INTRODUCTION: Two stories of being disqualified!
THE CASE OF THE OFFERING BASKET MURDER
Genesis 4:1-16 - 1 Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”
“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood.12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”
15 The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Hebrews 4:11 - It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
Abel gave out of
Abel gave out of
1. This is
giving!
Moving on…
Amos 5:21-23 (NLT)
21 “I hate all your show and pretense—
the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.
22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.
23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice,
an endless river of righteous living.
2. This is
giving!
Moving on…
Malachi 1:6-14 (NLT) - 6 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honours his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honour and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for My name!…
“You defile (your offerings) by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect.8 When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies…
10 “How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings…13 You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord….14 …For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies…
3. This is
giving!
Q25: What is tithing and giving offerings?
The word ‘tithe’ literally means ’one-tenth’ (10%)
Q: are Christians required to tithe?
Q: is tithing a God-rule?
Some pastors teach, if you are not giving the full 10%, you are robbing/cheating God!
Malachi 3:8 (NLT) - 8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated Me (robbed Me) of the tithes and offerings due to Me.
1. It started as an expression of
!
Genesis 14:18-20 (NLT) - 18 And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram…20 …Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
2. It continued as a statement that
I have is
!
Genesis 28:20-22 (NLT) - 20 Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey…21 and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be My God. 22 And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything He gives me.”
Fast-forward to 5th book of the Old Testament…it was turned into law.
Deuteronomy 14:23 (GNT) - 22 “Set aside a tithe—a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 … Do this so that you may learn to honour the Lord your God always.
3. It grew as a way to
us to
God!
Money is deeply
“This is how you break the emotional and spiritual hold money has on your soul, and how you learn to honour God - by tithing!”
OBJECTION: “But Jesus never taught tithing or commanded people to tithe!”
Matthew 23:23 (NLT) - 23 “… Hypocrites!…you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law — justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
True: Jesus never taught on tithing or made it a rule, because…
for Jesus, tithing was never
for Jesus, tithing was a great
God isn’t so interested in our ‘standard of living’ as He is our ‘standard of
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NLT) - 6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
Q: Is giving tithes and offerings a rule for Christians?
Q: Does every Christian need to give 10%?
Q: What if I can’t give 10%? Will God be mad at me?
Your giving needs to be a
CONCLUSION:
Q25: What is tithing and giving offerings?
A: “Tithing is a spiritual practice of worship, where we give God the first and best 10% of our income, with offerings being anything extra beyond that. While Jesus did not explicitly command tithing, it serves as a starting point, teaching us gratitude, recognizing God’s ownership of all we have, and honouring Him with the intensely emotional and spiritual commodity of our money. Tithing is not a mandated rule but an expression of faith and love from the heart.”