Biblical Giving

If you will at this time, please take your copy of the Scriptures and turn with me to Malachi chapter 3.

We will consider verses 6 through 10. Malachi chapter 3, verses 6 through 10.

O glorious God of heaven and earth, Lord, we approach your throne in the name of Jesus Christ, knowing that you are in control of all things, knowing that you have preordained this moment.

And Lord, I ask in this moment that as I speak to your people, that it is not

I who speak. But your word and the demonstration of your spirit and power will come forth from this broken vessel and impact the hearts of those who are yours, especially mine.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's begin with the text.

Malachi chapter 3, verses 6 through 10.

In this book, God is, in one sense, bringing condemnation to the people of Israel in several different ways.

I'm hoping within the years to come, we can walk through this whole book, if the

Lord will allow. We see one of these condemnations being brought in this section.

Verse 6. For I, the Lord, do not change. Therefore, O children of Jacob, are you not consumed?

From the days of your father, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.

Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.

But you say, how shall we return to you? God answers, will man rob

God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, how have we robbed you?

His answer, in your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me.

The whole nation of you bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and thereby put me to the test, says the

Lord of hosts. If I will not open the windows of heaven for you, and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Now, I was asked by members of this church to preach on this, which is our theme for this

Lord's Day, and it is biblical giving. This church has been, we have been a church here in Tallahoma for four years.

I have not one time preached on giving, simply because it has not been in the text. We have been committed to verse by verse expositional preaching.

Find a book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. It has not come up. My proposition for you this day is that giving to God is an act of obedience.

Giving to God is an act of obedience. If giving to God is an act of obedience, then not giving to God is an act of disobedience.

Jesus tells us in John 14, 15, if you love me, so he's speaking to those who claim to love him, listen to what he says, you will keep my commandments.

It's one thing to love God in word, to say that I love him. I believe in Jesus.

It's one thing to say that. It's a whole other thing to do so indeed.

The prosperity movement has become a stain to the

Christian church, in so much that even hearing what I've said so far has probably caused your stomach to turn.

Turn on a Christian television and you got some guy telling you, hey, if you send me a sow a seed for a thousand dollars and God is going to bless you a thousand ways.

My dear friends, this is not what the Bible teaches. This is not what this church believes.

If you give me a thousand dollars, I'm going to have a thousand dollars. Okay. Hallelujah.

Thank you. I appreciate that. My dear friends, do not let something unbiblical keep you from understanding something biblical because giving is biblical.

We are not to throw the baby out with the bath water. Imagine parents, your child goes out and plays in the mud.

You run the baby's bath, nice clear water.

The baby gets in the bath, not so nice and not so clear.

You let the drain out, the water goes down. Do you throw the baby out with it?

No. And if you do, you deserve to go, well, you deserve death first, but our nation will just put you in prison and treat you as a slave.

We are not to throw the baby out with the bath water just because a false teaching has emerged in our nation that could not apply to any other nation.

Most reformed Christians find it hard to teach on this, but I'm telling you, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

In our outline, we're going to see the biblical giving from the Old Testament in contrast to biblical giving in the

New Testament. The giving here is done so in three ways pertaining to provision.

You might be saying, how is it almost always three? Listen, this is the Bible, okay? The Bible is

Baptist. Baptists have these point sermons, right? I can't help it. I've just given to you what it is.

One is for the ministers, two is for celebrations, and three for the needy, for those who are in need, let me say.

In the Old Testament, we see three different tithes or contributions. The word tithe simply means a tent.

As Christians, we should, we believe, let me say, should believe that everything we have comes from God.

Tell me something you have that doesn't come from God, and I'm even speaking of the hard times, the sufferings, the deaths that you have experienced.

Listen, if we say it comes from somewhere else, then we're saying that God is not sovereign. Everything comes from God.

Again, it means a tent, and I just, you know, I'm just going to bring out some money real quick to show you what that means, okay?

