Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

This is the third message in our In God We Trust? series. Our theme Scripture for this series comes from Proverbs 3. Pick it up in verse 5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, 9-10, NIV)

In our first message, we summed up this Scripture and this whole series in one sentence: Trust God with all that you are, in all that you do, with all that have. A lot of times it’s that last one that gives us trouble. Trust God with all that we have: our stuff, our resources, our money. But it’s absolutely essential that we learn to trust God in all areas of our lives, including this one.

Today we’re going to listen as God continues to ratchet up the intensity of this trust decision in our lives. Today we learn that Trust=Tithe…and then some.

With the advancement of information that is available on the internet, it has become very popular for people to research their family trees. People are discovering ancestors that they never knew about. A few even discover that they are descendants of some famous or infamous figure in history.

Is anybody here descended from a famous person from history? (Survey crowd)

My wife and I both have famous figures in our family tree, although they are famous for very different reasons.

Nicki is a direct descendant of President Zachary Taylor. He was our nation’s 12th president, taking office in 1849.

I, on the other hand, am descended from the notorious Old West gunslinger, Jesse James. He was the leader of the notorious James gang which was very proficient at robbing banks, stagecoaches, and trains.

I’m sure you will all draw your own conclusions here. “Nicki is descended from a United States President. I can see that. Mike is descended from an unscrupulous outlaw. I can see that, too.”

It’s weird knowing that I have outlaw blood running through my veins. I don’t hold up saloons or rob stagecoaches and trains like old Jesse did, but I’ve still done my share of stealing over the years. Maybe you have too.

In the Bible, the last book of the Old Testament is called Malachi. Listen to these words from Malachi 3, starting in verse 8.

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.

"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'

"In tithes and offerings. [skip to verse 10] 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.” (Malachi 3:8,10, NIV)

God poses an almost unbelievable question here in Malachi. “Will a man rob God?” Our first thought is, “No way! No way we’d steal from God?”

And God probably sighs when he says, “You rob me all the time. Remember how you withhold your tithes and offerings? You’re robbing me.”

And this Scripture may come from the Old Testament, but it is incredibly relevant to our cultural context. The average American spends 92% of their income each month paying off debts and obligations and a mere 2.1% of giving to the church, missions, and the poor combined. The richest believers in the world are right here in our country, and yet many of us are robbing God blind.

Yeah, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is an Old Testament Scripture. We don’t live under the Old Testament anymore. Ok, just to be sure we’re all up to speed, let’s talk about that. We’re going to wade through some pretty heavy stuff this morning. A lot heavier than normal, but track with me. I’ll do my best not to lose anybody.

The Bible is split into two major divisions. The Old and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the story of how God prepared the world for the coming of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, God had a chosen people known as the Israelites. Don’t confuse this with the modern day nation of Israel. Same name, two completely different things.

When God developed his chosen nation, he gave them laws to follow. We call this the Old Testament Law or the Mosaic Law because it was given through Moses. This law was incredibly detailed in how the Israelites should live and worship, and even what they should and should not eat.

When Jesus came and died for our sins, everything in the Law was brought to completeness. The era of the Law was over and a new era began: grace. The New Testament is all about this new life of grace. And today we are still living, not under Law, but under Grace.

So if that’s the case, then what’s up with this Scripture about tithing from the Old Testament? What is tithing anyway? Isn’t tithing a city in China?

Not exactly. In the Old Testament law, people were required to give ten percent of their resources to God. This ten percent is otherwise known as a tithe.

Leviticus 27 says, “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. The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the LORD.” (Leviticus 27:30, 32, NIV)

Ok, that’s all well and good for them, but we don’t live under the Old Testament Law anymore. So we’re not required to tithe, right? I mean, the 10% thing is in the Old Testament, sure. But you don’t find anything about a 10% rule in the New Testament. So I’m not obligated to tithe.

You’re right that there is not a 10% law in the New Testament. However, before we’re quick to jump on this, “I don’t have to tithe” bandwagon, let’s consider a few things.

First of all, tithing predates the Old Testament law. The first instance of tithing in the Bible is in Genesis 14. Last week we talked about Abram, who would later be called Abraham. Abram was the first person in Scripture to offer a tithe. He had just returned from a victory on the battlefield and he is met by man who was a king and a priest named Melchizedek.

Melchizedek praised God for Abram’s great victory and Genesis 14 says, “Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” (Genesis 14:20b, NIV)

Now, there are a couple of reasons that this is significant for us. First of all, Abram’s tithe predates the Old Testament Law. The Law came significantly later. So you can make the case that the tithe transcends the Old Testament law. It came before it and it applies after it.

There is another reason that Abram’s tithe to Melchizedek is significant for us. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, Melchizedek is shown to be a foreshadowing of Christ.

Hebrews 7 tells us, “This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means, “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”

Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!” (Hebrews 7:1-4, NIV)

Melchizedek was a foreshadowing of Christ. The similarities between Melchizedek and Jesus listed in Hebrews are unmistakable. And when Abraham met him, without the requirements or compulsion of the law, he offered him a tithe, setting an example for all believers who would follow, including us.

Whew! I told you this was some heavy stuff. But hopefully you see the picture we have painted here. This tithing thing is part of the Old Testament law, but it is so much bigger and deeper than that. It’s an easy copout to say that tithing just doesn’t apply to us today, but it really doesn’t line up with what we’ve learned from Scripture today.

So, bottom line: is 10% required of us today? Should your offering that you drop in the plate each Sunday equal a tithe? All the Old Testament stuff we’ve been through today, that’s all fine, but this is the question that’s on nearly everybody’s mind: Do I have to tithe?

This series is called In God We Trust? And when you understand the principles of the Bible as a whole, Old and New Testament, you learn that Trust=Tithe…and then some.

