Tithes and Offerings

Mathew Carlsson

Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Intro Frame (Engage)

In a Series Hot Topics | Deep Tissue Massage - Suck, but so good, benefit

Last week Money - This week, Tithes and Offering

Tension

Aren’t there some things in the Bible “Does that apply to me?”

Do we really have to Tithe? Is it an Old Testament Law?

Do we have to Tithe? No

Should we tithe? Yes

Is it just all about the money?

What does the Tithe say about our heart toward God

Clear, this is not a giving message - The tithe is between you and God.

Let’s go on this journey together, let’s discuss the difference between Tithes and Offering and then talk about us as givers and see what the Holy Spirit has for us.

*Maybe Pray*

I’m passionate about this because of my story.

Title: Obedience is better than sacrafice

Tithes

Llama and Alpacca Photo

What is a Tithe? | Hebrew word is a tenth, the most common scripture of the Tithe is here:

Malachi 3:10–12 ESV

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. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

Now this was to a nation of Israel, not to all people | yes in OT |

Proverbs 3:9 ESV

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

HairCut Story

Not New: Cain and Abel:

Genesis 4:3–4 ESV

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,

Everything in your life, first, the Best, should go to God ,and he will bless the rest.

First Tithe:

Genesis 14:19–20 ESV

And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Are we giving him our first fruits or our leftovers?

God wants to be first in our lives, but here is a tip - God doesn’t need your money - Gold Road Story

So why Tithe?

Deuteronomy 14:23 ESV

And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.

Tithe is NOT for GOD. He doesn’t need your money | Wants your heart | He wants to be first, and he wants you to be…obedient.

Malachi 3:10–12 ESV

Let’s unpack this | Storehouse

Hebrew word: Bayit - Dwelling, Building Structure, Temple, Family - Local Church

God wants people to be Spiritually fed | Interesting in the OT they talk about these festivals every 3 years - Feed hungry | We are self Funded - We exist because of all of you *Maybe India Stats* - Support 5 Pastors a year planting local communities, 3 churches, that’s 15 churches. | But I feel God calling us to do more, to be more in our community |

OK so what happens

Then what happens | Please, let’s be spiritually mature here.

**Go through Scripture**

God is saying 90% of your income with God’s blessing will go further than 10% without.

Will the flood gates open? Maybe…but you better be Spiritually mature to recieve it, and not be the reason

Proverbs 11:24 ESV

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 ESV

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

It’s about obedience - Obedience is better than sacrafice.

2nd thing in Malachi.

Protection where ever you go

A tithe is a principle, you don’t have to, you aren’t compelled to | but God is asking you to - but he wants it to be an over flow of your worship

Offering - Let’s look at the Alpacca

What is an offering? It’s above and beyond your tithe. But, it;s being obedient in following through if God asks you to give - Not giving willy nilly.

Water Bottle Story

Be God, or be used BY God.

What is your attitude in the Gap? Is it the Give, or to Get?

Who are we? Faith-filled, truth seeking, spirit lead, warriors of God - If we are to be Faith-Filled, we must follow promptings of Holy Spirit on when to Give and when to Offer above and beyond.

Are we looking to give, in each situation, or get.

Bird Picture

I know, sometimes, we may be in a really tough spot, where it’s hard to trust God.

I want to turn to a story in the New Testament, which may give us some principles about giving, in tough times.

Feeding of the 5,000. Read, then unpack.

Luke 9:12–17 ESV

Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” And they did so, and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

What happened | Jesus lead them to a desolate place to preach for like 14 hours | Knew they would get hungry |

- Sit them down (obedient)

- Give me what you have(fish and loaves)

- God blessed it

God may Break it

Give it to someone else

He will take your small piece, and he will start giving it to other people. At this level you are asking, “Who do I trust in this moment?”

If you just trust…me…as your provider… if I have provided that, I can provide for anything else. God wants to show you, I have unlimited provision.

A little obedience means a lot of abundance.

They where obedient in giving it out - To be a giver, we need to Trust the provider, and not the provision

When we are broken, we need to trust, and we don’t trust when we withold.

We Pour instead of store.

Summary Slide

Generous is not what we do, it’s who we are | We will be irrationally generous - because we truly believe it’s more blessed to give, than it is to recieve, and we believe our God to be a good God who provides for us.

Application

What does this look like in your life?

Maybe you will declare the first fruits

Maybe you will think about giving rather than recieving and put God in Gap

Maybe you will realise out of your broken place God can work if you just…give it over.

Maybe you will get invested, start to tithe, if you don’t believe in me and this church that’s fine but find a local church why? Hope of the world - We have a dream - help the poor, building ,widows, youth - to be the LIGHT.

Acts - Early Christians - NO NEED. It was so normal - f we get on fire with the idea that we are irrationally generous then I believe that we can meet the needs of the community -

I visualise a church that start with a tithe, and then give offerings way beyond that. We are not entitled, but we have been entrusted, we have been entrusted with this community, with this church, and we all have a part to play.

We will be irrationally generous. Why…are you being…so…generous!!

To be Obedient.

Inspo

What would life look like if in the blessing and the broken you trusted God 100% - How could you be used - What would God do through your life.

Jesus was the ultimate example | It’s a beautiful principle , I don’t think you are commanded, it’s not a ticket to God’s love or heaven - You have an awesome example in Jesus, Was rich in heaven, he became poor, a man, became nothing, becauseh e loves you.

That desire to give to everyone should be in us - it’s a response to give your life over to christ. God is most concerned about yourh eart - What should happen is we should be like Jesus, I have a thought abotu how much I am giving and yes I GET TO. I’m just going to be smart, the Bible says it, that i’ll get blessed abundantly.

Not health, wealth, because I get to be MORE of a giver because I HAVE MORE. Of much is given, much is required. Cmon, it’s about being like Jesus.

Who are we? We are irrationally generous, we are faith filled, truth seeking, spirit lead warriors of God - Who will reach our community - who will make a difference.

We will pour, and not store and we will choose Obedience over Sacrafice.

Action

This is the moment, for you, for me, for us to change, to be obedient givers, to be cheerful givers, to be irrationally generous, let’s stand, let’s close our eyes - you can’t see anyone, I can’t see anyone, you get no recognition, no condemnation if you don’t.

If you want your heart ot be changed, if you want to say YES I am a GIVER, just raise your hands right now as a decleration that I will be a giver and let’s pray together.

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