Imagine we’re worshipping in heaven and you give me a shove, you say to me, “I’m really mad at you”. I say, “Oh, why is that”. Because you never told me how important it was to settle my account with the master. What do I mean? If you look at the parable of the servants in Matthew 25, you see that God gave us the money we have to begin with, and if you read this closely it’s always his, but notice he seems to allow the faithful servants to keep what they are making with what he gave them, but the one who hides it or hoards it didn’t make anything for God from it and has to give it all back. And it is also clear that he gives according to your ability, he doesn’t demand more of you than you can handle, and as you handle little things he gives you greater things.
And God says take it from the unfaithful servant and give it to the one who has the most money. Does it ever bother you that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? Now this even relates to last week when we talked about serving because it is here that we hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant”, and it’s about money, and maybe more generally anything that God has given us including our skills or talents.
Why is it a pastor seems to have your permission to talk about your marriage, your family, your workplace, but when they start to talk about your personal finances and giving there seems to be this real discomfort, and we get the rap right away of always talking about money, especially from those outside of the church.
Well, you know we can just say we’re being like Jesus, because he talked about money more than anything else other than the Kingdom of God. 11 of the 39 parables are about money, in the gospel of Luke in every 7th verse on average the subject is money. So if a church talks a lot about money, that’s a good sign that it is speaking from the Bible.
The Bible says we store up riches in heaven for ourselves and one day we are going to be there and going to have to settle accounts with the Master. So as a pastor, I don’t want anyone mad at me because I didn’t teach on this subject. I don’t want to be worshipping in heaven and have you say “you didn’t tell me that I had to send ahead and that’s what they build my mansion with, now I’m living in a box. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Well I didn’t want to intrude into people’s private business, I didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I guess I just didn’t have the guts to talk about it and now you have to live in a box for eternity, but at least it’s a heavenly box. Get it? You need to hear that your rewards in heaven are dependent on what you do here, not your salvation, but your rewards.
And maybe you’re OK thinking, “well as long as I’m in heaven that’ll be sweet enough I don’t really need any rewards”. OK, but I would be a bad pastor if I didn’t tell you about it. Just like a bad parent doesn’t give their kids vegetables. This is a spinach sermon.
The Bible says you have a Kingdom account and that will determine the quality of your life in the eternal Kingdom, which begins here by the way. Check you’re other accounts, your vehicle account, your boat account, your golf account, especially if you’re a lousy golfer and go through lots of balls. We don’t have a lot of problems with investing in our recreational accounts, but our Kingdom account is often much smaller. You choose which account is most important, so don’t complain if you’re broke in the Kingdom, because you were more concerned with having a big store house here.
Now I have titled this message “Don’t Tithe”. And before you go thinking that pastor is using his training in counselling and hypnosis to trick us into tithing using reverse psychology, I want to assure you up front that I really mean don’t tithe, and I’ll explain what I mean as we go.
There are many stories in the Old and New testaments demonstrating how important our relationship with money is, not because he needs your money, but because it is a barometer of your spiritual vitality. If God has your bank account, he probably has the rest of you too, and that’s the point, because there was a time when you gave your life to Christ.
Obviously the Bible is a little fuzzy on this subject especially for us who are part of the new covenant with Jesus. Are all Christians supposed to tithe? Off the top before taxes? Off the bottom after taxes? All to the church (ours in particular!) or does that include giving to other ministries? Off of income or off of possessions or off of gifts – all of it?
On the one hand, I know that the tithe is “law” and that, in Christ, we’re no longer under the Law. Still, it’s hard for me to fathom how anyone can honestly taste the sweetness of God’s grace only to turn around and “Scrooge” God by giving Him less than 10%. Money is the one important commodity that tangibly shows our love and gratitude for God. Time would be another, and too many Christians are chincy with both.
Now there are three distinct forms of tithing in the Bible and only one of them is relevant for us today, but let me quickly go over the first two to give some perspective. The first is:
I. Tithing as Covenant (Dt 14:22-29; Lev 27:30-33; Nu 18:21-32)
The form of tithing most often addressed in Scripture is “tithing as covenant.” This practice of tithing was specific to Israel as the covenant people of God. It was part of the Mosaic Law as we read in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Under the Covenant, God promised to materially bless Israel for obedience and, conversely, to judge them (strip them of their prosperity) for disobedience (as you can read in Deuteronomy 28 and Malachi 3).
