REVIEW
 
So we started out in our current series on the subject of finances by addressing certain mentalities that we are to possess in order to be more “financially faithful” to the Lord. Yes, the way we think is what I consider to be the most important part of faithfully stewarding our finances.
 
Most recently, we learned how we are called “stewards”, and a “steward” literally is described as one who handles the affairs of another. It is defined as a person who manages another person’s property. So you could describe a steward as what we would call today a “manager.”
 
So, last week, we started looking at the primary ways that we can steward or manage the finances that God has blessed us with. And we learned that one the most obvious & primary ways that a Christian can be faithful in the stewardship of their money is in how we give! Yes, it is very apparent that God is huge on the concept of giving because of the plentitude of Scriptures on the subject. Therefore, giving must be one of the main ways that we properly steward His monies, and what He considers us being faithful with those finances.
 
And we started talking about the various types of giving, and began talking about what is both the most controversial and the most important kind of giving – the tithe.
 
I see the tithe as being the first and most foundational type of giving that God’s people honor the Lord with. And what we did was we answered a couple of questions regarding the tithe – the questions of “What?” and “When?”
 
We answered the question “What is the tithe?” by defining the term tithe and found out that it simply means “tenth” – or, we might say 10%. So the tithe is not just some random amount that we decide to give a person, place, or thing of God. No, it’s specifically 10% of our increase.
 
Now I had someone challenge me this past week that according to their understanding of the Scriptures, the Israelites were only told to give their tithe like twice a year. Well, that was because their tithe was from their harvest. So if you only have two harvests a year, then yes, you only need to tithe twice a year. But if your “increase” comes in 12 or 24 times a year like it does with most of us that earn a paycheck, then your “tenth” is given that many times a year. My point is that your tithe comes off of your financial increase, whatever that looks like.
 
But we answered another important question last week, and that is – “When is the tithe?” This question is the biggest one because so many people ask – Was the tithe just under the law or do we have to tithe under the New Testament?  
 
Well, first of all, you don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to tithe. You don’t have to give offerings. But you also don’t have to have God open up the windows of heaven on your life and pour out a blessing that you don’t have room enough to receive it. Nor do you have to have the Lord rebuke the devourer for your sakes. You don’t “have” to have any of this in your life, but you do get to.
 
You see, a law-based mentality says, “I got to do this to get that.” But a grace & faith-based mentality says, “I get to do this because I’ve already got that.” And that certainly goes for tithing.
 
Don’t look at it like – What do I have to do? No, tithe like Abraham did well before there was a law, and give him a tenth because of all the ways that the Lord, your Melchizedek, has blessed you. That’s the right way to give the tithe – like our father of faith, Abraham, did.
 
We also saw how the New Testament gives us a couple of examples of tithing as well – both with Jesus saying in Matthew 23:23 that the tithe is something we ought to do and with the Book of Hebrews dedicating some precious Scriptural real estate on the idea of tithing.
 
So we learned that tithing is not just something that was under the law. No, it was before the law and after the law. Therefore, tithing is an eternal statute that is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.  
 
Now this week, I want us to answer another couple of questions. Like we answered the “What?” and “When?” last week, today, let’s answer the “Why?” and “Where?” questions.   
 
WHY DO WE TITHE?
 
Let’s begin with the question – Why do we tithe? Well, that question can be easily answered with this – Because we love God and seek to honor Him by returning to Him 10% of what He has blessed us with. Like we said, this is why Abraham tithed in our first Biblical example. He didn’t tithe because He was commanded to. It was an honor thing by giving a tenth of the spoils of his victory to the Lord’s High Priest, Melchizedek.
 
So this is the simple answer that should refute all other objections. For example, if a person gave me $1,000, I should have no problem with giving $100 back to them. However, if I don’t see that 1K as a gift and don’t recognize who it is who gave it to me, then giving $100 to that person might not be my tendency. So this is why it is important for us to understand where every good gift and every perfect gift in our life comes from. Once we see that, giving back to Him becomes a much easier thing to do.  
 
But I want to offer you another reason why tithing is our responsibility as the people of God – Not only should I tithe back to the Lord because it’s an honor thing, I should tithe because it is holy thing.  
 
Do you remember the story of when Jesus was tested by the Pharisees regarding the payment of taxes to Rome? And how Jesus responded to their question of “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” with “Render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar’s and unto God the things which are God’s.” (See Matthew 22:15-22)?
 
Now the subject here was taxation. And just like it was with the Jews then, it is that way with folks now – we do not want to believe that we owe a certain amount to our government. However, Jesus was advocating the payment of taxes to Rome just like Romans 13:7 reiterates – “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”
So the Bible is clear that it is the duty of the people of God to “render” (i.e. pay off or give back) taxes to whom they are due.
 
Now I know a lot of people don’t like this subject and one of the reasons is because they don’t agree with how our government handles our tax money. But consider how much worse of a government system the Jewish people were under than even us. I mean, they were in bondage. They didn’t have many rights at all. It was an oppressive system to where they were being severely taken advantage of with their taxation.
So as bad as you and I think we have it here in the United States with how our government handles our tax money and how much they take, it is not a fraction as bad as the Jews had it when Jesus said, “Render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasars.”
 
So I for one choose to pay my taxes willingly without offense in my heart in having to do so – believing God that my tax money is going to good & useful things and not the part that’s being wasted and going to bad use.  
 
But I want you to notice that Jesus did not just say, “Render unto Ceasar the things that are Caesar’s …” He also said, “And (render) unto God the things that are God’s.” So apparently Jesus thought that just as it is our duty to render taxes to our government because it is theirs, He also thought some things are God’s. What do you suppose that is?
 
Well, under the law, God revealed to Israel how the tithe was different than their other forms of giving. He said in Leviticus 27:30 – “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 to the Lord.”  Therefore, the tithe is holy unto the Lord. This means it is separate, different, and set apart unto God. And in this passage, it says that the tithe “is the Lord’s.”
 
So I believe that one of the things that it is our duty to return unto the Lord is that holy thing called the tithe. It’s not for our consumption; It’s for His use.
 
Now we made the point that under our new & better covenant, everything that we have is the Lord’s – for we died, and our life is hidden with God in Christ Jesus. Yes, we were crucified with Christ, and it is no longer we who live, but it’s Christ living in us and through us (Galatians 2:20).
 
So, as the Scriptures clearly state, our life is not our own anymore. We were bought with a price! Therefore, all the gold, silver, etc. is His – meaning, all of our money is something we simply are stewarding for Him as we aim to live our lives seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 
 
Now most of us will “amen” all of that, but I’ve yet to really meet anyone who acts like that is true. No, most of us spend the money we’ve earned like it’s ours to do whatever we want with it. If we want a bigger house and we’ve got the money in our account to do it, we get it. If we want a new car and our income justifies getting it, we will go buy it. Very few people inquire of the Lord and ask Him something to the effect of – “Lord, is it okay if I use your money to buy this for myself?”
 
And guess what? While we certainly ought to be led by Him in how we steward the money we’ve been blessed with, it’s not something we have to ask permission on. God has entrusted this money to us to steward properly, but that doesn’t mean He’s against us using any of it for our own personal needs & desires. We just need to be open & willing to give any of it away when He tells us to do so. Not only that, we also need to have a heart to honor Him with what He has blessed us with by tithing, giving Him offerings, and taking care of those in need. This is how you and I properly steward God’s finances.
 
