God's Tithing Principle (Part 1)

You want to extend a warm welcome to our guests we have with us today. We're glad to have you, and welcome to our services here. I'm so happy you can enjoy the Sabbath with us. One of the things I would like to do as I continue to care and look after and prepare messages here in Michigan is to, from time to time, dive into each one of our fundamental beliefs that we have. The United Church of God has 20 fundamental beliefs, or 20 doctrinal statements, that really create the foundation for what we believe and provide the structure and the aspect of being a Christian. It's all about all these things. The Church and the Council of Elders has noted that these are our 20 doctrinal statements, our fundamental beliefs. And as we go through the year from time to time, it's good that we pull out one and look at it from time to time. And hopefully over a few years' period of mixing these in with other sermons, we can cover all of our fundamental beliefs and remember to dive deep into these. Sometimes we surface, kind of just cover them at a high level, and to take an actual message and to dive deep into our fundamental beliefs are good from time to time. So we understand these statements. We know the teachings of these beliefs to be critical to us building our lives on the right foundation of proper reverence for God's Word, especially as revealed through Jesus Christ. One of the key scriptures that I like to turn to as we think about this topic is in Deuteronomy 5, verse 32, as we think about the aspect of looking at our fundamental beliefs, our doctrinal statements. This kind of sets the foundation for why we have them, why we study into our disease core beliefs, and why we go into it quite in depth from time to time. This is in Deuteronomy 5, verse 32. Deuteronomy 5, verse 32.

And that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. So we know that God has given us instructions, a way to live life, and today I'd like to look at our fundamental belief of tithing as outlined in God's Word, our fundamental belief of tithing. This is one of our 20 fundamental beliefs, and I'd like to look at that with you today. From our doctrinal statement on this subject, the Church has this as our official doctrinal statement. We believe in tithing as a way of honoring God with our substance and as a means of serving Him in the preaching of the Gospel, the care of the Church, attending the festivals, and helping the needy. That's pretty concise. We also have a study paper on this same subject, and from the doctrinal study paper, the intro paragraph says, The United Church of God and the International Association believes and teaches that tithing is the way God has mandated for the work of the Church to be financed. Tithing, along with voluntary offerings, is one of the means by which a human being can honor God, gratefully and obediently acknowledge Him as the Creator of all and provider of all good things. The Church believes that tithing has been the revealed financing means for God's work on earth, at least from the time of Abraham onwards, and is equally enforced today. We believe that God has revealed three distinct ties and specified the appropriate use for each. Administrative decisions must from time to time be made in the Church in order to apply the law of tithing to modern economic circumstances. So that's from our doctrinal study paper.

So as we look at the subject, I have a couple questions as we start out. Does God need our money? And is there anything that God needs physically from us? Are there things that God needs physically from us? We know that nothing existed before God, and everything belongs to God.

The entire universe and all the fundamental principles of it matter, physics, life. Everything that was created was created by the Word of God, or by the Word, excuse me, through the direction of God, the Father. There is nothing in this universe that God needs, but all in it belongs to God. We're going to look at a few kind of quick scriptures to kind of build up this view, this understanding we have. The first is in Exodus 19 and verse 5. We're going to go through these kind of rapid fire.

God has inspired multiple places in His Word that He is the owner of everything, that everything belongs to Him. And we can't even go to every single one, but we're going to look at a few just different ones to kind of just make sure we realize this isn't just the one place in His Word that He says this, but it's throughout. The first is in Exodus 19 and verse 5, where we read, Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine.

Notice the words, all the earth is mine, so it encompasses everything. But God says you shall be a special treasure to me, to Him, if we do these things. Another scripture is a little bit forward in Deuteronomy 10 verse 14. Here we read, another scripture is in Job 41 verse 11. This is when Job was in some ways reasoning with God or trying to understand the weight of what he was going through and why, and God responds. And this is one of the scriptures in where God responds to Him personally.

Job 41 verse 11, where God says, I owe Him money, I owe Him a tithe, I owe Him something. God is saying, who has preceded me that I should pay Him? Everything under heaven is mine. Again, referencing the same point we're making.

The last one, just to quickly look at, is in Psalm 24 verse 1. There's more we could look at, but I just wanted to take from different books, different scriptures, just to show you that it wasn't just one place that God inspired the writers to capture this. And even here in Psalm, King David writes this in Psalm 24 verse 1.

