9 - Tithing
This is the first Sunday of the New Year… I’m looking forward to 2009 and I’m also looking forward to green grass and mud. I think I have had enough snow.
Today we are continuing our study on the commands of Jesus called “Life According to Jesus”
Our theme verse for this series is:
John 15:10 (ESV)
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
How many of you have that memorized?
This morning we are looking at the command to Tithe…
Leighton Farrell was the minister of Highland Park Church in Dallas. He tells a story of a man in the church that once made a covenant with a former pastor to tithe ten percent of their income every year.
They were both young and neither of them had much money. But things changed. The layman tithed one thousand dollars the year he earned ten thousand, ten thousand dollars the year he earned one-hundred thousand, and one- hundred thousand dollars the year he earned one million.
But the year he earned six million dollars he just could not bring himself to write out that check for six-hundred thousand dollars to the Church.
He telephoned the minister, who had long since having moved to another church, and asked to see him.
Walking into the pastor’s office the man begged to be let out of the covenant, saying, "This tithing business has to stop. It was fine when my tithe was one thousand dollars, but I just cannot afford six-hundred thousand dollars.
You’ve got to do something, Reverend!" The pastor knelt on the floor and prayed silently for a long time. While the man sat in a chair and watched…
Eventually the man said, "What are you doing?
Are you praying that God will let me out of the covenant to tithe?" "No," said the minister. "I am praying for God to reduce your income back to the level where one thousand dollars will be your tithe!"
Let me start this morning by giving you a little background on Tithing:
Tithing is bringing 10% of the increase of your wealth to the Lord. Anytime you receive more wealth as in paychecks, sales of cashed out items, cash gifts, bonuses, etc… you are increasing your wealth and God is asking for 10% of that increase.
Martin Luther said that a Christian must be converted three times. The first time for his mind. The second time for his heart. And the third time for his wallet, and of the three the most difficult conversion is of the wallet.
The earliest biblical reference to tithing is 4600 years ago when Abram got through a war… fairly unscathed and rescued his relative Lot. The Bible mentions that Abram then went to a king and a priest of God named Melchizedek, and gave him a tenth of everything he owned (Genesis 14:20).
Another early place we see the tithe is in Numbers 18:21 where Moses gives the people a law of God telling them to bring all their tithes to the priests.
In the New Testament Jesus assumed the old law was the rock bottom expectation of the Christian. According to Jesus, his followers should not only give according to the law but also a whole lot more.
The early church in the east tithed from the inspiration of the story of the rich young ruler. Who Jesus required that he sell all his possessions, give them away and follow Him.
So tithing has been practiced by God’s children for thousands of years and has been normative practice of Christians sense the beginning of the Church.
Tithing is not purely about the money… it is evidence of a growing faith, tithing reminds us of God’s ownership of all things, tithing is a sign of faithfulness and allows God to trust us with more, tithing helps us focus on God and others instead of ourselves…
Jesus said in
Luke 16:11 (ESV)
11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
How we handle money says a lot about our ability to be entrusted with real Kingdom riches and responsibilities.
Now there are usually two responses when pastors talk about money; the first is anger… being a pastor I don’t know how many times I have heard the old adage… All the Church wants is my money… While there are examples of ministries that have abused and misused God’s money that does not change the fact that God requires us to give abundantly and joyfully… And while we are to be good stewards our responsibility is to give to God and then trust God to hold those responsible accountable for how they spend His money.
The Second response is apathy… you know the attitude that says; “I have already been there and bought the tee shirt” or “I sure wish the pastor would preach something from the Bible” or “I don’t want to hear another sermon about money”
Just so you know, there are over 2300 references to money and possessions in the Bible, over half of Jesus’ Parables in the New Testament spoke to issues concerning money, possessions, and greed… at the same time prayer is only mentioned about 500 times in the entire Bible...
Now we all know prayer is essential to a Christian’s life so when I realized that money was talked about almost 4 to 1 over prayer. That makes me think God cares about how his Children deal with money so we need to take note.