You see, there are a lot of citizens of heaven who do not want to believe that it is our duty to “render” tithes to God. But if you study the principle of the tithe under the law, you’ll find that it essentially was a taxation of Israel. In other words, it was a system put in place by God through Moses for His people to pay for things in the kingdom of Israel.
 
And while I do not personally look at tithing like I do paying taxes, I do come at it with a similar mindset – that it’s not mine to do with whatever I feel like. Like paying taxes, I realize it takes money for a government to run and the taxpayers’ money is what provides the means of the provision & protection we need in our land. Likewise, the tithe serves a similar purpose in that it takes money for the church to operate. Those that preach the gospel should live of the gospel. Any worker in the gospel is worthy of his or her wages. Churches & ministries have the same overhead as other places of business. Therefore, our Father’s business needs money to operate. Therefore, the principle of the tithe is good for the church today the same as it was good for the kingdom of Israel then.
 
So this is why the tithe is still a good practice for us today. No, not because we have to or because of some rule or law, but because, first, we want to honor the Lord like Abraham did, and secondly, we know it consistently provides for the kingdom of God like Moses put into place.  
 
 
 
 
WHERE DO WE GIVE THE TITHE?
 
Which leads me to the next question we need answered – “Where?” In other words, where does the tithe go and where should we be giving it? Let’s look at several Scriptures and determine what God’s Word teaches us that the tithe was for and where it was to be given …
 
Now all of these verses are going to come from the Old Testament and specifically are references to the law, but don’t let that offend you. This is not to be viewed as “law or legalism.”
 
But how many of you know that the law was not a bad thing. In fact, the apostle Paul said that the law was good. No, it wasn’t the problem; we were. People’s misuse of the law is what became and still today becomes the issue.
 
But how many of you know that things that were prescribed under the law, we’ve come to discover are good & healthy things? For example, resting one day out of seven is good for us. Eating pork & shellfish is not necessarily healthy. Likewise, tithing is a healthy financial habit, not something that justifies us or makes us holy. But it’s just a wise principle for faithfully handling our finances. Amen?
 
Let’s begin at the end of the Old Testament, in its last Book …
 
Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts.”
 
Now the phrase “all the tithes” refers to all the various tithes that they were prescribed to give under the law. Did you know that just as there wasn’t just one Sabbath, there wasn’t just one tithe? Well, don’t worry. I’m not going to get into all of that when I know that some of us are having trouble swallowing just one tithe. LOL!
 
Now the “food” that He was describing was actual food. In fact, the Hebrew word was primarily used to describe meat that came from an animal’s prey. So does this mean that you and I are supposed go obtain some ribeye, prime rib, tenderloin, etc. and put it in the offering/ice box? No, and let me deal with this for a moment …
 
One of the main arguments that the “anti-tithing” people make against tithing is that they make the point that it wasn’t money. And guess what? They are technically correct. What the children of Israel primarily tithed was crops, fruit, livestock, grains, meat, and drink. But this is what these people are missing – The Lord told them to tithe these things because that’s what their increase came in the form of. They weren’t bankers or working in a trade where physical currency was where their bankroll lied. No, they were primarily an agricultural society, so like a farmer in our day and time might grow corn, the corn didn’t become cash until they sold it. And in some situations, the commodities never become cash.
 
For example, I remember on one of my trips to India, going to rural area to hold a meeting in the church, and outside of the church, there was a goat tied up. In my ignorance, I asked one of the church workers why they had a goat at the church, and he said that it was one of their members’ tithes.
 
But the difference with us here in the United States, is that we live in a society that mainly deals with cash. We don’t deal in corn or in cattle, but in cash. So to be so literal as to say that we are doing it wrong because the Lord specifically told them to tithe these other commodities is wrong. Not to mention, I doubt that those that make that point are tithing the things that they were told to under the law. No, most people who bring this up are just looking for excuses and loopholes to avoid doing the thing that their flesh doesn’t want to do.
 
But no, the word “storehouse” in Malachi 3:10 literally described the “treasuries” of the House of the Lord. You find this in a bunch of other Scriptures where this Hebrew word for “storehouse” was used. And in this treasury of God’s house, I’m sure you found all kinds of valuable things including gold, silver, and other monetary items.
 
So the tithe can be one of many things, depending on what is of value in the specific place & time that the child of God is living in. And with most of us, that would usually be physical currency.
 
Now if you want to donate Bessy, Fluffy, or Big Blue (That’s the name of Bruce’s truck) to the church, we will gladly accept them. But I will say, we prefer money so that we don’t have to spend our time exchanging these items for cash.
 
But I want you to notice that the storehouse that the Lord told them to bring their tithes to was located in God’s “House” (See Malachi 3:10): Now God’s House is not to be misunderstood as just a physical building or Structure. Just because a building is called a church doesn’t mean it really is a church in the sense that God intended it. This is why we need to be led where we plant ourselves and where we sow our seed. Not every ministry & church out there, God approves of. 
 
In Deuteronomy 12:1-5, the Lord clearly showed them that they were not to worship Him with the idolatrous things that the people had. But in verse 6, He said that they were to seek the place where the Lord God chooses – meaning, you don’t choose to worship in the place, manner, etc. that you choose. No, you seek the place that God tells you to. In other words, you don’t go to church where you want. You don’t praise & worship Him in that place the way you want. You always seek to do His will, not your own. Verse 8 reiterates not doing what’s right in your own eyes.
 
In verse 5, notice that He said that they would go to the place where He has “put His name for His dwelling place” and verse 6 said that this is where their tithes were to be brought. This is very important because when we choose the specific “House of God” that we sow into, we need to make sure His “name” is on that place & people. And I am not talking about that they have some nice fancy sign that has Jesus’ name on it or that they have a big cross or steeple.   
 
No, when the Bible speaks of the name of God it is referring to the representation of God. In other words, it refers to His character, nature, power, and authority. So when the Word of God teaches us to tithe to the place where God has chosen to put His name, it is telling us to tithe to the place that God’s character, nature, authority, and power is represented. In our example, He is talking about a body of believers where they correctly represent His nature and character and where they believe in and demonstrate His authority and power. This would exclude many churches today that believe that the gifts passed away with the apostles or that God is some ruthless tyrant who only loves you when you are perfect. In other words, God needs to be well-represented.
 
The other qualification that we see in Deuteronomy 12:5-6 is that the place we tithe to needs to be a place that God has chosen to put His name “for His dwelling place.” In other words, God’s presence and anointing needs to be present there. Some churches you go into have just such an atmosphere that is charged with the presence of God. Some ministers just operate in and even usher the anointing of the Holy Ghost into a service. These are the churches and ministries that God has chosen for His dwelling place!
 
So from these two principles we can learn that we need to tithe to the ministry that is rightly dividing the word of truth—accurately representing the nature and power of God—and also to the ministry that is anointed and carries the ark with it wherever it goes.
 
Now, of course, this does not limit us to a local church, but I personally like to give all or the majority of it to my local church because it is a consistent amount that they can budget and my offerings go to other ministries that I feel accurately represent the Lord and carry His presence.      
 
So it is clear that the tithe goes to the storehouse (i.e. the treasury) of the House of God. Now most of us automatically equate a church building as being the House of God, but that’s not 100% accurate.
 
The house of God used to be one building. It started out being the tabernacle. Then it became the temple. Now, we are the house of the Lord. Our body is the temple of God. Why? Because He dwells in us. There are many New Testament Scriptures that state that we today are God’s house (See Hebrews 3:6, First Peter 2:5, First Timothy 3:15, etc.) Yes, we all are His tabernacle/temple, and we all are kings and priests unto our God.
 
