Why dedicate my finances to planting and reaping a GC harvest?
Hope for Lenawee • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Show five foundations slide…
Show “worshipful, eager, sacred gift to the Lord” slide.
We saw how David invited Israel to dedicate their hearts to the Lord in the same manner as they brought their tithes and offerings to the Lord.
When I mention a tithe, some people can become very defensive. Other people become excited because they can share stories about God’s blessing flowing into their lives because of tithing.
It is possible there are people listening to my voice that want to know what a tithe is. It’s a new for them. So, we’re going to start in Genesis and see how tithing is a part of the entire Bible.
Tithe appears in the Bible 42 times and means a tenth. We’re going to look at a few passages that show God’s people have always been taught to give one-tenth of their income to the church they attend and worship at.
Before we move on, I want to acknowledge that some Christian leaders believe a tithe no longer applies to American Christians. Some Christian leaders believe a tithe can go to any Christian ministry or a combination of ministry efforts. I believe a tithe does apply to American Christians and it is supposed to be given to the church you attend. People who are guests or just beginning to check-out a church, there comes a moment when you decide a church is yours that God begins to hold us accountable.
Pages 41-43 ~ this is my heart on financial generosity.
Here are five reasons why we should participate in financial generosity.
Reason #1 - Tithing was worshipfully practiced long before the law was given.
17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 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. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,
Reason #2 - Tithing was clarified throughout the law.
22 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. 23 And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, 25 then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the Lord your God chooses 26 and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you.
You can also read Leviticus 27, Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 12, and Deuteronomy 26
Reason #3 - Tithing was a recognized part of worship throughout the history of God’s people.
1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and broke down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the people of Israel returned to their cities, every man to his possession.
2 And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, division by division, each according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to minister in the gates of the camp of the Lord and to give thanks and praise. 3 The contribution of the king from his own possessions was for the burnt offerings: the burnt offerings of morning and evening, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts, as it is written in the Law of the Lord. 4 And he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the Law of the Lord. 5 As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6 And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the dedicated things that had been dedicated to the Lord their God, and laid them in heaps. 7 In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and his people Israel. 9 And Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps. 10 Azariah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the Lord, we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left, for the Lord has blessed his people, so that we have this large amount left.”
11 Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare chambers in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them. 12 And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the dedicated things. The chief officer in charge of them was Conaniah the Levite, with Shimei his brother as second,
You can also read Nehemiah 10-13.
Reason #4 - Tithing was reinforced in the prophets
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.
Reason #5 - Tithing was taught by Jesus
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.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
Chris, I see the verses and I hear what you’re saying, but there is no way I can do that.
When our heart and finances are worshipful, sacred gifts to the Lord, he makes what seems impossible to become possible. If 10% isn’t possible, pick a percentage that is greater than what you currently give and start working toward 10%. God will bless your obedience.
How do I know? After we got married, it took about a year to find a church that we could commit to. Because we both grew up in church, we knew when you connect to a church, you write a check every week. We’ve been tithing since 1998. We’re not wealthy, but we’re blessed.
Here is an example. In 28 years of marriage, we have purchased 9 vehicles. 2 of them were totaled. We gave 1 to somebody that needed a vehicle. 4 of them are still in the family. Friends, when you get serious about tithing, God shows up in a way that most people can’t explain.