Right here, I have ten one -dollar bills. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

This is a tenth of this. God says you keep that, and right here, what we're looking at, give him this.

We want that reversed. This is, children, which would you rather have, the stack or the single?

The stack. That's basically what this Old Testament area is teaching.

There's actually a portion in here, when it comes to your cattle, it's telling you that if you don't have ten, then you don't give, which we don't have time to go through everything in here today.

The first tithe, this tenth, it was a continuing tithe given to provide for the

Levites, the ministers of God in the tabernacle. Why?

Because the Levites were the only tribe out of the tribes of Israel that were not given a portion of the land, meaning they had no way to provide for themselves.

They were not given land to raise cattle. They were not given land as a way of housing, a way to provide for themselves.

So this tithe, all the other tribes around there were to give a tenth, a tithe to them, so that they may survive.

Turn with me to Numbers chapter 18. Numbers chapter 18, we'll read verses 20 through 24.

There is a lot of passages today, so please give me some grace. Numbers chapter 18, verses 20 through 24.

And the Lord Yahweh said to Aaron, Aaron is Moses' brother, is the father of the

Levites. He is the Levite. You shall have no inheritance in the land, neither shall you have any portion among them.

I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.

To the Levites, I have given every tithe, listen, every tithe in Israel for an inheritance in return for their service that they do, their service in the tents of meetings, so that the people of Israel do not come near to the tent of meetings lest they bear their sin and die.

But the Levites shall do the service in the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity.

It shall be a perpetual, excuse me, a perpetual status to get throughout your generation.

And among the people of Israel, they shall have no inheritance. Verse 24, for the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the

Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore, I said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.

Now, this text does deserve more attention than I am able to give to it today. However, what is clear in the text is clear.

The Levites were provided forth through the tithe given to them by the tribes of Israel.

The second tithe was to provide for three feast celebrations.

There were seven feast celebrations, but only three of them were pilgrimage festivals, meaning if you weren't living in Jerusalem, you had to travel to Jerusalem.

These three feast days, if you were a Jew, you had to be there. One of them was just men, and that's the third one.

These three are the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, or otherwise known as the

Feast of Booths. And if you were here for John chapter 7 and 8, we spoke about the

Feast of Booths. So three times yearly, the Jews were expected to gather, to celebrate, and to feast.

To gather, to celebrate, and to feast. And these three tithes, these tents, were tied to dates.

There were three feasts a year that they had to travel to to bring this tithe, so they were to give three times a year.

Let's look where it speaks on this, and this is in Deuteronomy chapter 14, verses 22 through 27.

Deuteronomy chapter 14, verses 22 through 27.

You shall tithe all the yield of your seed, so this is whatever it is that you're growing, that comes from your field year by year.

And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, which we know is

Jerusalem now, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain.

Let me say that again. You, the person who brings it, shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil.

And the firstborn of your flock, of your herd, that you may learn to fear

God the Lord, fear the Lord your God always. Verse 24. And if the way is too far for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, meaning to carry these animals and these fruits, then the

Lord your God will bless you, when the Lord your God will bless you, because the place is too far from you, which the

Lord your God chose to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money, meaning you shall sell it, and bind up the money in your hand, and go to the place that the

Lord has, the Lord your God chose, and spend the money for whatever you desire, oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, hallelujah, good to be reformed, whenever your appetite craves, and you shall eat there before the

Lord your God, and rejoice, you and your household. Listen to this, verse 27, and you shall not neglect the

Levite who is within your town, for he has no portion or no inheritance within you.

Notice they are to partake in their tithe. Churches don't teach that, do they?

You partake in your tithe, and not to mention that you are also to make sure that the

Levites were provided for, meaning you made sure that they had food and drink.

The third tithe was given to provide for those in need. This tithe was collected every three years.

Again, Deuteronomy 14, the last two verses, 28 -29, and at the end of every three years, you shall bring out all the tithe of your land.

This means it's more. It's not just a tithe from this thing and a tithe from that thing. This is all the tithe from your land.

You shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year, and lay it up within your towns.

And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourners, and the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns shall come and eat and be filled.

The Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. Notice with me, again, it mentions the

Levites. It mentions the Levites with sojourners, orphans, and widows.

In the Bible, the sojourner is a person who lives within a community that is not their own, and they depend upon the community's goodwill in order for them to continue to exist.

An orphan is someone who has no parents, and a widow is a woman whose husband has passed away.

They, the Levites, are numbered among these three different groups of people who are unable to take care of themselves.

Now, it's not that the Levites were unable to physically provide for themselves, but they were called by God to do nothing else but minister in the tabernacle of God.

The tithe was to provide for the minister, not a, hold on, let me say this, let me say it like, the tithe was not to provide for a minister a jet, a mansion, it was to provide for him food, and I would add a place to live, right, among that.

It was to make sure that the minister to you was not starving to death and had shelter.

And they, the Jews, if they, the Jews, gave these three different tithes,

God would bless the work of their hands, meaning God would open up the windows of heaven for them and pour down a blessing until there was no more need.

Now, with that said, all that information was concerning the old covenant.

We are no longer a part of the old covenant.

The Bible is clear that covenant has passed away, that it was only until Christ.

The Bible tells us that that covenant was a covenant of death, and Christ came to usher in the new covenant, the covenant of life, that he's fulfilled that by keeping the law in our place, living the life that we could not live, taking upon himself the punishment that we deserve, being, dying for our sins, buried and rising again from the third day, that that does away with that covenant.

Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 8. For the sake of time, we're not going to read the whole sections.

We're going to read verses 6 and 7 of chapter 8, and then we'll skip down to verse 13,

Paul speaking. But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is much more excellent than the old, as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enticed on better promises.

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

Look at verse 13. In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first covenant obsolete, and what is becoming obsolete is growing old and fading away.

At that moment, there was a here and not yet. You hear me speak about this quite often. An already but not yet.

It was already done away with spiritually, but in 70 AD, when that temple fell, it was done away with physically.

That temple was a sign of that covenant. No longer could they bring sacrifice and offerings.

No longer could the Levites work in that temple. No longer could he minister.

Now, just because the covenant has ended, it doesn't mean that the general equity principles have ended.

In the new covenant, we no longer have Levites, feast days, or a three -year giving for those that need providing for.

However, if we take the general equity, the general principles of those things,

I believe we find clear application for them in the New Testament. Now, the question is, is what is general equity?

Deuteronomy chapter 22 verse 8 says this, When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house if anyone should fall from it.

So, at this time, people would hang out quite often on the roofs of their house because in the evenings, it was cooler on the roofs.

And one thing about in Jerusalem is that if any kind of unnecessary blood is spilt, it would bring a curse upon the land, and particularly upon your house.

So, the Lord is telling them that on your roof, your flat roof, you are to build a parapet so that as you're hanging out, someone doesn't have too much of the drink, that strong drink we're talking about, and fall off.

For the most part, we don't have stuff like that. I mean, every once in a while, you see someone that's got a ton of money has a little roof party, right?

Well, some of us might have a second story deck, and it's telling us general equity would say, build a railing around your deck.

Build a railing around your balcony. If you have a balcony, make sure you have a railing.

Because if someone falls for your nelegance, whatever that word, my southern streets won't let me say it.

I can hear it in my head perfectly, okay? That would be general equity.

That would be general principle. Or some of y 'all might have a swimming pool, right? You don't want your neighbor's kids to run up in your yard, jump in your swimming pool, and drown.

The general equity of this is to build some kind of a gate, some kind of a fence around your pool to keep anyone from just lounging around and falling into the pool.

And so that's what we're going to use. We're going to use the general equity and principles to show that these commands given in the

Old Testament are, in fact, something that we can see in the New Testament.

So the first provision, if you're taking notes, is given to the ministers. Speaking of the

Levites, right? Turn with me to 1 Timothy 5, we'll read verses 17 and 18.

