THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TITHING
On Our Journey to Being Forty • Sermon • Submitted
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HOOK
HOOK
Today marks the beginning of our 4-week anniversary month— Block dinner time [5:30-9:30pm] of September 27 on your calendar and make your plans to join our very special celebration of our 40th year church anniversary
Since it is our anniversary month— we are going to start a new series entitled: ON OUR JOURNEY TO BEING FORTY
A month-long study of the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy
We’re going to take a closer look on the journey of the Israelites when they were liberated from Egypt— that symbolizes slavery
Why did it took them 40 years to get to the Promise Land?
Cairo to Jerusalem is now only 12 hours by car, an hour and a half by plane [SHOW MAP]
What could have been a two-week journey ended up to a 40 years of wandering in the desert— Why?— because they are not ready— their hearts are not ready
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.
The Israelites moved around in the desert for forty years [SHOW MAP]
God watched over them on their journey
7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.
God has been with them all those years and they lacked nothing— God provided for their needs
But it took them that long because their hearts are not ready
Our church was founded back in September 29, 1980— just 23 days short from being 40 years
ARE WE READY?
IS YOUR HEART READY?
The book Exodus and Deuteronomy [2 of the 5 books called pentateuch] contains the so called Mosaic Law
The 10 plagues that changed the heart of the Pharaoh that led to the release of the Israelites was recorded in the book of Exodus
Exodus is a book about God’s power to rescue his people however desperate their situation
Deuteronomy on the other hand is Moses’ farewell to the people— this was when they stood on the threshold of the Promised Land
Moses reviewed their journey together and spells out in plain language the terms of their covenant with God
It contains brilliant rules for a happy life— a life based on a total commitment to God— the heart of this book are the very words of Jesus himself recorded in Mark 12:30 which was verbatim of…
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
That may be abbreviated to “revere God”
These books contained the many teachings of Moses to the people of God— and one of the first things that God taught them [Israelites] was to GIVE BACK TO GOD
Giving is a form of worship, and it is also one of the most difficult condition of the heart that every Christian should deal with— if they truly love and honor God
That’s why Moses has to remind God’s people and he said..
18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
ILLUSTRATION: There was a father and son hanging out one day while suddenly the son asked the father— Dad, can I get some french fries?...
We asked God for provision, the moment we get what we asked for, we forgot who really owns it
“You have to take control of your money before your money takes control of you”
Remember that you brought nothing into this world— and you can take nothing out of this world
After Job lost everything he said..
21 He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”
This reminded me of the arrival of my grand daughter last Friday— Princess Bella— she was naked! Just like all of us when we were born
We came with nothing, God is the one who gave us the ability to produce wealth— so who’s are the wealth that we have?— Mine? Ours?— wrong answer! It all belongs to God
Holding back what belongs to God is cheating God
8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
Let’s take a look on what the law of Moses [our covenant with God] says about this— Open your Bible to Deuteronomy 14:22-25
BOOK
BOOK
22 “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. 23 Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God. 24 “Now when the Lord your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe. 25 If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the Lord your God has chosen.
Whether you you’re used to give the smallest bill you have in your purse, or you’re scratching your head wondering what tithing is— It is always a good idea to check your heart [attitude] towards giving— that’s basically tithing is— giving!
I’m sure many of you have many questions about “tithing”—
What exactly is tithing?
How much should I give?
Shall I give while I am in debt?
Don’t worry if you have these questions lingering in your mind because you’re not alone!— I also had these questions early on in my Christian journey
Let’s take a closer look what God said through Moses about tithing so you can also experience the joy of giving no matter how your finances looks like
LOOK
LOOK
YOU MUST SET ASIDE A TITHE OF YOUR CROPS
What is a tithe?
A tithe is 10% of your income
The word tithe literally means tenth in Hebrew
Because the custom of tithing is biblical, many Christians and Jews practice it as part of their faith [worship]
While giving our time, talent and treasure to God is equally important, the word tithing refers to giving money
We often hear the bi-word— “tithes & offerings”—
What is the difference between Tithes & Offerings?
Tithes is giving the first tenth of your income, while offering is anything you give in addition to your tithe
After you’ve tithed and paid all your bills and necessary expenses for the month, you can then use any extra money in your budget to give even more!
This include giving a cash offering to your church above and beyond your normal tithe, you can give your love offerings to some other charitable organizations
Giving to a friend in need, or giving your time and skills by volunteering
Where are we supposed to give our Tithes?
THE DESIGNATED PLACE OF WORSHIP
In other words, to your local church where you worship— in our case, we give our tithes to Agape Church of San Diego
Why should we Tithe?
