INTRODUCTION
" SLIDE #1
" Have you ever heard that all the church is out for is your money? :
" Well, hold on to your wallets today! JUST KIDDING!
" Before we dig into the subject for today, I want to begin by first saying that FCC is one of the, if not the most generous giving congregations I have been blessed to be a part of.
" Those who are a part of the FCC community do a fantastic job of sacrificially giving to the ministry and work of this church.
" The second thing I want to say is that today's message is not really about trying to get more of your money, the main thought is to make sure we understand what tithing is, and how it is related to giving in general.
" In my personal experience and in the experience, I have had over the years dealing with folks, particularly those within the church, one of the last things many of us turn over to God is our checkbook.
" There are many reasons for that, and not all of them are really greed related, for many, they are survival related.
" Or as was in my case early in life, I had a hard time managing my money making it hard to give God control over my finances.
" Money is an important subject.
" According to an article in Preaching Today Magazine, "Jesus talked much about money. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions." http://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/december/410.html
" Just for reference, did you know that the average American gives 2.6% of their income to charity every year? https://www.1fortheworld.org/blog/2017/10/24/the-average-american-gives-29-to-charity-every-year-how-much-do-you-give
" That is all charities. Now that is the average, differing income levels give more or less, but when averaged out, it comes to 2.6%.
" By contrast, the government, local, state and federal?
" According to a USA Today article written by Motley Fool from March 10, 2017, "If you add up the four income-based categories of taxation (Federal, state/local, Social Security, and Medicare), the average American's effective tax rate is 29.8%. This is in addition to any consumption-based taxes paid, such as sales tax, property tax, or other taxes on specific items." https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2017/03/10/whats-the-average-americans-tax-rate/98734396/
" WOW!
" Today we are going to dig into the subject of tithing, if you have been in church long enough, you have probably heard the term, but today, let's examine what tithing is all about.
" We will be in a variety of passages this morning, so take note of them if you want to look them up for reference later.
" Let's begin with our first observation!
" SLIDE #2
SERMON
I. What is a tithe?
" Let's begin our journey this morning by defining what this word means.
" The word means a tenth, it was used in the context of a religious act of giving a tenth for the support of a religious purpose.
" Making our trek more difficult is the fact that in many English translations, they have stopped using the word TITHE and are now using the phrase A TENTH, which is a 100% correct, literal translation of the Greek and Hebrew.
" The concept of the tithe pre-dates the Old Testament Law. The first instance where it is mentioned in the Old Testament is Genesis 14:17-20 concerning Abraham and Melchizedek.
" This account is shared in the New Testament in Hebrew 7:1-2
" SLIDE #3
" Hebrews 7:1-2 (CSB) - 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace.
" There is no recorded demand of Abraham for a tenth. Neither is an explanation given about why Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek.
" Jacob also, long before the law of Moses, promised that he would give to the Lord a tenth of all he received (Gen. 28:22).
" When God established the Law, the concept of tithing was more prevalent in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
" God spoke at Aaron on the subject in Numbers 18:20-32.
" Leviticus 27:30-33 elaborates on the tithing portion of Moses' commandments, stating that every tenth of the produce of the land-whether vegetables, grain, or fruit-belongs to the Lord.
" It also records that a tenth of every herdsman's flock and herd belongs to the Lord.
" The passage instructs the Levites to rely on these tithes for their sustenance since they have no lands of their own.
" However, they are not excluded from tithing; rather, the Levites are to set aside for the Lord a tenth of the tithe they receive. (Lexham Bible Dictionary)
" When you read the passages, it appears that the concept was for one to confess the Lordship of God in their lives and as well as recognizing Him as their owner and provider of all things.
" The giving of the tithe was to be given from the lesser (man), to the greater (God)
" We see this concept played out with Melchizedek, where for no stated reason, Abraham gave a tenth of what he had to Melchizedek after his victory over Sodom and Gomorrah.
" Melchizedek was King of Salem (Probably a title for Jerusalem Psalm 76:2) and was a Priest if the Lord Most High.
" So, Abraham was recognizing the superiority of God along with giving God the glory of his victory!
" Remember what we talked about last week, who owns it all?
" Now let us turn to our second thought.
" SLIDE #4
II. Is there a correlation between tithing and God's blessings?
" One of the questions we have to consider is, is there a correlation between tithing and receiving God's blessings.
