Pastor Rick Warren points out that one of the marks of a disciple is cross-bearing.
“Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14:27 (NIV)
I take up my cross when I do whatever it takes to give Christ first place in my life! He further identifies four habits must develop in order to grow as a disciple: 1) Time in God’s Word (John 8:31-32 ); 2) Prayer (John 15:7-8); 3) Fellowship (John 13:34-35); and 4) Tithing (Luke 14:33).
He illustrates these four habits in what he calls The Disciple’s Cross. Prayer and The Word are the vertical parts because they have to do with my relationship to God. But I also relate to people and money. So Tithing and Fellowship are disciplines I need to grow in.
If God’s first in my time and money and relationships, then He’s first in every area of my life. But if He’s not first in my time and not first in my money or not first in my relationships, then He’s not really first in my life; and I am not growing as a disciple. Today, I want us to focus on the fourth habit the Bible says is essential to growing as a disciple: giving.
“Just as you excel in everything else... in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness... see that you also excel in the grace of giving.” - 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)
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Today we’re thinking about Giving Done God’s Way. Malachi identifies two types of giving in verse 8 - “tithes and offerings.”
“Tithe” means “a tenth part.” God calls us to give proportionately, and we start by giving 10%. We’ll talk more about this next week.
What is the difference between a “tithe” and an “offering”?
A “tithe” is giving ten percent of my income; while an “offering” is anything I give beyond my tithe. Today I want us to think about tithing and next Sunday we will begin to think together about offerings.
1. The Purpose of Tithing - vs. 8-9
Malachi makes the point that these people had wandered away from God by neglecting to give their tithes and offerings. Actually, what the prophet is saying to them is that their lack of giving is a clear indicator of the fact that their hearts were far from God.
Giving is one of the most fail-proof litmus tests of your relationship to God. On more than one occasion, Jesus linked a person’s giving to eternal life. When Zaccheus, the wealthy tax collector, got right with God, his first recorded words were, “Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). His salvation immediately touched his pocketbook. Jesus confirmed this formerly greedy man’s conversion by saying, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9).
The way one manages money and possessions is an indication of the nature of their relationship with God. Neglect of giving a tenth of their income and neglecting to give offerings beyond the tithe to God’s work indicated that things were not right between them and God.
“A faith that hasn’t reached your wallet, probably hasn’t reached your heart.” - Adrian Rogers
The purpose of tithing, therefore, is to draw us closer to God.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:21 (NIV)
2. The Practice of Tithing - 10a
A. Why we give our tithe.
God owns 100%, not just 10%. My life is on loan from God. He’s the owner; I’m but a manager. So I need to daily surrender my life to His control. Tithing is a reminder of this truth. So, in acknowledgement of God’s ownership of my life, I honor Him with my tithe.
“The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God in first place in your life.” - Deuteronomy 14:23 (LB)
“But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth.” - Deuteronomy 8:18 (NASB)
An young man shared his dreams for the future with his pastor. “As God blesses me,” he said, “I will give a tithe from my income.” The pastor commended his commitment to God and prayed for the Lord to bless his career. He was making a few hundred per week, working a part-time job and tithing $40.00. In a few years his income increased and he was tithing $500.00 per week. He called the pastor to see if he could be released from his commitment. The pastor replied, “No, God still calls you to give your tithe. But if
giving $500.00 per week is too much for you, we could ask God to reduce your weekly income back down to $40 per week.”
B. How we give our tithe.
Malachi says to bring the “whole tithe.” We are to our tithe on all our income and it’s to be the first thing we do when we receive our income.
“Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.” - Proverbs 3:9-10 (The Message)
C. Where we give our tithe.
The storehouse refers to the storage rooms at the temple, where the people brought the first fruits of the harvest. The priests serving at the temple used this for their needs in order to carry out the ministry of the temple. Today’s parallel is the local church and its ministry.
Today, the church is God’s temple (Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:5). Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her (Eph. 5:25). He said, “I will build My church…” (Matt. 16:18). His purpose in our day is to be glorified in and through His church. So the church is not just a spoke in the wheel of life. Christ and His church ought to be the hub for the believer. Everything should revolve around the church, because building the church is what God is doing in the world. You will give properly only when you make Christ and His church your priority.
“On the first day of every week, set aside some of what you have earned and give it as an offering. The amount depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn.” - 1 Corinthians 16:2 (LB)
3. The Principle of Tithing - 10b
Often people read this verse, and think of God opening the windows of heaven, allowing cars, houses, and big pay raises to fall from the sky. But that is not what the passage is teaching. Windows let in fresh air and sunshine. And that is the imagery God is using here when He promises if we recognize Him as the owner and boss of our life, we’ll be in a position to benefit from His wisdom, and learn how to better manage all that He has blessed us with.
If I give l0% of my income to God’s work, I’ll have less to live on - 90% as opposed to l00% - but God will teach me how to manage the 90% so that I will live better than I could have on my own with 100%!
“You must make major adjustments to obey God.” - Henry Blackaby
A man told his pastor, “I don’t see how I can give ten percent to the church when I can’t even keep on top of our bills.” The pastor
replied, “If I promise to make up the difference in your bills if you should fall short, do you think you could try giving that much for just one month?” He thought about it for a moment and then replied, “Sure, if you promise to make up any shortage, I will try giving ten percent for one month.” The pastor replied, “So, you’re willing to trust someone like me, who has so little, but you can’t trust your Heavenly Father, who owns the whole universe?”
Listen, God can be trusted. Take Him at His Word! Obey Him and let Him adjust your life in order to bless you! Let God use the principle of tithing to change your life and to change the lives of others.
4. The Promise of Tithing - v. 11-12
God’s wanted to use their lives show others how, through a personal relationship with Him, they, too could reverse the curse, embrace God’s grace, and live under the spout where the glory pours out. God wanted to use them to point others to Him. He wants to do the same with us. And as we commit to tithing and making the necessary adjustments to obey God, we will benefit, the church will be supported, and people will come to Christ.
A Christian lady once said to a friend, “Our church costs too much. They are always asking for money.” “Sometime ago a little boy was born in our home,” replied her friend. “He cost me a lot of money from the very beginning: he had a big appetite, he needed clothes, medicine, toys, and even a puppy. Then he went to school, and that cost a lot more; later he went away to college, then he began dating, and that cost a small fortune! But in his senior year at college he died, and since the funeral he hasn’t cost me a penny. Now which situation do you think I would rather have?” After a significant pause she continued, “As long as this church lives it will cost. When it dies for want of support, it will not cost us anything. A living church has the most vital message for all the world today, therefore I am going to give and pray with everything I have to keep our church alive, and consider it a privilege to do so.”
