God, Tithing and Us

God, Tithing and Us • But why should we tithe? Larry R Evans, DMin Associate Stewardship Director General Conference of SDA Email: EvansL@gc.adventist.org Website: www.adventiststewardship.com

“In the beginning God created . . .“(Gen.1:1)

CREATED IN HIS IMAGE So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. GENESIS 1:27

God Believes in Us—He Knows Our Potential • “God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Gen. 1:28

A Symbol of Freedom & Protection • “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”Gen. 2:16.17

Blessings in the Restrictions • The restriction regarding the tree was not a curse but a reminder of freedom. The problem, of course, was that they only knew freedom. But Go knew the difference!! • The tree was a constant reminder that God is the Owner and Provider and in Him we can place our trust.

A Protected Freedom • The Sabbath reminded Adam and Eve that God was the Creator. It is a reminder that God’s plans for us are beyond our comprehension! • Such a reminder was an assurance of His presence with them. This is why we must see the Sabbath in the context of Gen. 1-4. • God’s restrictions for Adam and Eve were designed to protect them from a danger they could not see with their eyes.

Danger!DangerDanger • Freedom is found in relationship with the God-Owner-Creator. • Outside of that relationship is DANGER. • Selfishness is the ultimate danger and it lives to destroy the relationship God designed at Creation.

Distrust in God Caused Them to Leave—They Believed the Lies of the Serpent “So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” Gen. 3:23

“So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.” Gen. 3:23 Was this work a punishment? Or was it a reminder of their origins and of the plans God had for them before sin? Was it a promise of a future freedom?

Scripture Is God’s Story Telling How He Is Going About Rebuilding Trust Relationships With a People Bent on Selfishness

God Sees What We Often Do Not • Trust is believing that what God asks of us is for our benefit and good. • With the freedom that God provides, He is able to see possibilities where we see impossibilities. (Mk 8: 1-10 -- Feeding of the 4,000; 2 Cor 5:16,17--New creation in Christ)

Possibilities Beyond What We Can See • To reach those possibilities God has put in place two reminders – reminders that help us deal with the threat of our greatest enemy: selfishness. • The tithing plan is one of those reminders. The other is the Sabbath. (Ex. 20:8-11)

Possibilities Beyond What We Can See • The moment we receive compensation for the work we have done we are reminded through the return of our tithe who has made that possible. We are partners with God • As working the ground was a reminder to Adam and Eve of their origins and God’s provisions, so tithe is a reminder to us that the provisions we have come from God and that He has a plan for our future.

Possibilities Beyond What We Can See • The tithing plan directs us to the source of our personal identity and with it comes hope, opportunity and strength! • “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Mal. 3:10)

God will “throw open the floodgates of heaven”

God will open the floodgates of heaven

What is a tithe? • The word “tithe” means one tenth or 10%

Is tithe a tax? • A tax is a levy or a charge on one’s own income or purchase. • A tax is based on something you own or are about to own. • The tithe has never belonged to us. It has always been God’s Therefore, tithe is not a tax. It is a return to the rightful owner.

Application of Tithe The Tithe Principle Meaning We don’t keep it We don’t take/use it We obey and follow It’s about God It’s about the heart It’s about faithfulness • Belongs to God • It is holy • God specifies it • Act of worship • Spiritual response • Expression of loyalty

Key Points Regarding Tithe 1.Tithing acknowledges God as Creator & Owner 2. Tithe is an expression of personal worship 3. Tithe is to be returned to God first 4. Tithe is to be returned to the storehouse 5. Tithe is returned by us to God 6. Tithe is holy at all times (OT, NT, and beyond) 7. Tithe is not tied to the Levitical system only

Is tithe an offering? “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’“In tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:8)

How Do They Differ? Tithe Offerings Belongs to God Are holy Believer sets amount Act of worship Spiritual response Express gratitude • Belongs to God • It is holy • God specifies amount • 4. Act of worship • 5. Spiritual response • 6. Expresses loyalty

In the midst of a national and religious crisis, Jeremiah has left us one of the most insightful and encouraging statements of the entire Bible

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”Lamentations 3:22,23

An Overview of God’s Tithing Plan Key Components

#1 The Nature of Tithe • “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” (Lev. 27:30) • The Lord Himself established that the tithe is holy and belongs exclusively to Him. • Tithe may reach us as part of our salaries or increase but it is always the property of the Lord.

