After we finish this series we’re going to have a series about what coffee should be served in a church building, the direction your feet should be pointing when you’re buried, and whether or not you should drive an SUV on Sunday.
Just kidding! Those are things that really just have no bearing on our relationship with God, and we’re not going to waste your time on them. They’re called “Adiaphora,” which means “indifferent.” When people speak of “majoring in the minors,” they’re talking about adiaphora. They just don’t matter.
Wherever you’re at in your spiritual walk, I’m guessing you’re here this morning because you think that maybe what you do with your life before God is something that does matter. You could have slept in, or done something else, but you chose to make the effort to be here this morning. Why is that? Because you believe, somehow in the big picture of time/space history, what you do with your life matters.
You’re right! Whoever you are, God has already extended His love to you by sending His Son Jesus to pay the price for your sin. God has already invited you to have a relationship with Him starting now and lasting forever! That relationship begins when you decide to accept His free gift, and not until then. That’s something you need to do!
So, here you are, trying to do something that matters with your life, hearing about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you, and how He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Good for you! You’re here doing something that matters! What you do with your time, your energy, your creativity, and your material resources really matters!
This series we’re going through is about what you do with your life, and what you do with money is just one facet of that. And since that does matter, that’s what we’re talking about this morning.
So, we’re talking about tithing. That simply means giving 10% of your increase to the Lord’s work. Just talking about that is a new concept for some people – but it really shouldn’t be. Right now, many of us are working on income taxes. The government has a chart that shows the rate of money you’re supposed to give them. The same thing is true about sales taxes and about tips too. Somewhere is an etiquette guide that says what amount is appropriate.
So, turning to the Bible as a guide for figuring out how much to give to the Lord’s work isn’t some crazy idea. It’s simply taking a look at what God has said to help us be good caretakers of what’s His.
But we have to be careful too. There are some hazards when we discuss the amount we give, and the idea of tithing. Hazards? Yep…
1. We’ll make tithing another law and misunderstand the whole idea of living under God’s grace
Tithing can be a place where we can really learn about God’s grace. Remember, grace is God’s undeserved favor in our lives. It’s by grace that we’re saved! We can’t earn that. It’s a free gift.
But our natural tendency is to take the things we do because of God’s grace and turn them into some new kind of law that we keep so that we’ll be good enough for Heaven.
That’s what legalism is - grasping after some set of standards as the way I expect be saved. I attend church services every week so I’ll be saved. I’m in a small group, so I’m sure I’ll be saved! I spend 30 minutes a day in prayer so I’ll be saved. I read the Bible 30 minutes a day so I’ll be saved. I tithe faithfully every week so I’ll be saved. You see the problem with that attitude.
We have to be careful that we don’t take good standards for living and construct them into our own false requirement for true maturity in Jesus. Tithing can become one of those “things.”
But I think you’ll see, that tithing can actually be a part of life in Jesus that can help us learn better how grace really works.
2. We’ll make it a substitute for stewardship.
Tithing is giving 10% of our income. Stewardship is a life pattern of using all our resources as though they all belong to God and not ourselves. It means I’m a caretaker of God’s stuff.
Misuse it, and tithing can become a substitute for being a caretaker. It would go something like this: I gave 10% of my income. Boom. I’m done! Suddenly, tithing is a limit that guards the other 90% of my income against anything but how I want it used. Instead of asking, “How much can I grow in Jesus?” it’s asking, “What’s the least I can do and just get by? What’s the least I can do and feel OK about myself?”
“10% for Jesus, I surrender, 10% to Him I freely give. . . I surrender 10%, I surrender 10%”!
Last week, we looked at II Co 8:5 and the way that Christians of Macedonia had given their money in an offering, but Paul said first them gave themselves to the Lord. It was stewardship of all they had – stewardship of life. That’s the order God is looking for when it comes to stewardship. On the list of things God wants from you, at the top of that list, is you, not 10% of what you claim is yours. God wants you to give your whole self to Him first.
God cares about everything we do with everything we have: marriage, family, opportunity, time, energy, creativity, gifts, ability, money.
3. We’ll overemphasize the “give to get” motive
We talked last week about the different motives there are for giving. One of the weakest of motives is giving is a way of playing the heavenly slot machine and expecting that we might strike it rich with God or that He’ll at least “owe us a favor” if we do this.