DOING THIS WILL TEACH YOU ALWAYS TO FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD
In other words, to always revere [respect] God— Greek “yirah” pronounce as ya-re
The Bible tells us that tithing is a way to show that we trust God with our lives and finances
But the tithe wasn’t put in place for God’s benefit— He owns everything remember? — He doesn’t need our money
Instead, tithing is meant for our benefit because sacrificing a portion of our income helps us look outside our selfishness and makes us more aware of the needs of others— it builds our character
In fact, one of the main purpose of tithing is to support the needs of your Pastors and keeps our lights on— it pays for our rent too
We do not rely on bingo socials to pay for our bills— we do not knock on peoples doors soliciting donations— we purely rely on our members’ tithes
Our tithes supports the work of our church— recently, after LB Charitable Foundation saw our vision and passion, they partnered with us and their grant translated our vision into mission— we are now in motion
We started planting “Home Churches” globally— [SHOW HOME CHURCHES PHOTOS]
We are now recruiting Home Church Planter Missionaries— our written Missions Policy statement is now in place to institutionalize this ministry
We created our Missions Board headed by Dr. Clay Ballinger, that will manage our Missions Fund [SHOT PHOTO OF MB]
A separate Benevolence Fund was also institutionalized— we have a policy statement in place to guide our Membership Board in the management of this fund that is intended to help church members with dire needs
Another account was also established for our Building Fund— We don’t know yet where and when we can afford to acquire a property that we can call home for our church— but this is definitely among our prayers
Certainly, you may give your offerings towards these funds! Charity begins at home right?
Like what I mentioned earlier, giving your time and talent to God’s works is equally imperative, and going forward, what I envision is to send you where you are needed
Our Mission is abbreviated to 3 easily memorizable words— SAVE! SHARE! SEND!
“Making disciples to save the lost. Planting churches to share the gospel. Sending disciples to do the same.”
Here are more reasons why we should tithe
8 REASONS FROM GOD’S WORD
Because God commands it— Leviticus 27:30
Because Jesus commended it— Matthew 23:23
Because Tithing demonstrates that God is first in my life— Deuteronomy 14:23
It reminds me that everything I have was given by God— Deuteronomy 8:18
Tithing expresses my love to the Lord— Psalm 116:12
Refusing to tithe is stealing from Him— Malachi 3:8-10
Tithing gives God a chance to prove He exists and He wants to bless you— Malachi 3:10
Tithing proves that I love God— John 15:15
When should I give my Tithe?
2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.
Other Frequently Asked Questions about tithing are:
Do I have to tithe?
People who tithe are usually those who believe in the Bible— And tithing 10% is biblical.
God loves us when we give or not. Tithing is not a way to earn God’s love— because we already have his Love
Tithing isn’t about the money, it’s about the heart
Should I be tithing while trying to pay off debt?
Absolutely!— Even if you’re in debt or walking through rough financial season, tithing should always be our priority
While it’s very tempting to throw that money to pay our debts, the discipline (and faith) that tithing brings so is worth it
While you’re paying off debt, you can still have an attitude of giving
If you think it’ll take a miracle to get through the month with 10% less in your wallet, you need to do a lifestyle check
Take a look at your budget and find ways to cut back on spending.
But when you’re in this situation, you should hold off offering
Do I give 10% of my income before or after tax? Shall I factor in income from my other gigs?
Honestly, whether you tithe from your gross pay or your take-home pay is entirely up to you— the point here is that you’re giving 10% of you income
And again, it’s not about your money, it’s about your heart
Is it right to count my church tithe on my tax returns?
Even though tithing is matter of heart, claiming a tax deduction doesn’t shrink the value of your generous giving
How should I increase my giving when I start making more money?
That’s why it’s so important to budget what you’ll do with your extra money— so you can make sure you’re giving some of it too
When things are going well and you find yourself with more income than you need, it can be easy to spend all that extra cash on yourself— when you have a budget, you will see great opportunities to give above and beyond your tithe
ILLUSTRATION: There was an ambitious young man who told his pastor he’d promised God a tithe of his income— so, they prayed together asking God to bless his career
At that time he was making $40 per week and tithing $4 per week. God answered his prayers and in just a few years his income increased and he was tithing $500 per week
So, he called his pastor to see if he could be released from his tithing promise, it was too costly now.
The Pastor replied, “I don’t see how you can be released from your promise, but we can ask God to reduce your income to $40 per week, then you’d have no problem tithing $4 again.”— would you like me to pray for that? The Pastor added!
Like what I said, tithing is not for God— He doesn’t need our money— tithing is actually for us— it builds our attitude of gratitude— it strengthens our character
So when we give, we must give with the right attitudes
We must give willingly, cheerfully, sacrificially and expectantly!
THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TITHING
THREE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TITHING
TOOK
TOOK
MY TITHES IS TEN PERCENT OF MY INCOME
22 “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year.
I SHALL GIVE MY TITHES TO MY PLACE OF WORSHIP
23 Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.
I TITHE TO ALWAYS REVERE GOD
23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.
APPEAL
APPEAL
ILLUSTRATION: Highest paid in NFL history commits to Tithe his salary. Derek Carr is the quarterback of the Oakland Raiders. A husband and a Christian living out biblical principles. He makes $25m a year and was offered 5 years and $125m....He’s excited on the impact of what his tithes can do to the world to help those who are in need
The main role of a quarterback is to give— he always give the ball to receivers on the field
The more you give, the more you receive
We are “On Our Journey to Being Forty”— let our hearts be ready