“The TITHES and OFFERINGS that

Support the Church”

 

 Introduction: At the outset of this message let me call your attention to several passages.

 

In Leviticus 27:30-32 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: it is holy unto the LORD. (31) And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. (32) 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.” Please notice again in verse 30, "the tithe…it is holy unto the Lord."

               

In Malachi 3:8-11 we read, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. (9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. Please notice again verse 8, "In tithes and offerings." and verse 10, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…"

 

In I Corinthians 16:1-2 we read, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. (2) Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”

 

In churches today, one of the most sensitive subjects by far, is that of money. Someone said, “It seems every time I go to church all they talk about is money.” Although it is a subject we feel awkward discussing, God's Word places a great deal of emphasis on the matter of money and possessions.

 

In the Bible there are more than 500 references to PRAYER and almost 500 references to FAITH, but there are more than 2000 references to MONEY and POSSESSIONS.

 

Of 38 PARABLES found in the Gospels that Jesus told, 16 deal with how we handle our money.

 

Folks, let's be realistic. It does take money to keep the CHURCH ALIVE, and the GOSPEL going forth. If we are going to fulfill the great commission and provide a place where the saints are FED the Word of God, and TRAINED to become servants of God, it will cost us in terms of our TIME, TALENT and TITHE.

 

It takes money to send forth missionaries.

It takes money to make people disciples.

It takes money to purchase church literature.

It takes money to erect buildings and pay the cost of their upkeep.

It takes money to support pastors and workers.

 

Biblically, the church is not to be supported by suppers, bazaars, raffles, bingo or any other means or schemes man has devised. Biblically, God's work has always been supported by the TITHES and OFFERINGS of its members. Tithing is a universal principle. All that we have comes from the gracious hand of God and good stewardship demands that we give a tenth, the TITHE, back to God.

 

It is not a matter of our church needing the money.

It is not a matter of you needing a blessing.

However, it is a matter of our being OBEDIENT to God's command.

It is a matter of you and I doing that which is RIGHT, and HOLY.

 

There is no excuse for not giving. But giving must be in keeping with Biblical principles. What might those principles be? Look again with me at the phrase in Malachi 3:8 "TITHES and OFFERINGS."

 

First: There are the TITHES which God DEMANDS. In verse 10 we are instructed to "bring ye all the tithes." To do any less is to rob God. Tithing is a scriptural way of saying "THANK YOU" to God for all that He has done for us.

 

Most Christians think God limited TITHING to the required 10%. This is a gross misconception, since God actually required several TITHES from Israel. Every year they were required to give 20% and every third year they were to give 30%.

 

FIRST, there was a tithe called "the Lord's tithe" found in Leviticus 27:30 which funded the priesthood for the needs of God’s house.

 

SECOND, there was a tithe called "the festival tithe" found in Deuteronomy 12:10, 11 which financed the needs of the government.

 

THIRD, for Israel there was the "poor tithe" that was required every third year as found in Deuteronomy 14:28, 29 that aided the poor, and provided social security for those who had need.

 

The first tithe of 10^% is to be given to God before any of our income is spent. In Proverbs 3:9-10 we read, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: (10) So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

 

Someone said, "God never leaves us to guess, when it comes to matters of faith and practice, so why should he abandon us to our own decisions and devices when it concerns one of the most important areas in the whole human existence? Outside of eating, drinking, sleeping and playing we spend the greater part of our lives earning money. The inescapable issue which follows this observation concerns the management of our money, once we acquire it. It is at this point that God breaks in with those words of prior claim: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse."

 

The tithe is the first 10% of one’s income. It is not just 10%, but rather the first 10%. One who pays all bills and then presents to the Lord 10% of that which is left over would not actually be tithing.

 

It is amazing that people who gripe about giving God 10%, will go to a restaurant and receive poor service from some waiter they don't know, and still leave a 15% tip. Even though they might complain the whole time about the poor service, they will still leave a tip. If they tip 12%, 15%, and even 20% to someone they don't even know, they certainly should be able to tithe for the Lord they do know.

 

Again turning to I Corinthians 16:1-2 we read, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. (2) Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” Please notice the TIME of the giving, "Upon the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK." This teaches us that upon the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, we are to bring to Him our tithes and offerings.

