What Do Your Roots Love?

We have been focusing on a series called - LOVE, we have talked about the good in loving our spouses unconditionally and developing friendships with an unconditional love.

What happens if there is something we SHOULD NOT LOVE! A love that distracts us from loving God, loving family and even loving friends!

There is something on this earth that causes marriages to fail, sin to occur, friendships to break and keeps people from having true relationship that is meaningful and complete with the Lord ---

It is the LOVE of Money! Not money itself - but LOVING IT!

1 Timothy 6:6–10 NLT

6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Literally, Paul writes to Timothy and says that some have loved craved money so much that they wander from their faith in God.

Why? The pursuit of that money robs their time with God, time with family, they place their treasure in the things of earth rather than what is important to the Jesus!

It also robs us of the blessings and wisdom that belonged to us in our faithfulness...

INTERVIEW --- Jon and Kimberly Cuzner

At what age did you begin to tithe?

Were you always consistent?

When you stopped tithing, why? (to invest to gain wealth or have more to spend)

What was the result when you tithed and when you didn’t?

They fail to remember Christ words,

Luke 6:38 NLT

38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

and

Matthew 6:19–20 NLT

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

In a proper interpretation of Scripture, we must consider the culture to which Jesus spoke or the writers wrote.

Commonly known to the audience of Christ was the principle required of the Jew in the law of tithing. (Remember that tithing began with Abraham prior to the law being given, and Jesus reinforced the importance of tithing in his own teaching…)

Matthew 23:23 NLT

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

Jesus never abolished the principle of tithing, but reinforced it and took an approach to liberality and generosity in giving as did Paul.

To the Jew in these passages, not much had to be said about tithing as it was a commonly known and expected behavior - what Jesus did do was extract the motivation of why one tithed and sought like all other commands

Do not commit adultery - don’t look at another with lust

Do not murder - do not be angry

Tithe - be liberal - store up treasure in heaven, give and it will be given...

This morning, I want to look at what exactly is tithing, and why it was given.

1. WHY Are We asked to Tithe?

Because God knew that man in his sinful heart would fall in love with money and possessions. That man’s love for money would lead to sin and destruction. (just look at the plot of a majority of movies, and even the justification for crime in the reality and journalistic reporting - money is at the root over half the time)

So, the Lord gave a practice to His people - his cherished Israel - of which we have SPIRITUALLY BECOME as CHRISTIANS ---

to tithe - so we can remember that...

1 Corinthians 10:26 NLT

26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

2. What is a tithe?

Malachi 3:6–12 NLT

6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ 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. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

***Notice the Lord says - I do not change before this WORD comes forth!

A tithe is simply 10% of our increase. In the day of an agrarian culture, that might mean tithing off of grain and livestock… means of profit and income...

Material wealth!

It is bringing 10% to the Lord for a very specific purpose...

The ministry of the priests and maintenance of the House of Worship (temple or tabernacle)

Prior to the law, Abraham paid a tithe of spoils from battle to Melchizedek - a High Priest - actually appearance for Christ in the OT.

The tithe of the OT was not given to the priest, it was given to the Lord and the Temple.

You could not tithe 5% - that is an offering, nor can you tithe 20% - that is a tithe and an offering - the term tithe simply means 10%.

The Lord did this so we would:

1. remember all we have comes from him,

and

2. TRUST HIM with what He has given to us and show our faith in Him as provider

3. Not allow our hearts to love money more than the Lord

INTERVIEW --- Judy and Marge

When did you begin to tithe?

What had been a deterrent to tithing before you began? (credit debt and financial need)

What was the motivation to begin trusting God with money?

What was the result of your trusting God?

3. Where does the tithe go?

The STOREHOUSE...

Much has been interpreted about the storehouse

Some say it was for national purposes, other say for religious purposes, Israel as a nation was a THEOCRACY - so the Lord was intended to be KING and the Temple the place of storage.

The temple had a treasury and a storehouse so if offerings and tithes were brought in grains or monetary means they could both be housed. It was from here that the needs of the Spiritual leaders in the land were met, the Temple was maintained and the needs of the people and those in need were also taken care of.

The tithe was not a tax, but a means the Lord used to ensure all would be taken care of. If you recall in the OT, the Levitical tribe did not receive a portion of land to raise crops, livestock and make a living - therefore their share of the inheritance was taken by the tithes and offerings of the people.

Malachi says to bring the tithe to the storehouse that there will be enough food in my Temple...

Still today, a minister who gives himself full time to the ministry is not able to gain a living, perhaps an even greater living in the workplace, therefore those same gifts are used to support the minister and the family.

1 Timothy 5:17–18 NLT

17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”

Likewise, the same funding was used to meet the maintenance and sustain the Temple.

To the audience of the day, the tithe was to sustain where their spiritual ministry and relationship to the Lord was maintained.

The storehouse - r OTZA was the temple.

It does not take a rocket scientist to see the modern application to this is the same, where your ministry and spiritual needs are being met is your storehouse.

A TV preacher or online service states away will not come to visit and pray, be available for counsel, or be the place to attend when in person, so the storehouse easily translates to the local church that is there to meet your spiritual needs.

A missionary or evangelist is not the storehouse either.

4. What Promises Accompany the tithe?

The Lord says in one place in Scripture to test Him, it is here

A Promise to pour blessings that will overflow, much like Jesus promise that when you give it will be given to you running over...

The Lord encourages us to test him in this!

He promises to pour out blessings...

Not always actual monetary, but that included...

Blessings of wisdom

Blessings of provision

Blessings of treasure

Blessings of health

Blessings of salvation in your home

INTERVIEW --- James Doanes

When did you begin to tithe and why?

Was there a season you can contrast giving and tithing, and giving beyond?

What are some of the blessings you have received?

CONCLUSION

Luke 16:13 NLT

13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Jesus clearly does not want us to be enslaved by, addicted to, or in love with money! Therefore both the OT and NT set aside principles of giving to assist us on our paths to remaining free!

Both OT and NT come with promises of blessing and overflow when we HONOR God with this area of our lives.

I close with the same promise I have made in the past.

TEST GOD -

Tithe the minimum 10% for 90 days and if you have not seen the blessings of God begin to flow in your life, than bring your paystubs and we will check the giving records and return all your monies back to you.

What have you got to lose? What have you got to gain?