A Sacrifice Of Praise

Last Sunday I preached about the “sacrifice of praise”—a phrase that appears numerous times in the Bible, in one way or another. Having been saved and filled with the joy of the Lord, I always wondered why praise is considered a sacrifice. Well, it turns out to be a sacrifice—a hardship—of your flesh, not of your spirit. By faith, you want to praise Him, but your flesh does not. In the same way an animal would not offer itself as a sacrifice, neither does our flesh. By faith, we overcome our flesh, and yield to the Holy Spirit so that praise can spring forth not just in thought, but in word and in song.
Recently, I was asked about tithing. I had already been thinking of writing an article about it, but had been unable to. Through last week’s sermon, the Spirit gave me His peace and His words to do so now.
Tithing, like praise, is an act of worship that takes place through faith. The flesh’s resistance is overcome, and faith prevails. Tithing is God’s provision for His church and His people.
“Bring the whole tithe into my storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it.” Malachi 3:10
By God’s own declaration, He provides your tithe within your existing paycheck (your harvest). He gives it to you beforehand, and asks you to give it back to Him as a sacrifice of praise, through faith. It has always been this way. The grain for a thank offering, the lamb for a burnt offering, and the faith for your salvation, all were provided to you by Him in the first place. Remember, “We love, because He first loved us.” His only requirement is that you offer it back to Him in thankfulness. It is an act of worship.
“Will a man rob God? But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under the law (a curse)—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing Me.” Malachi 3:8-9
The charge of robbing God was directed at the nation of Israel—not you and me. I included this verse is to let you see that God views the tithe as something that already belongs to Him. Because we have been saved by grace, through faith, we are not charged with robbing God by not tithing. However, God’s appointed blessings through faithful tithing are withheld. They are missed.
There is a purpose in all these provisions: the grain for the thank offering, the firstfruit of the harvest, the lamb without blemish, the fruit of our lips (thankfulness and praise) and the tithe from our income. God’s purpose is to protect us from idolatry and self-satisfaction. Through faith, we draw near to Him as a first response to the blessings we have received. It is a sacrifice by faith, overcoming the flesh’s desire to withhold thankfulness and claim these provisions as the work of our own hands, or that we deserve them. Tithing is especially important to protect us from idolizing money.
In response to the tithe, God promises to bring order and blessing to your finances, and abundance to His church. When you get paid, the first thing to come out of it is your tithe- a tenth of the whole (1 Cor 16:2; Heb 7). Following this, pay the rest of your bills. If there is a shortfall, come to the church for help. This keeps God’s people from needing lenders to pay bills. In time, you will find that there is no shortfall, only God’s financial blessings. Thus, He says, “Test me in this, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven…”
The church only gives gifts. We never lend. Over the years, many have offered to pay the church back, but that is unnecessary. The church’s purpose is to love others by freely giving food, clothing, money, or shelter. God’s love is always unconditional. Also, know that you only tithe when you get paid. Without a paycheck, you do not have a tithe to give. It is perfectly acceptable to come to church with no tithe. Just come so that we can all worship and fellowship together. For this reason, we never pass a basket, as if to pressure people to give something every week. That is not how God’s grace works.