A Part For the Whole
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Welcome
Last week we wrapped up our series Your Dream Home.
I really enjoyed teaching that series. I hope you enjoyed it, I hope you got something out of it, and I hope it challenged and changed you and your family.
Over the last seven weeks we talked about:
foundations
process
intimacy
parenting
restoration
community
And my prayer is that your home is stronger today than it was when we started.
Today we’re starting something different.
Not a new series.
Just a standalone message that’s been stirring around in my heart for a while.
And I want to talk about something that affects every area of our lives.
Trust.
Because at the end of the day, every relationship is built on trust.
Every marriage.
Every friendship.
Every family.
And ultimately our relationship with God.
But that doesn’t make trust easy.
In fact, trust can be hard.
It can be scary.
It can feel unsafe.
And if we’re being honest, it can even feel unwise at times to fully trust God.
Because trust requires us to surrender control.
It requires us to believe that God knows what He’s doing even when we can’t see what He’s doing.
This morning I want to teach you a bit this morning…
I’m not going to really preach as much as teach…
I’m not really going to preach as much as I’m going to teach.
And I need to ask you for a little grace this morning.
Because there are some important things I want us to talk about.
Some important things I think we need to understand.
So I need you to lock in with me.
And I need you to be okay if I go a few minutes over today.
I know some of you are thinking…
Actually, let me rephrase that.
All of you are thinking…
“Don’t you always?”
Fair.
But today I have a reason.
So turn with me to the book of Genesis this morning.
God has just created Adam.
He’s placed him in the garden.
He’s given him purpose.
He’s given him an assignment.
He’s given him boundaries.
Everything seems to be exactly as it should be.
But then, for the very first time in creation, God identifies a problem.
Let’s pick up in Genesis chapter 2, verse 18.
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
I’ve titled the message this morning:
A part for the hole
Pray
You know what’s really fun?
When a you get in your vehicle to go somewhere and go to start your vehicle and you hear that noise “click click click….” and then it doesn’t start….
That happened to me this week
BATTERY STORY
I knew the battery was bad.
So I went and got a new batteryProblem solved, right?
Except it wasn’t.
I pulled the battery out and discovered the terminal clamp was cracked and needed to be replaced too.
Now it’s late.
I’m standing in an AutoZone parking lot.
I’m frustrated.
I’m tired.
And I’m realizing that what I thought was a simple battery swap isn’t so simple anymore.
And then my brother-in-law shows up.
At 10 o’clock at night.
In an AutoZone parking lot.
Because apparently that’s what family does.
And here’s what I realized.
I had the problem.
I had the parts.
But I didn’t have all the tools.
He showed up with what I was missing.
And suddenly the thing that felt impossible wasn’t impossible anymore.
Transition
And I think a lot of us approach life the same way.
We think the answer is trying harder.
Working harder.
Figuring it out ourselves.
Being more self-sufficient.
But the reality is we were never designed to do life alone.
We were never designed to be self-sufficient.
And that’s exactly what God identifies in Genesis 2.
Before Adam ever recognized a need…
God did.
Before Adam ever asked for help…
God had already started making provision.
Let’s look at Genesis 2:18 again…
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Before Adam ever knew he was alone, God knew.
Before Adam ever identified a need, God identified a need.
Before Adam ever asked for help, God had already decided to provide help.
Think about that.
Adam isn’t praying.
Adam isn’t complaining.
Adam isn’t asking God for a wife.
God sees a problem Adam doesn’t even see yet.
And not only does God identify the problem…
God immediately declares the solution.
“I will make…”
God wasn’t reacting to Adam’s need.
God already knew.
But that raises a question.
Why was being alone a problem in the first place?
“It is not good…”
Most people immediately think marriage.
And marriage is certainly part of the application.
But I think there’s something deeper happening here.
Humanity was created for dependence.
Humanity was created for relationship.
Humanity was never designed for independence.
The very first thing God calls “not good” in creation is isolation.
Why?
Because nothing in creation was designed to function independently.
Not Adam.
Not marriage.
Not the family.
And certainly not our relationship with God.
In Matthew 6 Jesus says something that we know, but often ignore when it comes to our own needs.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Think about that for a moment.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Not after you ask.
Not once you explain it really well.
Not once you convince Him.
Not once you pray about it enough.
Before.
Before the prayer.
Before the request.
Before the need ever becomes a prayer point.
God already knows.
That’s exactly what we see in Genesis 2.
Before Adam knew.
God knew.
