The Tithe Is The Lord's
FOUNDATION STATEMENT: It is imperative that
you tithe b/c you love God b/c it’s only when your motive for tithing is love
that you’ll see the tithe work the way it’s supposed to work.
I.
What is the Tithe?
A. Tithe-Tenth part, To
receive a tenth from anyone
B. The tithe is the ten
percent of all legal and legitimate increase
C. The tithe is the minimum
amount given or returned to God as an expression of worship and a demonstration
of our love for him
D. Tithing is a systematic
release of the tenth of all your increase to God
II.
The principle of tithing
was originated by God in the beginning with Adam
A. Genesis 2:16-17-All the
trees that God gave man to eat and the ones He told them not to eat was a type
and shadow of the ten percent and the ninety percent
B. God setting aside a tree
and telling man he couldn’t eat of that one was God’s idea
1. This is God’s perfect
will for all men for all time
2. Tithing must be good
because it was set up by God (Gen 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31)
3. This was before Abraham,
before the Law, before Jesus, and here we have God established the principle of
tithing in the Garden
C. The systems of tithing
have changed and though we’re no longer under the law of tithing, the
principles and characteristics of the tithe or the same; the law concerning the
tithe is different, but the principles and characteristics of the tithe are the
same
1. What we read about the
tithe in the Law is still true, even though we’re not under the law
III.
The tithe is the Lord’s
(Leviticus 27:30)
A. Even though “the tithe is
the Lord’s” is in the law it’s still a characteristic of the tithe
1. The tithe has been the
Lord’s since God set aside those trees in the Garden; it’s was the Lord’s
Abraham’s day, Jacob’s day, the Law’s day, Jesus’ day, and our day
B. Tithing is returning to
God what is His
1. Tithing is not giving;
it’s a special portion of your increase which God reserved from Himself
a. You can’t give away
what’s not yours to give
b. When you owe somebody
something that is theirs you can pay what’s owed to them and you can release
what’s theirs, but you can’t give it
2. The tithe is Holy and
tithers should be commended at the same time understand that returning the
tithe to God simply keeps you from being a thief (Mal 3:8)
a. They were robbing God
because they were taking the tithe and it
was His
b. The company you keep when
you don’t tithe and rob from God (Jn 10:10)
3. You will reap what you
sow; if you steal from God things will be stolen from you
a. Things that are
rightfully yours will be stolen from you; this is one reason why believers have
things that are rightfully theirs stolen; because they sowed that
b. Jesus obtained things for
you, as a believer, and those things are rightfully yours when you get born
again; but when you take something that is rightfully God’s, you’re sowing a
seed for that to happen in your life
c. You put the very law into
motion that gave Satan the right to come and take what’s rightfully yours
4. You don’t have legal
right to make a decision to not return the tithe
a. The tithe does not belong
to you; the those trees didn’t belong to Adam
b. The moment you choose to
not return it you became a thief
(1)
EX: If you rent a car you can’t make a
decision about whether or not you should keep that car. That car is not yours to keep. You return it.
(2)
That
portion of money belongs to the Lord
C. You can’t sow an offering
if you have failed to return the tithe
1. EX: If you borrow my car
and it’s time to return it, but instead of giving me the car back you give me
$10 for the gas you used, I’m not going to receive the offer because you’ve
haven’t returned to me what’s rightfully mine
2. Offerings are what you’re
giving to God of yours; Tithing is returning what’s His
a. Paying your tithe is your
responsibility as a Christian
b. Tithes are seeds you owe,
offerings are seeds that you sow
3. If you want to harvest
you to start giving above the tithe
D. God is due the tithe
(Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, Luke 20:25)
1. When you make your
monthly budget you don’t include the money deducted to pay your taxes because
it’s not yours. It’s the
government’s. Uncle Sam has already
designated that money to be used to fund the upkeep of your state and
nation. God has already designated
the tithe to finance the Kingdom of God in the Earth, so don’t include that
money when you make your budget.
2. Honor is due to God and
we honor him with the tithe
a. Romans 13:7-Honor those
who honor is due
b. Malachi 1:7-They weren’t
honoring God by not bringing the tithe
c. Proverbs 3:9-We honor God
with our substance and our tithe
d. Matt 15:4-8-They honor me
w/ their lips; their heart & treasure is far from me
3. 1 Samuel 2:30, Proverbs
3:9-If you’ll honor him He’ll honor you
E. The tithe is our
opportunity to prove ourselves faithful and qualified to handle more
1. You’re blessed to be a
blessing
a. Genesis 12:2-God said I
will bless you and you will bless
b. 2 Cor
9:8-God abounds grace towards you, that grace may abound from you
c. 2 Cor
9:11 (AMP)-You’re going to be enriched, so that you can release riches
d. 1 Tim 6:17-When you’re
rich be ready to distribute, willing to communicate
e. Ephesians 4:28-Work with
your hands so that you can release what is earned
2. Luke 16:10
a. 10-What you do with what
you have tells us what you do when you get more
(1)
Why
put more in your hands, when you’re not doing what God said with what you have?
b. 11-How you act with money
has a lot to do with the true riches you have
c. 12-If God can’t trust you
to return to Him what is His, how can he trust that when He puts abundance into
your hands that you’ll do with that what he says
(1)
If
you can’t be trusted with another man’s, God won’t give you your own
(2)
If
God can’t trust you with what’s His, He won’t give you your own
3. It’s a steward test: can
you be faithful to do what God has told you to do with what you have? (Matt
25:23)
a. You’ve been faithful to
drop something in a bucket, but you haven’t been faithful to tithe