I remember years ago one of my children coming up to me and saying Dad, if you give me a dollar, I’ll go to bed without a problem."
My response was I’m sorry but I don’t think it works that way."
• It starts young. People and money, there’s just something about it.
We are going to spend one Sunday talking about the topic "You, your money, and God."
Mal 3:6-12
That’s what I want to look at today We refer to it as tithes and offering.
• Now tithe is an Old Testament word and it meant to give 10% of what you have to God.
• An offering is usually defined as above and beyond a tithe.
So we are going to talk about giving to God.
• Now I were to ask you if you believed it was important and scriptural to tithe,
• to give generously to the Lord,
• just about every hand here would go up
• But when it comes to doing it that’s another story.
A lot of times we can be reluctant when it comes to giving,
• We can also be reluctant when it comes to listening to a sermon on giving.
• But let me start by giving you four reasons
• Why I think we need to spend a little time talking about this today
• And why we need to understand why it’s so important.
#1 We don’t preach on it very often.
• It’s not wrong to preach about it, --------but we just don’t do it.
• I’ve been here a little over a year and this is the first sermon I have preached on money or giving.
• Over the last 60 + sermons this is the first one.
• So if you’re visiting with us today and think,
• Oh no, here we go again, a church asking for money,
• Realize that since I’ve been here this is the first time we’ve preached on money.
• We don’t preach on it very often.
#2 – Second reason we need to preach on it is because it’s Biblical
• The statement has been made in regards to preaching and in regards to the preacher,
• That I wish he’d just shut up and quit preaching about giving and get back to preaching on the gospel.
• The truth is that you can’t preach on the gospel and not preach on giving.
• Jesus saw fit to include it in the majority of His teaching.
• In fact there are 39 parables in the gospels.
• Of those 39, over half of them deal with greed, generosity or giving.
• Finance, money, generosity, and greed are mentioned over 2000 times in the Bible.
• That’s enough by far to make it Biblical.
#3 Reason that we need to talk about this subject is because of our culture
• Money magazine says not only do we consume more than any culture before us,
• We also pursue money like no other culture.
• Money has become the number one obsession for Americans,
• We want money and we want the stuff that money buys.
• Whether or not it serves any purpose at all seems irrelevant.
" What are we living for? We live To consume.
• 88% of the population has more debts than assets
• Money is the main factor in 90% of divorces
• The avg. family in America carries nearly $8,000 in credit card debt.
• Only 2% of the people in America - When they reach 65 are financially stable –
• Only 2% need no additional income –2%.
All of this speaks to the need our society has in dealing with finances and greed and giving.
#4 Not only is it needed in our culture but it’s needed in our churches.
• I saw a cartoon once that showed a man hiding under the pew bench at church and his wife saying, you can come out now dear, the offering is over.
That’s what many people feel like doing
• Even those who have been Christians for years.
• A study of people over the age of 30 shows that even though
• Their income after taxes and inflation, increased 31% in the last 17 years,
• Giving has gone down 8.5% over the same period of time.
• We have more than we have ever had and we give less than we have ever given.
Now I want to emphasize that I don’t know how much you give.
• The Elders don’t know. We don’t want to know.
• The only person that knows is the treasurer and that’s because someone has to fill out the deposit slip.
• So it all comes down to the fact that it’s between you and God
But I do know one thing--- I know how we are giving is as a body---as a congregation
• Because it’s written in our bulletins every week
• And it doesn’t come anywhere near 10%.
• Based on average income and going on a strict tithe, of 10%,
• If over the last year we’d done what we were suppose to and given our 10%
We would have enough money in the bank to
• Meet our annual budget
• Hire a worship and youth pastor
• Update our facilities.
• Increase our giving to missions
• And be able to go on missions trips ourselves.
• All in one year!
I think the biggest problem we have is our failure to understand our tithes and offering.
So we’ve covered the four reasons of why we need to look at our giving.
• So what I want to encourage to you to do This morning
• Is to put God first in the area of giving
• And see just how blessed you will become and what a blessing it is to others.
Advance
Lk 12:15 Then he said, “Beware! Don’t be greedy for what you don’t have. Real life is not measured by how much we own.”
1Ti 6:6 Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth.