So these are just a few verses, but we can see here from these verses that everything we have, everything we experience, everything that we physically own, that belongs to our property as man has deemed it, belongs to God. We get to use it, we get to enjoy it, but it's a blessing from Him that He has poured out into our life. He's given it to us for us to enjoy and for us to use, like our cars. Sometimes we have to get down to the physical aspects. Our cars are not really our cars. They're God's cars. We get to use them. Our home where we live, maybe where we've raised our children, our homes belong to God too.

He's brought those. Maybe your name's on the mortgage and you're paying the taxes. It doesn't feel like it. It feels pretty personal, but at the same time we realize that has been brought into our life as a gift from God. And it is His to be used and to remember that our job, even, is not really our job.

Many times God's favor has gone before us to place us in a position to get that job. And if you had training or knowledge or an education, well, even that belongs to God because where did you learn how to think? Where were you created from? And God, just in an awesome miracle, has created life. And so the ability to work with your hands. Some people have that gift.

They can see a finished house built and they can see that in their mind's eye. And so then they can go and they can make it happen. That's a gift to have that ability. Others can analyze things. They're very analytical. That's also a gift because I can't send a rocket to space. That is definitely not my gift.

And so those gifts are given from God. They're talents. They belong to Him. So even when we use those in our jobs or we use those in different ways that we earn a living, that's a gift from Him. So even when you get down to the crux of it, our jobs belong to God. They're a gift from Him. That we have that ability and His favor often goes before us in those jobs. And then when we really think about it, even our children are not really our children. They're gifts from God. Even in His Word, He outlines that we're to love, we're to care, we're to teach them, we're to raise them, to look after them.

But they belong to Him, as we saw in Psalm 24. All the people within the earth belong to God. So we have to remember that even though our children may be our responsibility and we've diligently taught and helped them to grow and looked after them, that's because they're gods and we're taking good care of the items we've been given.

Again, everything we have been given to us by God is His. There's no ifs, ands, or buts. There's no ways to kind of try to take this and spin it and say it does belong to us, or maybe this one thing does. No. Everything within the earth is God's, including us, including everything that we see, everything that we have. And so I asked a question earlier, does God need our money? The easy answer is God does not need our money.

Some have become confused that God needs our tithes in order to do His work, but all we have to do is go all the way back to the beginning of the book, beginning of the Bible, Genesis 1.1, where it says, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Boom, it happened. It existed. Not by your hand, not by your might, not by your money. Everything happened because God created everything that we experience, everything that we have. Again, God can create anything that He wants. If He needed diamonds, He could make mountains made out of diamonds, which would be pretty cool. But if He could do that, if that's what He needed, if He needed that, if He needed gold, He could have gold plated this whole earth. Everything in it could be gold. So if He needed money, money's not a limitation to God.

Money, wealth, diamonds, whatever it is, it's not a limitation to God. He doesn't need these things. He can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants, however He wants. So we have to ask a question. So why tithe? First and foremost, tithe is an act of worshipful recognition of God as our source of existence. Blessing and Providence. Another way you can say providence is divine care or direction, the way that God works in our lives. It's an act of worshipful recognition of God as our source of existence, blessing, and providence. We give a tenth to God to acknowledge that all belongs to Him.

In actuality, tithing is more of a benefit for us than it ever would be even remotely to God. It's a benefit. It's a blessing for us. It helps us to keep our focus on God and shows that we put Him first and that we honor Him. We put Him first with our money because that first tithe goes to Him before we spend our money on other bills. So it helps us to keep our focus on God and show Him that we put Him first.

Tithing also helps us to remember our reliance on God and His blessing for our everyday needs. So the things that we know that we need food, we need our cars to run and things like that. It helps us to remember our reliance on God for His blessing so that when we get in the car, it starts. That's a huge blessing when that happens. Or when you open up the fridge and it's... Or you return home from a trip and your furnace is still running, your hot water heater isn't leaking.

These types of things, it helps us to remember that we need God in our life and we need His blessings. And it helps us remember to be generous with our increase, recognizing that our increase didn't come from us. Yeah, we have to go to work. We do our part. There are scriptures for that.

We have to be good stewards of the gifts and the money that He gives us. But so many times when I would receive a bonus at different times of working, I just realized that that is just a gift from God. Nobody said I was entitled to that. I wasn't deserving. I mean, I did my part, but ultimately God's favor went before me with those I worked for and things like that. And so even with that, to remember that that's a gift from God, my increase, and recognizing that I have to be generous as well with that, because God has given each of us so much.

