When speaking of tithes, it can feel very confusing. It seems as if God is giving to us just to take some back. What’s the purpose of the tithe? Why does God demand to have a tenth of what we have made? Why does God need the tithe? Is God giving to us just so He can take away? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he searches through Scripture to find the purpose of tithe in his message, Tithing Pt. 3: Receiving The Blessing.
Malachi 3:10–12 Matthew 6:19–21 Matthew 20:8–15 Luke 10:7 1 Corinthians 9:11 Philippians 4:15–17 Matthew 10:40–42 2 Corinthians 8:1–5 2 Corinthians 9:7–8
Tithing Pt. 3: Receiving The Blessing
How Do You Receive a Blessing From God?
What’s The Purpose of The Tithe?
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 3:10-12
When we give back to God, it’s an act of faith. It’s an act of trusting God and in return, God pours out even more blessings upon you. Tithing isn’t just so God can take away from us. Tithing is about faith and trust in the LORD God and His promises. It’s about putting God above yourself.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:33-34
So, how do you receive a blessing from God? You give to God. When we give to God, He gives to us. God has already done His side of the bargain. He paid the debt of all of mankind. It was now up to mankind to accept that gift and give back to God. It’s a relationship. God has given to us, now we give back to God, but it doesn’t stop there. God then repays your tithes and offerings with even more blessings from Heaven.
In part one, we defined tithing as, That which belongs to God. We can then understand that the tithe isn’t optional. Why? Because the tithe doesn’t belong to us. The tithe belongs to God. It’s God’s portion out of what He has blessed us with. He gives us all we need, and in return, we give back a portion to God that we might honor the blessings we have received. And when we refuse to give to God what belongs to Him, we put ourselves under a curse because by refusing to tithe, we rob God. Throughout Scripture, God demanded what belonged to Him. Whether it was a forbidden fruit (The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) or a forbidden city (Jericho), God demanded the tithe then, and He still does now. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he goes a little deeper into the importance of bringing God the tithe in his message, Tithing Pt. 2: The Forbidden City.
Malachi 3:10–12 Joshua 6:17–21
Tithing Pt. 2: The Forbidden City
What is Tithing?
The Definition of Tithing
That Which Belongs To God.
Tithing is that portion that God has set aside for Himself out of what He has given to us. For all good things from the Father of Lights (James 1:17). Therefore, to refuse to give the tithe to the LORD is to rob God.
Jericho and the Tithe
15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.”
Joshua 6:15-19
Achan’s Sin
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”
14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. 15 And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’”
Joshua 7:10-15
Jericho was not intended for the people of Israel. It was the first of the cities they had overcome in the land of Canaan and it was the city that the people of Israel were not allowed to gain from. Why? Because that was God’s portion. Jericho was the tithe.
When Jesus came, He came to bring a new and better covenant. Since then, we have no longer been under the Law given to the Jews by Moses, but now under the Law of Liberty, as James puts it. Because of this, many of us believe that tithing was only for the time of Law, but is this true? Do we no longer have to tithe because we are no longer under the Law? Can man no longer rob God? What is the tithe? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes and lays a steady foundation for us to build on in his message, Tithing Pt. 1: The Knowledge Tree.
6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 3:6-12
So, what is the tithe? Tithing is that which belongs to God. This changes the perspective of the tithe because the tithe isn’t just some random law that God gave to Moses. This now makes sense why to not give the tithe is to rob God.
Tithe Before The Law and After The Law
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Genesis 14:18-20
4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Hebrews 7:4-10
Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek long before The Law of Moses because He understood that He had to pay God that which belongs to Him, through the High Priest of God. This continued during the Law of Moses, and it still continues to this day after the Law of Moses. The tithe still belongs to God; nothing has changed. Therefore, man can still rob God. So, give to God that which belongs to God.
The First Tithe
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:15-17
The tithe was before the Law; it was actually from the Garden of Eden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was forbidden for both Adam and Eve, as well as any of their descendants that would have been born in the Garden of Eden. The forbidden fruit was forbidden because that knowledge wasn’t for Adam and Eve or any of their descendants. That knowledge was only for God alone; that was Adam’s tithe to God. When they ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they stole from God. They robbed God of His tithe.
