♪
The national debt of the United States is
approaching a staggering 32 trillion dollars.
To a greater or lesser extent, the United Kingdom, Canada, and
Australia have their own debt problems as do most nations.
Why are our nations so heavily indebted?
How did our world get into this financial quagmire?
But what about you?
How are you doing?
Are you among the many living paycheck to paycheck,
fearing what the future holds for you?
Everywhere, inflation is squeezing personal budgets,
but do you realize that the God of Creation
wants you to prosper?
Now don't take my word for it.
Believe the words of Jesus Christ as found in John 10:10...
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that
they may have it more abundantly."
While that abundant life applies to far more than
your pocketbook, that is certainly included.
So, how does He give you a more abundant life?
Is it only the forgiveness of sin?
Or is there more to it?
On today's Tomorrow's World program, I'll give
you one law of God that affects you as an
individual and our nations as a whole.
I'll also be offering you what is our least offered
booklet, so be sure to have writing material
available to take down our contact information.
Now stay tuned, as I'll be right back to discuss one
law of God that contributes to a more abundant life.
♪
A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at
Tomorrow's World, where today I'll be discussing
a law that contributes to an abundant life.
When Jesus said He came to give us life more abundantly,
He was speaking in a broad sense.
He came to show us a better way of life, one that avoids
the heartache brought about when we break God's laws.
Contrary to what many think, He did not come
to do away with God's immutable laws.
As He said in Matthew 5:17...
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law
or the Prophets.
I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."
But He also came to remove the stain of sin through
His sacrifice, freeing us from the guilt of past sins.
He also brought good news of the coming Kingdom of God--
giving purpose to our lives.
All this leads to a more abundant life.
God gave our first parents a choice between two ways
of life, symbolized by two trees.
The fruit of one would lead to wonderful blessings,
resulting in life.
But the fruit of the other, to curses, ending in death.
These two trees are introduced in Genesis 2:9,
but let's pick it up in verses 16 and 17:
"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying,
"Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
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."
This one prohibited tree was symbolic of man
choosing for himself to determine good and evil,
right from wrong.
But God did not stop him from making that
disastrous decision.
As you likely know, Adam and Eve chose to disobey.
And the result?
They were kicked out of a beautiful garden paradise
where food was plentiful, and life would be pleasant.
Instead, they were doomed to hardship, suffering, and death.
Sadly, their children, including you and me,
have made the same choice-- rejecting God's revelation
and determining for ourselves right and wrong--
and experiencing the same results.
God reminded the nation of Israel of this choice
in Deuteronomy 30, beginning in verse 15:
"See, I have set before you today life and good,
death and evil, in that I command you today to love
the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep
His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments,
that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will
bless you in the land which you go to possess."
He summed it up in verse 19:
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live."
That choice would appear to be, as they call it, a no-brainer;
but if so, why is the majority of mankind choosing death?
America was once the greatest creditor nation in the world,
but today is the greatest debtor nation.
Why?
There are invisible laws that if followed bring
prosperity, but if broken, bring financial disaster.
To the nation of Israel, God declared in Deuteronomy 28:
"Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the
voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully
all His commandments which I command you today, that
the LORD your God will set you high above all nations
of the earth.
Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed
shall you be in the country.
Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce
of your ground and the increase of your herds,
the increase of your cattle and the offspring
of your flocks."
God next gave a long list of curses that would come
upon them for disobedience.
Among them, we read in verses 43 and 44:
"The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher
above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.
He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him;
he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail."
Longtime viewers of Tomorrow's World know that
we do not shy away from the truth.
We show from the Bible what few seem to realize.
We go against the grain by teaching the seventh-day
Sabbath and the biblical Holy Days, rather than
the pagan observances with the name of
Christ blasphemously attached to them.
But there's one law that we practice that we almost never
mention on this telecast-- the law of tithing.
The reason should be obvious.
We follow Jesus' command in Matthew 10, verse 8:
"Freely you have received, freely give."
That's why all our resources are given away free of charge.
We pay for the phone calls, the postage, and the
resources you request.
I think you know our program is different.
We refuse to merchandize off the word of God.
So, to avoid even the appearance of
contradicting our sincere desire to give the truth
free of charge, we generally avoid the
biblical subject of tithing.
However, when the Apostle Paul gathered the Ephesian
elders together, he explained in Acts 20, and verse 20:
"I kept back nothing that was helpful,
but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly
from house to house."
And then in verse 27, he said:
"For I have not shunned to declare to you the
whole counsel of God."
The law of tithing is part of the whole counsel of God.
It's taught in the Old Testament and affirmed by Jesus.
God wants what is best for us.
But for that to happen, we must choose His way of
love and outgoing concern, rather than the selfish
get way of life.
Part of that way of life is found in Matthew 23:23.
There Jesus criticized the Pharisees for meticulously
counting out seeds and leaves to tithe,
but neglected how they treated others.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier matters of the
law: justice and mercy and faith.
These you ought to have done, without leaving
the others undone."