So since we are diving deep into this principle, I don't want to just brush over it with my thoughts. Let's look at God's Word. Let's look at how He defines what a tithe is. And we can start off by looking at Deuteronomy 14, verse 22.

Deuteronomy 14 and verse 22. Here's where we find the tithe described. What is a tithe? Deuteronomy 14 and verse 22. Here the Scripture reads, you shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. You shall truly tithe all the increase. Here the word tithe means to give or take one-tenth of all the increase. If we were to look at the Hebrew word, which the Hebrew word is actually azer, A-S-A-R, which means to tithe, that is to take or give a tenth.

To take or to give a tenth. And also noted here, God is inspired to truly tithe all the increase, recognizing this is what you bring into your life, the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. So for us today, this would be derived from one's produce or property or income, and it's used for the support of religious purpose. This tithe is holy to God. This is another important aspect to point out. Let's look at Leviticus 27, verse 30. Leviticus 27, verse 30. Here in Leviticus 27, verse 30, we read, 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.

So first and foremost, it belongs to God. That's what we read here. But he goes on to say, it is holy to the Lord. Holy, that's set apart by God. It's got his earmark on it.

The entire tithe belongs to God and is holy. Just as you and I are set apart as children of God, we are holy as his children. And so we are set apart. So is this tithe. He says that it's holy to the Lord. And it's not to be used or consumed by the tithe pair. It's set apart for God's purposes.

And while we're talking about this aspect, I'd like to mention that there's a second tithe that many are familiar with that also belongs to God and holy. We know that that tithe is to be used for festival purposes. We read, we'll get into that in a separate message, but I wanted to just go ahead and point that out. That even the second tithe belongs to God. But it's used because he says what it is and what it's to be used for. He gives us discretion in using that tithe, and that's what's different between the first tithe. That one, we don't get to choose how. God gets to choose how that first tithe is used. But that second tithe also belongs to God and is holy. It's his tithe. The difference is, he tells us how we get to use that. And we'll dive, like I said, we'll dive that into another message. But I wanted to point out, because sometimes people don't think that the second tithe is set apart by God or that it belongs to him. Well, he's the one that says it's to be given, and he says it's set apart, and what it's to be used for. And so as we get into, we'll have a second part message for some other aspects, because I really want to weigh the basis as we dive into this doctrinal statement, primarily on tithing, what is tithing, and then the first tithe. And so we'll get into that more in a, hopefully, the next time I'm with you here.

The motivation to tithe is a wonderful recognition of God as creator and possessor of the entire universe and everything in it, including ourselves, as we discovered. Let's look at Proverbs 3, verse 9, because God does offer, in a way, a great promise and a support for us being faithful in doing this act, in worshipable recognition of Him being the creator of the universe. Him being the creator and owning everything. This is in Proverbs 3, verse 9.

Proverbs 3, verse 9. Here we read, Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase. So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. Honor the Lord with your possessions, with all your firstfruits, and so your barns will be filled with plenty. It sounds kind of like a, what is that, a paradoxical statement or something that's illogical? It doesn't make sense. I'm going to give God money so my barns can be overflowing and full. But yet, when you've given of your, what God has already given you, back to Him, that's in faith and in following His Word, you realize that there's multiple ways that God can bless us in return. Maybe you won't get that bonus. Maybe it doesn't come back to you in a dollar value. But like I mentioned before, I had an older car. It was a 99. Okay, that's a town old to you guys. Some of you have driven much older cars than a 99. But for me, that was not too long ago. That was before we moved here to Michigan. I had a, what would that be? Like a 17, 18 year old car or something like that? And you all know, okay fine, you get to a 17 year old car. There's problems that sometimes come along. And I'd get in and when that car would start up, that was a blessing from God to realize that it would actually start. That the tires didn't fall off, things like that. That when we can wake up and go to our jobs, that we have enough health. We have enough resources. We feel well enough. That's a blessing from God. We got to remember that God takes care of us. He's our provider of everything that we need and so many of our wants. And so there are all kinds of ways that God can help us so that it's not just money coming in. Maybe it's so that money's not going out. Different ways that he intervenes and works in our life. And so it says, so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine. It doesn't sound like it makes sense, but it does. So what is the tithing timeline that we have outlined in God's Word? It's one thing to define a tithe, but let's see through God's Word, through history of what we have recorded in God's Word. Where tithing comes up, how it's used and how it's referenced, and then maybe in some ways just a continuation. Well, there is no maybe, a continuation from the Old Testament into the New Testament. So what is the tithing timeline? We have to go all the way back to the beginning of Genesis 14 to see the first reference of tithing. And this is by Abraham to Melchizedek, Genesis 14, verse 18. This is our first record of tithing in God's Word, Genesis 14 and verse 18.

Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abraham of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hands. And that's the end of that quote, and then this is what Abraham did in return. And he, Abraham, gave him a tithe of all. The Hebrew word here is maseir, M-A-A-S-A-R, which is a tenth or a tenth part. So he gave him a tithe of all. Abraham obviously understood that tithing was the way to honor God. Barnes Notes on the Bible adds this comment to this scripture. He says, Barnes Notes says, makes a practical acknowledgment of what Abraham did, makes a practical acknowledgment of the absolute and exclusive supremacy of God. What Abraham did makes a practical acknowledgment of the absolute and exclusive supremacy of God. You would think from such a short passage, there wouldn't be too much to glean from that, but there actually is a couple of different ways that we can see. Kind of like you do a character study where you dive into somebody from the Bible. There's some things we can extract from what Abraham did here. The first is some just small little points, but it's important to point out. Abraham is noted by God as the Father of the Faithful, and he tithe willingly as an act of great humility. Also, another point is Abraham showed deep respect for God into Melchizedek, King of Salem and Priest of the Most High God. We know from Hebrews 11, we'll get into it in a little bit, that King Melchizedek was actually Jesus Christ, the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. What this also does, and we'll get into that in a little bit, but also Abraham showed great personal integrity and character where he kept his word and resisted the temptation to keep the spoils for himself.

He could have kept it all. It was his spoils. It was his riches that he had gleaned. He could have kept it all, but because of his personal integrity and character, he gave a tithe to God. We have another example of another person who tithed to God, and this is in Genesis 28. Notice we're still before Exodus, before Mount Sinai. This is in Genesis 28 and verse 20. This is when Jacob tithed to God. Here we have God reconfirmed his promise to Jacob that he had made with Abraham, and then Jacob promised this in return to God, Genesis 28 verse 20.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, If God will be with me and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my Father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone, which I have set as a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to you. So here we have Jacob tithing. Some have viewed this as, well, Jacob made a deal with God. God, if you give me all these things, then I'll give you a tenth. But we know that's not the case. Is Jacob reconfirming that his oath, recognizing that the promises from Abraham and through his Father now to him are a gift from God, and recognizing, as we covered at the beginning, that everything belongs to God. And he's saying, when you give me these things, these promises, when they come to fruition, I will give you a tenth, reminding him that this is part of the way that we are to worship, and even Abraham and Jacob recognize that they were to worship God. After the Exodus, God gave the tithe as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi in return for its service at the tabernacle and later the temple. And it was incorporated into the covenant with Israel as a written law. Let's go ahead and look at this in Numbers 18 and verse 21 as we continue working through this timeline. I know these are a lot of scriptures, but I, once again, don't want this to just be words that I come up with or anything. When we're dealing with a fundamental belief and a doctrinal statement, something that we have built as our foundation for Christianity, we need to go straight to the source and dive into God's word on this. Numbers 18 and verse 21.

Note, as we also go through this, this is another important point, that the principle of tithing has never changed through the word. Only the recipient of who receives that tithe has changed different points. And so here we see a change issued by God in Numbers 18 and verse 21.

The principle still is intact, but who receives that tithe? Here God says in verse 21, Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. You remember previously we have accounts of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob building altars to God, building a place where they would do sacrifices through His word. They could do that themselves. Here God is saying this no longer is to be permitted because only, here He says again in verse 22, Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die.

But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity, shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance. Therefore I have said to them, among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

Another key point as we continue reading through here is the tribe of Levi gave a tenth of that tithe, so a tenth of the tenth, which was for the priesthood. We see that as we continue reading verse 25. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them, When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord's heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. Some have viewed this as, did Aaron receive this tenth just for him himself? It's most likely not that way because we have other scriptures where it talks about the household of Aaron, which is encompassing the whole priesthood. So unlike just maybe your family where it's your blood family, many times when we see the household of Aaron, they're talking about all the priests that would serve Aaron being the high priest and those underneath him. So this tithe would have gone to the priesthood in order as they continue to do their work.

