Last week, we took a detour from the book of Genesis and read Hebrews
11 and James 2; and what they had to say about faith and action. That if we have faith, it will be evident in
our actions and in the fruit our lives produce.
This morning, we will return to the book of Genesis. When we were last here, we were in chapter
13. That is where Abram and Lot
separate, with Lot choosing to live near Sodom, where he thought he would be
successful and have opportunity to gain more wealth. He chose to put himself first, leave the
godly company of his uncle, and settle among the wicked people of the area.
This morning, we will begin in Genesis 14. In the first 16 verses of the chapter we read
about a war breaking out between two groups of kings – one group of 5 versus
one group of 4. The victorious side
plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and took home all the spoils and food; and this
included Lot and everything he owned.
However, one of Lot’s men escaped and ran to Abram, and told him
all that had happened. When Abram heard
this, he and all the trained men he had pursued the army, caught up with them
and recovered all the goods and people that were taken, including Lot.
This brings us to our opening passage this morning. If you haven’t already, please turn to
Genesis 14 and we will begin reading at verse 17.
Genesis 14:17-24 (NLT – Melchizedek Blesses Abram) … (17) After
Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king
of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s
Valley). (18) And Melchizedek, the king
of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. (19) Melchizedek blessed Abram with this
blessing: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. (20) And blessed be God Most High, who has
defeated your enemies for you.” Then
Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered. (21) The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give
back my people who were captured. But
you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.” (22) Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I
solemnly swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, (23)
that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what
belongs to you. Otherwise you might say,
‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’ (24)
I will accept only what my young warriors have already eaten, and I request
that you give a fair share of the goods to my allies – Aner, Eshcol, and
Mamre.”
In this passage, there are two things – very important and
interesting things – to point out and we will spend this week and next going
over them. Who is Melchizedek and the
issue of tithing. Today, we will spend
more time on tithing and next week more on who Melchizedek is, what his role
was, and how Jesus is like him, (if not the same person).
We don’t know a whole about Melchizedek, and what we do know is
buried in mystery. We know that he was
the King of Salem, we know that he was a priest of the Most High God, we know
that his name means “king of righteousness,” and we know that Abram thought
enough of him that he gave an offering of 10% to him.
Melchizedek is fairly obscure.
He is first mentioned in Genesis 14, where he is given a total of three
verses (18-20). He is not mentioned
again until Psalm 110:4 where David makes a reference to the coming Messiah and
writes, “The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: ‘You are a priest
forever in the order of Melchizedek.’”
There are no other references to Melchizedek in the Old Testament,
no mention of him in the Gospels or in any of Paul’s letters. Melchizedek does not reappear until the book
of Hebrews; in which he has 14 verses written about him in the 7th
chapter; where the Hebrew writer compares Jesus with Melchizedek. That is where we will be next week, should
you want to read ahead.
But what we are interested in this morning is the fact that the
story of Melchizedek and Abram is the first recorded instance of someone
financially providing for God’s work.
Individual offerings had been given before, but this is the first time
that a representative of God is given a set portion of someone’s income or
belongings.
Do you know what one of the top reasons given by non-believers as
to why they don’t attend church is? … They say it is because churches are
always asking for money. You can’t blame
some of them, at least, for this view; as there are many churches and then the
numerous ministers on tv, radio, and the internet that always have their hands
out “begging” for more and more and more.
For most churches, this isn’t the case and it isn’t the case
here. We are not asking that you empty
your pockets to walk through the door, and we don’t send letters at the end of
the quarter or year telling you that haven’t given enough, we are not taking up
special offerings each week trying to reach a goal. We take up one offering each week, like the
churches in the Bible were commanded; from a portion of what we have earned,
and from that amount we operate the church, pay our bills, and support other
ministries.
I don’t see taking up offerings as a valid excuse to not attend church. People are members of many civic
organizations, and they ask for money.
People support other charities and research organizations by giving
money. Who complains that the Heart
Association or Cancer Society or Red Cross or Lions Club or the local fire
department or even the Girl Scouts ask for money?
