7.25.21 - Sunday Morning Service

[Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] my [Music] [Music] so [Music] do [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] do [Music] do [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] good morning and welcome to the lord's house again today are thanks to the string orchestra directed by brother sean worthington they play jesus name above all names by hearn and arranged by pethel we'd like to welcome those of you here in the sanctuary this morning as well as those who are watching on our webcast at apostolic faith.org or if you are joining us by way of the radio at 93.9 kpd qfm so thankful that you've joined us may the lord bless you for doing so this is the apostolic faith church and we are located at 5601 southeast duke street we'll continue now the string orchestra will play for us again praise and adoration medley arranged by pethel and following that the choir will sing for us the glory to god by harlan and arranged by kirkland [Music] so [Music] do [Music] is in wonderful ways [Music] that come from the glory of god [Music] is [Music] glory of god all creations [Music] angel singing [Music] within my heart [Music] is [Music] the glory of god [Music] it's here [Music] the lord is good the glory of god the glory of god the glory of god [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] our thanks again to the string orchestra and the choir for getting us off to a great start it's our turn to sing together you want to take your handbook and turn to page 207 we'll sing all three verses we have come to join in worship that's what we're here for so we'll sing that brother sean will lead us in that and some other songs at this time [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] let us [Music] is [Music] and we'll praise the name of jesus psalm 22 22 and we'll sing that through two times and then move right over to 133 and seeing that through two times as well so first praise the name of jesus two times [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] we need [Music] is [Music] is [Music] see [Music] victories [Music] and we'll sing the mighty power of god 128 128. we'll sing all three verses of this song let the orchestra start us out [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] [Applause] as a song before prayer we'll sing 576 5 77 this it says at the end of the chorus be very sure your anchor holds and grips the solid rock that's what we want this morning we'll sing all three verses stand as we sing the third verse 577. [Music] me [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] uh [Music] foreign [Music] this this is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] us [Music] as we look to the lord at this time we'll ask brother roth to lead us in prayer [Music] our heavenly father we're so thankful lord for this day this day has been set aside to worship you lord and we just thank you for the privilege to be in this service this morning in the lord and just to lift up your name to praise you and thank you lord we thank you for that solid rock christ jesus that anchor to our souls lord we just pray you'll just bless each one in this service the radio audience the webcast audience lord you know each and every need this day we know that you can undertake whatever the need is or you're here to answer that prayer just bless the remainder of this service your messenger this morning lord just bless your word open our hearts to receive from you lord in the close of this service as we gather around the elder prayer throughout the sanctuary for a time of prayer lord you'll just uh be here you'll come down once again lord answer each and every prayer ask us in jesus name amen thank you again for joining us this morning or tuning our way we'll heal from brother roth tonight i asked him to pray but brother bob must have said i thought i said brother bob so that's okay but you will hear from brother roth tonight so anyway we're so thankful that you've joined us for this morning's service lord willing we would encourage you to join us again for this evening service at six o'clock and then on tuesday and friday at 7 30 as well do be praying for our upcoming portland youth retreat that will begin this thursday the 29th and will run through august 1st and if you haven't turned in your applications be sure to get those in by this evening so we do need those applications in also we will be having a memorial service for todd iverson that will be this coming saturday on the 31st and that will be at 11 o'clock here in the sanctuary so continue to pray for the iverson and the bullsby family but that will be this saturday at 11 and that service will also be webcast be praying for brother daryl and sister debbie they are in washington d.c for the closing sunday of what they are calling century camp meeting obviously they are not in century due to covet but they are uh webcasting that from dc so be praying for them and the saints there and for our traveling mercies as they return home this coming week we'll continue now with our service we have a special randy baltzell and chris luca will sing a rich man and am i by oldham and following that brother john will read the scripture reading from malachi and then before the message this morning imelda nadelka will sing till the storm passes by by lister do [Music] i found something that money can't buy i found a gold mine beyond the blue sky i found a land where i'll live when i die i found the lord a rich man am i i found a love that's too sweet to tell i found a faith that's no wishing well i found a lot i'll live till i die i found the lord a rich man am i people may say that i'm a dream in a bit but i like what i'm believing and