After Christmas Day, we tend to move on and forget the Birth of Christ because of the rush of cleaning up the mess of the presents/gifts and preparing for the coming new year. As the year moves on, we slowly forget more and more, until December 1st comes around again, then suddenly we are all about the Birth of Christ. But is this the way it should be? Is the day after Christmas as important as Christmas Day? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the importance of the story of the Wise Men in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Twas The Day After Christmas.
Matthew 2:1–6 Matthew 2:11 (KJV) Matthew 2:16 (KJV) Daniel 5:10–12 Matthew 2:7 2 Timothy 3:5 2 Timothy 3:10–12 John 4:35–38
Twas The Day After Christmas
The Day After Christmas: The Story of the Wise Men
Many believe that the Wise Men came to find the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, but this isn’t actually the case. They arrived, if you will, the day after Christmas.
Their Encounter with King Herod
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Matthew 2:1-6
Their Encounter with The Messiah
This is how we know for sure that the Wise Men encountered Jesus after He was grown a little. This had to be, if you will, the day after Christmas because Jesus was a child living in a house with His two parents.
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:7-12
Today is the day after Christmas, are you still seeking Him?
Happy Christmas Sunday! Christmas is about the promise of the Messiah being fulfilled. The prophets prophesied that the Messiah (Jesus) would receive an everlasting kingdom with eternal dominion. Every prophecy was tied into one, Immanuel. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he explains biblical mysteries in his Christmas Message, ‘Tis The Season: O Little Town of Bethlehem.
Micah 5:2 Matthew 2:6 John 7:14 John 6:35 Joshua 19:14–16 John 1:5 John 8:12 Isaiah 9:6–7 Micah 4:8 Matthew 28:18b Genesis 49:10KJV Psalm 110:4 Hebrews 7:15–17 Exodus 28:31–32NIV Matthew 26:65 Isaiah 7:14
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Prophecy of Jesus’ in Bethlehem
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Micah 5:2
This prophecy stirred the writing of the Christmas Carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem:
O little town of Bethlehem How still we see Thee lie Above Thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth The everlasting light The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in Thee tonight
Jesus’ Authority
Jesus, through His earthly ancestry, has the right to sit on David’s throne, and through His heavenly ancestry, that is His deity, He has the right to sit on the Father’s throne with Him. So, Jesus has inherited the former and the ever-present dominion.
Christmas time has become a hectic time of shopping, lights, and decorating. Often times it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of everything that we forget the true meaning of Christmas. We forget that Christmas is the season of giving and rejoicing for Christ (our ultimate Christmas gift) came 2000 years ago to give us the hope of Salvation in Him. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he dives deeper into the true meaning of the Christmas season in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Christmas is Giving.
Matthew 1:18–23 Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah 9:6–7 2 Corinthians 8:3–5 Proverbs 11:30b Luke 10:41b–42 John 3:16 John 10:27–30 Romans 8:31–39 1 Corinthians 13:4–8
Christmas is Giving
Why Do We Give At Christmas?
At Christmas time we give gifts because God gave the ultimate gift of His Son Jesus 2,000 years ago. The wise men continued this tradition when they brought the gifts of Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh. We continue this tradition today by giving gifts to our loved ones.
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
11 And going into the house, they (the wise men) saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
The Gift of Christ
Jesus was the ultimate Christmas gift. God set the standard for giving when He gave His one and only Son that we might have Salvation in Him. This Christmas season, remember that giving is more than just physical gifts, for God gave more than just something bought in a store.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Throughout history, the Devil has set the same trap for us over and over again, only changing his bait to fit the times, and we keep falling for it. He hides the evil in plain sight, knowing that we will overlook it if it is seemingly innocent enough, but Paul tells us that we are not unaware of the Devil’s schemes. He has made the Spirit of Discernment available to us; we need only ask. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he sets us on the path to discernment in his message, Deception Pt. 2: The Devil’s in the Details.