1 Timothy 5, verses 17 and 18. Paul writing to Timothy says this,

Let the elder who rules well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

For the Scriptures say, You shall not muzzle a nox when it treads out the grain, and the laborer deserves his wages.

Paul here, when speaking of elders of churches, points to Deuteronomy chapter 25, verse 4, and uses general equity, which says,

You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.

Now, you might not have ever seen an ox muzzled, and I'm glad that you haven't. Because as the ox is treading out the grain, should not the ox, if he's hungry, able to eat the grain he's treading.

But we have seen dogs with muzzles on their mouth, right? You might have a dog that's known to bite, or could bite.

And you put a muzzle on him, and that muzzle keeps him from biting. This is what it's saying,

Do not muzzle, do not put something over the ox's mouth that keeps him from feasting as he is treading the grain for you.

He takes this Old Testament command, and he draws the principle from it, and he applies it to elders of churches.

You might be thinking, Yeah, but that's not a direct general equity from the

Levites. Okay, turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. 1

Corinthians chapter 9. I'm going to read verses 8 through 14.

Now in this, Paul is also speaking about them as apostles, and you'll notice that it seems that they are providing for the elders, but Paul is also pointing out something else, that it's not just to elders, but it was for them as apostles as well.

I don't want to neglect to mention that. Verse 8. Do I say these things on human authority?

Does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.

Right here. Remember the shadows, the substance, the type, and the anti -type?

Paul's making a clear argument that that verse about not muzzling the ox's mouth is a type, and the anti -type is speaking about providing for those that preach the gospel.

This is Paul. It says, You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads the grain, for is it for oxen that God is concerned?

Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written, talking about that Deuteronomy passage, it was written for our sake because the plowman should plow in hope, and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

If we sow spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?

If others share in this right to claim claim on you, do not we even more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than to put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.

And I say to that, Amen. Verse 13. Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple, so right here you're going to see the connection to the

Levites. Those who are employed in the temple's service get their food from the temple.

Speaking about those tithes that are brought in. And those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offering.

Verse 14. In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

Paul makes a direct comparison between the Levites and the

Old Testament and those who preach the gospel in the New Testament.

That's what general equity does. Look at the Old Testament, and we see if it's applied to how it applies to the

New Testament. That's what's called general equity or general principles. The second provision is given for celebrations.

Again, we don't have feast day celebrations. However, we do feast and we do fellowship.

Amen. Together. It's just this time it's more than three times a year.

We do this every week. Turn with me to Acts chapter two.

We're going to see that it was actually done more than once a week. Beginning in verse 41, we'll read a verse 47.

Acts chapter two, 41 to 47. So those who received his word, speaking of when

Peter was proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, those who received Christ were baptized.

And there were added that day about 3000 souls. And they, speaking of those that received the word, who received

Christ, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and prayer.

This breaking of bread is speaking of the feast. They feast together.

And all came upon every so in many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing all the proceeds to all as any had need.

And day by day, they, attending in the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising

God and having favor with all men. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day, those who were being saved.

Now, granted the culture from then to now has changed.

However, I want you to ask yourself, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Is it a good thing that we don't live lives together day by day? Or is it a bad thing?

And I'm not going to give you my answer. In direct application to the giving on the three feast days, we here at CRBC, Covenant Reformed Baptist Church, which

I believe everyone, every church should do, we sit down together for a meal after each service.

We sit down together for a meal, direct application, direct general principles from what the feast days represented in the

Old Testament. And if everyone brings a little, everyone can eat and be filled.

And in that offering, that tithe, you partake in. And the other thing you need to do is make sure that Pastor Kyle and myself have a plate, okay?

Just throwing that out there. Just, you know, as the pastor's eating.

The third provision is given for those in need. In the

Old Covenant, those that were to be provided for were the Levites, the sojourners, the orphans, and the widows.

