Monkey See, Monkey Do – “Tithes & Offerings”
January 29, 2006. Pastor Matt
Do you know why
we pass the basket every week and people put money in it?
Intro
A description of
Old Testament Tithes:
1st
tithe: 10% of all yearly produce, flocks and cattle to support the Levites and the
priests as they worked in the Temple. (Leviticus 27:30-34)
2nd
tithe: Called The Festival Tithe. It
was 10% of the remaining 90% of produce, flocks, and cattle. This tithe was used
for their journey to Jerusalem for sacrifices. (Deuteronomy 12:5-7; 14:22-27)
3rd
tithe: “Charity Tithe” was money set aside every third year to provide
for those in need. Deuteronomy 26:12, 14:28-29)
Also: Temple tax.
Also: Roman taxes
Some would say that
if 10% was good enough for the OT, it is good enough for me.
In reality, the
three OT tithes added up to more than 23%. (Not including the Temple Tax or the Roman Government’s
taxes.)
So, are you going
to give 24% now that you understand how much they gave?
In reality, there
is no specific rule anywhere in the Bible that requires a Christian to give 10% of their money to the church.
So, what does the
Bible Say about Tithes? (About giving money to the church?)
First thing first: Your money is not your money.
Psalm 89:11 The heavens are yours, and
yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.
-
everything in the world, God created or gave man the ability to create
it
Colossians 1:16. For by him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by
him and for him.
- God has given
us what we have and don't have
- All things were
created FOR HIS PURPOSES. He created “money” and he has reasons for
why he created His money.
- Because He owns it all, He has the right to tell us how to manage our money
- When we don't
seek God about our finances, we are not asking Him how to use His money
Haggai 2:8. The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty
Deuteronomy 8:18a. But
remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…
-
You may say you are not rich.
-
Most of you have more wealth than someone else.
o In America we are
always better off than someone somewhere else.
Because our money is not our money, we must spend His money the way He wants to spend it.
Emphasis being that
He is in control of His money. Every aspect of our lives are to be under His
control, including money.
We do not serve
Money, money is to be used to Serve God.
1 Timothy 6:10. For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
-
Love of money is a desire to keep money.
-
When we love money so much that you are unwilling to use it for His purposes,
it becomes the root of all kinds of evil.
-
If you are not using it for his purposes, chances are you may be using
it for evil.
Matthew 6:24. No
one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or
he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
money.
-
If we serve God, money is never an issue.
o We use it as a tool however God wants us to use it.
-
If money is what we serve, we get irritated with the church and their needs
for money.
o We get irritated with God when He leads us to do something that stretches us outside of our comfort
zone with our money.
Remember money is not some thing that controls your life, rather it is part of your life that you surrender to His control
1 Timothy 6:17. Command
those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to
put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
-
We are not to put your trust in money.
o Remember what it says on your money: “In God We Trust”
§ I think the fathers of this nation knew what they were doing when they
put that on the money so many years ago.
· We often think if we have enough money, we will be ok.
· Money is never something to put your trust into.
o Remember the stock market.
o Money is a man made system that can fail.
Proverbs 11:28. Whoever
trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
Malachi 3:8. Will
a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But
you ask, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings.
-
when we take God’s money and spend it however we want instead of
how He wants, we are stealing from Him
Matt 6:33 sums it up:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
-
We are not to let money rule our lives.
-
When we put our lives in His hands, He will provide for us.
How does God want us to spend His money?
He wants us to spend His money on the Church instead of the church.
Turn to: 2 Corinthians
8:1-15.
2 Corinthians 8:4. They
urgently pleaded with us to for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints
Why did they give
money? For other Christians.
2 Corinthians 8:13-15. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their
plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written:
He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little, did not have too little.
-
The New Testament church took care of each other.
-
The church community was providing for the needs of others in the church
community.
-
There was no concept of financially supporting the church as an organization.
o The church was the people, not a building.
(Today, in order
to take care of the people, we must take care of the building too. Or do we?)
Can we leave our
building for the benefit of providing for the people of the “church?”
Another example…
1 Corinthians 16:1-2. Now
about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week,
each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up. So that when I come no collections
will have to be made.
The principle here
is that our financial resources, our material possessions are to be used proportionately for the greater good of the “church,”
for the ultimate purpose of doing God’s work.
We are to give so we can provide for the work of the Lord (which is always done with and through people).
The money is not
for a building. If we are putting money towards a building, than we better be
using the building for God’s work rather than just a place to meet.
In Malachi, when
God says they are robbing Him, He is speaking within the context of the Old Testament giving.
In light of the New Testament, when we don’t provide for the people of the church, the work of the lord, or surrender
our finances to him, we are robbing him.
When Jesus died,
the key part of the Temple died/ was broken/split. The function of the Temple no longer existed
anymore. God created a new function. It
was a function that was on the new Church-the people.
How much of His money does He want us to spend on the Church?
We must give the amount He tells us to give.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7. Each
man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
A. Give what God puts on your heart to give
B. Be at peace about what you give
C. Don’t compare what you give to someone else
D. There is no set standard or amount. It is about obedience!
Acts 11:27-30.
11:29. …each
according to his ability…
E. you can’t give what you don’t have
but
F. you don’t hold back what you can give
So where should
I start?
Ask God how much
He wants you to give. While you are waiting for a specific answer…
For those of us
who are not sure what to give, 10% is a good starting point.
Not a requirement,
not the limit, but a starting point.
Closing
So, what should
I do?
Give to help God’s
people.
Give to further
his work.
A church is responsible
to its people to use God’s money for his work.
When a church uses
His money correctly, the people will give freely.
Don’t give
to us if we are not using his money right.
Give to the “Church”
not the church.
Do you believe in
this church?
Do you believe in
the people of this church?
Do you believe in
what God is doing through this church?
Do you want to see
God do greater things through this church?
If you do, pray
about how you are to support His People in His Church.
Pieces of this sermon
were influenced by the following books:
Giving God’s Way, 1984 By John F. Mac Arthur, Jr.
Real Prosperity- Biblical Principles of Material Possesions, 1990. By Gene
A. Getz