I believe one of the reason money is talked about so much in the Bible is because as humans we have the propensity to worship wealth and wealthy people.
Jesus said in
Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Someone once said money makes a great servant but a lousy master…
One way that we keep money from becoming our master is to give back to God what is rightfully his…
If you want to find out what your priorities in life are sit down and look at your check book. Where is God? Does he make your top ten list? He should!
If you are Christian and are not currently giving you should start today!!!!
When the builders of the first suspension train bridge across the Niagara Falls began construction in the mid 1800s, the first matter at hand was how to span the river with the suspension cables. They didn’t have helicopters so they had to be creative… They had many ideas including using a cannon or rocket with a string attached, they also thought of trying a boat but it was too dangerous… So instead they took inspiration from Ben Franklin and held a kite festival with a $5 prize for the first person to get a kite string across the river and attached to a tree trunk on the other side. 15 year old Holman Walsh won the prize.
By using a simple kite, the builders were able to get a thin string across. Using the string, they drew a rope across, which was followed by a larger rope, then a small cable, and finally a cable heavy enough to use as a support to begin building the bridge. When it was completed, the huge structure, that could support a train track , had a buggy platform, and a walking lane showed no signs of having once been launched by a simple kite string!
The reason I shared this story is because: “great things usually start small.”
Microsoft, Starbuck, Ford Motor Company, Willow Creek and Saddleback… All had very humble beginnings….
And it also reminds me that to do a great work you must begin… You don’t have to start out big… as a matter of fact sometimes starting out big can be a problem… I have read about a lot of leaders and one thing that most great leaders have in common is that they started out small… and the growth process made them into great leaders.
This is one fundamental truth in every sphere of our lives; and the same principle applies to our giving. We don’t need to start big, but we need to start…
GIVING OF OUR MATERIAL POSSESIONS AND MONEY IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF
DISCIPLESHIP…
So this morning I want to look at what the Bible says about giving a tithe of what you make to God… We will look at some Old Testament passages and New Testament Passages and we will focus on the teachings of Jesus… I am going to share a lot of scripture this morning so much so that it might not seem like a normal sermon because I want you to hear what God has to say on this issue not what Pastor Steve has to say… Let’s start with these three verses…
Psalm 50:10-12 (ESV)
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
Exodus 19:5 (ESV)
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
I think the first thing we need to understand when it comes to money, possessions and giving is that we really don’t own anything… We came into this with nothing and we will leave this world with nothing… Everything already belongs to God… Even our very lives have been purchased by God… When we begin to understand that all things belongs to God and he allows us to use 90% of His stuff for our own needs… giving back 10% seems like a pretty good deal… How many of you have had extend stay house guests… How was that experience?
Now imagine that person who is staying in your home begins to eat 90% of your food, they watch your TV 90% of the time and never the shows you want to watch, they use 90% of you gas and keep your car 90% of the time. They take up 90% of your house with their stuff moving most of your stuff into the garage. They spend 90% of your money… and then complain when you want use the remaining 10% to feed and clothe yourself.
How would that go over in your house? Wouldn’t that get under your skin maybe just a little bit…
But that is exactly how the majority of Christians approach God’s generosity… We tend to see tithing as a burden instead of the blessing it really is...
Now as we move on this morning I don’t think you can have a dialog about giving without including this next passage
Matthew 23:23-24 (ESV)
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
The Scribes and Pharisees tithed religiously… right down to giving 10% of what they grew in there herb gardens… they held up held the law of tithing with zealous religiosity… but they missed the point… because while they tithed faithfully they neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness to God.
The purpose of your giving is an expression of love and thankfulness to God not just another religious duty… God is not impressed by your giving, He is impressed by your heart. The Apostle Paul says it like this
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (ESV)
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 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.
Giving because you feel that is the religious thing to do or because you feel guilty or because you want to be noticed in the church, or because you feel like someone has put the arm on you to give… is not the type of giving God is looking for.
