Welcome to the fifth part of our series, "The Way."

This series is a time to think deeply about what it means to follow Jesus.

At RLC, we rally around these points as values for how we live our lives in fellowship together.

(Matthew 20:26, 28) Among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant… For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

The way of a disciple of Christ is someone who lives as ALL of Christ for ALL OF LIFE.

Overall Commentary: 🌎

In the text above, Jesus is warning His disciples that living in the Kingdom of God looks opposite from the kingdoms of men. In the Kingdom of God, we "get ahead" by living generously. He is referring to the Old Testament principle of living a life of service and being blessed by it. One example of this is living generously with our finances. This form of generosity is first stated in Deuteronomy 28, then echoed in Malachi 3.

First, it is essential to recognize that God has empowered us in three ways to be generous: with our time, with our talents, and with our treasure. The first two are frequently discussed, but the third is often overlooked. I think this is because nothing fits our hearts like our finances. We try to get from our money what only God can provide.

I believe that if we can be generous with our finances and see it as a way to worship, we will have no trouble with the other two. (time and talent)

Let's take a moment and establish God's desire for us to live generously.

Old Testament Passages on Giving and Generosity.

These passages establish the foundation of God’s principle of returning a portion of what He has given us.

Genesis 14:18–20 — Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
Genesis 28:20–22 — Jacob vows to give a tenth to God.
Exodus 35:4–9, 20–29 — Israel brings freewill offerings to build the Tabernacle.
Leviticus 27:30–34 — “A tithe of everything… belongs to the Lord.”
Numbers 18:21–26 — Tithes given to support the Levites and God’s work.
Deuteronomy 12:5–7 — Bring tithes to the place where God chooses His name to dwell.
Deuteronomy 14:22–29 — The tithe supports worship, priests, and the poor.
Deuteronomy 26:1–15 — Offering the firstfruits and giving with gratitude.
2 Chronicles 31:4–10 — Hezekiah restores tithing and God blesses abundantly.
Nehemiah 10:35–39 — Renewal of covenant includes tithing to God’s house.
Psalm 112:5 — “Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely.”
Proverbs 3:9–10 — “Honor the Lord with your wealth… and your barns will be filled.”
Proverbs 11:24–25 — “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
Proverbs 19:17 — Giving to the poor is lending to the Lord.
Proverbs 22:9 — A generous person will be blessed.
Isaiah 58:6–11 — Generosity toward the needy brings spiritual renewal.
Malachi 3:8–12 — “Bring the whole tithe… and see if I will not open the windows of heaven.”

New Testament Passages on Giving and Generosity.

Matthew 6:1–4 — Give in secret; God rewards those with pure motives.
Matthew 6:19–21 — “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 23:23 — Jesus affirms tithing but warns against neglecting justice and mercy.
Mark 12:41–44 — The widow’s two coins: sacrificial giving.
Luke 6:38 — “Give, and it will be given to you.”
Luke 11:42 — Jesus condemns legalism but not generosity.
Luke 12:33–34 — Sell possessions and give to the needy; treasure in heaven.
Luke 16:10–13 — Faithfulness in handling money shows faithfulness to God.
Acts 2:44–45 — Early believers shared all they had.
Acts 4:32–35 — The church practiced radical generosity, ensuring no one lacked.
Romans 12:8 — Giving is a spiritual gift; do it generously.
Romans 15:25–27 — Churches support each other financially.
1 Corinthians 9:6–14 — Those who preach the gospel should be supported by it.
1 Corinthians 16:1–2 — Set aside money regularly for giving.
2 Corinthians 8:1–15 — The Macedonian churches’ generosity despite poverty.
2 Corinthians 9:6–15 — “God loves a cheerful giver” and supplies seed to the sower.
Galatians 6:6–10 — Share with those who teach; reap what you sow.
Philippians 4:10–20 — Paul thanks the church for financial support, showing God supplies every need.
1 Timothy 5:17–18 — Support elders who preach and teach.
1 Timothy 6:6–10 — Warning about love of money.
1 Timothy 6:17–19 — Be rich in good works and generous.

So, it is clear the Lord has not left this topic unclear. The main text we will cover today is from Malachi.

(Malachi 3:10-12)¹⁰“Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it all. ¹¹Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ¹²“All nations will call you blessed, for you indeed will live in a delightful land,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Commentary.

Malachi 3.

Malachi is prophesying during a time of difficulty and famine. The "heavens have been closed," and the rain is not coming. Malachi says this is due to the lack of God's blessing, and this is because they are stealing from God. He says that since everything belongs to the Lord, when they do not give in the way He has commanded, they are stealing from Him. Malachi says that if they provide, God will fulfill His promises in Deuteronomy 28. This is still true for us. When we live a life of generosity, God is faithful. We are not generous because times are good. We are generous because God has challenged us to trust Him.

Verse 10. God Will Do The Impossible.

"Bring the entire tithes"- What we know for sure is that Malachi is at least talking about the general tithe. This would have been ten percent of all they received. The institution of tithing originated in Genesis and was later incorporated into the Law. Some scholars suggest that Malachi's reference to the "entire" tithe may have been due to a possible additional Temple Tax that was requested to restore the Temple. The tithe was intended to support the Levites and priests. The extra tax would have been for upkeep.

"storehouse"- The temple treasury.

"Test Me"- God only gives this command here. It is not a contradiction to earlier passages that say not to test God, because the goal is not to test Him with disobedience. The goal is to give Him the chance to show His faithfulness through obedience. When we are faithful, God does the impossible.

Verse 11. God Will Guard Our Hearts From Fear.

"I will stop the plague from ruining your crop..." God promises not only to stop the famine but also to protect the crop from other possible issues. This is possibly the fear of locusts. God is saying He will not only bring back the miracle of rain, but He will also keep it safe from other possible things that would make the average farmer afraid.

Verse 12. God Will Show Himself Through Us.

"All nations will call you blessed..." This promise echoes back to Deuteronomy 28 and even to the promise made to Abraham in Genesis. Through God's fulfilled promises to His people, all the world woud see Him.

God's Promise:

(2 Corinthians 9:6-8,11) Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. Yes, you will be enriched in every way, so that you can always be generous.