$1,000,000 Question…
If God doesn’t need my money, why does He talk about it so much?

When we borrow things, we leave them better than we found them.

Why?

Someone else owns it.
We are just using it.
Another word for that is steward.
So let’s go to the passage where Jesus talks about this.

Parable of Talents
This is a sum of money, not ability.

Matthew 25:14-29
14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip.

This is the 11th time Jesus has said… “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…

“A man” … that’s Jesus.

He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while He was gone. 15He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on His trip.

Bag of silver, talent, denarii…
One talent is a lifetime of money.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

Who’s money? … The Master’s.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.

Jesus is going to come back and have you give an account for how you handled HIS money.

God expects a return on His investment.

20The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!

This is the only time in Scripture you see this statement…
“Well done, good and faithful servant…”

The people who are good stewards.

The way you’ve handled HIS money so far…
Is He going to say… “well done.”

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant!

Wicked & Lazy: This is a person who is a bad steward.

If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

Stewardship: The management of someone else’s things.

1. I am not the owner.

Psalm 24:1
1The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

Psalm 50:10-12 NLT
10For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.
12If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.

Anytime God asks for something from us, He’s just asking for what was already His back.

New Testament…
1 Corinthians 10:26
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”

That diamond came from God’s coal.
Car came from God’s metal.
Clothes came from God’s plants and animals.
House… Bricks, wood, etc. came from God’s earth.
Your pearl came from God’s oyster.
Your food came from God’s plants and animals.

Can you imagine us saying that anything belongs to us?
What God thinks about that?

The paper that your money is printed on came from God’s trees.

Teenager Problem…

This is not your house, young man.
That’s not your car, young lady.
God has a bunch of teenagers.
Spiritual adults know it’s all His.

It’s all His.
God owns it all.

The Owner is coming back.

2. I am a steward.

The whole thing started with stewardship.

With Adam and Eve in the Garden.

The lie and temptation of Satan in the Garden was:
“You don’t want to be a steward. You want to be an owner.”

God is going to judge you based on what He gave you.

Stewardship: protect and expand the resources of another.

There was an expectation to expand and build upon what was given. In fact, the servant with one talent was rebuked, and reprimanded, not for losing what he had, but not doing anything with it.

The bank would have done both.

You are God’s bank.

If God is first in your life everything else falls into order.
You will have difficulties, but things are where they should be.

In this world you will have trouble…
Would you rather go through trouble with everything out of order?
Or would you rather go through trouble and have your affairs in order?

This is a principle that runs all throughout Scripture.

Our money is just like everything else in our life.
God comes first.
Our money is no exception.

What does that mean?

Exodus 13:1-2 NKJV
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”

“It is Mine”

You give the tithe first.
You don’t pay your bills and see if you have enough left over.

3. TITHE: Tenth or 10%

Tithe… always in the house of God. When the Israelites took the city of Jericho, God commanded them to bring all the silver and gold from the entire city into the house of God. Why not just a tenth? Because Jericho was the tithe. It was the first city among many. So he wanted all of it. In faith.

Exodus 23:19 NKJV
The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.

Malachi 3:10
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 there will not be room enough to store it.

Bring, not give.

You can’t give what doesn’t belong to you.

You have 2 options when it comes to the tithe, according to scripture…

Bring it
Steal it

It takes faith to believe that 90% blessed is better than 100% cursed.

Why did God accept Abel’s offering and not Cain’s?

Genesis 4:3-5 NLT
3When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

“Process of time”
“Cain brought some of his crops…” (an offering)
“Abel brought of the firstborn…”

Cain did not bring a “first” offering.

Tithing represents who’s first in your life.

4. The TITHE must be first.

Leviticus 27:30 NLT
One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.

It takes faith to give the first lamb to God. Because you don’t know if the sheep will have any more lamps. It takes faith.

He didn’t say wait until you have 10 of them then wait and give me the one that you have that you don’t really like that keeps making a mess and getting into everything

It’s the faith that enacts the blessing. Not the tithe, Not the 10%. The faith.

Don’t give the first portion to the mortgage company, because they don’t have the power to bless your finances. Don’t give your first portion to Publix or target or Kroger, because they don’t have the ability to bless your finances, or redeem the rest.
But God does.

Tithe is on the profit, the increase.

Which one is the tithe?

The one on top.
The first one to leave your hands.
God doesn’t want your leftovers.

Malachi 1:6-8, 10 NLT
6The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name!
“But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’
7“You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.
“Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’
“You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect.

8When 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.

God is saying, “I’m supposed to be first, but you bring me the leftovers.”

The tithe is first.
God gets what’s first.
God gets what’s best.

This isn’t a legalistic principle.