The Joy of Discovering Hidden Treasure – 5
Subject – How to Start the Journey of Generous Giving
By Rick Welborne
Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
--Pastor Rick, I want to start this journey of generous giving but I am not sure how to get started. As always, let’s go to God’s Word and see what He says.
Leviticus 27:30 (NIV)
30 "'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
--I love the story about the interesting soldier and politician Sam Houston. He came to Christ and after his baptism he wanted to pay for half of the local pastor’s salary. Someone asked him why?
Houston – My pocketbook was baptized too.
--The meaning of the word “tithe” is “a tenth part.” Ten percent was to be given (brought to) the Lord. There were to be freewill offerings but the tithe belonged to God and was mandatory.
--Some argue this was just for the farmers but in 2 Chron. 31:5 it says the people of Israel brought a tithe of everything. We are to give to God first, not last.
Proverbs 3:9 (NIV) 9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
--When God’s children were not giving as they had been instructed listen to what God said to them:
Malachi 3:8-10 (NIV)
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.
9 You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me.
10 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.
--But, Pastor Rick, everything you have read has been Old Testament. Let’s see what Jesus said about tithing:
Matthew 23:23 (NKJV)
23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
--There is much debate about whether tithing is for us today or not. Even websites dedicated to speaking against it. All examples of life in the New Testament actually went beyond the Old Testament. NT is harder. Example.
Matthew 5:21-22 (NLT2)
21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’
22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!
1. Giving in the Church
--Maybe you are one of those people who believe that each of us should only give what we feel in our hearts we should give. You may feel the early church fathers were wrong when they said the tithe was the minimal.
Alcorn’s Prayer – “God, do you really expect less of me---who has your Holy Spirit within and lives in the wealthiest society in human history---than you expected of the poorest Israelite?”
--The truth is, the majority of Christians do not believe in or practice tithing, but instead, embrace “grace giving,” whether or not they use that term, let’s consider what that looks like for real.
--Most of the studies done over the last several decades indicate that American Christians give an average of 2 or 3% of their income to the church. One out of 4 protestants give no money at all, not even a token offering.
--What is troubling to me is that in such a wealthy society like ours, that our giving amounts only to a fraction of the First Covenant Standard (a tenth) and the Word of God.
--Sounds like to me if you want to call your giving “grace giving” that many do not have an appreciation for the amazing grace of God that has been poured out on us. How can we not be givers when God gave His Son Jesus?
--Could it be that what we have been teaching about giving (tithing and offerings) is either not true or the message is not getting through to a generation who says they depend so much on God’s grace?
--Tithing is God’s biblical and historical means of getting His people on the path of generous giving. It is only the gateway. It’s unhealthy to think tithing is a place to stop but instead, a place to start.
--Tithing is not the ceiling; it is only the floor of giving. It’s not the finish line, it’s the starting blocks. Tithing can launch us into a beautiful mindset and habit of generous giving.
--Nothing I read indicates that God has changed His mind about our giving. In Malachi 3:8 it indicates the Israelites were robbing God not only with the mandatory tithe but with freewill offerings too.
--The Apostle Paul talked about volunteer giving but he also indicated it was to be done in obedience. God still has expectations of us even when the offerings are viewed as voluntary.
2 Corinthians 9:12-13 (NIV)
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
--Don’t ever worry that you do not give the same amount as someone else but He wants us to give in proportion to how He has blessed us. I have always said, not equal giving but equal sacrifice.
Deuteronomy 16:10 (NIV) 10 Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you.
--I have heard preachers tell people and I have heard people say I will start with 5%. Remember robbing God? It is like saying I used to rob six banks a week but now I will only rob three. It is still stealing.
--The point is not to rob God less; it is to not rob Him at all. People would be giving more by the 5% and the church could benefit from it. Don’t forget God doesn’t look at just what you give, He looks at what you keep.
--If you would talk to as many people as I have talked to who have found the joy of living a generous life style, you would catch the heart of giving. It’s fun to bless God and people.
2. Don’t Throw Out Tithing.
--Tithing is often the means God uses to help people see how much they could truly be blessed. Because of how blessed our family has been from generous giving, it is hard to understood the animosity toward it.
--Yes, tithing has been abused but don’t throw out the baby of tithing with the bathwater of a few who abuse it. People abuse cars by driving reckless and speeding but I have no desire to walk or ride horses. God said…
Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
10 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.
--It is ironic, many people say and suppose they can’t afford to give precisely because they are not giving and experiencing God’s blessings. What did God say to people when they failed to give.
Haggai 1:5-6 (NIV)
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
--God didn’t allow their money to go far because they were stingy and disobedient to His commands of giving.
Haggai 1:9 (NIV) 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.
3. Obedient Faith Can Bring Breakthrough.
--When we put God first (bringing the firstfruits – tithes and missions first), we invite the blessings of God to help us with our own finances and debts we owe.
--How much of our harvest (our money) is blown away because we don’t make giving to God, to missions, and to others a priority? No wonder we don’t have enough. It’s a vicious cycle, it takes obedient faith to break out.
--If you say you cannot afford to tithe, think about this…If all of a sudden your income was cut by ten percent, would you die? It is possible with our new leadership. If your answer is no, you admitted you can afford to tithe.
--I say this to people quite often, is it better to live on 90% of your income with God’s blessings or on 100% of your income without God’s blessings. Truly, it all belongs to Him so why not have obedient faith.
Leviticus 27:30-31 (NIV)
30 "'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
31 If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it.
--Tithing is like a toddler’s first steps: they aren’t his last or best steps, but they are a good start. Pastor Rick, I am a New Testament giver! I am no longer under the law. Ok, let’s look at NT giving.
Acts 4:32& 34-35 (NIV)
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales
35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
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