Perhaps the reason the world – non-believers – feel negative about
giving the church money is that they don’t feel they would be getting anything
or enough in return or that the church doesn’t contribute anything or enough to
society or their local community.
Even if people believe this, Scripture does not tell us that “The
Church” or local churches are to be service organizations. Churches and those that lead them are to
equip, train, and encourage the saints; and to share the Gospel with the
world. Now, meeting physical needs can
help churches come in contact with people, but that isn’t mentioned in
Scripture. The churches mentioned in
Scripture, took care of fellow believers and other churches.
Individual believers are told to take care of the needs of others,
not necessarily to wait or hope or give to the church (or government) and have
someone else do it. James wrote to
individual believers and told them to help cloth and feed; and Jesus was
talking to individuals when He said that whatever we do to the least, we do for
Him. Of course, that doesn’t mean we, as
a church, should not help others – it just means that we need to help others,
by ourselves, when we know of a need and are able to help … when the need is
too much for just us, we definitely should bring it to the attention of other
believers.
From
the very beginning, God expected church members to contribute and for churches
to be self-sustaining. The world isn’t
going to support the church. We can’t
expect to go door to door and ask non-believers to give us money. We can’t expect other believers who attend
elsewhere to write a check to us. We
must support ourselves and trust God to work with what we give, to expand His
Kingdom; and if are enlarged as a result, then great. If we are doing His work and will, then we
need to trust Him to provide the increase and blessing.
We
won’t find passages in the Bible where outsiders contributed to the church, but
will do find passages such as:
Acts
2:44-45 (NLT) … And all the believers met together in one place and shared
everything they had. They sold their
property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
Acts
4:32 (NLT) … All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not
their own, so they shared everything they had.
That
is a fairly radical concept of giving and a pretty radical concept of
living. And nobody can really say
whether or not that communal concept extended beyond the first generation of
believers that lived in Jerusalem.
Even
if other churches were not communal in living and possessions, they were still
generous. Even the Corinthian church
which was criticized for sexual immorality and theological error was commended
for their generosity in giving to the work of the Kingdom.
Paul
urged them to give in 1st Corinthians 16:1-2 (NLT) … Now regarding
your question about the money being collected for God’s people in
Jerusalem. You should follow the same
procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia.
On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of
the money you have earned. Don’t wait
until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.
The
result of that admonition is found in 2nd Corinthians 8:10 (NLT) …
Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year
ago. Last year you were the first who
wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.
Not
only where they the first to give, but they desired to give; which should
remind us of what Paul said about the Macedonian churches.
2nd
Corinthians 8:2-4 (NLT) … They are being tested by many troubles, and they are
very poor. But they are also filled with
abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only
what they could afford, but far more.
And they did it of their own free will.
They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift
for the believers in Jerusalem.
Can’t
you just hear them “please Paul, we want to give more, we know we’ve already
given a lot, but please let us help more.”
In
Philippians 4:16, Paul writes, “Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help
more than once.”
So,
let it be said, and with biblical precedent that God’s people provide for God’s
work. We can’t expect the world,
non-believers, or the government to do it … it is to be done through the giving
of the people of God.
So,
God’s people are to support God’s work, but how much are we to give. Before we go any further there are two main
schools of thought – one is the flat tithe – and the other is whatever the Lord
has placed on your heart. Personally, I
believe the two should go together, with the tithe being our starting point and
if we can give more, we should, and if not, then that is OK.
Now,
back to the sermon. When we talk about
giving, somebody will think, if not say out loud, that tithing is an Old
Testament concept and has no place in the New Testament church.
While
it is true that it is an Old Testament concept, spoken first in Leviticus
27:30; and many other places tell about different types of tithes and
offerings; doesn’t mean it wasn’t mentioned in the New Testament or that it has
been abolished. The 10 Commandments are
from the OT, but we don’t write them off; and we don’t because they were
reaffirmed or not voided by Jesus death and resurrection.