Deut. 14 teaches a couple principles that are still relevant. That tithing teaches you to fear, trust and worship the Lord. That he will provide when you give to him off the top. Also that we should give our tithes to the Levites, or pastors & missionaries who have forsaken making a living in society in order to minister in the church/temple. Foreigners living amoung you. Why them? Because they are not part of the covenant and do not enjoy the privileges you do. In some ways this could be any non-believer, but specifically those who don’t have the language, race, education, etc. to thrive in our country.
And finally, the fatherless, and the widows, or essentially those unable to make a decent living. Clearly these groups are still relevant for where the church should distribute its tithes. Now you hear many ministries say that you should give to your local church first, is that biblical? I think this passage also speaks to that because it says give within your own town twice, and the writer says to take it to the place God will choose, where he makes His name dwell. That sure sounds like the local church to me, but it was put in those terms because there was no church or even temple back then.
Other than that, this model for tithing has no direct relevance to us as New Testament believers. In Christ, we live under a new covenant. Having said that, I still believe it when God says He blesses a cheerful giver.
The Bible also describes a second kind of tithing that is both condemnable and, I fear, far too common:
II. Tithing as Legalism (Mt 23:23-24)
In Jesus’ day, it was actually the religious leaders who practiced this perversion of Israel’s covenant tithe. Christ’s condemnation of legalistic tithing was absolute:
“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. ” (Matthew 23:23-24)
Jesus didn’t do away with the tithe, He just said you need to also be giving the other things like mercy, justice and faithfulness in addition to the tithe. In His relationship with Israel, God intended the tithe to be an avenue to blessing. The religious manipulators of Jesus’ day, and unfortunately to this day in some churches, turned the blessing into burden. Instead of expressing faithfulness to God—and oneness of heart with God for ministry and the poor—the tithe became little more than a means to satisfy “religious obligations.” If we see giving as an obligation we will only give what we are obligated to give and no more.
So what’s the alternative that we can stand on today?
III. Tithing as Worship (Gen 14:17-24; 2 Cor 8:1-14; Heb 7:1-10)
In Scripture, “tithing as worship” was practiced prior to both the establishment of “tithing as covenant” and “tithing as legalism.” The principle of “tithing as worship” is “pre-Law”, that’s why it’s still relevant, not because it’s law.
Its established way back in Genesis 14 where Abram gives a tenth of his plunder to Melchizedek, King of Salem who is obviously if not pre-incarnate Jesus himself, certainly a powerful type of Jesus. Melchizedek, in turn, blesses Abram. Hebrews 7:1-10 defines the significance of these acts, declaring that it is the superior who blesses the inferior, and the inferior who pays tithes to the superior.
“Tithing as worship,” then, is first an act by which we acknowledge that God is both our superior (the Sovereign Lord) and the source of all blessing.
But “tithing as worship” does more than acknowledge God. It expresses our personal allegiance to Him. We see this in Genesis 28. Here, God reveals Himself to Jacob in a dream. In response, Jacob who becomes Israel, vows, “the Lord shall be my God…and of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” For Jacob, the “tithe as worship” became a natural expression of his decision to follow the God of His Fathers. In the same way, the “tithe as worship” becomes an almost instinctive way for us to express our allegiance to the God of our Salvation.
A third, and critical, element of “tithing as worship” is thanksgiving. “Tithing as worship” expresses overflowing gratitude toward God. It breaks free from guilt as the motivation for giving. And its ultimate focus is the condition of your heart—not the percentage of your income.
On the topic of percentages, I find the words of John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill to be practical. They write,
“How are we to show our gratitude to God other than by giving back a portion? If 10 percent was considered an acceptable portion by God as an expression of gratitude, then why should we view it any differently today? We might consider 10 percent as a benchmark just as we consider 15 percent a benchmark for tipping. The extent of the customer’s gratitude and appreciation is demonstrated in the size of the tip. It would be considered the ultimate rudeness or the consummate insult to leave no tip at all. So it is to God if we return no portion (or a measly portion) to Him. In addition, there are occasions when the situation calls for a contribution exceeding the benchmark.” (Old Testament Today; Zondervan: 2004, 270-271)
Again, I say—ultimately, “tithing as worship” isn’t about percentage of income. It’s about the overflow of one’s heart. Second Corinthians 8 is clear on this. When we first give ourselves to the Lord, any act of giving pleases Him—whether above or below the “benchmark.” “For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
This means if God hasn’t given it to you, you really don’t have it, but you are ready to give whatever you do have - and that is acceptable to God. Think about the old widow who gave her last pennies. The religious rich are putting in their big cheques, and Jesus says to his disciples, “Hey, come look at this”. And they see this little old widow dropping all she had in the offering bag.