It was to provide for the religious instruction for the people and the organized worship of God for the physical nation of Israel. But then, over time, what happened? As we've read through God's Word many times, we realize that tithing was neglected, along with a lot of the other laws that God had instituted by Israel and by Judah. They stopped keeping the laws. They stopped keeping the Holy Days. They built idols. They allowed the nations around them to influence them and their religious practices. But there were times of reform, one being of Hezekiah's reforms, where Hezekiah, and you put in your notes, this is from 2 Chronicles 29 and 31 if you want to look at this later, but that's where Hezekiah's reforms are captured. Tithing was reestablished, along with the Holy Days, along with other tearing down the idols, things like that. So it wasn't just the Holy Days being reinstituted and other things, but tithing was also reestablished. Also during Nehemiah's reforms, which is in Nehemiah 13. So again, God's people fall away. Nehemiah then is inspired and grabs hold of the trunk of the tree and re-established and reformed the nation again. And along with it comes the Holy Days and comes proper worship of God and also tithing. There's accounts of that in Nehemiah 13 of tithing coming back. So we realize when reforms happened, tithing was reinstituted as part of that. So they recognized that this was part of their worship, part of their responsibility before God. And then when the Jews went into exile and then came back to the Promised Land, the Jews were corrected by the prophet Malachi. Let's look at the back of the Old Testament, the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 3. Because once again, they had fallen away from following God and honoring, doing what He was supposed to. And this time, to the detriment of even the priesthood, the priests were unable to do the work because they needed food. They needed caring for themselves, and God's people were not caring for them. So they were out looking for new jobs, pretty much. They were out trying to find new ways to provide for themselves. They were neglecting their priestly duties, the responsibilities they had in God's temple, in the tabernacle, or in the temple, actually. And they weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing because God says you're supposed to be able to give off the tithe, and that tithe wasn't being collected. Here in Malachi 3a, we see God pointing this out, being the prophet Malachi being inspired to write, Will a man rob God? This is Malachi 3 verse 8. We know robbing anybody is a sin, and this is, Will a man rob God? It's a strong statement. Yet you have robbed me, but you say, In what ways have we robbed you? And God inspires in tithes and offerings. And He goes on and says, You are cursed with the curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouses. Would you remember that tabernacle or the temple had kind of wings to it, areas where they could store the food, store things that were brought in the tithe? And He's saying, Bring all the tithes into storehouses because these storehouses were empty. That's why the priests had to go work. They had to go do things that they were not being meant to do by God because they were to serve in a certain way. But these storehouses were empty. And so He says, Bring all the tithes into the storehouses that there may be food in My house. And this is the key point. And try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

The New Living Translation version, New Living Translation from Malachi 3 verse 10 says, Bring all the tithes into the storehouses so there will be enough food in My temple. If you do, says the Lord of Heaven's armies, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in. He says, Try Me. Put Me to the test. That's why I like the New Living Translation for that one. Try Me. Put Me to the test. Here God is actually kind of throwing out that, try this. See if I won't do these things. Once again, we remember that sometimes it doesn't come back in monetary ways. But as I remember, that 1999 car starting in the driveway and being thankful to God when those moments would happen, as a way that God can care for us.

For those who have tied diligently or worked at tithing, and many times we all keep budgets. A lot of us keep a paper budget and we write it all out. I know I can't speak for everyone. I'm sure there's stories if we went around the room. But I do have some of my own stories of doing the budget, having tithing as one of those line items, and you get down to the bottom and things don't work out. A little bit negative in the hole. Something's not working out. And it's tempting and it's difficult in those moments to look back through, okay, what can we take out? And see that tie sitting there? And the human side of you says, that's a car payment, maybe. But you realize that this is not our money. God's already said that this is the whole way to Him. It's set apart. So even though there's a line item on our budget, that money is actually already gone. That's why it's super wise, as you tie it, to go ahead and get that bill paid first. It's not a bill, but go ahead and give God His money. Make sure that that's where it is. And that second tie that is commanded in His word as well, which we'll get into another time. If you need to, because we get to keep that one, because we put it in our bank account, we store it. It says that one, the second tie, that we'll get into later, can be kept in your house. But that second tie, that was we think about it. If you need to, go bury it in the backyard under a rock. Do whatever it takes to make sure that that is set aside. Because as we read through this, we realize this is God's money. It's not our money, but in the second tie, God gets to tell us how we get to use it. It comes as one of those that's set apart, and He says how we can use it for ourselves. So He's saying here in Malachi 3, again, yeah, it doesn't work out on the budget, but try me on this. See that I will not open the windows. Put me to the test. There was a reason why this was part of God's way, because He knew it was the way that He had authorized for His work to be financed. This wasn't man's idea. This wasn't man's wisdom here. This was God saying it, and He had seen the ups and downs. He'd seen the times when man stopped doing it, and others suffered. The work that He wanted to do through mankind suffered.