And this is why, when you study the law, that you see the tithe being intended for individuals and not just an “organization” of some kind.
 
Now if you go through the many verses in the law that instructed Israel concerning the tithe, you will see that the tithe was meant to go to specific individuals. For example, in Deuteronomy 26:12 for the year of tithing, it went to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows.
 
Now the Levites are the ones that did most of the “ministry work.” In other words, they were the ones responsible for all the natural work like setting up the tabernacle, taking it down, carrying it, manning the fires, etc. This sounds a lot like the staff in churches & ministries, right? 
 
Now the priests were the ones who represented God for the people and the people for God. They offered sacrifices and did what we might call the pulpit & podium parts of the ministry.  This would be comparable to the five-fold ministry gifts in the church today. Amen? And when you study the tithe in depth, you learn that the Levites were commanded to take a tenth of the tenth that they had received from the people and give that to the priests.
 
And why did God set it all up this way? Because as most of you know, the Levites did not have an inheritance among the people. They were not allotted land like the other tribes were. And the reason being was because as we might say today, they were in “full time ministry.” So because God had called this tribe to serve Him in this capacity, He made provision for them through the tithe.
 
This is why you see in the New Testament so many instances where the apostle Paul had to defend this right that those who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (See First Corinthians 9:14). Which is, of course, proportional. A person who preaches or ministers in some other capacity 2 hours a week is not supposed to “live of the Gospel.” No, one lives of the Gospel in proportion to how much ministry is a part of their life.
 
But my point is that the main thing that you see the tithe being used for in the House of God is for the “Levite” – those who are called & anointed to full time ministry and live to serve the people. Even Nehemiah had to set the people straight because the Levites were working out in the fields because there was no provision in the House of God. I wonder how many churches & ministries are violating this principle by having their “ministers” out there working secular jobs while having their hands full with the ministry. More than the Lord would be pleased with, I can assure you. 
 
But this is not the only purpose of the tithe – we see it is also to be distributed to the “foreigners/strangers, the fatherless, and the widows.”
 
Now I see the foreigners/strangers as a type of the “unbelievers.” In other words, this is those who are (as Paul called them) “… aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise …” (See Ephesians 2:12).
 
So God’s intention for the tithe was to help with what we would call “evangelism” – that is the spreading of the Gospel and bringing people with no hope into the kingdom of God.  
 
Finally, the tithe was for the “fatherless & widows.” These two demographics of people represented the most poverty-stricken individuals because back in their day, a widow and an orphan were in serious trouble with no husband or father. So this refers to the poor and to those with legitimate needs. 
 
So if the tithe is for these individuals, how do you suppose is the best way to do this? Is it for you to individually go find every widow and orphan out there who has a need? I don’t believe that is what God had in mind. One of the reasons this isn’t practical is because one might be duped into giving to someone who claims to have a need, but they are just working the system, etc.
 
This is why it’s nice to be surrounded by a church family who knows & sees things you might not. For example, like every church, we’ve had people who come here because they are looking for a handout and they go around poor-mouthing to others within the church. And because so many of you have such big hearts and desire to give to the poor as the Lord commanded, you have emptied your wallets and given them what they say they needed. But if you knew what the church leadership knew and had already gone through, you might have realized that this person wasn’t the best ground to sow into.
 
So what’s the lesson here – it’s that God has put this organization called the Church in place to properly steward these things for God’s people. Not meaning that you don’t ever take it in your hands personally to give towards any of those needs. That’s not what I’m saying. But the tithe being brought into the storehouse of God’s House is a means to taking care of a lot of these needs corporately rather than just individually.
 
I can attest that High Point Church is a good steward of your tithe and has been used in my close to 10 years of being here to distribute to a multitude of poverty-stricken people, to the true widows within our walls, and to orphans outside of these walls. We give! We sow! As Galatians 6:10 tells us – we do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith. Amen.   
 
For example, I have a personal ministry that I had before I came to Pastor this church, and guess what it does? It tithes just like we are talking about. But we tithe to a specific ministry that is geared towards feeding the poor all around the world and distributing materials all around the world. I know this individual well. In fact, he was one of my instructors at Charis Bible College. But do you know why I tithe our ministries 10% to him? It’s because he takes care of a lot of these things that the Lord told the Jewish people to give the tithe to. In other words, I trust His stewardship and believe that I am fulfilling taking care of specific things that I might not personally be privy to.
 
I bring this up because I believe that if you are a part of a good church that properly stewards their resources to take care of the needs of folks – both naturally and spiritually – then you don’t have to go seek out people who fit this category. You trust your local church to distribute to the appropriate parties.
 
Now if you don’t trust your local church to administrate your tithe properly, then you might be at the wrong church. You need to know those who labor among you, so that you can give in faith to the house of God where He has planted you – believing that they are properly stewarding your tithe by taking care of its “Levites” (i.e. those who work full time within the church), the “strangers/foreigners” (i.e. the unbelievers), “the fatherless & widows” (i.e. the poor and those with legitimate financial needs).  Amen?
 
 
CONCLUSION
 
And there are many other Scriptures I could take you to that teach where the tithe goes, but the bottom line is this – God is not interested in us just going through the motions and checking off boxes. He looks at the heart! So what He wants is a people that purpose in their heart to do the honorable thing.
But the fact is, God obviously considers the tithe as a holy thing. He sees it as the thing that we “give back” (i.e. render) to Him. And as long we are giving it in the right heart – in love and by faith – He is pleased.
 
Now based on what I read in the Scriptures and believe is wisdom from above, I believe the tithe predominantly belongs in your local church. And why? Because a good, healthy church contains “Levites” (i.e. workers that have devoted themselves full-time to the ministry). It also will take care of the strangers, widows, and orphans. It’s where your children & grandchildren are cared for. It’s where your pastor will visit you, call on you, pray for you, etc. It’s where the physical building is located where you can gather together with our believers. These are not things other ministries provide for you.
 
So I for one, choose to “bring” my tithes to this here storehouse and trust the leadership team to distribute to the needs contained both in our gathering place and to the needs God puts on our hearts outside of these walls. This is where I tithe – because I believe HPC is good ground and is doing the work of the ministry. Amen.  

REVIEW
 
So we started out in our current series on the subject of finances by addressing certain mentalities that we are to possess in order to be more “financially faithful” to the Lord. Yes, the way we think is what I consider to be the most important part of faithfully stewarding our finances. And how many of you know that there is a lot of “stinking thinking” out there regarding this subject?
 
That’s why we’ve looked at God’s will concerning us being blessed and His desire to prosper us. We have looked at how God has redeemed us from the curse of the law, which includes poverty, and how He has redeemed us for the blessing of Abraham. We also BBQed certain sacred cows about these things that religion has taught us. And most recently, we looked at how a Christian should view everything we possess and how we handle it …
 
We discovered that we are called “stewards”, and a “steward” literally is described as one who handles the affairs of another. It is defined as a person who manages another person’s property. So you could describe a steward as what we would call today a “manager.”
 
Now a point I didn’t bring out last week, but that is important to understand is how good managers / stewards are paid well. We see this in Luke 8:3 where we are taught that Jesus had many women who followed Him, one being Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward. And this Scripture tells us that these women provided for Him from their substance (or, resources / possessions).
 