So Jesus goes up to one of the religious rich guys, steals his fancy robe, gives it to the widow and says hey, keep your pennies and go pawn this and keep the money. … Actually that’s not true, he sits there and excitedly watches her put the last of what she has into the bag. He doesn’t stop her, because he knows, and clearly knows that she knows that she can give it all away and God will continue to provide.
How about this ridiculous story from 1 Kings 17 about the widow from Zerephath (Read).
In both those stories it’s a widow, in other words someone incapable of really making much of a living, and this time he says I know you don’t have anything, but I still want you to give it all to me first so I can show you who I am. If you find yourself saying I don’t have anything to give, think about these two widows. The principle is that even if you’re broke you should give me the man of God all you have… No the principle is that if God can ask a broke, dying widow and her son to give, why can’t he ask you to give? And think about it, should we not give God as much or more than we give our waitress?
The very first temperature reading Jesus takes when he is testing your commitment to him is finances. He wants to sanctify your wallet. Because where your treasure is there your heart is. Finances are not the most important thing, but if God can’t have that he probably won’t get much else from you. He focuses on tearing down the biggest idols first, and that’s why he talks more about money than almost any other subject.
So OK, I was a little tricky today, when I titled this sermon and said don’t tithe, here’s how I meant it. Don’t tithe if you don’t want God to pour out unbelievable blessings on your life.
But the real point is, don’t focus on that ten percent, give as much as you possibly can. But God help you if you are holding back from giving off the top of your finances (If as Malachi says, you are stealing from God) because you don’t want to give up something meaningless that you are saying is more important than God and his mission, and your account in heaven. Because that reflects your spiritual deadness, never mind the money.
Think about it for a minute, does God need your tithe? Could he not stop hunger today if he wanted to? You are giving to Him yes, but you are not giving for His sake, you are giving for your sake, to see him work, to see him pour blessings out on you. To see him pour blessings out on others because of what you give. He wants us to show His love by doing what he could easily do by simply snapping his fingers.
He’s giving us the privilege of cooperating with him and experiencing his love from both sides in a tangible way, by allowing us to give life and hope to others. Both sides? Yeah, we get to feel his love for us as he blesses us, and we get to experience how he loves others by showering them with things they could never get without him.
Do you want a spiritual revival in your life? God says in Malachi 3 when talking about repentance and tithing, return to me and I will return to you – that’s revival. Are you robbing God by withholding not only your tithes (10%) but also your contributions or offerings, over and above the 10%? Tithes are the default, contributions are free will gifts. One is like paying the bills, the other is like giving presents.
Put me to the test says the Lord, this has nothing to do with covenant anymore, just test your faith in me and see if I won’t pour out so much on you that you will not have one single need, and all people outside of the church will call you blessed, and in that, I God will be glorified, and I want to glorify myself through you.
Don’t cheat yourself out of the blessing that God wants to give which might simply be being amazed that when you tithe when you think it’s impossible, that he comes through and because you decided to do it, He makes it possible and all the sudden you are doing the impossible because he promised you you could. He is throwing down the gauntlet and he’s saying: “you don’t think I know what you make? You don’t think I know what you need? You don’t think I see what you have? You don’t think I know what you give? You don’t think you can trust me? You think I’m going to leave you short? You think your going to regret your obedience to me?
He says try me right now and see if this isn’t a turning point in your life, where the rubber meets the road. …If you are not tithing, I bet you are in bondage to your finances and sitting in debt, and God wants to release you from that idol. And he says if you are obedient and don’t steal from Me, I will pour out so much in your life you won’t be able to contain it, you will have more than you need.
