Rev. David Holwick Q
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 28, 2000
Malachi 3:8-12
DON'T RIP OFF GOD
=================
I. Whom do you owe?
A. Sometimes it seems like we owe everyone.
1) This is month we are cleared of debt to government.
2) Five more weeks to pay off God, too?
Questions I have been asked many times:
a) Do I have to tithe before taxes or after?
b) Do I tithe gifts or just income?
c) A note I received this week from a member:
(they did even know I was preaching this text!)
"If I give a certain amount of money to the church
but it's not 10%, but if I also support a poor
person, and that makes it over 10%, do you think
that is OK with God? Even if the poor person is
family?"
3) Churches have a reputation for always asking for money.
a) Main trigger for Protestant Reformation - abuses in
raising money to build St. Peter's in Rome.
b) Some think churches have abused the issue ever since.
B. Money is a deeply spiritual matter.
1) Many people gripe about the topic, but giving is taught
throughout the Bible.
2) Our attitude toward it reveals our spirituality.
II. Tithing has been around a while.
A. Affirmed throughout Bible.
1) Predates Moses in Old Testament.
a) Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek. Gen 14:17-20
b) Jacob promised to tithe at Bethel. Gen 28:22
2) Commanded by Moses. Deut 14:22
3) Assumed by Jesus. Matt 23:23
B. Who received the tithes.
1) Levites. Num 18:21ff.
a) Made up for their lack of income and inheritance.
b) Only cereal and fruit tithe is mentioned. Num 18:27
c) They were to use it to support themselves and Temple.
1> This is meaning of "storehouse" in Mal 3:10.
2) Priests. Heb 7:5
a) The Levites gave them a tithe of their tithe.
b) Priests got offerings of left-over sacrifices.
3) Poor people. Deut 14:29
a) Just as religious as giving it to church.
b) Shows God's concern for the down-and-out.
C. Multiple tithes?
1) Some believe tithes built up 10%, 20%, 30% over three years.
a) Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God used to practice
this. [explained to me by man by me on airplane.]
b) The third year is celebrated with an elaborate feast.
2) Double tithe combines priests and Levites.
3) Single tithe, with differences reflecting different periods.
D. The tithe was not to be neglected.
1) Tithing is a privilege more than a debt.
a) We give God credit for the blessings he bestows.
b) Yet Malachi says a short tithe rips off God. Mal 3:8
2) Results of stiffing God.
a) God withholds material blessing. Mal 3:10 (implied)
b) God withholds spiritual blessing. Mal 3:12 (implied)
III. Does the tithe apply to Christians?
A. Surprisingly, no, it does not.
1) The tithe is part of the Law, and we are not under Law.
a) Christians are under grace instead.
b) Even Jesus' instruction in Matthew 23 is directed to
those living under the Jewish system.
c) Requiring tithing is just as wrong as requiring animal
sacrifice.
2) Legalism still has a strong attraction for Christians.
a) It works - strict tithers give more.
b) Falwell and Adventists - tithe taken right out of
paychecks of workers. #820
B. The New Testament principle is grace-giving.
1) Paul gives these principles (and doesn't mention tithing):
a) Systematic.
1> They stored up money each week. 1 Cor 16:2
b) Proportional.
1> Those with more should give more. 2 Cor 8:14-15
c) Generous.
1> Sow generously and reap generously. 2 Cor 9:6
2) The motivation matters.
a) Tithing can imply a "debt" relationship with God.
1> If I don't pay up, God will get me.
A> Malachi says as much.
2> Christians should put a positive spin on giving.
b) It can lead to an unbalanced perspective. Matt 23:23
1> Religious leaders in Jesus' day were meticulous
about tithing, and proud of it.
2> Jesus says they failed in the more important
matters of life - justice and mercy.
3> Modern example:
Larry Cottam, a former Seventh-Day Adventist preacher,
let his son starve to death rather than go on welfare.
He had money in the bank but would not use it because
it was God's tithe. #679
c) Grace-giving stresses the joy of giving.
1> It is our way of saying "thank you" to God.
2> We acknowledge that he will always out-give us.
3> Even the tithe focuses on celebration.
A> Meal of Deuteronomy 12:5, 14:23.
1: Giving should be joyful, not tedious.
B> Apostle Paul in 2 Cor 9:7 - give cheerfully.
3) Ultimate goal of grace-giving is not 10% but 100%.
a) Widow's mite - 100%.
b) Example of apostles leaving everything for Jesus.
c) Tithing would be baby level.
IV. The tithe can be considered a benchmark.
A. Note that most "tithers" give more than "grace-givers."
1) Grace-giving and throwing $10 in the plate are not
the same thing.
2) The average American Christian gives something like 2%.
Researchers John and Sylvia Ronsvalle (Lilly Foundation)
examined giving habits from 1968 to 1985.
Available after-tax income (and inflation) increased 31%.