 

Please notice the PLACE of our giving, "lay in STORE" The word “store” in the Greek is the same as the Hebrew word found in Malachi 3:10 for “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse…"

 

 

Now the storehouse in the Old Testament was the TEMPLE. It was the place where the TITHES and OFFERINGS were given. It was the place of WORSHIP. It was the HOUSE OF GOD.

In the New Testament the HOUSE of GOD is the CHURCH where we come to worship, and to where we bring our TITHES and OFFERINGS for His glory in order to carry out His work.

 

TITHING is God's way of providing for the work of His Church. For us at the Green Street Baptist Chapel that translates into approximately $1,725.00 a week. Please listen carefully, because I sincerely believe:

 

If every Christian was honest in their giving, there would be no need to plead for funds, nor would there be any lack of funds to take care of the house of God.

 

God gives to the church what it needs and what it deserves. At times, the lack of funds are due to the lack of honest tithing on the part of believers, and sometimes due to the church wasting its resources.

 

I sincerely believe God gives the church increased funding in direct proportion to the increase in its giving to missions. As we increase our giving to missions, there will be a sufficient increase to the general fund.

 

Here at Green Street Baptist Chapel we take the time in our Sunday Morning and Evening services to provide you an opportunity to worship God through the faithful giving of Grace.

 

Second: There are the OFFERINGS which God DESERVES. In Malachi 3 the Lord had to rebuke His people, Israel, for withholding their OFFERINGS as well as their TITHES. Notice again verse 8, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” The OFFERINGS were gifts that were brought to God over and above the TITHES. An Israelite, who loved God, voluntarily gave the FIRSTFRUITS of his crop to God. FIRSTFRUIT giving was giving the best to God and trusting Him to bring in the harvest. It was giving by faith.

 

In rendering our TITHES, we look up to the Throne of Divine Government and say: “O God, we acknowledge Thee to be the Ruler of the universe and, therefore entitled to our tithes. We are grateful that in Thee, and in Thee alone, we live and move and have our being. Amen!"

 

In bringing our OFFERINGS, we kneel in worship before the Throne of Divine Grace and pray: "Our Father, in response to Thy redeeming mercy, revealed in Jesus Christ, we bring the offerings of our sacrificial love and surrendered lives. Amen!"

 

God's work has always been supported by TITHES and OFFERINGS. As such, we need to challenge each other concerning our responsibility to be OBEDIENT to God's command. So, what then is the pattern for giving?

 

Number 1: Give to God Faithfully! Returning to I Corinthians 16:2 we again read “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” Here the point is: Grace giving is an exercise of wise stewardship! A steward is someone who owns nothing, but is responsible for everything entrusted in his care. God is glorified when we carefully manage all He has entrusted in our care.

 

Notice that the verse does not say give IF God prospers, but AS God prospers. God does prosper us! He prospers us faithfully and regularly! Did you notice the verse tells us, “let everyone of you.” God wants giving to be done proportionately!

 

However, in America today the very rich and their businesses are being taxed at a higher rate than others. This is not fair. The government shouldn't penalize a man because he has worked hard and received something for his labor. Neither should we penalize a business owner because he worked hard to get something.

If a pattern of proportionate giving were to be realized in every church in America, preachers could stop begging for more money. There would be an abundance of money in the church bank account to meet all the needs of the church.

 

Number 2: Give to God Generously! In II Corinthians 8:2 we read, “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.”

 

In II Corinthians chapter 8, Paul was writing to the Corinthians about the churches in Macedonia. Paul noted that although the Macedonian Christians were very poor, they gave with liberality. The root word of liberality means "freely or generously." God said that they gave liberally.

 

In Exodus 36, the Bible gives a wonderful example of how offerings ought to be collected. Moses was getting ready to build the tabernacle. He stood before the children of Israel and announced that they were going to take an offering and that offering was to come from their hearts.

 

The people responded so liberally, that Moses had to ask them to stop giving. In Exodus 36:5 we read, “And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which they made; And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.”

 

I personally have never been to a church where the preacher had to stand up and say, "Folks, quit bringing money; our bank account is full and running over. There has been too much money given to this church, and we just can't handle it all." As unbelievable as that scenario may be, it is the pattern that God has designed for His work.

 

Christians should be liberal or generous in their giving to local churches not only with their money, but also with their time.

 

We need to have church members who give some time to God, maybe by sweeping sidewalks, trimming bushes or painting walls.

 

Every church in America would be helped if all of its members somehow got involved in the weekly cleanup and upkeep. I don't understand why more people don't do this. God wants us to give liberally.