" The answer to this question is not a simple black and white answer.
" Let me explain.
" I remember years ago, there was a televangelist whose slogan was basically make a vow and pay it. He would tell people if they sent him $5000 vows of faith, God would bless them financially.
" This blessing because he got a lot of money until 20/20 or one of those programs ran an expose' on him.
" To answer the question, let's consider some things.
" First, if I am giving simply to get back from God, I am not so sure that is going to open the floodgates of God's blessings.
" It is all about the heart and the attitude.
" The Pharisee's tithed even their spice seeds, meticulously counting the seeds to make sure God received a tenth of them.
" They would also give in a very public way, so others could applaud them.
" Jesus condemned both those practices. More on the seeds in the last point.
" SLIDE #5
" Matthew 6:2 (CSB) So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.
" So, from this and many other passages we can see the motive behind what we do matters to God.
" When we are giving, we are recognizing God's Lordship in our life, we are telling God that we understand that what we have is from Him and that we want His blessings and guidance in the area of finances.
" Another issue to consider is one of trust.
" Do I trust God enough to give Him at least a tenth of my income and trust Him to provide for me the rest? It is not an issue of giving to get, it is an issue of trusting God.
" I am willing to put God first in my finances?
" Do you trust God? You cannot out give God!
" SLIDE #6
" Luke 6:38 (CSB) Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over-will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."
" This goes to trust and attitude!
" I want to take you to a popular passage on tithing found at the end of the Old Testament.
" SLIDE #7
" Malachi 3:8-10 (CSB) - 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!" "How do we rob you?" you ask. "By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. 9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you-the whole nation-are still robbing me. 10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way," says the LORD of Armies. "See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
" God was telling the nation they were robbing Him when they withheld their tithes. He also told them that they could trust Him, and He challenged them to TEST Him!
" Now, this promise was made to a specific people during a specific time.
" This challenge as given to the impoverished, insecure Israelites living in the land after their return from exile in Babylon. God requires more here than just tithe (Malachi 3:5): He requires His people to be generous in mercy and justice.
" The principle still stands!
" The other issue we need to understand is that according to 2 Corinthians 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver.
" SO IS TITHING TIED TO RECEIVING GOD'S BLESSING. Generally yes, but it depends on the heart.
" Am I giving to get, or I am giving because I love, trust, and depend on God?
" This all leads to the final question.
" SLIDE #8
III. Is tithing still a valid practice today?
" In the New Testament the words "tithe" and "tithing" (OR a TENTH) appear only eight times (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42; 18:12; Heb. 7:5-6, 8-9). All of these passages refer to Old Testament usage and to current Jewish practice.
" I have read arguments that we are no longer the Law but under grace! THAT IS SO TRUE.
" However, grace demands a higher standard than the Law.
" Remember the Pharisee's would give in a very public way. One day Jesus is watching the scene unfold and He sees a poor widow drop two small coins of little value onto the offering. Maybe a couple of pennies.
" Jesus told the disciples that the woman gave far more than the Pharisees. They gave out of surplus, she gave all she had. Mark 12:41-44.
" So, if a person would argue against tithing as a starting point for giving by saying that was Old Testament law, GREAT, then you can give all you have, just like the widow! Tithing pre-dated the law by the way, so the Old Testament Law thing is moot.
" Jesus did speak on the subject when He condemned the Pharisees for tithing off their seeds.
" SLIDE #9
" Matthew 23:23 (CSB) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
" On one hand He tells them they were wrong because their hearts were in the wrong place, but then He tells them to keep tithing, but not to neglect things like, justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
CONCLUSION
" So, what do you think?
" I feel that as a Christian I should not be looking for loopholes to get out of doing what God called me to do.
" There was a time in my life where I could not tithe because I ran my spending too close to my income.
" What I was challenged to do was to look at what I was bringing in and what I HAD to spend, then commit a percentage to God.
" Then, I was to make a vow to God that I would increase my giving as He prospered me, even if I started or 1 or 2%.
" Well, I think I was close to 2%, but within 2 years, I was tithing.
" And guess what, it was not so much that God doubled my salary, it was more of me learning to be a better steward (a manager of other's stuff) of what God blessed me with.
" I am not going to challenge you simply to see the extremely generous offerings at FCC increase, I want to challenge you so that you can experience the blessings and contentment that God wants for you!
" Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and God will see that you have what you need!
