Do You Have To Tithe?
I.
Tithing Basics
A. The tithe is the tenth part of your increase; Tithing is a the act of bringing
that tenth to God
B. The purpose for teaching
on tithing is to give people understanding of tithing and then let the Holy
Spirit deal with their hearts and move then to act
1. If you are not tithing
there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus; tithing doesn’t make
you righteous, believing on Jesus makes you righteous
a. You won’t go to hell b/c you don’t tithe, but someone else
might
2. The hardest thing about ministering on finances is that most
people’s scriptural understanding about finances is so shallow while they think
they are experts
3. Some are giving the tenth
and not seeing the benefits while others have just chosen not to give the tenth
and don’t realize the consequences of engaging such behavior
C. It’s wrong for a minister
to teach on tithing to get people to tithe so his needs will be met; when he
teaches on tithing with that motive it always comes out defiled because his
motives are wrong; It’s the job of every minister and church to look to God and
not look to people
1. 1 Corinthians 9:7-14, Galatians 6:6-As a Christian you have
a responsibility to support financially the works that you are apart of and
that God is moving on you to support
2. What you value you the
most is your treasure and you won’t let go of it and that’s where your heart
is; many people can’t let go of money-Matthew 6:21
3. You can say you love God,
but where there is no giving there is no love-John 3:16
4. “It’s not about money, It’s not about money.” Then why is it so hard for you to let
it go?
a. It may not be about
money, but IT IS about how
you handle money-Luke 16:11
II.
The origin of tithing-The
principle of tithing was originated with God and Adam-Genesis 2:17
A. 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
1. Setting aside a tree and
telling man he couldn’t eat of it was God’s idea and it was good; This is God’s
perfect will for all men for all time
2. In the beginning God
decided that it would be good for man to have a big portion of His and a little
portion of mine that He’s not supposed to touch
3. It was the very first thing that God taught Adam; It was in
the very first commandment; this is all yours, but don’t touch this
B. This was before Abraham,
before the Law, before Jesus, and here we have God establishing the principle of tithing in the Garden
1. Many people try to tag
tithing as an OT practice under the law and they say as NT believers we don’t
have to tithe because tithing was under the law
2. Tithing didn’t come with the law, it was here before the law
--- Tithing doesn’t leave with the law, tithing is after the law
3. Cain & Able, Abraham,
Jacob all tithed and that was before the law so to tag tithing as an OT
practice under the law would be incorrect
III.
Do you have to tithe? To
answer that we have to look at the two systems of tithing-Hebrews 6:20
A. Jesus is a High priest after the order
of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:10, 6:20,7:21)
1. Melchizedek was symbolic
of a “type” of Jesus (Hebrews 7:3-4-His description)
a. Order-Arrangement, fashion, style, quality, character,
post (Jesus same order or post)
B. One of the jobs of the
priest was to receive the tithes of the people and worship God it
1. We see Abraham bring His
tithe to a priest, in the law they brought the tithe to the Levites (who were
the priest in that day), and now we are to bring our tithe to Jesus
2. Hebrews 8:1-3-The sum total of what’s being said in chapter
is 7 is that we have an great High Priest appointed by God, He is an eternal
being, and he needs something to offer
C. Two systems of tithing-Tithing
under the law vs. Tithing under the Abrahamic Covenant
1. 5-The Levites were the
priests and had a commandment to take
the tithes of the people
a. The law brought with it a
commandment to tithe (Lev27:30-34,Num18:21-28,Dt14:22-23)
2. 6-Abraham brought is
tithe to Melchizedek; He received Abraham’s
tithe
a. Abraham had no
commandment to tithe because he law was not yet given
3. 8-Jesus receives our
tithes even though we give it to a man who dies
a. We have no commandment to
tithe
b. Jesus is the one of whom
it is witnessed, “He lives”
D. The law made tithing
imperfect
1. 11-If tithing under the
law was good the way it was then a High Priest would have rose after the order
of Aaron (the Levite) and not after the order of Melchizedek
a. Under the Levitical
priesthood where tithing is concerned man was commanded to tithe and he brought
his tithe to the Levitical priest that came from Aaron
2. Jesus wasn’t called a
high priest after the order of Aaron, commanding people to tithe, but rather He
was called a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek where there is no law
a. You’re looking for a commandment from Jesus to tithe and
you’re not going to find one because he’s a high priest after the order of
Melchizedek
3. The law including the law
of tithing has been disannulled, but tithing hasn’t been
a. There’s no law of tithing
again, like there was no law of tithing in Abraham’s day; Just because there is
no law of tithing doesn’t mean there is no tithing
4. 19-The law made tithing
imperfect because under the law people tithed because they had to and not
because they loved God
a. The law really defiled the tithe because it was supposed to
be a tool that a man used to express His love and appreciation from God during
a time of worship brining man into a place of intimacy with God, but the law
made it something made had to do and out obligation He did
5. Jesus didn’t command
people to tithe because that was imperfect-2 Corinthians 3:6
a. Spirit of love gives
life-Romans 5:5
IV.
