Training Hour: Fasting, Praying, Giving 3
Training Hour: Pray, Fast, Give • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 17 viewsNotes
Transcript
12 And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.
As Jesus preaches on the Sermon on the Mount, He gives a three-fold cord of living victoriously in this life.
Say, “God wants me to thrive, not survive.”
Jesus gives us the “life hack” of thriving. It is also the duty of every Christian to give, pray, and fast.
READ MATTHEW 6
Jesus says, “WHEN YOU GIVE…” And Jesus is describing a heart issue.
WHEN YOU GIVE
WHEN YOU GIVE
7 The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. 8 He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.
EVERYTHING COMES FROM GOD
EVERYTHING COMES FROM GOD
1 The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; 2 for he laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers.
Everything in this world belongs to God. Everything. There’s nothing we own or can produce without it belonging to the Lord.
14 The heavens, indeed the highest heavens, belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it.
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
FIRST THINGS FIRST
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; 10 then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
The Tithe
The Tithe
The Law of First Mention - a principle used to interpret the Bible that suggests the first mention of a word, concept, or theme is the most fundamental and clearest presentation. The idea is that the first mention of a concept establishes its meaning and sets a precedent for how it is used throughout the Bible.
Abraham responds to King Melchizedek’s blessing with a tithe of everything he had.
Genesis 14:17-20.
Hebrews 6:13-7:4.
Since then, because of Abraham’s faith and God’s covenant with Abraham (found in Genesis 15), the tithe is holy and belongs to the Lord.
30 “Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
In all of our plunder, first fruits of 1/10th belongs to the Lord. It is holy and set apart. (ex. of monthly pay)
26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them: When you receive from the Israelites the tenth that I have given you as your inheritance, you are to present part of it as an offering to the Lord—a tenth of the tenth.
Even the tribe of Levi, the priesthood that maintained the Temple before God - though they had no land or productive labor, all that came into them from Israel, 1/10th belongs to the Lord.
Even Pastors Ryan and Angie give our tithes to the Lord.
22 “Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields.
Even as a ministry, Refuge Aviano gives a tithe - 1/10th of all of our tithes that come in - we tithe to our ministry covering. (ex. of tithe of tithe)
The people of Israel were so blessed in the process of returning their tithe, that it was normal and common for them to do so with all their increase.
5 When the word spread, the Israelites gave liberally of the best of the grain, new wine, fresh oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance, a tenth of everything.
Tithing leads to abundance for the benefit of the body.
2 Chron. 31:1-10,20.
Tithing breaks the yoke of oppression! Because of Israel’s faithfulness in tithing and creating an abundance for the nation, the King of Assyria was unable to lay seige to Israel. Though the enemy came and attacked Israel, they had the resources through God’s provision to withstand and outlast the King’s attacks. AND because of Israel’s faithfulness to the Lord, God Himself broke off Assyria’s invasion.
2 Chron. 32:1-23.
What does tithing do?
What does tithing do?
Malachi 3:7-15.
Not tithing creates distance from the Lord. Therefore, tithing restores closeness to the Lord.
Not tithing is considered stealing from God. Therefore, tithing continuously returns to God what is His.
Not tithing brings upon the curse of Mammon that consumes, forces servitude, and usurps God’s authority and any dependency on Him in your life (Luke 16:9-13). Therefore tithing brings God’s blessing, abundance, freedom, and shows God our dependence on Him.
Tithing brings food into God’s house - spiritual food in the spiritual house. It provides for the ministers and the ministry. Not tithing means there is lack in God’s house - forcing those in ministry to find support elsewhere, and taking away from the ministers’ ability to produce spiritually for the house.
IT’S A TEST. God invites you to put Him to the test with this tithing process and “see if [He] will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.”
Tithing invites God to rebuke the devourer on your behalf, so that all of your labor is productive; not tithing allows the devourer to ruin your labor and the produce from your labor.
God’s blessing on your life brings favor from the world.
“But that’s the Old Testament”
“But that’s the Old Testament”
Well, the New Testament does affirm tithing. If anything, Jesus Himself says we are to tithe in Matthew 23. (Repeated in Luke 11:42-44)
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel!
V.23, Jesus acknowledges the Pharisees’ tithing, but accuses them of hypocritical hearts in their responsibilities to God. “These things should have been done without neglecting the others.”
V.24 says, you pinch pennies when it comes to the important things, but you fill yourself beyond full with what you want to spend money to consume!
GENEROSITY
GENEROSITY
The tithe is a baseline for God’s kingdom living. It’s a part of God’s economy where He gets to bless His sons and daughters individually and see that the ministries of God’s house are taken care of. And that’s for all of us! We all benefit from God’s blessing and we being faithful stewards.
The life of a believer in Christ Jesus ups the ante so-to-speak. It carries above and beyond the baseline requirement and seeks to live as a blessing to the world around us.
Malachi 3 talked about the tithes AND the contributions. 2 Chronicles 31:14 talks about the “freewill offerings to God” at the East Gate “to distribute the contribution to the LORD and the consecrated things.”
Matthew 6 alludes to two types of giving - both at the synagogue and in the public places. Both places where true riches abound (true riches are people). It’s meeting people where they are, and compassionately giving towards their needs in some capacity, most often with money.
Our generosity, given through freewill offerings AND directly to people in need, reflects the heart posture of God’s son and daughter living amidst this world.
We give wIthin our means:
1 Corinthians 16:2 “2 On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 - Intentional and budgeted generosity above the tithe, and to remember those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly, but those who sow generously will reap generously.
2 Corinthians 8 and 9 speak of how the Church should collect the contributions, and the Church should do so willingly.
God is the multiplier of every blessing. When we bless generously, God multiplies it enriching us “in every way”.
10 Now the one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will also provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.
Galatians 2:10, 1 Timothy 6:17-19 speaks to and instructs helping those in need.
Generosity takes care of those in ministry and preaching the Gospel:
Matthew 10:10.
Luke 10:7.
1 Corinthians 9:6-14.
1 Timothy 5:17-18.
“See a need, fill a need.” We should be prepared at all times to help those in need. God provides us the resources to be active members in His Kingdom to do His work. God wants to partner with us in doing the works of ministry in order that those in need can know God. He takes the first step in providing and gives us complete control of what to do with 100% of what’s been given to us.
A generous heart reflects the heart of God.
Extravagant Giving
Extravagant Giving
God did something new after the baptism of the Holy Spirit. People began to respond in faith like never before.
43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly. 32 Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common. 33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. 34 For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
The Church no longer has to be reactive in generosity, but with the leading the Holy Spirit the Church can also be proactive.
27 In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. This took place during the reign of Claudius. 29 Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea. 30 They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.
We believe, that we’re never closer to the heart of God than when we give.
We believe that the disciple of Christ exercising their faith through faithful tithes and offerings is an inward work of the Holy Spirit, allowing the work of the ministry to be fruitful, abundant, life-giving, and life-changing. We call this system God designed and employed “God’s economy.”
