“Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.Matthew 6:20
Lk 12:16-21… And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Vs.19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?. Vs.21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
2 Cor 8:7-8 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
Our Love for God is Tested by How we Give ...........
Many believers profess to be sold out to God But! When it comes to their Money, to Many have ignored or have not really studied The teaching of Gods Word on the Subject of Finances, tithes and Offering ......
Martin Luther A German Professor of Theology said, "There are three conversions that a person needs to experience: The conversion of the head, the conversion of the heart, and the conversion of the pocketbook."
Money and possessions are the second most referenced topic in the Bible – money is mentioned more than 800 times; of the 39 parables of Jesus 11 are about finances...
In fact, 15 percent of everything Jesus ever taught mentioned or included the topic of money and possessions — more than His teachings on heaven and hell put together!.
Why would Jesus mention money and possessions so much?
The reason is Because There is an Essential connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money. we can't live without it, clothe ourselves, reach the world, feed the poor or ourselves without Money....Money is a Must for Survival here on Earth ! On the other hand we cant live without God.. So we must chose This day who we will Serve
Finances directly affects our Hearts and Relationship with God and others!!!
Every believer should be giving a portion of his or her finances to the Lord on a regular basis, but it should not be done in an Showy way or in a manner that would draw unnecessary attention...
When we give, when we pray, when we worship, or whatever we do, God is looking at our hearts. And our Motive is everything. When We give, we must realize that God is aware of it.
Matt.6:19-20 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...".
This verse isn't saying that it is wrong to save or invest your money. What it is saying is that it is not wise to accumulate possessions for the sake of accumulating them and, more specifically, for the purpose of impressing others. “
He who dies with the Most toys Still Dies”
Jesus was not teaching against being blessed with material things. The point is, we are to keep things in perspective, recognizing that everything we have comes from God and that He provides it for us with a purpose in mind....
Deut 8:18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.
If our primary ambition is material things and then we try to make our primary ambition the things of God, it won't work. We cant serve God and Mammon!!!
We need to make a decision ... Giving should not be done by an impulse..
2 Cor 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.) Giving is and will always be A Heart Issue...
But does God through His Word ask for a certain amount? Of what He has provided for His People, Because remember Deut 8:18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
God has fully made known His Will! The Bible is given to be a lamp unto our feet and therefore He cannot have left us in darkness regarding any obligation or privilege in our dealings with Him “or His with us.
Let's go back to where it Started/ Tithing in the O .T.
At a very early date in the history of Mankind God made it known that a definite amount of His Followers income should be devoted to Him... When studying carefully the book of Genesis we find clear traces of an early revelation about 3 very Important practices that God required His People to Obey... They Were
The offering of Sacrifices to God... The Observance of The Sabbath and The Tithe.
Although we are unable to take up the Bible and place our finger upon A commandment from God that His people, “in those early days, should either offer sacrifices to Him or keep the Sabbath or give the tithe there is no definite “Thus saith the Lord”
But! from what is recorded we are compelled to Believe that there must have been such a commandment given:
Genesis 26:5.Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. ???? when did God do that... well we know He did because of this scripture... But Scripture does not record the day that happened
This is an indicator that God spoke to Abraham previously about The Tithe, The observance of The Sabbath and The Offering of Sacrifices to God.....because Abraham did all Three and nowhere specifically does the Bible record God telling Abraham to do so .
The Offering of Sacrifices to God... Take first of all the presenting of sacrifices to God. Who told Abel, Noah, and Abraham to present a Blood Sacrifice to God?
Would they have presented a blood sacrifice to God if they had never first received a command from God to do So?
And yet we find Abel, Noah and Abraham, presented bleeding offerings unto God ; this clearly presupposes or shows that God had already made it known that such was His will for His People: or why would they have done it?
And what about the honoring of The Sabbath
When God gave the ten commandments to Israel to keep the Sabbath, He commanded them to remember the Sabbath day, which clearly implies two things: that at an earlier date the Will of God concerning the Sabbath had been revealed, but, that their forefathers had forgotten.