When I was a youth minister, I took a group of students to a weekend Christ In Youth conference. I was running tight on my budget for that year, so I booked the cheapest motel I could find. How bad could it be, right? I found out how bad it could be. The rooms were filthy, I tried to open a closet and the door came off in my hand, some of the plumbing in the rooms didn’t work, and to top it all off, when one of our students turned back his bedspread, there was blood on sheets. Oh, it was a great trip, let me tell you.

Compare that to the hotel that Nicki and I stayed in on a trip to Chicago a few years ago. It was Christmastime and the hotel foyer had a roaring fire, a man playing Christmas music on the piano, and fresh, warm Christmas cookies for all the guests. Our room was immaculate, all the plumbing worked, and I don’t think anybody was murdered in the bed before we arrived.

When you think about it, the basics of the two places were the same. We had rooms with a bed where you could spend the night. But beyond those very basic things, there’s just no comparing the two places. One is so far above the other that it’s beyond comparison.

When you compare living under the Old Testament law with us living under New Testament grace, there is no comparison. In the Old Testament, they had to continually sacrifice bulls and goats to ask God for the forgiveness of their sins. We have the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to fully and finally forgive every sin of our lives. Absolutely no comparison.

And because the rewards of living under grace are so much greater than living under the law, the expectations are much greater, too.

Think about it. The Old Testament says, “Do not murder.” (Exodus 20:13, CEV) The New Testament says, “If you hate each other, you are murderers, and we know that murderers do not have eternal life.” (1 John 3:15, CEV)

The Old Testament says, “Do not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14, GNB) The New Testament says, “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28, NIV)

It is a gross misunderstanding if we think that less is required of us because we don’t live under the Old Testament law. Grace always calls for more than the law did! Why would we think it would be any different in the realm of our giving?

Tithing has often been regarded as the benchmark for generous giving. It’s the finish line in the giving race. It’s the pinnacle of the giving mountain. But actually, with this understanding that the expectations of living under grace are always greater than living under law, then our attitude about tithing has to change. The tithe is the floor for our giving, not the ceiling. It’s the starting gate, not the finish line.

So why is it that most of our giving not even come close to a tithe, let alone go beyond a tithe? Is it because we don’t love God? No. Is it because we have a lack of understanding about the Bible’s teaching on giving? Maybe, but hopefully we’ve helped to address that in some small way this morning. We could rattle off reason after reason for why we choose not to tithe and then some, but there is one overarching, overriding reason. It’s not a lack of love. It’s not even a lack of understanding.

It’s a lack of trust. Tithing is a test of trust. Going above and beyond a tithe is an even greater test of trust. It’s one thing to sit here in this room and say, “Yes, I trust God to provide for my needs and for the needs of my family.” It’s quite another to put that trust into action by a tithe or even beyond.

Let’s go back to our Malachi passage again. “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.” (Malachi 3:10, NIV)

Now I want to show you another short Scripture. Deuteronomy says, “Do not put the LORD your God to the test…” (Deuteronomy 6:16, GNB)

As a general rule, we’re called to live by faith and trust and not put God to the test. But God knows that this tithing decision is so difficult for us that he makes an exception to his own rule.

He tells us to test him in this! Our tithe can actually be a test for God. He’s given us permission to do that.

So the challenge for every one of us is to go home, sit down with your spouse if you’re married, and really evaluate what you are giving to God in the realm of your money and your resources. Are you testing God with your giving?

If our giving is stingy and without sacrifice, we’re not giving God the opportunity to more fully bless our lives. We’re not testing him. We’re not giving him the chance or the reason to throw open his floodgates of blessings in our lives like the Malachi passage talks about.

Most of our giving is well below tithing level. It is not practical or realistic to think that you’re going to go from 2% to 10% giving by next Sunday. It won’t happen, you’ll get frustrated, and you’ll give up. Take a more realistic approach. Increase your giving by 1% over the next couple of months. After that, increase it by another 1% over the next couple of months. That slow but steady increase in your giving is a lot more likely to last. But I really encourage you to go home and do some thinking and praying about this today. Do it while it’s still fresh in your mind. If God’s Spirit is convicting you about your giving, don’t wait to work on this until some other voice convinces you that it’s impossible and just not worth the effort.

If you’re one of the few who are tithing and you’ve been tithing for a while, it’s entirely possible that you’ve just gotten comfortable and complacent in your giving. It may not even be a sacrificial gift anymore. Go home and prayerfully consider how, as a person living under grace, you can go beyond the tithe.

A lot of ministers and churches get a bum wrap because people say, “All they talk about is money. All they care about is my offering.” If that’s you, I want to tell you that I understand where you’re coming from. But you’re wrong about me and you’re wrong about this church. We care infinitely more about you than we do about your checkbook. But we must stay true to God’s Word. And the fact is that it teaches extensively about generously offering our money and resources to God. In fact, Jesus talked more about money than he talked about heaven and hell combined. Did you know that?

Here’s the point about all of this. It’s not about building up our bank account. It’s not about cash in the coffers. It’s about growing in our faith journey with God. David Fairchild is the pastor of Kaleo Church in San Diego.

In a sermon on giving, he said, “The Bible essentially tells us this: there can be no significant spiritual growth unless you put your money and your attitude toward it in God’s hands.”

That’s what this is all about. It’s about developing an attitude of trust in God when it comes to our money. And tithing is a way that he can gauge our level of trust in him.

Let’s remember this Biblical principle. The first 10% isn’t yours to decide on. The other 90% isn’t yours, either.

It’s all from God. It all belongs to God. And it’s up to us to decide whether or not we trust Him enough to give it back to him.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, 9-10, NIV)

Mike Edmisten