Biblical Giving 3

Jesus and Tithing...

Jesus says A LOT about giving, but he only mentions tithes ONE TIME...

The context is of scolding pharisees...

Matthew 23:23–24 NLT

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

He highlights their strict adherence to certain portions of the Law, but their neglect to more important matters.

The letter of the Law vs the spirit of the Law...

Matthew 6 and the Sermon on the Mount...

What Jesus teaches about giving is built upon the Old Testament and the Law, but he narrows down to the HEART of what is going on… Cain vs Abel again...

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is highlighting his teaching of the law that gets to the heart

You have hear that it was said… but I say to you...

Matthew 5:17 NLT

17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.

Matthew 5:17 NIV

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

With that in mind let’s look at a couple of teachings...

Matthew 6:1–4 NLT

1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

The heart of the matter is to give - but to NOT look for external rewards. To give with the thought of being rewarded by God and God alone. Those who give looking for the applause of man will only have as their award the applause of Man...

Matthew 6:19–34 NLT

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. 22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! 24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. 25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

We give unannounced

Our giving shows our heart

What we treasure shows our heart. The desires of our heart show our true treasure.

We can't serve 2 masters - although we often try

This creates worry, fear, uncertainty

But, if we trust God, if we focus on God and God's ways, this affects our giving to God's plans...And, you cannot out-give God!

This ties into Luke 6:38 where Jesus, in Luke, is giving his sermon on the plain (it’s Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount)

Luke 6:38 NLT

38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

A Difference in the Understanding of Receiving

Open receiving vs closed hand receiving...

We are NOT managers

We are NOT to dam the flow

We received with open hands to allow God's blessings to pass through us

It's not about profit vs loss

Income vs expenses

It's about God's goodness passing THROUGH us to the world!

It is about a COMPLETE trust and reliance upon God - day by day! The HEART of the WORSHIPER!!!

Consider the Widow...

Mark 12:41–44 NLT

41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. 43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Luke 21:1–4 NLT

1 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

This woman gave EVERYTHING to show her heart for God.

What she gave was 1/64 of a day’s wage...

It would be less that $1.50 today

Others gave from the outflow of their excess, but she gave ALL that she had, and had to trust God with tomorrow… hmm...

Open receiving vs. closed receiving...

CONTEXT...

Mark 12:38–40 NLT

38 Jesus also taught: “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. 39 And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. 40 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”

Jesus highlights that the religious leaders take advantage of the widows, and here she is being compared to them with how she gives vs. how they give.

Mark 12:28–34 NLT

28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 32 The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. 33 And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” 34 Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Jesus here states that the most important command is to love God with EVERYTHING. This woman becomes an example of that.

She also becomes an example of what it means to love God and love neighbor in a way that is more important that all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. THE HEART OF THE MATTER!

But, there’s more...

Mark 12:13–17 NLT

13 Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 14 “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?” Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I’ll tell you.” 16 When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 17 “Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” His reply completely amazed them.

Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s

1- Caesar doesn’t own everything and Caesar is not God!

2- Caesar’s image is on the coin, so it belongs to Caesar

3- We are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) so, we therefore bare God’s image into the world

In a trap for Jesus, to get him to condemn paying taxes, and therefore commit treason, Jesus reminds us that we are God’s. Since there are things that belong to Caesar we also recognize there are things that belong to God. Give Caesar his due, but also give God God’s due - us, with EVERYTHING we have and are.

Give God everything, and trust God to take care of the results!

Compare the Widow to the Rich Young Man...

Matthew 19:16–24 NLT

16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “ ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” 21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

What was the man’s problem with following Jesus?

He was too wealthy to let God have his heart! He was too much like Cain. He wanted the appearance of religion AT THE COST OF RELATIONSHIP!!

Matthew 19:22 MSG

22 That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go.

He could follow all the other laws. But a relationship that calls him to give up EVERYTHING - well that is too costly!

Instead of being like the widow who gave everything, he walked away. He was willing to give from the excess, but he would not give until he had to COMPLETELY rely upon God!

So, like Cain, he turns his back upon God and goes a separate way...

And what is Jesus’ warning?

Matthew 19:23–24 NLT

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Jesus’ point is clear, many people try to serve 2 masters, but they can’t.

This man wanted to serve God and money, but when God challenged him on what it means to be in a relationship with God at the cost of his money, he walked away… He held on to too much.

The eye of a needle...

Yeah, Jesus is probably depicting a metaphor and it has been explained...

A gate in Jerusalem called the “Needles Eye” and camels would pass through it. In order for the camel to get through it everything would be taken off the camel so it could pass through...

Or… the word for a sailing rope was similar to the word for camel. Maybe Jesus was saying it is easier to thread that thick rope through a needle than for a rich man to enter God’s plans...

Or maybe, just maybe, Jesus meant what he said. He wants us to see the IMPOSSIBILITY of following God while holding onto MONEY!

In ALL these situations, EVERYTHING must be let go of to enter into the eye of the needle. We must LET GO of it ALL to follow God. THE HEART OF THE MATTER!

You cannot allow God’s goodness to pass through you when you hold tightly to it!

Conclusion

Jesus calls us to receive God’s gifts with open hands - that is the HEART of the matter!