i'm not gonna quit yes the book told me that i'll live when i die i found the lord a rich man am i i found a dream that's sure to come true i found a rainbow that's never turned blue i found a land where the teardrops are dried i found the lord a rich man am i [Music] i found a song the angels can sing i found a way to be rich as a king i found a love that will burn till i die i found the lord a rich man am i people may say that i'm a dream in a bit but i like what i believe in and i'm not gonna quit yes the book told me that i'll live when i die i found the lord a rich man am i i found the lord the scripture reading this morning has been selected from the book of malachi the third chapter and i will read verses 8 through 12. will a man rob god yet ye have robbed me but you say wherein have we robbed thee in tithes and offerings you are cursed with a curse for you have robbed me even this whole nation bringing all the ties into the storehouse that there may be meat in my 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 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 castor fruit before the time in the filled saith the lord of hosts and all nations shall call you blessed for ye shall be a delightsome land saith the lord of hosts [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] in the dark of the midnight have i opted my face while the storm howls above me and there's no hiding place lord hear my cry keep me safe till the storm passes by till the storm passes over till the thunder sounds no more till the clouds roll forever from the sky hold me fast let me stand in the hollow of thy hand keep me safe till the storm passes by many times satan whispered there [Music] but i [Music] never dark in the sky [Music] till the storm passes over till the thunder sounds no more until [Music] hold me fast let me stand [Music] in keep me safe till the start [Music] when the long night has ended and the storms come no more let me stand in thy presence on that bright peaceful show in that land where the tempest never comes lord may i dwell with thee when the storm passes by [Music] till the storm passes over until the thunder sounds no more until the clouds roll forever from the [Music] keep me safe till the storm passes by till the storm passes over until the sounds no more till the clouds are all forever from the sky [Music] hold me fast [Music] keep me safe till the start passes we'll take our text this morning from the book of luke chapter 16. we'll read three verses luke 16 verses 10 through 13. these are the words of jesus he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much if therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches and if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's who shall give you that which is your own no servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other you cannot serve god and mammon the word mammon in these verses refers to money you know god calls us all to be good stewards of everything that he entrusts us with sometimes we have this mistaken idea that as humans we own anything well the word of god sets the record clear on that psalm 24 verse 1 says the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell therein god owns everything god owns our lives he owns our breath he owns our very heartbeat he holds it in his hands the lord owns our jobs in our homes our families the only thing that we have that is exclusively ours is because god allows it to be is our will so we have the right to choose who we will serve but truly god does own everything and that list of everything includes our finances or what we like to call our money well it's god's money he lets us play around with it but it's his money and you know the lord considers financial stewardship of of vital importance it's been said the longest and most sensitive nerve in a man's body is the one that runs from his heart to his wallet there's probably some truth to that but god in fact measures our faithfulness in many ways but he also measures our faithfulness and usability by our use of finances tells us there again in that text verse 11 it says if therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches if god can't trust us with money how can he trust us with anything else that says if you can't be trusted in the lesser things how can he be trusted with true riches verse 13 of that same text also says no servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other you cannot serve god and mammon not only does our faithfulness and usability depend upon our attitudes toward money but our very salvation depends upon our attitude to toward those things and towards possessions first timothy 6 10 says for the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows that verse has often been misquoted to say money is the root of all evil that is not true god's word doesn't validate that it says the love of money or the attitude towards money or material possessions some would say money is a necessary evil well i don't even know if it's evil money is amoral it's neither good nor bad but our attitude towards money and the things god gives us and our finances are very important to god and how we handle it and god's word gives us some very specific instructions in those areas the handling of money and financial stewardship is a dominant theme throughout the word of god there's over 450 separate passages concerning the proper handling of finances 16 of jesus 38 parables mention the handling of possessions and money scriptures have much to say about money matters because money matters one aspect we'll look at this morning is the biblical doctrine of tithing a tithe is ten percent or one tenth of biblical tithing is giving ten percent