I’m going to show you from the Scriptures this morning that God promises to bless the person who’s faithful in financial giving. But it would be a mistake for that to become our motive to give instead of a just a blessing of it.
OK, those are the hazards. If we’ll be careful to avoid them, we can move forward and talk about this practice of tithing, and see from the Scriptures show how it’s a useful guideline, a good starting point, for us today .
We should practice tithing because...
I. It is Biblical
In Genesis 14, Abraham and 318 of his men have just rescued Lot and all his family and all their stuff from King Kedorlaomer and 3 other kings. They got everything back. They’ve just returned. And we read there that Abram gives 1/10 of the spoils to a priest named Abimelech.
Genesis 14:18-20
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Abraham gave a tithe to this priest but the command to tithe was still hundreds of years away. Curious, isn’t it? Abraham gave him a tithe.
Genesis 28, the command to tithe still hasn’t been given, but Jacob makes a promise to God which includes that he’ll give to God a tenth of all that God gives to him.
Genesis 28:20-22
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
It’s later in the OT when tithing was introduced and the nation of Israel gave 1/10 for the Lord's work to be carried out.
Even though God owns the cattle on 1,000 hills, though "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof," though all things were created by Him and for Him, God chooses to make His work on earth a dependent - depending upon His people giving back to Him. His Church depends on faithful stewards! He doesn’t force it, but the tithe belongs to God!
Now, before you say “That’s all OT! That doesn’t apply to us!” let’s summarize:
We have a couple examples of tithing before the Law was given. And if we were to apply the OT Law, we’d actually be given much more – a tithe for temple worship, an annual festival tithe to provide for travelers to go to the major feasts, and a charity tithe every 3 years for the poor. When you add it up, the average Jew gave no less than 23½% of his increase! You’re right! We shouldn’t get all OT here, should we?
Grace means we’re no longer trying to be saved by keeping the Law. Jesus gave us a better way into Heaven – one that will actually save us! But grace doesn’t mean we have no reason for godly living. What we have under grace is a reason to be godly without limits!
The Law says “give a certain percentage.” Grace says, Jesus is paying the debt you owe for your disobedience. You could never possibly pay this on your own. Now, instead of trying to pay our own way, “we make it our goal to please Him” (II Cor 5:9).
Grace has no limits like the Law. We could never repay God for what we He’s given us in Jesus. Amen? But grace frees us to do more, out of purer motives. How can we do any less?
Tithing is Biblical.
II. It Recognizes God's Ownership of Our Lives
If life in Jesus is a new concept to you, let me suggest that this is a good place to rest for a minute. You didn’t create yourself. You can’t uncreate yourself. You owe your very existence to God. On top of that, Jesus paid a ransom price for you on the cross. He made you, and then He bought you! That’s how Paul can write…
I Corinthians 6:19-20
"...you are not your own. For you have been bought with a price."
When we recognize God's right to everything that we call "mine," we can open up a completely new attitude where giving is concerned. Instead of asking “How much of my money should I give to God?” we can ask “How much of God’s money should I keep to use for myself?”
Tithing isn’t giving God a tip. It's recognizing His right to everything we own. Surely the God Who has provided us with an income can ask for 10% of it to be given directly back. “You are not your own. For you have been bought with a price.”
A 3rd reason to tithe is…
III. Because of What It Does for God
Yes, what it does for God! That’s sometimes how God speaks of our actions.
Genesis 22, Abraham has just engaged in an act of complete obedience to God. He was going to sacrifice his own son, just to be obedient. God stopped him and told Abraham…
Genesis 22:12
"Now I know that you fear God..."
I don’t think an all-knowing God can learn something from Abraham, but that’s the way God chose to speak about what Abraham did. I do know that God was glorified and God was pleased when Abraham exercised his faith. And today, when we read the story of Abraham, we have no doubt that he believed God, because of what he did.
When we tithe, we demonstrate our faith in God that He’ll provide what we need. We show our love for Him. And we should want to…
II Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: that though He was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
When we tithe, we are opening up the way for God to do the work He is waiting to do. He has made it depend upon us, and our faithfulness, before it can happen. People who’ve been tithing for years recognize that God’s using their giving to accomplish His work!