Before Adam identified a problem.
God identified a problem.
Before Adam asked for provision.
God was already preparing provision.
Church, God was not reacting to Adam’s need.
He already knew.
And maybe somebody needs to hear that this morning.
God is not reacting to your situation.
He already knows.
He already sees it.
He already understands it.
He is not surprised by it.
And He isn’t scrambling trying to figure out what to do next.
We have a God that is not reactive.
He doesn’t learn new information.
He doesn’t discover problems.
He doesn’t wake up one morning and realize something caught Him off guard.
He isn’t pacing the floors of heaven trying to come up with a plan.
Before Adam knew…
God knew.
Before Adam saw the need…
God saw the need.
Before Adam understood the problem…
God had already determined the solution.
“I will make.”
Church, that’s the kind of God we serve.
A God who knows.
A God who sees.
A God who provides.
A God who is already at work before we even realize we need Him to be.
And if that’s true about Adam…
Then it’s true about you.
It’s true about your marriage.
It’s true about your children.
It’s true about your future.
It’s true about your finances.
It’s true about the thing that’s keeping you awake at night.
God is not reacting to your situation.
He already knows.
But notice how the provision comes…
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
I want you to notice something.
God knew before Adam knew.
But God doesn’t immediately tell Adam.
He doesn’t pull Adam aside and say:
“Adam, you’re lonely.”
“Adam, you need a wife.”
“Adam, here’s the problem.”
Instead, He allows Adam to discover it for himself.
Adam begins naming the animals.
Two by two.
Pair after pair.
Companion after companion.
And eventually the text says:
“But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.”
In other words, Adam begins to realize what God already knew.
And I think God often works the same way in our lives.
Sometimes God allows us to discover our need before He reveals His provision.
Not because He is withholding.
Not because He is absent.
But because there are some things we won’t appreciate until we understand why we need them.
God will often let us feel our insufficiency before He reveals His provision.
Adam couldn’t create Eve.
Adam couldn’t solve this problem.
Adam couldn’t provide what he lacked.
Only God could.
So watch what happens.
God knew there was a problem.
Then God allowed Adam to discover there was a problem.
Now Adam knows.
Now Adam is aware.
Now Adam understands something is missing.
And here’s the important part…
He also knows he can’t do anything about it.
Adam can’t create Eve.
Adam can’t solve the problem.
Adam can’t provide the answer.
He’s reached the end of himself.
And honestly, that’s a place most of us hate.
Because we like solutions.
We like plans.
We like fixing things.
We like being in control.
But God will often bring us to places where our own strength is no longer enough.
Not to punish us.
But to remind us where provision actually comes from.
And that’s exactly where Adam is.
God is the only one who can solve this problem.
God is the only one who can provide what Adam lacks.
So what does he do?
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man….
I find that interesting.
God doesn’t give Adam a blueprint.
God doesn’t explain the process.
God doesn’t ask Adam for suggestions.
God causes a deep sleep to fall upon him.
Adam contributes nothing.
Adam controls nothing.
Adam manages nothing.
Adam doesn’t even know what’s happening.
He is completely dependent upon God.
And if we’re being honest, that’s uncomfortable.
Because most of us would rather God tell us the plan.
We want the blueprint.
We want the timeline.
We want the guarantee.
We want to know how it’s all going to work out.
But Adam gets none of that.
He simply has to trust.
Trust begins where control ends.
And while Adam is asleep…
While Adam is unable to work…
Unable to strive…
Unable to fix…
Unable to provide…
God goes to work.
21 …and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
Now look…
The text doesn’t say this.
But I know myself.
And if God came to me and said:
“Kyle, I want to do something for you.
I want to provide something that you desperately need.
I want to solve a problem you can’t solve.
But first… I’m going to need a rib.”
My first response would not be:
“Sounds great. Let’s do it.”
I’d have questions.
A lot of questions.
Why a rib?
Do I really need to lose a rib?
Is there another way?
Can we use somebody else’s rib?
Can we revisit this tomorrow?
And if we’re being honest, many of us treat God the same way.
We say we trust Him.
Until trust costs us something.
We trust Him as long as He doesn’t ask us to surrender anything.
As long as He doesn’t touch our comfort.
Our plans.
Our control.
Our security.
But God takes a rib.
A part.
And here’s what’s fascinating…
God doesn’t take the rib because He wants something from Adam.
He takes the rib because He wants something for Adam.
Adam is asleep.
He has no control.
He is not contributing.
Adam has one job….
Rest.
