Tithing Is God's Idea

Today we are going to talk about stewardship in regards to using our resources for the Lord. Usually we make this part of a series on stewardship, but last week I talked briefly about using our spiritual gifts for the Lord and I know that you are up on what was said last week. So instead of talking about using our talents for the Lord, or giving of our time we will talk this week only about tithing.

Two men were marooned on an Island. One man paced back and forth

worried and scared while the other man sat back and was sunning himself.

The first man said to the second man, "aren’t you afraid we are about to

die." "No," said the second man, "I make $100,000 a week

and tithe faithfully to my church every week. My Pastor will find me

This subject matter is often difficult for some preachers to talk about, we like to talk about the love of God, or how God wants to bless our lives, which he will if we tithe to his kingdom. This subject for me is just another subject matter that needs to be addressed because it’s scriptural and because it’s something that the healthy Christian does out of love and respect for the Lord. When I talk about tithing, it’s not me who’s talking but the Lord, so I will use many bible verses to back up everything that is said today. Before we get into the heart of the sermon, I want to thank you for your faithful giving over the past three months; we’ve met our needed monthly amount that’s listed in the bulletin. But I still think that this sermon is necessary, not for the churches benefit, but for your benefit and by the end of today you will know what I mean by that.

The idea of tithing is as old as the earliest book in the bible; in the earliest parts of scripture you can discover the principle of tithing. Please open your bibles to Genesis 14:18-20. 18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Melchizedek was the king of Salem, a God fearing man, for his name means king of righteousness. This scripture also says that he was the priest of the most high God. He recognizes that God created the heavens and earth. In verse twenty we are introduced to tithing by none other than Abram, who is better known to us as Abraham. Abraham was known as the father of all nations, he was blessed by God because of his faith and because he was a righteous man. Part of him being righteous was the fact that he gave an offering to the Lord. He gave his tithe to the priest, which represented the kingdom of God. So you can see that tithing is not a new idea, I believe that it’s a Godly idea. Stan Toler says that, there are over 2300 references to money and possessions in the bible. At the same time prayer is mentioned only 500 times. Yet prayer is the very oxygen by which the soul breathes. This caused me to stop and ask this question, why is the subject of money and possessions in the bible so many more time than prayer. God is all knowing, so if this subject is in the bible so many times, than we must hold this subject close to our hearts. We must as humans really think about our money and possessions all the time. We must really cling on to our money and our possessions. The emphasis on giving is a reflection of our obedience to God’s will revealed in our lives. It is a sign of Christian life. If the bible mentions money and possessions so much, then there must be some good reasons for it. I mean think about it. Whenever a baseball player signs for an outrageous amount of money, then the sports talk shows are inundated with angry callers about the signing. It kind of gets me going as well, for example when Alex Rodriguez signed for a mere $125 million with the Texas Rangers, that really upset me a little. He’s going to make more money in one baseball game than many of us will make in a year. There’s something that really gets people passionate when it comes to money matters.

Maybe you heard about the pastor who attempted a record-breaking missions offering by wiring the pews to an electric current. Don’t worry, I haven’t done this for our chairs. He then asked the question, “How many will stand and pledge $100 dollars to world missions? The buzzer was pressed with shocking results. Dozens immediately stood to their feet in an unprecedented response. However, it was also noted that several hesitant members were electrocuted!