take us take the bar out of our heart. But spirit baptism will give us power to walk by the bar and wave at it as we go by. Aren't you thankful we're living under the grace dispensation? >> I am so glad that he's given us a new heart. I want to be in church. I'm not here, Sister Lawless. I'M NOT HERE UNDER COMMANDMENT. I WANT TO BE HERE TONIGHT. I WANT MY FAMILY TO BE HERE. I'M GLAD MY CHILDREN ARE OVER IN KIDS QUEST TONIGHT RECEIVING THE WORD. Don't have to come to church. Don't have to do this. Didn't have to BRING AN OFFERING TONIGHT. HALLELUJAH. I GET TO BRING AN OFFERING TONIGHT BECAUSE I have I have it in my heart. I have it in my heart. Let me let me try to teach and not preach here. deceived. It's in my heart. Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. It's in my heart. Well, tithing was under the law. It was It was before the law, and it's after the law. Let's listen to what Jesus said about tithing. And he said something about tithing in Matthew chapter 23, verse number 23. Jesus said something about tithing. Matthew 23 and 23. He said, "Woe unto you scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites, for you paid tithe of mint and of annis and of coming." That mint, annis, and come was little bitty tea plants, little little plants that you would grow. Them Pharisees and Sadducees and and self-righteous, they'd get out there and they'd start counting. T 1, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Boom. Tithe 1, two, three, four. Boom. That's tithe. They were so meticulous about that. Jesus said, "Woe unto you scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites, for you paid tithe of men and coming and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone." He wasn't releasing us from tithing. He was putting tithing in its PROPER PLACE. HE WAS saying judgment and mercy and law is the way to your matters. HELPING SOMEBODY OUT. Being merciful to people is the weightier matters. He wasn't saying you don't have to tithe. He was just saying this is the weightier matters. I've got a little thing here and I I I don't think I have time to go into it, but u I'll give you some I may, the Lord willing, I may bring it back next Wednesday night, but um when the book of Acts opened and millions received the Holy Ghost, there were millions of people there on the day of Pentecost gathered there and the church was burnt, at least 3,000. One day, one day they grew from 120 to three to 3,120. And um everybody pulled their finances together and every man that had need they they made distribution. They came and laid it at the apostles feet and everybody that had that had need they gave. But I'm telling you something that was a flawed system. It wasn't God's financial system. It was flawed. Um it was it was used for a time when there was thousands of people that stayed in Jerusalem when they got the Holy Ghost. stayed there and they would need housing, they would need food and they would need shelter and they just everybody pulled their finances together and made sure and and and and you you you go through all this and I'll do this next Wednesday night, but but it did come back around. It came it No, it didn't come back around. It was just simply the church followed the method of tithing and offerings in their local in their local gatherings. Even Paul said that they that preach the gospel would live by the gospel. That he said he said the law said muzzle not the ox that treads out the corn. Said it was cruel to put an ox in a in a in a corn field and make him work. And that old ox get hungry and he couldn't work. He was treading the corn and they'd put a nozzle over him so he couldn't open his mouth. And God said, "Don't do that to the ox." said, "If he's going to tread corn, bless God, let the ox eat." And Paul said, "Did God write that for the oxen's sake?" He said, "Oh, no. It was said for those men that minister the gospel that they that preach the gospel." So, so there was a there was a method that came that came around and and I may, the Lord willing, I may go go into that, but but tithing my my title is tonight uh my tithing my title is tonight tithing made simple. All right. Tithing made simple. And it's as simple as this. It It really is as simple. It's It really is as simple as this. And I heard this the other day. It's a Chinese proverb. It's a Chinese proverb. Said there's two times, two best times to plant a tree. Said the number one best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. and said, "The second best time to plant a tree is today." Can I tell you, you don't need to sit and worry that you had 20 years that you didn't plant. You just need to start now. There's no better time than than than right now. There there's no there's no better There's no better time. And it's it's very simple. Tithing looks tithing just looks like this. If you're increased through income or increase $600 this week, $60 $60, that's a tent. $60 is holy. It belongs to God. You should bring it to the house of God where you're fed, where you're fed, where you worship God, where they provide for you the spiritual things that you need. You should bring that should put in an envelope or mark on the check, this is tithing. You should put it in the offering. See how simple that is? It's really simple. You should put it in the container and that's tied that belongs to God. After that, you should consider what an offering would be. You should consider an offering has no percentage to it. There is no percentage to an offering. It's it's how the Lord is it's how the Lord has blessed you. But you you should consider you should consider an offering. That's that's how how it would be. And I know that we have several business owners here in the church and and this is this is how you should be. I understand that that that that that you live out of your you you live out of your business and you tithe what you take out of your business. But if you want your business blessed whether quarterly or whenever whenever you sum up what that business has increased whatever whenever if you do it quarterly or you do it every six months or whatever. I don't I don't know what you do. All right. I've never owned a business. I don't know. I don't know how that works. But sometime or another I would say it would be good. It would be good business that you have to sit down and say something like this. Say, "All right. Um, we uh we took in $10,000 and um it took us $7,000 to make $10,000. So, what does that leave us with?" That leaves us with a what? A >> $3,000 what? >> Increase. Right. So then I look at my business because I want my business to be blessed. I look at my business and from the three $3,000 uh from the $3,000 there would be tithe of uh what is sister? Help me out. I knew it. I just wanted to So it's it's really it's really just tithing. It's really just tithing made simple. And uh I want you to be blessed tonight. I truly I truly want you to be blessed. Would you stand with me right now? Well, we are off to a great year, Brother Sullivan, aren't we? We are off to a great school year. It is a It is a tremendous school year that that we're off to. And uh did did did I hear that we have 31 or 33 brand new students th this year at Apostolic Christian Academy. Isn't that wonderful? got 30 some odd brand grand brand grand brand grand brand grand brand grand brand brand new students this year and the teachers are doing fantastic. We just we just love them. We missed that. We we missed we hated that we missed the uh fundraiser uh for the athletic department Sunday night, but brother Nolan and those over at uh Sister Helms and all the people, would you give uh and and and somebody came to me the other day uh and they were talking about one certain individual that was doing some volunteer work and and they said to me, they said, "You know, you really ought to mention their name." And and I said, "I know it. I really should. But there is so many people that volunteer around this church that I number one I I don't know if I can keep up with all the names. I I hate to call Dean Volentine's name, but he he he he volunteers and and uh oh, I'd like to just joke with him tonight, but he volunteers. We he we have to make sure he can be here, but we he he volunteers here. And then sister, it's just here. Here I've done it. But thank everybody that volunteers, Sister Helms and the people that cook. Uh the other day, the other day we uh my sister-in-law um Janette passed away. Kelly's mother passed away and uh the ladies prepared a meal over here and it's such a beautiful Thank you all for all that you for all that you do for for the work of God. Thank you for Sister Kartman. Would you be so kind as to grab that microphone? And I think that it would really be good if you dismissed us tonight in prayer. How many like how many like that announcement them that new uh I think you're going to be able to take your your your little ones on Sunday night and they can get the Holy Ghost in the classroom and uh maybe more of us will get the Holy Ghost if they're not in here. Amen. Come on up here and pray right now.