Why Every Christian Should Tithe

I preach on tithing at least once a year for several reasons.

(1) Because I am a Bible preacher. This is what God has called me to do…PREACH HIS WORD.

But I preach on tithing for another reason because I want

(2) I want the blessings of God on your life not God’s curse.

Many of us if not all of us have heard the saying, "The proof is in the pudding."

This is an expression that is used when we want to prove something.

Illus: For example, one of you ladies could make some chocolate pudding, and when you got through it looked delicious!

But just because it looked delicious does not mean it is delicious.

Let me illustrate…

Illus: I remember when I was young and my parents were working and six of us children we were home alone. My sister who was a teenager decided she was going to cook a cake. And when she got through it looked like a cake you would buy at the bakery.

I was proud of her and did not know she had such cooking skills.

She asked me if I wanted a slice of her cake and I Looked at it and it was a lovely cake covered with white icing and I said, “Sure, cut me a big slice I am hungry!”

She did just that and served it to me and as I took my first bite I recognize she did not know the first things about cooking. (Not the first!!!) What she had done was cooked a bunch of pancakes, stacked them on top of each other about five inches tall and covered them with white lard.

What looked good was not good!!!

That is where we get the expression, THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING!

Not only is that true about pudding, but that is true also about other things.

For example, you can ask some folks if they love the Lord, and they will immediately say, “I certainly do.”

WHERE IS THE PROOF!!!

Anyone can say, “I love the Lord!”

The Lord is not impressed with words only. He says IF YOU LOVE ME YOU WILL KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.

In other words the proof we LOVE THE LORD IS IN US OBEYING HIS WORD.

Since this is the PROOF IN THE PUDDING IF WE LOVE THE LORD LET’S LOOK AT ONE OF THE COMMANDMENT IN THE SCRIPTURES ABOUT OBEYING THE LORD.

Did you know the Bible teaches tithing from cover to cover?

• Yes from cover to cover!!!

• It is one of the commandments of God.

Since the proof of something is in the pudding WHAT DOES TITHING PROVE TO THE LORD…

I. THE TITHER PROVES HE BELIEVES GOD'S WORD

Some would have you to believe that tithing is an Old Testament commandment and does not apply to us today.

It is true there are things under the Mosaic Law that does not apply to us today.

For example:

• The ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were fulfilled by Christ’s sacrifice. That is we do not bring a sacrifice to church because Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these sacrifices.

Another thing we do not obey from the scriptures today is…

(2) The Priesthood.

This change does away with all human priests and recognizes only Jesus as our High Priest (see especially Hebrews 7:12 - 16, 23 - 28, 10:12 - 14).

Also we no longer observe…

(3)Feast days and the Passover because they have been fulfilled.

If we had the time I could continue to show you from the scriptures there are many things in the BIBLE that applies to us and does not apply to us today.

SUCH AS THE PRACTICE OF TITHING APPLIES TO US TODAY.

The teaching of tithing is interwoven throughout scripture in the Old Testament and the New Testament in the lives of Bible characters.

For example:

A. ABRAHAM PRACTICED TITHING

Look at Genesis 14:20, we read, "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he (Abraham) gave him (Melchizedek) tithes of all."

Illus: During the days of Abraham, he had to come up against his enemies, and when he defeated them, he was left with all their wealth and he made sure that he tithed of all that God had given him.

B. JACOB VOWED THAT HE WOULD TITHE

Look at Genesis 28:22, we read, "And this stone, which 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."

Jacob vowed to tithe of all that God gave him.

C. THE LAW COMMANDED IT

Leviticus 27:30-34, we read, "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: (Whose?) 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. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai."