Resurrection Living Series

1 Corinthians

Resurrection Living

1 Corinthians 16

August 3, 2003

Intro:

A. [Condensed Viewpoint]

Sally says to Charlie Brown, “We have to write a short piece for school that expresses our personal principles for life.

So far I’ve written, ‘Who cares?’ and ‘Forget it.’”

Charlie Brown says, “How about ‘Why me?’”

Sally says, “That’s good, I’ll fit it in.”

B. So what about you?

1. Who cares? Forget it. And Why me? Does that some up your life?

2. Today, we’re going to finish our study of 1 Corinthians.

3. So please turn in your Bibles to the last chapter of the book of 1 Corinthians.

a. We have finally made it to the end of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth.

b. In chapter 15, Paul gave a rousing pep rally about our future resurrection.

c. And, as is normal for Paul’s letters, he wraps up with several greetings and farewells as well as reviewing many of the things he said in the book.

d. In light of our future resurrection, the apostle lists important principles to live by: resurrection living.

e. So today we’re going to look at the principles that Paul gave in order to live resurrection lives.

4. So let’s read the entire chapter, beginning with the end of 15…[read 1 Corinthians 15:50-16:24].

5. The first principle that Paul gives is…

I. Tithe (1-2)

A. Now I must make it clear that if I were to read every Scripture that talks about offerings or our relationship to our money, we would be here until next Sunday.

B. And I must also make it clear that Jesus said more about our relationship to our money than He did about any other subject—including salvation.

1. It doesn’t take much thought as to why Jesus and the Bible place so much emphasis on our relationship to our money.

2. It is clear that if a person will not surrender his checkbook to Christ, he hasn’t ever submitted himself to Christ.

3. Those who don’t care for sermons on giving are those who have never fully surrendered themselves to Christ.

4. Our checkbook register will say a lot about our commitment to Christ.

C. Paul made the point in verses 1-2 that Christians should be giving an offering in keeping with their income on a regular basis.

1. Paul is clearly talking about a percentage of our income.

2. Paul is saying that we should give a percentage of our income to God on a regular basis.

3. And God said that if we don’t give Him 10%, we are robbing Him.

4. Now lest you think the preacher is going overboard on this, listen as I read the Word of God.

5. You will hear that God says that if we aren’t giving 10% of our income to Him we are robbing Him.

D. Malachi 3:6-12

“I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.” But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, 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 flood gates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit, says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land, says the Lord Almighty.”

1. So you see, those are not my Words, but God’s.

2. GOD SAID that if we don’t bring in the whole tithe we are robbing Him.

3. God said that the reason a lot of people aren’t blessed by Him is because they are robbing Him.

E. Some Christians have the mistaken notion that it really doesn’t matter if they tithe and that is an OT quote and they think there is nothing in the NT about tithing.

1. But clearly, that is not GOD’S opinion.

2. JESUS said in Matthew 23:23 (NIV), "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

3. Jesus told the Pharisees that they should have practiced justice, mercy, and faithfulness AND tithing.