Trust.
That’s it.
And if we’re being honest, that’s harder than it sounds.
Because most of us would rather help God.
We’d rather understand the plan.
We’d rather have a vote.
We’d rather know what He’s doing.
But Adam doesn’t get any of that.
He simply has to trust that the God who identified the need is also capable of providing the solution.
And while Adam is resting…
God is working.
While Adam is surrendering…
God is providing.
While Adam is asleep…
God is building.
Church, that’s how God works.
The things only God can do are ONLY accomplished when we finally stop trying to do them ourselves.
As I was studying this passage, I started noticing something.
This isn’t the last time God asks for a part.
In fact, God seems to do this all throughout Scripture.
A rib.
Firstfruits.
Firstborn.
A tithe.
Over and over again God asks for a portion.
And what’s fascinating is that every time He does, people immediately focus on what is leaving their hands.
But God is focused on what He is building.
Adam could have focused on the missing rib.
Instead, God was creating Eve.
And that got me thinking…
Why does God keep asking for a portion?
Why a rib?
Why firstfruits?
Why a tithe?
Why does God seem so interested in a part?
In Genesis we see God begin to bring about the Nation of Isreal..
Eventually God formalizes this principle for Israel.
After bringing them out of Egypt…
After establishing them as His covenant people…
God gives instructions for how they are to live as a people set apart for Him.
And among those instructions is something called the tithe.
Now before we go any further, let’s define that word.
The word “tithe” literally means:
“A tenth.”
Ten percent.
That’s all the word means.
But ten percent of what?
Increase.
Income.
Provision.
Look what God says to the people of Israel:
30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.
Notice what God says.
Not that the tithe should become His.
Not that the tithe might be His.
The tithe is His.
It belongs to Him.
Why?
Because the issue has never been the percentage.
The issue has always been ownership.
God is reminding His people that everything they have ultimately comes from Him.
Think about it…
Before there can be a tithe, there has to be increase.
Before there can be increase, there has to be provision.
Before there can be provision, there has to be a Provider.
We spend so much time focusing on the provision that we forget the Provider.
Look at Psalm 24:1
1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
The fullness thereof.
In other words…
Everything.
There is nothing on this earth that does not ultimately belong to God.
He owns everything.
The land.
The trees.
The animals.
The gold.
The silver.
The houses.
The businesses.
The bank accounts.
The paycheck.
The breath in your lungs.
Everything.
Which means every dollar that exists ultimately exists because God first provided something of value.
Think about it.
You cannot have currency without provision.
Currency is simply a way of assigning value to provision.
Before there was money there was provision.
Before there were markets there was provision.
Before there were paychecks there was provision.
And before there was provision there was a Provider.
God never needed man’s money.
Money was man’s idea.
Provision was God’s idea.
God created the trees.
God created the animals.
God created the crops.
God created the resources.
God created the world that makes provision possible.
The Provider always comes before the provision.
And if God owns everything…
Then the tithe isn’t really about giving God something He doesn’t have.
It’s about acknowledging the One who provided it in the first place.
We have to understand something…as a matter of fact I want you to write it down:
SAY IT WITH ME
Money is not my provider. Money is one of the ways my Provider provides.
There’s a difference.
Because if money is my provider, then I will trust money.
I’ll chase money.
I’ll fear losing money.
I’ll put my hope in money.
I’ll look to money for security.
But if God is my Provider, then money is simply one of the tools He uses.
Think about it.
If your paycheck disappeared tomorrow, God would still be God.
If your bank account hit zero tomorrow, God would still be God.
If the economy crashed tomorrow, God would still be God.
Because your Provider is not your employer.
Your Provider is not your paycheck.
Your Provider is not your savings account.
Your Provider is not your retirement account.
Your Provider is God.
And money is simply one of the ways He chooses to provide.
That’s why Jesus said:
“You cannot serve both God and money.”
Because money makes a terrible god.
It was never designed to carry the weight of your trust.
Only God can do that.
Now if you haven’t figured it out by now this a message on tithing….
And anytime the topic of tithing comes up in church here is what also shows up:
Opinions
Objections
Debates
And somehow…
The internet shows up.
Everybody suddenly becomes a theologian.
Everybody has an article.
Everybody has a podcast.
Everybody has a YouTube video.
Everybody has an opinion.
And listen, some of the questions people ask are good questions.
Some of them are questions we should ask.
Some of them deserve an answer.
So before we move any further, let’s take a few minutes and address some of the most common things people say whenever the topic of tithing comes up.