Have you ever said I want to really step out in faith for God but I don’t really know how, while all the while he has given you a way that anyone can do. Tell me if there isn’t a scarier thing than giving Him your money, especially when you know that it is us imperfect people managing it for you/Him. Seriously, can you think of anything right now scarier, that would require more faith than giving a ridiculous amount of your finite income to God, to the church?
I know some of you are struggling with your finances and you don’t have victory over them. Often those are the people who don’t tithe or even give to the church at all. If that’s you I want to speak to you today.
Do you think it’s possible that you struggle with your finances and debt because of your priorities? Your lack of discipline, your lack of fear or devotion to God, your idolatry? Why don’t you take a chance if your way isn’t working? Make God your priority, be willing to give up the things you don’t need that are probably getting in the way of your relationship with God in general, and put him to the test as he asks you to in this area. He wants to help you his way, if you keep trying to do it on your own, God says go your way then. But don’t you think God with his infinite resources could do it more effectively? It is a measure of your faith, and God has never yet punished someone for having faith in Him. The world might, but he won’t.
Don’t tithe, don’t set a predetermined limit on what you are going to give God. Just give God as much as you possibly can of your money, your time, and your devotion. Because he cares more about where your heart is than what you are capable of giving him who needs nothing. And here’s a line from James McDonald who says 90% you and God together is way more than 100% you alone.
In your action plan this week I am going to encourage you to prove your trust in God. For twelve weeks here in 2012, I want you to commit to at least tithing. If you already do tithe, I want you to go home and sit down and figure out how much more you can actually give, and commit to giving that much for 12 weeks, and see if God doesn’t keep his promises. Most banks will let you skip a mortgage or car payment, maybe it’s time to sacrifice something else for God rather than sacrificing God for what you want. And be ready to share with this congregation what God does in your life because of this step of faith. Give him a chance to bless you.
Ok, I’ve obediently preached my annual money sermon, but I want to finish off by showing you all that God does with the money you give. It is not just going into a God vacuum or the pastor’s fancy haircuts. Ask my wife, I am still wearing clothes from before we met.
Water Well in Africa $6500
TMBC over $12,000
Manse, flooring and kitchen cupboards which increase the value of the home and make it so that any future pastor would want to live there. What a blessing it has been to us, that new floor has greatly helped the respiratory health of my wife.
Missionaries in Asia, Africa, Quebec, Mexico and Manitoba. By the way we are going to be highliting different missionaries we sponsor every couple of months so you can feel more in touch with them. Darryl Desrosiers is actually coming back in March with a pastor from Namibia.
We helped build a church in Vietnam in which we were one of the highest per capita giving churches in our entire Canadian conference.
Books and resources for your pastor so I could improve my spiritual life and get better at teaching and ministering to you.
We have a thriving Sunday school once again and an increase in attendance at our church of almost 20% in one year and almost 40% over 4 years.
Benevolence: school supplies, food, shoes and clothing for children, dental work so a person on welfare could have an easier time finding a job. Allowing a young man from out of town to stay in Killarney so he could look after his mother in her dying days and attend her funeral.
Eleven baptisms in less than a year and a tank to do them in the church.
New roof on the church.
How about our website where people can listen to and watch our sermons. The website reaches about 300 people a month and the sermon recordings have been listened to over 6000 times with people from all over the world regularly visiting our channel. Some of these people have commented on how important our online ministry has been to them.
And then there’s Canada Day. The service as well this year.
Giving to outside ministries and projects has more than doubled percentage wise since 2008 in this church, and last year the extra designated offerings over and above what we give out of our general budget was a whopping $30,000. So this little church gave away close to $70,000 to support all that I showed you there. As a church we are way more than tithing in our budget, and I have dream that in our general budget, we would be a church that gives away 25% of our regular budget. We could easily do that if everyone tithed, and we would have extra.
We are an above average giving church, let me say that right off, and last year what the Bible would call contributions or extra was significant. But let me finish with a little math. By my calculations if the average family unit income is say $40,000, and every family unit gave an extra 32$ a week, that would equal everyone in the congregation tithing and would mean an extra $82,000. I wonder what God could do with that? So I am just going to leave you with one final question. Do you think your family, or if you’re by yourself, you, spend $32 or more per week on things you don’t need? I’m just asking, and I’ll leave it there. The rest is between you and God.
So though I exhort you to test God even more in your giving, I thank you and congratulate you for your increasing generosity in the last few years.