of our increase to god it says to give of our first fruits of our increase so some have wondered well does that mean you pay on your growths or on your net well if it's the first fruits you tithe on what you gross you give to god even before uncle sam gets his chunk of it but we give to god first tithing is giving out of that which god gives to us and we see tithing first being established in god's word clear back in the book of genesis genesis chapter 14 verses 8. genesis 14 verses 18 through 20 and melchizedek king of salem brought forth bread and wine and 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 and he gave him tithe of all this account is the example or the story or the account of abram he had won a great victory god had allowed him to go pursue his enemies and recapture lot and his family they've been taken hostage and so abraham abram and his armies went out and they we rescued lot and they brought them back safely and so god gave him this wonderful victory and as he was coming back to their place of where they were residing he was met by this melchizedek and it says there melchizedek blessed abraham and abram at that time gave tithe of all whose melchizedek you might be wondering well he's kind of a mysterious figure he appears here in scripture it says he was a priest of the most high god so he was nothing less than a divine messenger sent from god or designed personage we know in hebrews 5 6 it gives us a little bit more of a description it says he was a priest forever so that would mean he was without beginning and without ending so melchizedek was a type of or if not the lord himself but when abram perceived that it was god who had blessed him at that point he said he would give god tithe of all you know that was a natural response that sprang out of a heart that was grateful for what god had done he recognized god had blessed him and given them this victory it came from a heart that wanted to honor and fear and reverence and remember the god of heaven this principle of tithing was established in abram's heart long before it was ever established in the law of moses many hundreds of years later he realized he owed something to god so that's what we see tithing being first established in god's word then you turn over again to the book of genesis chapter 28 verses 20 through 22 and jacob vowed a vow saying if god will be with me and will keep me in this way that i go and i will give and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on so that i come again in my father's house in peace then shall the lord be my god and this stone which i have set for a pillar shall be god's house and of all that thou shalt give me i will surely give the tenth unto thee and we have the account of jacob he was running for his life he had stolen the birthright from his brother esau and he was heading to his uncle laban's house trying to escape the wrath of his brother but on the way we know god made him in a dream and he appeared to him in a dream and in this dream he promised jacob that he would bless him and prosper and give him lands and one day bring him back safely to his home so we see again this was the response from jacob's heart telling the lord lord if you'll do these things i'll give you a tenth of everything that i possess this again came from a heart of gratitude he felt an obligation and a responsibility to give something back to god you know god didn't need a tithe from jacob but jacob needed a blessing from god and he recognized that it was god who had given him these blessings so from his heart he vowed a vow he said lord if you'll do these things i'll give you a tenth of everything i possess you see the law of tithing was established in his heart again 400 years before it was ever instructed or instituted and handed down to the children of israel that principle of giving out of that which god had given was in his heart and we do see 400 years after this account here got him still himself at establishing the tithe as part of the commandments that he gave to the children of israel if you turn to leviticus chapter 27. we'll look at verse 30 and all the tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree is the lord's it is holy unto the lord verse 32 it says and concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock even of whatsoever passeth under the raw the tenth shall be holy unto the lord this was the law that was established for the children of israel it tells us very clearly and very plainly it's speaking of the tithe that says it is the lord's it is holy unto the lord giving tithe is not a cost to us it cost us nothing it is a blessing god does not view tithing as giving that as something separate we see that here tithing is not something extraordinary going beyond what god requires it's giving a rendering under god what he says is already his in the first place that's why malachi said he referred to it as withholding the tithes like robbing god refusing or failing to give unto god what he said belonged to him you know some have said well can't afford to pay tithe well i would suggest you can't afford to not pay tithe nobody wants to stand before the lord with that indictment over their head of robbing god we don't want that we want god's blessing and again god said that tithe is mine it's not ours to hold on to or to decide what we do with it that's automatically god's it belongs to god it is the lord's and it's holy unto the lord this tithing should be really for a child of god any it should just be a basic fundamental principle it's not ours to hold on to it belongs to the lord you know there is no substitute for the tithe some will think well maybe i can give of my time or my talents or maybe i can help out in some