GOD’S STOREHOUSE OF BLESSING’S
by Jimmy Larson
I would like to entitle today’s message ” God’s Storehouse of Blessings.”
Let us turn to the book of Malachi chapter three. `Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye pay tithes of mint and anise and cumin and have ommitted the weightier matters of the law; judgement,
mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone. Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the day before me and the Lord, when ye seek shall suddenly come to
his temple, even the messenger of the covenant what ye delight in. Behold he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts- But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For HE is
like A refiner’s fire, and like a fullers soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgement; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the girdling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and thatturn aside the stranger from his right and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
For I am the Lord, I charge not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return
unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, wherein shall we return? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings, ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be that in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts. If I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that if there shall not be room enough to receive it. The Lord bless you, you may be seated. If there was one way you could describe this God of heaven, that people seek to know, and seek to have fellowship with, it would be in the word giving. Our God is a giver. The nature of the God of heaven is to give. The nature of the Lord is to put fourth good gifts, and be a blessing so all that come into contact with him. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.
That little word so, it didn’t say God loved the world it said God so loved the world. God has always given a portion due to the person that has learned the beautiful secret of giving, not just in a material sense, but in the giving of time. Anything that has to do with a blessing to other people. He is a God that gives a better portion in return. I’d like you to think about the fact that God has promised us as saints and humans that he will supply all of our needs. Not just your wants or lusts but I will give you all that you need according to me riches in glory. Heat I’d like for you to know by that statement is this. No matter what the financial
economy is in this world today, no matter what happens to the banks of America, the economies of the earth will never bankrupt the economies of heaven. I’ve known people that have invested money in some type of treasure house on this birth expecting a great return. I was broken hearted to hear of a pastor friend that spent all of his life savings to invest in a high interest programin California. This man invested over seventy thousand dollars in a bank with no insurance, and he now has lost his entire life savings.
When you invest in the kingdom of God it doesn’t matter what the state of the economy is. God said that he could bless and he would restore and eat the cancer worm. It’s always wonderful to understand the concept that’s given to us in the division of the psalms. When David wrote “The earth is the Lords and the fullness
thereof” that is a great revelation to come across in our lives. To understand that verse, and really look at it and realize what it is saying to us. This earth that we are standing on, this place that we live, this globe that we look at. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. Made by his very hands, created by his divine
creational ability. When you look at the earth, the thing that pleased God on the earth is not the mayor’s office, it is not President Regan’s golf tour in Georgia. What pleased God on the earth are the people that
make up the kingdom of God and go do the work of him. When God looks down on Indiana on Sunday morning he isn’t concerned about Indiana National Bank. What God is concerned with today is the people thatgot out of bed, got their children dressed and ready, and came to the house of God.
The work of God’s kingdom on earth in one respect can be compared to the business kingdom in this world. We all understand that for a business to operate it has to have some type of capitol or a cash flow
so it can maintain the respected levels of operate Finances are a distinct need in a church if we are to train workers for the kingdom of God. If we are to train missionaries to go into the world to preach the gospel to unlearned nations we need a financial base. This is all part of God’s plan, along with it God has Great rewards in his storehouse of blessings for the faithful people that make sure that his work goes on. The earliest scripture records indicate that can recognized that he has a created being. He was made in the image and likeness of God and that he owed God. He was not self sufficient, but man recognized and understood that he needed God for he is our creator. Man decided to honor his creator with his substance. This came out of the heart in mankind of love for God of sincere appreciation for God. Recognized God as their creator. The people who rendered their gifts to the Lord recognized him as a sacred being.
They were glad to entrust into God’s hands the earthly possessions because when they gave it to God, he always seemed to bless much more in return that whatwas given. Let’s look at history for a moment. You’ll see man at his early existence paying tithes unto God or money unto God and that was hold onto the Lord. If you study your historical references in any library you’ll find that the Calidians paid tithes. The Caldians were the ones who took away Jews Possessions. They believed in paying their tithes. The Greek and
Roman empires both believed in paying their tithes. More importantly today it is wonderful to see man and woman who truly value God’s work and value his kingdom enough that they willingly give of their finances. When they do, they realize and believe and they do see the fruit of a return from God, not only in this world, but in the world to came. Mathew 6:19 says that when we lay up treasures in heaven no moth or rust can corrupt, no thief can approach and it’s wonderful to know that there’s a great getting up morning on the other side.