Now why do you suppose Luke made the point of who Joanna was the wife of? It was to show us how this provision was not just minimal; it was significant – because you have to know that Herod’s steward was paid well. Well, in the kingdom of God, it’s similar. The Lord’s stewards who are wise & faithful get paid well too!  
 
GOD IS GIVING
 
So now that we’ve spent some time attempting to renew our minds to truths concerning money and the kingdom of God, let’s move into more of the nuts & bolts of being faithful with our finances so that we can perhaps increase our “pay grade” in our stewardship. Yes, as promised, we are going to move into some of the practical parts of our financial stewardship this week— seeing how important of a role this plays in us seeing a multiplication of the monies God has given us. Amen?
 
Now one of the most obvious & primary ways that a Christian can be faithful in the stewardship of their money is in how we give—for giving is such a huge thing to God!
 
The Bible teaches us in the very popular verse, John 3:16, that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. So our very salvation was provided because God gave us something (more accurately, Someone).
 
But it is very apparent that God is huge on the concept of giving because of the plentitude of Scriptures on the subject. Therefore, giving must be one of the main ways that we properly steward His monies, and what He considers us being faithful with those finances.
 
For example, if I were to ask you – Why do you work a job? Or better yet, why does God think you should be working? – What would your answer be?
 
Well, the Bible teaches us in Ephesians 4:28 – “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”
 
Here Paul gives us the motive we should have for working. He says that it should be so that we would have something to give to those who have need. What a revolutionary concept! We don’t work primarily to meet our own needs, but we work to meet other’s needs! For example, if your occupation is that of a carpenter, then your main reason for working should be to build furniture for people who have need of furniture.
 
How many of us truly have this attitude in our jobs? Very few, unfortunately. But this is the example that Jesus gave us and that the early church practiced as well (Acts 2:45 & 4:34-35). Someone might say, “What about my bills? I’m just barely making it as it is!” Well, your job is not your source. God is your source! And I guarantee you, if you put God’s work first, which is meeting the needs of other people, then all these other things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33).
 
But we see here that giving is the primary reason that we are to be working to earn money. Therefore, it seems very obvious to me that giving is the number one priority in being financially faithful. Amen?
 
So let’s start talking about the various types of giving, and this week, I want us to begin talking about what is probably the most controversial and what I consider to be the most important kind of giving – the tithe.
This will be one that we probably spend two or three weeks on because there are more questions surrounding it than some of the others. So let’s begin this week by answering a couple of questions.     
 
 
 
WHAT IS TITHING?
 
You know, the word tithe has almost become a religious cliché in many Christian circles. I’ve found that to a lot of Christians, the term “tithing” is used synonymous with giving. In other words, while they might refer to giving to other people as simply “giving”, they don’t refer to giving to the Lord the same way. Then they call it “tithing” to the Lord.
 
But is “tithing” just anything we give to the Lord? Absolutely not!  
 
If you asked many believers what the word “tithe” literally means, most could not tell you. Sure, they know it relates to some religious action of giving to the Lord and His church, but they don’t know specifically what it is.
 
The word used for “tithe” just literally means “the tenth.” We like to say today that it is giving 1/10 or 10%. A tenth of what? 10% of our increase or income.  Therefore, technically you cannot “tithe” 5%, 15%, 25%, etc. The tithe is only a tenth and anything less than that is not a tithe, nor is anything above and beyond that 10%.
 
But again, so many Christians plunk some dollars they have in their wallet or spare change they have in their purse in the offering and leave thinking that they "tithed." No, to tithe means we specifically gave a tenth of our increase, whether that be once a week, once a month, etc.
 
It is not putting a ten-dollar bill in the offering like you were tipping a waiter or waitress. However, tithing is similar to how some do tipping. A lot of people look at their bill at the restaurant and then break out their handy calculators and figure up to the penny what 15% is. That’s because these people have been trained that 15% is the standard amount that we should tip our waiters or waitresses.

Of course, there are probably some of us that tip based on the job they do. So if they didn’t take good care of your table, you might not tip them anything, much less 15%. Then there are others here that I know don’t even take the time to figure up the tip percentage, but just tip well more than the standard 15% because they have a heart to be a blessing to the waiter or waitress.
 
But here’s what I want you to understand today – tithing is not like tipping. Yes, general giving can be treated like we tip at a restaurant, but if we are giving the tithe, then we are specifically giving 10% of our income to the Lord.
 
Now let me say that this does not mean that we need to become so legalistic about it that we figure out to the penny what 10% is and write a check for $113.37. Like it is with the aforementioned tipping example, rounding up and being extra generous is the right heart to have.
 
It’s like I’ve had people ask questions like – “Pastor, do I have to tithe on my gross income or on the net?” – meaning, they want to know if they are to base their 10% on what they make before taxes or after taxes. Well, the answer I like to give to that is this – What kind of harvest or blessing do you want for your tithing? Do you want a net blessing, or do you want a gross blessing? In other words, do you want a blessing that a net will hold, or do you want a blessing that is a net breaking blessing? I for one, want the net breaking, ship sinking, and cup overflowing type of blessing! Amen?
 
But to answer the question more specifically – It’s not about what you have to do. It’s about what you get to do. And I for one choose to tithe on the gross because technically that is what my job is paying me. And whatever our government decides to take from me in taxes was part of my income. Therefore, I tithe on the gross because it’s technically what I made.
 
Not only that, what this does is it then frees me up that, come tax return time – if I am one of the ones who actually gets a refund – I am able to give part of that as an offering to the Lord because I already tithed on it. I like that option!
 
IS TITHING FOR US TODAY?
 
So now that we have covered what tithing is and how we give it, let’s now start answering the big debate – Is tithing something that Christians are to practice? In other words, was it just an Old Testament principle or is it also a New Covenant principle?
 
You know, the principle of tithing has been under attack for years in the Body of Christ. People have spent a lot of time trying to give us countless reasons why tithing is of the law and, therefore, is not something that is practiced in the church today.
 
And one of the statements that you hear from people that are “anti-tithe” is that the principle of the tithe was under the law. So since we are now under grace and not under law, tithing is not for us today. These people only refer back to the Torah to cite the examples & principles of tithing. But these people don’t know how ignorant they are. Sure, tithing was a part of the law, but it was a statute established well before the law. So just because something began in the Old Testament doesn’t automatically make it “law.”
Didn’t the apostle Paul use Abraham as an example time and time again to teach against justification by the law? He sure did! His argument was that when Abraham was around, there was no law. Yet he was said to be justified by his faith in God and not by His works.
Well, guess who the first person to tithe in the Bible was? It was Abraham! Not only did Abraham tithe, but his grandson Jacob committed to tithe to the Lord as well in Genesis 28:22.
So tithing preceded the law in these two examples, showing us that tithing was not just a part of the law. It was something that was practiced before there was ever a command to do so. So this idea that tithing is only Old Covenant is also false.
So when someone asks me “Do we have to tithe?” I like to answer – “No, you don’t have to tithe, but you also don’t have to have to have God’s blessings poured out on you, to where you don’t have enough room to receive it. You also don’t have to have the devourer rebuked for your sake. There’s a lot of things you don’t have to do.” Also, I would answer that question with – “Abraham & Jacob didn’t have to tithe either. But they willingly offered their 10% in a way to honor God for the things He had done for them.”
So no, we shouldn’t go into this with the attitude of do I have to do this or do that. Tithing is not about law. It preceded the law, and is about faith, honor, and love.  
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
Not to mention, how many of you know that there are a couple of New Testament verses that also talk about tithing?  
 