He wasn't getting the reverence that He deserved because of this was being ignored. So from this study that we've done up to this point, we realize that no tithes and no offerings, as God says right here in Malachi 3, 8, equates to robbing God. And we also have recognized that a tithe is 10 percent. It's not 5 percent. We don't see that defined. We don't see it defined as 8. We don't see it defined as 12. It's defined as 10 percent.

We know that offerings can be given at any time. You can give a free offering to God at any time out of the blessings that you've received and things like that. And we know that there's also, in God's Word, we're not going to get into it today because it's another one of our doctrines, but there's Holy Day offerings that we are to give as Holy Days come around each year.

So, as I mentioned previously, is tithing just an Old Testament concept? Is it something that was done away, or has it continued on through God's Word into the New Testament? Let's look at, as we start to consider this, let's look at Matthew 5 and verse 17.

Because early in the book of Matthew, we have Christ in His own words reminding and pretty much setting the bar that nothing is changing when it comes to His wall.

Matthew 5 and verse 17, and this is early in His ministry. This isn't miles down the road or an afterthought. Matthew 5 and verse 17, Christ says, This is a warning that Christ gave against assuming that God's laws had been done away with. We see nowhere that Christ did away with these laws, and as we continue on, we'll see that He actually validates the tithing principle and that the apostles did after Him.

If we turn forward to Matthew 23, we see this one of the points where Christ validated the law of tithing, Matthew 23 verse 23.

Here in this chapter, we know that Christ has several woes to the scribes and Pharisees because they were missing the mark. They were dropping the ball in multiple aspects of what they did out of trying to worship God, but totally dropping the ball because the hearts were not in it. There was a lot of selfish motivation going on. And here in Matthew 23 and verse 23, Christ says, So they were very careful in how they count out their tithe, all these things, very careful. But He says, you're missing the mark. You've neglected the weightier matters of the law. Justice, mercy, faith. You can tithe. Great. You've got that one pretty much nailed down, but you're missing these other aspects. And He says, So we do know that there is a level of justice and mercy and faith that the Pharisees and scribes were missing the mark on, even though they were doing what they were supposed to as it came to tithing. But yet, most likely, the tithing was being done from a self-righteous standpoint as well, so that they could count that out and say, I'm doing the letter of the law. I'm doing my part. Everything is great. And Christ is saying, yet, you're missing the mark on justice, mercy, and faith. The word here for tithe in the Greek is apodekettu. Apodekettu. It's A-P-O-D-E-K-A-T-O-O, which means to give, to pay a tithe of anything. So we had an opportunity, and this is something else to point out through this passage, that Christ had an opportunity here to address tithing and say, well, tithing is being done away with. Tithing is going away. We're not going to worry about this anymore. But in fact, he reaffirms it by even bringing it up and saying, you do these things, these you ought to have done. And so he points it out. But he does address those who tithe incorrectly or with self-righteousness involved with him.

Jesus also taught the law of tithes and offerings to the disciples. We see this in Luke chapter 10.

As we continue through Luke chapter 10 and verse 1, this is the account where the disciples are sent out in pairs of two to do mighty works and to do as Christ instructed through the area.

And he gives some instructions prior to them going out on different aspects of what they were to do and how they were to do it.

Here in Luke 10 verse 1, it says, After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go.

And this is Christ's words, he says, And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house whatever city you enter and they receive you. Eat such things as they set before you. He's instructing the disciples to remember you're to be cared for too. You're serving. You're doing a work.

Therefore, they should care for you. They should look after you. They should provide you with the meals you need to continue to have the strength to continue doing this work.

And then Paul himself confirmed the same teaching in 1 Corinthians chapter 9.

Once again, we're just working through the timeline of tithing and the principles associated with it as we go through.

This isn't a fundraiser sermon. This isn't something that I'm trying to pull ties out of anyone. What I'm hoping that we see as we go through this, this is God's word. This is a timeline that he established. This is a law that he established. And we'll get in a little bit to the point. What is the purpose? How does it serve? What do we do?

Here in 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 7, Paul himself says, Who ever goes to war at his own expense, who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit, or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things as mere man, or does not the law say the same also?