Now, in this giving, we have to have much discernment. Second Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 10 says this, for even when we were with you, we would give this command, if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Paul goes on to say elsewhere that for a man, if he is unwilling to take care of his family, he is worse than an unbeliever.

So, Paul is not promoting laziness. Even among the ministers, the sojourners, the orphans, and the widows, he's not promoting laziness.

Elders like the Levites minister to the people. Therefore, the people are to provide for their elders.

I'm going to read to you a portion of the 1689, the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, where it speaks about this subject.

Chapter 26 is based on the church. We'll read paragraph 10, which speaks upon the pastors.

The work of pastors is to give constant attention.

That's hard to do if you have a full -time job, let me tell you. Constant attention to the service of Christ and his churches in the ministry of the word and prayer.

They are to watch over the souls of the churches, church members, as those who must give an account to Christ.

This is speaking in Hebrews when it tells us those who minister, like everyone here,

I'm going to have to give an account for your soul by what

I do as your pastor. Talking about scary? You think you got some fear, okay?

You want to know why I can't sleep? The churches to whom they minister must not only give to them all due respect, but also must share with them from their good things according to their ability.

They must do this so that their pastors may have a comfortable living without having to be entangled with secular matters, and so they can show hospitality to others.

This is required by the law of nature and by the explicit command of the Lord Jesus who has ordained that those who preach the gospel should earn a living by the gospel.

Sojourners needed to be welcomed. If they weren't welcomed, they couldn't get a job.

I'll say this as for the kingdom of God, how we have to be welcoming to the unbelievers.

Oh, you don't believe in Christ? We don't need you around here. No, we need to be loving and welcoming to those that are not in the kingdom of God.

How else are they going to see the love of God? Amen? Orphans were unable to provide for themselves, so therefore the people of God were to provide for them.

And we all know what a widow is, but let me explain it like this. This is speaking about a woman whose sole provider has passed away, and now

God has required it of his people, the church, to be her provider.

And on this, let me tell you, the church has dropped the ball. We have dropped the ball.

Catholic, right? Universal church. We have dropped the ball. We have allowed our government system with its welfare to take the responsibilities that the church is supposed to pick up the mantle and carry.

Shame on the church. Now, I say this as someone who grew up on AFDC.

I understand what it meant when the first of the months came, right? I understand what it meant to have that box given to you and that big old block of cheese and a can of meat that just had a picture of a cow, we think, could have been a buffalo, right?

We called it the mystery meat. Sometimes it didn't have that picture. I know what powder milk and powder eggs taste like.

And let me tell you, without that, we would have starved. Why? Because the church has dropped the ball.

We have allowed the secular to take care of themselves when the Bible puts that responsibility on us.

How else are they to see the love of God and the people of God?

In Galatians, we see that Paul was told by James and Peter to remember the poor.

And this same James speaks to us on this subject in James 1, verse 27.

James 1, verse 27 says this, Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the

Father is this, to visit the orphans and widows and their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

The same James also speaks to us in chapter 2.

He equates those who are in need with brothers and sisters, meaning Christians. So just because you're a

Christian and this responsibility to give is given to you, you might be someone who needs to be given too, right?

Listen to what he says in chapter 2. I know I've been this Christian many times.

Chapter 2, beginning in verse 14, What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

Can such faith save him? Meaning, is his faith real? Verse 15,

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them,

Go in peace, be warmed and filled without giving to them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Meaning, ladies and gentlemen, listen, if someone in this congregation was lacking in daily food and clothing, and all we did was say,

We're going to pray for you, our faith is dead.

It's dead. It's one thing to believe God in word, to love

God and to believe Him in word. It's quite another thing to love

God in deed. And to love God in deed is to love our neighbors.

1 John 3, verse 17 says this, But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does

God's love abide in him? Now, is the church supposed to have a collection for those in need?

I'm glad you asked. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. We'll read verses 1 and 2.

1 Corinthians chapter 16, verses 1 and 2.

Paul speaking, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.