In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
 
So Jesus was addressing these religious leaders and how they were tithing, but while they were fulfilling their religious duty to tithe off of every little thing, they were neglecting the more important parts of the law such as righteousness, mercy, and faith.
 
How many of you know that what is of the utmost importance is, are we practicing what is right in God’s sight (i.e. righteousness), are we walking in love (i.e. mercy or covenant, steadfast love), and are we walking by faith (for it is impossible to please God without faith)? But even though things such as righteousness, love, and faith are the most important parts of our walk, Jesus made the point that “these you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” In other words, while we certainly “ought” to do these weightier matters, we shouldn’t do them at the cost of tithing.
 
So Jesus said right in the Book of Matthew that we “ought” to be tithing just like we ought to be walking in love, walking by faith, and walking in righteousness.
 
Now I know that some people will hear this and immediately come up with some rebuttal like – “Well, Jesus was talking to these Jewish leaders who were still under the law.” That’s a legitimate point, but I’m not one who likes to try to find out what parts of the New Testament are not New Covenant. I think you can get in danger that way.
 
In fact, in Luke 16:16 we have a statement that Jesus made that perfectly describes the dividing line between the Old and New Testaments. It says, “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”
 
You see, when Jesus referred to “the law and the prophets” this was just the terminology that the Jews used in their day to describe what we refer to as “the Old Testament.” The reason for this is because to the Jewish mind (who Jesus was preaching to) the Scriptures pertaining to their covenant mainly consisted of the law (i.e. the books of Moses) and the prophets (i.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah, the minor prophets, etc.). Of course, there were other books that chronicled their history (i.e. Joshua, Chronicles, Kings, etc.) and others that consisted of their poetry (i.e. Psalms, Proverbs, etc.), but the terminology that they used to describe what we call “the Old Testament” as a whole was “the law and the prophets.” So essentially Jesus was saying, “The Old Testament was until John …”
 
Until John who? Until John the Baptist, or you could say, until John the Baptist came on the scene. You see, when John the Baptist arose in the wilderness preaching repentance, Jesus was saying that this is when the preaching of the New Covenant began to be declared. But Jesus did not call it the New Testament, the New Covenant, etc. What did He call it? Well, let’s look at that verse again: “Since that time (since the time the Old Testament had been declared and since the time John came on the scene) the kingdom of God has been preached…” So just as Jesus referred to the Old Testament as “the law and the prophets” He also used a different terminology to refer to the New Testament. And what terminology was that? He called it the kingdom of God!
 
So what can we gather from this? Again, we can gather that the kingdom of God is not just “a” message of the New Covenant; the kingdom of God is “the” message of the New Covenant! We know this because in this verse (Luke 16:16) the New Testament is called the kingdom of God!       
 
So my point is that from the time John came on the scene, this is when the kingdom of God began being preached. Therefore, New Testament teaching did not just begin after Jesus’ resurrection, it began when John the Baptist came on the scene preaching “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” Therefore, that blank white page you have in your Bible that divides the Old Testament from the New Testament is accurate. New Covenant doctrine did indeed begin in Matthew’s Gospel.
 
So Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:23 are not just being spoken to those under the law, but are words of life for any who will call on His name.
 
THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDECK
But Jesus wasn’t the only one who touched on the subject of tithing in the New Testament. The Book of Hebrews also talks about tithing – in the example of Abraham & a man named Melchizedek.
 
Now if you just casually read through the Book of Hebrews, you’ll see a particular statement repeated time and time again. The one that says, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
This phrase is repeated, not one, not two, not three, but SEVEN times. Now if it’s in the Word one time, it’s important. If it’s in there two or three times, then it’s really important. In fact, two or three witnesses in the Scriptures means that it is established. But if something is mentioned in there SEVEN times, how important do you think it is? It’s not just important; it’s perfectly important!
 
Now this statement is an obvious reference to Jesus being our Great High Priest without beginning or end, like Melchizedek typified. The writers of Hebrews had been building their case that Jesus is better than angels, better than Moses, is a better covenant, and now, in Hebrews chapters 5-7, is better than Aaron & Abraham.
 
You see, Hebrews was teaching us that Jesus was not made a high priest forever according to the order of Aaron, but according to Melchizedek. So because Melchizedek was before the law, the high priest lineage that Jesus is presently coming from is not of the law, but under an order that was before the law. We are talking about Genesis, not Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, or Numbers.
 
So this was tithing in the beginning. So Abraham either learned tithing from it being a cultural practice of that day or he learned it from the same place that he learned faith from, God. He wasn’t tithing to keep a rule or to be justified by his works. This is how far people are off and how ignorant they show themselves when they say, “Tithing is under the law.” No, tithing was before the law, it was during the law, and it continues after the law. Tithing is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.
 
So through these three chapters, we are told a lot of this man named Melchizedek, and how Abraham tithed to him and was blessed by him. However, there wasn’t a lot told us about him in the Book of Genesis.
 
Now when you read all of these verses in the Book of Hebrews that talk so much about Melchizedek and tithing – that’s a whole lot of precious New Testament real estate to be devoted to something that doesn’t apply to us anymore. Amen?
 
But let’s look at a few verses in Hebrews 7 …
 
Hebrews 7:1-3 says, “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated ‘king of righteousness,’ and then also king of Salem, meaning ‘king of peace,’ without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
 
Now we have very little in the Scriptures about this man named Melchizedek. His story was recorded in just three short verses found in Genesis 14:18-20. Here’s what we know:
We know that Melchizedek brought out bread & wine (interestingly enough, being a type of the Lord Jesus, he provided the same elements as the Lord did for His Last Supper). He then blessed Abram, and after that, Abram gave him the tithe from his increase.
Now notice that Abram was blessed BEFORE he tithed. Not only that, but Abram got this victory BEFORE he tithed. We don’t tithe to get blessed or to get the victory; we tithe because we are blessed and we’ve already got the victory. Amen!
You see, it’s important that we understand this because everything in the life of faith in Jesus is done from the standpoint of grace. Jesus did it all! He has already loved us. He has already forgiven us. And He has already blessed us!
Now we don’t do anything, including tithing, to try and get God to bless us. We tithe because of the victory we already have in Christ Jesus and because we seek to honor the source of that victory.
But again, really the only two things we see about Melchizedek is that he received Abram’s tithes and he blessed Abram. So if he was a type of Jesus, and Jesus is after that order FOREVER, then both tithing & blessing are what Jesus still receives and does today as He did yesterday.
Then the writers of Hebrews go on to say in Hebrews 7:4-6, “Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.” 
 
So the point we are seeing in these verses is this: The fact that Abraham gave the tithe to Melchizedek proves that he was greater/better than Abraham. Know this – whoever you tithe to is who you are declaring how great they are.
 
Now don’t think carnally about this. As you are about to learn, when you tithe, you are not just tithing to a person or place. You are tithing to Jesus. Therefore, it’s not a man of God or a work of God that you are giving to; it’s God who you are honoring and calling great! Amen!
 
Then “behold” (i.e. check this out!) … Verse 7 goes on to say, “Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.” 
 
Notice that this verse does not say that here mortal men RECEIVED tithes, indicating that they only did this in past. No, this is present tense, so this New Testament verse is acknowledging that tithing is a present ministry here on the earth TODAY. 
 