Verse 9, For it is written, In the law of Moses, you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain. Is it the oxen God is concerned about, or does he say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, That he who plows should plow in hope, And he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right, notice the key word here, this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless, we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. To jump in here for a second, there were other ministers, other people who were coming proclaiming Christ, doing a work, but they always had a handout, always looking to make money in this way. Paul is here saying that if others are partakers of this right, meaning this right to receive this, are we not even more so because they are preaching Christ, as Paul was taught directly by Christ. But he says we haven't used this right, because I don't want people saying that we're money hungry. I don't want people saying I'm doing this work because I've got my hand out, I'm preaching the Bible in one hand, and a hand out in the other. He's saying that's not what we do, lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. He says in verse 13, Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, speaking of the Levites? And those who serve at the altar partake of the offering of the altar. Even so, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. As I mentioned, this right had to do with the authority from the law of tithing. And as the apostle Paul had the right to be supported by tithes and offerings, he's reassuring that. He also, in the second book to the church in Corinth, Paul addresses it in another vein. This is 2 Corinthians 11, verse 7.

Here Paul again says, Did I commit sin and humbling myself, that you may be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge. I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. We know that Paul didn't literally rob people. That's a sin. What he's getting to here is saying that other churches have financed his journeys. They financed his ability to write the letters and to preach God's Word. And so while they're supporting him, they're receiving nothing because he said another vocation. He's doing another work. And so he's saying, I've robbed other churches. They're supporting me as I do this work, taking a wage from them, but I'm ministering to you. We know that our work is sometimes done outside these walls. And it's a way that maybe we don't even see some of the literature that is sent out, some of the work that's done behind the scenes. But we know that a lot of our offerings, our tithes and offerings, are going to support the work that is being done by the church today. And so Paul, this is another example of Paul benefiting from the work of others, but yet he himself not ministering to them himself. So how has the law of tithes and offerings changed? This is where we're going to get into Hebrews, Chapter 7, and dive more into what God's word says about King Melchizedek, or from this Melchizedek, King of Salem. This is in Hebrews, Chapter 7. Because when you just read through that account in Genesis, it's kind of, it can appear kind of vague. Who is Melchizedek? And what was the purpose? And where do we go from there? But here in Hebrews, Chapter 7, we see it all explained. Hebrews 7 and Verse 1. For this Melchizedek, King of Salem, and notice I'm going to pause for a few of these words, because notice these words and how they point to only one person that it could be referencing. Only one person holds these titles or could have this designation attributed to them.

For notice this Melchizedek, King of Salem, priest of the most high God, that has to be Jesus Christ, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all. Again, referencing the tithing that Abraham did, that we have recorded in Genesis. First being translated, and this is another name, King of Righteousness.

There's only one King of Righteousness. And then also King of Salem, meaning King of Peace. We know there's only one that would be worthy of the title King of Peace. And then the further explanation, 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.

There's only one priest that could be an eternal priest, and that would be Jesus Christ, who lived eternally. In verse 4, now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. So we know, just reading through this quickly again, Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham. He's without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, like the Son of God, a priest. And so this can only be Jesus Christ, prior to His human birth, being described here. And then continuing on in Hebrews 7 and verse 5, From this passage we can see that in the Old Covenant, the Lord received tithes from Abraham, and blessed him who had the promise. Now beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there He receives them, of whom it is witnessed that He lives. Even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. And you can see that in the Old Covenant, Levi was given the tithes. It's another reference to not just numbers, but here in Hebrews, that reference that that was established. And that Melchizedek was much greater than Levi, or the tribe of Levi. And that through his great-grandfather, Levi had in essence paid tithes to Melchizedek. Continuing on in our timeline, and our definition here in Hebrews 7 verse 11, Perfection could be achieved through the Levitical priesthood, for under the people received the law. What further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron, who was from the tribe of Levi. For the priesthood being changed, verse 12, this is the key point, for the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. So through this whole passage, it's speaking of the Levitical right for them to receive this tithe. And yet it's named now, for the priesthood being changed. How is it changed? Who's our new high priest? Who's our current high priest? Of course, Jesus Christ. Of necessity, there is also a change of the law. This change of the law was to whom God assigned the tithe.

The tithe was no longer assigned to the tribe of Levi. It was now assigned to the ministry of Jesus Christ, not to the tribe of Levi. And as we know, the temple of God today is the people who have His Spirit. Because if we remember back to the temple or the tabernacle in the wilderness, they set up the tents. And the Holy of Holies is where God's presence would come down. His presence would be there in the tabernacle.

