God’s Financial Plan for the Church
Malachi 3:8-17 “The silver is mine and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Host.” Haggai 2:8. “For all the earth is mine.” Exodus 19:5. “The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof: The world and they that dwell therein.” Psalms 24:1. God owns all, man merely possesses it. I: The Law of the Tithe Is As Old As the Human Race. 1. The tithe recognizes that God owns everything. 2. The tithe is God’s rent and man is the renter. 3. Abraham was a tither. 4. Jacob made a pledge to God that he would pay the tithe. 5. “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increases of the seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.” Deut. 14:22. 6. God closed the windows of heaven when Israel robbed him of the tithe. Malachi 3:8-17....
Concerning The Collection
Cor. 1 16:1-4, 9:1-16 Paul was concerned about the collection and he wanted the church at Corinth to be concerned also. This was one of their greatest failures and it was the only thing Paul owed and gave an apology for. I: We Ought to be Concerned About the Collection. 1. The Collection keeps the building open, turns on lights, heats or cools, hires a janitor or office help, furnishes equipment, piano, organ, and needy, marry the living, bury the dead and description. a. Preaches the gospel around the world and is a spiritual gauge of our love and devotion to the Master. b. It is the Bugle call of loyalty. Santa monied High School Bugles. 2. Pastors ought to be concerned. a. Strong financial program is essential to the solving of a multitude of spiritual...
The Doom of A Fruitless Vine
Isaiah 5:, Matthew 21:18-21, & John 15: I: The Opportunities of this Vineyard: 1. “A very fruitful hill.” 2. “He fences it,” protection. 3. “And gathered out the stones.” 4. “Planted it with the choicest vine.” 5. “Built a tower in the midst of it.” 6. “Made a wine press therein.” 7. What more could He have done? How near does our life compare with this vineyard? II: “He Looked That It Should Bring Forth Grapes.” 1. He had every right to accept fruit. 2. He expected good fruit and not wild bitter grapes. 3. Where grace does not work, corruption will. 4. How much like the vineyard, when we produce grapes of melice, envy, unfairness, contentious, cursings, malice, envy,...
Dedicated Hands
Psalms 18:20-24, Romans 6:12 I: The Hands and Their Language: 1. The crossed fingers. 2. The extended hand of friendship. 3. The accusing finger. 4. The helpless turning of the palm. 5. The folded hands of prayer. 6. The thumbs down hands. 7. The hands raised to invoke the blessing of God. 8. The clinched fist or the spread fingers of greed. II: Hands that Curse: 1. Like the hands of the sons of Eli. 2. Hands of those that shed innocent blood. 3. Bloody hands of Pilot. 4. Greedy hands of Judas. 5. Lying hands of Ananias & Sapphirs. 6. The hands that withhold to their own hurt. 7. Hands that lay idle while there is work to do. 8. Hands that hold the brake while others pull. III: Hands that Bless: 1. Like the hands of Abraham. 2. The hands of Moses. 3. The...
Tithe In the Old Testament
Leviticus 27:30-34, Malachi 3:7-18 I: This is the Sore Sport in Stewardship. 1. If a man is right on this question, he is usually faithful in all his stewardship. 2. What is money? Metal, silver, gold, copper. 3. It is a medium of exchange. 4. It is a standard of value. 5. Money is coined personality, it represents a certain amount of my time & talent. 6. “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Timothy 1 6:10. II: The Tithe Keeps A Proper Attitude as to Who Owns This Old World. 1. An ancient custom of Pagan people. Egypt, Babylon, Cyrus, Clay tablets found in Assyria and Egypt tell of tithing, 3800 yrs. before Christ. 2. The Patriarchs: a. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek (why)? b. Jacob vowed to tithe when he felt lonely and in peril....