The percentage of income given per member to the churches
studied (31 Protestant denominations, with 30 million members)
actually decreased 8.5 percent.
Sylvia says, "What we found essentially is that people are
placing a higher value on their lifestyles than their church."
They have more money, but are spending more on themselves and
less on the work of God. #387
Americans spend more each year on dog food than on church
contributions.
Is church costing too much?
Greg Harper had a daughter born on June 2, 1940, and spent
money to clothe, feed, educate and marry her.
Five months later she died and has not cost him a penny since
the day he walked away from her grave.
As long as the church is alive she will cost money, and the
more alive a church is, the more money she will cost.
Only a dead church, like a dead child, is no longer expensive!
#1757
B. Tradition of this church.
1) Baptists pride selves on being self-sustaining.
a) No raffles, Christmas tree sales, etc.
2) We believe in principle of tithing.
a) But most don't really do it. It's too expensive!
b) Those who do, carry the church.
c) What if we had the generosity of the early church?
V. First things first.
A. Relationship with God comes first.
1) Don't tithe to get good with God.
2) Accept Jesus, you'll then want to do it.
B. We need a concrete standard.
1) Your level of giving shows where your heart lies.
2) Compare your own tax form with the receipt Goldy Weller
gives you each January.
3) Is Jesus Christ REALLY a priority in your life?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
These articles were very helpful to me: "Giving Under Grace,"
Parts 1 & 2, by Rev. Ray Charles Stedman; Bibliotheca Sacra, July 1960,
page 317 and October 1960, page 468; found in The Theological Journal
Library, Version 4, by Galaxie Software.
# 387 Biblical Evangelist, November 1988. [only referencing entered]
# 679 "We Have God's Money Too!" by Floyd Brown, in "Mission Memo",
March 1989.
# 820 Christianity Today, April 21, 1989, page 44.
#1757 "Is The Church Costing Too Much?" by Greg Harper in Pulpit Helps,
February 1992.
These and 5,500 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://illust.holwick.com
==========================================================================
HOLWICK COLLECTION Number: 1430
SOURCE: Succasunna Presbyterian Church
TITLE: Deciding What To Pledge
AUTHOR: Mickey Mc Donnell
DATE: 1191
ILLUSTRATION:
Layman finds at least five models of giving in the Bible.
1. Unity model.
Ephesians 4:4-5 points to unity of God and the faith and
concludes (somehow) the value of the list is one dollar. In
1950 dollars (when he first heard of this model) the pledge
would be $5.26 a week. Author admits there's not much of a
theological basis for it.
2. Loaves and fishes model.
After Jesus fed the multitudes, his disciples gathers up the
leftovers so there would be no waste. Likewise some Christians,
after paying all their bills, gather up the leftovers and use
this as their gift to God. Our debtors would not be pleased
with leftovers, and neither is the Lord.
3. Equality model.
Assess each member of the church an equal pledge to cover the
budget. After the Babylonian exile [Exodus meant?], the land
was divided equally, though not quite equally since Joseph got
two portions. Also, different and unequal talents give us
different and unequal responsibilities.
4. Tithe model.
The law of Moses is very explicit - one tenth. The tithe was in
terms of per cent, while the offering of thanks was in proportion
to the richness of blessing. Some feel 10% is too steep for
modern Christians. [Actually, it is low compared to the burden
it placed on an agricultural subsistence economy.] Make the
percentage increase with time.
5. The Total model.
The rich young ruler was told to give up all he had. It would
be a great challenge to follow it. God places no limits on what
he expects of us. [1430]
________________________________________________________________
HOLWICK COLLECTION Number: 3212
SOURCE: Discipleship Journal, #88
TITLE: Four Myths About Giving
AUTHOR: Scott Morton
DATE: 7-1-95
ILLUSTRATION:
What Scripture REALLY says about how much we give and to whom we give it.
Myth #1: You must give 10 percent.
Christians are not bound by the tithe, but we must give
sacrificially.
Give "of your living," not merely your surplus.
Myth #2: You must give the first 10 percent to your local church.
The Temple is not exactly equivalent to the local church.
Churches should be supported, but we can also give to the
poor, etc.
Myth #3: If Christian leaders truly trusted God, they wouldn't "ask."
George Mueller is the example for this, but his orphanage
made its needs known through prayer meetings and
reports.
Jesus and the disciples also made their needs known.
Myth #4: Once you make a giving commitment, you can never stop.
Keep your commitments, but also give proportionally.
We are giving to God, not missionaries.
God also wants us to give joyfully.
(Letter to editor in #90, page 12, disputes the neglect of tithing. It
is still a valid NT principle, and indeed a requirement, according to
Ken Calhoun of Portland, Oregon.)
#3212
[for documentation of illustrations, download Holwick's Sermon Illustration
database at http://illust.holwick.com]
First Baptist Church; Ledgewood, New Jersey
This document last modified July 26, 2000