Why did Abraham tithe? If
He had no commandment to tithe why did he tithe?
A. Genesis 14:20-Abraham
tithed when there was no law or commandment to tithe; He didn’t have to tithe
or in other words there was no law to tithe, yet he tithed
1. Lot was captured by he
greatest military force in that day and Lot was very close to Abraham so Abraham
went on the attack with 318 trained servants from his household and defeated
and army that he “should not” have been able to defeat and he won a war that he
shouldn’t have been able to win and had to honor God; he wasn’t looking for a
commandment to tithe he was just tithing because he loved God
B. Our motive for tithing is
love, not obligation; the Spirit, not the letter
1. If you’re only going to
do it because you have to you’re back to the law
a. If you’re not tithing,
because you don’t think you have to and you only do what you have to do and
what’s required; so it’s not about love anymore it’s about requirements; you’re
back to the law
b. If you’re looking for a commandment love is absent-EX: Command
to get Amber a gift
2. We use our tithe as a tool to express our love to God the way
sex is a tool to express our love in a marriage relationship
3. 1Cor6:12,10:23-You
can do what you want, but it might not be expedient for you
C. When you’re motive for
tithing is wrong the results of tithing will be effected-Matthew6
1. Matt 22:36, 1 Corinthians
13:1-3-Your tithe works by love and if you tithe because you have to, instead
of because of you love for God there’s no power in it
a. The reason why he didn’t command us to tithe in is because he
came with something greater than the commandment to tithe, he came with the
love of God and if you’ll walk in the love of God and tithe because you love
God instead of tithing because somebody’s commanding you, then it will work
like it’s supposed to work
b. The only reason God ever brought tithe into play was for the
profit of the man who he was in love with
2. If your motive is because
you want to be blessed, it won’t work
a. Abraham didn’t tithe to get blessed, he tithed because he was
blessed
D. Tithing is a love/heart
issue not a money issue
1. People have made the
issue of money; that shows us where their heart is (Mt 6:20)
2. In the Garden, it was a
love issue, not a tree issue (John 15:6)
3. Jesus put a stamp on
tithing as a new testament practice (Luke 11:42, Matt 23:23)
a. “But Jesus was talking to
the Pharisees who were under the law.” – So should we ignore everything
Jesus said to the Pharisees
b. Jesus said tithe, but don’t
omit the weightier matters; He’s teaching them to not use the tithe as some
payment for holiness; like I tithe so I’m good
c. If you omit love and
faith and character and just drop money in the bucket there’s no power in it
anyway and no benefit to you; and I don’t need your tithe: ONLY BRING IT
BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME
V.
