Locked Up

If that is true then… Why not live how I want? Why go to church, pray, read etc. Why not do whatever you want to do?... Especially when it comes to MONEY?

5 QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ADDRESS

1. Why do churches talk about money?

If I am under grace & grace really is that amazing, God cares about ALL my needs including my financial picture

1 Timothy 6:17 NLT

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

GOD IS CERTAIN, MONEY IS NOT. WHICH DO YOU TRUST MOST? TRUSTING MONEY LEADS TO BEING LOCKED UP.

2. Why do churches talk about tithing if we are not under Old Testament Law?

TITHE SIMPLY MEANS 1/10TH (Hebrew “MASSER”)

Grace takes away all condemnation forever and therefore frees me up to walk into every promise that God has for me.

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) — 8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”

Malachi 3:10 (NIV) — 10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse (THE CHURCH), that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

PEOPLE TITHED OUT OF GRATITUDE TO GOD LONG BEFORE THE LAW WAS GIVEN

GEN 4:4 - ABEL

GEN 14:20 - ABRAHAM

GEN 28:22 - JACOB

MEN: DO YOU HAVE TO KISS YOUR WIFE OR SHOWER? BE NICE OR GO ON A DATE?????

JESUS DID NOT GET RID OF TITHING. HE SAID IT WAS A GOOD STARTING PLACE FOR FAITH.

Requirement and condemnation if we don’t? Gone. But we still should.

Matthew 23:23 (NLT) — 23 …” You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”

3. What’s in it for me? What are the benefits of returning the tithe?

TITHING BREAKS THE CURSE OF GREED IN OUR LIVES.

WHEN I TITHE, GOD PROMISES THE REST IS BLESSED.

$100 BRING $10 ILLUSTRATION

I DON’T HAVE TOO BUT I WANT TO

Romans 11:16 (NKJV) — 16 “For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.”

GOD CAN FILL AN OPEN HAND.

Matthew 25:29 (NLT) — 29 “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”

Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) — 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

4. What does New Testament, grace based giving look like?

STARTING FAITH = THE TITHE. Returning to God the first and best 10% in faith

SPIRIT LED FAITH = OFFERINGS. Over and above the tithe, we give offerings as the Holy Spirit leads us.

1 Corinthians 16:2 (NIV) — 2 “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.?

SACRIFICIAL FAITH = SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS. At times, the spirit WILL lead us to sacrifice deeply to honor the sacrifice of our Savior and propel the mission forward.

Mary gave a bottle of perfume worth one years wages in John 12:1-8 Zacchaeus gave half his wealth Luke 19:8 Poor Widow gave everything in Luke 12:1-3 THIS IS NT GIVING

5. What about people who say “I cannot afford to tithe”?

God says way too much about it for us to ignore it. He speaks in grace, we need to respond in faith.

You don’t have to. You can keep managing your finances without supernatural help.

When I have a need… Plant a seed.

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV) — 6 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

The promise is not prosperity… it’s provision. He will richly provide ALL that you need.

WHAT MOST CHRIST FOLLOWERS DO Is they don’t give, they get all freaked out about their financial picture, then they eat all their seed. Nothing left to plant… means nothing left to harvest

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT GOD, FAITH, AND MONEY? Because you do believe something. Right believing will lead to right living.