Yes, justice, mercy and faith are "weightier
matters" than meticulously counting every tenth seed,
but note that Jesus said,
"without leaving the others [that is, tithing] undone."
Are we here at Tomorrow's World to leave out that
law when instructing in righteousness?
We want everyone to know that we do not request
donations from the public.
Everything we have is given away free of charge.
The call center we use instructs their operators
not to ask for, not even to hint for, donations
when you call for our materials.
But we will do as Paul did-- teach the whole counsel
of God--including God's law of tithing.
And the whole counsel of God includes the commandment
against stealing--either from your neighbor or from God.
Where you pay your tithe is your decision.
So if you're interested in learning more about God's
law of tithing, be sure to call or go to our website
TWTV.org/Tithe to order your free copy of
God's People Tithe.
And when I come back after this short break,
I'll explain why obeying God's law of tithing should
be important to you.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
On today's Tomorrow's World program,
I'm discussing the subject of choosing life,
how the subject of tithing is part of that choice,
and why it should be important to you.
As we've already seen, our first parents chose to
trust their own judgment rather than that of their Creator.
We've also seen that God laid out to Israel the
same choice in the simplest of terms.
How they chose would have radically different
results, as seen in Deuteronomy 30:19.
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live."
While God left it up to them to choose, He urged
them to make the right choice--life and blessings.
Even though obedience was for their own good,
God moaned that mankind did not have the heart to obey Him.
We see this in Deuteronomy 5:29...
"Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they
would fear Me and always keep all My commandments,
that it might be well with them and with
their children forever!"
The commandments He referred to were clearly
the Ten Commandments as they are listed just
before this statement.
And one of those commands says,
"You shall not steal."
Now James tells us, we're not to pick and choose which
commandments to keep and which ones to ignore.
He clearly referred to the Ten Commandments when he wrote
the following in James 2, beginning in verse 10:
"For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble
in one point, he is guilty of all.
For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also
said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit
adultery, but you do murder, you have become
a transgressor of the law.
So speak and so do as those who will be judged
by the law of liberty."
Choosing life means choosing God's revealed
way of life.
Here at Tomorrow's World we teach the whole counsel
of God, which includes all the laws of God, but one law
we rarely speak of to the public is the law of tithing.
That's because we want everyone to know that we
do not sell our materials.
We depend on Living Church of God members and
coworkers who have personally chosen of their own will to
support this Work with their tithes and offerings.
But how can we in good conscience not tell you,
our viewers, if you are sinning, when Isaiah commands us,
in Isaiah 58:1,
"Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like
a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins."
And again, one of the Ten Commandments is:
"You shall not steal."
Most people understand that we're not to steal
from our neighbors, but is it a lesser sin
to steal from God?
Too many reason, "Well God understands."
Yes, He does, dear friends.
But do we?
Malachi asks in chapter 3 and verse 8:
"Will a man rob God?"
Now that's a simple enough question.
Surely, we would never do that.
Or would we?
Read on:
"Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say, "In what way have we robbed You?"
God's answer?
"In tithes and offerings."
Just as then, people reason around God's laws today.
I cannot emphasize enough that all our resources are
sent free of charge.
We pay for the phone call, the postage,
and the specific items you request.
And as all our longtime viewers know, we do not
hit you up for donations.
This does not mean that we fail to teach the
whole counsel of God.
This does not mean that we don't cry aloud and
spare not and show our nations our sins.
This does not mean we teach against robbing our
neighbor, but fail to teach what it means to rob from God.
We give you the truth and you can do with it as you choose.
But I strongly urge you to obey God's laws--all of them--
but only you can determine whether to tithe
and where to pay it.
Now why do I say "pay"?
I'll explain in the next portion of this program,
but I want to remind those of you who choose to learn
more about biblical tithing to call our
toll-free number to order your free copy of
God's People Tithe.
Or you can order it online at: TWTV.org/Tithe.
As I mentioned earlier, this is our least
advertised and least requested booklet.
After this 15 second break I'll explain why we are
to "pay" our tithes.
♪
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
Welcome back.
Before that short break I said I would explain why we are
to "pay" our tithes rather than merely "give" them.
We are here, not because of blind evolution, but because
there is a God in heaven who has created all things.
This universe, this solar system, this marvelous
planet on which we live, including the air we
breathe, the water we drink, even the dirt
beneath our feet, are all the result of God's creation.
We literally owe everything to Him.
As King David wrote in Psalm 24, verse 1:
"The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness,
the world and those who dwell therein."
Or, as we read in Psalm 50, verses 10-12:
"For every beast of the forest is Mine, and
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the mountains, and the
wild beasts of the field are Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the
world is Mine, and all its fullness."
Everything was created by God.
We owe Him our very existence.
Now consider.
If you're renting an apartment or house,
you must pay the landlord.
It's not a matter of giving, but paying for
the privilege to live in his property.
In like manner, God gives us a beautiful home,
but commands us to pay ten percent for our
food, shelter, clothing, and luxuries.