1Ti 6:7 After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die.
1Ti 6:8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
When we hear that, we know that God wants us to give back to Him
• and we know that he blesses us for it,
• and we still have a problem with doing it, week after week.
The story of a game warden
I’m not fishing. I’m just carrying this here pole and tackle box. No law against that. Don’t need a license just to carry a pole.
Immediately the game warden jumped out and said, “I caught you, now you’re fishing.” And the man looked at him, and said, “Yep warden I am” and pulling out his wallet he said, “And now, you can see my license.”
There’s no law that says you have to give.
• But you can’t claim that you’ve made God the ruler of your life
• And at the same time withhold this area from him.
• And if we’re not giving to God,
• If we’re holding back
• Or even worse just tossing in a buck or two, when that plate comes by
So with this in mind
• I want to give you three Scriptural attitudes in which we are to approach the giving of tithes and offering.
Attitude #1 is to Give Cheerfully
• Giving is not a debt you owe.
• It’s not something you have to do.
• It’s something you get to do. – it’s a privilege
2 Cor. 9:7 says "God love’s a cheerful giver.”
• The Greek word used for cheerful is the word "Hilarios"
• Which translates hilarious
• So this scripture tells us that God loves a hilarious giver. A cheerful giver.
Suppose you and your wife are about to celebrate an anniversary.
• And you go out and pick her out a gift and say,
• "Here. I HAD to go get you something.
• Because I knew you’d be mad if I didn’t.
• I didn’t want to, but everybody says I have too.
• It Cost me way too much --- but, here it is. ----So I Hope you enjoy it."
Well, one things for sure- if she doesn’t kill you - she’s not going to enjoy it.
• And God’s the same way.
• He doesn’t want you to give holding a grudge.
• He doesn’t even want your gift.
• He wants your sacrifice, your allegiance to him.
• He wants you to feel so much love in your heart for Him
• That you don’t think twice about giving.
• It’s just the natural thing to do
As long as I’m here we’re not going to do the things that some other churches do.
• The elders and I aren’t going to get together once a year and knock on your door,
• "And say fill out this card, we’ve come to see how much your going to give the church this year."
• We aren’t going to send out offering envelopes every month.
• We aren’t going to call when you miss church to see if you can drop off your offering within the next couple of days.
• We aren’t going to do that. But there are churches that do this!!!!!
Why? Don’t we do it?
• Because I think that a Christian should need all that.
• If it’s not enough to know that Jesus Christ gave everything he had,
• That He spread out his arms, and allowed them to nail Him to cross.
• Then to hang on that cross,
• To pay a debt for an offense that He didn’t commit
• To give everything including his very life for us,
• And all he asks for is a portion of what He has already given us
• If were not willing to do this, then we have a serious problem.
Now, some people may have a little trouble understanding how we tithe.
• It always seems like a lot when we talk about money.
• So lets try it this way
What if I gave you ten apples. Ten apples.
• And you’ve got these ten apples in front of you.
• And I gave them to you every week.
• And every week all I did was ask for one of those apples back so I could feed another hungry person
• You would still have nine apples to eat.
• Wouldn’t you happily give me back one of those apples since you still have nine apples to eat?
• Of course you would.
So why isn’t it that way with our finances?
• Shouldn’t we cheerfully give back just a portion to help feed and evangelize a host of people out there that don’t know Jesus Christ?
• We still have 90% for ourselves.
• The main thing is that it has to come cheerfully.
• God would rather have your heart than your money.
• And that’s the principle we need to understand.
The 2nd Biblical principle is to give generously.
Give Cheerfully, Give Generously.
• There is no set amount in the New Testament.
• In the OT a tithe was 10% and that’s probably a good starting point.
• And I have had people ask, should I tithe off of my gross or net?
• Well, where’s your heart.
• If it’s to give as little as possible and you’re looking for a way to reduce the amount, then there’s a deeper problem for us to deal with.
• But if you give cheerfully and generously it will be a reward to others and to yourself.
Acts 20:35 says The Lord Jesus Himself said, “It is more blessed to give then to receive.”
• We know this.
• Experience has shown us that there is so much more joy in giving than in receiving.
• And God tried everything he could to get the point across in the scripture.