#2 Relinquishing Ownership of Tithe • “‘Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’‘In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.’”(Mal. 3:8,9) • The tithe was never ours even if comes in our check. We keep it holy by returning it to the Lord. • Retaining it is called by Him robbery.

#3 Recipients of Tithe • Based on the fact that tithe belongs to the Lord, He is the One who decides how He will use it.

#3 Recipients of Tithe • In the Old Testament it was His decision that the tithe be used to sustain the work of Levites and priests in the sanctuary/temple. (Num. 18:21-24) • “I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”(Num. 18:24)

#3 Recipients of Tithe • In the New Testament church it is to be used for those called by God and appointed by the organized church to do the work of gospel ministry. (See 1 Cor 9:13-14; 9T 247-249; 7MR 366) • “Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” (1 Cor 9:13-14)

#4 Tithe & the Storehouse • In the Scriptures, tithe was centralized for its distribution. It was given to the Lord and stored in the temple. • “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Mal 3:10)

#4 Tithe & the Storehouse • Once in the storehouse the tithe was distributed to the Levites and priests. (Neh. 13:12-13; 2 Chr 31:4-19) • “All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms. 13 I put Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and a Levite named Pedaiah in charge of the storerooms and made Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, their assistant, because these men were considered trustworthy. They were made responsible for distributing the supplies to their brothers.” (Neh 13:12-13) See also 2 Chr 31:4-19).

#4 Tithe & the Storehouse • Little is said about tithing in the NT. • However the principles of tithing from the Old Testament are clearly presupposed by Jesus and Paul: in such passages of instruction by Jesus (Lk 18:12; Matt 23:23/Lk 11:42) and by Paul in 1 Cor. 9:13,14. • In the NT church, the principles of tithing, including that of the storehouse, are transferred to the global church.

#4 Tithe & the Storehouse • Tithing is implicitly endorsed by Jesus as He rebuked attitudes of self-righteousness. • “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Matt 23:23

#4 Tithe & the Storehouse • Principles of tithing, the storehouse and the distribution system are implicitly endorsed by Paul. • “Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.” 1 Cor 9:13-14

#5 Tithe & Leaders • In Israel, leaders were selected and appointed to collect and distribute the tithe and to make sure that it was properly distributed and managed. (Neh 10:37-38) • “. . . And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work. 38 A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.” Neh. 10:37-38

#6 Tithe & the Individual • Since tithe belongs to the Lord, no one should use it to force change in the church or in the administration of the church by retaining or misusing it. • “If the Conference business is not managed according to the order of the Lord, that is the sin of the erring ones. The Lord will not hold you responsible for it, if you do what you can to correct the evil. But do not commit sin yourselves by withholding from God his own property. "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently," or deceitfully. {SpTA01b 27.1}

#6 Tithe & the Individual • Contd. -- In regards to the withholding of tithe. • “I desire to impress upon all our people that God regards the withholding of tithes and offerings as robbery. We are merely stewards of God; we do not own the money which passes into our hands. In its disbursement we are to be colaborers with Jesus Christ.” {This Day with God 349.4}

#7 Motivation for Tithing • 1. God’s gift of Christ for our redemption. • 2. The universal Lordship of God: He is the owner and we are His stewards. • 3. Our ethical responsibility--a moral duty as a disciple of Christ. • 4. The missiological desire to extend the message of salvation to others. • 5. The promised blessings

Can God Be Trusted?

Can We Be Trusted? • 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. --Luke 16:10

Stewardship Is Both a Relationship and a Matter of Management.

The Human Heart

The Heart Before Sin • Before sin the human heart was filled with the essence of heaven--that is: benevolence, kindness, generosity, goodness.

Sin Changed the Heart • Sin brought self-centeredness. • Sin will always attempt to dethrone the self-sacrificing God with a heart that is bent on being self-centered, self-getting and self-serving.

An Issue of the Heart • This is why stewardship must begin with the heart while never ignoring those symbols that de-throne Christ from the life.

It All Begins & Ends Here “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)

Christ-Centered Stewardship Begins with a Wholly Devoted Life and Is Revealed in Our Daily Relationship with God and Others

Quiz • We cannot be truly free if there are also restrictions? False • Freedom and trust do not come without danger? True • God cursed work and then gave it to man after he had sinned. False • Tithe is a tax. False

God, Tithing and Us