area of ministry that's an offering unto the lord and that is commanded but tithing is commanded that is above and beyond what god says is belongs to him you can't replace what god says is his by trying to offer him something else so we know tithing belongs to god it is god's we know tithing is for a specific purpose the word of god tells us it is the cornerstone for supporting the lord's work numbers 18 verse 21 and behold i have given the children of levi all the tenth in israel for an inheritance for their service which they serve even for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation your tithe supports the service of the tabernacle of the congregation you know when we come here we appreciate the fact that the lights are on i appreciate running water i'm glad the toilets work i'm glad the plumbing is functional i'm thankful in the summer we have air conditioning especially a few weeks ago i'm thankful in the winter that we have heat you know we appreciate the events and the programs that this church puts on throughout the year you know the literature that is sent out free of charge all over the world to people who desperately need the word of god the webcast that uh people enjoy that are shut in or maybe in remote areas and they can't get out and that is a source of ministry that ministers to their hearts all of these things are services that are possible because of the tithe of god's faithful people what would happen if we all just showed up come to god's house we're blessed we're fed and we were just consumers and no one ever gave of what the lord required of them we'd probably have to close the doors but again the tithe was specifically set up by god as a way of supporting the work of the lord tithing is a way of showing honor unto god proverbs 3 proverbs 3 verse 9 through 10 honor the lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase so shall thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine we have a commandment but we have a promise god says honor him with our substance with the things we have and when we do that god will bless us tithing is not just an old testament principle jesus approved and supported the principle of tithing in matthew 23 23 again christ's words woe unto you scribes and pharisees hypocrites for ye pay tithe of mint evanus and accumen and have omitted the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith these have to have done and not to leave the other undone jesus was rebuking the pharisees for not practicing judgment and mercy and faith even though they were paying tithe he said you should do these things but you also should pay your tithe we want to get things in the proper order tithing isn't an automatic trip to heaven it won't purchase us our salvation sometimes people will even try to substitute tithe for other areas of obedience that the lord may be requiring of him here jesus didn't say the first and greatest commandment was that thou shalt pay tithe no jesus told us what the first greatest commandment was is he was being questioned by a lawyer he said the greatest commandment is to love the lord thy god with all that heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself and he said on these two laws or commandments saying all the laws and the prophets what jesus was telling us this you get a good dose of real genuine no so old-fashioned salvation down in your heart if you love the lord with all your heart and you love your neighbors yourself all of these other commandments all of these other principles will be a part of your your life they'll fall automatically into the life of every christian and that principle of tithing will be in the heart of every christian tithing is not a means of salvation but it is a result of salvation again as we recognize god's blessings in our lives and we give out of the abundance and the substance that god has given unto us tithing proves to god our faith and confidence in his word again we go back to go back to that scripture reading in malachi malachi chapter 3 verse 10 says bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse that there may be meat in my 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 there shall not be room enough to receive it the lord here was putting out a challenge to the children of israel or god's chosen people but you know this is the same promise and challenge that god would no doubt present to each of us he put out a challenge he was saying prove me try me put me to the test see what i will do well he tells us what he would do for them again verse 11 and 12 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 saith the lord of hosts and all nations shall call you blessed for ye shall be a delightsome land saith the lord of hosts god was saying here do your small part prove me give a tenth and see what i won't do for you in return you know we see even in these verses a greater principle at work here we know obedience to god will always bring the blessings of god and we also know failure to obey obey him will bring a curse in that same chapter verse 9 he said you are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation the children of israel were living in deplorable conditions they were suffering from blighted crops physical affliction oppression from their enemies you know what it wasn't because god had failed them it was because they had failed god but god provided them with a remedy that's the same remedy god provides today he says bring you all the tithe into the storehouse bring everything and anything to god that he requires come in faith you come in obedience you know it took faith for them to put this promise into practice they hadn't seen anything good happen they were suffering and it was a