1Chronicals 29:9 says that the people enjoyed, rejoiced in that they had given freely and generously to the Lord.
Now Does this sound like the average church member?
• People say, if I had more money I’d give more.
• No they wont.
• I don’t want to dispute your word, but the Bible clearly says that if we aren’t faithful in little we won’t be faithful in much.
• So the attitude of generosity starts on the level you’re at now.
A very wealthy man came to his minister and said, I’m having a problem with this tithing thing. You see I made $500,000 dollars last year. If I gave 10% then I’d have to give $50,000. I can’t do that. And the pastor took him aside and said, would you pray with me, “Dear Lord please reduce this man’s income so that he can afford to give.”
Generosity should be the standard for a Christian.
The leader of a Parish in Chicago Illinois wanted to find out where the hearts of their people were. You see they were only giving about $300 a week to meet the needs of others through the church.
And specifically they wondered what influence the Illinois State Lottery was having on them.
So on a specified Sunday they had their members bring in all their losing lottery tickets and place them in the offering tray.
To their amazement they gathered over a thousand dollars in losing lottery tickets, and the total offering for the day was less than $300
The POEM says
20,000 for a brand new car, 40,000 for a piece of sod,
100,000 I paid for a house, and $20 bucks I gave to God.
And there’s one question for the answer that I still search
With things so bad in this old world, what’s holding back my church?
We are to give generously to Christ.
And the 3rd Biblical Principle is to Give Thankfully.
In 1 Chron. 29:13, David, in praying for the offering that was given and he says
Advance
1Ch 29:13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!
1Ch 29:14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us
This is probably the most significant principle about giving
• We need to give thankfully.
• To realize that everything we have been given -- has been given to us by God.
• And it’s a chance to say thank you by returning a portion to God.
David goes on to say in verses 17-18,
1Ch 29:17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.
1Ch 29:18 O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.”
And this is what I hope you see Today
• That our giving will always come from
• A heart that is thankful
• Thankful for the blessings that God has given us in our lives.
• The ironic thing is that when it comes from the heart, the Lord says it’s going to be returned to you in abundance.
• What did he say in that last verse of Malachi –
Try it! Let me prove it to you!
• Now the bible does not teach that you give in order to get.
• That if I give a hundred dollars, God will give me thousand back.
• That’s treating God like the Spiritual lottery.
However when we give with a heart that is thankful and generous
• We are promised that it will be returned to us in some way.
• It may be financially,-- It may be spiritual -- It may be in a measure of peace.
• But you can be guaranteed that it will be returned.
It’s kind of like putting in tomato plants.
• Most people put in 10 or 15 tomato plants and they hope to get enough for a couple of meals.
• But what happens
• Pretty soon they’ve have so many tomatoes they don’t know what to do with them.
• They start putting them in jars and cans,
• They put them in bags and start giving them to the neighbors, the preacher, and anyone that will take them.
Giving is like that.
• When it’s done from the heart it brings an amazing return.
• Sometimes it’s financial.
• Sometimes it’s spiritual.
• Sometimes we see it now.
• And sometimes we won’t see it till the next life.
But Can you imagine, for just a moment,
• How incredible it will be when we get to heaven.
• And while you are walking around heaven. ------ Somebody comes up to you
• Someone that you’ve never seen before And they start thanking you over and over
And your like “What did I do?”
• And they say, well, I’ve been told that you gave generously to your church.
• And your church helped send a missionary to my country,
• and that missionary shared with me the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• I was saved, my family was saved, and my children were saved.
• And it wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been so generous with your tithes and offering.
• Thank you.
Man that’s gonna be awesome.
• And that’s just part of the return that we get when our tithes and offering are invested in God with thankfulness and generosity and cheerfulness.
• I don’t know where you’re at with this – this morning.
But like most important things in life it has to start with a decision.
• Maybe you’ve never decided as a family that you’re gonna do what it takes to start tithing.
• Maybe you can go home today and talk with the family and make that decision that this is one area your not gonna hold back from God any longer.
• Maybe this morning there’s another area you’ve been holding back.
• Maybe it’s your heart -- your life,-- your obedience of being baptized.
The wonderful thing is
• That God has given us this chance
• And by doing this we have been given the chance to draw closer to Him.