The first family that ever lived understood that the earth was the Lords and the fullness thereof. Adam and Eve learned this the hard way. When there were made in the garden of Eden they had paradise, but through their sin they learned to live a new life. The devil told them that the forbidden tree was only forbidden because God didn’t want them to be as knowledgeable as he was. That same devil approaches humans today. He tells us that God is keeping same thing from us. He says there are good things out in the world that is why the preacher doesn’t want you to go out into the world and experience things. In the noted account of their sons Cain and Able, Adam and Eve learned the lesson we11 because they trained their boys well. They trained Cain and Able that they served a great God. Our Lord gave us the Garden of Eden that we lived in one day it was fantastic, “I wish we could go back there and live.” They explained how to approach God and how to worship God. If you want to impress God come before him in worship and give him some part of yourself. Cain and Able, though the teaching of their parents came before the Lord and learned how to give to God. The book of Genesis records this: If thou didest rightly offer but didst thou rightly divide didst thou not sin? To our era the writer wrote this, Cain’s fault laid in giving less than a tenth, yet the man said Able gave a sacrifice that was accepted because he recognized that he wanted to give a sacrifice that was acceptable because he wanted to give the firstlings of flock. When Cain and Able
went to church to worship God, history tells us that Cain gave same fruit, it says he gave an offering of fruit. But Able gave the firstlings of his flock, Cain could have given much more, but he did not. Because Able gave the firstlings of his flock he received the attitude which is a type of tithing. God later commanded Israel to bring all tithes into the storehouse when he said it he said bring ye in the first fruits. He remembered what Cain did. That is how God instructed the children of Israel.
The tithing program during the time of the patriarchs had distinct plans and directions. People tend to think tithing is a negatory thing because it has to do with the church. If preachers could be allowed to teach sinners from the President on down through the agencies of our nation. If they were allowed to plan the plan of tithing our economy would have no trouble today. The nations that forget God are turned into hell. Heaven never goes bankrupt when there are seeds stored in the barn of heaven. The Hebrew word for tithe is Masraw it means a tenth of a tithe. The Greek word is decatos and it means the tenth. The English
word is tioth and is interpreted tithe. When you study anything in the scriptures use a standard procedure, go to were the scripture is first mentioned with the subject. This is called the last of first mention in the study of God’s word. The first mention of the word tithe and the plan of tithing comes from Genesis the fourteenth chapter and the eighteenth verse. A king and a priest by the name of Melchezedec and Abraham were God’s friends, they were men of faith. Abraham believed in God’s word. The bible says that Abraham gave a tenth of all that he had. Abraham realized the importance of paying his tithes. He had a grandson named Jacob. Jacob was a self centered brat, a man that was selfish, and lustedafter others possessions. He was not a giver, he was a man not known for his kindness to others. Jacob’s brother was a man of the field, he was out hunting he hadn’t eaten all day long. Jacob was cooking a stew, his brother Essau smelled that soup and he said to Jacob I want that stew. Jacob told his brother the only way he could give him the stew
would be for him to hand over his birthright Essau had no spiritual concept, he loved for his passions. Essau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. Their father was old and blind and was deceived he didn’t stand a chance against his own wife and son who were deceiving him. Essau wanted to kill his brother Jacob. The story goes on to say that Jacob was spared from the wrath of his brother. Jacob later learned the importance of tithing and he became a very wealthy man with God’s blessings on his life andon his family.
God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth in his heart that shall he reap. A story is told of a man who was tired of paying his tithes. He thought that he had been paying too much. This man asked the preacher to release him of a vow he had made with God some years back. The preacher said that he would ask God to reduce this man’s salary so it would be convenient for him to pay his tithes once again. God is a giver. Every good and perfect gift cometh down from the father of light in whom there is no variablesness nor shadow of turning. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. Under the law the things that were instructed for the priests and levites, are still the principles of life today. Don’t ever forget that God brought you out with a mighty hand. We should consider paying tithes a blessing because God is going to more than bless us for our faithfulness to him. God’s method of collection has to bring the tithes into the tabernacle or there would be meat in the house of the Lord.
If you, as a Christian, will be faithful in paying your tithes,
the Lord of hosts will richly bless you in all that you will