11 And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:11-16
As a Christian, we aren’t meant to be deceived by the deceitful schemes of the Devil. This is why we are meant to build our faith so that we can see through the lies of the enemy and all of his deception.
Spirit of Discernment
8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
1 Corinthians 12:8-10
The Spirit of Discernment gives us the ability to see through the deceitful schemes of the devil and his followers. We can see through his bait and traps by the Holy Spirit. This helps us to distinguish between the spirits of good and evil.
Throughout the years, movies and tv shows have become darker and darker. Even more so in our children’s movies that are now filled with demons, incantations, conjurings, curses, spells, witchcraft, and more. Is this something that should alarm the Church, or is that just progress because this is the way the culture is going? Is freedom to take part in witchcraft and magic something the Church should back and/or support, or should we make a stand against these changes that causes us to fall spiritually asleep? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he sheds some light on this controversial subject in his message, Deception Pt. 1: Falling Asleep.
Falling Asleep Because of Deception
Warning Against Deception in the Bible
Falling spiritually asleep can be the cause of many Christians’ failure to finish the race set before them. They become lulled asleep by the deception of the World. They bought the lie that because people are trying to shift the culture a certain way for progress. But all of these sins have been outlined in the Bible.
16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17 then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.
Deuteronomy 11:16-17
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.
Revelation 18:24
Witchcraft in the Bible
16 And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. 17 And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.
2 Kings 17:16-18
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21
Necromancy in the Bible
Necromancy is talking or communicating with the dead.
6 If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 20:6-7
6 If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
So many people love to have their ears tickled. They love to hear what they want to hear, over hearing the Truth. Because of this, they are so easily manipulated. But what about the flatterers? Are there consequences to flattery? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he presents a hard pill to swallow in his message, Flattery, Lies, and Consequences Pt. 2: Pay Back Ain’t No Beach Trip.
Deuteronomy 32:35 Hebrews 10:30 Daniel 6:19–24 Philippians 1:21 1 Corinthians 1:18 Romans 1:16–17 Daniel 6:11 1 Corinthians 3:13–15 Daniel 6:12–13 Daniel 6:14 Daniel 6:15–18 2 Timothy 1:12b Daniel 3:16–18 Daniel 6:24 (Consequence of Flattery) Hebrews 10:31
Pay Back Ain’t No Beach Trip
Is Flattery a Sin?
The Beast shall overcome the world by flattery.
31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder.
Daniel 11:31-33
Job made sure that he didn’t use flattery because he knew that flattery was a sin.
20 I must speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer. 21 I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person. 22 For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.
Job 32:20-22
Paul says that it is by flattery that the people are deceived into sin.
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.
Romans 16:17-19
Consequences of Flattery
When King Darius realized that the men had used flattery to manipulate him, the very thing they intended to do to Daniel was done to them and their families.
24 And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
Daniel 6:24
Flattery is a form of manipulation, and God doesn’t take it lightly. Therefore, He promises that no person will get away with flattery or any other form of deceit.
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Flattery has become almost synonymous with lies, which always seems to end with negative consequences. In today’s world, we often lean towards having our ears tickled by flattering tongues. The Truth has become rarer and rarer in these last couple of years. Feelings have become our main focus instead of facts. The world has tried to convince us that this is progress, but is it? Is having our egos stroked and flattery better than the Truth? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the deceitful tricks of the world in his message, Flattery, Lies, and Consequences Pt. 1: Beware of Flattering Lips.
Daniel 6:6–9 Daniel 5:31 Daniel 6:1–2, 5 Proverbs 29:5 Proverbs 26:28 Psalms 78:36–37 Psalms 12:2–3 Job 32:21–22 Romans 16:18b (Paul warns to beware of flattering lips) Matthew 10:16
31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder.
Daniel 11:31-33
The Beast will deceive the entire world by flattery, and those lies will lead those who follow him into an eternal consequence because their ears were tickled and they believed feelings over facts.
Flattering Lips
3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness.
1 Thessalonians 2:3-5
Paul warned the people of Thessalonica that flattery is the same as lies because it is deceit and leads to negative consequences.