But get this … Then we are told “but there He receives them.” So guess who we are giving to when we tithe? Jesus! Yes, He receives our tithes there.
 
Now of course that doesn’t mean that our money magically gets transferred to heaven’s bank account. No, it goes to a work of God here on the earth where physical money is useful. But in reality, your Great High Priest is receiving your tithe.
 
Now it does need to be said that the motive by which we give it is key in both what He receives & how He receives it. This is a point we will touch on next week. But the main point I want you to see this week is that one of the most important mentalities to have when we tithe to the Lord is that He receives them in heaven. Therefore, when I tithe, I am not just giving to some physical person, place, or thing. I am giving it to the Lord Jesus Christ, my Great High Priest, and in doing so, I am declaring that He has blessed me & given me every victory. And I am also declaring His greatness and honoring Him in my giving.   
 
Then Hebrews goes back to how Jesus is greater than the Levitical Priesthood by saying in verses 9-10 – “Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.”
 
This bodes well for my Levi then, doesn’t it? This means he gets a lot of the blessing that I will from when I was paying tithes when he was still in my loins! LOL!
 
THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVERMORE
 
So here is the point I want you to get today, saints: Tithing is not just something that was under the law. Not only that, but tithing is acknowledged in the New Testament as well. So tithing was both done by faith (Abraham) and recognized by grace (Jesus). Therefore, It was well before the law was ever established and it has remained well after the law was fulfilled.
 
So tithing is not a commandment. It is an eternal principle that remains the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. So don’t be carried about with teachings that say otherwise.
 
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.” Then in verse 9, we see how the writers of Hebrews immediately refer to not being carried about with various and strange doctrines.

So what is a good, solid way to not being carried about with different teachings? It is by understanding the prior verse – that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. In other words, like the Bible says about God, He does not change.
 
Now Jesus is called what in John 1:1? The Word! So might we say the WORD is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore?
 
You see, there are a lot of people who believe that the Word of God is not the same. There are those who say that this part of the Bible is not for us today. Others say that another part is not for us today. We need to be careful with that.
 
God does not change, so why would we tend to think that the things He said changes?
 
Now the fact is that while God does not change, we have. What I mean by that is that God has always been the same from Genesis to Revelation, but the way that He deals with His creation has had to change over time. And that is important to understand when reading your Bible because then you’ll know what parts of it are a part of God’s eternal nature & statutes and what parts were intended only for a specific group of people.
 
But when it comes to the way God and His Son are, they are the same. They change not. Therefore, the way they are and the things they say don’t change. Understanding this will do what? It will keep you and I from being carried around with different kinds of strange teachings – some of which have said that tithing is not for us today, that it is only of the law, and that it’s not New Testament.
 
People like to say that tithing is not for us today, that it’s passed away. Well, that sounds a lot like healing has passed away or tongues and the other gifts of the Spirit are passed away. No, church, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore, and this goes for His statutes, ordinances, and doctrine that we have clearly laid out for us in the Word.
 
Therefore, tithing is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. It is not a rule; it’s honor. It’s not law; It’s love.  

REVIEW
In our current series on the subject of finances and how to be more “financially faithful” to the Lord, we have started out learning about certain mentalities that are important for us to adopt if we are to prosper in this area of our lives. Yes, the way we think about these things is what I consider to be the most important part of faithfully stewarding our finances.
You see, I’ve come to find out that our lives will oftentimes reflect the way we think. In other words, as the Scriptures teach us, as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Therefore, we need to correct any wrong thought patterns concerning finances because if we’ve got some “stinkin’ thinkin’” in this area, it will impact our financial lives. 
So all of these things that we have learned thus far are vital to us moving forward in this area: 

1. We must believe that God does want you and I to prosper. In fact, He is pleased when we are successful, thrive, and flourish in our financial lives. This gives one permission to believe for God’s prosperity in our life because in our hearts, we are persuaded that God is pleased with the prosperity of His people. 
2. We must also erase all of the things that religion has taught us about this subject that might disqualify us from believing it’s okay to be blessed. Yes, because of a misunderstanding of some Scriptures that warn us about financial things, many Christians think it’s wrong to receive God’s will in this area. 
3. We must also embrace that blessed mentality that the Israelites adopted, knowing that God’s blessing – His empowerment to prosper them – was on their lives. Yes, the same blessing that was on Abraham has now been given to us, which means that because of our new & better covenant with Him, God has committed to bless the work of our hands. Not only that, but we learned last week that He has redeemed us from the curse of poverty as well. Again, more ways to think that result in our hearts being both open & receptive to God’s will for our financial success. 

So now that we covered some very important mentalities we need to possess as God’s people, let’s look at what I consider to be one more very important mentality to possess that will help us to be more financially faithful to the Lord.
    
GOOD STEWARDS 
So the title of this week’s message is – “Just Stewards.”
Now when you hear that title, don’t hear it as saying that we are only stewards. We are certainly much more than that! We are God’s children! We are Sons of God! We are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, and His own special people! We are not “just” anything. 
But the word “Just” is used in other ways too! This word describes “righteousness” as well! Yes, a just person is a person who has been justified, and thereby, been made righteous in God’s sight. But righteousness is not only used to describe what we’ve been made, positionally speaking. Righteousness is also used in describing what one does & their actions. 
Now as you are taught well about here at High Point, the righteous things we do will not & cannot save us. It is only the blood of Jesus that can do that. And when one believes on the Lord Jesus Christ – accepting His grace – they are made completely holy & righteous in God’s kingdom. But as the apostle John said, it is those who practice righteousness who have been made righteous. In other words, a righteous person will do righteous things. Amen? 
So when I use the word here, I am referring to the fact that you and I are righteous stewards who do the right thing in our stewardship.
So that’s what I want to highlight today – how you and I can righteously and justly steward the finances God has entrusted us with. And that is a big point – while we are God’s children and have been made righteous in God’s sight, we are also called stewards and have been entrusted with various things that God expects us to faithfully steward during our short life on this earth.  
You know, there are many, many Scriptures that describe us as God’s stewards. 
The first example of this is in how it all started in the Garden – which is a perfect description of God making mankind His stewards when He planted a Garden and then put man in that Garden to keep & cultivate it. 

We even see multiple examples in the Scriptures of God’s people “stewarding” for others such as Joseph becoming an overseer over Potiphar’s house, having put him in charge over everything he owned (See Genesis 39:4-6). Daniel was also made a commissioner over Darius’ kingdom, and excelled in his position because he had an excellent spirit (Daniel 6:1-3). 

