Why...why...why...why?
Notes
Transcript
Asking the Grown Up’s
Asking the Grown Up’s
Grown ups the world over have dealt with questions from kids. Who can forget the ever present: Are we there yet? not two minutes after getting in the car. Then there's the what questions…What are you doing, what are you wearing, what’s that…but perhaps the question that gets asked the most by children everywhere is why…and no matter what you answer them they will keep asking that question. You’ve seen it happen, you may have even been in the middle of one of the conversations with a kid or a cousin or a niece or nephew or fill int eh blank with a kid that you know. It usually goes something like this. What’s that? it’s a spark plug…What’s it do? It helps the car run. Why? Well because you need a spark for a car to go. Why? Because the engine uses gasoline and in order to run there needs to be a spark to make ignite the vapors to make the car go. WHY? this cycle can be endless and in the end many times you realize that the kid will never be satisfied, that no matter how many times you give them the answers they still don’t get it and many times it’s because they just don't want too. When it comes to giving, especially the concept of giving money to God through the Church this is where many people find themselves, asking the question of why over and over because no matter the answer, they just don’t want to get it.
Here’s the thing though. As humans grow and age they begin to realize that when a question like what’s a spark plug and what’s it do has an answer, and weather they like it or not the answer is the truth and so they take that information, internalize it and understand that there will be times when spark plugs need replaced, or oil needs changed, or the battery needs to be serviced on the car. Wanting to have to do those things doesn’t matter you just have to do them.
Spiritually it’s the same thing. We are supposed to be growing in our walk with God.
Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation,
Asking the why question for giving makes sense here, but we are not supposed to stay here.
I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready,
This problem is not relegated to the Corinthian Christians. Paul writes in Hebrews about the same thing..
We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
Keeping all that in mind lets answer a few why questions when it comes to giving.
The Question Is
The Question Is
Why the word Tithe?
Why the word Tithe?
Defining the word will help.
TITHE Tenth part, especially as offered to God.
Pastors and Church leaders talk about the tithe. This word seems to be one of the most divisive in the church today, so much so that many leaders try and come up with alternatives to that one word.
When I talk about Tithes I talk about regular sustained percentage giving. But why…Why a 10th of income?
After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley ). Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said:
Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and I give praise to God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
This stone that I have set up as a marker will be God’s house, and I will give to You a tenth of all that You give me.”
Abraham and Jacob started the principle of the tithe in the old testament. Malachi codifies it...
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!”
You ask: “How do we rob You?”
“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me. Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
which leads us to the next why question.
Why give a tithe?
Why give a tithe?
look at what it says in Malachi 3:10 again.
Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
There are two answers. the first is so that there may be food in my house.
Whey does there need to be food in the Temple. IF we dig into the whole thing there was one tribe that was not given land in the promised land, the Levites, they were the tribe of people that specifically served in the temple. Not having land they did not have the ability to grow food, or raise cattle etc. When the other tribes paid their tithe it went into running, and maintaining the temple as well as feeding those that served the Lord as a vocation. So answer one is simple bring it in so there is food in the Lords house. So that ministry can happen and those that are doing the ministering can continue to do so unhindered. but there is a second reason that is outlined in this verse in Malachi.
The tithe was to be paid, faithfully because that faithfulness that obedience would bring about blessing. Not just a bit of a blessing either but blessing without measure. Giving that 10 percent in the Old Testament was a way to guarantee the ability to continue to give, to continue to care for and minister in and out of the temple and to continue to take care of those that did the ministering.
So the concept of tithing comes from what’s called the Deuteronomic code.
“Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the Lord your God. But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the Lord your God has blessed you, then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family. Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your gates. Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
In it we see the reasoning behind the tithe, which brings us to the next question.
We are under the New Covenant. Why do people still talk about tithes?
We are under the New Covenant. Why do people still talk about tithes?
It’s true we are under the new covenant. The old Testament uses the word tithe approximately 30 times its used just six in the new 3 times by Jesus when he’s confronting the scribes and pharisees who are more concerned about the fact that they tithe than they are about serving and loving etc..
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat, yet gulp down a camel!
Notice Jesus doesn’t say stop giving. People like to point to this, especially where it says that all those other things, justice, mercy and faith are what really matters they are more important. But if you stop there you miss out on something that Jesus says. He tells them that they need to offer justice mercy faith… AND keep up with giving.
Jesus does something even more important when he talks about giving. Things are supposed to be different. Giving is not about the 10% as a matter of fact he makes a couple of interesting observations.
Why do people sometimes say tithe is a minimum?
Why do people sometimes say tithe is a minimum?
Briefly describe this story (I’ve followed the law etc.)
“I have kept all these,” the young man told Him. “What do I still lack?”
“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
But wait there’s more.
He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. “I tell you the truth,” He said. “This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
We find two important things happening here.
people were giving most out of their surplus
Jesus wants more than what’s left over more than the extra after. He wants our giving to be done with thought and intention.
If we realize that then we understand why people say that the 10 percent is a beginning point. It’s almost like the minumum. Pushing further into the New Testament we find instances of Christ followers giving more than 10 percent. In 1 John we find out that what we are given is to be used to serve and help others.
If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?
Why we give does not have to be a complicated question to answer and yet sometimes we choose to make it complicated as an excuse to ignore it.
We give Because it’s a Principle started In the Old Testament and expanded on in the new testament. A way for followers of Christ to be obeident and to serve and help those who serve do more.
This Week’s Challenge
This Week’s Challenge
If you are not already doing so, set aside a percentage of your regular income to give on a regular basis. Do so faithfully, and watch as the percentage increases naturally out of the desire that will continue to grow as your faith grows.
