What Does the Bible Say About Tithing? (Part 1)
I’m Glad You Asked! • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewThe concept of money and what a person is to do with money is one of the major themes of the Bible, yet most tend to shy away from talking about it. This message sets the foundation for that conversation and why money isn't a topic we should avoid or act sheepishly around. Before we get into the specifics of tithing or giving, we need to get to heart of the matter! That's what this message is about today!
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The question I want to begin addressing today was one of our earliest submissions. It is a question I have personally asked myself in the past. It is a question that I have been asked many times throughout my ministry. It is a question that is popular to ask, but it is not popular to talk about.
The question is, “What Does the Bible Say About Tithing?”
The concept of money and what a person is to do with money is one of the major themes of the Bible, yet most tend to shy away from talking about it.
The Bible says more about money than it does about prayer, fasting, or even hope.
Why? Because when it comes right down to it it’s all about money? NO!
It’s because money is often a barometer that shows what is driving our lives and our hearts.
GOD DOES NOT WANT YOUR MONEY…GOD WANTS YOUR HEART!
Matthew 6:21 “21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
You can give vast amounts of wealth, but if your heart behind it holds little to no value for God, then it doesn’t really amount to much anything at all.
This is why I want to answer the question about the practical application of giving or the tithe, but before we do we need to start at the heart!
So next week we will address the specifics of the act, this week we are going to look at the specifics of the heart.
10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. 14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.
1) The Heart Behind Giving is a Matter of Ownership!
1) The Heart Behind Giving is a Matter of Ownership!
We often don’t like to talk about giving because we have a false and unhealthy view of what we give.
We tend to think that we own all that we have, but the truth is that all we possess belongs to God, the Creator, Sustainer, and Giver of all good things.
In His providence, He graciously provides for us what we have and what we need. I’ve seen it firsthand!
Story behind Thad’s surgery (2023)…
Too often people become entangled by possessions because they have a misplaced hope.
Misplaced hope in resources leads to lies that ensnare us to be held captive by those resources.
This is why we do not have the freedom to truly live a blessed life filled with generosity!
When we have a skewed view about our possessions we find ourselves thinking things like:
“What I do with my money is my business.”
“All the church wants is my money!”
“It’s my money…I’ll do with it whatever I see fit.”
“As long as God gets His cut, I can use the rest however I want.”
“How much do I have to give to God to keep Him happy?”
“If I give enough, He’s supposed to send more my way, right?”
All of these mindsets grow from a heart that has misplaced hope in resources.
A healthy, biblical view is that reflected here in vs. 14!
God isn’t someone to Whom we owe a cut…He’s the master and owner of it all!
He is the Owner and we are His stewards!
What is a Steward? (Not the owner, borrowed authority, responsibility, accountable to the Master, reflects the Master’s heart in all their affairs, and delights in what is the Master’s.)
When I stop thinking that possession is 9/10s of the law, I realize that God has graciously provided and allowed for me to have what I need.
When I trust in God to provide, I start to see His hand at work and my hands move from clenched fists to open hands to praise!
When I realize that God is the owner of it all…that it is His world and I am just living in it, I begin to see God’s glory and majesty in everything. (vs. 11)
When I see God’s glory displayed through His provision, my heart is reshaped away from contempt and anxiety in talking about money, to one of joy, worship, generosity, and freedom in talking about money.
2) The Heart Behind Giving is a Matter of Worship!
2) The Heart Behind Giving is a Matter of Worship!
Having the proper heart of stewardship leads to praise!
10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
Having the proper heart of stewardship leads to gratitude!
13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
Having the proper heart of stewardship leads to awe!
14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.
Having the proper heart of stewardship leads to freedom and joy!
17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.
John Maxwell’s story about the Lobster Fisherman: Huge Catch (121); Starting giving it away; only 3 left; freezer goes out. Joy of giving it away better than having nothing to show for the day’s catch.
Having the proper heart of stewardship leads to desiring closeness with God!
18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.
Praise, gratitude, awe, freedom, joy, and desiring closeness with God…is that not the sensation and goals of worship?
This is why money is to be a conduit for worship, not the object of it.
Closing
Closing
Before we ever get to the application of our giving, we need to make sure our heart for giving is in the right place!
AGAIN, GOD DOESN’T WANT MONEY…HE WANTS YOUR HEART!
A heart that is properly focused on God doesn’t see money as a life-giving force; it sees it as an instrument of worship.
A heart fixated on God understands that they are a steward of what the Master has provided for them.
Where is your heart fixated today? Is it on Him or on what He gives?
What’s driving your life and your heart? Is it money or is the Master?