Now some of these examples from the Old Testament have to be understood as being types & shadows of New Covenant truths. So I believe that these stories are included to show us what God’s people are viewed as now.   
First Corinthians 4:1-2 makes a powerful statement regarding our stewardship. Paul said, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
Here, the apostle Paul said that he (and other apostles like him) were to be regarded as both Christ’s servants and stewards—specifically stewards of the mysteries of God. In other words, they were stewarding the truths of Christ and of this new and better covenant. 
Now like in this example, in most of these, we are stewarding “spiritual” things for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Probably the most well-known Scriptures concerning this are Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and His Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:12-27). These two akin parables describe to us that the Lord Jesus has left certain gifts to his servants and, when He returns, He expects to see a good return on His investment. And His focus in these parables is on faithfulness—that is, being good and faithful stewards of what He entrusted them with. 
Now although the financial currency of their day is the illustration in both of these parables, we know that these parables are talking about spiritual things that God has entrusted us with. For example, in the Parable of the Minas, the Lord gave all three of these men the same amount, one mina. This is different than His Parable of the Talents where the Lord gave a different amount of talents to each of His three servants. Here is what I believe is the difference: I believe these were two different parables, teaching the same principle regarding two different things the Lord has made us stewards over. You see, the one “mina” we have all received is our salvation, where every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ has received the exact same grace, capabilities, and potential. But the “talents” are the gifts and callings that we have each been given a different measure of, as we are not all called to the same ministry. Some have been made stewards over the gift of being an evangelist and having the gift of exhortation. Others have simply been given the ministry of helps. Then others have been given the gift of administrations, the gift of giving, and also the ability to teach. It all varies for each of us.      
But my point is that Jesus is describing through both of these parables that we are “stewards” – stewarding the various gifts & graces that He has given us.  
The apostle Peter obviously was referring to Jesus’ teaching when he described this in his first epistle by saying, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (First Peter 4:10) So here Peter specifically uses the term “stewards” to describe each of us – and he specifically is referring to being good stewards of the various types of God’s grace that we all have been given. 
JUST FAITHFUL STEWARDS
And there are many other Scriptures that refer to us as God’s ministers and stewards of the various spiritual gifts that we have been given by His grace. But someone might say, “Yeah, I agree with that, Pastor. But what does this have to do with our finances?” 
Well, that’s easy – Do you think the Lord would have given us stewardship over these eternal and precious spiritual things and then said, “Yeah, but all of this natural stuff like your money, that’s yours to do with whatever you want”? Wrong! To me, it is just common sense that if our life is not our own anymore and we have been bought with a price to faithfully serve the Lord with the spiritual gifts that He has made us stewards over, then our natural things are included in this as well. 

Now I am going to say something right here that you will not hear too many pastors say. And this will shock you; I can assure you…
Have you heard preachers out there say, “The tithe belongs to the Lord! So, you better not take what is His and use it on yourself! If you do, you are robbing God!” 
Of course, some of these things that we’ve heard did in fact come from Scripture. They are quoting from the Old Testament - in both the book of Leviticus and the prophet Malachi - when the Lord said first in Leviticus 27:30&32 that the tithe is the Lord’s and it is holy to Him and then in Malachi 3:8 that His people are robbing Him when they withhold their tithe and offerings. (And notice that this Scripture in Malachi does not just say that they were robbing God because they did not tithe; it says that they were robbing Him when they did not tithe and give offerings. People conveniently leave that part out, don’t they?)
So here is my shocking statement. Are you ready? I do not believe that 10% of our income and increase (i.e. the tithe) is the Lord’s today. 
Someone will say, “Aw, how can you say that? That is what the Bible says!” The reason why I say that is because we are under a different covenant than they were, and there are some major differences now. Let me explain…  
You see, the tithe was absolutely the Lord’s for the Old Testament saint because their life was still their own, but this is no longer the case under our new and better covenant. You see, the Lord told them that the first 10% of their increase was holy unto the Lord. But now, under our dispensation, it is no longer us who live, but Christ living in and through us (see Philippians 1:21). You see, we need to understand that when we became a born-again Christian, we were crucified with Christ (see Galatians 2:20). In other words, from a spiritual sense, we died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God (see Colossians 3:3). 
So what does this have to do with the tithe being the Lord’s, you ask? Well, since we are reckoned dead, 90% cannot be ours anymore. Now under the New Covenant, 10% is not the Lord’s; under the New Covenant, 100% is the Lord’s! Amen!?!
Now am I saying that we shouldn’t tithe anymore? Heaven’s no! The principle of the tithe was practiced in the Book of Genesis before the Old Covenant was even established; so it is a good principle to start with in our giving habits. But now in this church age, we need to be, first and foremost, Spirit-led in our giving. 
However, let me caution you: if you are consistently “led” to give less than 10% under this new and better covenant, you are not being led by the Spirit of God! My father in the faith said that if you are not giving at least the tithe, 10% of your increase, then you are not being a good steward of your finances.   No, if this is a better covenant established upon better promises, then we should not be giving less than they did under the Old Covenant; I believe we should be giving more! And I for one, have that target at heart - that I am not just going to give my tithe, but I am going to give much more than 10%. Now 10% is certainly a good starting point; but make sure you are giving with the right motive and are listening to the Spirit of God’s directions.
But this leads me to my point this week… When we identify with these positional truths that our life is no longer our own and we give ourselves wholly over to the Lord as a result, then we will see that our money is not “our” money anymore; it is the Lord’s money and we are simply stewards of what is His.  
In fact, the Lord taught us this in His Parable of the Unjust Steward in Luke chapter 16 … 
Luke 16:1 starts off by saying, “He also said to His disciples …” 
Now this is significant because what this shows us is that Jesus is piggybacking on the parable that He just finished sharing with the Pharisees and the Scribes (See Luke 15:2-3), which most people know as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” Basically, this parable was teaching these religious leaders that they were like this elder son in this parable and were not seeing these tax collectors and sinners as their prodigal brothers who were coming back home. 
But what I believe was happening here was, after He just finished talking to others about this prodigal son who had squandered all of his inheritance that was in his possession (i.e. he was a poor steward of what His father had given to him), He now took that as an opportunity to turn to His disciples and teach them the importance of not being “wasteful” (i.e. definition of prodigal) of what their Master has entrusted to them. Amen. 
So, again, Jesus was talking to His disciples here, correct? And then He begins this parable by saying, “There was a certain rich man (Obviously a reference to God because He is certainly “rich,” owning the cattle on a thousand hills, and all the gold, silver and precious stones of the earth are His. Amen?) who had a steward.” 
So if Jesus is talking to His disciples here, then He is likening all of His disciples (both yesterday, today and forevermore) to stewards of our Rich Master, the King of kings. In other words, the Lord is here calling us stewards of His resources – and not spiritual resources either. No, if you read on in this parable, Jesus is talking specifically about this world’s “unrighteous mammon” (See vs. 9&11).      
Now what is interesting in this parable is, notice that Jesus said in verse 10 that being a faithful steward of this “unrighteous mammon” is being faithful in “what is least.” In other words, Jesus is calling our earthly riches “the least” thing we can be faithful stewards of—meaning, that our earthly resources are the little things that we are stewards of in comparison to the spiritual things that the Lord has planned for us to manage. As He went on to say in verse 11, if we have not been faithful in stewarding our finances (which are temporal and little in comparison), how can we expect Him to commit to our trust “true riches”?  You see, stewarding finances is the “little thing” and is what God will judge us by to be rulers over much in His eternal kingdom. 
So we can clearly see through this that we are considered stewards of the Lord’s money, and we are called to be good and faithful stewards of these temporal things. In other words, we are not owners of anything; we are stewards of God’s things—and this includes both our spiritual and natural gifts. 
GOD IS OUR SOURCE
James 1:16-17 teaches us that we are not to be deceived but to understand that every good gift and every perfect gift (which would include both spiritual & natural things that are a blessing) come from above, coming down from our Father of lights. Amen. But the reason the Bible tells us not to be deceived about this is because this will be the tendency. 
You see, this is hard for some people to accept because they have the mentality that their money is theirs because, after all, they worked for it, they earned it by the sweat of their brow, etc.
We’ve looked at Deuteronomy 8:18 that says that it is He who gives us the power to get wealth, but let’s recall why the Lord gave them this powerful Scripture. It was meant to exhort them not to forget who gave them this power to get the wealth they had. You see, we always look at that Scripture as saying that it is God’s power, blessing and favor that enable us to get more wealth, but the real point of this verse is to remind them that everything they already had is because of God’s power, blessing and favor. In other words, the Lord was exhorting them to remember where this blessing came from. Amen? 