Myth #1: The Tithe Was Never Money
You’ll often hear people say:
“The tithe was never money.”
And that’s actually not entirely true.
Money absolutely existed in the Old Testament.
People bought land.
Paid debts.
Paid taxes.
Conducted business.
Money was very much a part of everyday life.
The reason many tithes involved crops, livestock, wine, and oil is because Israel was primarily an agricultural society.
That’s where much of their increase came from.
But the point of the tithe was never a specific currency.
The point was acknowledging God as the source of increase and provision.
The issue was never dollars, crops, livestock, or grain.
The issue was always trust.
Myth # 2: Tithing Only Existed Under the Old Testament Law
This one is easy.
The tithe existed before the Law.
Abraham tithed to Melchizedek in Genesis 14.
Jacob vowed a tenth to God in Genesis 28.
Both of those happened before Moses.
Before Sinai.
Before the Law was ever given.
Now, did the Law later formalize and regulate the tithe for Israel?
Absolutely.
But the principle itself existed before the Law.
And then when we get to the New Testament, we don’t see Jesus condemning tithing.
We see Him condemning people who tithed while neglecting the weightier matters of the Law.
Matthew 23:23 Jesus says: “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
The New Testament doesn’t reduce giving.
It expands giving.
The question shifts from: “What is the minimum I have to give?”
To: “How generous can I become?”
The New Testament didn’t tear down tithing.
It built on it.
Myth #3: Jesus Never Talked About Tithing
We’ve actually already touched on this one.
Jesus absolutely talked about tithing.
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, not because they tithed, but because they neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
In fact, Jesus says: “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
The issue wasn’t their giving.
The issue was their heart.
Which leads us to perhaps the biggest misconception of all…
Myth #4: If I Don’t Tithe, God Will Be Angry, Curse Me, or Stop Loving Me
Let’s be clear.
You cannot out-sin the grace of God by missing a tithe.
You are not saved by giving.
You are not loved by giving.
You are not accepted by giving.
You are not forgiven by giving.
You are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, where does this idea come from?
Usually people arrive at this conclusion from how Malachi 3:8-10 has been taught.
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.
People hear: “Will a man rob God?”
And: “You are cursed with a curse.”
And immediately conclude: “If I don’t tithe, God is angry with me.”
But we have to read Malachi through the lens of the cross.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
Jesus took the curse.
Jesus bore the punishment.
Jesus paid the debt.
Which means if you are in Christ, God’s posture toward you is not condemnation.
It is grace.
Which means as believers we do not give out of fear.
We do not give to earn God’s love.
We do not give to avoid God’s wrath.
We give because we trust Him.
We give because we love Him.
We give because we are grateful.
Grace changes the motivation. It does not eliminate tithing.
The truth is, there have been pastors, churches, and spiritual leaders who have mishandled this topic.
Some have used guilt.
Some have used fear.
Some have used manipulation.
Some have made promises that Scripture doesn’t make.
And because of that, many people have been hurt.
I understand that.
And if that’s part of your story, I’m genuinely sorry that happened to you.
But the misuse of something doesn’t eliminate its proper use.
The abuse of a biblical principle doesn’t make the principle unbiblical.
That’s why this morning I’ve tried to keep bringing us back to the text.
Not tradition.
Not opinions.
Not internet debates.
The text.
Because ultimately this conversation isn’t about what a pastor says.
It’s about what God says.
Maybe you’re wondering: “okay but why 10…?”
Why not five?
Why not twenty?
Why not thirty-seven and a half?
Why a tenth?
The truth is Scripture never explicitly tells us why God chose ten.
But throughout Scripture, a tenth functions as a representative portion.
A part that represents the whole.
Think about it:
God gave ten commandments, not eleven.
Egypt endured ten plagues before God’s judgment was complete.
Again and again ten appears as a number representing fullness and completeness.
I do find it interesting that God didn’t ask for eleven percent.
He didn’t ask for twenty percent.
He asked for a tenth.
A representative portion.
Not because He wanted or needed the ten.
But because the ten represented the whole.
And isn’t that exactly what we’ve been talking about all morning?
A part representing the whole.
A rib.
A tithe.
A representative portion.
The tithe is not God claiming 10%, The tithe is God reminding us He owns 100%.
The purpose of the tithe was never the percentage.
The purpose of the tithe was the trust.
Now…
I want to go back to Genesis.
God identifies the need.
Adam discovers the need.
God puts Adam into a deep sleep.