The Tithe
The same is true with the tithe. To this day we are unable to put our finger upon a “Thus saith the Lord,” a definite commandment where God demanded that His people Give a tenth of all their increase unto Him.
And yet, Abraham does that, there must have been an earlier revelation from God to Abraham about The Tithe...
“In Genesis 14:20 “And he gave him tithes of all.” Abraham gave tithes unto Melchizedek( a type of Christ). We are not informed why he did so. We are not told in earlier chapters that God had commanded him to do so, but the fact that he did so shows that he was acting according to God’s will and that he was carrying out What he heard somewhere.”
Gen. 28:19-22... And he called the name of that place Bethel.” This was the night when Jacob was fleeing from Esau, and that night while he was asleep he had A vision.
“And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothes to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give The tenth unto thee.
Not A Tenth but The Tenth it wasn't something he just made up it was something he already knew of!!!
Who told Jacob about the Tithe?
When it comes to The Law of Moses we find that the tithe was definitely and clearly incorporated into it.
Lev.27:30-32 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord”
Notice that twice it is said That The Tithe was “Holy unto the Lord.” That means, God reserves to Himself, as His own, one-tenth of that which He has given us. It is “holy” unto the Lord.
Now those who have read and studied Scripture know how Israel failed to obey Gods Laws after they had settled down in the land and God warned them about that in
Deut. 8:6-20 .....
But what the Bible goes on to point out is that, in each great revival of godliness that God sent unto Israel, tithing is one of the things that is mentioned as being renewed and restored among them. I. E. THEY had Stopped Tithing but STARTED TITHING AGAIN.. you can read the account in 2 Chronicles 30&31
Now lets turn to the last book of the Old Testament.
Malachi 3:7-8. “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me . But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
In the last chapter of the Old Testament, we are taught that those who withheld the “tithe” from Jehovah God “are charged with having robbed God! The Tithe is Serious to God and should be serious to us!
.....Now in the New Testament There is nothing that introduces any change or that sets aside the teaching of the Old Testament on The importance of Bringing The Tithe or Offerings.
In fact in Matt. 23:23 Jesus says “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and “cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Mat 23:23).
In that verse Jesus Christ is rebuking the scribes and Pharisees because of their hypocrisy. They had been very strict and thorough in tithing, but on the other hand they had neglected the weightier matters such as judgment, or justice, and mercy.
But He acknowledged that the observance of justice and mercy is more important than tithing—it is a “weightier matter”—while, He says, these they ought to have done, nevertheless He says, these other ye ought not to have left undone.
He does not set aside the tithe. He places justice and mercy as being more weighty, but He places His authority upon the practice of tithing by saying, “These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Jesus was A Tither
The 3 top topics in The Bible are 1.God 2. The Poor
3.Money and the Only real Vivid picture we have of Hell is A wealthy Man being there because he Didn’t Provide for a Poor Beggar.... The way he handled his Wealth
Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.Matthew 6:20
( Call up Musicians)
A kingdom Son or Daughter Has Generous Heart.... A Generous Heart connects us to Heaven!!!!!! 2 Cor. 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in Your Heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Mt. 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also: Jesus drew the conclusion that you can only have your treasure (and your heart) in one place; we can't store up treasure on earth and on heaven at the same time.
The connection between where your heart is and where your treasure is isn't a suggestion; it is a simple fact. If you regard your material possessions as your treasure, then your heart is set here on this earth.
Our riches possessions and finances ... What we do with our wealth, riches and possessions is an indicator of What we Love
It is not so much the disciple's wealth that Jesus is concerned with as their loyalty and where Hearts were
Matthew 6:24 Leaves no room for confusion or doubt “ Materialism is in direct conflict with loyalty to God."
Mt. 6:24 You can't serve God and Money because you will always hate one and Love the other.......2 big very opposite words Love and Hate.......Hate meane means to love less, which one will we love less if wevtry to serve them both?
Deut 15:10 “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging (grieving) heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” –
Deut.8:18
And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish (confirm) His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day