 

Why don't we have people lined up on Saturdays to give their mornings or afternoons to visit their neighbors? The response of so many church members across this nation is, "I don't have any time for that. I would, but I don't have time."

 

How many times have we sung the song, "Have You Any Room for Jesus?" The second verse reads:

 

Room for pleasure, room for business,

But for Christ the Crucified,

Not a place that He can enter,

In the heart for which He died

 

Christians must make time for Christian service. We must give liberally, not only of our treasure and our time, but also of our talent. God pity the church member who has talent, but hasn’t used it for God.

 

We have mechanics, computer experts, telephone experts, electricians, and plumbers sitting in churches all over the nation who won't use their talents for God and His work.

 

We have ladies who could be working in nurseries, or singing in the choir; but they refuse to give their talents to the Lord. If God has given you hands, then use them for His glory. They are not your hands anyway, they belong to the Lord. If God has given you a brilliant mind, then give it back to Him. It is not your mind in the first place; He gave it to you. God has given us feet; we should be taking them where God wants them to go.

 

Why is it that we are so stingy when it comes to giving to God? The answer from so many people is, "It is my life, and I'll do what I want when I want to!"

 

In II Corinthians 9:6 we read, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” The point to focus upon is: Grace giving is an exercise of gratitude! In response to His great love and His generous gift, we ought to respond generously out of a heart of gratitude.

 

Number 3: Give to God Zealously! Christians are instructed to give with zeal. The word zeal means "enthusiastic devotion."

 

When Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the temple, He said to His disciples in John 2:17 "…remember that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." In II Corinthians 9:1-2 Paul commended the church at Corinth for their zeal, or devotion, to giving to others. “For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.” He wrote that he had bragged about them to the churches in Macedonia. This church at Corinth may have had its share of problems, but problems are easily remedied where hearts are full of enthusiasm for giving to those in need.

 

We should follow their example and give from a heart that is bubbling over with warmth and love. We should realize that, when we give God's money to God's children, we are “laying up” according to Matthew 6:20, "treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal."

Paul stated that this church's zeal "provoked very many." This passage also tells us that others are watching. How a church gives to others determines the reputation of the church. Paul let the Corinthian church know that other churches were watching what they did, and their actions were encouraging others to do the same.

 

Number 4: Give to God Cheerfully! In II Corinthians 9:7 we read, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” The point to focus upon here is: Grace giving is an exercise of joy! God is able to discern the sincerity of our gifts. He expects us to give, but He does not want us to feel resentment, or pressure.

 

Number 5: Give to God for Eternity! In Matthew 6:19-21 we read, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: (20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The point to focus upon here is: Grace giving is an exercise of spiritual vision! God is eternal. His relationship with us is eternal, and His blessings are eternal!

 

Returning once again to Malachi 3:10 we read, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of host, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”   Notice again the promise of God.

 

I believe God is saying “You give as I have told you to give, and I will guarantee you every need will be met,” CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?

God is saying you give to me, and I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.

 

I don't believe we can expect to see God send revival to this nation, apart from a spirit of sacrifice, and a willingness to defy the god of materialism in our age by giving God everything. When I speak of sacrificial giving, I mean giving that is measured and motivated by the CROSS OF CHRIST. It is nothing less than GIVING AT IT'S BEST!

 

II Corinthians 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye, through His poverty, might be rich.”

 

Our song and prayer must ever be:

 

When I survey the wondrous cross,

On which the prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And poor contempt on all my pride.

 

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

DEMANDS my SOUL, my LIFE, my ALL.

 

My prayer is that God will motivate you and me to be givers, giving extravagantly of our TIME, our ENERGY, our FINANCES, and our very LIVES, so that others may be brought to Christ and made spiritually rich in Him.

 

I close with a statement written long ago,

 

"If Christian people would tithe, the Church in all of its varied activities could be the mightiest power for the world. Yet professing Christians, instead of giving one tenth of their incomes, actually give an average of less than one half of one percent to Christian causes! Do Christians believe God? If the injunction concerning tithes is followed by God's promise to pour out blessings beyond their capacity to receive, what might be experienced by Christians willing to give as God prospered them?"

 

Can we doubt that such desire to please God would mean revival?

 

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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon “The TITHES and OFFERINGS that Support the Church” then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.

 

Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in

 

Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”

If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send an e-mail to, pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.

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In His Amazing Grace,