On the first day of the week, each one of you is to put something aside and store it up as he may prosper, so that there will be no collection when

I come. He's telling us that as we gather, we're not just to give for the minister and the providing of this house.

We're to give for those who are in need. And the

Old Testament says that's a separate type. Seems like it's more than we expected as Christians.

I'm just giving you the Bible. Now, am I saying if you give money,

God is going to bless and heal you? No. But the

Bible seems to be saying if you give, he will bless you. Now, whether that's material or spiritual, that's not my call.

This is not TBN. I promise nothing but God's favor upon you.

I'm telling you that if you bring your offering to the storehouse, which for us is this local church, this body.

So what I'm telling you is to bring your offering to the storehouse, this local body that you are a part of.

Why? Because God has commanded it of us. Giving is the anchor to loving your neighbor.

First John chapter two, beginning in verse three. Let me find it.

First John. I know it by heart, but I just want to, I don't want to mess it up. First John. If you want to turn there, you'll see it.

Chapter two. We'll read verses two through three through six.

Now he's not saying this is how you know him. This is how we know that we know him. And it has to do with deed.

And by this we have, we know that we have come to know him. If we keep his commandments, whoever says that I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar.

And the truth is not in him. He's echoing what James just said in chapter two. But whoever keeps his word in him, truly the love of God is perfected by this.

We know that we have come to know him. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Ask yourself this. Did Jesus feed the poor? Did Jesus take care of those who were in need?

Yes. Now turn over the chapter three. First, beginning in verse 23. He's going to tell you what those commandments are.

And this is his commandments. So the first portion of the Decalogue, how do you love

God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength? Well, it tells you verse 23.

And this is his commandment that we believe in the name of the son, Jesus Christ. And right here is the second part.

And love one another just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in him and God in him.

And by this we know that he abides in us by the spirit whom he has given to us.

If you see your brother lacking in daily food and clothing and you say to him, go and be filled and warm and I'm going to pray for you.

My dear friend, you might say you believe in Jesus, but your deed says otherwise.

Christians, we are not to throw the baby out with the bath water. Malachi 3 .10

is in our Bibles and it speaks about the tithe.

Turn with me to that portion of scripture we read at the beginning. We'll just look at verse 10.

Notice it says full tithe. Bring the full tithe. How many tithes were there?

Three. That's not a revelation to Christians.

There's three tithes. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food.

Does that say jet? Does that say some kind of private mentions?

No, food. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house and thereby put me to the test, says the

Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

We have to deal with the text and just because the prosperity movement has abused this text, that does not give us the right to not speak on the text.

It says if we bring the full tithe into the storehouse, God will bless us.

You know what? I believe that 100%. But let me say something without no boast.

I've never one time, I've never regretted one time given to the Lord, whether it be time, whether it's working, or whether it's giving money.

I've never not once regretted it. I mean, I've never once regretted it. It's all his.

My time is his. He has ordained my steps. It's his. The work that I do for the

Lord, I don't regret it. Don't give me a dime. I'm not going to regret the work that I do for God.

And I give God my money. He says, bring the full tithe.

And let me tell you this, the Lord has always provided, even if it was from secular means of that AFDC and that mystery meat and that big old block of cheese that looks like a school bus.

He's always provided. Where the church has dropped the ball, God has not.

Turn with me to Matthew chapter six. This is probably the toughest verse section

I did not want to use. I could not not.

Jesus speaking. He says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.

Why are you? Most people are days are so worried about generational wealth. So worried about building something so that their family don't ever have to work.

You are cursing your children by doing that. Work is a good thing.

People need to know that they need to work and provide. He says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.

You want generational wealth? Have it in heaven where there's neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, heaven or earth, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, the whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, the whole body will be full of darkness. And if then the light, excuse me, if then the light in your darkness, excuse me, if then the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?

If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?

Verse 24, no one can serve two masters for either you will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You can not serve both God and money.

