OPEN: Gordon Wood of Ellison Bay, Wisconsin told of the time he tried something different in his church’s worship service.
“Instead of preaching at the end, I did it first, with music, the offering, and Scripture reading afterward. As I stood behind the pulpit, I could see people getting ready for the offering, until they realized I was starting my message.
Caitlyn, a first grader in the congregation, was perplexed by this change of routine, and whispered frantically to her mom, ‘Doesn’t he know we haven’t paid him to talk yet?’”
APPLY: This morning, we’re going to talk about WHY we give. To that little girl, the morning offering was taken up to pay the preacher to talk.
I. Many people give their money on Sundays - with much the same reasoning.
They give their money to take care of the church building. To keep the electricity on, heat the church building in winter, cool it in summer. They give their offerings because they want to make sure the congregation has enough to pay their preacher and their youth minister’s salary. They give because they want to make money available for the missionaries their church supports…
And, there’s not a thing wrong with that.
ILLUS: An old country preacher was earnestly exhorting his congregation to give more liberally. He was interrupted by a deacon who said, “Parson, you told us salvation is free -- as free as the air we breathe and the water in the river. If that’s true, why are you always asking us for money?”
The elderly preacher solemnly replied, “Brother Jones, you’re right. Salvation is free -- as free as the water you drink. But if you want that water in the kitchen, somebody has to pay for the pump!”
That was the concept behind the requirement in the Law that commanded a Tithe from the people. Numbers 18:20-21 tells us:
“The LORD said to Aaron, ‘You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites. I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.’”
In other words - God designed the tithe to pay the bills, to keep the doors open and pay the workers who committed themselves to full time service to God.
God repeatedly told His people that the tithe was important to Him.
In Malachi 3:10-12 God said: “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. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land” says the LORD Almighty.
Notice God’s purpose for the tithe: that there may be food in my house.
Then God went on to say – “if you’ll do this for me… then I’ll do this for you:
I’ll pour out blessings and
I’ll protect your crops
And you’ll end up being so blessed that everyone about you is going to notice it
And they’ll say ‘“whatever did these guys do that was soooo right?’”
II. Even here (in Matthew 23) where Jesus is rebuking the sinful attitudes of the Pharisees,
He teaches about tithing
Now, the Pharisees were very strict about playing by the rules. In fact, if God’s Law didn’t have a rule about something… the Pharisees would make one up. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He condemned them here:
“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?” Matthew 23:16-19
The Pharisees used their “rules” to take advantage of the people around them… and Jesus hated that. But, in the midst of His rebuke He tells the Pharisees that their problem wasn’t in their tithing… that was a “good rule” to follow. It was God’s rule.
Notice what it says in verse 23: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices— mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law— justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
The Pharisees were very serious about tithing. They’d even go into their gardens and pick out every 10th strawberry, and every 10th cucumber and every 10th potato… and they’d take the whole bushel basket to the temple. Jesus doesn’t complain about that… in fact, he tells them not to neglect that.
Their problem was that they tithing wasn’t as important to God as justice, mercy and faithfulness. But He didn’t want them to stop tithing… He merely wanted them to add to their tithing deeds that pleased God even more: justice, mercy & faithfulness.
God liked tithing…
III. In fact… God has ALWAYS liked tithing.
If you have your Bible turn with me to Hebrews 6:19
To prove that the Jesus was superior to anything the Law had to offer, God tells us this story
We have this hope (our salvation) as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace."
Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!
Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people— that is, their brothers— even though their brothers are descended from Abraham.
This man, (Melchizedek) however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater (Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek).
In the one case (under the Law), the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor. (Hebrews 6:19-7:10).
Abraham’s gift for God (given to Melchizedek) was NOT required by the Law. There was no “rule” that said Abraham (or anyone else) had to “tithe.”
But this “tithe” pleased God BECAUSE Abraham WASN’T giving this 10th out of obligation.
He WASN’T giving this tithe to God because HE HAD TO.
Abraham gave the tithe because He loved God.
Abraham offered God a tenth of all he had taken in battle because this was his act of worship
IV. Now, the Pharisees (by contrast) gave their tithe
- not because they loved God
- BUT because they loved rules
AND the Pharisees measured their righteousness by how well they kept those rules. Not only the rules that God had given, but also the rules they made up. Righteousness, to the Pharisees was dependent upon how well one kept the rules.
But we can’t measure our righteousness that way. In fact, Paul writes:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:20-21
If your righteousness could be measured by how well you keep the rules rather than by how much you love Jesus Christ, then your faith would be based – not on Jesus – but on yourself.
A person who relies on how well they keep the rules is basically saying – “I don’t need Jesus. I can be acceptable to God all on my own… thank you very much.”
V. Now, this brings me to the command in the New Testament that we should tithe…
Well… actually… there is no such command. Search tho’ you might, you will NEVER find (in the New Testament) that Christians are ever commanded to tithe.
Well, why not?
Because for the Christian, the Tithe is NOT a “rule of righteousness” it’s a “rule of thumb.” (repeat)
The Tithe is not commanded of us - because we’re no longer under law… we’re under grace.
Let me make it clear right now…
Your salvation does not depend upon how much you give on a Sunday morning.
God’s love for you is not effected by how much you write your check out for each week.
We are not under Law… we’re under grace. And because we are under grace, what we give should come from our love for God.
But throughout Scripture, God has made it abundantly clear He likes the tithe. And for the Christian the tithe is great place to START in our giving.
ILLUS: Some of the greatest givers in the history of the church have been people who started out tithing and kept increasing their giving.
J. L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corporation, who had given approximately 25 percent of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years
William Colgate, the great soap and perfume manufacturer, rose to fame and wealth while consistently paying a tithe of his earnings into the gospel treasury. He recognized this as a minimum and year by year as God prospered his efforts and multiplied his wealth, Mr. Colgate gladly gave far more than a tenth.
ILLUS: John Wesley supposedly determined that he could get on quite nicely with the salary that he was given as a preacher and, based upon that decision, gave whatever raises he received directly to the poor or to missions.
Now, not everyone can give like that. Romans tells us that certain people have the “gift of faith” and that effects how they give. But there are many churches that could not survive it weren’t for those people who gave above and beyond the “tithe.”
The tithe pleases God because it shows Him that we understand what is important to Him.
And I believe it please Him because of the effect it can have on us and our faith.
ILLUS: One person shared this testimony: The church means more to me now, since I began to tithe. It brings the church right into the center of our home, into the center of the family."
CLOSE: The Soviet preacher Richard Wurmbrand, who wrote "Tortured for Christ," suffered terribly for his faith in the Lord.
Yet he said that even while in prison, he saw fellow Soviet believers practice generous giving. "When we were given one slice of bread a week and dirty soap every day, we decided we would faithfully ’tithe’ even that. Every tenth week we took the slice of bread and gave it to the weaker brethren as our ’tithe’ to the Master."