Leviticus
27:30 (NLT) … One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the
fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to
him as holy.
There
are three different tithes mentioned in the Old Testament: The Levitical, or
sacred tithe; the tithe of the feasts; and the tithe for the poor.
Numbers
18:21, 24 (NLT – Levitical Tithe) … As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I
will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give
them the tithes from the entire land of Israel. … because I have given them the
Israelites’ tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to the
LORD. This will be the Levites’ share. That is why I said they would receive no
allotment of land among the Israelites.
Deuteronomy
14:22-27 (NLT – Tithe of the Feasts) … You must set aside a tithe of your crops
– one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the designated place of
worship – the place the LORD your God chooses for His name to be honored – and
eat it there in His presence. This applies
to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your
flocks and herds. Doing this will teach
you always to fear the LORD your God.
Now when the LORD your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of
worship He chooses for His name to be honored might be too far for you to bring
the tithe. If so, you may sell the tithe
portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place
the LORD your God has chosen. When you
arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want – cattle, sheep,
goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink.
Then feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and celebrate with
your household. And do not neglect the
Levites in your town, for they receive no allotment of land among you.
Deuteronomy
14:28-29 (NLT – Tithe for the Poor) … At the end of every third year, bring the
entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive no
allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the
orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all
your work.
And
even though the tithe wasn’t commanded until Leviticus, we have two instances
where people gave 10% of what they had to God before the Law was given.
The
first, which we read earlier, is in Genesis where Abram gave a tenth to
God.
The
second is in Genesis 28:22 when Jacob makes an offering to the LORD … And this
memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I
will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.
Isn’t
it interesting of all the choices that Jacob could have made, he chose the
exact same amount that Abram did. No
written instructions. No Law. This was before any Scriptures were written
down. He could have made a hundred
choices, 1%, 2%, 3%, all the way to everything.
Could it be that he was following Abram’s example passed down by word of
mouth? Could it have been that God
encouraged or told him to do so?
So,
the tithe is mentioned in the Law and it’s mentioned before the Law. But what about in the New Testament?
Take
the case of the Pharisees … now they did not like Jesus and each time they were
together they are arguing or at least Jesus was condemning their heard hearts,
attitudes, and behavior. There was
however something Jesus commended the Pharisees for, but at the same time also
condemned other things.
Matthew
23:23 (NLT) … “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you
Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest
income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the
law – justice, mercy, and faith. You
should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
Jesus
did not tell them to practice justice, mercy, and faith instead of tithing; He
told them to practice them while tithing.
He condemned them for hypocrisy, for neglecting important things; and
called them tombs of dead men’s bones and snakes; but He commended them for
their giving.
Remember
that Paul told the Corinthian church to put aside money each week? Acts 18 tells us that the Corinthian church
was started by converted Jews, and the Law was explicit about tithing, so if you
were to tell a Jew to set aside a sum of money for God’s work, I wonder what
number or percent they would choose?
Throughout
the Gospels, Jesus commended people for giving 10% or more, but never anyone
for giving less than 10%. He even told
people to give everything they had, and when He praised the widow in the
Temple, it was because she had given everything she had.
So,
where are we? Could Christ commend us
for our giving? On more than one
occasion Jesus used a person’s handling of money as an indication of their
spirituality.
The
rich young ruler felt that he had done everything he needed to find favor in
God’s eyes, and Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your
possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will treasure in
heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matt. 19:21).
Why
did Jesus say this? Because God’s blessing
upon our lives will cost us everything that we value more than Jesus. If there is anything in your life that you
value more than Jesus, then you are not a disciple. This young man wanted to be, but refused to
obey. As long as you have something in your
life that is more important than God, you are worshipping at the feet of a
golden calf. The Bible tells us that the
rich young ruler went away sorrowful.
Why? Because he had discovered
what he owned, really owned him, and he refused to change.