And then later, when a stone temple was built, we know that there was also a Holy of Holies there where His presence was. But then all that has been done away with. And when we receive, accept Christ, accept the promise of being a first fruit, being inheriting all that God wants to give us, and admitting our flaws and our faults, and we become baptized, and we receive His Holy Spirit, that Spirit resides in us.

Therefore, making us the temple of God. And so, it is something for us to remember that as we, as I here, as other ministers come and minister to you, it is our role to serve and to care and to look after each and every member that God has called us to this work to do. And we try to do that.

I try to do that. But honestly, I fall short. I'm human. I have my flaws, my shortcomings. Yet, we still have this amazing opportunity that God has called us to in the ministry to serve you. I often mention, as a parallel, I love how Paul uses the race analogy so many times, multiple times, of this race that we're each on.

And that there's a finish line out there for you, but there's also a finish line out there for me. And I often think that I, in the tools and the abilities that God has gifted me with, I want to help you reach that finish line, but I also need your help in me reaching that finish line. Because we're all in this together. We're all humans.

We're, none of us are perfect. We all have the same blessing to be a child of God. It's a wonderful opportunity to be here together as family. And as I help and I serve in this role, I don't take it lightly. I can't remember if I've mentioned to you or not, there's a code of ethics that all elders sign in the church.

And the first six words of that code of ethics says, as a minister of Jesus Christ. Then it goes on. And when I was given that to review and to sign my name to, saying I had to abide to it, I kept getting stuck at that comma after, as a minister of Jesus Christ. Because just those six words, that's weighty. That's big. That is not something like a car payment or you're signing on your house.

You just read through it and sign your name. Just sign here. This is weighty. As a minister of Jesus Christ comes with it as that heavy responsibility that I have. I don't answer but to Christ. And I do take that very seriously. And so as we read through this, recognizing that the priesthood has changed. That Jesus Christ is our high priest and those that he calls to serve underneath him, serve him.

And they serve his people. And so it is a responsibility, as it was for the Levites, to teach God's word. I take this responsibility very seriously and I count an answer to God and to Christ for how I do this. And I don't forget that. As ministers, we serve in that role and do our best and we work and do our best to share God's word and teach directly from his word.

We must also remember that it's not just to help through the ministry, but our tithes provide for the work that we do, for the booklets that are produced, for the writings that go out, for the website maintenance, so that God's word can be preached to the world. It goes far and it goes as far as God wants it to go. We're planting the seeds and then he takes it and he waters those seeds and he provides the increase.

He provides the growth. We know that from Scripture. But that is another way that we are involved in the work that God is doing. He gets the credit for it, just like the change that he makes in our lives. He gets the credit for it.

But he allows us to be intimately involved in what he is doing on this earth today. It's an honor to be able to be involved in that way. Not only has God given us so much, but then he invites us to be willing to be along for the ride and help others along the way. This does pretty much wrap up what I wanted to share in this first part of the message. I've never given a two-part message before, so we'll have to see if part two works out or not.

In thinking through this, I didn't want to, as we again, talk about one of our fundamental beliefs today and really dive into it. I didn't want to brush over and skip through it too lightly. We'll focus on some other aspects of tithing, the aspect for the festivals and for giving to others, the third-tide aspect and a future message.

It is good to dive into our fundamental beliefs from time to time and review with the Scripture support why we are here today. And again, to remember that the law of tithing has never changed, only who would receive it. And that has been, I hope, shared as we looked at God's Word, that He's the one that defines when that change happens and how it changes, not man.

It has existed all the way back to Abraham and who we know was called the Father of the faithful. The law of tithing hasn't changed again. It takes faith to give your tithe to God, but we know that God has promises in store for those who diligently follow Him. We do our part in our worship and obedience to God, and He so much more does His part in providing and caring for each one of us.

So I hope that as we look at this and we look at other doctrinal statements, unlike baptism, we look on the Father, on His Son, Jesus Christ, we dive into all these different doctrinal statements, these fundamental beliefs we have, that we dive deeper than maybe we get an opportunity in some of our messages. And so this is one of them that we want to share today, I wanted to share today. And as just a reminder of why we're here and what we do, and as we continue going, that God looks after us, He always provides, He always cares, He never comes up short in what we need and why, and that He always takes care of our needs and He often gives us so many of our wants, too.

And what a great God we serve, and it's a privilege to just be part of this family.