My dear friends, if you hate given your money, your tithe, your produce, whatever that looks like to the

Lord, your money might be your God. One last thing, are we required to bring 10 % of our income?

I think if you just take the general principles alone, we might come to the answer of yes.

But if you add all three tithes together, it's more like 23%.

And to that people say, if you just use general equity.

However, that's not always the case. Like I said, you could be a Christian, you have nothing.

You need the church to give, which is why we're supposed to give, to provide for one another. In 2

Corinthians 9, 6 -10,

I believe Paul strengthens the tithe in the same way that Jesus strengthened the tithe in chapter 7 concerning the commandments.

It's strengthening in that when you give, you provide for the minister, for the feast, and for the needy.

Matthew 5 -27 -28 says this, this is Jesus speaking.

You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. That's the seventh commandment.

But I say to you, whoever looks, this is the 10th commandment, and a woman with lustful intentions has already committed adultery with her and his heart.

God, Jesus took the 10th commandment. Do not covet. Do not want something that's not yours.

And he applies it to the seventh commandment. Do not commit adultery. And by doing so, he strengthens the seventh commandment.

That's what I believe we see in the New Testament concerning this general equity principle.

Now turn with me to 2 Corinthians. This is our last verse.

Chapter 9, verses 6 -7. 2 Corinthians 9, verses 6 -7.

Paul says, to this, excuse me, this point, the point is this, dyslexia, sorry.

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.

And whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

My dear friends, if giving a dollar a week bothers you, keep your dollar.

The Lord doesn't need it. We don't give to get, but to bless, because it's a command.

Remember, if giving is an act of obedience, then not giving is an act of disobedience.

And as your pastor, I am asking for all of us to be obedient. When God gave his son, he did not give a tithe.

He did not give us 10 % of himself. He gave us all of himself in the person of Jesus Christ.

Colossians chapter 2, verse 9 says this, in him, speaking of Christ, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.

We sung, O Holy Night, a few minutes ago. That baby in that manger was fully

God, truly God, not 10%, not 23%, fully

God. God gave us everything he had. He gave it all.

He lived the life that we could not live, and he took upon himself the punishment that we deserve in his death as a substitute.

And yes, he wants you to give in order to help those whom he has commanded you to give to, but more than that, he wants you.

And let me say this, if you're not sold out to Jesus, don't give a dime.

He doesn't need it. He doesn't need it. Our response to him for what he has done for us in sending

Christ is to turn to him in repentance and faith, and we trust him even with our giving.

My question to you as we close is this, are you trusting in Jesus Christ? Are you trusting him that he has lived the life that you could not live, and he has taken upon himself the punishment that you deserve, that when you stand before God, you know for sure that you're going to enter into heaven?

If we can trust him with such a huge thing, could we also not trust him with the one in 10?

Again, I'll leave that to y 'all. We are available for anyone who needs us.

Let's pray. Glorious God, Lord, we dearly love you.

We love your word, even these portions that have been manipulated,

Lord, but as we approach this text, we understand that there is a false gospel being promoted among evangelicals about giving to get, but Lord, all of what is true has been falsely proclaimed also.

You are the God in Trinity, and yet there's false teachers teaching against it, and yet we don't hesitate to preach the

God in Trinity. You're the God who justifies by faith alone, and yet there's people who teach that you have to do something to be saved, and yet we don't neglect to teach otherwise the truth.

On those subjects, we do not throw the baby out with the bathwater, but on this one subject,

Lord, we seem to do that. Please forgive us. We pray that you will lead and guide us, and that as we approach this supper to enter into the feast,

Lord, we pray that you use it to grow us in holiness. We ask that your hand will be upon us as we partake.

Lord, we ask that there's any in here today who are unwilling to repent from their lifestyle,

Lord, that they've been unwilling to confess and look to you that you keep them from this table.

Well, Lord, for those of us who confess daily our sins and ask for your strength to help us, who are not purposely living in the lustfulness of our flesh, well, that you use this as a way to grow us in holiness, and we know that you will.