That type of giving has no eternal value…
Paul says you must give according to your heart. God doesn’t need your money…
I’m convinced that God is the ultimate supplier of all our needs as a church and as individuals. So giving isn’t the issue… your heart is… a heart that is yielded to God will be a generous heart… and a generous heart will reap generosity…
So give according to your heart and then trust God to supply all your needs… That leads into our next 2 passages
Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV)
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
When it comes to giving there is a sowing and reaping principle that applies… there is no magic formulas like the late night evangelists want you to believe… You don’t need to plant a 1000 dollar seed in their ministry and wait for God to answer all your prayers… It doesn’t work that way…
If you give God a dollar it doesn’t mean you will get ten in return…
When we are faithful to make God first in all areas of our life even our finances God is faithful and provides for our needs… When we sow generosity we reap generosity…
I literally can’t count the number of times I have had Christians tell me I don’t make enough to tithe… that statement is false in so many ways; first if you make 1 dollar you can give a dime… so no matter how much you make you can tithe… but the deeper truth is this: If you are one of those people that think you don’t make enough to tithe then the truth is you don’t make enough not to tithe…
God’s word is trust worthy and it says if you give from the heart then God will meet all your needs… So if you are living paycheck to paycheck the best thing you could do is tithe…
You cannot have this discussion without
Malachi 3:6-12 (ESV)
6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 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. 11 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. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.
We could preach 3 or 4 sermons from this passage alone… but here is what we need to understand… God considers it theft when we don’t bring our tithes and contributions into His house…
His house is the Church. Now I’m going to risk stepping on some toes… If you are giving to other organizations and charities but you are not tithing to your local church. You are stealing from God… Dana and I support several ministries outside our Church. You should support other ministries and causes outside our church but your tithe should go to your local Church.
The tithe was established by God to support the ministry of the priests.
Malachi 3:10 is only time in scripture that I am aware of that God says put me to the test…
He says bring in your tithe and see if I won’t bless you to the point that you have no more need.
That blessing comes in two ways: First, is by blessing the work of your hands for the Israelites that came through farming. For you it might be a new job or a promotion… God also says he bless by holding back the devourer… God somehow makes the stuff we already have stretch… For the Israelites that meant they might not have bigger crops just less waist due to insects and disease… For us it might mean that God makes the car last an extra 50,000 miles… or He keeps your old furnace from breaking down!
I don’t how God works in this but I know he does… I’ve experience this principle at work in my own life and I have heard story after story of how God has provided in your lives… God blesses a faithful giver… God says try me, bring your tithe… test it and see if doesn’t work…
If you sow generosity you will reap generosity…
One last passage…
Luke 21:1-4 (ESV)
1 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
What I want you to realize this morning is… it’s not about how much you give… The tithe is a good starting point but for some of you a tithe is not enough… You need give more because God has blessed you with more then you need…
For others here this morning $5 might be all you have… when it come right down to it God is not concerned about your money as much as He is concerned about your heart… and a generous heart will give generously… Just as God through Jesus Christ has given so generously to us…
If you say you really love God, if you say you really love Jesus, does your checkbook prove it?
IF YOU ARE NOT REGULARLY GIVING SOME OF YOUR INCOME BACK TO GOD, THAT IS A SIGN THAT YOU HAVE A HEART PROBLEM NOT A MONEY PROBLEM.
If you are totally consumed with getting more money or if you have problems with debt and you can’t give to the Lord that is a sign that not only your money is out of control but that your spiritual life is out of control.
Remember what Jesus said,
Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Mark 8:36 (ESV)
36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
How you deal with your finances speaks to the condition of your heart. What are your finances speaking about your heart today? Remember the most important thing is that you get Jesus Right… Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus… Have you accepted him as your savior, have you made him lord of your life… If you have then your giving should confirm that.
You will reap what you sow…
Let’s Pray