A. Who Gets Your Tithes?
1. Tithes go to your local church called the storehouse. “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10).
2. Tithes go to Jesus. “In the case of Jewish priests, tithes were paid in the Old Testament to men who died, but because He lives, now Jesus stands in heaven to receive our tithes” (Heb. 7:8, ELT).
B. What Does Jesus Want From You?
1. Believe. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
2. Learn. “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden . . . take My yoke and learn of Me” (Matt. 11:28-29).
3. Follow. “He findeth Philip, and saith unto him, ‘Follow Me’” (John 1:43).
4. Endure hardness. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
5. Be baptized. “Go . . . baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19). “We are buried with Him by baptism unto death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead, even so we” (Rom. 6:4).
6. Witness. “Come follow Me, I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). “Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem and all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
7. Manage your life. “Well done good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matt. 25:23).
WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?
Stewardship is proper management of your time, talent, and treasure for the glory of God. ~Elmer Towns
8. Give money to Him. “Give and it shall be given unto you, a good amount pressed down, and shaken together and running over . . . for the same amount that you give will you receive” (Luke 6:38, ELT).
C. What Happens When You Tithe?
1. Giving a tithe won’t get you to heaven, tithing shows our trust and obedience in God. “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money” (Acts 8:20).
2. Giving a tithe doesn’t make you spiritual; tithing reflects your relationship to God. The Holy Spirit makes you holy and makes you spiritual. When you are “spiritual” you want to give everything to God. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).
3. Giving a tithe doesn’t guarantee a financial return, tithing reflects your priorities in life, which put you in a place to prosper in all areas of life. “He digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money” (Matt. 25:18). “Thou wicked and lazy servant, you know I require a return, and what I give you to manage for me, you should have better managed my money for me . . . take his money from him . . . all who manage well will have more, and all who squander my money will have it taken from him” (Matt. 25:26-29, ELT).
a. God. Whose money?
b. Manage. What is our task?
c. Report. What happens when our time is up?
d. Take away. What does God do for poor management?
e. Give more. What does God do for good managers?
4. Giving a tithe is not paying dues to the church, tithing is a faith-gift to God. “All the tithe . . . is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord” (Lev. 27:30). “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me . . . in tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8).
a. Disobedient. To give the wrong amount with the wrong attitude.
b. Not right. To give the right amount with the wrong attitude.
c. Not enough. To give the wrong amount with the right attitude.
d. Faith-gift. To give the right amount with the right attitude.
5. Giving a tithe is not tipping God; tithing is giving God the first tenth of all that you possess. “The first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God” (Ex. 34:26). “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse . . . and prove Me now herewith saith the Lord of host” (Malachi 3:10).
Commitment to JESUS
Lord Jesus . . . I give my whole life to You, take me and cleanse me. I give my time to You, take it and use it for Your glory. I give my talent to you, take my service and accomplish Your will with it. I give my money to You, take my tithe and expand it in Your Kingdom.
________________________________
Signed
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
All PBC lessons are available online at trbc.org/pbc. Go to www.Hopenow.tv for the current program schedule.
www.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-elmer-towns
Dr. Towns' email is ELTowns@liberty.edu
Dr. Towns’ web address is www.elmertowns.com