No matter how rich or poor, the percent is the same.
When you think about it, that's a pretty good deal.
But think further.
God, and only God, has the power to extend our lives
for eternity, but He tells us we must choose His way,
not our own.
However, it's not eternal life only that He offers.
He offers us a better life today--blessings of all kinds,
rather than curses.
As we read in Deuteronomy 30:19...
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death,
blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both you and your descendants may live."
As we read earlier, Jesus declared:
"I have come that they may have life, and that
they may have it more abundantly."
And the Apostle John wrote in his third letter, in verse 2:
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things
and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
Yes, God wants us to prosper.
He wants us to obey all of His laws, because
He knows it is the way to blessings in this life
and ultimately to eternal life.
God gives us time on this earth to choose the tree
of life, His revealed way of love and outgoing concern,
over the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is
the way of human reason that is directed by Satan the Devil.
A rich young man came to Jesus one day with
an important question.
We read of it in Matthew 19:16.
"Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I
may have eternal life?"
Jesus responded by telling him to keep the commandments.
The young man asked, "Which ones?"
And Jesus responded by listing several of the
Ten Commandments, including the prohibition against stealing.
Now continuing in verse 20:
"The young man said to Him, "All these things I have
kept from my youth.
What do I still lack?"
It was then that Jesus got to the core of the man's problem.
He was violating the spirit of the first
commandment because his wealth was being placed
ahead of God, and he was breaking the spirit,
or intent of, the tenth commandment, against coveting.
This became evident when Jesus told him to sell
all that he had and to give it to the poor.
Now understand, this is not intended to be a command
for everyone--only those who trust in their riches above
trusting in God, as shown in the parallel account
found in Mark 10:24.
"And the disciples were astonished at His words.
But Jesus answered again and said to them,
"Children, how hard it is for those who trust
in riches to enter the kingdom of God!"
The whole Bible shows that God is not against you prospering.
And in fact, God promises to bless those who obey
His commandment on tithing.
And I'll show you that in the last portion of
this program, but please do not misunderstand.
This is neither an appeal for support,
nor a promotion of a health and wealth gospel.
If that's what you're looking for, you'll have to go
elsewhere, but here at Tomorrow's World,
we simply teach the whole counsel of God.
We teach all ten of the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath
command, the commandment against worshiping God
with idols, and so much more.
And the whole counsel of God includes the commandment
against stealing--either from your neighbor or from God.
So if you're interested in learning more about
God's law of tithing, be sure to call or go to our
website TWTV.org/Tithe to order your free copy of
God's People Tithe.
And when I come back, I'll show you the promise God
gives to the tithe payer.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
Before the break I said I would show you the
promise God gives to the tithe payer.
God spoke through Malachi to a cynical,
argumentative, self- justifying people when
He asked the question: "Will a man rob God?"
The answer was that they were doing so by not
paying their tithes, what we might view as their
just rent on God's beautiful earth.
As a result, He said there in Malachi the third chapter:
"You are cursed with a curse, for you have
robbed Me, even this whole nation.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,"
says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for
you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such
blessing that there will not be room enough
to receive it."
Is it any wonder why our nations struggle financially?
Is it any wonder why so many individuals
struggle financially?
Do we really think we can rob from God and not
suffer the consequences?
Now I know some think they cannot afford to tithe,
but can they afford not to tithe?
Remember what Jesus said were the weightier matters
of the law?
"[J]ustice and mercy and faith."
The Bible refers to Abraham as the father of the faithful
in Romans 4:16.
In addition to other acts of faith, we are first
introduced to tithing in Genesis 14:19-20,
when Abram set the example of giving a tithe to
"God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth."
"And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of
God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered
your enemies into your hand."
And he [that is Abraham] gave him [Melchizedek]
a tithe of all."
Do you have the faith of Abraham?
One who did was a widow in the days of Elisha.
She was down to her last meal when she chose to put God first.
Notice how Jesus praised her for her faith, Luke 4:25-26...
"But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in
the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up
three years and six months, and there was
a great famine throughout all the land; but to none
of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath,
in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow."
You can read this inspiring story of faith in 1 Kings 17.
I hope you'll do that, 1 Kings 17.
Today's offer--God's People Tithe contains
important information and biblical references that
I haven't had time to cover on today's program,
such as what is and is not tithable income.
But as with all that we offer, it's up to you
what you do with it.
But whatever else you come away with from this
program, please know that all our resources are
given out absolutely free of charge with no obligation.
And so that no one misunderstands, as all our
longtime followers know, this is our least offered resource.
Frankly, I cannot remember the last time, if ever, that
we here at Tomorrow's World offered God's People Tithe
on this telecast.
If you'd like to learn more about the whole
counsel of God and about the abundant life Jesus
said He came to bring, be sure to come back again
next time when Evangelists Richard Ames, Wallace Smith,
Rod McNair and I bring you more good news
from the pages of the Bible.
See you next time.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
♪
The preceding program is produced by the
Living Church of God.
♪
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