God takes a rib.
God builds Eve.
And then God presents Eve to Adam.
23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
I love Adam’s response.
Because he says:
“At last…”
Other translations render it:
“Finally…”
Can you hear the excitement?
Can you hear the relief?
Can you hear the joy?
The man who didn’t even know he had a need a few verses earlier is now celebrating God’s provision.
He’s not talking about the rib.
He’s not focused on what was taken.
He’s rejoicing over what God provided.
The thing that God knew he needed before Adam knew he needed it.
The thing God was building while Adam slept.
The thing Adam could never have created for himself.
“At last…”
“Finally…”
Church, that’s what happens when God provides.
What once felt confusing suddenly makes sense.
What once felt like surrender suddenly feels worth it.
What once felt like loss suddenly looks like blessing.
Adam isn’t mourning what he gave up.
He’s celebrating what God gave him.
Now I have to be careful here…because I don’t want to go viral for a slip up…
what often looks like a hole…
is actually God making something Whole….
Now I have to be careful here because I don’t want a clip of this floating around the internet tomorrow…
But what often looks like a hole…
Is actually God making something whole.
The title of this message isn’t actually:
“A Part for the Hole.”
It’s: “A Part for the Whole.”
That’s exactly what happened in Genesis.
God took a part.
Not because He wanted something from Adam.
But because He wanted something for Adam.
And that’s the principle we see repeated throughout Scripture with the tithe.
Not because God is trying to take something from His people but is trying to make them whole through trusting him.
God is trying to teach His people something.
Trust.
Dependence.
Surrender.
The tithe was never about God needing ten percent.
The tithe was about God teaching His people that one hundred percent belonged to Him.
And just like Adam, we often focus on what is leaving our hands.
God focuses on what He is building in our hearts.
Adam thought he was losing a rib.
God was preparing Eve.
Israel thought they were surrendering a tenth.
God was teaching dependence.
And every act of generosity is ultimately a declaration:
God, I trust You more than I trust what I’m holding.
As we get ready to close this morning, I want to do something a little different.
Everything we’ve talked about today has been about trust.
Dependence.
Generosity.
And ultimately believing that God is our Provider.
Now, I told you at the beginning that there were some important things we needed to discuss as a church family.
If you’re visiting with us today, we’re genuinely glad you’re here. You’re getting a little bit of a family conversation this morning.
Over the last several weeks our leadership team has been having some honest conversations about where we are financially as a church.
We’ve prayed.
We’ve evaluated.
We’ve looked at the numbers.
And because we value transparency, we felt it was important to share that with you.
Todd serves on our leadership team and because he’s out of town this morning, he recorded a brief update that I’d like you to hear.
So before I finish and bring this all together, take a look at the screen.
TODD VIDEO
Church, that’s not an easy update to hear.
And honestly, it’s not an easy update to give.
But I want you to notice something.
Everything Todd just talked about is real.
The numbers are real.
The challenge is real.
The decision in front of us is real.
But that’s not why I preached this message.
If all I wanted was money, I could have skipped Genesis.
I could have skipped the teaching.
I could have skipped the theology.
I could have simply stood up here and asked for it.
But this was never really about money.
It’s about trust.
It’s about dependence.
It’s about whether we truly believe what we’ve talked about all morning.
That God is our Provider.
That God is faithful.
That God can do more with what we surrender than we can do with what we keep.
And I want you to know something.
I believe what I’ve taught this morning.
Not because Anchor City needs it.
Because it’s true.
I believed it before this church existed.
I’ll believe it if this church is thriving five years from now.
And I’ll believe it if every one of us finds ourselves somewhere else someday.
Because this isn’t an Anchor City principle.
It’s a Kingdom principle.
I didn’t teach this message because our church has financial challenges.
I taught this message because I believe following Jesus includes trusting Him with every area of our lives—including our finances.
And even if this message never benefits Anchor City one single dollar, I would still teach it.
Because I want you to experience what happens when you stop trusting the provision and start trusting the Provider.
Church, I don’t know exactly what the future looks like.
But I know this:
God knew there was a need before Adam did.
God had a solution before Adam understood the problem.
And God was faithful then.
And He is faithful now.
So today I’m not asking you to give out of fear.
I’m not asking you to give out of guilt.
I’m not asking you to give because a church needs money.
I’m asking you to pray.
To listen to the Holy Spirit.
And to ask yourself a simple question: What is my part?
Church, I don’t know exactly what the future holds.
But I know God is faithful.
