Matt. 23:23 “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.
One of the most misunderstood areas of scripture has to do
with money. There are those who think if you ask for any money to do the work
of God you are just after their money. Then there are those who exploit people
by making all kinds of promises about their giving that is not based on
scripture. As the old saying goes we should not throw out the baby with the
bath water. I am amazed at how many Christians don’t think you should ever ask
for money in church.
Many want to have a church facility to come to where they
can grow in their walk with God, bring their kids to kid’s church, and have a
place to connect with others, but for some reason they must think the money to
provide such things to do God’s work just comes from out of no where. I often
wonder how do they think a church pays their light bills, provides snacks for
their kids, pays for rent or payments to keep their facility, and provide
upkeep and maintenance for their facility? Most people who have an issue with
giving to the work of God either have no understanding of what God’s Word says
about it, or they are in love with money. This week I want to share seven Bible
reasons as to why God says we should give tithes and offerings.
1. TITHES
AND OFFERINGS IS GOD’S PLAN NOT MAN’S
2 Cor. 9:10 And God who continually supplies seed for the sower and bread for
eating, will supply you with seed and multiply it, and will cause your
almsgiving to yield a plentiful harvest.
Take a look back at our foundation text, and then at this
text here in 2 Corinthians 9:10. First in Matthew 23:23 Jesus tells the
Pharisees that they tithed right down to the very herbs in their gardens, but
they had overlook the very justice, mercy, and faith of God that was standing
before them in Jesus Christ. Notice Jesus in the New Testament clearly states
that they should tithe, but not
overlook what He had come to do to provide justice for all through His shed
blood, revealed by the mercy of God, and received by faith in what Christ would
do for us.
In Leviticus 27:30 God said all the tithe is the Lord’s,
and it is holy to the Lord. The tithe is the first tenth of our increase. Many
today say tithing is of the law. First of all by saying that they don’t even
understand tithing and the fact that Abraham who gave a tithe of all to Melchizedek
did so before the law was ever established. Tithing is in the law but not of
the law. Secondly Jesus Himself here clearly tells the Pharisees that they
should tithe. I don’t know how anyone can misinterpret that unless you are
going to change the Word to fit your lifestyle. Tithing is a way we honor our
God and it is something He established, not man.
Above the tithe we are to give offerings. Remember the
tithe is the Lord’s, not mans. That is why Malachi said to God’s people in his
day that they had robbed God of tithes and offerings. As 2 Corinthians 9:10
above states God supplies us not only with bread for food, but with seed to
sow, so that when we sow that seed He can in turn multiply it back to us to
yield a harvest of blessing. All through the New Testament we see verses of
scripture that reveal it is God’s plan to give tithes and offerings, not mans.
2. TITHE
AND OFFERINGS IS GOD’S PLAN TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL CHURCH AND ALL OUTREACHES OF
THE CHURCH
Mal. 3:8
Will a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what
way do we rob or defraud You? [You have withheld your] tithes and offerings.
Mal. 3:9
You are cursed with the curse, for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation.
Mal. 3:10
Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that
there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts,
if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing,
that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Our tithes and offerings are to be brought to our
storehouse, the house of God where we are feed the Word of God, and where we in
giving help support the work of that local church as well as the outreaches of
the church. As I stated in my opening comments how do people who come to church
and think it’s wrong for the church to obey the Word of God and take tithes and
offerings think the church pays it’s bills? A church that is obeying God’s Word
is also going to fulfill the call of God through outreaches to evangelize and
reach out to those in need. This is clearly God’s plan.
3.
TITHE AND OFFERINGS IS GOD’S PLAN TO BLESS HIS PEOPLE
Luke 6:38
If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure,
pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever
measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to measure what is
given back to you.”
The kingdom of God’s system to bless you is in giving and
receiving. Jesus here states that when you give you will receive. The measure
of your giving will determine your receiving. Even Paul states in 2 Corinthians
9:6 if we sow sparingly we reap sparingly, but if we sow bountifully we will
reap bountifully. This is how God’s kingdom operates to bless His children.
Sowing bountifully is not based on amount, but on the percentage of what we
give. Jesus in the temple one day pointed out a widow who gave two mites in the
offering that day. He told his disciples the rich had put in much by way of
amount, but that widow had given more than all of them for it was all she had
left. The key to giving offerings is praying and asking God what He desires for
us to give. If we will do so and obey Him God will make us a bountiful giver
because He does desire to bless His children. We don’t reap what we want; we
reap based on what we have sown.
4.
TITHES AND OFFERINGS IS TO HELP YOU KEEP GOD FIRST
Prov. 3:9
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your
income.
Prov. 3:10
Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine.
When you honor God with the first tenth of your income,
and each time you come to God’s house pray about what He wants you to do in
giving Him an offering, you are keeping God first in your life. Jesus Himself
said in Matthew 6:24 that no man can serve God and wealth. If we honor God in
our giving we keep God first, not wealth. Scripture reveals that the love of
money is the root of all evil. Money is not evil, but the love of money is.
That will never be a problem for one who puts God first.
5.
TITHES AND OFFERINGS IS GOD’S PLAN TO KEEP YOUR ATTENTION ON HEAVEN
Matt. 6:21 For where your wealth is, there also will your heart be.
When we use our wealth, our money to do the work of God
that reveals what our heart is set on. Those who give to God from their heart,
because they want to not because they have to, they keep their focus on eternal
things. Their attention is on heaven, not on the things of this earth.
6.
TITHES AND OFFERINGS IS HOW WE LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN
Matt. 6:19
“Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and
steal;
Matt. 6:20
but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do
not break in and steal.
As givers we are laying up treasures in heaven. Those treasures are
all the people who will come to know the Lord and be born again because of the
seed we have sown into God’s kingdom. People are God’s treasure and we will
have a great reunion in heaven with those whom we have help to reach with the
gospel.
7. TITHES
AND OFFERINGS IS GOD’S PLAN TO ENLIST YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE GREATEST THING
CLOSET TO HIS HEART, WORLD EVANGELISM
Mark 16:15
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to
everyone, everywhere.
Mark 16:16
Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to
believe will be condemned.
God’s desire is that none perish but that all would come to the
knowledge of salvation. One of the last things Jesus said to the church was to
go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone everywhere. It takes
money to go into all the world, but it is an investment that changes lives for
eternity. There are many things man can invest his money in, but there is only
one thing that will make an eternal difference, investing into the work of the
kingdom of God.
See You Again Next Week For More
“Weekly Wisdom”
May God’s Best Be Yours!
Pastor Darryl Baker