Tithe blessing
exchange-When you bring the tithe because you love God, Jesus releases the
blessing because he loves you
A. The tithe-blessing
exchange
1. Genesis 14:17-20, Hebrews
7:1-2,7-Abraham gave the tithe, Melchizedek blessed
2. Genesis 2-Adam didn’t
touch the tree He was blessed, when he did he was cursed
3. Malachi 3:8-10-Rob God of
the tithe means curse, bring the tithe means blessing
B. You can be equipped and
the equipment not being working, you can be empowered and the power not be
working, you can be blessed and the blessing not be working
1. I’m glad you’re blessed
but is the blessing working for you
a. You can have the HS and
not acknowledge Him and you won’t see His effects
2. Tithing is one principle that is key to turning on the
blessing
C. The blessing is the
empowerment to have success in every arena of life-Proverbs 10:22
1. The curse is the
empowerment to fail in every arena of life
2. When that curse is at
work it’s like you’re on a conveyor built of problems
3. When you bring the tithe
you leave with something greater than the tithe
a. When you don’t bring the
tithe it’s not that God wants you cursed it’s that you’ve put the principle to
work which activates the curse in your life
D. You can’t win without the
tithe-blessing exchange (Joshua 6,7)
1. 6:18-The accursed thing
was the thing that was devoted or dedicated
a. It was the cursed thing
because if you touched it the curse came on you
b. The tithe is an accursed
thing because when you don’t return it the blessing isn’t working in your life
(Malachi 3:8)
2. 6:19-All the sliver and
gold was consecrated (Lev 27:31: Holy) unto the Lord
a. That stuff was God’s the
way the tithe is God’s
3. 7:1,11-They took of or
stole the thing that was God’s
a. 7:21-Achan took of the
silver and gold and it belonged to God
4. 7:12-Because the Holy thing was taken they couldn’t stand
before their enemies
a. They couldn’t even win
the “easy” battle when the holy thing was taken
5. Genesis 14-Abraham won
because of the blessing and he didn’t touch the Holy thing
a. You use the tithe the way
you use a faith weapon; I’m a person who tithes the tithe and standing in the
face of my enemies I’m an overcomer and it’s because I bring the tithe and I’m
like my Father Abraham, I can go into a battle and win a battle I’m not
supposed to win because I brought the tithe and the blessing is on my life
b. EX: I’d rather have the blessing on & the lights off than
the blessing off and the lights on (Let the blessing turn the lights back on)
VI.
As a seed of Abraham I
practice tithing under the Abrahamic covenant-Galatians 3:29
A. Tithing was practiced in
the Abrahamic covenant and the law doesn’t change the covenant; (the law
doesn’t change the tithing)-Galatians 3:15-17
B. Gen 17:7, Gal 3:29-The
Abrahamic Covenant was an everlasting covenant to him & to his seed and we’re
Abraham’s seed and that covenant is still with us
1. If tithing is a part of
the covenant relationship between God and Abraham and we are Abraham’s seed and
a part of that covenant, then tithing should be a part of our covenant
relationship with God
a. Rom 7:1-6-We’re free from
the law (the law of tithing), but so was Abraham he tithed
2. Tithing is a part of the
Abrahamic Covenant; We want to be free from the law; not from the covenant God
made w/ Abraham
a. God made a covenant with
Abraham to bless him, make his name great, and in Abraham all families of the
earth would be blessed and Abraham was to believe God and it would be credited
to him as righteousness
3. If tithing is part of the
Abrahamic Covenant it shouldn’t make a difference that you read about it in the
OT: this is an everlasting covenant that transcends and breaks the boundaries
of the New Covenant
C. If
the covenant is everlasting, God had to set up the same order, so that
Abraham’s seed could inherit the same promise that he got
1. If
I’m a seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise, the everything God
promised to Abraham I have a right to; I need somebody to bring my tithe to
like Abraham so I can have the blessing like Abraham
2. If
Abraham had a high priest to bring his tithe to and get the blessing activated
in his life, then I need to have a high priest to bring my tithe to so that I
can get the blessing activated in my life
3. What Melchizedek did for
them Jesus will do for us; Jesus will receive our tithe and bless