WHEN JESUS PRONOUNCES “WOE” UPON OUR TITHING

WHEN JESUS PRONOUNCES “WOE” UPON OUR TITHING

 “Woe unto you scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites, you pay tithes of mint, anise and cumin, and have omitted weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy and faith, these ought ye have done and not leave the others undone.”  (Matthew 23:23).

Someone said, “The universal passport to happiness on this earth is money.”  This statement is true up to a point, but not unless one invests his money in redemptive purposes.  If one should do so, he must view and use money according to the ten principles laid down in God’s Word.

10 Principles of Using Your Money Wisely.

1. God is the Owner of all material things, including money – Haggai 2:8; Psalm 24:1.
2. God has given us all the money and material things that we possess – 1 Cor. 4:7b.
3. We own nothing – Acts 4:32.
4. We are stewards of all God has given us, not owners.
5. We must give an account one day to God as to how we have used our material gifts (2 Cor. 5:10).
6. If we give as God has commanded, beginning with the tithe to our local church, and also use the 90% redemptively,  God will bless us above measure – Mal. 3:10; Luke 6:38 – meaning that we will have what we need when we need it (our need, not our greed) – Phil. 4:19.
7. Our giving must be from our hearts, prompted by the grace of God, not because of             “compulsion or of necessity” – 2 Cor. 9:7.
8. Because of our grace living, God’s grace will enrich us morally and spiritually on this earth so that we grow in Christian character – 2 Cor. 9:7; Luke 15:12.
9. We will experience financial freedom which is essential for abundant living in this life –   Mal. 3:10; 2 Cor. 9:7,11.
10. When we get to heaven we will be welcomed by those who were won to Christ because  of our giving – Luke 15:9.[1]

 

God forbid that I would brag about my giving, but to make my point in this message I must share with you my honest belief and practice of tithing.  Do I believe in tithing?  Absolutely but much more than ten percent.  In my first church I made the huge sum of $45.00 per week while attending expensive Duke University and instead of $4.50 per week, I gave $7.50 until our church treasurer, Brother Don Christian, said to the congregation, “I think we must appoint a committee to see where our pastor is getting so much money for he gives more than we pay him.” As my salary in larger churches went up, my giving went to twenty percent, then to twenty-nine percent and to fifty percent when the church was  building buildings which cost millions. In addition to my weekly giving, I gave generously to missions.

 

By now you are asking, why would you bring a message on “When Jesus Pronounces “Woe” on our Tithing.”  Simply this:  There are three primary errors when it comes to many Christians’ attitude toward tithing:

Error #1 – “GOD WANTS 10%, and after that I can do whatever I want with the 90%.”

Error #2 – “I AM GIVING THE TITHE TO GOD in order to get more money for myself.”  (based on the promise of God in Mal. 3:10).  It is true that God promises to bless us abundantly and above measure when we give, but receiving more money is not primarily the reason we should give.  We should in grateful response to a God who gave everything for us.  When we give to God in order to get more from Him, we are not worshiping  or honoring God, we are using Him to satisfy our selfish desires (2 Cor. 8:6; 9:8; 1 Tim. 6:6).

Error #3 – Many tithers believe that if God blesses them with an increased income that that means they should raise their standard of living when in fact God blesses them that they might give more and more to advance the Kingdom of God.

Illustration:  Some years ago a dear brother, and one of my mentorees, suddenly was making five million dollars a year.  What do you think I said to him?  “Brother, I hope you understand that God has not increased your income so you could move into a much nicer home (he already lived in a mansion), etc, but to invest more in the kingdom.”  And he agreed with me.

Does God delight in our enjoyment of His material gifts?  Absolutely.  I love to give to my kids things they enjoy.  God is certainly no different.  1 Timothy 6:17 Paul writes that “God gives us richly all things to enjoy.”  And He is glorified when we enjoy them.  But beware Christian brother, “You better not use these things to justify an indulgent, self serving lifestyle.”

How much should Christians give?  Fallen humans love law, because we love self-justification.  So the law says “tithe” and many do it legally every Sunday and give nothing else.  But law keeps us from dealing with the real issue – our heart. The gospel won’t let us reduce Christianity to law.  It speaks to the heart.

So the bigger questions we must ask about money are heart questions like these:

1. “What Does Your Spending Show That You Delight In?” When you get an extra amount of money you weren’t expecting, does your heart first go to what you want to buy for yourself, or the health and salvation this can provide for others?  What does your spending show that you delight in?  Take a long hard look at your checkbook.  What does that record of expenditures show that you love?”[2]
2. “What Does Your Saving Show You Find Security In?   Who do you trust to take care of your future?  Do you need to save so much?  People are suffering now – and God has given you resources now to help them.  Could we not save modestly and give away extravagantly?  Cannot we depend on the God who provides for us today also to take care of us tomorrow?”[3]
3. How Are You Investing The 90% Left After The Tithe and the increase in your income?  Psalm 62:10b.
4. What Are You Doing With The Wealth the “American Dream” affords you?
5. DO YOU DARE TAKE THE RESOURCES PROVIDED TO US BY A SAVIOR WHO GAVE ALL, NOT PART OF HIS BLOOD, TO SAVE US AND FILL OUR LIVES WITH PERKS AND PRIVILEGES THAT SIMPLY MAKE OUR LIVES ENJOYABLE?
6. “Whose Kingdom Are You Building?   The most fundamental question every disciple of Christ must ask himself is, Which kingdom is his primary pursuit.  Quit thinking so much about the amount you’re giving and think instead about the kingdom you’re pursuing.  Following Jesus means seeing your life as a seed to be planted for God’s kingdom.  So ask yourself:  What have you done with the majority of your resources up to this point in your life?  How are you leveraging your talents now for God’s kingdom?  What have you spent the majority of your money on thus far? Where does the bulk of your treasure lie?”[4]
7. DO YOU REALIZE THAT SOON YOU WILL STAND BEFORE KING JESUS AND YOU WILL GIVE AN ACCOUNT OF WHAT YOU DID WITH WHAT HE PLACED IN YOUR HANDS? (2 Cor. 5:10)

 

Questions to Ponder:

1. What is the biblical tithe?
2. Are you giving the tithe weekly to your church? (2 Cor. 16:2; Mal. 3:10)
3. Are you also using the 90% for His glory?
4. Do you tithe to get more money for the kingdom or to spend on your own kingdom?
5. Are you tithing first to obey the law or because you love Jesus and the gospel?
6. Are you giving to missions in addition to your tithe?
7. Are you giving to the support of para-church ministries, such as MMM, Int’l, etc?
8. God forbid that MMM would ever charge tuition, but is it Scriptural for us to do so? Read Gal. 6:6.
9. Do you believe that you achieve financial freedom -avoid indebtedness because of your giving?
10. What kind of tithing does Jesus commend and what kind does He condemn?
11. Are you obeying the 6^th “I” out of a heart of love?
12. Did BB have to borrow because he gave tithes and offerings?

 

FINAL WORD:  UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER OF ALL YOU ARE AND ALL YOU HAVE IS GOD’S FORMULA FOR HIS GLORY AND OUR HIGHEST WELFARE.

 

“My Lord, O King, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”  (1 Kings 20:4)