Financially Faithful - Part 5: Tithing Yesterday, Today, and Forevermore

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.