I
came across this statement … “a man’s treatment of money is the most decisive
test of his character, how he made it and how he spends it.”
I
also came across this one … “I have learned that money is not the measure of a
man, but it is often the means of finding out what a man is made of.
Jesus
said something very similar in Luke 16:11 … And if you are untrustworthy about
worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?
If
you haven’t been giving God his due, does that make you untrustworthy with
worldly wealth? Perhaps? Who knows?
Maybe? Some people may not have
been given more because they haven’t proved their trustworthiness with a
little.
Regardless,
God expects us to be faithful with what we’ve been given. One witty person once said, “It’s not what
you would do with a million, if riches should ever be your lot, but what you are
doing at present with the dollar and quarter you got.”
There
are those who consistently tell you what they’ll do for God, when they finally
have lots of money, when their ships comes in, when they get that promotion, or
should they win the lottery … or if talking about time, when they retire or
their schedule frees up, they would attend church more or help more or study
more or pray more …
God,
however, isn’t interested in what you would do if you had more money or an
income like someone else. He is
interested in what you are doing and will do with what you have been
given. We all have a limited amount of
money and time – some more than others I will agree – but we are to give God
our first, our best, and to make sure He is #1 in our lives.
God
used Moses with a simple staff.
David
slew Goliath with a simple sling.
It
is a lot easier to be faithful with a lot, when you’ve already learned to be faithful
with a little. If children or teens or
even college aged kids are taught to tithe, then it will be easier for them to
continue when they are older.
J.D.
Rockefeller once said in an interview, “If I had not tithed the first dollar I
made, I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made. Tell your readers to train their children to
tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord.”
Pigs,
chickens, and cows all give to the farmer.
One day they were arguing who gave the most or best. The chicken said I provide eggs. The cow said I provide cream and butter and
milk. The pig said I provide bacon and
chops and sausage and ham. The cow said,
‘do you know the difference? When I give
well, I am still alive.
So,
some give according to their means and others give according to their
meanness. Some give to be rewarded here
on earth. Others give all they can and
all they have so others can flourish.
Which are you? Which am I? Which are we?
God’s
economy is not based on greed; and when people seek things with greed, they get
things they did not expect.
Adam
and Eve did not eat the forbidden fruit because they were just hungry, they ate
it because they wanted something else – they wanted to be like God. Instead, they were kicked out of the garden;
and literally ate themselves out of house and home.
When
Abram offered his nephew Lot the first choice of all the lands and Lot took the
very best, he was being like a kid – being self-centered – and wanting the most
and best for himself. Lot took the
biggest and “best” piece of land and lost everything he had in the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Why
did David want Bathsheba? He already had
three wives; but he was lustful and greedy.
This put a gulf between him and God and eventually led to the ruin of
his family.
Tithing
should not just be seen as an investment or deposit. You don’t do it out of greed. You don’t do it to multiply your riches. And you don’t do it to prove how good you are
or how much you love God. And you don’t
give to gain control of a church, a ministry, or a minister.
You
give out of your love for God and out of your concern for your church and for
the eternal destination of all the souls that live in your community.
Even
in saying that, let’s remember that God always repays when you give. If your motive is pure … If you motive is
pure. God doesn’t settle all debts in
this life, but He is no man’s debtor.
Luke
14:14 (NLT) … Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you
for inviting those who could not repay you.
Today’s
sermon is not about rewards and crowns and that could be a whole sermon or more
worth of material; or a good Bible study, but here is an important thing to
remember … One day a man died and went to Heaven; and was being shown around by
Saint Peter. Eventually they come to a
tiny shack and Peter says, “Well, here is your eternal home.” The man was bewildered and said, “This is it,
what happened to my mansion?” “Well,”
Peter replied, “This is all the building material you sent up.”
God
will take care of the reward if our motives are pure and we obey Him.
Mark
10:29-30 (NLT) … “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has
given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a
hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and
property – along with persecution. And
in the world to come that person will have eternal life.