Well, we need to remember who it is who gave you and I the energy and strength to go work hard like that. We need to understand that if the One who holds all things together and in Whom all things consist (i.e. In Him we live and move and have our being), if He were to just lift a fraction of the grace off your life, you wouldn’t be able to put one foot in front of another and would have drool running down your mouth. No, you wouldn’t be able to think straight to do all of the things that you just thought you were just so gifted and talented to do. So, we need to recognize that all of those things that we think are just us, are all parts of the manifold grace of God in our lives. Amen? 

So, once we begin to recognize that God is the reason for our very existence, and He’s the reason we were born at this particular time and in the most blessed nation in the world, when you start to acknowledge all of the grace of God in your life, then you will become more thankful, praising God and giving Him glory. And guess what happens as a result? He starts directing your path and making it smooth and straight (Prov 3). You begin prospering because this is how we set ourselves up for the blessing of God. Amen. 

You see, when you see the money you have as being by your own blood, sweat and tears, you will tend to keep a tighter hold on it. But once you begin to realize that everything you have is because of God’s grace, favor and blessing, then you’ll be more apt to release it. This is a key to being a giver – because there is more where that came from.  

Example of the preacher who said, “Alright, reach into the back pocket or purse of the person in front of you, and give like you’ve always wanted to give.” The point of this is - when we see it as someone else’s money, we tend to be more liberal and gracious, but if we see it as our money, we tend to be stingier.

So, yes, we need to recognize that every good and perfect gift comes down from above and is not just a result of our own intelligence and hard work. So even though it might look like we’ve earned all that we possess, it is God who gave us the mind and the strength to accumulate it, for which we are to give Him all the glory! 

GOD’S MANAGERS
Now the word “steward” literally describes one who handles the affairs of another. It is defined as a person who manages another person’s property. So you could describe a steward as what we would call today a “manager.” Therefore, we could say that we are God’s managers. 
Now we can all understand that, right? A manager of say, a store- he or she is not the owner, right? They don’t have to personally pay the bills or the employees, nor are they going to be held responsible for the business itself. No, their “job” is to simply use the resources that the owner has provided them with and faithfully manage said resources. 
You know, I have been a manager before in a bank, and I’ll tell you, being just a manager of a branch is a whole lot different than being the bank president much less the bank’s owner and being responsible for all of the branches and the bank’s overall success. It relieves one of a lot of pressure. 
I knew that if we lost a big account one day, I’m still going to get my paycheck. I also knew that if someone brought a lawsuit against us, I wasn’t going to have to personally appear in court. No, I still had food on the table and slept just fine no matter what crises were going on in the bank. And why? Because I knew I was simply the manager, not the owner.  
Well, that is one of the benefits of knowing in your heart that you are just the Lord’s steward - because it takes off the pressure of feeling like you are the one responsible for everything. In other words, it will help you to rest in Him and truly trust that He has it all under control. 
Not only that, but if we truly saw that we are stewards of the Lord’s money, we would be handling it differently. 
I mean, we wouldn’t want to face the Lord one day, having poorly stewarded His resources. That is why we have these other parables that I have already mentioned that teach us this. Again, while most of these other parables are more referring to our gifts, graces, and talents, if the least of these things is money, then we should be faithful in it too. 
Say, we were working for someone else, and we just decided to take some of their money to use it for personal reasons, well that would be considered embezzling, and we would be fired. It’s called being a bad steward. Well, of course, we are not going to get fired from being a child of God, but we certainly should be inquiring more of the Lord and seeing what He wants us to do with His stuff.   
But here is another wonderful truth: good managers get paid well too! 
Working in the banking industry, I saw that there were significantly different pay grades for different managers. You could find some managers making a shade over $30,000 a year and then others making over twice as much as that. 
And what is the difference? Whether they are a good and profitable manager or not. Yes, you pay your good stewards well. 
Look over at Luke 8:3… 
This verse teaches us that Jesus had many women who followed Him, one being Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward. And this Scripture tells us that these women provided for Him from their substance (or, resources / possessions). 
Now why do you suppose Luke made the point of who Joanna was the wife of? It was to show us how this provision was not just minimal; it was significant – because you have to know that Herod’s steward was paid well.  
Well, in the kingdom of God, its similar. The Lord’s stewards who are wise & faithful get paid well too!   
THE MIRACLE OF MULTIPLICATION
Now a couple of weeks ago, we looked briefly at the blessings listed in Deuteronomy chapter 28, and we saw that one thing that was said was that the Lord would bless their baskets and their kneading bowls - which I described as the things we carry our increase in and the things we create our increase with. 
Well, this reminds me of Jesus’ multiplying of the loaves and fishes during His ministry—for how many of you know that that bread & those baskets were absolutely blessed!?! And I believe that these couple of examples of the Lord multiplying the food for the thousands of people illustrate to us some very important principles of being good stewards. Let’s look at the example of the feeding of the 5,000…
Now this feeding of the 5,000 is one of the rare instances in the life of Jesus that are recorded by all 4 Gospel writers (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 & John 6). 
Well, I want to look at two accounts of this miracle – Mark 6 & John 6 …
Now in Mark chapter 6 we have a beautiful parallel with the great 23rd Psalm - showing us that this is a fulfillment of our Good Shepherd’s willingness for us never to lack, to be led by a place of rest and solitude, to lie down on green pastures and to have a table prepared for them even in the wilderness and for their cup to overflow. 
Well, in Mark’s account (as well as Matthew & Luke’s), we are told that He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves. Have you ever wondered how He blessed the loaves? Well, John’s Gospel tells us how - John said that He gave thanks! (John 6:11) So when you combine these different accounts together, you can conclude either:

1. He looked up to heaven, blessed the bread while He gave thanks, or…
2. He looked up to heaven, blessed the loaves by giving thanks for them.

I personally believe that this miracle was driven by the Lord’s giving of thanks because we see in John 6:23 that the location of this miracle was identified as “the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks…” 
Saints, thanksgiving is how your bread and basket are blessed - that is, being genuinely thankful for all God has done for you and freely given you, and being thankful for all that He is still willing to do for you.    
However, it is important to understand that this not all there was to this miracle of multiplication: After Jesus blessed the food, He then distributed the baskets to the disciples and then the disciples distributed them to the multitude. 
Now what would have happened if His disciples had not distributed these baskets? There would not have been the quality of miracle that they experienced – because Jesus would have only been able to only reach so many people being one man. But the mathematics here indicate that the only way they would have been able to feed this 15,000 or so was for the multiplication to take place through His disciples. 
So here is my point: When you are a “distributing disciple” (or you could say, a “sowing steward”)—coupling together the spiritual principles of God’s blessing being upon your basket and His desire to be your Good Shepherd along with good, sound practical stewardship of distributing what the Lord has given you as He instructs you, you will experience the miracle of multiplication in your life! Amen!    
You see, the Lord is looking for these sowing stewards and distributing disciples. And when He finds them, 2 Corinthians chapter 9:10 teaches us that He gives seed to the sower and bread for food. It teaches us that He will both supply and multiply the seed we sow and, at the same time, increase the fruits of our righteousness! Amen!