1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-3 "GET YOUR CHECKBOOK OUT - IT’S SUNDAY"
A) Do you realize that the subject Jesus had the most to say about was our money?
* Jesus gave 38 parables and stewardship is the theme of 16 of those parables.
* One out of every six verses in Matthew, Mark, and Luke deals with a person and his money.
* Jesus had more to say about money than he did heaven or hell, or any other subject.
B) That tells me something, 1st, it tells me that Jesus is very much concerned about our giving,
* And therefore we ought to think about giving on a regular basis.
* If the Lord thinks so much about our giving, we ought to think much about our giving.
* In other words, we should take our giving very serious as a Christian.
* We ought to take very serious what we give, when we give, and why we give.
C) Secondly, when I realize that Jesus had more to say about money than any other subject,
* I come to the conclusion that we ought to talk about money on a regular basis.
* We should think seriously about money and talk seriously about money.
* Someone says, "All that preacher talks about is money."
* No, that’s not all the preacher talks about and that’s not all he should talk about in his preaching.
D) But following the Lord’s example, he should talk a lot about money!
* And if he doesn’t talk a lot about money he is taking lightly what Jesus took seriously.
* One preacher got up during the Church budget season and said that it was time for the Sermon
on the Amount. * Well, we do not want to take lightly what Jesus took seriously,
* So we want to think about our giving and talk about our giving.
* The Apostle Paul as he closed out his first letter to the Corinthians, gave us some guidelines
concerning our giving.
* If you want to learn about the proper way to give, this passage is second to none in the NT!
(1) THE DEMAND THAT IS STATED! * Notice v.1 "Now concerning the collection for ..."
* The first thing that should be settled in our hearts about the matter of giving is that we have been
commanded by God to give.
* Paul speaks of a divine mandate that had been given to the Churches of Galatia, and of which he
now gives to the Corinthian Church.
A) Giving Is An Act Of Obligation! * Paul said, "As I have given order ..."
* The word "order" speaks of that which has been "instituted, appointed."
* It is a word of command. * Giving is a biblical demand. * We ask the question "Why should we
give?" * First and foremost, we should give because God has ordered us to give.
B) We read in Malachi 3:10, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse..."
* The tithe was that which God demanded. * God had instituted a standard of giving.
* He had commanded that a certain portion of their income be given to Him.
* The command was "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse."
* We read in Neh.10:38, "And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the
Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our
God, to the chambers, into the treasure house."
C) The Levites were to "take tithes." * We often say that we are going to "take an offering."
* The ideal of taking is receiving that which is owed.
* The Levites were to collect that which was ordered by God! * Giving is an act of obligation.
D) Giving Is An Act Of Obedience! * Now I think you all would agree that if God tells us to do
something and we don’t do it that is disobedience.
* Then we must agree that if one is not giving to God they are living in disobedience.
* The failure to give is a sin! * All sin, any sin, even the sin of not giving,
* Needs to be confessed and corrected.
* There are people that sit on Church pews service after service, with unconfessed sin in their life.
* There are no doubt people that are members of every Church that have not given one red cent to
God this year. * You can excuse it anyway you want to, but none-the-less it is disobedience.
E) You say, "Preacher, I give, I gave 2%, 3%, 4%, of my income to God."
* The problem is you did not give God what He told you to give.
* The starting point of your giving as designated, defined, and demanded by God is 10%.
* In actuality, the tithe (10%) belongs to God! * One does not really start giving until they give
over 10%. * God said in Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me."
* "But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
* In case anyone would claim that tithing was under the law, I remind you that tithing was
instituted 400 years before the law. * The tithe and offerings were instituted by God,
* And no where do we read that God ever changed that standard!
F) A noted financial counselor says that if all Christians were reduced to a welfare income,
* And they tithed on that amount, the church would double its receipts.
* In 1983 it was estimated that churchgoers donated $21.5 billion.
* But if churchgoers had donated 10% of their income, they would have given $134 billion.
G) The majority may give, but only a minority tithe!
* Many are givers yet disobedient to God! * Few are tithers and are obedient to God!
(2) THE DEDICATION THAT IS SEEN! * In v.1, Paul spoke of our giving as a "collection."
* The word "collection" is interesting. * It means contribution but speaks of communication!
A) Giving says a lot about a person, it says a lot about one’s dedication to God!
* If you really want to learn about the spiritual dedication and the spiritual depth of a person,
do not look at how high they jump or listen to how loud they shout, look at their tithing record!
* That will tell you more about the quality of their Christian life than anything else.
B) It Tells Us A Lot About Our Fear Of God.
