Leftovers

LEFTOVERS

1 SAMUEL 15:7-25

#tithing

OPENING SERMON ILLUSTRATION / INTRODUCTION… (p)

[Prepare beforehand 3 small bags with 10 chocolate candy bar minis in each bag. Some candies need to be mashed or melted or messed up packaging and some perfectly fine. A small table would also be helpful.]

I need a few volunteers this morning to help me as we begin the sermon time. If you are in fifth grade or below, I need three helpers. Who can help me?

I have here three bags, one for each of you. Go ahead and look in the bag or dump them out if you would like here on the table. In these bags, are 10 pieces of chocolate. You have earned these chocolates by volunteering to help me with the sermon today. Good job! I would like to teach you about the word “tithe” today. Most of the time when you hear that word it is in church and it is used for the money we give to God. I am not sure the word “tithe” is used anywhere else besides church. “Tithing” is important because it is a huge way we worship and show God how thankful we are for His blessings. I know you all don’t have jobs, but it is important to get this right in our minds and hearts well before we get jobs!

Now, you earned 10 chocolates from me today… awesome… but I need 1 back for a tithe. The word “tithe” means “tenth.” So when we tithe, we give 10% of what we have back. We keep 90% and God gets 10%. I made it easy for us today. You have 10 candies. A tenth is 1. You keep 9 and I need 1 candy back. By giving me 1 back, you are showing me how thankful you are for the 10 candies. When we tithe to God, we are showing how thankful we are.

Take a look at the candies before you and pick the 1 you want to give me. Actually, you don’t have to… you can keep all 10… but I’d like you to tithe. It can be any of them. Seriously. Pick any of the candies you want to give back to me. Now, I do realize that not all of them are perfect, but again, all I need is 1. You pick the 1 you give me and you can have the other 9. You are going to tithe to me if you want.

Go ahead. [see what happens!]

[Why did you choose to keep all the candies?]

[Why did you choose to give me 1 that was perfectly fine?]

[Why did you choose to give me 1 that was melted and weird?]

Thank you so much for helping me today. The one thing I want you to remember from our time today is that the word “tithe” means “tenth.” As you get older and wiser and get jobs and stuff, tithing will become an important part of your walk with Jesus. But for now, just remember that “tithe” means “tenth.” Thank you for helping me!

BIBLE BACKGROUND

So we will be talking about tithing today and as I told the kids, the word “tithe” means “tenth.” The Bible has several passages that speak about giving back to God a portion of what He has given us as a way of worshipping in thanks.

READ Genesis 14:20 (ESV)

“And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

READ Leviticus 27:30 (ESV)

“Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord.”

READ Numbers 18:21 (ESV)

“To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting.”

READ Deuteronomy 14:22 (ESV)

“You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.”

READ Malachi 3:8-10 (ESV)

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you. 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.”

Now, some of you will say, oh, but tithing is Old Testament and we do not have to tithe. Some of you might say that tithing is not commanded in the New Testament. You are half right. Tithing is not commanded in the New Testament, but “giving” is. And “giving” is more than a tenth. Tithing is the minimum. “Giving” is how we are commanded to obey.