result of their sin and you know they could have thought well once we're prospering and doing great then we can do what god requires no give god what he requires first then god will open the windows of heaven and he'll pour out a blessing bring to god the things he requires in every area of our lives not just our finances maybe there's a consecration or something god is drawing out of your heart bring it to the lord bring it to god's storehouse give it to god and see what he'll do with it and for you we come in faith and obedience and again throughout scripture we know that it's obedience that brings the victory you know the greatest proof of our love to the lord is in our willingness to obey tells us if you love me keep my commandments to obey is better than sacrifice jesus asked his disciples why call you me lord lord and not do that which i say so again we know obedience will bring the blessing of the lord if we want the blessing of god and in our lives we must obey the lord in every area you know when he says bring all the ties into the storehouse that is what we must do we know tithing is a commandment giving is also mentioned in god's word deuteronomy 16 says every man shall give as he is able according to the blessing of the lord thy god which he hath given thee you know scripture doesn't give a prescribed percentage or amount of what we give beyond the tithe but we do know one thing you can't outgive the lord the lord is the giver of all good things he's the giver of life you can't out give god as he lays it on your heart tell us in luke given shall be given you press down shaken together running over shall men give into your bosom for with what measure that ye meet with all that shall be measured to you again he can be stingy with god you may not get much back but the more you give and i'm not just speaking about finances every year of your life your time your energy your commitment to the lord your talents god will bless you in return in acts we read about the early christians who gave of their substance to god it said they enjoyed gladness singleness of heart and favor with all the people sounds like a pretty good way to live know in closing i'll share a little story about a man by the name of rg letourneau he was a businessman back in the 30s and 40s and he would refer to himself as god's business man he was a christian man he loved the lord he tried to put god first in everything he actually invented the big earth moving equipment that we even see much of it today i think he had sold patents to caterpillar and john deere and he invented this huge earth moving equipment and he tried to honor god and god just continued to bless him he had um he would made a a huge great deal of of money for his company and and he was trying to honor the lord it said even in the in world war ii it said that his company provided 70 of all of the earth-moving equipment that was used at that time so he amassed quite a fortune but he he wanted to honor god and he felt like the lord was asking him to give more and his wife felt the same way and in 1935 she came to him with this radical idea and she said why don't we stop giving god 10 why don't we give him 90 percent and will live on the ten percent that's left of course this drove their bookkeepers crazy but he determined to do it and he was had a famous quote he was known as saying it's not how much of my money i give to god but it's how much of god's money i keep for myself but you know the lord continue to bless them and prosper them their commitment and service to the lord affected thousands and thousands of lives and god blessed him he died with planning he died with the joy of heaven down his heart he realized the secret of true living wasn't giving giving unto the lord well obvious this doesn't appeal for you to give 90 of your income nothing like that but there's one thing we want to give 100 of and that's our hearts and our lives to the lord when you consecrate your life to the lord you give everything to god god will bless you for it if we want god's blessing we must obey him god can bless you today if you're here and you're unsaved i would encourage you just come and surrender your life to the lord give him everything don't hold anything back and god will bless you in abundance whatever area of your life the lord may be dealing with you about prove god bring all the tithe into the story else give him what he requires prove god see if he won't pour out a blessing upon you that you can't contain god can do it he will do it today let's sing 602 these altars are open [Music] jesus [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] oh is [Music] the heavenly father we thank you again that we can gather here that we can come here to worship you and praise you and to give what we have to give to you and that's our life first and foremost to give our life and everything we have to you that we might make that heaven because you give everything you have the your son your precious son that he redeem us on that cross on calvary that we might have life eternal life with you we thank you so much for everything you've done we thank you so much for everything that you have given us we pray this morning lord that you would just bless at the altar come down in a mighty way give us your power give us your spirit give us your blessing you know and we want to give you the praise and glory in everything we do and everything we say in jesus name we pray amen [Music] so so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] so [Music] you

Channel: Apostolic Faith Portland Headquarters

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Length: 89min 56sec (5396 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 25 2021