* The expression "fear of God" speaks of a reverence for God.
* It is not a fear of God hurting you, but a fear of you hurting God.
* It is descriptive of someone who fears they would displease God in some way.
* When it comes to giving, it says much about how one wants to please God and obey Him.
C) Someone has written: The measure of a man is not, how did he die?
* But, how did he live? * Not, what did he gain, but, what did he give?
* A true measuring stick for consecration is our giving.
* Giving reveals where a Person’s real treasure is.
D) It Tells Us A Lot About Our Faith In God! * Someone might say,
* "Preacher, I can’t afford to tithe." * First let me say, you can’t afford not to tithe.
* Secondly, you are saying that God can’t be trusted. * Now you might argue with me,
* But if you will not tithe you are saying that you cannot trust God with a dime out of every dollar.
* For some people, their income is of such, that to tithe really wont affect them!
* But for others, who live on a shoe-string budget, it is a test of their faith to give a tithe.
* But there is a divine law that says if you obey God and give Him 10%, He will bless your 90%.
E) But if you keep God’s tithe, He will curse your 100%.
* When things are going well we find it easy to tithe, but when things get a little hard, we quit …!
* That’s the worse thing one could do when things get bad.
* When the bottom falls out you do not want to add to your problems by shutting up the heavens!
* It boil’s down to a matter of trusting God!
(3) THE DAY THAT IS SCHEDULED! * Notice v.2, Paul speaks of the "first day of the week."
* The first day of the week (Sunday) is the day of special significance for the Christian.
A) It Is The Day Of Gathering! * In the Old Testament, Jews worshipped on the Sabbath (Sat.)
* To commemorate God’s act of creation! * But in the New Testament, Christians worship on
Sunday to commemorate Christ’s resurrection. * We read in John 20:19
* "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where
the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus & stood in the midst, & saith ..."
* They were gathered on the first day of the week.
B) Sunday is the day when God’s people are to come together as the family of God,
* To hear the Word of God, and worship the Son of God.
* Someone says, "But I can worship God on the golf course."
* That is true, but God said that you were to worship Him in His house, not on the 9th hole!
C) It Is The Day Of Giving! * One of the things that is to take place on Sunday is our giving.
* We are to gather on Sunday and we are to give on Sunday.
* Now when Paul told us to give on Sunday he gave us several guidelines concerning our giving.
* First he declares the who of giving. * He says, "Upon the first day of the week let everyone of ..."
D) Everybody is included, no one is excluded! * The rich is to give, the poor is to give.
* The young are to give, the middle age are to give, the senior citizens are to give.
* In Mk.12:42, a certain poor widow that gave reminding us that no one is too poor to give.
* In Luke 19, Zacchaeus giving out of his wealth reminding us, that no one is too rich to give.
E) Paul also defines the where of giving! * He tells us to "lay by him in store."
* The word "store" speaks of treasury. * Since it is on the first day of the week that we are to
give, then the treasury that he speaks of is the Church.
* There is nothing wrong with giving to ministries, etc. But the tithe belongs to the Church.
* I have seen people become upset with their Church and start sending their money to a
missionary, evangelist, or some ministry. * That’s not giving God’s way!
* I have known of people who put their tithe into a bank to give later when the preacher was gone.
F) Paul also describes the way of giving! * Our giving is to be according "as God hath ..."
* The amount is not what is important, it is the proportion that is important.
* The man that makes a $1000.00 ought to at least give $100.00.
* The man who makes $500.00 ought to be give at least $50.00.
* The man who makes $100.00 ought to give at least $10.00.
* For every dollar made 10 cents ought to be given to God.
G) A young man told his pastor that he’d promised God a tithe of his income.
* They prayed for God to bless his career. * At the time, he was making $40.00 per week &
tithing $4.00 a week.
* In a few years his income had increased and he was tithing $500.00 per week.
* He called on his pastor to see if he could be released from his tithing promise, for it was too
costly now. * The pastor said, "I don’t see how you can be released from your promise,
* But we can ask God to reduce your income to $40.00 a week,
* Then you would have no problem tithing $4.00.
H) Someone has written: God made the sun -- it gives. God made the moon -- it gives.
* God made the stars -- they give. God made the air -- it gives. God made the clouds -- they give.
* God made the earth -- it gives. God made the sea -- it gives. God made the trees -- they give.
* God made the flowers -- they give. God made the fowls -- they give.
* God made the beasts -- they give. God made man -- he. ..? * ARE YOU A GIVER?
* THEN GET OUT THE CHECKBOOK -- ITS SUNDAY!