A 4th reason to tithe is…
IV. Because of What It Does for the Church
"Bring the whole tithe into My storehouse, that there may be food in My house." (Mal 3)
-Joke - a church needed $90,000. Preacher put electrodes in the pew cushions and a switchboard in the pulpit. At offering time, he asked who would give $5,000 to stand up, and he pushed a button on the board. Suddenly, a lady jumped up. By the end of church services, he had pledges of $125,000, and one electrocuted Scotchman!
Let’s just be real pragmatic for a moment here. The church doesn’t require a membership fee from anyone. Try that at Peak Fitness Center! Still, most of the things the Church does to carry out the Great Commission of Jesus happen only when the people of the Church faithfully give.
Years ago, I heard Charles Swindoll speak on tithing - Evangelical Free Church – He made a statement I have heard in one form or another: If every member of their churches were on welfare and tithed on that income, those churches would have twice as much money to work with!
You and I support a lot of things with our money - clubs, government, charities, grocery stores, gas stations, video retailers - and a lot of other things, which, if we were to look more closely at what our money was supporting, we might think twice before doing it again.
I want to tell you I believe in the potential of the Church to do great things. I love the Church. Jesus died for the church! and I believe we ought to do our best to help her be all that she can. I believe that tithing is one point where the potential of the Church is unleashed to move ahead.
A 5th reason to tithe is…
V. It removes Unchristian Distinctions and Barriers
I Corinthians 16:1-2
"…each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income..."
Mark 12, Jesus is watching people put in their offering into the temple treasury. As he watches, there are some rich people who are real showy about it, putting in bunches of money. Then up comes a widowed lady who put in 2 little copper coins, worth next to nothing in the world’s eyes. Jesus said about her that she had put in more than all the others. How is that possible? It was worth more to God, because she couldn’t afford what she gave, but she gave. The others just gave out of their surplus. She gave all she had.
Have you noticed that when you buy gas or groceries, you get charged the same regardless of your income or your net worth? The rich man gets charged the same as the poor man.
Tithing removes the distinction between rich and poor, educated and uneducated. It recognizes everyone's ability to be significant by being obedient to God. The giving of a person with a tiny income is just as significant, maybe more, than the man who makes triple figures. That person can be just as obedient by tithing.
God's Word says:
II Corinthians 8:12
“...if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."
That's how the widow who gave 2 copper coins could give "more" than those who put in their "large sums."
VI. Because of what it does for Us
Proverbs 3:10
"Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine."
Genesis 22:16-17
“because you have done this…I will bless you.'”
Matthew 6:33
"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well."
I’m not suggesting that we ought to practice tithing as a way to get rich. We live in America. We already are rich compared to most of the world! I am suggesting that God will bless those who "take the plunge!"; that God will honor and bless tithing even when it's tough to do. I can say that has been true in my own life, and so would many others.
If you’re a home that sits down with your paycheck and first takes the tithe before working out the rest of the budget, you’ve already done 2 things that help you:
You’ve laid up for yourself a treasure in Heaven that can’t be taken away.
Matthew 6:20
"…store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal."
You’ve helped your heart to follow Jesus
Matthew 6:21
“…where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Conclusion
Maybe you already tithed and never knew why. Maybe it’s been for wrong reasons. Maybe you aren't sure how much you give. Maybe you don't tithe yet and it’s something for you to work toward. I don't know!
Malachi 3:10
"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 floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
Nowhere else are we commanded to test God! But I believe if you’ll test Him in this you’ll find Him faithful because He proves Himself faithful in everything else; as a friend, comforter, protector, as a Savior.
A commitment to tithing is one step in our growth in Jesus.
There are some who need to take a much bigger step today - and it's a step that also recognizes God's rightful ownership of all that you have...and are. God doesn’t want what you call “your money.” God wants you. We’ll have an opportunity for you to make that commitment today. But right now, Bob’s going to come and lead us in a prayer, and we’re going to worship the Lord with our giving.
Let’s set our minds to honor Him with our whole lives and let this be one way we show that…
(Bob’s going to come and pray as we collect today’s offering)
