A Matter of Heart
2 Corinthians 9:8 & Malachi 3:10
June 6, 2004
Introduction
Several weeks ago Abigail and I went to McDonalds and after we got our food, I decided that I was going to help myself to one of her French Fries but unfortunately Abigail had other ideas. As I reached out to grab one she pulled the whole bag away and she “These are my fries.”
Are those really your fries? I asked. Abigail’s immediate response was yes. I asked her if she had bought the fries and she had to say no. So then I asked who bought the fries and she had to say that I bought them. My reasoning was flawless here and I told her that the fires really belonged to me and that they were really mine. She wasn’t buying that at all and still did not want to share those fries with me.
Finally after some major talking I got to share the Fries. My logic was correct, I had bought the fries and technically they were mine but she did not want to give them up. What in the world does this have to do with anything biblical? I believe it is a really good picture of how we adults look at stewardship. God comes to us to share what He has blessed us with and we pull away saying; hands off that’s mine.
Is all of that stuff that you have really yours? Does it really belong to you or is there something else at work in this life?
I think that for the most part, the church as a whole does not understand the concept of stewardship because the church has failed to teach the principles of biblical giving for decades.
What is a steward? A steward is a person who manages the property of someone else.
Stewardship is God’s resources deployed through His people to mobilize His people to evangelize. – Stan Toler
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8
One of the most important things we need to realize as Christians is that God is the ultimate source of everything. All that stuff that you “own” really comes not from your provision but from God’s Do you really think that if the God of all the universe did not want you to have that car that you drove to church today you would still have it?
Everything that you have belongs to God; yes I said everything. The money in your purse or wallet and in the bank accounts, it came from God and therefore, belongs to God. The house that you live in, it belongs to God. The car that you drive it too belongs to God. The family that you have, they belong to God. The spiritual gifts that you have been blessed with, they belong to God. The life you live that belongs to God as well.
Everything comes from God and therefore He is the owner. If He owns it all, we are just the managers of what he has. Our biggest problem in all of this is the fact that we get the roles reversed and we think we are the owners of all our stuff. So, we start acting like the owners and start calling the shots.
The best example for this is our church trustees. The role of a trustee is to manage and care for the physical operations of the church. Do the trustees own any of the property of the church? Of course not. Do the trustees have a responsibility for the care of the church? Absolutely!
The same is true of you and what God has given to you. You don’t own it but you are responsible for it.
Since, it all belongs to God, what does He want back for His work and for His Kingdom?
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. Malachi 3:10
The portion of God’s share
Bring the whole tithe
The word tithe is actually Old English and it literally means one tenth. In other words, God is saying: I own it all. I want you to give back to me and my work 10% of what I bless you with. So, when you give your tithe it is not going to the church it is really going back to God and His Kingdom.
It doesn’t matter if you make $12K or $120K, the principle is still the same and God still expects 10%. The issue here is not really about money but rather the issue is what is in your heart. Where your heart is your treasure will be there as well. If your heart is not with God, neither is your money.
In Matthew, Mark and Luke 1 out of every 6 verses deals with the topic of money. If you look at the parables of Jesus, 16 of 29 parables deal with money or finances. Jesus was very concerned about the topic of money but the question is why? It has been said that money is the root of all evil. Jesus seems to be more concerned about what our money is doing to us than what we do with our money.
I have heard people say that they cannot afford to tithe. Everything you have flows from the hand of God. The reality is that you can’t afford not to tithe because tithing reveals the inner nature of your heart and it affects your relationship with God. It is a spiritual issue.
When you do not tithe you are really sayi8ng two things:
1. God is not worthy of my trust
2. God cannot supply my needs
The Placement of God’s share
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse
God says to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. What in the world does this mean? The storehouse was the place where the needs of the temple were met. The last time that I checked we don’t have a storehouse here at the church but we do have a place where the needs of the church are met. Our storehouse is the general fund, that is the place where we keep the monies donated through the Sunday morning collections.
I have heard many people tell me that they tithe but that they tithe to other ministries. The problem with this is the fact that God clearly says to bring the whole tithe to the storehouse. The tithe is what God uses to supply the needs of the church. The local church is the place of your spiritual care and development.
In my first church, I had a lady named Loretta and one Sunday morning Loretta came to me and told me that she was going to sending her tithe to Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral. So, I asked Loretta if she would ever ask Pastor Schuller to pray with her during a difficult time. She said no. I asked her if she would ever ask Pastor Schuller to come visit her at her home or when she was in the hospital. She said no. Then I asked if she planned on attending Sunday Scholl and worship at the Crystal Cathedral. Again she said no.
I then asked Loretta what church she considered the place of her spiritual care and her response was the one we were in. I asked her what pastor she would call during times of need. Her response was that she would call me. I asked her what church she considered her home church and said the one we were in. So then I asked if your spiritual care comes from this church, your pastor is in this church and this is your home church, what church does your tithe belong in? Her response was the one we were in.
We need to understand the difference between tithe and offering. Tithe is the 10% that God expects us to give back and offerings are anything above the tithe. I am not saying that you should not give to world missions, Feed the Children, World Vision, the Preganancy Resource Center or some other worthy Christian organization. What I am saying is that you tithe belongs in the storehouse and you can give offerings however you please.
When tithe is given does it matter where it goes?
God says that tithes belong where? In the storehouse. There are a couple of problems with designating your tithe. The moment that you put a designation on that tithe you start telling God what to do with His money. Remember you are the manager of God’s resources not the owner. You do not have the right to tell God where it goes.
What would happen if every person in the church decided to start doing this and designated their tithe to something they were a part of? Let’s just say that all of the members of the softball team started putting their tithes into the softball fund, the members of Walk on Water started putting their tithes into Walk on Water projects, those who work with the Children started putting theirs into the Children’s ministry and then everyone else decided to designate their tithe to debt reduction. We would have a real problem.
There would be lots of money going into ministry and we need to put money into ministry. There would be lots of money going to reduce our debts and that would be great. However, if this happened how would we pay for the electricity to keep the lights on? How would we pay for the office expenses that purchase the paper your bulletin is on? How would we pay the staff members of the church? I could go on and on but I think you get the point.
The Promise of God’s share
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 can see some of you thinking that all of this tithing stuff is Old Testament and old law and we are no longer under the law. You would be absolutely right we are under the grace of Christ Jesus.
The promise of God does not change. Look at what God says near the end of the verse, test me in this. In other words, God is saying try this out and see what happens; see what I will do for you. God promises that if you give your 10% that He will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out blessing that you will not be able to handle. Not bad for just 10%
Let me tell you that I have seen in my own life how God uses the 90% that is left over to meet the needs of my household. God has a way of taking the 90% and making it stretch farther than my original 100% could ever go.
God has never broken a promise and He never will. The point is this, God is worthy of your trust and when you place your trust in Him you will never go wrong. Stewardship is not a matter of the wallet but rather it is a mater of trust. Stewardship is not a matter of money but rather is a matter of the heart. Stewardship is not a matter of gaining rights, but rather of doing what is right.
Do you trust God enough to put His 10% back into the storehouse? Do you have the faith to allow God to use you to help build His kingdom?
This morning in your bulletin there is a Storehouse Stewardship commitment sheet. As the praise team comes this morning, take a moment to prayerfully consider what it is that God wants you to do and fill out the sheet, drop it in the basket at the back of the church on your way out.