Some
people may wonder how people can tithe because they can’t even make it on 100%
of their income, much less 90% or less.
But it is amazing how far God can stretch that 90% when we believe that
He can and will do it.
Have
you ever looked at where your money (or time) goes? Is God’s money paying for the needs or the
wants? God’s multiplication often begins
with our subtraction.
John
6:8-13 (NLT) … Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley
loaves and two fish. But what good is
that with this huge crowd?” “Tell
everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So
they all sat down on the grassy slopes.
(The men alone numbered about 5,000.)
Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to
the people. Afterward He did the same
with the fish. And they all ate as much
as they wanted. After everyone was full,
Jesus told His disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” So they picked up the pieces and filled
twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five
barley loaves.
If
the boy had kept his five loaves and 2 fish, he could have fed a few people,
but with his gift and God’s blessing he was able to feed over 5,000; with much
left over.
It
is common that when a minister preaches on giving, that some people will not
change their views, beliefs, or habits.
I am not necessarily talking about you all, but just in general.
The
people that give, will agree with the minister; and those that do not will
wonder why they bothered to show up today; or why the minister is being so rude
or pushy.
Regardless
of if you give or what you give, that business is between you and God. How you make your money, what you save, what
you spend, and what you spend it on, is again, business between you and
God.
I
do not know who gives, if anyone doesn’t give, or what you put in the
collection plate; and I don’t need to know.
That is not my business; but I will encourage you to give – to support
this church – to support spreading the Gospel.
I don’t need to know the details of your finances, but my job is to tell
you to trust God and to give Him whatever He deserves and whatever He asks of
you; and to encourage you to keep giving and being faithful.
With
that said, the Bible over and over tells us to not test God, something the Old
and New Testaments agree on. However,
there is one place where God does just that, He asks us to test Him.
Malachi
3:10 (NLT) … Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough
food in my Temple. If you do,” says the
LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t
have enough room to take it in! Try
it! Put me to the test!
This
isn’t C Burns talking …. This isn’t the Church of Christ talking … It is God,
the creator of heaven and earth, challenging His people. Challenging you and I, and telling us that
giving a tithe will not hurt us financially.
The
only thing we have to do is either believe God and give to Him; or refuse to
believe God and keep everything for ourselves.
Summary:
God
expects His people to support His Kingdom and Ministry
God
expects His people to be faithful with what they’ve been given
God’s
multiplication often begins with our subtraction.
If
God expects His people to support His Kingdom and Ministry, then we need to give;
but we also need to be good stewards of the ministries we support. If we don’t agree with the beliefs or actions
of a particular ministry or those associated with the ministry, then we should
not support them; and we should look for other ministries to partner with.
If
God expects His people to be faithful with what they’ve been given, then
personally we each need to be good stewards and make sure our incomes match up
with our needs and wants; and to not confuse a want with a need. We need to give back to God and trust Him to
take care of our daily needs (which is part of the Lord’s Prayer).
If
God wants to bless us, in whatever way He sees fit, then we have to be willing
to give up anything He asks for. Whether
that is time or money or possessions. We
need to not put anything before God – and that includes everything – work,
family, sports, reading, shopping, traveling – everything and anything.
God
expects our best and our first. We need
to make sure we spend time with Him daily and that we also spend time with
fellow believers. God wants our hearts,
souls, mind, and strength. He wants us
to be saved and then be servants and followers.
This is done by accepting Jesus as Messiah and believing in His life,
death, and resurrection. By confessing
and repenting of your sins; and following all that up with baptism; and living
a faithful life.
Then
God will start using you to build His Kingdom and bless you through your work;
whether it is on earth, in heaven, or both.
So, I encourage you to pray and seek God’s Will as what to do with your
time, talents, and resources. Give God
all that is due Him and you won’t do without.
Give back to God what He has blessed you with; and spend (more) time
with Him in prayer, study, and in church – we meet several times each
week. Do not put anything before God –
do not be selfish – do not be greedy – make sure He is #1 in your life.